OUT TO SEE: SILVERLAKE JUBILEE – DAY ONE
Getting there. I was digging through the Silver Lake Jubilee website and couldn’t help but notice their emphasis on the environment. I came across a video that gave directions on how to get to the Jubilee. It focused first on biking and the metro before giving directions via the car. I decided I’d go along with their green theme and took the metro (though I knew it’d take me less than ten minutes to just drive on down).
Total sidebar, but it deals with music. Saturday morning started off with a 6 a.m. wake-up call. My upstairs neighbors decided that vocal exercises at 6 a.m. are totally appropriate in an apartment complex along with 6:30 a.m. bass practice followed up by 7:00 a.m. piano exercises. I call this the downside of living in an apartment complex.
Day 1, first impressions, conversations, side stories, observations:
Psychic Friend. Catchy tunes with a unique vocal sound. If someone blindfolded you and took you to their set, you’d say, “I know that voice, that’s Psychic Friend.“ In the middle of their set, their friends showed up. Greetings were exchanged, “Hi.” My opinion, this band should have gotten a better timeslot. Note that the band name uses the word “Friend” not “Friends.”
Marvelous Toy. This band powered through songs like they owned them. Earnest to the core. Conversation on stage: “That was a drawn-out ending.” “Building up the tension.” And as with Psychic Friend, it is “Toy” not “Toys.”
Pangea (total honesty, I think it was Pangea). Punk rock stripped down.
Finches. There were some technical problems before their set. Wires weren’t getting plugged into the right sockets. I noticed the tech guy with one massive diagram opened up in front of him. “That’s #14,” I kept on hearing as they worked through the issues.
As for Finches, feather heads that provided a wistful sound.
Jean Wilder. No, Gestapo Khazi. No, Holy Roller. I got to the Santa Monica stage thinking I was about to see Jean Wilder or maybe some other band listed on the set time print out. I wasn’t really sure as I wasn’t familiar with Jean Wilder and had spent a significant amount of time at the Sunset Stage (Psychic Friend, Marvelous Toy and Finches all played at the Sunset Stage). Later, after coming across a schedule at the festival, I concluded the band was Gestapo Khazi and that Jean Wilder must have cancelled. After posting photos up on Intraffik, we got an e-mail correcting us (Thanks Adler Bloom of American Pancake ). The band was Holy Roller. Agh. “Burn the Evidence” provided some good anger to the Silver Lake Jubilee.
After “Jean Wilder, no, Gestapo Khazi– hey. you messed up they are Holy Roller,” I took a quick break from the music. I was talking to a friend when a young lady came by. She hadn’t brought her ID along so she was hanging out just outside of the Beer Garden, waiting for her boyfriend to come over with a beer. She informed us that she was in media. She was once on the Oxygen Channel where she was involved in an experiment where she gained 30 pounds. Men were asked their opinions pre- and post-. At 30 pounds, men considered her more compassionate and more likely to get married. I personally was thinking, why would someone put on 30 pounds in a couple months just to get men’s opinion on the two different body types.
Anyway, the conversation turned to where my photos would get posted. I told her Intraffik.com. The conversation shifted to Rock N’ Roll Camp for Girls (my friend was wearing a t-shirt). It was mentioned that the editor of Intraffik was involved in this camp. A request was made for her phone number. And then the big put down, “I want to learn more about the Rock N’ Roll Camp. Not Intraffik – that sounds boring.”
Lady Danville. Comment in my notebook, “Lady Danville is blowing me away.” I say, does any band use a cajon drum as well as Lady Danville? Conversations on stage. “We’re giving temporary tattoos until supplies last . . . or real tattoos. I have a knife.” After taking a photo of the crowd. “Tag yourselves on Facebook.” “We’re putting it only on Myspace.” “We’re bringing it back.”
Black Flamingo. Three girls chanting. One guy dancing across the stage. It works. Check them out.
The Lovely Bad Things. During Black Flamingo, I was handed a note that read, “At 6 p.m. Please shoot The Lovely Bad Things. The band on the Eagle stage. At the Eagle Bar, walk along the wall, behind Pacific Auto. Part of the Jubilee.” If someone is taking the time to hand me a hand written note, why not? I went to check them out. Garage Rock. The band was having some issues with the sound equipment, “Sorry about all the technical s*!t.” No need to be sorry. They weren’t having any more difficulties than a lot of the other festival bands.
