The Hotel Café Hollywood, CA
Web: linktr.ee/maggiecubillos
Contact: mike@earshotmedia,com
Players: Maggie Cubillos, vocals, keyboards
Material: Maggie Cubillos is soft rock, Americana, pop artist who sounds a lot like Sara Bareilles with a tinge of Alanis Morissette. Although inspired by the likes of Adele, Phoebe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams,
Cubillos’ music resonates as her very own. The songs are beautifully poetic with deep meanings entrenched within the lyrics as she tells stories of her own life-lessons. Although the music is soft and soothing, most of the lyrics are dark and moving.
Musicianship: The musicianship is very good. Cubillos is very good at writing deep and profound lyrics that penetrate the soul and leave you feeling bare. She writes about her own experiences and the damages life inflicts upon us all. “Fear of Abandonment,” is a song about being needy and clingy but she tries to explain her state of mind in the song. “All I wanted was for you to meet me halfway” rings true and hits home in almost everyone’s life.
Performance: Maggie Cubillos has very good stage presence and she has a bubbly personality that reverberates happiness and joy. A complete reversal to her personality was the lyrics to most all of her songs. They are heart-felt lyrics but on the darker side of the spectrum. The live performance is almost a second version of each song. The production in the studio version of her songs is outstanding, and they have a little more ‘umph’ behind because of all the other instruments; while the live show is a bit sullen and more serious with just keyboard and vocals.
Summary: Strongly inspired by Adele, Cuban/Columbian Maggie Cubillos, hailing from Hermosa Beach, reaches for the stars on this stint at The Hotel Café. The house was packed with family and friends, which brought smiles to the Los Angeles born singer-songwriter. She reminisced about how the songs came about and the inspiration that brought about each song, as well as pitching her downloads. Her videos feature a whole band as her first single released in 2022, “Old Shoes,” produced by Steve Ornest (who also played guitar on the track), was a smashing hit. – Pierce Brochetti
