TODAY ON INTRAFFIKRADIO.COM – BULLET & SNOWFOX TAKE-OVER!
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Join us at 1pm PST for the IntraffikRadio Listening Party, on www.intraffikradio.com, with Bullet and Snowfox’s Kristen and Josh. We’ll be listening to their recently released EP in it’s entirety and learning some of the stories behind their songs. They’ll also be guest dj-ing, bringing in some of their musical influences and songs that stood out for them.
To learn more about Bullet and Snowfox click here.
OUT TO SEE: EXPLORING SEVILLA, SPAIN (PART 4 OF 4)
Join Notes from Vivace in this final of the four part write-up of his journey through Sevilla, Spain as he explores it’s historical streets without a smartphone and attempts to find it’s local music scene. For Part I (Getting to Sevilla) click here . For Part II (Sightseeing in Sevilla) click here. For Part III (Music in Sevilla) click here.
Food in Spain
As mentioned in previous vacation blogs, I am a vegetarian. I’m told Spain has great food and I would agree, but my choices were limited to the non-meat section of the menus.
Here’s my ranking of the restaurants I ate at (I’ll leave Dominoes off the list and the café at the bus station – though if you’re looking to eat for cheap the Estacion Autobuses at Plaza de Armas Café has food at a reasonable price.)
Best restaurant was at Cordoba, Restaurante Almaltea. The focus was on Italian. I was the first customer of the day. I was in heaven. It isn’t fully vegetarian, but it had a nice selection of vegetarian options.
Almanara (Alameda de Hercules) in Sevilla ranks second. I ate there once and really wanted to go back (referenced in part 3 of this Sevilla column). It is fully vegetarian.
Centro Ecologico Gaia was the closest to my hotel. I’d also rank it highly. The first time I went to the restaurant I was told they were closing for their siesta.
Habanita is a question mark for me. It isn’t purely vegetarian so it may rank higher for those who eat meat. It was nearly impossible to find. It is near Plaza Alfalfa and I spent more than a few moments walking through the streets near the plaza (map in hand, of course), trying to find it – seriously, walking down every possible street near the plaza. I did eventually come across it via this small side street. The food was basic (see menu below). And when I went into the bathroom to use the facilities, I noticed that the soap dispenser was empty. Empty!?! Agh . . . I hope the folks preparing the food have their own private restroom.
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Unlike my Prague vacation (check out my blog series from 2010) where I ate well for less than $10 and sometimes for less than $5, a decent meal for me in Spain was between $15 and $18. I was always served bread and olives, which carried an approximate $2 service fee. I assumed this was their way of a tip. I read before hand that no one tips in Spain so I never left a tip. Perhaps the waiters were cursing me as I left, but that is the info I pulled from the Internet.
Music
Success 3. My final full day in Sevilla was spent checking out some of the final tourist spots on my checklist. When evening arrived, it was time to give it one more try at catching the local music scene. I’d caught a cultural event via flamenco. At Teatro Central, I saw some Anglo-Saxon performers. Now I wanted to try and catch an actual local Sevilla band. Looking through the Lonely Planet guide book, I decided on a venue called La Imiperdible located in the Plaza San Antonio de Pauda. Off I went. Either I was looking in the wrong place (which is highly possible considering how difficult it is to find certain places in Sevilla) or it was shut down. I suspect it was shut down because I know I was in the correct plaza.
Hmm, I decided I’d press onwards to Alameda de Hercules and take a look around to see if I could see anything going on there.
I went up and down the long plaza. I heard music from the second floor of a building, but after looking up at the balcony I determined it was a birthday party. I eventually arrived at Fun Club. Would you know it, the gates were open and there stood a trio of girls waiting in line. There was a poster on the gate. Hey, some live music.
Now at this point it was 10 p.m. and I got this brief wave of hesitation hit me. I nearly backed down. I got worried regarding my sleep. I was planning on waking up at 4:30 a.m. to catch my 7 a.m. flight. But the moment of hesitation was only brief as I started to feel a little stupid for hesitating about a 10 p.m. show when I normally don’t arrive till 10 p.m. at various Los Angeles music venues. And anyways, I needed to use the bathroom. I waited outside for about 20 minutes before they let us in at around 10:10 p.m. At the gate, I saw a trio of friends hanging out so I decided to ask them a question just to make sure there was in fact live music for the night and not some DJ. I was told yes.
When I got to the door guy, he was rather skeptical of me. Before taking my €6, he made sure I understood, “We’re having hip-hop bands tonight.” I’m game.
