Horsefeathers- Bottom of the Hill

I went to Bottom of the Hill again to see Horsefeathers play. I love that venue... it sounds great, and the people I went with are the sort of people with high energy and so much to talk about. Since we were having so much fun, it took a while to get to the club.

Even with our lagging, we caught plenty of the opening band (TV Mike and the Scarecrows?)... who were in my opinion, awful. Most of their songs featured guitar picking that weighed heavily on the beat (though, the lap-steel was a nice touch). Their singer (in what I am sure was an attempt to sound like Neil Young) sang only through his nose about something deep and heart felt nobody in the audience could be bothered to listen to.
I think this was an instance of good musicians who did not have a good combination when playing together...

Then, finally, after what seemed an extremely long set change, Horsefeathers! I was excited to see this guy/ band play. For one, I think Horsefeathers is a great band name- the word flows so smoothly off of the tongue, and I've heard good things about them. Their setup is pretty simple a singer with a guitar, a drummer, and a string section! I loved the instrumentation, the singer's voice was full of emotion soothed by his accompaniment... the musicians harmonized with each other beautifully. All of this, and my unfortunate inability to understand the singer's lyrics lulled me into a very sleepy place. I'll admit I left a little bit early, but I had very sweet dreams that night!


Note: This video is a good recording done in a living room- not at Bottom of the Hill

here is a sample of Horsefeathers for bed time
Bottom of the Hill is a great venue

Book a band for your next house party

Thanks to KCRW, Los Angeles I came across a website that will help you book a band for your event. Or, conversely if you are a musician looking to play a gig somewhere you can do that ("unplugged"). The website is full of singer-songwriters who've recorded an EP on their computer- they could use a few piano players, but the concept is stellar!

Concerts in your Home makes it easy to search for a band you would like to match with a party by searching keywords or browsing pictures.
I came across one or two "Top Artists" worth listening to- but their search engine could be better. Paul Manousos was pretty cool- I was in a Tom Petty mood that day, though.
Cee Cee James sings the blues with great feeling and types in a lot of 'quotation' marks.

Artists can't afford to tour with a full band anymore... websites like this give touring opportunities to troubadours to book a tour.