Sunday Night Music Review

A most memorable start to MUSEXPO 2008’s musical showcases, as Brisbane, Australia’s The Red Paintings put on a whale of a show to kick off the conference’s musical component. Avant-garde rock & roll, replete with outrageous costumes, face paint, body painting and the creation of original artwork, all the while soundtracked by a glorious cacophony of bracing rock & roll…what a way to blast off!! Easily one of the most memorable performances I’ve witnessed in four years of attending MUSEXPO.

Cape Town, South Africa’s Farryl Purkiss played a well-received acoustic set in front of an absolutely jam-packed Foundation Room–his intimate, confessional sound went over quite well with the audience, which reacted most enthusiastically. Not to say that the room was crowded…but it took about 15 minutes to maneuver from the back of the room to nearby the stage for this longtime Tinseltown resident who normally makes that journey in half the time, at most…a testament to Farryl’s drawing power.

Royston, England’s Rotating Leslie is next up on the Main Room stage. Their bouncy, upbeat tunes are quickly proving a popular favorite with the punters, inspiring a mass of movement upon the floor. They’ve received quite a bit of support from “Passport Approved,” and the reaction from the crowd is proof positive that radio is far from the dying realm prognosticated by the doom-n-gloom folk.

Stunning, I know…but we’re already running about 30 minutes late. Whoever heard of such a thing in Hollywood? Perhaps it means I’ll be able to file an overtime claim…or, at the very least, erase some of my bar tab, which is already starting to assume proportions most monumental. Damn these nine -dollar cans of Foster’s!!! I may have to follow Brandon’s advice and bring a bucket tomorrow, the better to store shots during the free cocktail party (not that you heard that from me).

Leeds, England native Tony Jensen, a.k.a. Jensen, is now taking the stage in the Foundation Room. The crowd is quite captivated by his winning, soulful performance; possessing a great voice, he opts for simplicity in his phrasing rather than the vocal gymnastics indulged in by all too many singers today. A solid set overall.

Story One is now on the main stage. They played the inaugural MUSEXPO back in 2005 and won rave reviews for that passionate performance. You don’t often see a band sporting a frontman who doubles as violinist…but then again, Story One’s sound is as singular as it is memorable. The video they released in 2007 for their song “Russian Dolls” was incredibly mesmerizing, but only hinted at this quartet’s astonishing live set.

L.A.-based singer/songwriter Jay Nash is on deck in the Foundation Room. A native of upstate New York, he switched coasts four years ago and has since become a staple of Hollywood’s Hotel Café scene, which is quickly coming to resemble the ’70s heyday of the Troubadour in terms of influence upon the Southern California sound. His first song really had the crowd going…but then, unfortunately, I was waylaid by a pair o’ wanton wenches from the wine country, who compelled me to accompany them outdoors and perform unspeakable acts in full view of the passing traffic on the storied Boulevard (and if you’re thinking to yourself, “Hmmmm…the blogger’s bourbon just kicked in,” you’re not really too far from the truth).

Upon recovering from my wine country wench experience, I returned to my gallery seating just in time to witness Norwegian siren Ida Maria take over the stage. As impressive as she was with her solo acoustic performance yesterday, the impact of her songs with a full backing band increases the experience immeasurably. Clad in a white, mid-thigh babydoll dress and sporting a top hat, the songstress creates an indelible image as she and her cohorts rampage through a rollicking set, highlighted by her Joplinesque wailing and eye-catching stage presence.

Okay, still running about 30 minutes late…but on the positive side, at least we haven’t experienced any further delays. Getting ready to close out the evening’s Foundation Room entertainment is 8MM, the slinky, sultry electronica act masterminded by Sean Beavan, perhaps better known for his stellar engineering and producing in the hard rock world (NIN, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down, No Doubt). His haunting soundscapes back the seductive vocals of his bride Juliette Beavan, combining to craft an eerily erotic sound that continues to resonate long after the last note is played.

This evening’s…or, to be fussily precise, morning’s…closing act is Scissors For Lefty, a San Francisco band with a bright future. Their bouncy, energetic post-punk pop-rock has rejuvenated the justifiably wearied HoB crowd, which has witnessed an incredible array of some of the world’s finest up-and-coming acts. Still, the hypnotic rhythms and merry melodies of the quintet are irresistibly inducing the crowd to hop on their feet once more, dancing in a joyous release that could be called cathartic.

And ain’t that what rock & roll’s all about?

See ya tomorrow…this is Switters, east-bound and down, loaded up and truckin’…I suspect you know the rest of the tale….

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