OUT TO SEE: SILVERLAKE JUBILEE PART 2 OF 2
If you missed my Part I, click here to read about Day 1 of Silverlake Jubilee.
Sunday, Day 2
Day 2 at the Silverlake Jubilee started later than Day 1 for me. I had brunch with friends at around 1 p.m. Come around 2:30 p.m., I went home and took a 30 minute nap. I was exhausted from my Saturday activities (once again, see Part I). After my nap, I drove on down to Silverlake Jubilee, parking along Hyperion (this is actually a semi-important point).
Santa Monica Stage
Silverlake Jubilee was on a tighter schedule for day 2 versus day 1. The first band of the afternoon for me was Lilofee. They started their set with an awesome wall of sound.
Comment: “We’re so excited to play here. We’re half way from Los Angeles and half way from San Francisco.”
Noticed: Lead singer had this female claw motion.
Sunset Stage
Next was a brief encounter with Seasons. I only caught half their set, if that. By missing half of Seasons’ set, I realized that Silverlake Jubilee had Sunday’s schedule tightened up compared to Saturday’s.
Comment: “We’ve got to make sure we’re in tune for our last song.”
Santa Monica Stage
I caught part of Division Day’s set where I heard the lead singer doing the sound check by saying, “Potato. Potato. Potato. Banana. Banana. Banana. Elephant. 
Elephant. Elephant. Potato.”
Noticed: Couldn’t help but notice the yellow shaker used by the drummer. I have no clue why this caught my attention, but it did.
Sunset Stage
Yes, at this point I was spinning with my constant back and forth between the two stages and had to settle down.
I stuck around the Sunset Stage to catch the Monolators’ full set. While standing near the stage, one of the band members kicked an opened Gatorade bottle. Gatorade flew towards the audience and the handful of us near the stage back paddled a couple feet. “I just wanted to add some special effects,” was the comment made afterwards.
Comment: “Does anyone know what a fop tie is?” (more…)
OUT TO SEE: SILVERLAKE JUBILEE PART 1 of 2
About a month before Silverlake Jubilee I started to notice that some of the bands I follow were playing at El Cid under the banner of Silverlake Serenade. After doing some minimal Internet research, I learned that this was all connected to something called Silverlake Jubilee.
I decided to see if my TRAffIK editor/friend could get me on the press list. It wasn’t so much to save the entrance fee, which was only five dollars. Instead, figured it might give me some special access. It did provide some special access, which you can see via the photos that I was able to take in front of the two stages. I also could have interviewed the bands I liked, but (perhaps) unfortunately for you that just isn’t my style; and honestly, I was so busy going this way and that way to catch various bands throughout the two day event that I wouldn’t have had time to interview any of the bands.
I got to Silverlake Jubilee via the metro Red Line on Saturday. This wasn’t so much by design to get myself aligned with the green theme of the event, but just due to where I was on Saturday. It just seemed more convenient; however, it made for one lovely long walk to the press lounge to pick up my press badge. I guess I should have added figuring out not just the metro stop, but a good bus route. I counted it towards my daily exercise regiment.
Side note: I don’t know how many of you take the Blue Line, but I found the following article a standard experience as I take this line whenever I’m heading off to LAX. (This will be referenced again in a future TRAffIK column.)
My first goal once I got to Silverlake Jubilee was to orient myself. I took a quick walk from the Sunset Stage to the Santa Monica stage. And then I decided it was time to catch my first band. I got to Silverlake Jubilee at around 2 p.m., expecting to catch Manhattan Murder Mystery. I’d previously had a close encounter with this band. I went to Echo Curio one night when they were listed on the bill. I showed up too late to catch their set. My 2 p.m. meet-up with them wasn’t meant to be as Silverlake Jubilee had a glitch on it’s first day (ever). Both stages were about an hour behind schedule so I decided to stroll around the food booths and venders. I stopped off to get a smoothie at the Maui Wowi booth. The booth seemed rather popular. I noticed one young lady asking her friend to photograph her with her smoothie, which was topped off with a tropical umbrella. A guy on a bike then coasted up and asked me to take an iPhone photo of him standing next to the smoothie menu. Maybe folks wanted to imagine they were in Hawaii? I have no clue why folks were taking photos
Starting things off at The Sunset Stage
I eventually ended up at the Sunset Stage where I caught a band called Big Whup. The keyboardist/singer uses a stuffed animal with a microphone that comes out through the mouth. I heard the MC call it a unicorn. I thought it looked more like a pink horse. (I did some stalking and her personal myspace page has horses galloping across it.) During their set, I also noticed a rather significant contingent of press out to cover the event. There was probably a group of 8-10 of us that ended up following each other from stage to stage over the weekend.
Noticed: The afternoon was a tad breezy and the keyboardist’s set list flew off the stage at one point. Someone later retrieved it for her, but I could have sworn that she had the set list inked in red down her left arm.
Conversation: Keyboardist, “Who’s on after us?” Scream from the audience, “The Allah Las.” Reply, “The Allalahs?” Response, “No, the Allah Las.” Got it, “Oh, as in Allah!”
El Cid
After Big Whup’s set, I went into El Cid. (more…)
Honey, Honey: Re-Discovering the Sunset Strip – Viper Room, Trip One
Re-Experience. Here’s a brief quote about me in the intraffik.com contributors section: “. . . you’ll occasionally see him at music venues across Los Angeles – from Mr. T’s to The Key Club and various in between locations.” It occurred to me that I’ve given a lot of love to North-East Los Angeles recently. Now this is mainly driven by the fact that I live near the music venues in this area and so it is just easier for me to see bands at Spaceland versus say The Key Club. To provide some proof, here’s my column “What I Listened to in February” with venues assigned:
Seamonsters: Silverlake Lounge
Venus Illuminato: Silverlake Lounge
The Muddy Reds: Silverlake Lounge
Rich Podgur: Kibitz – the farthest west of the bunch
Open Hand: Spaceland
Year Long Disaster: Spaceland
Obi Best: Spaceland
Eastern Conference Champions: Spaceland
Asa Ransom: Spaceland
Hockey: Spaceland
My January list has a broader music venue scope, but it also has a high focus on bands playing in North-East Los Angeles. Kibitz was once again the farthest west I got. There was also Club Moscow at Boardners (Hollywood) and Fox and Hounds (Studio City), but then North-East Los Angeles popped up with regularity: Spaceland, El Cid, Echo Curio and the Bootleg Theatre.
Do you see where I’m going? It was time to head to the Sunset Strip.
Three years ago, I was heading to the Sunset Strip on a monthly basis. Those trips started to dwindle over the years, but recently I found myself there three times in a period of a week.
First Trip to the Sunset Strip. Viper Room
Off to see Honey Honey. (more…)
NOTES FROM VIVACE’S FEBRUARY PLAYLIST
Seamonsters: “Scarf”
Venus Illuminato: “Mt. Olympus”
The Muddy Reds: “Warbonnets & Wingsuits”
Rich Podgur: “So Long California”
