Chronicles of the Hotel Cafe

Episode I

Name: Greg Laswell
Current Album: Three Flights from Alto Nido
Awesome Scale Rating: Exploding High 5

Greg is one of the most remarkable acts that I've come across in a long time. Hes honest, hes got talent in spades, he has that understated passion that makes for amazing public performances and I've never seen him not wear chucks on stage. He hasn't gotten the rockstar bug. Thank goodnes!!!

My understanding is that hes been on the music scene with some inertia since 2005. Hes been writing since high school when he joined choir for a girl but realized that he really liked singing and music but he didn't start performing with any particular earnest until college.

I've mentioned him on other blogs because I've seen him perform about 5 times now and have been blown away every time. He is electric live and the bookers at the Hotel Cafe have incredibly good taste and the sense to keep him coming back. However, I found him under slightly uncool circumstances.

I was trying to keep my brain from leaking out my ears at work and clicked on this bubble gum Yahoo article about Mandy Moore and her new I'm A Serious Songwriter So Listen To Me Seriously I'm Sexually Active Now and Dated And Publically Broke Up With An A-Lister And Am Moving On album and Greg was briefly mentioned in the article as her most recent post-Zack Braff squeeze. So I iMeemed him and found a bunch of really good stuff and have been a fan since. My first time seeing him live was at the Hotel Cafe Tour show at the Musicbox in April of this year and the man transformed a room when he sat down to the piano. I haven't heard a voice full of so much sincerity and emotion since Annie Lennox.

I've finally just started not listening to his album on repeat and I got it at the album release party at the Hotel Cafe on July 11th. The #4 track "Comes and Goes (in waves)" is currently the most played song in my iTunes at 127 followed by the #8 track "I'd be Lying at 41. Yes - I love these songs and this album that much. He's that good. He could give Chris Martin and David Ghrol a run for their money and I really hope he does.