Chi McClean

Hollywood: where it all happens...

Man, it was a beautiful drive down from Ventura, CA to Los Angeles, CA yesterday to play with my friend Brett Young at The Hotel Café for his CD release event with The Jason Adamo Band and a few other songwriter friends. Sunny skies, off shore winds, light traffic… it was almost too good to be true. I was tempted to paddle out for a session and take a detour along the CA-1 highway to Malibu en route to the gig and see if one of my favorite breaks, County Line, was working, but then I remembered all the rain, all the sewage, and all the pollution that probably washed into the water from the first big rain of the season and though that, having just gotten over laryngitis, it might not be the wisest move. I think the saying goes, “Discretion is the better part of valor…” Or… something like that.

Brett Young and his band rehearsing/warming up at his pad before heading to the gig at The Hotel Café.

When I arrived in LA, I headed to my buddy Brett’s house to check in. He, his band, and The Jason Adamo Band were all in attendance catching up, warming up, and just shootin’ the breeze. It was so fun to hear Brett sing some of his new tunes in a stripped down fashion right there in his living room. They sounded so good… I immediately got fired up: it was gonna be a killer show!

English touring act, Rumer, wowing the audience at The Hotel Café as we loaded in our gear for the show.

When we got to the venue and started loading in, we were just in time to see the last few songs from the English touring act Rumer on their first stab at the States. Absolutely wonderful… Think Adele, but a little softer around the edges, vocally, and a little more intimate, performance-wise. Very cool. If you have a second to explore some new music, be sure to check them out. I believe they hit San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club either tonight or tomorrow, so friends back home, look ‘em up!

Brett Young kickin' ass and takin' names on stage with his band at The Hotel Café in Los Angeles, CA.

I was so pumped to hear Brett Young and his band kick things off! It was so fun to hear ‘em all on stage. I’ve seen Brett perform a number of times and have shared the stage with him a few of those times, but I’d never seen him perform with other artists. It was awesome. The crowd dropped the chatter, stopped moving, and just plain LISTENED. It was a neat thing to experience. Be sure to check out Brett’s new release on his website and get your copy ASAP. Trust me… It will be money well spent.

The Jason Adamo Band from Raleigh, NC plowing through The Hotel Café with their Southern-folk rock.

Next up, The Jason Adamo Band from Raleigh, NC hit the stage with way more energy than I’ve seen to date at a small club. These guys killed it. Really solid band, great singing and songwriting from Jason Adamo - the whole package. I really enjoyed the music I previewed online before the gig, but hearing them live sold me. If you get a chance, be sure to see these guys live. It’s really where they shine. Follow their tour and listen to their music on their website when ya get a second and get ready to RAWK.

My buddy Joel running the board at The Hotel Café and making it sound purdy.

Of course, no show would be complete or, let’s face, even HAPPEN without a good sound guy. My friend Joel is the man when it comes to this. He deftly dealt with multiple inputs, instrument changes, set changes and more, all while making sure things were running super smooth. When I got up there in the middle of Jason Adamo’s set to play a few tunes, a line check never worked so well… it was seriously plug-n-play, but it was way better than most sound checks I’ve had almost anywhere. Nice work, Joel! I played a few tunes including two of my favorites from my, solo, live-in-studio release, “A Thing Or Three”, titled “It’s Alright” and “Would You Love Me”. I had a blast, won over some new fans, made some new friends, and just had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was on stage. I’ve been wanting to play The Hotel Café for a while now, and the timing just hasn’t been right, so this was a special evening for me in particular. Big thanks to Brett Young and The Jason Adamo Band for inviting me to join the party. It was a hoot!

At the end of the night, everybody got back up on stage and sang "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Joe Cocker style, of course!) to close out the night. Sick!

Lest I forget, this entire evening was a fundraiser for The A 21 Campaign which is striving to eliminate human trafficking in the world. I hadn’t any idea how far reaching or how much of an issue this problem was until I did a little research on their website… it’s scary. Please spend some time on your own to learn a little more about what this amazing organization is doing and how you might be able to help.

TONIGHT, I’m back at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA to join my friend Brad Colerick for his “Wine & Song” event from 7:00pm until 9:00pm. Check out the details on my Shows Page and meet us out there if you’re near the area. It’s a terrific evening of music, stories, wine, food, and a lot more. Joining me and Brad will be songwriter Erin McLaughlin. Thanks for listening and see ya soon, everybody!