hearsay

Fionn Regan was awesome at Hotel Cafe on Tuesday night, even giving a shout out to Echo Park in “Put A Penny In The Slot,” by replacing ‘Buckenham Park’ with Silverlake’s less hip and more picturesque neighbor. We also have better taco’s and interestingly named laundromats, if you’re wondering. He was paired up with Ferraby Lionheart, who has a new album coming out in September (its actually already available on iTunes).

Fionn has come a long way since I last recommended him… apparently he is all over the radio and his album finally made it’s way to the U.S. on Lost Highway, the Universal subsidiary that is home to Ryan Adams and the late Johnny Cash. It’s definitely put him in a different league and the crowd that was out to see him on Tuesday was a testament to this. As one might imagine from his recordings, he has an incredible voice, and it is as good if not better in a live setting than on LP. He switches up the songs a bit… changing inflection here and there or changing tempo from the recorded versions. One of my favorites of the night was “The Ballad of the Toad Eaters,” which he played in a similar upbeat manner to the version he played in a BBC set earlier this year… way better than the somber version from the UK-only Campaign Button EP. He also played “Medicine Chest” from that EP, which made it obvious how much better he’s gotten in the 2 years since it was released. The pace and melody came off much better, and his timing helped the lyrics (”She laughs then falls down the stairs / The hair’s in her eyes / There’s a price to be paid for style”) garner a laugh from the crowd. I liked how he prepped most of the songs with odd, long winded and heavily accented explanations of what each song was about, which usually just ended up hinting at the actual lyrics of each song. He explained that “The Underwood Typewriter” was for lovers of typewriters. “The Ballad of the Toad Eaters” had something to do with being taken advantage of by lawyers. It was a good long set, including a few new songs that I hope will make it onto the next album. He played much of The End of History, including “Hey Rabbit” and the standout, “Put A Penny In The Slot,” before ending with “Snowy Atlas Mountains” and “Be Good Or Be Gone.” I’m glad he was able to make it this far from Ireland. Fionn, you’re welcome in Echo Park anytime. I’ll show you all the best taco spots.

[photo by Steve Asenjo]

: Fionn Regan - Medicine Chest :
: Fionn Regan - Ballad of the Toad Eaters (live on BBC) :