Whispertown’s all-star party caps a festive night at Hotel Café (with the Lumineers and Y La Bamba)

Kevin Bronson on
0

Singer-songwriter Morgan Nagler got her project Whispertown off the ground oh-so-many years ago by rubbing elbows with a couple of other former child actors, Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. And Friday night – on the occasion of her birthday as well as the release of Whispertown’s new EP “Parallel” – the bonds that tied Nagler to Rilo Kiley’s extended musical family felt like festive ribbons.

Whispertown’s show at the Hotel Cafe was quite a party, with guest after guest contributing songs leading up to a full-band jam that included Kim Deal on bass. For her part, Nagler was almost in too high of spirits to dial into her own earnest, woozy folk-pop, although she nailed a solo number accompanied by Nate Walcott on piano. But that wasn’t entirely the point with so many friends in the house.

The sold-out room was treated to drive-by performances from Jenny and Johnny – Johnathan Rice jokingly introducing Lewis as an “up-and-coming singer” – as well as Buddy, the Haim sisters, Daniel Ahearn and Mindy Jones from Daniel Ahearn & the Jones and  Michael Runion.

That parade of talent followed two earlier – and, unfortunately for fans who could have gorged on good stuff, separately ticketed – shows at the Hotel Cafe that were jam-packed as well. U.K. singer-songwriter Marcus Foster played his first of two nights at the Cahuenga Boulevard venue behind his new album “Nameless Path.” After the room was cleared, tourmates the Lumineers and Y La Bamba took over for the second of their two sold-out nights there.

Denver’s Lumineers (impressive at SXSW) played the same venue to about a dozen people only a few months ago – a storyline that might sound familiar to anybody who followed Mumford & Sons in the early days. On this night, the Lumineers looked every bit the next folk-rock superstars. With buoyant melodies and crystalline harmonies, they inspired sing-alongs to numbers such as “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love” and proved just as affable as their optimistic music.

Most compelling, however, was the wide-ranging folk of Y La Bamba, whose new album “Court the Storm” certifies Luzelena Mendoza as one of the special voices on the indie landscape. At times sparkling with Latin flavors and at others crackling with intricate arrangements and percussion to highlight Mendoza’s siren vocals, the Portland band’s music comes from very deep place – one that, on record or in a live setting, is well worth exploring.