Photos and review by MIMI BLANCHARD
LOS ANGELES – The Golden Poppy Holiday Show at Hotel Ziggy played like a close-in, high-feel night where the room could actually hear artists think through their songs. Before the first chord, the plan was to do more than file a clean review and take photos.
My purse was already loaded with personality, with fluffy animal keychains from Wildwood, NJ, a Buc-ee Beaver, a rare Trader Joe’s pin, and a Peter Max “Love” pin, but it still felt like it was missing one more marker of where the night had taken me. By the end, that missing piece was simple: a Golden Poppy pin from the merch table, a small reminder that supporting the scene is a verb, not a vibe.
Hotel Ziggy set the tone fast with LPs behind the bar, colorful stickers creating a collage of rock history, and a chrome-toned guitarist statue guarding the room while Golden Poppy turned the space into a showcase for its roster. Golden Poppy, founded by Michaela D. Jordan, built the evening around community-minded programming that elevates queer artists through consistent opportunities, not one-off token slots. Bryan Magaña welcomed people at the door and walked newcomers through what the night had in store, while Rowan Crosthwaite kept merch moving and spirits high.
Ryan Cassata opened solo and held the room with calm authority, the kind that comes from a life spent doing the work onstage and off. His history includes the ASCAP Foundation Mariana and Paul Williams “Sunlight of the Spirit” songwriting award, major media recognition, and landmark visibility as the first openly trans performer at Vans Warped Tour. Abby Posner followed with guitar front and center, driving rhythm with a stomp box under her foot and folding reflections on grief and rebuilding into songs that felt made to connect rather than performatively confess. Her career spans composing and placements, including work connected to the award-winning documentary Lady Buds.
The Sea Tease brought Jordan’s big-voiced, classic-rock-and-soul sensibility into focus, backed by a catalog that includes “Ruthless,” nominated for Song of the Year at the 2025 Wavy Awards. Broken Sound widened the palette into adventurous alternative rock, built around their distinctive Fender Bass VI approach, and their between-song remarks kept the focus on human intention and responsibility in a tech-saturated moment without turning the set into a lecture.
Xtine and the Reckless Hearts closed out the evening with buoyant, hard-earned swagger, full of fun, precision, and the kind of band chemistry that reads as craft, not chaos. When the night wrapped, that Golden Poppy pin went on my purse, and it felt only right to say it plainly: we need to support these artists by showing up, streaming later, and buying the physical merch when it is on the table.
