Live music review: Women That Rock featured Van Mary, Lola Tried, Little Mazarn

July 13, 2021 Greg Ackerman 392 Views concert, garage, Little Mazarn, live music, Lola Tried, punk, Review, rock n roll, Van Mary

Friday evening three female-powered acts played inside the remodeled Hotel Vegas bar which has been rebuilt in the wake of the pandemic (more on that later). The event was a fundraiser for The Lilith Fund, sponsored by Women That Rock, a music curation & discovery platform with a mission to spotlight & celebrate the best rising women in music. Appropriately, the group booked three female-led acts, Van Mary, Lola Tried and Little Mazarn.

Before we get into how the show went, Hotel Vegas has upgraded the inside stage, replacing the Western-themed mural behind the stage with a blue velvet curtain similar to the gold one behind the stage at their sister bar, Volstead next door. The bar has also been rebuilt in the same spot as the previous but with some improvements to the functionality of the bar for employees. The result is a more attractive performance space and some continuity in design from Volstead to Hotel Vegas. You can see some of that detail in the clip of Lola Tried at the bottom of the story, below.

One thing we can say about Hotel Vegas’ operating owner, Jason McNeely and his team is they never stop making improvements to the space which is one reason Hotel Vegas is a hangout for locals event when live music isn’t playing on their stage. That is no small feat. We bet you can’t name a half dozen actual music venues that can say that.

The show opened with Little Mazarn. The unusual act which featured Lindsey Verrill on vocals and cello while Jeff Johnson bows a saw drew a large, early-arriving audience to the Vegas inside stage. The understated, enrapturing music drew the audience’s attention in a way rarely seen in Hotel Vegas’ rock n roll emporium. It was a pleasant change of pace from the usual punk, heavy rock or psych rock acts that typically play the venue. Verrill knows the power of soft playing and singing in a precocious way.

Doug Freeman at the Austin Chronicle said it best when describing the experience of watching Little Mazarn perform:

“‘Watching Little Mazarn perform is almost voyeuristic, as if witnessing an intimate dance or eavesdropping on a hushed, private conversation. Their music doesn’t so much demand deep attention as inspire it.’ ”

We could not agree more. It is fascinating to observe the audience slowly realize their loud conversations can clearly be heard over the haunting music Little Mazarn makes. They quickly ended their chatter, and turned their attention to the performance.

The act we came for, Lola Tried was up next. It was hard not to feel giddy at the prospect of seeing the band at Hotel Vegas again. It was our first indoor show at Vegas since the world stopped and we were posted up in our usual spot near the bar. Red-headed banshee of a singer, Lauren Burton sells Lola Tried like she really means it. Backed by fresh licks from talented lead guitarist, Ray Garza, along with a blazing rhythm section, the singer exudes energy and confidence much like Burton’s strong personality. We love when bands actually reflect their ethos in a real way like Lola Tried does every performance.

The band is working on their latest EP currently. Catch Lola Tried next at the Long Play Lounge East on August 20.