Last weekend I headed out with some friends to catch two of my favorite Hotel Cafe alum. Rachael Yamagata and Greg Laswell dazzled us with their skillzzzz at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.Ok...let me just travel back in time for a sec and give you a bit of history. I first heard of Rachael Yamagata at my very first music job in Los Angeles. This girl I worked with handed me Rachael's first EP and told me to listen. As soon as I heard the CD the first time through, I knew this girl had something special. Not only did she sing her face off, but she wrote these amazingly powerful lyrics that captured me. Rachael spoke to me and I felt a connection to her lyrics like I never felt before. I think for me it was the first time I had a real understanding for music.
Rachael has seriously been one of my favorites for like 5 years now. I remember my friend Tina and I hitting every Rachael show around LA trying to make peace with the breakups we were going through (not together). Rachael must have been through some major breakups, because she pens the best breakup songs EVER! I can remember just popping her CD in my car and just driving around boohooing, relating to what she was singing. It was like she wrote those songs for me - powerful I must say. Rachael was great therapy during that time in my life.
Anyhoo...I can go on and on, but basically I'm a huge fan and I love me some Rachael Yamagata. This was the first time I have seen her in years, and since the release of her latest record, Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. Her new album is as brillz as ever, so it was great to see her perform new material live. She was FANTASTIC!! With the addition of her band, her show was way more intensified than her days at the Hotel Cafe. Although she has maintained her singer songwriter roots, she has definitely proven she has what it takes to be a rock and roll goddess.
Posts
