Seraphina Lotkhamnga on October 16th, 2014

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Tuesday night marked a special moment for both Los Angeles singer-songwriter Meiko and her fans. Celebrating the release of her third studio album “Dear You” (out now via Concord) at the Bootleg Theatre, it was the first time the beloved Hotel Café regular performed at an L.A. venue outside of Hollywood (aside from the Chinatown Summer Nights stage in June). “I’m celebrating and then taking a cab home!” the chanteuse joked before taking another gulp of wine.

With a full band backing her in the large room – again demonstrating her ability to do well beyond intimate venues – Meiko, in a sparkly blue sequin dress and a denim jacket, walked out to a cheering crowd of loyal fans, many of whom had been there since she self-released her self-titled debut in 2007 (and re-released it through MySpace the following year).

Meiko is often all smiles on stage, but the tone of her songs don’t necessarily follow suit. Although her love life turned around and fueled her to write a handful of happier songs on her sophomore effort “The Bright Side,” it hasn’t been difficult for her to reach back to older devastating memories for songs about betrayal (“Wake Up”) or let her imagination embellish her lyrics here and there (“I changed ‘socks’ to ‘underwear’ to make it more scandalous,” she said of a song inspired by making an unexpected and distressing discovery in her laundry).

But in the midst of all this introspection, the onetime server at the Hotel Café (where she cut her teeth as a performer) never once resorts to mopery. Her impassioned performances and puckish stage banter can charm the metal off a microphone stand. Telling stories of where she came from in that endearing Georgian lilt (“Losing It”), how a Hooters girl stole her boyfriend (“Sweeter”) or a pretend-love affair “(Leave the Lights On”) made for an entertaining night of both light-hearted moments and dulcet melodies. Salty lyrics like “He knows you’re just a coin slot” (and the occasional curse words in between songs) balanced out the sweet sentiments in tunes like “Be Mine” and “Stuck On You.” Vulnerability is a strong thread throughout Meiko’s live sets, and it’s quickly become her strongest trait as she’s learned how to shed her personal layers in a bold manner.

Meiko’s gratitude comes through as well. Always considerate of her fans and their support, interaction is a large part of her live shows. Conversations with individuals, shout-outs and stories involving fans in the past often make it into her stage banter and this night was no different. In fact, “Deep Sweat” – a song she had been performing for years but never thought much of – was re-examined because her fans always claimed it was one of her best songs. Before playing the song, she revealed that she actually fell in love with the song while recording it and was glad it found its way onto the new album.

“You’re still here,” she said with a smile after “Boys With Girlfriends” and before going into “Piano Song” and “Under My Bed.” Impressed by her fans holding out long after the new material, she rewarded them with songs that had the crowd breaking out into whimsical dancing.

Although there was no encore, Meiko did perform an extra song solo and acoustic because she felt “it was a short set.” Ending with “Real Real Sweet,” a bittersweet song about lost friendship, it was the perfect ending to a night of music revolving around the ups and downs of love.

Local folk rock band Banta and pop singer Keta opened the night.

Photos by Seraphina Lotkhamnga