KCRW's "Are Friends Eclectic?" Holiday Show

KCRW puts out great music and thoughtful commentaries, AND they also know how to coordinate great venues. Well done! Very well organized with great music variety. Please make this a yearly event. It was awesome. Thank-you!

It was a blast. Jimmy Cliff was fun. Liked Ana Calvi and Brett Dennen is very cool.

This was my first time at the Orpheum Theatre and I loved it !!! I think that they made an absolutely amazing job with the renovation. The concert started on time at 8:00 pm sharp =) the hosts from KCRW are always charming! Especially Jason Bentley, he is adorable !!! Music was phenomenal... all the artists were definitely good BUT Iron and wine was one of the main bands attracted lots of attention and it's unfortunate that the radio station decided to let them play at the end of the concert which basically ended after midnight. I'm a fan of Sam Beam, he has such a wonderful voice but the acoustics were waaaaay too loud and the performance was lost in a cacophony sound.... nothing like his mellow voice and guitar. "Boy with a coin" is one of my favorite songs but this time the musical arrangements they did were disastrous !!! I saw lots of people leaving the Theatre when Iron and Wine started playing. I hope this was because it was too late and not because his music didn't sound that good. =(

KCRW knows how to put together a great night of music and this show was no exception. The line-up included: Jimmy Cliff, Iron and Wine, Brett Dennen, Other Lives, The Belle Brigade, White Denim, The Secret Sisters, Mia Doi Todd, Zee Avi and Anna Calvi. Most of the groups played 4 to 5 songs; Jimmy Cliff had a longer set. So it was A LOT of music for the money. There was not a bad performance in the group. Indeed, all the performers were AMAZING. It was truly a night that celebrated great music from real musicians. I was also a night that celebrated KCRW for its important support of independent music. Cudos to KCRW for putting this amazing show together and for introducing us to an eclectic set of talented musicians. My personal favorites (in no order) were Jimmy Cliff, Other Lives, Zee Avi and The Belle Brigade. Can't wait for next year's show !

The vocal mics needed to be mixed better for all except for JIMMY CLIFF. Why is it all of these folks had troubel singing those high ones on key except him. WHAT A PRO. HE WAS SO GREAT. I FELT LIKE IT WAS 1975 AND WE WERE AT SUN SPLASH IN JAMAICA. Everyone else paled in compairison and they new it. The Orpheum was great; just BEAUTIFUL. I WISH HAD HAD TIME TO SEE IT WITH THE LIGHTS UP FOR LONGER. I HAD A GREAT SEAT. AND ALL OF THE OTHER GROUPS, WHERE AS I FOUND THEM, IN MY OLD AGE, A BIT DERIVITIVE, BUT THEIR MUSICIANSHIP FOR EVERYONE WAS UNSURPASSED.AND THEY WERE NEW TO ME, BUT WERE TERRIFIC. IRON AND WINE WAS A BEAUTIFUL KAKAWPHONY.(Sp?) Brett the Geek, was alot of fun, I wish I understood some of your lyrics better, I might have appreciated them more. Belle Rage, Secret Sisters, and the woman from the Bongo straights of Malaysia were all beautiful sirens; I wanted more from all of you. Everyone's instruments were GREAT. I'm a Tummer myself and can never get enough percussion, and you got that from everyone in every way, shape and form.

great show, but unfortunately it got so late and we came on time we didn't make it to the end and what we really wanted to hear and see!

Overall, this was a fun night! Where else can you see so many great KCRW bands in the amazing Orpheum Theatre for around $60? Belle Brigade, Secret Sisters, Jimmy Clif, Zee Avi and Brett Dennin put on stellar performances! Ana Colvi started off great, but got a little too experimental for my taste. Three Complaints - 1 - No Poster/Program, to mark this inaugural event... 2 - No Line Up List/Times... 3 - No Special Guests (as listed on KCRW website/flyer). Unless, you consider all of the KCRW DJ's to be the "Special Guests"?

Overall, we enjoyed the show. The highlight was Jimmy Cliff's energetic set. He still has the chops and even some of the moves! The show was well-organized a moved well. The weakest link was probably Iron and Wine. It was a bad idea to have them come after Cliff. Their lead singer is neither a strong singer nor charismatic, and what's with the Stonewall Jackson look? Half the audience either walked out after Cliff's set or during Iron and Wine's set, which must have been disconcerting to the band. Other highlights were the Belle Brigade set. I really detested the drunks behind us who talked loudly all during Cliff's performance. Ididn't care for the whiney nerdy singer with bare feet, though I could see his songs doing well with another performer - maybe Iron and Wine?

As expected, KCRW pulled a great show. They brought several high quality artists to the stage (I am actually buying the cd for two of them), and the KCRW dj's (Jason Bentley and Ann Lit) were too much fun too. Definitely will go again next year.

Unbelieveable line-up, every act was fabulous and how great was it that they all volunteered their time for a benefit! Jimmy Cliff still rocks the house at 57 years old!

Loved the show - Jimmy Cliff was fantastic. The Orpheum Theatre is such a great venue! Had the best time!

Amazing night of eclectic groups including Jimmy Cliff, Brett Dennen, Zee Avi, Belle Brigade, Secret Sisters and more. The pace was good and never left you waiting long between sets which alternated between small intimate groups in front of curtain and larger bands on the full stage. Orpheum is a great theater and parking was easier than expected and plenty of nice little places to eat nearby. Hope KCRW does this again next year.

Great show ,well organized as these things go. No more than five minutes between sets. So much better than a pledge drive. Grat choice of bands. will go next year and happy to support KCRW.You Rock, You Jazzz You Acoustic!!!

LOVED seeing all the bands! Great line up! Wonderful how they spaced out acoustic every other band to keep the flow moving. I wanted more of each band!!

This show alternated between a "small" band playing in front of the curtain while the instruments for the next band were set up behind the veil. This format kept things moving quickly and allowed them to cram a LOT of music into one night. The Other Lives were the only one of the "big" bands that was great. Such a big, epic, complex sound. Each band member plays about 6 instruments per song. Incredible! And the arrangements of all the "little" bands were just so pure and beautiful. Way too much great music to review, but Zee Avi, The Bell Brigade, Secret Sisters, and lastly but mostly Brett Dennen were fantastic

I went expecting to love Iron and Wine and came away a fan of Secret Sisters, Brent Dennen and the malaysia woman. Sometimes it was very hard to hear the dj's especially when they would announce the act's name at the same time. I need to see the names in print. The theater was beautiful, the line up was incredible. The show was too long.

This show started off kind of slow, but had some great performances towards the middle/end. However, the whole show lasted way too long and Iron and Wine didn't come on until past 11:45 pm. We had been sitting for 4 hours at that point....

Was a fantastic event and the bands were amazing. Orpheum was a beautiful venue and the seats from the balcony were just right. Still had a good view. Would definitely go again!