Image by Jenna Salazar
Where in San Francisco is Ingrid Michaelson?
April 11, 2008, at Great American Music Hall
By Camille Ikalina-Robles
Published: April 14th, 2008 | 9:35pm
The Hotel Cafe has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a little coffee shop in Los Angeles. In fact, in four years it has become a haven for DIY musicians whose aspirations lie in making interesting music rather than being the next big thing, and where creating innovative ways to market your music is more important than scoring a major record deal.
This collective group of musicians, with an ever-changing lineup of up-and-coming artists and some seasoned performers, converged on the Great American Music Hall stage on April 11 in San Francisco. Ingrid Michaelson got top billing as the headlining artist for the tour, with support from numerous musicians including Cary Brothers, Jim Bianco, Jessie Baylin, and Meiko, among others. Each musician had their moment on stage performing two songs each and they often collaborated with one another throughout the performance, shuffling instruments and trading places in a whirl of excitement. The quick changes were entertaining and kept the pace moving fairly well, but after two and a half hours of this, I found myself wondering when I was actually going to see Michaelson perform.
Michaelson made her first appearance for the evening about halfway into the show with performances of “Breakable” and “The Hat” off of her 2007 independent release, Girls and Boys (Cabin 24). Claiming that San Francisco was one of her “10 favorite cities in the U.S.,” Michaelson shared how she went on a search for the Full House house (footage you can probably find on YouTube), but came back empty-handed.
“I was eluded, or rather, it eluded me,” Michaelson quipped to the audience, just as a lightbulb seemed to pop up above her head. “You guys know the words, right?” Soon enough the audience was singing the Full House theme song and, with the direction of Michaelson, who had now split the audience down the middle, the '90s sitcom credits came back in full form, echoes and all.
After her performance, each supporting musician came back on stage for another two or three songs, including “guest” performances by singer-songwriters Maria Digby and local artist Jessica Hope. Musician Allie Moss provided backup vocals and guitar for almost all of the performances, melding her versatile voice flawlessly with the artists she performed with throughout the night. Michaelson made one final appearance before her own set, when she joined Cary Brothers on backup vocals for a cover of “If You Were Here” from Sixteen Candles.
Even though Michaelson performed just as many songs as those who were supporting her that night, she showed everyone why she was the headliner. When she took the stage for the last time, Michaelson’s performance of “Die Alone” and her commercially successful hit “The Way I Am” were full of life, humor and just plain, raw talent. She closed her set with a round as Meiko, Moss, and Baylin were invited back onstage. Michaelson took her place at the piano as the three women joined in a four-part harmony that layered over and over and made it impossible to distinguish where one voice ended and the next began. The end of the performance was greeted by a rousing round of applause for “The Chain,” a new song can sample on Michaelson’s MySpace page. For the final song, the entire Hotel Cafe collective joined together for a performance of Kermit the Frog’s famous Muppet Show song, “The Rainbow Connection.”
Overall, the Hotel Cafe tour is a great example of musicians working together and contributing to the success of other artists like themselves. The performance is not for faint-hearted concertgoers, however, as it demands the audience to keep up with the whirlwind of ever-changing performers. In the end, the Hotel Cafe has proven that it has come a long way from its days as just another little coffee shop.
Issue #34
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