Oh JOY. How I love thee.

June 17th brought the promise of JOY! It was 2 days before my birthday and Jenny Owen Youngs gave the perfect gift by finally coming back to LA to perform at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. If you haven’t heard of her, perhaps you didn’t read my past reviews on her album “Transmitter Failure” and her side project “Bell Horses.” Well, if you’re reading this review, then I can’t stress enough what a talent this young woman is. If you’re a fan of catchy melodies, impeccably relatable lyrics, clever metaphors and a biting wit, then you’ll love Jenny Owen Youngs.

The last time I saw her at Hotel Cafe, she performed with a full band. This time it was a much more stripped down performance, but it still had the three things that make a great concert: A girl, a guitar, and a stage. That’s all I really need.

Her acoustic guitar-playing was occasionally joined on stage by Brad Gordon who played, as Jenny calls them “the key plank and the stringy paddle.”

The Jersey-born, Brooklyn-based Youngs opened with “Secrets,” slowing down the normally up-tempo song to a pace more similar to the version on her “Last Person” EP (available now). The slow and sweet “Voice on Tape,” from her first album, “Batten the Hatches,” then followed.
There is no shortage of vulnerability in her songs and “Here is a Heart” is the ultimate example of that. She had me hanging on to every note and every word. I think the small, intimate venue helped with that.

And then it was time for something new! As I often say, it’s always the best part of a show when an artist dares to impress the audience with a new song. She did not disappoint. Fun and playful with just a hint of self-loathing, she cleverly sang, “Let’s go to your place, ‘cause I’ve got a roommate….” As her self-proclaimed “overshare song,” she sang about the fact that you know this person is bad for you, but being with them “beats the hurt.” Jenny, you must record this soon!

After closing with “Last Person” (a song I can’t help but dance to every time it comes on…no matter where I am), I was a little saddened about the fact that there was no encore. The only downside to this show is that it wasn’t long enough. Forty-five minutes simply isn’t enough time for JOY, but then again, neither is two hours. I guess I’m hard to please in that sense because I could listen to my favorite singers perform for ten hours straight. For the most part, she seemed to just want everyone to have a fun, laid-back time. She succeeded.

The best part of the night was getting to talk to her after the show when she remembered me from her last show in LA. Plus, it's always fun to know one of my favorite singers is a fellow "Buffy" fan.

'90s Nostalgia: Jewel's New Album Takes Us Back

Jewel is back. Well, she never really left, but after 2008’s country album, “Perfectly Clear” and last year’s album of lullabies, Jewel returns to form with her new album “Sweet and Wild.” While it is a follow-up country album, she is also releasing a companion cd called “Sweet and Mild” that consists of exactly the same songs, but it’s the Jewel I prefer as it is all acoustic tracks which are demos that were recorded in her home.

If you prefer her country sound, you can purchase “Sweet and Wild” on its own, but if you’re like me and you like the Jewel from her “Pieces of You” days, I recommend picking up the deluxe album which includes “Sweet and Mild” – the 11 tracks stripped down with just her and a guitar.

The two tracks that stand out the most on this album are “What You Are” and “Ten.” In “What You Are,” Jewel, being the ever-consummate poet, turns her words to music in this melodic number about celebrating and accepting who you are without questioning it. “Ten” is one of the songs I actually prefer in country music format on the “Sweet and Wild” album because it is a true country song at its core. Easily relatable, it’s about getting into a fight or argument and just stepping back and counting to ten before you take it any further and create regrets.
In her eighth studio album and her second in the country music genre, on the “Mild” disc, Jewel finds her voice in a collection of songs reminiscent of her debut fifteen years ago. In “Wild,” she employs a country twang no doubt partly inspired by her life with husband, Ty Murray, living on their ranch in Texas. With a voice like hers, it’s pretty safe to say that no matter what sound or genre she’s experimenting with, there’s no such thing as a ‘bad Jewel album.’ “Sweet and Wild” is yet another example of that.

