A Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street. This movie examines the immorality of Wall Street. You watch this movie in shock. Individuals are scammed and then that money is laundered by the scammers. There is constant drug use. Prostitutes roam around the trading desks. There are examples of extreme risks taken (helicopter/luxury yacht) that put other lives in danger. Then there is potential redemption that really is an attempt to create a cloned mini-Jordan Belfort (the Wolf). I am sure that there will be individuals who see this movie and will want to become the next Jordan Belfort. This movie, in fact, shows such a scene. But the honest truth: folks like that are just sad and pathetic.

A Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is based on a true story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. The movie opens with him enjoying a threesome with two women at a rodeo. He’s a carefree individual, spending time at the rodeo and working as an electrician. While at work one day, he is involved in an accident that sends him to the hospital. He is informed that he has AIDS and only has 30 days left to live.

After spending a day or two in denial, he decides he’s going to fight his disease. He attempts to enter an AZT drug trial, but can’t get into the program. As this was the only approved drug at the time, he bribes his way into getting the drug. The hospital eventually discovers that someone is stealing AZT pills so security is tightened. He finds his way to Mexico where a doctor convinces him about the value of other drugs and the negative side effects of AZT. As Ron mentions in the movie, his goal becomes not to suppress HIV, but to find a way to boost his body’s ability to fight back against AIDS. Since none of the drugs in Mexico are approved by the FDA, he smuggles the drugs into Dallas. He soon sets up a buyers club to help others suffering from HIV/AIDS.

When watching “inspired by true events” movies, I like to do a little research to determine just how much truth versus fiction is in the movie. I read two articles about this. The biggest composite character is Rayon (Jared Leto), a transgender woman, who becomes Ron’s business partner. Rayon does represent the connection that was made with the homosexual community when Ron started up the Dallas Buyers Club. There is a question on rather or not Ron was as homophobic as the movie portrays him. The two articles disagree about Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) who becomes a supporter of Ron’s efforts; one article considers the character fictional while another states that Dr. Saks was a male doctor. There are a handful of other discrepancies, but none in my opinion – including the ones above – are egregious.

What I found interesting about the movie was the tensions between the Dallas Buyers Club, the local hospital doing the AZT drug trial and the FDA. Ron insisted that AZT was a drug that did more harm than good. There was an interesting confrontation that took place when it was pointed out that Ron had taken a drug that had given him a heart attack. He argued that at least he tested the drug on himself before giving it to others versus the AZT trials. Admittedly, the drugs he was taking were approved by other countries, just not the FDA. At the same time, AZT was bypassing animal testing and going straight to human testing. On the other hand, at the time, there was no expectation that an individual could live a long life with HIV. Those in the drug trials were doing exactly what Ron was doing, voluntarily taking a drug that might help. In fact, those in the AZT trials were at least providing statistical data that could determine the usefulness of the drug while Ron was just testing on himself without even knowing if there were any real benefits. And since he was actually providing drugs to those in the AZT trials, he was creating bad data for the hospital. In the end notes of the movie, it states that it was eventually found out that AZT was a useful component of the cocktail drugs, but at lower doses than were initially being provided. The one entity the movie provides little cover for is the FDA, which stood in the way of Ron at every turn. There is a question in the movie that everyone must ask themselves: is the FDA an institution that should try to protect patients from unapproved drugs or should they be more lenient especially in cases of a new and deadly diseases such as AIDS?

Of course, this movie is much more than a political triangle and I am probably focusing way too much on that topic. It is just one topic brought up in the movie, but it is the one that intrigued me. I love how the movie brings up the idea that many of our racist, sexist, homophobic, etc etc tendencies are driven by our lack of interaction with those different from us. Though I’m not sure Ron (the character, not the actual individual) ever felt fully comfortable around homosexuals, he clearly developed empathy. And what makes Ron such a compelling character isn’t just his wild ways, but his fight to live. He doesn’t give up when told he has 30 days left to live. Here’s a cornered guy who decides to find a way out of the corner.

Kris Bowers at Bootleg

Kris Bowers. You'd think jazzed-influenced Kris Bowers would be playing The Mint or Hotel Cafe, but he's playing the February residency at Bootleg. You've got to love The Fold for putting on something different then the normal Silver Lake/Echo Park sound.  The piano is my favorite musical instrument (as this is really the only instrument I know how to play) and Kris plays it solid.

Wilberta at Bootleg

Wilberta. They play jazz.  Smooth is their style.