Fun Club. Think Silverlake Lounge, but slightly larger. Also visualize the smallest urinals known to mankind. I would have taken a photo except for the fact that I felt it would make me look like a pervert if some guy walked into the bathroom while I was taking the photo.
The first band on stage, Tercer Hombre, looked like a new band. They had a camera girl along to video their set. They gave us a thirty minute set. After their set, I was approached by the band along with the video girl. They asked me in Spanish if I’d send them the photos I’d taken. I mentioned I spoke only English, so one of them asked the question in English. I said gladly and was provided an e-mail address. Once I got back to California I did send them the photos.
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There was about a thirty minute break (I was starting to get this feeling that thirty minutes between sets were standard) (more…)
OUT TO SEE: EXPLORING SEVILLA, SPAIN (PART 3 OF 4)
Join Notes from Vivace in this four part write-up of his journey through Sevilla, Spain as he explores it’s historical streets without a smartphone and attempts to find it’s local music scene. Part III will be up on Tuesday April 26th. For Part I (Getting to Sevilla) click here . For Part II (Sightseeing in Sevilla) click here.
Quick Summary of My First Days in Sevilla
Okay, so if you’ve gotten this far with me, you probably get the feeling that my time in Spain wasn’t off to the best of starts and I’d have to agree.
- First, Iberian Airlines didn’t give me the best experience.
- Second, I arrive in Sevilla in the pouring rain.
- Third, I had a small issue pop up regarding money.
- Fourth, it was just freezing.
- Fifth, I was having serious troubles walking due to multiple blisters which I suspect was driven by my shoes getting soaked. Summary of the attack of the blisters: Day 1. small blister on right foot. Day 2. small blister on right foot now a large blister, small blister developing just above larger blister, blister forming on left foot. Day 4. blisters on the back of both heals. Day 5. so much pain.
- Sixth, jet lag.
But come day four, life turned around. My small money problem became a non-issue. I worked around the freezing temperatures by wearing four layers of cloths. And as for the blisters . . . at least I was able to walk.
Sightseeing
This turn around in my vacation was helped by the fact that I took off to Córdoba. First though I slept in ’til around 9 a.m. After waking and realizing how late it was (subjective, but I had a train to catch to Córdoba), I: jumped out of bed, took a shower, dressed, ran off to catch Bus C3 (which happened to stop right in front of my hotel – if only I’d been able to locate it on my first day), and found my way to the train station. I took the bus a couple stops too far and had to back track. I ran up to the ticket counter and asked for a ticket to Córdoba. The lady mentioned some amount in Spanish that I totally didn’t understand. I handed over a €50 bill. She smiled, took my money and returned €17 to me. €33 euro. What? Based on the Lonely Planet book, I was expecting something around €24 euros. Oh well, I was off on the AVE train (bullet train).
I ran towards the train as I didn’t have much time left to board. One of the officials looked at my ticket and pointed out that I needed to put my bag through the x-ray machine. I ran back and put my bag through. I then ran towards what I thought was the proper train, but the official pointed me to another train. I entered and found myself in a really nice car and was handed an earpiece to listen to music on my trip to Córdoba. How about that? The bullet train I was taking stopped off at Córdoba on its way to Barcelona. Barcelona was a ten hour trip, which made me wonder why anyone would take the bullet train to Barcelona versus just taking Iberian Airlines – oh wait . . . I got to Córdoba with great speed. I love this bullet train concept.
Once in Córdoba., I went to the tourist office where I was told that I could either take the bus to the Mezquita or walk it. Walking it would take twenty minutes, I was told. I headed towards the bus – the blisters, the blisters. But then I got this urge to just walk it. I was only going to spend one day in Córdoba, so why not walk it to get a feel for the city.
While on my way, I ran into a guy from Malaysia. He was in a panic. He had a ticket to see Medina Azahara (a palace-city outside Córdoba). As we were crossing a major street, he asked if I knew the direction to the bus for Medina. We slowed down during our conversation and he ended up dragging me across the final stretch of the crosswalk just as cars were about to zip by. I told him I was off to the Mezquita and wasn’t able to help him.
As always in Andalusia, I got lost trying to find my way to the Mezquita. Lost is a relative term here. I wasn’t lost like I was lost on my first day in Sevilla. I was heading in the right direction; I just wasn’t sure where I was exactly on the map. I eventually got to the Mezquita. Let me just say that the Mezquita is unbelievable in its calmness. The Mezquita is a mosque first and a cathedral second. From my understanding via the audio tour, the land was purchased from the Christians to build a mosque. (I’m not sure if purchased is the right term. I’m not saying that money didn’t exchange hands. I’m just guessing it was more like eminent domain.) A beautiful mosque was built. When the Christians re-conquered the land, they built a beautiful cathedral in the middle of the mosque. It is fascinating.
