Dan Wilson, the former lead singer of Semisonic, played an early set to an appreciative crowd at the Hotel Cafe on Thursday night. The multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter-musician-producer took to the stage with a small band for a mostly acoustic hour-long set. LAist was pleasantly surprised by Wilson’s lively take on the songs from his first solo CD Free Life. While the CD is a mellow collection, driven by mid-to-slow tempo melodies, Thursday’s arrangements with acoustic......

Note: Read Jessie Baylin's May interview with Michele Reverte. Last month, local singer/songwriter Jessie Baylin (MySpace) performed at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood and Apple Store on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica to celebrate the release of her debut album Firesight. Opening for Baylin at the Hotel Cafe was Justin Connor (MySpace) and following her was local Zack Hexum (MySpace), who joined her onstage for a song, as well as Kenneth Pattengale......

Singer-songwriter Dan Wilson is best known as part of the Minnesota power-pop movement of the late '80s and early '90s. He was a member of Trip Shakespeare and lead singer of Semisonic. Late last year after producing and collaborating with artists like Jason Mraz, Rachael Yamagata, the Dixie Chicks and Mike Doughty, he finally released his own solo album, Free Life. It's a quiet, slow burn of a record, much different from the pop-rock of......

As of late, Greg Laswell and his music have been everywhere—such as a recent stint across the United States and Europe during the Hotel Cafe Tour, a GarageBand feature on the Apple website, and his music being played on shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Smallville, One Tree Hill and Cold Case. This year has already seen the release of one Laswell EP, How the Day Sounds, and his new full-length record, Three Flights from......

Last Thursday, local singer/songwriter Meiko (MySpace) performed the second show of her month-long residency at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. During her set, she recalled a rather memorable experience where "I did another photo shoot with Tyler Shields! It started off kinda funky because I was supposed to meet him at his apt.... and I went to the WRONG apt., walked in like nothing, and caught a man on his couch choking his bishop! The......

Last Tuesday, local singer/songwriter Priscilla Ahn (MySpace) celebrated the release of her debut album, A Good Day, with a sold-out show at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. Also performing that night were Lex Land (MySpace), New York-based Jesse Harris (MySpace), Angie Mattson (MySpace), and No Love Letters (MySpace). The following night, Ahn performed the first single from the album, "Dream," on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.......

Last Friday, singer/actress Mandy Moore (MySpace) headlined a sold-out show at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood that included American Pie actor Thomas Ian Nicholas (MySpace) as well as singer-songwriters Curtis Peoples (MySpace), Brett Young (MySpace), and Canadian Serena Ryder (MySpace). During her set, Moore mentioned the Hotel Cafe being her favorite venue for shows in Los Angeles, adopting a new dog named Joni (after one of her idols, Joni Mitchell), and flying the following......

When you see singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin perform, there's something familiar about her. Sure, it could be the fact that her posters now grace the bulletin boards of many local Starbucks, or it might be because she's been a regular at local venues such as the Hotel Cafe and the Mint. Then again, maybe it's just the fact that Baylin seems to be an old soul. Though still in her early 20s, she's already so......

It just wasn't my night for taking pictures, so, here's photo of AM at ASCAP's Music Cafe- Sundance '08 via MySpace The heat was somehow trapped inside the darkened depths of the Hotel Cafe this Thursday night. Those fortunate enough to nab some of the few seats fell into two camps: The cautiously unmoving and the intent on revelry. Those left to stand shifted back and forth with an undeniable restlessness. The heat is......

William Fitzsimmons isn't your average singer-songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist who holds a Masters degree in psychology, Fitzsimmons draws from his unique background to create music that reveals new, subtle facets with each subsequent listen. LAist recently sat down with Fitzsimmons (who will perform at the Hotel Cafe Monday night) during one of the last shows on the Hotel Cafe Tour to discuss the songwriting process, his favorite moments from the tour and, of course, beards....

Miwa Gemini at the Hotel Cafe | Photo by Lindsay William-Ross/LAist When the opportunity to check out New York-based singer-songwriter Miwa Gemini live at the Hotel Cafe came up recently I jumped at the chance based on one line in the PR materials: "Think Nina Simone meets Sparklehorse meets Cat Power, and you're getting close." Intrigued, I showed up Sunday evening to the Hotel Cafe, nabbed a seat in the room's soothing darkness, and......

Part three of three. Tuesday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Yesterday: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Today: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Again -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the......

39 days • 12 musicians • 1 bus Though this may sound like the setup for “The Real World: Singer-Songwriter Edition,” it’s actually the description of the Hotel Cafe Tour—a traveling showcase of some of the best musical talent in the country, most of whom are LA residents and regulars at the Hotel Cafe on Cahuenga. You might think that with so many creative people packed into such a small space, drama would naturally......

Part two of three. Yesterday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Today: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Tomorrow: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Recapping -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the......

Part one of three. Today: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Tomorrow: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Thursday: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. This past weekend, the 2008 installment of the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) rolled back into town (last month it opened with stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Anaheim, and the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood) for the last of two sold-out shows during its domestic run......

Last Tuesday, singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata (MySpace) performed two sold-out shows at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. A former Hotel Cafe Tour alumnus, Yamagata's appearance there two years ago drew fans from all over Southern California, and these shows were no different, with fans lining up hours in advance for her 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM shows. And since her upcoming two week tour in mid-April takes her to the Midwest and East Coast as well......