LeJKeys at The Bootleg

LeJKeys is Julian Le.  In the photo below, he's the guy on the keys.

What a marvelous jazz set that had strains of rap and Moroccan interwoven.

Duke Basketball vs. Syracuse: 66-60

Jim Boeheim got booted from the game with only a few seconds left on the clock.  He really got heated after a charge was called.  I noticed he was getting animated about some of the foul calls during the game and that call was obviously the last straw.  On the other hand, I think he should have recalled the first meeting where Duke was called for 25 fouls while Syracuse got 15.  This game was only 20 versus 15.  Now I don't recall every Duke foul of the first meeting and I'm sure that some of those fouls were during the last few minutes of regulation and over-time as Duke was trying to make a comeback, but it isn't like this game's foul differential was unreasonable.

So what was to like about this game:

I mentioned that during the Carolina game, I just felt like Carolina had the upper hand even though Duke was up during most of the game.  For this game, I really wasn't worried when Syracuse took an early lead -- well maybe I was just a bit.

Plumlee.  He's scoring.  He's aggressive.  He's getting those blocks.  Wow.

Okay, Hood's shooting was rather bad when looking at the stats, but it really felt like he was super aggressive during the game.

The defense looked solid -- though there was that serious breakdown during the second half, but that is forgivable.

What's not to like:

Okay, Parker led the scoring, but what's up with those turn-overs.  Was there a hand injury?  He just looked sloppy in traffic.

Dawkins didn't get going.

Free throws.

Random Los Angeles Observation: Los Feliz Blvd

I've been taking Los Feliz Blvd to work lately.  Here's what always confuses me just a bit.  There are nearly always 2 or 3 cars parked on the side of the road during morning rush hour.  From 7 - 10 a.m., all cars are supposed to be moved or get towed.  Now, I can get that every so often there is the random owner who over-sleeps, but why nearly every day.  Do folks just like getting traffic tickets?  Of course, not.  I've actually never seen a car get towed, which is supposed to happen, but I have seen the traffic cop out and about.  I know folks don't like to just hand money over to the City of Los Angeles so are folks just always over-sleeping?

To me, this is totally different than someone running out of time on a meter or parking somewhere and not understanding the multiple street signs around a favorite restaurant.  Los Feliz Blvd is mainly a residential street -- even though it is a very busy one.  Folks there should understand the rules of living on that street.  And you'd think if someone has a guest that they'd kindly tell their guest what the situation is.  

Duke Basketball vs. North Carolina: 66-74

For some reason, it just felt like Carolina had the upper hand throughout the game even though Duke led for much of the game.

Why?  Duke couldn't hit any threes.  They mainly couldn't hit the threes, because Carolina's defense was so good.

And then Carolina was hitting free throws after going 1-8, which made you think that they were focused.

We'll get them when they come into Cameron.

Eliza Rickman at Hotel Cafe

Eliza Rickman is back in Los Angeles, moving back from Portland. Of course, she goes on tour so often that I half suspect she'll be out of Los Angeles more than in Los Angeles.  But it does mean that we in Los Angeles will get to catch more of her.  Our blessing, Portland's curse.

I had a bit of a drive to get to Hotel Cafe by her 8 p.m. set, but I made it.  She was backed by strings.  She did a karaoke song.  I do kind of miss the toy piano.

Rooster Ra at Silverlake Lounge

Rooster Ra. At times they sounded Americana. Other times, they went R&B.

Duke Basketball vs. Maryland: 69-67

Maybe it was because I DVR'd the game and ended up catching the last 3 minutes first, but I kind of felt like the last 3 minutes were the only good moments of the game.

Maryland played the last 3 minutes like their lives depended on it.  Charles Mitchell's miss in the paint with about a second on the clock was heartbreaking -- for Maryland -- and was summarized simply by Mitchell's agony while on the floor.

Yes, it was a close game and I say forget the first 36-37 minutes.  The last 3 was all you needed to watch.  And for Duke fans, that Jabari Parker dunk with a minute left is a moment to cherish this season.

The New Electric Sound at Silverlake Lounge

The New Electric Sound.  They wear gray sweaters.  Their music fills the air with joy.  They make corny jokes.

Comment of the set:  Go to Youtube.com to find at what Youtube is about.

A Movie Review: Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks. I know there is some controversy about Disney attempting to make their founder look like a saint.  I suppose that criticism has some validity, but to me this movie is really about a father/daughter relationship.  Bring some tissues if you catch this movie.