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“When the Christians re-conquered the land, they built a beautiful cathedral in the middle of the mosque. It is fascinating.”
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After checking out another tourist spot, I headed back to the train station. I bought a ticket expecting to pay €33 euros, but was only charged €16 euros. My car wasn’t as awesome cool as the car I road in for my trip to Córdoba, but I have to say that I would have gladly paid €16 euros to get to Córdoba. I wanted to take the bullet train to Córdoba and back, I just didn’t need to ride in a fancy car with earphones to do so.
Anyways, I ran into my Malaysian friend back at the train station. He had in fact made it to Medina and had also made it to the Mezquita. I couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten to both locations within the time allotted, but good for him. I also learned he was flying out of Sevilla that night. I’m personally too cautious to travel to another city on the day of my flight – the fear of missing the train or it breaking down would have driven an anxiety attack.
Music
Success 1. After my trip to Córdoba, I made my way to the Flamenco venue, Casa de la Memoria de Al-Andalus. It was mid-afternoon. (more…)
FITNESS 101: THE TRUTH ABOUT EATING BEFORE BED
Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, who brings you monthly fitness tips and helps us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
As a personal trainer I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard people say proudly, “I always make sure I don’t eat after seven o’clock.” As if this, in and of itself, is some sort of critical piece of the puzzle to losing weight– and it always makes me chuckle. This concept plays a very minor role in weight loss and may even serve to hinder your fitness goals. What matters most for weight loss is consistently burning more calories than what you take in.
According to Nutrition: The Complete Guide by John Berardi, PhD and Ryan Andrews, MS/MA, RD, eating small meals every 2 – 4 hours stimulates metabolism, regulates blood sugar levels, and helps maintain body mass. It also explains that if the 2-4 hour time frame happens to fall right before bed, you should eat regardless of what you have heard to the contrary. PJ Glassey (author of Cracking Your Calorie Code) has some great suggestions on foods to eat before bed (see link http://pjfit.com/?p=123) that can actually boost your fat burning ability while you sleep such as whey protein and organic cottage cheese.
Studies do show people who eat infrequently and wait until late at night after eating little all day tend to eat more when they finally do eat. In addition, they tend to eat higher calorie foods that are quicker to get or easier to prepare such as: fast food, fried food, frozen pizza, or vending machine food. These behaviors are partly to blame for the misconception that eating right before bed can cause weight gain. Keep in mind that when your body thinks it’s starving (which it tends to do when you go several hours without eating) it stores fats and carbohydrates from your next meal to use as fuel later, because it’s preparing for another fast. Just imagine what this does to your body when you go for that greasy burger after seven or eight hours without food. The flip side to your body storing fats to use as fuel later is when your body depletes all its fat store reserves and starts using muscle in its place.
This brings us to the next argument: Muscle catabolism.
Muscle catabolism is when the body breaks down muscle for fuel. When the body doesn’t have enough fats and carbohydrates to use as an energy source it will then break down muscle in its place. Remember, the more muscle you have the quicker and more efficiently you burn fat, so when your body is burning up its own muscle there’s a slight conflict of interest. I know of trainers who actually have heavily-training clients wake up in the middle of the night to eat a lean snack just to avoid muscle catabolism. By eating the right foods before going to bed you actually help your body’s metabolism process continue using the fat and carbohydrate fuel sources instead of the muscle fuel sources during an all night fast. Eating the proper snack before bed time can also help you sleep better, which is proven to help your body maintain proper hormone levels and, in turn, helps maintain a healthier body weight.
Things to remember:
- For weight loss you must consistently consume fewer calories per day than you are burning
- Eat every 2 – 4 hours even if that happens to fall right before bed time
- Stay away from greasy and sugary foods before bed (go with more protein, less carbohydrate as it gets later)
- Avoid muscle catabolism
- Get the recommended 7 – 8 hours of sleep as consistently as possible
References:
Nutrition: The Complete Guide by John Berardi , PhD & Ryan Andrews, MS/MA, RD pg. 335-336
“Eating Before Bed and Gaining Weight”: http://www.livestrong.com/article/87749-eating-before-bed-gaining/
Pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11255140
“Protein Foods to Eat Before Bed to Delay Metabolism While Sleeping”: http://www.livestrong.com/article/286044-protein-foods-to-eat-before-bed-to-delay-metabolism-while-sleeping/
“Sleep Yourself Skinny and Eat Yourself Thin”: http://pjfit.com/?p=123
FREE SCREENING (LOS ANGELES) THURSDAY 4/27: ‘NEW GARAGE EXPLOSION!! IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMES’
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For those that love to learn more about their favorite bands and their everyday ordeals as well as the passions that drive them to continue making music day after day, the folks at Scion AV have via their documentary “New Garage Explosion!! In Love With these Times” have given everyone a fly-on-the-wall type of opportunity to learn more about bands/artists such as: Black Lips, Davila 666, The Dirtbombs, Girls, Hunx and his Punx, the late Jay Reatard, Pierced Arrows, Smith Westerns, Vivian Girls, and many more.
