Los Angeles – On Tuesday at Hollywood’s famed Hotel Café, one could sense an atmosphere of anxiety from pop singer-songwriter Genevieve as she took the stage and even between songs. Two-thirds of the way through her set, she admitted to the audience that she was “so nervous.” However, during the songs it was clear that these nerves simply stemmed from performing brand-new material – not from any lack of self-confidence as a performer. As soon as the first beat of “Maybe I Can Make It” dropped, Genevieve was all over the stage, bouncing around and flailing her arms to her upbeat pop numbers.
Genevieve Schatz is best known as a member of the indie act Company of Thieves, a band that saw some success in the late 00s. A staple on Wind Up Records’ roster, the band gave the record label known for Creed and nu-metal some indie cred. Now attempting to launch her solo career, Genevieve has a debut EP slated for release in March 2015 and has been regularly performing new songs before she embarks on her first full-fledged solo tour.
As a solo artist, Genevieve presents a sound that is quite a departure from the more rock-oriented sound of her previous outfit. Performing alongside two band members who supplied drums, guitar and some very heavy keyboard samples, the first half of the set was all sugar-sweet pop. While the songs were very catchy and had tons of hooks, the song structure was often a bit left-of-field and avoided typical pop tropes. Often, the band used samples of Genevieve’s voice to provide a background harmony to her lead vocals, adding depth to songs such as the second song, “Forever.”
After the four up-tempo numbers that began the set, Genevieve allowed her drummer to “take five.” At that point she performed alone with her guitarist for the slowed down ballad, “The Enemy.” While during the first few songs it could be difficult to understand what Genevieve was singing so passionately about, this song’s vocals were quite clear and each line strongly resonated with the audience.
After spending about half of her set on upbeat pop music and her straightforward ballad, the band changed gears. Utilizing The Hotel Café’s piano set to the left of the stage, Genevieve and her band took a surprising but entertaining turn. For the next few songs, she seemed to be channeling vintage-era Fiona Apple, singing verbose lines during the verses that were only matched by the quirky choruses. She contorted her voice around the unique song structures, showcasing her range and vocal abilities.
Overall, it appears that Genevieve really had nothing to be nervous about. She and her band clearly have a strong mastery of each of the songs and the ability to perform in each style with ease. She has been performing these songs for the better part of a year and appears totally ready to release her debut recording.
Genevieve has two shows in January at The Hotel Cafe, on the 6th and 20th. Following those dates she will begin her tour in February through the midwest and the east coast.
Matt Matasci
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