Last Wednesday night, fans from all over Southern California traveled through a rare rainy day to make it to the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood to see hip-hop and R&B multi-instrumentalist Cautious Clay perform on his Table of Context tour. Known as a real estate agent first before pursuing his love of music, Joshua Karpeh studied music production in college and is influenced by organic hip hop and electronic sounds when crafting his signature pieces. Now on tour for his third full-length album, Karpeh is fully coming into his own and becoming a well-known solo artist in his own right.
The Fonda Theatre on this night proved to create the perfect level of intimacy for Karpeh’s performance. With a variety of lamps and living room essentials for a subdued yet beautiful set, he serenaded the crowd with not only his magnetic voice, but also with his guitar, sax, and flute to the delight of everyone in the audience. The support of a full band as well added greater depth to his soulful hip hop and R&B sound and performance. The most surprising moment of the show though was when he brought on John Mayer, world-renowned guitarist and singer, near the end of his set to join him for guitar duets to close out the show. Everyone left the show that night in awe of an amazing performance by Karpeh, but also of the kind of special guest appearance that only happens here in Los Angeles.
Next stops on the Table of Context tour include the Showbox in Seattle, Washington, on November 27th, and Kilby Court in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 29th. He is currently making his way through the States, so if he hasn’t come through your state yet, be sure to check out his live show while you still have a chance. This is a show you don’t want to miss.
Words and photos by Sarah Woods