Scion AV in keeping with the “broke musician” attitude is putting on 6 major city (Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco) Free Screenings of the doc.
The L.A. Screening with yet to be announced Guest Speakers takes place next Thursday April 27th from 7pm-9pm.
Location:
The Landmark Theater
10850 West Pico (at Westwood Blvd.)
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Although this is a FREE event, RSVP is required. Early arrival is advises as RSVP does not guarantee entrance.
To RSVP go here: http://www.scion.com/filmscreening/
A little about the film (from the Scion AV website):
To find out what American garage rock looks like (and to know what it’s like to be in an independent band) right now, VBS and Scion A/V toted a bunch of cameras around the USA and found a scene that was vibrant, loud, eloquent, effed-up, and nearly impossible to define. The musicians, artists, writers, deejays and label owners that we talked to could only be united by a single common thread—their commitment to music that they enjoyed, on their terms, at whatever cost necessary (or, in some cases, unnecessary). We met nice, smart, funny people who love rock and roll, don’t traffic in B.S., and had the wherewithal to pick up a guitar (or complementary instrument) at some point in their young lives, put their face to a microphone, and manage to not think too hard about what was going to come out. Join us for Part One of New Garage Explosion!! With a nod to the genre’s founding fathers (bands like The Lollipop Shoppe and MC5), we travel first to Memphis to mind-meld with Magic Kids and to go head-to-head with Jay Reatard in the last interview he filmed before his death in January of this year. Next we hit Detroit, where watch The Dirtbombs wreck a bowling alley and talked to Dave Buick about the power of the hand-printed record. Hear bands like the Black Lips, Davila 666, Pierced Arrows, and the Dirtbombs discuss the appeal of using a four-track, the freedom of recording in your bedroom, the perks of installing a vinyl-cutting machine into your den, and the unique satisfaction that comes from seeing your own record. We also get treated to wild, wonderful, and exclusive live performances from rippers like the Clone Defects, Vivian Girls, and Thee Oh Sees. We step into the kitschy pink playhouse that is Oakland’s Down at Lulu’s, the record store-slash-vintage boutique-slash-hair salon-slash-lifestyle emporium owned and operated by Hunx and His Punx’s Seth Bogart and his business partner Tina Lucchesi. Here we address tough topics like how to negotiate the itinerant rock and roll schedule with petty worries like paying rent. Also, tour: is it work or play? We learn about important things like steering clear of “band rooms” in punk houses, and that you needn’t worry
WHERE WE’RE HEADED: ‘THIS IS A PHOTO SHOW’ (THURSDAY 4/21)
This Thursday April 20th, we’re headed to Studio 9 (420 W. Ave. 33, Studio #9, Los Angeles, CA) for this is a photo blog’s Photo Exhibit. The blog’s contributing photographers will be participating in it’s first group show, in association with Lucie Foundations’s the Month of Photography in Los Angeles (MOPLA)! During this inaguraul The gallery-style exhibit will showcase the work of fifteen of TIAPB’s members, featuring photographs that were created specifically for the blog’s various creative assignments.
Photographers participating in the show include:
Jennifer Becker • J.Wesley Brown • Dan Busta • Jana Cruder • Chris Dibble • Alan Gastel…um • Andrea LaBarge Mills • Tamar Levine • Karl Puchlik • Lauren Randolph • Ryan Schude • Corey Seeholzer • Blake Sinclair • Jennie Warren • Natalie Young • Colin Young-Wolff
Location: Studio 9
420 W. Ave. 33, Studio #9
Los Angeles, CA
Time: 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Cost: Free
There will be wine, drinks sponsored by Fiji Water, Izze, and alcohol sponsored by Haamonii Shochu!
DJ’ed by Hustle Roses and Rob Sheridan
Food trucks will be available in the parking lot (Eat Phamish and Little Frenchie).
Photo Booth provided by Snap Yourself!
If you are unfamiliar with the site, thisisaphotoblog.com is a photo blog comprised of a group of emerging photographers who take turns giving each other creative assignments while posting the works of art resulting from those assigments on their blog.
