My brother has been here all week, so I tried to show him an interesting time. Photos within.
Archive for the ‘los angeles’ Category
LA Beatdown
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
Barn Owl (5/29/2010, los angeles)
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Angel’s Flight
Sunday, April 11th, 2010Angel’s Flight has recently reopened, however the reason for it’s existence has been eliminated.
It used to bring working-class Angelenos up to the Bunker Hill neighborhood (which has since been destroyed) so it’s essentially an escalator (or technically a funicular) to nowhere.
You can actually experience the noise of being on Angel’s Flight with me HERE
The Fargo Climb
Sunday, April 11th, 2010Down the street from us was the yearly Fargo Climb (Fargo is a street in Echo Park). The bikers have to go up the entire incline without letting their feet touch the ground. Fargo is not only the steepest incline in LA, I’ve been told that it’s the steepest in California. People who complete the first round do it again and again and the person who does it the most times wins.
Them Thar’ Hills
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009Upon further thought, I have decided to cease saying that I live in Echo Park. I think it more accurate to say I live in Elysian Heights. I mean…I don’t see any parks around me but I am at some heights-especially for Los Angeles.
(Click the photo to see more)
The Art Of Persuasion
Saturday, January 31st, 2009On Saturday, we saw Rick Prelinger talk (as well as watching what amounts to “archivist porn”) for 2 hours at the Silent Movie Theater.
He presented a dense overview of Jam Handy and we both got copies of A Field Guide To Sponsored Films. Afterwards, we met Rick, Mark, Stephanie and a few others at a wine bar down the street to continue the discussion over drinks. (I was quite impressed with their beer selection too. Small, but all the right ones).
(from the Cinefamily schedule 
Beginning in the 1980s traveling around the U.S. in a van and visiting local schools, public libraries and private collectors, archivist Rick Prelinger accumulated perhaps the country’s largest collection of “ephemeral†works – industrial and sponsored films, home movies, educational films and commercials, and more. Over the years his Prelinger Archives has amassed a cult following, part of which is due to the magnetic personality of Prelinger himself, who finds ways to contextualize the films in his collection that are evocative and inspiring.
Tonight we offer one such evocative presentation from Prelinger, who will discuss the life and work of Jamison “Jam†Handy, who produced almost 7,000 sponsored industrial and commercial films during his lifetime, including the “Roads to Romance†series promoting tourism by car, the “American Look†series on 1950s design and architecture, and many more. Select Jam Handy films from the archive will be screened after the presentation.
Part Time Punks
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
After getting back from Savannah, Mandy and I tried to stay up for as much of this festival as we could. We bailed a little after nine, missing ACR, Pylon and Savage Republic…but still managed to catch The Wild Stares, Nervous Gender and The Nightingales, Medium Medium and others as well as seeing some popular new bands like Vivian Girls and The Muslims.
I took some photos (but they aren’t as good as I had hoped).
(Afterwards, I came across this breathless, rather ridiculous piece in the NME about it)
Hipster Heaven: A Certain Ratio Play First US Gig In 23 Years
by Lyndsey Parker
It was time to party like it was 1985 this past Sunday, when the first annual Part Time Punks festival took place at the Echo. Part Time Punks is a Sunday-night dance club spinning the most obtuse, obscure, and all-around awesome tracks in the punk/funk/new wave/no wave canon, but this was the first time PTP took over the Echo venue for an all-dayer.
A post-punker’s paradise advertised as the first such fest “since the Hacienda was bulldozed,” the lineup featured the first U.S. appearance by Factory Records veterans A Certain Ratio in 23 years; newly reunited Athens, Georgia new-wavers Pylon; Nottingham post-punks Medium Medium; Birmingham’s Nightingales; Boston’s Wild Stares; L.A.’s own Savage Republic; and newbie post-punk torch-carriers like the Vivian Girls, Love Is All, and the Muslims.