Patty Griffin at the Wiltern

Ahhh Patty, we meet again. I saw Patty Griffin at the Wiltern in Los Angeles three years ago when she was promoting her 2007 album, ''Children Running Through". I love these kinds of reunions, reuniting with my favorite artists at venues I've seen them at previously. Patty is currently touring the country promoting her new album, "Downtown Church" and stopped at the Wiltern along the way to give her Los Angeles fans an incredible show. The songs from her new gospel-influenced album were heavily featured throughout the show, but the religious overtones certainly didn't distract from the actual performance. By that, I'm mainly referring to Patty's singing. I think I can safely say she is THE voice. I have yet to find another singer whose voice is so soulful, stirring, impassioned and abundantly rich. There are simply not enough words to describe this woman's voice, so you're just going to have to trust me on this and listen to her music.

Before her set, she warmed up that unmatched vocal instrument by joining her opening act, Buddy Miller (who produced her new album) on stage to sing a few songs with him. After his set was over, following a brief intermission, Patty came out in full force, ready for her audience to experience something truly cathartic. Opening with "Standing", I knew this was going to be a laidback, mellow, and at times, emotional night of good times and good tunes. I was glad to hear her perform my two favorites from her new album, "Coming Home to Me" and "Little Fire." When introducing her song, "Heavenly Day", she explained that she considers it the only real, legitimate love song she's written...and it just so happens to be about her dog. Who knew? (Which makes me wonder why she doesn't consider her brilliant, sweet song "When It Don't Come Easy" a love song, but I guess that’s another story).

Then, it was time for something new. I love this part. I'm always eager to hear new songs at a concert. An unreleased, unrecorded song she had recently written, sung from the point of view of her grandfather. The hilariously adorable song called "Get Ready Marie" had the audience roaring with laughter as the lyrics alluded to the fact that men only have one thing on their minds and if it takes getting married to get it, then so be it. (Patty, please record this one asap!)

While the majority of the show was mainly focused on the songs from "Downtown Church", she offered up some songs from past albums, all religiously themed. "Mary", from her "Flaming Red" album, is the poignantly sad story revolving around Mary's state of mind in the aftermath of the death of Jesus and her gospel-inspired "Up to the Mountain" was inspired by the trials and tribulations of Martin Luther King, Jr. I was hoping she would perform "Moses" from her debut album in keeping with the religious theme of the night, but sadly that didn't happen. She was rather conservative with her more popular songs, opting to close out the show with more gospel-laden tunes. Yes, I was a little disappointed about that, but in the end I decided it was just fine because she was doing exactly what she wanted to do and sharing the songs she wanted to share. And we in the audience loved it all.

The best part of the night? The dancing! Patty didn't go near her keyboard the entire night, which was rather surprising, but I guess it meant that she wanted to stay standing because she was there to groove and had a grand old time doing so by dancing along to her more jazzy numbers.

Now, back to the voice. After singing so powerfully for nearly two hours, and closing her main set with the uplifting “We Shall All Be Reunited”, it just astounded me that she had the voice to belt out three more songs during her encore. Simple incredible. And so comes my least favorite part of any concert: the end. It was a wonderfully moving show, though, and I'm hoping she makes her way back here at least one more time on her tour.

Lyrics of the Day

The sky looks pissed, the wind talks back
My bones are shifting in my skin
And you, my love, are gone.
My room feels wrong, the bed won't fit
I cannot seem to operate
And you, my love, are gone.

So glide away on soapy heels
And promise not to promise anymore
And if you come around again,
Then I will take the chain from off the door.

-Ingrid Michaelson

Upcoming Concerts

Okay all. There are a lot of shows coming up that I highly recommend you check out. Here are a few concerts coming up that I'm definitely planning on attending in SoCal.

Patty Griffin - April 10th at the Wiltern (expect a review from on this one). If you're not familiar with Patty, I recommend dowloading some of her stuff pronto. "Impossible Dream" is my favorite album of hers (particularly the song "Useless Desires"). Yet, there's something to be said about her stripped down debut "Living With Ghosts" (just her and an acoustic guitar). And it really doesn't get much better than the sweet, slow, heart-wrenching song "Rain" from her album "1,000 Kisses." She's currently touring to support her new album, "Downtown Church", which is a collection of gospel songs. If you would like to read my review on this album, click here: http://www.accesshollywood.com/on-the-download/on-the-download-patty-griffin_article_28071