Dreams: Lake Condo and a friend's band

So I had a strange series of dreams on a recent night.

First up:  I was by a lake, looking at buying a condo.  The condo was in a tower that looked to be 10 floors or so.  Each floor had two condos with 180 degree views.  The tower looked to be in a bit of disrepair.  The agent trying to sell me the condo admitted that the tower was abandoned and that they were in the process of making repairs to get it up to snuff.  My main concern:  are you making sure the abandoned tower is cleaned up of rats and roaches?

Second up:  my dream shifted to me running into a friend.  I asked her, "When is your other band going to play a gig?"  She is in two bands.  She looked at me and replied, "I'm not sure when that will happen."  And so I was a bit disappointed, of course.

Jhameel at The Satellite

Jhameel knows how to make the women swoon.

Gentlemen Hall at The Satellite

Gentlemen Hall.  They know how to play to the audience.  I'm not sure very many of us were familiar with Gentlemen Hall as they come from Boston, but they got the folks rocking.

Dwntwn at The Satellite: 2nd Time

Dwntwn. I have to say that I hardly ever see the Monday night residency bands twice (during their residency).  I rotate around between the different Monday night venues, which limits my ability to see a band twice.  Sometimes, though, I make sure I catch a band twice.  This was the case with Dwntwn.  I saw them early in January and loved them.  I saw them on their last night and loved them even more.

Duke Basketball vs. Boston College: 89-68

Duke didn't play a solid 1st half.  Against an over-matched team, Duke only led 39-35 at the end of the 1st.  They came out in the second half and just destroyed Boston College.  Actually, it was the Jabari Parker show -- well, Quinn Cook lit it up, also.  Jabari led the team in points, rebounds and blocks.  If Duke could just improve their defense a bit, this team would be dangerous.

Duke Basketball vs. Wake Forest: 83-63

Sometimes you watch a game and you wonder if the announces know anything about Duke this season.  Around three minutes into the game, Coach K started to substitute.  The announcers said how unusual it was for Duke to go so deep into their bench.  That's a trademark of prior seasons and earlier this season, as well, but I've noticed recently that Duke has consistently played a ten man rotation.

Anyways, for this game:  Wake Forecast kept it interesting for a short period of time before Duke just took over.  

Beat Club at Bootleg Theater

Beat Club. They hit the stage and their beats turned the floor into a dance floor.

Maxim Ludwig at Bootleg Theater

Maxim Ludwig. Sometimes too much time passes before you get to catch a band once again.

They hit the stage first on a recent Monday night and I was in love with every beat, every song.

San Francisco Dispatch #15 (The Final One): Amnesia - Transfer, Nova Albion

This dispatch series was meant for intraffik, but I'm posting it here.

I picked a Tuesday night for my last call in the San Francisco music scene.  Location:  Amnesia.  This was my second visit to this venue.  This is the location that I feel has a misleading venue name as my imagination conjured up something far different than the Old Western themed bar that it is.  This is San Francisco’s version of Harvard & Stone.

This was a solid night to pick for my last outing into the San Francisco music scene.  First up, was a San Diego band called Transfer.  I noticed that they played with a band that someone told me I should check out, Flaggs.  They are a four member rock and roll band.  If I heard correctly, they are friends with what was the evening’s residency band, Nova Albion.  As I was watching the two guitarists and bassist play, I couldn’t help but come up with nicknames for them.  Constant motion.  Intensity man.  The cool one.

I was amused when I first saw them get on the stage.  The lead singer started off by stomping his foot on the stage.  I’m sure he was wondering if it would hold his weight as it bounced upon each stomp.  As for the bassist, at times he played the bass guitar like it was a standup bass.  I suspect that Transfer hasn’t played on such a small stage in a long time.  They looked cramped and at times it appeared that they were about to collide into each other.

Nova Albion was the residency band for the month of September.  Their sound was a mix of 80s pop rock and fusion jazz.  I always second guess myself on those types of assessments, but when the second to last song was a Tears for Fears cover song, I decided that I was at least partially right in regards to the 80s influence.  They represented the final band I saw during this adventure in San Francisco.  I’m happy it was them.  It was good to say good-bye to the San Francisco music scene listening to a top-notch San Francisco based band.

Comment of the set:  I’m being blessed with beer.