Luckily, since SXSW Music officially starts on Wednesday, tonight's massive line-up of residencies is hardly affected, save for The Voom Blooms who are replaced by We Barbarians and others at the Viper Room tonight (full list of tonight's residencies after the jump). However, the exodus of Los Angeles based bands is upon us. Also, ticket sales for 2008 Premiere Marquee Club have begun. The "club" has no membership fee and will host over 60 concerts......

The Hackensaw Boys | Photo via their MySpace Our brain is going to explode with all the great choices tonight. From friggin' amazing jazz (see, we're not swearing) at UCLA to folk-punk sensibilities of The Hackensaw Boys at Tangier in Los Feliz (video after the jump), tonight is a bounty of gold. Also, Jim Bianco will be at Amoeba and it's the first night for Wednesday night March residencies. Howlin' Rain @ Spaceland Jim......

Test Your Reflex plays this month at Hotel Cafe on Wednesdays | Photo by Luke Wooden via their MySpace Despite SXSW starting up this week with 100+ Los Angeles based bands heading over there, residencies are growing stronger and more venue-diverse across the line, especially on Monday nights where the volume makes it hard to choose from. Here's to a great month of residencies, rock on. Mondays The Chapin Sisters @ The Echo (Free),......

The Magnetic Fields play tonight and tomorrow | Image via their MySpace Some may know that there is the LA Homeless Blog, written by the CEO of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). Tonight, the Hotel Cafe is hosting a benefit concert for the organization called Rock and Run for Charity. The name is not merely because the Marathon happened this morning. Sara Radle from Calamity Magnet and Chris Radle from Supersport both ran it......

Photo of Meiko, who plays at the Knitting Factory tonight, by Koga/LAist for 'Meiko & Priscilla Ahn @ Hotel Cafe, 1/23 & 1/24/08' What Made Milwaukee Famous finish up their Los Angeles tour playing along with Tulsa and the British Sea Power/Colourmusic bill moves over to Spaceland. On the Westside, there's only one choice to make and that is hip-hop violinist Paul Dateh at the Temple Bar (check out our interview with him including......

Part of an ongoing series. Last Tuesday, local singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop (MySpace), whose album Kismet was number one on Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2007, performed a solo acoustic show at Temple Bar (MySpace) in Santa Monica, opening for Van Hunt (MySpace). Hoop's next local show will be with the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) on April 12th at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, alongside Meiko (MySpace) who was mentioned by LAist last......

Julia Fordham | Photo by freefall 2007 via flickr If you cannot make it to hear the amazing jazz vocalist, Julia Fordham, at The Roxy tonight, opening up at Hotel Cafe tonight is Tiffany Randol, who we caught at one of strong>Alex & Sam's Tangier shows. The front woman of NYC based glam rock band, Valeze, has now gone solo singer/songwriter style, making Los Angeles her second home, and is bringing out a new......

Robert Francis | Photo via his MySpace page As we said yesterday in this column, Robert Francis fell ill earlier this month, prompting the cancellation of his Monday night residency at the Silverlake Lounge. Good news, though, the new favorite local artist of ours is playing tonight at El Rey at 8:45 p.m. with the Australian Missy Higgins performing after. There's no better way than letting you get to know Francis via a few......

It’s shaping up to be a busy year for singer-songwriter Cary Brothers. With the fourth annual Hotel Cafe Tour beginning in just a few days and his first full-length CD, Who You Are, getting great reviews, things won’t be slowing down for him anytime soon. Brothers first received nationwide attention when his song “Blue Eyes” was featured on the Garden State soundtrack four years ago, and his fan base has grown with the release of......

Boom Bip will be at The Roxy Tonight | Photo by Charley B via Boom Bip's MySpace page Yay for Monday nights, there's lots of quality to choose from. If you're looking for something crazy and fun, then watch this video we recently took of Killsonic, who plays at The Bordello tonight. LA Weekly picks Tracy Spuehler at the Hotel Cafe as their pick and What Made Milwaukee Famous plays once again, for free,......

Jordan McConnell of The Duhks | Photo via thir Myspace page Willie Nelson may be playing downtown tonight, but if you want some folk rock that's local and amazingly fresh, go hear Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies. We heard them last week at their first show of their Hotel Cafe February residency and it was in-your-face and beautiful. But you've got a tough choice if you like this kind of music because when......

Sy Smith will be at the Temple Bar tonight | Photo by Marlene Fisher/fatmeatgreasy.com It's a quality night in Echo Park with Super Furry Animals and Holy Fuck are at the Echoplex and if you can swing it, right there at The Echo you'll find The Kooks and The Morning Benders. In Hollywood, Grammy award winning Dirty Vegas front man Steve Smith is slated to play acoustic tonight at the Hotel Cafe (but is......

The Vacation starts off their Thursday night Viper Room residency tonight | Photo by Brian Romero Tickets are still amazingly available for tonight's intimate Macy Gray show at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. For something a little more rock n' roll, Hell Ya! and Girl School are teaming up in their monthly residency at The Viper Room with The Vacation in the first night of their weekly February residency (for a guide to February residencies,......

For those who joined us last night (thank you for coming!), we witnessed many hot and bothered moments with an excellent band we've never hard before -- The Makers (we can't find their website, help). They are in residency at Seven Grand every Tuesday and we highly recommend checking them out. For tonight, first night residencies for this month happen at the Viper Room, Hotel Cafe and the Silverlake Lounge (see our Guide to February......