On this edition of the Paste Culture Club, hear songs from Ben Kweller, Priscilla Ahn, Meiko, Black Joe Lewis, Talkdemonic, and more!
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Priscilla Ahn had a dream that one day her group of gal pals, The United Songstresses of Hotel Café, would rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “Girls need attention, and boys need us. So let’s make everybody glad.” (That's a verse from the Meiko anthem, “Reasons to Love You," for those of you keeping score at home.)Click above to watch "Dream" from Priscilla Ahn's new album A Good Day, out now on Blue Note Records.
Related Links:
Artist of the Week: Priscilla Ahn
Review: Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day
Priscilla Ahn on Myspace
Hotel Café mainstay turns in sonically rich debut
Just like Joshua Radin and Sara Bareilles, Priscilla Ahn hails from L.A.’s Hotel Café singer/songwriter scene, and she claims Philadelphia’s Amos Lee as one of her most ardent supporters. But of all the friends who had an impact on her debut album, Joey Waronker shaped it most. Working as both producer and percussionist on A Good Day, he gives Ahn’s gentle, breathy style a heft and elegance that’s unusual for music this unobtrusive. Despite a couple of sprightly numbers like “I Don’t Think So” and a cover of Willie Nelson’s “An Opportunity to Cry,” most of Ahn’s songs are candlelit whispers, like the title track (with its multi-tracked harmonies) and “Masters In China,” which consists of little more than sparse chords, quiet cello passages, brushed drums and Ahn’s delicate voice.
Hometown: Bernville, Pa.
Fun Fact: Priscilla Ahn once shared an L.A. apartment with Meiko, another small-town expatriate with a talent for indie-folk songcraft.
Why She’s Worth Watching: Shifting between soft-spoken ballads and upbeat odes to love and childhood, A Good Day is a classic folk album for the iPod generation.
For Fans Of: Jaymay, Missy Higgins, Ingrid Michaelson, Joni Mitchell
| Dec 1 Mon |
TV: Charlie Haden on David Letterman TV: T.I. and Sarah Silverman on Jimmy Kimmel In-Store: O'Death live at Grimey's in Nashville, TN |
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Paste Magazine Culture Club.
Episode 70
August 19, 2008