Hotel Café Los Angeles, CA
Contact: booking@hotelcafe.com
Web: bmi.com
Players: Chuck Ellis, vocals, guitar; Blake Stokes, vocals, guitar; Alix, vocals
Taking place on the first Monday of every month in the intimate, wonderful surroundings of the Hotel Café’s second stage in Hollywood, the good people behind the BMI Acoustic Lounge showcase describe the event online as a, “singer/songwriter showcase series featuring acoustic performances in an intimate setting as well as networking opportunities with other songwriters and BMI representatives.”
That proved itself to be the case on a Monday in July, when that second stage room was blessed with a respectable number of people, including BMI peeps and friends of the performers but also a good few who just want to check out some quality singer-songwriters. Respected artists such as REL, Jelly Ellington and many more have played this showcase in the past, and as a result, the BMI Acoustic Lounge has earned a level of trust and respect—people will go to check out whichever artists happen to be performing at the event. There are other similar showcases at the Hotel Café, including Open Folk and Monday Monday. It really is the premier venue for checking out new and rising singer-songwriters.
The format at BMI Acoustic Lounge sees all three on stage at the same time, playing one song each in turn, then starting again, while the other two watch on at close quarters. First on in July was Chuck Ellis, who signed a publishing deal with Skrillex a decade ago, and has since released a string of records including four albums. The most recent is this year’s Nice & Sweet, featuring contributions from Yeti, BloodPop, Dahi, Imad Royal, Gesaffelstein, Switch, and Chance the Rapper among others. So he’s worked with come big guns, and his performance at the event would suggest that the respect he’s generated is entirely justified.
Blake Stokes was second, and he had a similarly emotive, heartfelt approach. Both Stokes and Ellis are gifted guitarists and songwriters, with voices that prove to be adept vehicles for their lyrics.
The third performer was Alix, who admitted from the stage that this was her first live performance in some years. While she did look quite nervous, once she got into her flow Alix was a compelling and wonderful performer. Her songs blend sweet melodies with honest introspection, and that makes for a heady brew.
Three interesting performers, one great night.
