This weekend I organized a bunch of coworkers to go take in the sultry sounds of Vienna Teng (more on her later). We started the evening with delicious Nepalese food at Taste of the Himalayas , then off to the Palace of Fine Arts, and capped the night with dessert at Kowloon Tong Dessert Cafe (more on that later, too).
What I really wanted to talk about though, is The Paper Raincoat, the latest in a series of collaborations by the talented Alex Wong of The Animators, an Asian-American singer-songwriter-producer who can play an incredible number of instruments, from guitar to drums to glockenspiel. Alex usually accompanies Vienna on tour, playing percussion and producing for her, but I'd never really seen him perform center stage. He and his partner Amber made for a surprising treat of an opening act--you know how those are always hit or miss, but mostly miss? Not so here.
I like how they're kind of fun/whimsical, a living fantasy of sounds, and more upbeat and wonder-filled than neurotic and whiny. Hats off to them for being optimistic in this day and age.
