Last Saturday Emma Cole performed at a Chinatown Summer Nights – it’s an all-ages monthly event in Chinatown that takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month from June through August in LA’s historic plaza. Every summer this event is being sponsored by LA’s local radio station 88.9 KCRW. For her set Emma invited special guests — first Gigi Lyn, then Jen Awad and, for grand finale, Lauren Ruth Ward.
Emma & Lauren performed cover of “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac) from her solo album Bella Donna. Stevie written it to express the grief resulting from the death of her uncle Jonathan and the murder of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980. It features a distinctive, chugging 16th-note guitar riff played by Waddy Wachtel – you should remember him from his live session with LP for ‘Playing for Change’.
Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac wrote some of the best songs ever, songs I am never tired of hearing – ‘Dreams’, ‘Landslide’, Go Your Own Way’, ‘Seven Wonders’ – to name just a few. ‘Edge of Seventeen’ is one of those songs that always lifts me up, and Emma & Lauren killed it with their version, they both have powerful vocals that blended altogether in a really cool way.
I didn’t know Emma’s work as a musician & singer, so it was a great surprise to find yet another strong voice. I mostly know her from her artistic collabs with Lauren as a make up artist and a photographer. It turned out that Emma is one incredibly talented human being. LA is lucky to have so many great artists who can work and support each other, despite the fact that music is a really competitive business.
In the crowd I saw Tess O’Connor with her camera so I *truly hope* that there will be a full video of that performance. It’s really worth it! And I also hope that we will see this duo in the future. If you’d like to know more about Emma & her 2018 debut album, ‘If You Don’t Holler, No One Will Hear’, in which she shares her personal journey through heartbreak and loss, “Spinditty” online magazine has a cool article, click here.
And a few words about the event itself. The idea for Chinatown Summer Nights grew out when the community expressed a desire to create an event series that showcased a fresh face for Chinatown as a hip place for eating and entertainment – in short, to become a great destination in downtown Los Angeles. There was also a vision of renewing Central and West Plazas in LA’s Chinatown.
This part food event, part summer night party, attracted thousands of Angelenos from across the county to taste the many culinary offerings of Chinatown and LA’s gourmet food trucks, sample the neighborhood’s wares, experience large‐scale public art, sip on Chinese beer, dance in Central Plaza with KCRW DJs and take part in Chinese cultural, hands‐on workshops presented by local organizations and museums.
PS. Lauren Ruth Ward performed at a Chinatown Summer Nights back in July 2017. For pics & reviews of that performance click here & here. And one more here.
🦎 Lauren Ruth Ward 🦂 Blog 