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| Holland Greco performing "Lovestruck" |
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Holland Greco’s concert at One
Colorado in Pasadena yesterday was something special. It was her first time
playing at that venue, a pretty courtyard with trees and small tables. And the band backing her was different from what we’d been
seeing lately at the Holland & Clark shows. Allison Piccioni was on keys
and Caitlin Moss on drums, as at the
Mayfair Hotel show last November, but joining her for the first time was Mike Clairmont on both bass and Moog
synthesizer. And Holland had a whole lot of new material to share with the
crowd. So a lot of elements came together to create the right atmosphere for
some music magic, which of course is what Holland specializes in.
At 7:17 p.m., Holland and her
band took the stage, kicking off the first set with “Lovestruck,” a tune with a
great pulsing dance beat, giving the courtyard a sudden joyful club atmosphere,
and featuring an excellent vocal performance. After that song, Holland
mentioned that they were going to do songs with a lot of different styles, and
that the next was “in the vibe of Stevie Wonder.”
“Also, my theme song,” Holland added,
as they began “Listen For My Love,” a soulful pop tune with a strong electronic,
yet cheerful sound. Mike had switched from bass to Moog for this one. “When life’s a mess/I’m pulling for your
success/Always, always.” Ah, we all need to hear that, don’t we?
Particularly these days, when things are incredibly messy out there. “When you’re far from home/Anywhere on the
globe/You are not alone/Listen for my love/And I’ll be there inside your arms.”
Holland then played electric
ukulele on “100 Proof,” a tune that goes back to the Heartkour days, more than
a decade ago, a song I’m always happy to hear. Last night’s version featured
some nice stuff on keys. That was followed by the only cover of the set, a
sweet and playful rendition of Frank Zappa’s “Take Your Clothes Off When You
Dance.” On this one, Holland played both electric ukulele and kazoo, and
afterward mentioned that there had been some pocket fuzz in the kazoo. “It came flying into my mouth.” She then
played one of my favorites of the new material, “Saint.” This was only the
second time it was played, and it was a ridiculous amount of fun, with Holland
using a fan for part of it (“So hot, I
need a fan”). Mike played Moog on this one. But it was Holland’s vocal line that
made it my favorite song of the first set.
Holland played electric guitar
on “Missing You Madly,” a song she introduced as being “for all those people who get lonely in their rooms.” It’s a sweeter
tune, but still with a groove and some soul, no question. The sweeter vibes
continued with “Solace,” a beautiful song she wrote at Joshua Tree. “You are my solace in the night.” Before “Ooh
Ooh,” she introduced the band, mentioning it was Mike Clairmont’s first show
with her. They concluded the first set with another new tune, “(Where Is My)
Peter Pan,” a somewhat mellow number which has the style and vibe of a song for
a musical.
“We’re going to start with something soft and pensive,” Holland said
when the band returned to the stage for the second set. They opened with “Suitable
Life,” another cool new song. That was followed by “Real Love,” the song the
band played during the soundcheck. As Holland mentioned at the show, it’s a
song that has been released by Funk LeBlanc with Holland on vocals (you can hear
that version on Soundcloud). It’s a fun dance song with a solid disco beat.
Holland followed that with a couple more favorites from the early days – “Flashback”
and “Stuck.” It’s always good to hear these songs, and “Stuck” in particular
was so much fun last night, with a bright and delicious energy. Mike delivered
some cool work on bass, and Allison added a playful touch at the end. Holland
played electric ukulele on both songs, as well as on “Guilty Pleasure Zone,” which
followed. This is one Holland has been playing for a while, and is always a
vibrant number. Last night it rocked, a highlight of the second set.
“Guilty Pleasure Zone” began
the section of the show where most of the action was for me. The last several
tunes had a great energy, with things getting loose and wild and fun. For “Power
Of Your Touch,” another fantastic new tune, Holland switched to electric
guitar. This was a rock song, with a touch of new wave and punk, and I loved it.
“Nothing’s going to get in the way of my
love for you.” The fun continued with “Bolder Beginnings,” also new (this
was the first time it was played), a power pop song with a catchy beat, a
totally enjoyable tune with Holland belting out some of the lines. I only wish
the song went on a little longer. It felt like it was over much too soon. That
was followed by “Freak Flag,” an excellent song with a punk rock drive and
another absolutely wonderful vocal performance. The show then concluded with “Fool
Around.” Before starting it, Holland said, “Be
the driver you want to see on the road,” a variation of the line “Be the change you wish to see in the world”
(itself a sort of paraphrase of something Gandhi once said). That is something I
should keep in mind whenever I’m driving. When introducing “Fool Around,”
Holland laughingly added, “It’s also my
theme song,” a playful reminder of the beginning of the first set. “Fool
Around” is another favorite of mine, a fun song with a delicious groove. The
band was clearly having a great time with this one last night, a perfect ending
to the show.
Set List
Set I
- Lovestruck
- Listen For My Love
- 100 Proof
- Take Your Clothes Off When You
Dance
- Saint
- Missing You Madly
- Solace
- Ooh Ooh
- (Where Is My) Peter Pan
Set II
- Suitable Life
- Real Love
- Flashback
- Stuck
- Guilty Pleasure Zone
- Power Of Your Touch
- Bolder Beginnings
- Freak Flag
- Fool Around
Here are some photos from the
show:
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