Anya Marina at Hotel Cafe

Anya Marina is a chick we’d like to hang out with. Not only is she an awesome singer (kind of a cross between Jewel and Liz Phair), she’s funny, doesn’t take herself too seriously and is totally cute. The singer/songwriter performed Wednesday night at Hotel Café. The crowd was small but engaged, and appreciative of Marina’s sweet and folksy vocals.

What was really refreshing about the show was Marina’s quirky sense of humor and wittiness. You know how most of the time when singers talk at their shows, you feel like telling them to shut the fuck up and play the music? Well, we actually didn’t mind Marina’s little comments and anecdotes. We particularly enjoyed her twitching, nose-wiping imitation of an industry friend who was standing next to us.

Marina’s had a few of her songs on Grey’s Anatomy, most notably a few weeks ago when her tune “Move You” set the scene for Izzie and George’s drunken bump and grind. Past work includes a five-song E.P., Exercises in Racketeering, and the album Miss Halfway. Marina is currently working on a new album, which we plan on actually buying instead of downloading for free on Limewire. She’s that good.

Photo 1 by John Brinton Hogan
Photo 2 by Lindsay Watts