Anna Webber – Los Angeles Photographer

Following his performance at Coachella, Paolo played an intimate showcase luncheon Tuesday at the Viper Room in Hollywood to debut his upcoming release, Sunny Side Up.

The Viper Room and Atlantic Records supplied the Open Bar and luncheon – however – it didn’t matter how drunk they got the guests, the music was phenomenal. By the first song, enough honest sweat was flowing out of his pores to mean he would not be letting up anytime soon – he’d done this before. Paolo has got the same Johnny Lang elated, scathing, rasp and quiver, mixed with Jeff Buckley moans and lingering “ooo’s” during the sultry ballads that were to die for. The timelessness of his music would throw a smile across anyone’s face and a chill down their spine as his boyish sincerity dabbled in motown and blues, reggae and barbershop bebop. As he picked up what appeared to be a watered down whiskey, smiling, he says “It’s the first one I’ve done of these things where everybody’s listening.” Not because he’s not extraordinary, but because he can be seen most often playing at big music halls, bigger concert venues, and music festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo. And his giddy Scottish accent would sometimes sound more like a thick island one. It was adorable. In fact, all but one of the 6 piece band is from Scotland, and his 2007 record went platinum in the UK, and sold about 2 million copies. He played the single off of his last record, “New Shoes”, which Paolo is most notably known for. Keeping an eye on Paolo and awating the release of his next record out in June, he showed no deficit of talent Tuesday, no elevated ego.

Paolo Nutini @ Viper Room showcase (photo: anna webber)

Lee “Scratch” Perry
@ the El Rey
September 3
72 year-old Lee “Scratch” Perry wasn’t scratching anything down at the El Rey last Wednesday, but he did tickle the hell out of the crowd’s olfactory nerve from up on-stage. It’s kind of like Lee Scratch-and-sniff after he lights up his half dozen or so incense sticks during the first song, which he proceeds to secure to the top of his baseball cap that had been festooned to the T with trinkets, medals, pins—and not without—the jimmy-rigged metal incense holder. But, as it goes, the hat appropriately matched the rings on every finger, his adorned mic set, emblazoned with the same sort of arrangement as the hat fabulously held. His over-stuffed, over-spacious Lucky Charms bomber jacket, and the bulky leather boots tatted with patches and paint, etc., quite enhanced the legendary old dude.

But he’s not just any old dude.
He’s one of them granddad rarities attributed to reggae at its rising, having helped form it tough at its roots.
Being one whose musical talents have assisted quite notably in the generation of reggae and dub sounds, Perry has also produced albums for Bob Marley & the Wailers, The Heptones, and other reggae spear headers.
The band Perry’s got behind him now is comprised of youthful, twenty, maybe thirty-somethings, none at all as dark as he, displaying outright that soul doesn’t come in colors. They jibed it, absolutely.  Lee Scratch has still got it.
-Anna Webber