Random notes about San Francisco, the San Francisco music scene and whatever I want to say:

In my first dispatch, I made a couple observations that were not totally true.  I complained about the late start of the SF music scene.  I learned this was not a true statement across all the venues.  There is a randomness to start times across different venues.  Some start at 8:30 p.m.  Others at 9 p.m. and some after 10 p.m.  I mentioned that BART stopped service too early.  BART goes later than I initially thought though I hated the fact that late night construction caused 20 minute delays that prevented me from getting back to my bed when I wanted.

My first encounter with Square occurred at the Rickshaw Stop.  I quickly learned that Square is used extensively in the San Francisco area.  Maybe as I re-adjust back to Los Angeles, I’ll learn it is used extensively here, as well.

I mentioned two awesome vegetarian restaurants in my posts:  Herbivore and The Golden Era Vegan Restaurant.  I’d like to add a third:  Souley Vegan.

Best Pizza:  Delfina Pizzeria.  I had it cold and it still rocked.

Worst restaurant:  I came across a handful of restaurants I wasn’t thrilled with, but I’m going to single out Toast.  Why would you serve me cold hot chocolate?

The two coolest musicians I came across:  Mish Way who was playing with Louise Burns and is also the lead singer for White Lung; and Sarah Parson, the lead singer for The Lower 48.

Best bands seen in San Francisco that aren’t from Los Angeles.  First, Tesla Boy.  Second, The Lower 48.

Los Angeles bands I wish I had seen while they were on tour in San Francisco (some played on the weekends when I was back in Los Angeles):  Best Coast.  IO Echo.  Jail Weddings.  Local Natives.  Milo Greene.

The band I didn’t see, but I am intrigued to see is Mish Way’s White Lung.  I’m going to repeat myself:  she is so cool.

The furthest venue I walked to from the BART:  F8.

The most difficult venue to locate:  The Luggage Store.

Coolest non-music moment in San Francisco:  Going to Daly City to see where I spent my first years of life.

My top 3 ranking for best SF music venues (within walking distance of a BART stop):  1. Rickshaw Stop.  2. Café Du Nord.  3. Brick and Mortar.  Is Bottom of the Hill a top ranked venue?  I’m guessing it is, but it was too far of a walk from the BART.

What I learned via reading online articles:  Never ever bad mouth San Francisco.  The knives come out.  But let me say this, there seems to be an over-obsession with money.

Southwest.  I think techies are the worst passengers when it comes to following the simple request to turn off all electronic devices.  Flight attendants either needed to ask numerous times or didn’t know to ask because the passengers purposely hide the fact that their devices were still on.  I don’t believe this is an unsubstantiated accusation as I’ve written extensively here on Intraffik about my trips over-seas and so have experience with other types of passengers.

Southwest comment #1:  Please raise your hand if the person next to you has their cell phone on.

Southwest comment #2: If you don’t like the service, there are six exits.

Coolest Southwest moment:  seeing the pilots welcome a young girl into the cockpit.

San Francisco Dispatch #14: The Knockout - The Electric Noodle, Son Fish

This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.

Sick.  How can one have a severe cold and cough for over a month?  That’s me, of course.  I blame it on the San Francisco weather.  Or maybe my health is in general decline.  Or maybe it was because I kept up my exercise routine as well as went out to catch the San Francisco music scene that prevented my body from over-coming my illness.  Whatever the reason, I was coughing so hard over such a long period of time that I cracked a rib, I’m sure of it.

The Knockout.  So this was my second time heading out to The Knockout.  My first time at The Knockout, I listened to what was described as post-punk music.  This specific night can be described as world music themed.

Before heading out to The Knockout, I had sushi at a place called We Be Sushi.  And just to make sure my vegetarian credentials are upheld, I had the vegetarian options.  I overheard two women discussing relationships.  The comment of their conversation:  There aren’t any good role models for couples.

It was then off to The Knockout.  The first band was called The Electric Noodle.  My very first thought, East Asian inspired music.  The woman at the microphone, really went all in with the East Asian influenced hand and arm movements.  I’m betting her home has a few Hindu images.  One divergence was that instead of a sitar, there was a guitar.  The guitarist wasn’t as into the East Asian style.  I half suspect that he is part of a heavy metal band, as well.

Son Fish hit the stage next.  The East Asian inspired music was set to the side.  The synth-style music that appears to be common place in San Francisco from the art scene of The Lab to various rock venues took center stage here.  The sounds of whales communicating with each other inspired a song or two.

Noticed One:  For Electric Noodle, a young woman danced away during much of the set and she too was obviously inspired by East Asian themes.

