Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Miya Folick stepped onto the Lodge Room stage to celebrate the release of her third album Erotica Veronica. The front of the stage was decorated with a variety of flowers that signified to all that Spring was her favorite time of year. Against the stage wall, the Lodge Room lights team had a prism of lights flashing across as if one could step through that wall and walk right into a setting of a crystal clear pond surrounded by even more beautiful flowers.
She had a relaxed confidence that did her well when she had to make some minor adjustments to the microphone stand and turn on her amp to start off the set, “This is my hometown. I assume you know that.” Having made the necessary pre-set changes, she and her band launched right into the first four tracks of the album.
“La Da Da” got a loud cheer from the audience and with that she mentioned that there was an inside joke that was really in her own head where she imagined that after the band played their last notes of a song that, “I want to keep going and start over from the beginning and play it again.” Someone in the audience urged her to hit the repeat button on the song. It became the Lodge Room’s inside joke that during certain songs, including “La Da Da,” Folick would briefly hit the replay button for a few chords and lyrics.
Bandmate Jill Ryan showed off their versatility in the song “Felicity” by playing both the flute and saxophone. Folick gave a shout out to opener and friend Olivia Kaplan prior to “Hypergiant.” She mentioned that the song was written after going on a walk with Kaplan. A plug was given to Kaplan’s song “Still Strangers” which didn’t make the night’s setlist and so everyone was encouraged to give it a listen.
Later in the set, Kaplan came out for a duet of the cover song “Circles Around This Town” by Maren Morris. (Folick will be opening a handful of August dates for Maren Morris.) That song was part of a series of acoustic songs that got some of the loudest cheers. The song “So Clear” was played as there had been a request prior to the night that this song be played. Folick asked if that person was in the audience and yes indeed that person was there.
The night ended with “Fist.” Her record label writes, “Starting with a sincere, almost apologetic recounting of her lover’s civility, Miya spirals progressively into anger, offering a hint that she – or the accumulation of pains big and small that have taken shape inside of her – may be the true antagonist in this narrative.” The song included crowd participation of group screams. With that, there was a kiss goodbye and a, “Thanks for being a great companion.”
The fanbase wanted an encore and they got two in the form of explorations into the soul of Los Angeles via “Shortstop” and “Echo Mountain.” It was a nice way to send everyone off into the streets of Highland Park on a Wednesday night.
As mentioned, opening up the night was Olivia Kaplan. She said that this was the first time that she had played the Lodge Room. She opened up the night with “Nothing Changes,” “As you were writing ‘death in an Adirondack chair’ saying nothing changes here (nothing changes here).” She informed us that her songs were about loss and grief. It clearly had an impact as tears were seen flowing in the audience.
Miya Folick setlist: Erotica, La Da Da, Alaska, Felicity, Hate Me, Hypergiant, This Time Around, Prism of Light, Bad Thing, Circles Around This Town (Maren Morris cover), So Clear, Light Thru Linen, Love Wants Me Dead, Fist. Encores: Shortstop, Echo Mountain.
Olivia Kaplan setlist: Nothing Changes, Lost on Me, Digging the Hole, Pittsburgh, 280sl, Over, Wrong, Spill, Two Red Chairs.
