When you go to an industry showcase, you hope to evaluate a buzz band or two, meet some colleagues, perhaps get a free sandwich. You don't necessarily expect MAGIC. But magic was what the ASCAP Presents... showcase on August 1st was all about.
Held in the funky, vinyl-lined main room of BETA Records' Hollywood studio, the showcase presented a trifecta of ASCAP acts, each emerging from L.A.'s eclectic indie rock underground but performing like seasoned veterans. Monsters Calling Home - who just hit their one-year anniversary - were all surging dynamics and gorgeous violin swells. He's My Brother She's My Sister's shambolic live show included rollicking folk-rock tunes, an upright bassist with a lavender and teal-colored axe and a percussionist who tap-danced on a bass drum while banging away. Father John Misty (the stage name of Joshua Tillman) spun songs from the eerie new Fear Fun album into a psychedelic soul-folk haze. If ever there were a more riveting performer and between-song-banterer than Tillman, we haven't heard him or her.
These are the kinds of memorable nights that remind us why we got into this business in the first place. ASCAP's proud to showcase such amazing acts on their way to the top.