Band of the Week: Priscilla Ahn

[October 6 - 12]

Priscilla Ahn
Sounds Like: Singer-Songwriter / Pop / Folk
Drinking Buddies: Meiko, Ingrid Michaelson, Brandi Carlile

Synopsis: A quiet and humble voice that bolsters outstanding sound.

Makes You Want To...: Dream; Sing-A-Long; Dance with kids.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Priscilla Ahn.

"There is a city by the sea... And as it tells its sorry tale in harrowing detail, it's hollowness will haunt you. Its streets and boulevards, orphans and oligarchs... And here's a plaintive melody - a truncated symphony - an ocean's garbled vomit on the shores....

O, what a rush of ripe élan! Languor on divans, dalliant and dainty! But oh, the smell of burnt cocaine, the dolor and decay, it only makes me cranky. O, great calamity, ditch of inequity and tears. How I abhor this place, its sweet and bitter taste has left me wretched, wretching on all fours. Los Angeles, I'm yours."

I'm no poet, but Mr. Meloy of The Decemberists has his way with words. "Is it the city of angels or demons," I - along with Ben Gibbard - have pondered. But for all my musings, I can never say I've collapsed into the somewhat grizzly, filthy, greedy, but loving arms of Los Angeles. The city definitely has a reputation, extending from Hollywood into the rip-roarin' streets and the local music scene. Voilà! even just mentioned The Muslims, who rock out in the wild streets as if the town were there own. L.A. is a town of style and reputation. This is the city of clubbers, and gangsters, and aristocrats, and actors, and parties, and earthquakes. This is no place for quiet souls or heartfelt mysteries.

But do you hear that? That quiet strumming of a guitar - those sweet harmonies like candy, and those soothing melodies like meditation - that wholesome, soulful rhythm that's as smooth as butter. It's so plain, yet is somehow addicting. How naive... How quaint... How passé! Yet this young girl sings so well, so passionately, so honestly, and so lovely, that even in this town of Hollywood Boulevards and Rodeo Drives, she's so at home, it's as if she could own the whole town.

Who might this songwriter of such beautiful songs be, but the splendid talents and wonderful persona that is Priscilla Ahn. Former Pennsylvania native, now denizen of Los Angeles, we take note of a pop artist who is quickly making a name for herself. Similar to The Muslims, Priscilla takes pop music and removes all the additives and preservatives that the mainstream assails nationally credited music with. Priscilla Ahn's poignant sound is like homemade bread: it's infinitely more enjoyable than something that's mass produced and ladened with more chemicals than you can keep track of. This is pop music as it should be: fresh, lively, jubilant, natural, honest, and most importantly, humble.

But I said L.A. was a city of reputations. So who might Priscilla Ahn represent? Does she represent the surfers, or the workers, or the hill and valley? No, none of those. Priscilla Ahn is the everyman - err... everywoman, you get the picture - of Los Angeles. She's the quiet girl, not dying for the glitz, glamour, and popularity. She's the shy girl on the other side of the room, during the humid party, minding her own, dodging the knife-like name drops and tabloid gossip circulating the room.

What the hell does that all mean? In lamest terms, Priscilla makes some simple, humble songs, without the pretense. Creative, but not heavy; deep, but not overemotional; unique, but not ostentatious. Her sweet songs are the perfect balance, offering nice stories that play out like lullabies. She shines like a diamond against the concrete and billboards constructed around her in the busy city where "the freeway's always creeping, even when the population's sleeping."


Priscilla Ahn finds her local talents showcased at the L.A. venue Hotel Cafe. To be true, the Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 has been in full swing for awhile now, with Priscilla livening up the lineup, along with friends Meiko, Ingrid Michaelson, and Thao Nguyen, among many more. Of course, Ms. Ahn has herself a Myspace, but there's so much more! There's her website, where she keeps a little blog. Then there's this silly little video. And then there her performance for La Blogotheque, which is some of the best cinematography I've seen in AGES. Not to mention the glorious performances.

She has an independently released EP, as well as her wonderful debut album, A Good Day, put out by Blue Note Records. But the simple fact is, Priscilla Ahn has won over my heart as one of the best artists I've discovered all year, showing that simplicity can go a long way. If you'd excuse me, I'll be listening obsessively to "Living In A Tree" and "Red Cape," like I've been doing all month long... well... okay, after "Leave The Light On Is Over." Have a great week reader.

Split Series Priscilla Ahn - living In A Tree
by lablogotheque