Noticed Two:  the two bands/songwriters were so into their music that both sets ran over and the sound guy had to come over to let them know they needed to end their sets.

As for The Knockout, my initial opinion still stands, which was that this is dead ringer for the Silverlake Lounge.

Haight-Ashbury.  It was finally time to explore an area of San Francisco that wasn’t within a half mile or so of the BART.  I know I should have done this far earlier, but better late than never.  It was off to Haight-Ashbury where in a 30 minute time frame I was asked three times if I needed some buds.  I had a couple slices of Escape from New York pizza.  It is okay pizza, but nothing to die for in my opinion.  Amoeba Records was closed by the time I walked pass – seemed rather early considering the LA store is still buzzing at 8:30 p.m.  I saw a small music venue called the Milk Bar, it is a venue that I’ve seen mentioned in the SF Weekly music calendar.  I didn’t duck my head in to listen to any bands.  Unfortunately, this venue will need to go unexplored due to the distance from a BART station.  I also walked pass the numerous Victorian homes that line the streets.  How much are these homes worth?  Well over a million, I am sure.  I started to imagine how it would be to live in this neighborhood.  I then began to imagine how much a monthly mortgage payment would be and a tad bit of jealousy hit.

Southwest:

Comment 1:  Separation anxiety begins now.

Comment 2:  If this flight turns into a cruise, life vests can be found underneath your seats.

San Francisco Dispatch #13: The Rickshaw Stop - Night Drive, Tesla Boy

This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here. Note: The Queen Kwong blog post reference is over at Intraffik.

The Rickshaw Stop. On a Thursday night, the Rickshaw Stop is the place to be to catch the San Francisco music scene. I think even the ear-to-the-ground foreign tourists know this. As in my very first San Francisco dispatch, the early arrivers on this night were tourists (judging by their accents or foreign language). The night reminds me of Club Moscow: bands and dance club combined. The emphases are different; however. At Club Moscow, the emphasis is more on dancing as you’ll often see more folks dancing in the bar than watching the bands. At the Rickshaw Stop, the emphasis is on the bands. Oh, there is one additional small similarity between these SF and LA nights. Club Moscow has a large fountain in the middle of the floor – with water. The Rickshaw Stop has a small fountain – on the second floor of the venue and with not a drop of water. A nice addition at the Rickshaw Stop is that on the second floor’s backroom, there is a skee ball machine and fooseball table (though I’m not sure they work, like the water fountain). The Thursday night Rickshaw crowd is opposite of what I’ve noticed at a number of the San Francisco music venues: they don’t 10 feet stand away from the stage, they’re right up front from the first band onward. Like Club Moscow, those under 21 are allowed inside, which might be one reason why the front of the stage is a most desire real estate location. One interesting note about the Rickshaw Stop is that if you’re under 21, they mark both of your hands with an ‘X,’ using a black marker. Ink from a black marker isn’t the easiest to wash off. There has to be a better way of identify if someone is under 21. Who wants to ‘X’s on their hands for a couple days? Maybe that’s just my age talking.

What got me to the Rickshaw Stop for a second time (the first time was to see NO) was to catch Queen Kwong. There is a previous post regarding Queen Kwong so I won’t write anything more other than it was so cool to see a favorite Los Angeles band playing a night in San Francisco.

After Queen Kwong opened the night, Night Drive shifted the sound towards dance. A two piece band that hit the synths hard. Some of their songs reminded me of Depeche Mode. Their on stage style reminded a bit of Big Black Delta. “This is our last song, let’s all dance shall we.”

Over-heard by two under 21 year old women: Next time, we need to bring two guys with us. That guy just came over and grabbed me.

Tesla Boy ended the night. They’re from Moscow, Russia. They do know how to drive the anticipation level. Before the band took the stage, the crowd was already more than willing to start dancing the whole set away. The crowd was crammed at the front of the stage. The band’s music started pumping through the speakers. The crowd pressed closer. The band came to the stage. The lead singer started a single beat. The crowd had their arms raised, just waiting to start jumping. The anticipation was reaching a fevered sense of ecstasy. At the very moment where the climatic heights of the fans was reached, the band truly started their set. It was a perfect situation of a band reading their fan base. And boy did they read their crowd well. As they played their first two songs, the crowd was either dancing wildly or reaching as far as possible across the stage to connect so ever more closely to the band.

BART announcement: Don’t ride your bike on the BART. I mean you. That’s where the $250 fine hits. I’m sure you can use that for other things.