Jail Weddings. I love this band. I couldn’t help but notice the keyboardist wearing a surgical mask. First thought, Japan/nuclear plant. There was a lot of dancing on the speakers. Conversations on stage, “Someone traded in my boots for ballerina shoes today.” “We have the Holy Trinity left.” “Hi, we’re Jail Weddings. This song will go on for another three minutes.” They sang “What Did You Do With My Gun?” for their last song. I realized I had a big smile on my face. To prove the point regarding the additional three minutes added to the last song, the lead singer jumped into the audience to create a mosh pit that included hugs for everyone.
Summer Darling will energize YOU.
Ximena Sariñana. She has a voice to love. Conversation on stage. “At this time of night, my English starts to disappear.” She has the most beautiful way of saying, “Thank you.” She was called to do an encore. She went up and played mime on the keyboard until the sound came back on. She was the biggest draw on Saturday – at least at the Sunset Stage. I can see why. She came across as someone who creates a great rapport with her fans.
Ceci Bastida. She kept dancing throughout her set. The set ended with a big band sound. Awesome.
Geotic/Baths. The schedule listed Geotic, but it was announced that we would actually be entertained by Baths. Electronic heaven. I say Baths has the fastest hands in the west. I had a difficult time capturing a photo of Baths. My camera kept on focusing in on his laptop computer. I’d look at a photo and the laptop would look as bright as day. In contrast, Baths’ face reminded hidden in the night’s darkness. I decided to switch out lenses to see if that would help. Not really. It was nice to see that other photographers were switching out lenses. I saw one photographer try three different lenses. This was a set I wished I had brought along a flash. A couple flash shots and I’d have gotten my shot and then sat back to enjoy an awesome end to the night.
Regrets: Seriously wished I’d gotten to see all of Summer Darlin’s set. I wish I could have caught Restavrant and Stab City. So little time.
SILVERLAKE JUBILEE DAY 1
(click on images to enlarge)
PSYCHIC FRIEND
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MARVELOUS TOY
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PANGEA
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FINCHES
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HOLY ROLLER/GESTAPO KHAZI
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BLACK FLAMINGO
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LADY DANVILLE
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…)
OUT TO SEE: EXPLORING SEVILLA, SPAIN (PART 2 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
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Sightseeing
The next morning, I decided to head to the village of Santiponce to see the ruined city of Italica, an ancient Roman City. The nice thing about where my hotel was situated was the fact that it was only walking distance to a major bus hub. I got my bus ticket and stood at the proper bus stop. But the bus that was there showed a different destination point than Santiponce on its electronic front window schedule. Hmm. I went up to the driver inside and asked if he was heading to Santiponce. He pointed to a bus stop that was one over. I stood there, a little confused on why they’d say that the bus to Santiponce was at such and such bus spot, but in reality wasn’t. I wasn’t the only person confused – which made me feel good. As that bus started to pull out, an elderly man (who appeared to be a Spaniard) ran after it asking if that bus was heading to Santiponce. Bad parking, I guess.
The two of us got onto the correct bus and off we headed to Santiponce. I had a good time walking through the ruins of this city. What is sad, I suppose, is that so little of Italica remains not because of earthquakes or weather or war, but because much of the city was taken apart to help build Sevilla in the middle ages. Luckily, the population in Sevilla left the Roman amphitheatre in-tack and this is the main tourist draw.
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When I got onto the bus to head back to Sevilla, we were forced to wait at a gas station as a 5K or 10K run went pass us. Part of the race occurred within the city of Italica – that must be rather cool, running through the ancient ruins of the Roman Empire. We started back towards Sevilla about thirty minutes late. As the driver picked up passengers in Santiponce, there were some loud exchanges (loud in the sense of conversation, not loud in the sense of anger).
The first person picked up was a young girl. She went after the driver in the following made up conversation.
Girl: “You’re late.”
Driver: “Blame those slow-ass runners.”
Girl: “You know I baby sit on Sundays.”
Driver: “What can I do? Get myself arrested by the police.”
Girl: “I need the money for some presents. I can’t lose my job. And there’s that cute pizza delivery boy.”
Driver: ” Oh yes, I must run over a couple dozen runners so that you can order your pizza.”
Girl: “It is too late. The parents probably ordered the pizza already and he is long gone.”
At the next bus stop, an elderly man got onto the bus and the same loud exchange continued.
Old Man: “You’re late.”
Driver: “Blame those slow-ass runners.”
Old Man: “I have an appointment I have to meet.”
Driver: “Appointment? This is Sunday, what possible appointment might you have.”
Old Man: “I took the blue pill. I have an appointment, get it.”
Driver: “Oh, I will speed up as much as possible.”
On our way, the driver hit the horn and waved at a friend who was standing near a café.
