Kelsey Heng on January 16th, 2014

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On the bootheels of a live radio debut on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and Monday night’s Conan O’Brien appearance, the southern boys of Jamestown Revival had plenty to prove at their first sold-out show at the Hotel Café on Tuesday night.

Best friends since they were 15, native Texans Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay joined a full band and an eager crowd, promising a night that, despite the excitement of their recent media appearances, would be a “hell of a lot more fun than Conan.”
Chance, outfitted in union suit long johns, bolo tie, hat and boots, coined himself “cowboy cat in the hat” vowing that if they continued selling out shows the bright red underwear may never come off.

Starting off the night with “Revival,” the old country spell worked fast as the room stomped and clapped along in awakened agreement. Immediately the genuine nature of the music relieved anyone worried this might just be another hoax-drenched folk band straight out of a Texan thrift shop. Instead, their bluesy vocal harmonies, matched with an honest Southern rock vibe, lived up their hype.

From that point on, the night focused in on a singular poetic theme. As Clay told of their recent move from Austin to the Golden State, he shared that the setlist was full of songs uniquely written in and inspired by L.A., their new home. Mixed with a constant nudge to medicinally explore nature, every song is ripe with a wanderlust’s search for a destination, a search that leads right into “California (Cast Iron Soul),” the song accurately termed “anthemic,” by Jason Bentley.

After a short encore tease and a few whiskey shots, the song “Home” seamlessly ended the night as the room echoed the plea to be “taken home.”

Jamestown Revival’s album “Utah” is due Feb. 11.

Photos by Kelsey Heng