Don Pico’s Bistro in San Bruno. Their website states: Friendly Service. That comment is not a lie. While I was sitting at the table, I was approached by four different individuals making sure I was either enjoying my food or that I was pleased with the service I was getting. And yes, I am a vegetarian and this is not a vegetarian restaurant, but they do have a small vegetarian menu. Often times, non-vegetarian restaurants simply don’t know how to make a vegetarian plate, but this restaurant knocked it out of the park. I can only imagine how awesome their meat dishes are. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend checking out this Mexican restaurant.

San Francisco Dispatch #12: Brick and Mortar - Magic Fight, Kan Wakan, Vanaprasta

This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.

Southwest.  Here’s what you don’t want to hear when flying into San Francisco:  we’re in a 30 minute holding pattern, but we have only 15 minutes of fuel left.

Okay, they did mention that we might have to fly into San Jose as an alternative, but then 15 minutes of fuel doesn’t give you much wiggle room.

Twenty minutes later we were still circling SFO.  Maybe they meant we had 45 minutes of fuel left.  Thirty minutes plus 15 minutes of wiggle room.

This announcement got the attention of the Southwest passengers.  The young woman sitting in the window seat of my row turned to the center passenger and asked:  did he just say we have 15 minutes of fuel left?  She was very excited when it was announced that we would get to fly into SFO as she didn’t want to land in San Jose.  Two passengers behind me kept tabs on the time – just as I was.  I heard them talking around the 20 minute mark:  it’s been 20 minutes . . .

Brick and Mortar.  Tuesday at Brick and Mortar was a circled night for me.  One of my friends was coming into town with his band, Kan Wakan.  Over-all, this was going to be a special week of music.  Not only was Kan Wakan coming into town, but so was Queen Kwong on a Thursday night (an out of cycle dispatch that was posted earlier).  In order to celebrate this special week, I brought up my Canon 5D to San Francisco along with a handful of lenses.

First up on this night was Magic Fight.  Where are you from?  California.  Seriously, where are you from?  California.  What part of California?  Central.  Okay, research indicates they’re from Oakland.  Ukulele was the instrument of choice by the lead singer.  The ukulele plays perfectly into their somewhat mournful tunes.  The lead singer started the set wearing a raincoat.  In the middle of the set, he took it off:  it’s not raining, don’t be an idiot.

Kan Wakan was the middle band. It took a while for this 7 member band to set up, but once they started you didn’t want them to stop.  The beautiful sounds of Sade-inspired vocals with the backing of intricately written music inspired the audience for an extremely short 30 minutes.  There wasn’t a single unneeded note in the set.  They sound like a poem that grows deeper and richer upon each reading.

Ending the night was  Vanaprasta, a last minute addition to the night.  A band that also hails from Los Angeles.  As soul inspired as Kan Wakan is, Vanaprasta is infused with energetic sounds.  And with a raise of his arms, the lead singer was able to draw the crowd to the front of the stage.

Here’s my impression of the Brick and Mortar crowd on a Tuesday night:  they sure do like to keep their distance from the stage.

This is my third post on a Brick and Mortar night.  And if you have followed these dispatches, you know I’ve had a debate about what is placed on stage right:  is it a piano (first opinion) or a table (second opinion).  There is nothing like a third opinion.  The third opinion is that it is a small organ.  So it is a musical instrument on stage, which makes Brick and Mortar remind me all the more like the Bootleg Theater.

September in San Francisco.  At least this year, summer finally started in September for San Francisco.  And by summer, I mean temperatures in the 70s.  I have to say that as temperatures in Los Angeles hit the 90s during the late August/early September weekends, it was nice escaping up to the cooler temperatures of San Francisco.

San Francisco Dispatch #11: Sub-Mission - INFM, Moovalya

Southwest Quiz Time.  Answers below.

1.       What vegetable is only sold fresh, never sold frozen or canned?

2.       What US landmark is always moving backwards?

3.       What do you call a cow with no legs?

4.       Why do cannibals not eat clowns?

Let’s just say that one woman with a fashionably updated 80s hairstyle really got into the quiz, which was more than just the above four questions.

Pilgrimage.  My time in San Francisco was quickly coming to an end, which meant that it was time for a pilgrimage.  I spent the first few years of my life growing up in the San Francisco area, specifically Daly City.  When my parents decided to move to SoCal, I’d tell my SoCal friends that I was from San Francisco.  My mom would correct me and say we came from Daly City.  At the time, I didn’t understand this concept.  How could we not have lived in San Francisco versus some unknown city called Daly City?