Music
Strike 2: I decided to catch a Flamenco show at Casa de la Memoria de Al-Andalus – as suggested by Lonely Planet. I headed out. Both my feet were in pain. By this point, I had blisters on both feet. The original blister that had started on my right foot was about the size of a euro. I walked the various winding roads (as was expected by this point, the direct route was not taken) and found my way to the Flamenco spot. When I got there I was told, “Sorry, sold out. You should buy your tickets in the morning to assure you get a seat.” And so the painful walk back to the hotel began.
Sightseeing
After getting back from Italica, I asked the desk clerks at my hotel about them potentially booking a tour to the city of Granada for me so that I could see the Alhambra (Moorish palaces). Now a couple of the bullet points on Expedia for my hotel were: tour assistance and a concierge desk. Now in my mind, tour assistance means that they book the tour for you. I guess that is just my fictional impression, because tour assistance really meant: here’s a brochure and this is the phone number you call. Yeah, I think I can get that type of service at a Motel 6 and for far less of a nightly charge. Okay, whatever, I made the phone call and booked myself onto a tour group to Alhambra.
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“So I hopped onto the train and off we headed to Granada/Alhambra.”
(Click on images to enlarge)
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Now I’d suffered through some jet lag on Saturday and it continued Sunday night with my waking up (like a rocket again) at 3:30 a.m. That was it for me as I was unable to get back to sleep. My tour guide picked me up at 6:30 a.m. There were only three of us heading out to Alhambra that day from Sevilla. The tour guide mentioned that on Sunday around 35 people went to Alhambra. My own observation was that Sevilla was packed on Sunday and during the rest of the week it emptied out.
My initial conversation with the tour guide went like this:
Guide: “So you are going to pay me €120.”
Me: “Yes.”
Guide: “Will you be paying by cash?”
Me (this next line driven partially from the fact that they took my credit card number over the phone): “Do you mean I can pay by credit card?”
Guide: “Cash is best, but you can pay by credit card.”
Me: “I would prefer to pay by credit card.”
Guide: “But cash is best as you did say you’d pay by cash.”
Me – thinking: So why exactly did you just say that I could pay by credit card? (Maybe I could be blamed for leading the witness.)
Under normal circumstances, our tour guide would have driven us out to Granada, but since there were so few of us the tour company decided to send us off via the train. So he dropped us off at the train station. (more…)
OUT TO SEE: AGESANDAGES AND LAKE AT THE BOOTLEG THEATRE
TRAffIK had looked forward to April 16th for some time now. as this was the night that AgesandAges and Lake were sharing the stage at the Bootleg Theatre. Lake first crossed our paths back in November 2009 when they played a set at The Smell while AgesandAges came by the inTRAffiKradio studio this past January for an interview an live performance prior to their L.A. show at the Satellite. While we’d been fans of AgesandAges’ frontman Tim Perry’s previous musical project Pseudosix (which led us to the discovery of the existence of AgesandAges), coming across Lake was a total accident.
I was there with a group of friends to see another band. Lake came on and just stole the night for me. So for the past year plus, I’ve visited their website on a regular basis– seeing when they might be coming out to Los Angeles again. Serendipitously enough, via news from Ages and Ages during their inTRAffIKradio interview, would you know it, we learned that the two bands were planning a tour together. Making one stop in L.A. during a weekend filled with Coachella Madness to play the Bootleg Theatre, along with a third band Boris Smile. Being fans of both of the touring comrades with every stop we made at the Bootleg for the past month or so, we’d point out the AgesandAges and Lake upcoming show poster and would tell friends we were with that if they were in town on that Saturday night, this was not a show to miss.
Finally, the Saturday night of the show came around. One has to give it up to the opening band on the bill, Boris Smile. You add a tuba, trumpet and a trombone in a band (and let’s not forget the clarinet) and out comes this awesome brass band/indie pop mix. In between the Boris Smile and Ages and Ages set, I got into a conversation with a guy from New Zealand. (I’ve recently gotten back from an Auckland, New Zealand vacation so you’ll be reading about it here soon.) We had a brief conversation about Auckland venues and New Zealand musicians. It wasn’t long into AgesandAges when he leaned over and said, “Notice the back-up singer. He is so passionate. Just look at that passion.” Yep, it was an energy filled set. The Bootleg proved to be the perfect venue for these two bands, showcasing the 7-part harmonies of AgesandAges. As AgesandAges left the stage, my New Zealand friend said, “I’m here tonight because of Lake.” I hope Lake met Timothy Blackman from New Zealand (and here’s a written “shout-out” link to his website, as he is a musician). He wasn’t at the Bootleg just randomly checking out the Los Angeles music scene. He was there specifically to see Lake. I’m betting no one else came that far to see Lake. Though Timothy might be considered fan number one on this specific night, that didn’t mean that the rest of us weren’t extremely happy to see both AgesandAges and Lake on a Los Angeles stage together. Appreciative applause broke out after each song.
