The Grammy Museum: Homegrown

Andy Grammer rocking the Clive Davis Theater

The Grammy Museum Presents Homegrown
800 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015
The Grammy Museum on Facebook

Type: Indoors
Category: Entertainment, Music
Company: Everyone!
Cost: Tickets

Quickie: Spotlighting artists from varying genres working in the LA area, Homegrown is a great example of the Grammy Museum’s mission. In addition to nightly events, the Grammy Museum is open for regular admission, toting dynamic and multi-media tributes that pay homage to the process, technology, history and success of past and present musicians.

OTC Tip: Check out the Grammy Museum's program calendar for upcoming events. Before the show, go early and grab a bite to eat in one of the LA Live restaurants (we loved the bbq pizza at ESPN Zone)

Review:

They say timing is everything – and then there’s when talent, passion, and Los Angeles collide. If you want to know what such a boom sounds like meet Andy Grammer, who, fittingly, was the musician to open the summer series Homegrown at the Grammy Museum last Tuesday.

The interview-concert format of Homegrown is a perfect way to experience your favorite performer, since the Q&A forum gives us fans the chance to get at what we really want to know - which in the case of Andy Grammer,  is who, how, and what went down within the year that took Andy from busking and beatboxing for rent in Santa Monica to the Andy Grammer we see on stage (signed to S-Curve records), with miss Taylor Swift writing his lyrics on her arm, an MTVO award, and an upcoming summer tour with Natasha Bedingfield and Kate Voegele. 

OTC Tip: The next installment in the Homegrown series is The Airborne Toxic Event on 6/22.

The Grammy Museum is the ideal venue to host Homegrown. The Clive Davis Theater provides the clearest acoustics I've ever heard, and somehow makes the 200-seat capacity (even when full) feel like a private party of twenty.

Kicking off at 7:30pm sharp, the showcase introduced Andy Grammer, then the host Scott Goldman (VP of the Grammy Foundation) got quickly to work. I was pleasantly surprised at the length of the Q&A - I had assumed it would last maybe a quarter of an hour. But a good twenty-five minutes in it dawned upon me that we were in for a real treat, as the questions from the audience (and Andy's responses) were refreshingly candid - did you know that Andy sometimes thinks that writing songs feels like trying to create the newest "it" item for the Burger King menu? (he's currently testing the angle of the "BKFish"). Immediately following the open interview, Andy played us a few of the songs from his album that debuts on June 14th - and I have to say, I can't wait to hit "replay."

OTC Tip: The current display at the Grammy Museum is Bob Marley, Messenger.

After the show, we waited in line for the typical "meet and greet" hug and photo with Andy. Luckily, the line snaked around the 2nd level of the museum, so we took the chance to check out the gift shop and visit the exhibit dedicated to Bob Marley. If you go, definitely spend some time viewing the Marley family's cool and special collection of pictures and heirlooms.

As we left the Grammy Museum, we found ourselves somewhat convinced that there was magic in the air. Not only did we find ourselves vowing to return to LA Live for future events, but we also realized that although we had a bit more insight in to the journey of one of our favorite artists, we were still unsure exactly how it all happened.

Looking back on the video I took of the event, while we may never know what a year holds, last Tuesday Andy did hint at one of the trending shout-outs I've begun to recognize in his interviews: his manager, a Mr. Ben Singer.

Finally - a clue at the initial daedal duo. It’s no wonder, then, when Singer - who must be the one with the ear, moxie, and belief- backs Andy Grammer, who has the lungs to fill a room with the heart of the world – that there’s  the energy to bring an entire concert hall (and soon, everyone else) to a standing ovation.

Grammy Museum Calendar: Danny Elfman (6/8), Ben Harper (6/21), The Airborne Toxic Event (6/22)