Songwriters Soirée

The Alcazar Theatre and Women Making Change present an intimate afternoon with local indie-folk songstresses, featuring Alexandra Riorden, Cecilia James, Jenna Iris, Camila Lemere, and Sophie Rose.

ALEXANDRA RIORDAN

Alexandra Riorden’s debut LP Angel City Radio is an abstract chronicle of the tumultuous healing process one endures after experiencing trauma, wrapped in a smoke-scented velvet curtain of shimmering indie-rock. Progressing like a Lynchian dream sequence, each song on the record takes the listener down a different hallway in the labyrinth that is recovery; some dark & menacing, others somber & reflective, but all moving towards empowerment and self-reliance. “The process of healing is not linear, it’s cyclical,” says Riorden. “You experience trauma and then a lot of different things come up and you hopefully make progress, but it’s not just like it’s over and you’re done. Things come up again and again, but every time they do you’re getting stronger and making strides towards healing.”

After tracking the record with co-producer Max Collier Goldenstein, Riorden worked with mixing engineer Jason Quever (Beach House, Mikael Cronin, Cass McCombs) and mastering engineer Timothy Stollenwerk (Kevin Morby, Haley Heynderickx, Grouper) to smooth the edges and shape Angel City Radio into an ethereal psych-pop masterpiece.

While healing inherently stems from a place of darkness, Riorden navigates the process with an air of hopefulness throughout Angel City Radio, never lingering in the dark too long and always moving towards something more empowering. The album is less despairing and more a journey of self-love, reassurance, and finding trust in the world.

CECILIA JAMES

Cecilia James is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist from Santa Barbara, California. Set to dreamy guitar-based arrangements, her blend of conceptual and autobiographical writing favors nuance over flair. It is ripe with a melodic sweetness that allows intimacy to become a calm and sublime feeling.  In 2018, James embarked on her first tour, traveling across the American Southwest, performing her growing collection of songs on the stages of desert bars and music clubs everywhere from California to Louisiana. From the latter portion of 2018 through early 2020, James returned to the studio to complete the sessions for her first EP, which had started multiple years prior with the tracking of “Malibu.” Teaming up with producer Jesse Rhodes and a variety of other musical collaborators, she finished work on her official debut, the aptly titled Different Ground.

Comprised of deeply personal songs written between the ages of 15 and 20, the material on James’ first release reflects the sea of changes in the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The mid-summer 2021 release EP’s seven tracks offer a charming mix of confessional guitar jams and warm, jangly beach pop that evokes the cool blue skies and sun-kissed vistas of California’s central coastline.

Supporting acts:  Jenn Iris • Camila Lemere • Sophie Rose