PLUS there was the first-ever band-sanctioned Throbbing Gristle public video screening, AND there were DJ sets by David J of Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, Dave Newton of the Mighty Lemon Drops, Brendan Mullen (founder of legendary Hollywood punk club the Masque), and Art Brut’s L.A.-championing frontman Eddie Argos. And like Eddie, who actually does live in L.A. most of the time nowadays, everyone ought to be con-sid-er-ing a move to L.A. after such an incredibly cool event, the likes of which has never taken place anywhere in America (no, not even in hipster Brooklyn).
For the lucky people in attendance old enough to remember these bands from back in the day (you know, the grouchy, LCD Soundsystem-’Losing My Edge’-protagonist types), this was an unprecedented opportunity to relive their wild wild wild youth. And for younger 24-hour party people, it was a chance to see musical history rewritten and finally be able to say for themselves, “I was THERE.”
Urgh…
Whatever happened to real, intelligent, insightful writing on rock n roll?
This is all sound and fury truly signifying nothing.
Walking Into The Past, Right Now
Friday, November 21st, 2008Randy told me about this little place on Vermont down by a long unused Red Line station. A restaurant that has stayed still.
Check out the photos of the chairs!
All Hallow’s Eve
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
Elated But Belated: Seeing Joe Frank
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008So…after all these years, it was a treat to finally see a live performance by radio monologist Joe Frank who I’ve been listening to on and off for decades now. He did a live show at the Coronet.
I wondered about how someone who creates a world all his own within a studio could do it on stage. It was a bit different but I’m still glad I saw it. Actually, I liked it a lot. They were kinda being pricks about taking NO photos. I did manage to sneak a quick one (out of focus) but still…it’s Joe.
This Avant-Garde Spectacle Brought To You By Nike
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008How to reach the kids today.
Nike Sportswear presents 88BoaDrum featuring Boredoms at the La Brea Tar Pits-
an unprecedented aural and visual experience.
Beginning precisely at 8:08 PM PST, the 88-minute experience at the historic La Brea Tar Pits will feature 88 drummers selected by Boredoms and 88BoaDrum artistic director, Hisham Bharoocha.
The experience will be commemorated with a very special complimentary Nike Sportswear 88BoaDrum NSW Tee collection. The NSW Tees will be hand-screened at each location with an original graphic of your choice, including designs created by Eye from Boredoms. This collection will be available exclusively on 8.8.08 and are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
PARTICIPATING DRUMMERS: Hisham A. Bharoocha (Soft Circle) Zach Hill (Hella) Butchy Fuego (Pit Er Pat) Kid Millions (Oneida) Dave Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band / Under Satan’s Sun) Christopher Powell (Icy Demons / Man Man) Aaron Moore (Volcano the Bear) Warren Huegel (Tussle) Dustin Donaldson (Freelance Session, I Am Spoonbender, Link Wray, Thought Industry) Derek James (Entrance) Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse, All Smiles, Black Heart Procession) Tim Soete (The Fucking Champs) Michael Tapper (We Are Scientists) Adam Pfahler (Jawbreaker) Claude Collins-Stracensky Sara Lund (Unwound) Matthew Hartman (Sic Alps) Chris Moore (Negative Approach) Abby Ball Ryan Huber Geoff Soule (FUCK, Tara Jane O’neil) John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees) Shahin Motia (Oneida / Ex Models / Knyfe Hyts) Alexis Garapulos (Arp / Expanding Headband) Katelyn Hall (Mika Miko) David Janik (Company) Michael Henrickson (Smegma / Jackie-O-Motherfucker) Tom Recchion Michael Bulington Trent Moorman (Like a Kite/The Saturday Knights) Brian Dwyer Damon Eliza Palermo (Mi Ami) Michael Catano Vice Cooler (xbxrx / Hawnay Troof) Andy Connors (ex-A Minor Forest / Lumen) Weasel Walter (xbxrx) Adam Baz (Evangelista, Ohioan, Nightwonds) Dave Aron (Koi Pond) Pete Vogl (Koi Pond) Robin