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Live Review: The Quiet - Hotel Cafe, Hollywood

The Quiet aren't afraid to get loud.

More importantly, they can make a crowd get loud with them. That's exactly what they did at The Hotel Café in Hollywood last night. Typically, the cozy little venue is known for young female singer songwriters crooning about failed relationships with guys they've met on MySpace and hanging out at Starbucks. However, The Quiet put on an epic, arena-worthy show inside those same four walls.

With fun, fire and finesse, the Los Angeles quintet played a rapturous and raucous set for the packed venue. Anything goes within the band's vibrant sound. In fact, they possess a classic rock mentality where no instrument or style is off limits within their musical landscape. Bluesy guitar work from Jeff Kaptain and Matt Ferrone proved enchanting on stage. Both players volleyed back and forth with panache and proficiency during cuts like "Live Life Now." Meanwhile, Dave Kaptain's bass added an impenetrable low end to the ballad "I Do." The bass perfectly complemented the song's spacey blues solo. At the center of everything, vocalist/pianist/harmonica master, Brendan Ryan belted out one infectious hook after another. He channeled Billy Joel, sitting at his piano in a dapper vest carrying unforgettable choruses and adding in flourishes of harmonica for good measure. Brendan also pulled out the mandolin once or twice surprising the crowd and going that extra mile. He capped off their "New Jam" with an Eddie Van Halen-style jump—holding the mandolin. There's nothing more rock n' roll than that.

Another track from the band's debut album Greatest Hits, "Change Your Heart" instantly sparked a sing-a-long and a whole lot of dancing. The band capped it all off with a cover of "Sledgehammer." During which, Brendan donned a vest with red, white and blue neon lights. As he went into the crowd during the chorus and his attire flashed, the band's connection to the audience became even more tangible, and The Quiet's job was done.

Los Angeles needs The Quiet. They have the capability to shake things up because they're not following any sort of predictable L.A. trend like corny Sunset Strip nostalgia or unwelcoming Silverlake snobbery. They also pulled off a real rock n' roll show only stone's throw from some of Hollywood Blvd's most chichi nightspots. That's talent. They're a rock band with all the right stuff. They know how to have fun and get a little loud in the process.

—Rick Florino
07.18.09