I jumped onto the BART, getting off at the Colma station.  I headed up the hill towards the apartment that I spend the first 5-ish years of my life.  I didn’t know what to expect.  My memories of my life in that apartment are vague.  What do I remember?  I recall discovering a mushroom growing out from the carpet.  From street view, I remember the building being well-kept and very tall with other apartments lining a long street.  The apartments on the street were painted in light colors.  And when we were moving, my last act in the area was very stupid.  I was riding on my Big Wheel and after I was done I left it on the sidewalk.  When my dad and I went looking for it, it was long gone.

So what did I see in 2013?  A very rundown row of apartments with paint jobs from at least a couple decades ago.  The apartments weren’t that tall at all and the street wasn’t that long, which I expected as I understood I was recalling memories from when I was 5-ish.  What I didn’t realize was that a cemetery was at the end of the street.  I totally don’t recall that.  I took some photos and then gave a call to my parents to let them know I was standing on the street where I spent the first years of my life.

I then walked over to the cemetery and took a quick photo before heading back towards the BART station.  A woman who was gathering items from her car had noticed that I had taken a photo of the cemetery and so when I passed her she started a conversation.  She told me how she’d taken a photo of a crane killing a gopher for dinner inside the cemetery.  It was a powerful nature scene, she said and mentioned that she had cropped out the grave stones as she felt that it made for a depressing setting for her photo.  I replied, “Maybe you should have kept the grave stones in the photo as it was perhaps appropriate that the gopher was meeting its death in a cemetery.”  Maybe I’m a bit sick in the head.

Music and San Francisco.  I mentioned in a couple previous posts that I was getting lazy regarding the SF music scene.  I was off looking for Los Angeles based bands versus trying to get familiar with San Francisco based bands.  I also mentioned that I was going to stick to re-visiting the local venues that I’d already visited.  I decided to shake things up a bit.  I went looking for a new venue and attempted to head out on a night that featured San Francisco bands.  I was only partially successful in this.  I headed off to an art gallery called Sub-Mission.  I thought I was heading off to this “new” venue to catch some San Francisco bands.  The two bands I saw weren’t from San Francisco.  One was from San Jose – okay, close enough – and another was from Phoenix – not even close.

So what’s this Sub-Mission venue?  It is a DIY art gallery in the Mission District that didn’t exactly have much art inside.  Bolted to the ceiling was a van that held all the sound equipment.  I’m actually not sure if it was a real van or just a cool sound room made to look like a van.  The music?  A punk sound that reminded me of how much fun it used to be to hang out at The Blue Star on a Friday or Saturday night.

The first band that I saw went by the initials INFM.  Don’t ask me what that stands for.  I believe M is for Monkey.  The drummer said the name twice, but he went through the name so quickly I just couldn’t pick it up.  He did say an alternative name for the band was:  Inside Nude Female Models.  The bassist drove his body through every note and beat of every song.  And after their set, I couldn’t help but over hear the drummer talking about the economic and accounting classes he was taking.

Moovalya was the other band I saw and they came by way of Phoenix.  They quickly had the crowd in the circle pit.  Their sound definitely represented the best that one would have seen in the past on a good summer night at the Blue Star.  Comment made before their set:  I got old and I got smart.

As for the crowd?  It was extremely light.  The maximum had to be 25.  Considering there were 4 bands, half the crowd at Sub-Mission were folks in the bands.  Too bad, I say.  Yeah, I only saw 2 of the 4 punk bands, but those two bands gave it their all and definitely deserved to be heard by more than 10 paying customers.

Southwest.

Comment #1 (when we learned the plane was stuck on the LAX runway due to flight traffic at SFO):  I know this is really lame, but there are folks at the gate who were told they need to wait 1.5 hours.  At least, we got on the runway and need to wait only 30 minutes.

Comment #2:  If I ask you what you want to drink and you say, ‘Ah, um, um,’ that means you want water.

Moment #1:  A girl was telling her mom, “It’s too late.  It’s too late.”  I figured she wanted to use the bathroom before the plane took off.  She was encouraged to go talk to a flight attendant.  And what happened next was so cute.  She went up with a book and asked the flight attendant if she could see the pilots.  She then was allowed to enter the cockpit.  The pilots signed her book.  Not only that, but one allowed her to sit in the pilot seat.  And those strange warning sounds coming from the cockpit, those sounds were caused by her pressing buttons.  This is the cuteness you see while flying on Southwest.

