Way back in 2019 when I first discovered Hotel Mira, they were a small indie rock group toiling away in Canada. Frontman Charlie Kerr had spent time in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t until 2021 that he knew he had to uproot the band and head west:
“I had been going back and forth since I was a kid and always loved it. But I remember being there as a songwriter in 2021 and I was hanging with a friend and her roommate, this girl from the mid-west who worked on The Simpsons and I told her “I think I have to be here”. And she said “don’t let it become your what if”. And luckily it didn’t.”
Of course, Los Angeles has never been an easy place to live, but when Kerr finally made it here, the first months there were “kind of a disaster, to be honest.” The writers were on strike, and then the actors. People weren’t returning Kerr’s calls. And there were plenty of things he missed about his home country:
“My family and friends. I also miss the feeling of safety that comes with a country that has a lot less guns.
But despite these set-backs, Kerr “still kinda loved it” in L.A. and he dedicated himself to his music full-time. And something about being L.A. invigorated his writing:
“I think it made me sharper and free-er. I had a pretty weird hard experience growing up in maui and vancouver and I always felt judged and looked down on. LA is a beautiful place to feel brand new.“
And despite the reputation Los Angeles has, Kerr felt at home being surrounded by fellow dreamers. During his first day in the city, he went to a show and met a group of people who would become his close friends. And as Kerr is an actor and “stand-up comedy nerd”, there was even more to love about being in L.A., whether it’s being able to catch an “insane” comedy show for just $40, or pursuing acting roles, “Whenever I get time away from music, I am reading scripts, auditioning, acting, writing.”
Of course, with their excellent album Pity Party released earlier this year, and a new EP, After Party, out today, music has been Kerr’s main priority this year. The band has been touring around the United States, and as a performer, Kerr’s found his self-confidence grow since coming to L.A.. He’s had the opportunity to befriend other musicians (he recalled befriending the guitarist of Blood Brothers after offering to help carry some of his gear after watching his side project perform).
He was even recognized, though it was “while buying a collar at a sex shop in Hollywood.” Hey, that’s L.A. for you. And with the momentum the band has built, following a recent tour with fellow Canadians Rare Americans, and their headlining tour, Kerr foresees continuing full steam ahead in 2026:
“More shows. More music? We have this awesome trajectory that we worked our asses off to achieve and we’ve all been playing in bands since we were teens so we wanna try to take this thing as far as it can go.”
I look forward to seeing where Charlie and the band go next. Listen to the band’s new EP and their recent album Pity Party.
The Indy Review 
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