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Leeann Skoda
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At a time when we absolutely should have a female president,
this country ought to be doing everything possible to celebrate and honor
women. But what is happening on the national level is the destruction of
women’s rights. All those important steps forward we as a nation (and as a
species) make seem to be so easily erased by the worst among us. Nothing can be
taken for granted, nothing can be accepted as a given. It’s difficult to keep
from becoming pessimistic when looking at the news, at the state of this sad
nation, at the terrible people within its borders who eagerly embrace fascism.
Yet I become incredibly optimistic when I am out catching live music, for it is
in music venues that we experience the better parts of humanity. Yesterday was
International Women’s Day, and for the third consecutive year, a special
celebration of female artists was held at the Hotel Café’s Second Stage, a
nice, intimate room in the heart of Hollywood (yes, Hollywood does have a
heart). It was just the thing we needed to remind us that there are good people
still in this country. The slogan for this year’s International Women’s Day was
“Accelerate Action,” which seemed apt, for now it’s not only about making some
progress, but regaining the ground that was lost. No, not lost, but stolen.
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| Mykel | |
This year’s lineup was particularly good, and included a
couple of my favorite performers from last year’s concert. Though these are
serious times, the overall vibe of the night was positive, even cheerful, which
is what folks need. Helping to set that tone was the evening’s MC, Gena B. Jones,
who started the show at 6:45 p.m. with some standup comedy. She hosted the
previous two years as well. She then introduced Mykel, who performed her set
solo on keyboard. She played songs from an upcoming EP release. Her first song,
“Brace For Impact,” was about a car accident. “
Never been this fragile/I’m used to being brave.” Mykel delivered a
gorgeous, moving and powerful vocal performance. She followed that with “How Do
You Know,” a song that mentions the 405 freeway early on. An artist can count
on connecting with any Los Angeles audience by mentioning an experience on that
road. She concluded her set with “Hometown Runaway,” the title track from the
EP. That EP is going to be out by the end of the year, but there is no date set
yet. It’s a release I’m looking forward to adding to my collection.
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| Gena B. Jones introducing Leeann Skoda |
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Leeann Skoda was one of my favorite performers last year,
and was one of the main draws for me this year. She performed her set solo on
acoustic guitar. She opened her set with a beautiful song that had a bit of a
Patty Griffin vibe. She followed that with a song she wrote in memory of her
grandmother, who, as she mentioned, was the first person in her life to listen
to her opinions. “
She’s just the same as
she used to be/Remember me.” This song too was beautiful, and had me at the
edge of tears, as memories of my own rushed in, in great contrast to the
present. Leeann Skoda mentioned that she has an album that she recorded but has
yet to release, so that’s another disc for us to look forward to. She has, however,
released a song from it, “Easy,” and it is that song that she chose to close
her set. Vocalist Alex Beck followed, backed by a guitarist. She began with
“All The Wrong Places,” in which she sings “
I
keep looking for gold in all the wrong places/I keep looking for someone to say
I was worth chasing.” Her mom was in the audience, and Alex mentioned that
she’s lucky to have her on this journey, which was sweet. There was something
wonderfully innocent about Alex Beck, and you could see it especially in the
adorable smile she had at the end of each of her songs. She wrapped up her set
with “Dirty Jokes,” a song that will be on her debut EP, which is coming out at
the end of the month. Yes, there is a lot of good music coming out.
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| Alex Beck |
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| Maybellene Ryder |
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Maybellene Ryder, taking the name from the Chuck Berry
song, was up next. Kiana Keane was on acoustic guitar, supported by Benny on
electric guitar. On the first song, Kiana’s guitar went out of tune, and she
fixed it during the song. Then afterward she worked to get it sounding even
better, telling the crowd, “
Some people
can talk and do this at the same time, but I can’t.” She added, “
One day I’ll have a guitar tech.” She
then played “Long Way Home,” a seriously cool song. Each of the performers had
mentioned International Women’s Day, of course, but Kiana went a bit further,
saying, “
I made a vow that I’m not
wearing a dress until women get their rights back.” What’s baffling to me
is that a lot of women voted to have their own rights taken away. Why would any
woman vote for Republican candidates? People are deranged. Maybellene Ryder’s
final song, which I believe is titled “Canadian Army,” began in a bluesy realm,
and then kicked in to become a fun number, featuring some nice work on electric
guitar. Gena B. Jones delivered another short set of comedy, and then
introduced Yoyoka Soma, a young drummer (she and her bandmates were so young
that they couldn’t hang out in the bar to catch the other acts). You probably
saw that video of her drumming to Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times,” when
she was just eight years old. Now fifteen, she is even better. She and her band
played a couple of original numbers, “Girlfriend” (which was a delicious rock
song) and “Glue,” and then closed out their set with a good cover of The
Breeders’ “Cannonball.” It was a fun set, and then they had to leave the room
again.
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| Yoyoka | |
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| Ryann Barnes |
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Ryann Barnes had a full band backing her, including
guitar, bass, drums and backing vocals. But it was her vocal work that really
stood out. Her set included “Ava Drinks A Bud Light,” “Falling Behind” and “Good
In You.” In introducing “Falling Behind,” she told the crowd, “
It’s about going back to those people you
shouldn’t go back to.” It’s a wonderful song, reminding us how good pop
music can be. “Good In You” is a new song, inspired by those Dolly Parton
billboards that say “Find the good in everybody.” There is one of those
billboards near me in North Hollywood, and when I’ve been stuck at a red light that
goes on a little longer than it should I’ve thought about those words. “
But even after all/I still choose the good in you,” Ryann sings here. Hannah Avison
was up next. She was another performer that stood out last year, and I was
thrilled to get to see her again. Last time she was accompanied by Kalie Shorr,
and this time she had Sam Bierman supporting her on keyboard. She played songs from her solo releases,
and songs from her Iris IRS project, including “Molecules,” in which she sings “
I hope my molecules find your molecules.”
This song really grabbed me, in part because I’ve been thinking about death a
lot lately. It is a beautiful song. She also played “Drug.” “
I take you every weekend/But you’re out of
my system by Monday morning.” She wrapped up her set with “Monster,” a song
about anxiety, acknowledging in the song’s introduction that everyone in L.A.
feels some anxiety. She got the audience involved in this one, having folks respond,
“
My body’s making me a monster.” The
night’s final performer was Kia, who was supported by Carmichael Castaños on
acoustic guitar, and by Bruno Cunha on keyboard. She kicked off her set with a
good soulful pop song, “Okay, Alright,” which had a jazzy aspect to some of the
guitar work. Her next song featured some nice stuff on keys, and then “Bygones”
had some great guitar work. But it was her vocal work that was captivating. She
wrapped up her set with “Somebody Real,” which was a fun number with a catchy
groove. The show ended at 10:09 p.m. It was a great night celebrating the power
and talent of women.
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| Hannah Avison |
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| Kia | |
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