It's nice to see alternate venues opening their arms for live,
original music here in Hoboken, even if it has to be quiet and
acoustic. Mola Coffee (517 Washington St, Hoboken) is the latest
to join the fray. Tonight among the assortment of coffee and
tea was a unique mix of bluegrass and madrigal from the mandolin
of Lauren Barnhart with David Ribyat of the band Las Vandelays
on guitar.
Some covers, some originals blended well together with just
a touch of technical difficulties in between. They were performing
thru a tiny, portable PA that honestly was not needed. Still
they tried to make the best of it. Luckily the songs shone
thru. Their set flowed well from the likes of Led Zeppelin
to Americana-tinged originals. Often you tend to find acts
that do covers have originals that sound a bit forced. Other
times are vice versa, but that was not the case here.
Mola is a warm place with a friendly staff. Typically they
have a wide variety of coffee but being one of the few people
on the planet that despises coffee, I was impressed by Mola's
variety of teas and other drinks. I also got a kick out of
how they refer to decaf beverages as 'fake'. I had a nice
conversation with one of the girls that works there and a
guy in a tuxedo about natural vs. prepared foods. I'm slowly
becoming a fan of the former.
