On a busy Saturday night last month, I went to The Hotel Cafe in the heart of Hollywood Boulevard. Rows of chairs and hordes of people filled the room as if they were anticipating a superstar. In front of them, there was a small stage with an extremely awkward composition. From left to right, a piano, drum set, keyboard, bass guitar and electric guitar were crammed into one space. As the men played their instruments, it seemed like they were the backing band of the female vocalist, whose black floral top, blonde ponytail, hoop earrings and jeans ensemble resembled Lana del Rey circa 2012. However, I heard a male voice singing alongside the female vocalist. Surprisingly, it turned out to be the pianist!
With close cropped brown hair, nondescript gray tee and jeans, the pianist would be easily passed off as Chris Martin. Despite looking like he played a secondary role, he was the main vocalist of the night. After they finished playing their duet, the crowd clapped. While it seemed like the crowd were going gaga for the entire band, they were really cheering for Chris Martin 2.0. As someone who had never heard of his music until the night of the show, he slayed. And if you are dying to know his name now, it is Evan Roth, a local singer/songwriter who recently held this concert to release his debut EP The Way It Was.
Still sitting across the piano, Roth turned to the crowd and announced that he had a song called “Go,” which he wrote four years ago when he was a freshman in college. Singing each verse in a deep baritone, Roth’s vocals were rich and mature that recalled Frank Sinatra, who was one of his main influences as mentioned on Roth’s Facebook. Although “Go” was a ballad, the crowd danced.
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Based on the positive reception of “Go,” Roth and his band churned out with another ballad “The Way It Was,” which he announced was the last song from his EP. While the song was similar to “Go,” “The Way It Was” carried more strength as Roth belted out, “where did I go wrong? Can I carry on?” Considering that it was the first time I heard a song from his EP (NOTE: I came in late due to the monstrous traffic), I never felt that that “The Way It Was” was the last song.
Considering that Roth only wanted to stop at “The Way It Was,” the audience yelled, “ENCORE!” and hooted. Knowing the demand and power of his audience, Roth gave in with a cover from indie folk pop Icelandic band Of Monster and Men’s “Little Talks”, whom he performed alongside his sister Mallory/Lana del Rey 2.0, and a new song “All Things Go,” which reminded me of Coldplay’s seminal classic “Yellow.” Sandwiched between the two ballads, their cover of “Little Talks” was cheerful and upbeat. While duets could run the risk of competition, the Roth siblings’ vocals perfectly complemented each other. Then, this continued into “All Things Go,” where the elder Roth played the quarterback and the younger Roth played the defense. Given that “All Things Go” was newly premiered, I felt that Roth did an amazing job.
Usually, I don’t attend neo-jazz concerts or anything related to jazz since that genre is not my cup of tea, but looking back, I think that going to an Evan Roth concert is perfect for anyone who wants to go to a show on their first date.