Easton Alianna Kalaba (We Ragazzi) Gregory Rogove (Priestbird) Jonathan Holland (Tussle) Brendan Fowler (BARR / Car Clutch) Adam Autry Anthony Petrovic (Ezeetiger / The Drums) Rob Barber (High Places) Dan Rowan Grace Lee (Foot Village) Jason Adam Baker (Necking) Andrew Neuhues Sandra Vu (Midnight Movies) Than Luu (Black Gold / M. Ward / Adam Franklin) Jaiko Suzuki (Electro Putas) Brian Miller (Foot Villlage) Ryan Pritts (Paik / Bolmongani) Gabie Strong Jessica Espeleta Patty Schemel (Hole, Juliette Lewis, Pink) Roy Tatum (Wives) London May (Samhain / Dag Nasty) Wendy Shuey Paul Quattrone (!!!, Modey Lemon, Midnite Snake) Josh Taylor (Foot Village / Friends Forever) Sarah Anderson (Lucky Dragons) James Jolliff (Brother Reade) Brian Girgus (lowercase / Track Star) Yoshi Nakamoto (The Aislers Set) Nora Brank Chris Hathwell (Moving Units) Kevin Stuart (Crystal Antlers) Damian Edwards (Crystal Antlers) Bianca Sparta (Erase Errata) Michael La Franchi (Giant Drag / Let’s Go Sailing) Taylor Richardson (Sunburned Hand of the Man) Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus) Diva Dompe (Black Black) Tennessee Thomas (The Like) Erin Garcia (Brother Reade) Steven McCarty (Dead Meadow) Joachim Cooder Mike Sord Gard (M. Sord) Aaron Sperske (Beachwood Sparks) Sara Diaz Wendy Farina Greg Fox (Pink Mountain / Family of Love)
Tickets are available for free on a first-come-first-served basis at the following locations: Amoeba Music 6400 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Ca 90028 323.245.6400 LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 857-6000
Harmonies In My Head (May Edition or When Hype Comes To Your Town…Embrace It)
Thursday, May 8th, 2008“Nouns is so cacophonous, so fertile, and so ripe with sound that parsing out the samples and effects and various layers of guitar is nearly impossible; besides, it’s way more satisfying to just close your eyes and just enjoy it.”
(from Pitchfork’s review-9.2)
At least, for once…I have no problem at all with the hyper-ventilating surrounding Los Angeles’ No Age , as their brand of unpolished pop is a great mix of enthusiasm and aural assault. However, I hope that the attention doesn’t kill The Smell scene in the process. [The new record is a little like Times New Viking meets My Bloody Valentine].
Really messy.
Hopefully, it will shift more of a national spotlight on our music scene and all the other fledgling bands like Abe Vigoda here. LA’s scene is nothing if not DIVERSE. A testimony to the city itself. But what about the art-damaged music on the hiphop side of things? Busdriver has a new single out. I love Busdriver. Why ain’t he famous yet?
I was gonna make the whole post just local bands, but why exclude other new releases?
no age sleeper hold (from Nouns-on Sub Pop!)
busdriver ellen disingenuous
As I wait patiently for the new Jay Reatard single at the end of this month
here’s a track from his last album as well as more music!
jay reatard turning blue (from Blood Visions)
People who know me know how much I loved Hot Snakes. So considering that John Reis has a new band called The Night Marchers which has 3 of the 4 snakes…I’m excited!
the night marchers i wanna deadbeat u (from See You In Magic)
brendan canning hit the wall (from Something For Us All)
sun kil moon tonight in bilbao (from April)
nick cave & the bad seeds more news from nowhere (from Dig Lazarus Dig)
animal collective water curses (from Water Curses )
stereolab three women (from Chemical Chords)
grizzly bear while you wait for the others
monotonix no metal (from Body Language)
And as I much as I’d like to…I cant post anything from the new Melvins “Nude With Boots” yet. It’s similar to the last record in some ways, different in others . One thing is for sure. The first song kicks ass! Speaking of ass-kickin’ rock. Dale is “guest dj” at the Cha Cha Lounge tonite (as well as it being Mandingo’s birthday tonite). So we are gonna meet there soon. I better wrap this up.
Oh, my good friend Chris just left for two months in Bali and Thailand. He’s promised to bring me back some cool Indonesian puppets for my collection. I have big plans tomorrow. But for now, adieu.