burned all my notebooks...what good are notebooks: Waxahatchee Takes LA, pt I

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Waxahatchee Takes LA, pt I

AN EVENING AT ELOY AND ALI'S:

WAXAHATCHEE

KATE BERLANT

GIRLPOOL

GIL OZERI and JOHN GEMBERLING
MEGAN KOESTER

KYLE GILBRIDE

27 APRIL, 2015

Nestled on a hillside in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, the humble abode of Eloy Lugo and Ali Koehler served once again as host to an electrifying evening of acoustic music and comedy. Putting their own particular stamp on the house show scene, the evening encapsulated their family approach to crafting shows, featuring a stellar lineup, including comedians Kate Berlant, Megan Koester, and a great improv set from Gil Ozeri and John Gemberling. Representing the music side were Kyle Gilbride and current tour mates Girlpool and Waxahatchee.

On the music side, the ball got rolling with an acoustic appearance from Kyle Gilbride, member of Swearin' and Indie producer of note. Cutting down to the core of his songs raised the emotional stakes, and a moving take on "Curdled" raised a high bar for the evening to come. When misfortune struck and he went blank on the lyrics for "Empty Head", it couldn't have happened in a better place, as Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield was perfectly placed for prompts. He pulled it off, and if anything, it underlined the familial nature of the evening.

New Philadelphia residents Girlpool returned to their home base, previewing songs from their forthcoming LP, Before The World Was Big, and their guitar and bass sound, heavy on the harmonies, is just right for the setting. The title track and "Chinatown" stood out, as well as an eagerly received version of "Plants and Worms" from last year's self-titled EP. Sadly, after this LP comes out, moments like this will become all to rare, and are to be cherished. Girlpool aficionado Willow Smith made the scene, adding an extra panache to the proceedings.

Setting the stage for a sold out appearance at the Roxy, Katie Crutchfield dialed up Waxahatchee magic in solo form, working through an acoustic set before a locked in audience, and the major focus point became reminding oneself to breathe. Not content with her barely a month old Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield premiered a brand new song, along with acoustic renditions of Ivy tracks, "La Loose" and "Summer Of Love", as well as American Weekend standards "Bathtub", "Grass Stain", and finishing with her staple "Noccalula".

WAXAHATCHEE