Philadelphia's Old City received a treat last Friday, as former Ben Folds Five drummer, Darren Jessee, graced the stage at the Tin Angel with his new band, Hotel Lights. "I came up with the name for the band in 2002," Jessee explained. "The place where I was staying while writing the first record was right across the street from a hotel. Hotel lights can be a pleasing thing if you're on the road, or they can be bright, intrusive, and revealing when you are trying to sleep."
Herself a big fan, Jennifer O'Connor had personally asked Hotel Lights to open up for her at the Tin Angel. The venue does solely acoustic performances, so Jessee didn't bring the full band along. "I liked playing there because it was different," Jessee commented of the Angel. "I'm used to playing at rock clubs but this place was kind of cool and old fashioned."
The set had a healthy dose of old and new, including "Amelia Bright," the story of a girl who wears a "red 50's dress from a thrift shop nearby." Jessee started the show on guitar and then changed it up a bit after three numbers by shifting to the keyboard. I couldn't help but notice a kind of Ryan Adams appeal to Jessee's music, both haunting and melodic at once. His lyrics focus on ordinary, everyday occurrences, things that could happen to anyone. It's the kind of thoughtful simplicity that breaks down the barrier between artist and audience and ensures that everyone can relate.
The crowning moment of the show was when Hotel Lights broke out the first single from their sophomore effort, Firecracker People. The song is a lonely love song of sorts for the whole of humanity. On some parts, Jessee howled his lyrics into the microphone and it seemed that a communal chill ran up the crowd's collective spine.
Hotel Lights is a band for lovers. Their songs represent the gorgeous, vulnerable moments of our common experience. Their show at the Tin Angel was more toned down than usual, but in the end, that made it all the more lovely.