Lilith Fair - touring all summer, but in Los Angeles/Orange County July 10th at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. So, the dates and cities were just recently announced and it looks like they're still trying to figure out who's playing in what city/venue. So far, to be honest, the LA date doesn't look to promising. But i'm hoping they'll beef up the lineup just a little bit. Most of the performers have been announced already. So here is my ideal lineup (and if i have to arrange a little road trip to see all of these bands/artists...so be it). But, of the performers, this is who I would love to see in LA, to make my life and budget a little easier: Colbie Caillat, Court Yard Hounds, Erykah Badu, Gossip, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, Metric, Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, Tegan and Sara (of course), The Bangles, Ingrid Michaelson, Vedera, and maybe a little bit of Ke$ha (don't judge). Who knows if any of them will play in LA, but I'm seriously hoping so...especially Vedera. If not, i'll be hitting up every city each one is playing in until I see them all. (Well...we'll see if that ACTUALLY happens, but it sounds like fun!)

Jenny Lewis (opening for Levon Helm) - August 15th at the Greek. How beautiful will this concert be? The Greek is where I saw Rilo Kiley's very last concert (at least, that's what a lot of people were touting it as, but i'm optimistic that we haven't heard the last of RK...in fact...I know we haven't. Here's hoping for at least another RK tour...) So I'm really looking forward to seeing her open for the Levon Helm Band. I've NEVER missed J.Lew when she plays in LA and this will be my 13th time seeing her in concert. Or is it my 14th? Oh hell, I'm starting to lose track. But when I told my dad about Levon Helm playing, he got really excited. So I'm thinking maybe I'll bring him along. He can introduce me to Levon, and I can introduce him to the genius that is Jenny Lewis. This show is sure to be legendary.

Paramore with Tegan and Sara - September 19th at the Honda Center in Anaheim. My head just about exploded when I learned of this joint venture between two of my favorites. I've seen Tegan and Sara several times now, but never in such a big venue, so I'm curious to see how that will play out. And this will be my first time seeing Paramore. Excited!!!

Stay tuned for more concert updates...

Lyrics of the Day

No force of nature can break
Your will to self motivate
She say this face that you see
Is destined for history.

--Michael Jackson

"The Runaways"

Okay, this one's gonna be a bit short, but ever-so-sweet. I just watched the movie touted as the "Joan Jett" flick, "The Runaways." Now, my passion for music doesn't go so far to the point where I would consider myself a 'music snob.' I don't know everything. I don't claim do know everything. I just know what I like. So I'll be honest here, I didn't really know much about the story of The Runaways. I knew they existed. I knew they were Joan Jett's first band, but I couldn't name any other members or any other songs of theirs besides "Cherry Bomb." But I gotta tell ya, I found myself tapping my foot along to the beat of every song in that movie and now I'm interested in buying either the soundtrack or a Runaways album. (I'm not above calling myself a bandwagoner in certain situations...it's rare, but it happens.)

I know this is a music blog, but seeing as how this is a music biopic, I think it's fairly relevant. And as far as biopics go, this one was actually pretty decent. (Still doesn't hold a candle to my all-time favorite biopic: "The Buddy Holly Story", but it was still pretty damn good). The plot itself wasn't all that riveting. Just the basic story of their humble beginnings, rise to quasi-fame, and subsequent destruction of the lead singer leading to their breakup. It's not the story that drives the film. It's the performances. And dayum...Dakota Fanning done growed up. After her performance of Cherie Currie, I think it's pretty safe to say she'll be making the transition to more grown up roles a lot more easily than most other child stars.

I was fairly unsure about the fact that Kristen Stewart was playing Joan Jett. Bella Swan? Really? Oh man...this'll be interesting. But now I couldn't possibly imagine anyone but Kristen playing the iconic Joan Jett. She BECAME Joan...so much to the point where I wasn't watching Kristen playing Joan...I was just watching Joan herself...in the 70's...making her way in the "man's world" of rock music. It's kinda scary to think that Lindsay Lohan wanted to play Joan...or so I heard. Thankfully that didn't happen.

I'm sure it was to coincide with the movie's release, but Joan Jett just released a collection called "Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits." It includes songs like "Bad Reputaion," "I Love Rock and Roll," "Crimson and Clover," and interestingly enough "Cherry Bomb." Download it if you want a little bit of badassness.

I know this was kind of a lame post, but seriously...check out the movie. It's pretty decent. And now I'm inspired to write a blog on the best and worst musical biopics of all time. For a later date...