NFV Song Spotlight: Alice Sandahl's Walk It Off

I first came across Alice Sandahl at the Sage Brews stage at Echo Park Rising last year. I only caught a song or two. For those who don't know, I rush around Echo Park Rising like a wild man, shooting as many bands and artists as possible. I don't particularly remember a whole lot about her singing, but I do remember one thing specifically. There were three children hanging out next to the outdoor stage. Prior to her set, they had their hands and ears pressed against the stage monitors, feeling the vibrations of the DJ music. I almost went over to them and told them that putting their ears next to the monitors would damage their hearing, but then I didn't want to be the old person who basically was lecturing kids when their parents were only a few feet away. 

Alice Sandahl at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Some five plus months later, I caught a full set at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Since it was an early Friday show (doors at 6 p.m.), she opened the set by joking that her set was being held during the senior hour. 

Then she swung into some keyboard playing ballet jazz. I was thinking of Frank Sinatra (I recently watched a couple Sinatra movies on TCM: The Man with the Golden Arm and Some Came Running.) Listening to her set, I really imagined myself hanging out at a smoky Sands Hotel in Las Vegas during the 1950s with a scotch on every table. And afterwards, going to the slots or roulette table.

Alice Sandahl at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Is jazz sneaking into the Los Angeles club scene? It is possible and I am enjoying it. Other bands I recently wrote about include noworriesLMK at Zebulon and Wayne Redfern at Club Tee Gee.

As for "Walk It Off," it has a gentle keys opening that transitions to a dreamy tune with standup bass and wire brushes hitting the drums adding to the sound:

Close the door
Leave it outside
Close the door
I don't love you anymore

Alice Sandahl at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Is this song a farewell to a former lover or to the city of Seattle where she used to be part of the band La Luz. Maybe both? Or maybe a farewell to a type of genre? La Luz is a rock band while her current sound is exploring the world of jazz. Only Sandahl knows for sure while the rest of us can interpret the lyrics in our own personal way.

Setlist: Oh What A Loss, Ghost of a Memory, Moon and Shadow, Winters, Character, Hologram, (Witching Hour), Walked It Off.