Dreaming of the summer of 2015 at Highline Ballroom Thursday evening, January 8th, outside the reality was one of the most brutally cold days in a long time while, inside it was a glimpse of a kinder, gentler world during the annual City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage & Santa Monica Pier Twilight Concert Series Preview Showcase. 2015 will be the SummerStage 30th anniversary, and with artistic directors from both New York and San Diego in the house, the summer breeze seemed to waft through the room.
Three somewhat low key performers added to the mood of hazy days of summer, all very good, but not perfect fits for a somewhat noisy Highline Ballroom. Canadian Americana band the Barr Brothers seemed upset when they couldn’t get the place quiet enough for some three point harmony but it is in the nature of the beast. I have heard artists as great as Loudon Wainwright (and Kate McGarrigle, during one of her final appearances) spoken over, I’ve heard the obstreperous Lily Allen unable to get the room’s complete attention.
But the losers are the audience because all three acts had a lot going for them.
Opener Taylor McFerrin is somewhat reminiscent of his father Bobby though with an EDM bias, by which I mean what Taylor does is manipulate sound with a mainstream sensibility. Whether remixing songs off his fine current album Early Riser, singing a capella, becoming a human beat box, fiddling with his pro Tool or inviting on stage an insane keyboard player from an earlier band, Taylor was a real talent. One problem, the set was too long… the man is a little lowkey to hold the audience for such a length of time.
The same problem afflicted the Barr Brothers. I’d heard the Barr Brother’s 2014 Sleeping Operator, sort of classic rock guitar jams plus Americana plus harmonies plus a harp, but wasn’t thrilled. Listening to “Love Ain’t Enough” on stage, I think my ears mislead me, but after half an hour, with the audience a constant distant roar in the background, battling the hardcore fans in the front, it became an exercise in sustained distraction that just wouldn’t end. And it was getting later.
Yes, later and later and later. Reggae singer Hollie Cook came on stage at 1030pm, and I left mid-set at 11pm. I simply ran out of time. She was terrific, I’d actually interviewed Hollie a couple of hours prior (story should be up by Monday) and she lived up to her plan to warm us like a summer day. Hollie’s gift is her melody and her temperament (watching her is like being accosted by a sunflower) and perfect for what she does. The tunes are sweet, a touch etheral, but they get you there, and songs like “Desdemona”, “99” and set opener “Ari Up” –written for the Slits icon whom Cook (she sang with the band from 2006 till 2010 when Ari died) considers a mentor, had an air of mid-afternoon about them. The woman has an infectious good nature more than pleasant on stage and it should do her well. Twice is Hollie’s sophomore album, another collaboration with Prince Fatty, and it is a thing of beauty with strong dubby bass and drums and a deftness of touch. It is really perfect for Cook, it suits her easy going nature well. “Are you warming up?” she asked us and we most certainly were.
I caught a thoroughly pleasant half hour, and was more upset then ever that they didn’t give the first two acts half an hour each so I could have completed the performance. Hopefully I will be able to catch the full set at SummerStage this summer but my media contact Kate Nemetz isn’t telling much except, yes, it is the 3oth Anniversary of SummerStage and yes expect yet another big summer. A season which seemed so close for a couple of hours and now so far away…
Grade: B