The touring companions had a brief stay in L.A. as the next morning they were scheduled to play a pool party in Coachella. With both bands being from the Northwest, one can only hope that they survived the hot dry weather of the hipster-filled desert.
For those who anxious to catch Lake and AgesandAges you still have plenty of time to do so as their L.A. stop was only Day Four of their month long tour. To find out if they’re playing a city near you please visit their respective websites at AgesandAges.com and Laketheband.com.
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BORIS SMILE
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AGESANDAGES
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LAKE
NOTES FROM VIVACE’S FEBRUARY PLAYLIST
La Bestia: “Obsession”
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Toys that Kill: “They Tied Up All Our Lace”
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Downtown/Union: “Lion in My Bones”
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The Submarines: “You Me And The Bourgeoisie”
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Wait. Think. Fast.: “Bad Night”
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Moses Campbell: “Annabelle”
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Abe Vigoda: “All Night and Day”
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OUT TO SEE: ROCK N’ ROLL GLAMOUR SHOW AT THE TROUBADOUR
It was off to the Troubadour to catch a couple favorite bands: Eastern Conference Champions and Gliss. And along the way I caught Ruby Friedman Orchestra. It was a free night hosted by Rock ‘N Roll Glamour Show.
First up was the search for free parking. I tried my normal side streets, but didn’t come up with anything. I continued farther and farther east until I found myself all the way on La Cienega. If you know where that is, you know that it is considered one lovely hike from there to the Troubadour. It was so far that I almost considered the virtues of taking Bus Number 4 to the Troubadour. It was so far away, I swear I passed by three retailers with the name Palm or Palms. On my way back to my car, I counted only two such establishments plus a fortune teller who had “palm reader” painted on the window, but I swear there was a third with Palm in its name – maybe I drove past it versus walking past it.
I did get to the Troubadour with plenty of time to spare; however, I learned that my friends had all found better parking spaces. Perhaps I should practice more patience regarding circling around the neighborhood.
Eastern Conference Champions kicked off the night. You know ECC knocked it out of the park when you look over and see a 10-year old girl with the biggest smile, a smile that she held throughout the set. I know how she felt, because when I first caught Eastern Conference Champions in early 2010 I explained their set as a religious experience. That is perhaps over the top, but seeing is believing. And so when Sunset Junction 2010 came around, I convinced a handful of friends to make sure they arrived at Sunset Junction early enough on a Saturday to catch their set. Creating converts is a wonderful experience. In fact, I created stronger converts than myself. When they played Spaceland for their residency, I believe I went to two of their nights. My friends went to three or four of the nights.
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Ruby Friedman Orchestra was up next. As a friend mentioned to me, her voice has the sound that one might hear from a ghost (that was meant in a positive light, if you were wondering). Another friend mentioned that I should look at her shoes, because those were the tallest platforms around and how could she possibly move without tumbling over. And Ruby Friedman had the quote of the night, “I have two requests. Does anyone have a towel or tissue? And can I have a new microphone stand, this one broke? . . . Now no more pictures. My make-up is like I just woke up in the morning.” And surprise surprise, my friend Jodie from The Shakers showed up as a back-up vocalist for three of the songs. After the set, Jodie was surrounded by folks saying how awesome she sounded on stage.
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In between Ruby Friedman Orchestra and Gliss, was an interesting modeling/playful fashion runway presentation by Flame Angel Design. Hot women with men battling for their affection, ending in a gunfight brawl.
And next up was Gliss. I love this band. This was only the second time I saw this band. I first saw them at Silverlake Lounge and fell in love. When they were scheduled to play in Pomona, I was greatly disappointed that I had a conflicting appointment. In the end though, they had to cancel their set so I didn’t miss anything. Honestly, who cared if I walked farther than any normal Angeleno would walk. I love their ambient vocals. I love how they switch between instruments. And I love their song ‘Morning Light.’ I’m not even sure if it is a love song or a song of despair, but who cares:
Sitting next to me
Nobody could sympathize
Only in my dreams
Everything comes to life
In your heart
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All in all, a lovely Sunday night at the Troubadour that ended for me with Gliss singing Peter, Paul and Mary’s “500 Miles.”
Final thought. During Ruby Friedman Orchestra’s set, a random thought passed through my head while seeing at least a half dozen photographers along the stage, There are simply too many of us Los Angeles music bloggers. Maybe they weren’t music bloggers, but just photographers for the band, club or the host; either way, how do you distinguish yourself from the crowd