Words by
Devin “PAN” Barrett

The Live At The Loft gang is back with the fuzz for this outing. We’ve given you punk-hop, we’ve partied up with Afro-Latin synth, and we’ve decked you with some ethnic disco. This time we’re trying something a little different…couches, pillows, a girl, and her guitar. Enter…Kina Grannis. We’ve set the mood for an intimate acoustic situation, and truthfully, this is Kina’s element. The ambiance is right, the sounds in the background are mellow, and the decidedly smaller crowd tapers down the chatter to a hush waiting for the show to start…

Kina Grannis has traveled a curious path to this point. She’s gone from Cali sunsets to becoming a Youtube sensation and from playing on stages before thousands to a loft living room near you. The self-taught guitarist sings songs of love and life, with sweet rangy vocals, and a rare charm that makes you wish she were the girl next door. Crowd participation was at a premium for this special edition of Live At The Loft, with invitees mouthing melodies and at times full-on singing along to Kina’s lyrics, and no shortage of synchronized handclaps. At one point, when Kina had forgotten the words to a certain song, it didn’t take long for the crowd to fill in the gaps.

Several songs, an encore, and an emotional interview later, this experiment is a wrap. Kina and friends were gracious enough to hang out with the LATL crew and fam for a bit, while the details of the night were launched off into the Twitterverse. Looking at my watch it’s about that time. This is a weekday, and although things started a little earlier than usual, the clock has struck midnight, and we all have to be on point for tomorrow’s grind. Out the door I go, until the next show… This is Live At The Loft.