Beats Bistro is a new series in Los Angeles, CA that pairs world-class local bands with world-class local chefs. Each show explores a different theme/ genre and has both qualified artists on the stage and qualified chefs in the kitchen.
The first installment, LA Soul, kicked off at The Troubadour this past Sunday, February 16, 2014 with three different takes on the soul sound and a chef who did some down-home cooking.
As doors opened a little after 7, fans headed to the upstairs area of the Troubadour to get some drinks and eat some small bites prepared by Chef, Alisa Reynolds, owner of My Two Cents. Some of the bites that were included during the night were black eyed pea hummus; baby beet salad; mini crispy turkey meatloaf sliders; petit lemon tarts with fresh blueberries and much more.
A little after 8pm, the first act of the night walked on stage. Oxnard native, Anderson .Paak and his band brought the crowd’s energy out during their short set. Alternating from both the drums and singing, .Paak brought a new twist to soul music, bringing jazz, hip-hop, electronic and R&B which had the crowd dancing along. Every couple songs, .Pakk asked the crowd, “What’s my mother-fuckin name!?” to which the crowd instantaneously responded, “Anderson- .Paak!” He ended the night to cheers of some new fans.
Named LA Weekly’s hip hop artist of the year, twice, Medusa came on stage with a different, more mellow energy than the act before her but that didn’t stop the fans from getting into her set. Being in the business for 15 years, she is among the top female rappers of all time, proving it that Sunday night by never missing a beat. What she lacked in energy, was made up with her polished performance and constant fan interaction. Her sense of style and swag really got fans really into her show, eyes following her, everywhere she went. 
The last performance of the night was someone who many of the fans waited all night to see; Rozzi Crane. Being the first artist signed by Adam Levine’s (Maroon 5) 222 Records and just finishing the tour with Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson, Crane and her band were bound to bring something great to the table. Crane cannot just be categorized as soul, because she mixes so many genres that you cannot give her one title. She and her band mates combine pop, R&B, alternative and hip-hop to create their own unique style that is sure to keep fans wanting to hear more. Every few songs Crane would stop and tell different stories to the crowd, making this intimate show personal. It gave them an inside look on Crane’s life and where her lyrics come from. Although she was performing around 10:30pm on Sunday night, the energy had never decreased and in fact did the polar opposite. Fans sang along to her songs and swayed with the music. It was the perfect set to end a great first installment of the Beats Bistro.
If you want to attend the next Beats Bistro, please go buy your tickets now, because when they’re gone, they’re gone! Don’t miss music from some amazing local acts and food from amazing local chefs.
More info and tickets: http://www.hlpresents.com/home.html
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
Rozzi Crane
Medusa
Anderson .Paak
People/Food
