Ramon and Jessica

Ramon and Jessica
The Hotel Cafe
Hollywood
May 8th

I had tickets to go see Vienna Teng at the claustrophobically intimate Hotel Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard last night. I didn’t have anything better to do, so I thought, “Why not?”

Had I heard Vienna Teng before, I would have rather sat at home, tweezing my head bald, but then I would have missed out on possibly the greatest secret little band ever.

Ramon And Jessica are a cute little duo consisting of Dina Maccabee on violin and vocals and Jesse Olsen on guitar, ankle bells and Casio.

Hailing from San Francisco, you can tells immediately that these guys are not an LA band, and that can only be a good thing. Honest, inventive, incredibly playful and just downright fun. These guys are something else, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly.

Think They Might Be Giants, only more heartfelt, touching on some real emotion.

Both are naturally talented, and it shows. Ramon’s (Dina Maccabee) violin playing borders on virtuosic, and the two seems perfectly comfortable on stage. Dina Maccabee also happens to be Vienna Teng’s violinist on this tour and her last record.

If you’re lucky, you may get a chance to catch them some day. In the meantime, you can check out their website and listen to a few free samples.