Nestled between the infamous corner of Hollywood and Vine and the “interesting side” of Sunset blvd., is the funky Hotel Cafe. The entrance is in the back and does have limited seating. I experienced Alicia Witt live in the summer of 2013 at The Viper Room (Sunset Strip)in Hollywood.
Witnessing some of Alicia’s evolution over social media, has been wonderful. I felt it was time to revisit this great musician. It would be all too easy to throw down 20 adjectives to explain Alicia’s show full vibrant Piano and poetic lyrics. Alicia has something to say when rocking out and it solely her playing to hear herself (7 in 10 musicians fall prone to they know it all).
The more important thing at work in Alicia’s music is passion, artistry and love. Aliciaradiates from her chair at the keyboard, this is not a comment on her physical beauty. She reminds me pf young kid at Disneyland, she is exactly where she wants be (on stage) and she never stops smiling.
Alicia is one of the few musicians whose presence is simple, does not require anything but her love for what she does. The artistry behind each note is that of a musician who understands that all music is music. There are no labels, you hear Blues, Country, Jazz, Classic Rock, Punk, Soul, Funk and anything under the sun. It is simple to observe, Alicia has consumed tons of music with her “big ears” (term for people who listen to a ton of music).
Love is theme of most songs. Whether its love being felt, lost or even gained, the respect for each song flows through Alicia as she plugs into her cabinet of muscial delights. The truest quality of any rock show is the band and the audience being in synchronicity. Once a musician thanks you multiple times for attending, you feel like you are part of the gig too.
From the moment she tore into Other Girl, her wonderful song Consolation Prize, or a song she decided to share with us, that she just co-wrote in Nashville, we had a exhilarating 45-minute set.
This is what sealed my appreciation of Alicia Witt, musicians seldom (if ever) share songs they wrote before the song is polished. Alicia had to trust her audience, know the song was not being transcribed and this expressed her confidence and respect for the crowd. In the roller-coaster ride of her jamming-piano solos and excellent band, we all got off (musically).
Any musician who respects the duality of performer/audience, gets a smile out of me. You have a chance to catch Alicia Witt again at Hotel Cafe (March 7th).
See Alicia perform her single Consolation Prize (releasing February 3rd) on The Queen Latifah Show February 4th. Her album release party is at The Hotel Cafe, open to the public, March 7th. tickets available on hotelcafe.com/tickets
More info on Alicia Witt visit www.aliciawittmusic.com