Comment #1 from a passenger:  I asked a woman once if I could take the seat next to her.  She said, ‘No.’  She wanted to sit by herself.  She didn’t understand Southwest etiquette.

Answers to Southwest Quiz Time:

1.       Lettuce

2.       Niagara Falls.

3.       Ground beef.

4.       They taste funny.

Duke Basketball vs. Syracuse: 89-91

Okay, wrong team won; however, that was one intense game.

Duke showed a lot of guts in this game even though they lost.  They had significant foul trouble and still sent the game into over-time.  In fact, Andre Dawkins was forced to guard a player that had 3 inches on him.  Three Duke players fouled out of the game:  Andre Dawkins, Jabari Parker and Amile Jefferson.  The one that perhaps hurt the most was Amile Jefferson who was killing it during the game.

Interesting note was that during the first half, both Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton were on the bench.  So who was the point guard?  Rasheed Sulaimon.  It is nice to see how Sulaimon has bounced back from his early stumbles.  And even though it didn't feel like it, he ended up leading the Duke team in scoring with 16.

I will admit from my perspective it felt like Syracuse was going to win the game -- even though the game was tight throughout.  Other than this being perhaps a personal trait, I think that Duke's foul troubles just made this game look like it belonged to Syracuse.  This made it seem like Duke always had the wrong match-ups:  like Dawkins guarding a forward.    

San Francisco Dispatch #10: Cafe Du Nord - Tracing Figures, Torches, Filligar

This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.

San Francisco.  I took off in search of City Lights Books where Jack Kerouac used to hang out.  It’s a three floor bookstore, where half of those inside were tourists like myself.  I personally think the poetry section is lacking.  I went looking for my friend’s, David Shook, poetry book called Our Obsidian Tongues, which is on the longlist for the Dylan Thomas Prize.  It wasn’t there.

I swear I over-heard a conversation where a young man was trying to convince a young woman that there was nothing wrong with buying a physical book versus an eBook.  Another conversation revolved around the joys of going to a bookstore to browse around versus looking online for books.  And so City Lights Books is the refuge for those of us who refuse to accept the forward progress of technology.

The two streets that intersect the bookstore are interesting:  Broadway and Columbus.  Half the city’s strip clubs must be on Broadway while half of the Italian restaurants must be on Columbus.

Café Du Nord.  I am getting lazy here in San Francisco.  My eyes go through the music calendar of the San Francisco Weekly and as soon as I see a Los Angeles-based band, I circle the night.  And so it was on this night when I noticed that Torches was coming to San Francisco.  I had never seen Torches, but I did recognize the band name.  What better way to acquaint myself with a Los Angeles band then to see them in San Francisco, right?

First up that night was San Francisco based band, Tracing Figures.  The lead singer, Brianne, reminded me of Los Angeles based singer, Laura Vall.  Brianne sings her songs with intense deep vocals while at the same time coming across as the girl next door that you purposely make an effort to say hello to on a Sunday morning (or maybe a Tuesday morning).    

Torches took the middle slot of the night.  I suspect that most of us that were at the front of the stage were from Los Angeles.  They reminded me of two Los Angeles bands:  Local Natives and Eastern Conference Champions.  And yes, they made me really miss the Los Angeles music scene.  Even their cloths reminded me of hipster Silver Lake/Echo Park.

The headliner for the night was Filligar, which honestly was why most everyone at Café Du Nord were there to see.  As soon as they started to set up for their set, the crowd that was previously way in the back of Café Du Nord came to the front of the stage.  And I could tell immediately that they were going to put on a good show.  There was just this confidence to them as they stood on stage, waiting to kick off their set.  This band plays like they’re in a jam session.  Their set lasted an hour and 5 minutes with 10 songs on the set list and quick transitions between songs.  So yeah, about six minutes a song, which allowed for them to take their time exploring their music.

Comment of the set after the lead singer busted a guitar string:  Yeah, you know what just happened.  It’s game time.

Comment of the night from the BART station:  Everyone we’ve seen in San Francisco is young.  Are there any old people in this city?

Flying.  What I think is cool flying into an airport: watching another passenger jet landing parallel to your own jet.  Calming.

Random encounter.  I was walking to a venue and ended up in a brief amusing conversation with a homeless guy.

Homeless guy:  Do you have a quarter to spare?

Me:  No.

Homeless guy:  How about a dollar?

Me:  (laughter)

Homeless guy:  (laughter) I had to give it a try.