San Francisco Dispatch #9: Brick and Mortar - Spells, Louise Burns, Lightning Dust

A free night equaled my first repeat visit to a SF venue.  It was off to Brick and Mortar to catch a trio of bands.

Confession:  I’m not very observant at times.  In an earlier dispatch, I mentioned that Brick and Mortar had a piano on stage that was being used as a makeshift table for a drum set.  I took a closer look this time and it is in fact a table.  Oops.  I guess in my homesickness for Los Angeles I saw too much of The Bootleg in the Brick and Mortar.

The SF Weekly mentioned that the first band started at 8 p.m. so off I headed to Brick and Mortar without eating any dinner.  It was off from work, change cloths and jump onto the BART.  And, of course, the night started off at 9 p.m.

One woman entertained herself during that hour by dancing wildly while her husband/significant other watch from his seat.  Two young women walked into the venue like they’d just finished a beauty pageant.  One even had a tiara.

The first band of the night was Spells, a local band.  Spells didn’t disappoint with their Hotel Café style sound.  Whenever (I’m guessing a friend) a guy with a smart phone was taking video of the lead singer, she’d blush all so briefly.

Comment of the set:  This song is about a cat that met an unfortunate fate.          

Comment of the set 2:  Bass.  How does it look on me?

The next two bands were from Vancouver, Canada.  Oh yeah, it reminded me of my first travel post on Intraffik.  Louise Burns took the stage first with her country influenced sound.  The crowd loved her.  After the set, a crowd formed to buy her stuff.  And she sounded legit Canadian to me once she shouted out, “Eh.”  She had one cool bassist who refused to smile except during their last song when she must have found something amusing; and when she took over the keys, she played with her right hand while she sipped her drink using her left, the definition of cool.

Comment of the set:  This song is about sensitive young men who write poetry on typewriters.

Lightning Dust  was the final band of the night.  A female lead singer, who at times sung in a staccato quick fire method, surrounded by three synth musicians.  It was, of course, electronic heaven for 30 plus minutes. For one song one of the synth musicians turned up the Peruvian flute music.  Someone in the audience called the musician out for that one.  Maybe even in San Francisco, Peruvian flute music equals Universal CityWalk.

Interesting notice of the set:  their set list was written down on cardboard.

In an earlier dispatch, I wrote how I was attempting to see if I could recognize any fellow San Francisco music fans at various venues.  On this night, I’d say I definitely recognized four folks.  Yeah, I know that is meaningless, but it make me feel part of the San Francisco music scene even if it is for an all so brief moment of my life.

As soon as Lightning Dust’s set ended, I rushed out to get to BART.  I really have no clue why I did that.  By now I should know that there is construction going on at night and that I’ll be stuck waiting for a train for close to 30 minutes.  I guess there is always that faint hope that I’ll just catch a train that was supposed to arrive 30 minute earlier or that construction has finished on the BART.

Random note:  all three lead singers wore black.

Southwest.  Call me a rule follower, but what irritates me most about fellow Southwest fliers is the refusal by a few to not turn off their electronic devices.  Some people need to be asked three time to turn off their devices.  Others simply hide the fact that their iPhones are on.  They’ll hold the screen against their body so that the reflection isn’t seen.  Come on, you can’t be disconnected from your music or texting?

San Francisco Dispatch #8: The Luggage Store - Lindsey Walker, Doug Lynner

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

The Luggage Store is an art gallery off the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART stop.  It is a location that is very easy to miss unless you are looking for it.  Even if you’re looking for it, you’re unlikely to find it on first glance as there is no visible signage (there is the possibility I am blind on the signage part).  I was walking down the street, looking for the address and a sign that said, “Luggage Store.”  I walked to a graffiti art covered door without thinking much about it.  I noticed that the next door over had an address that indicated I’d gone too far.  So I stopped and looked to my left and then to my right.  The Luggage Store had to be in between these two addresses.  Was this some sort of Harry Potter train station type address?  I looked straight ahead and re-noticed the graffiti art covered door.  Dead center was an 8.5 x 11 paper sheet that said “Luggage Store Gallery” along with the night’s schedule.  Another paper sign was taped next to the door handle.  The sign said, “Door is open.  Turn & pull.”  Does this now sound like Alice in Wonderland?  I opened the door and a staircase with graffiti art on either side led me up to the second floor of the building.  There, behind a long table, sat three individuals.  I handed one of them $6.

The Luggage Store may be my last “new venue” that I explore in San Francisco.  At this point, with my time in San Francisco drawing to a close (though I do have a few more weeks here), I figure my time might best be served revisiting some of the venues I’ve already visited.  But that’s in the future.  On this night at “new venue” The Luggage Store, there was an ongoing summer music series of what they defined as new music.  To me, the music sounded like what I heard at The Lab, but far more accessible to a person like me who lacks an appreciation for art music.

First up was a young woman, Lindsey Walker, with hair dyed pink and a bubbly personality.  Her music consisted of the sound of her voice layered over and over again.  “La la la LA LA LA la la la.”  The sound would start soft and would grow in volume as she added additional layers.  She’d collapse it all with a single tap and we’d be left with her initial layer, which she’d build upon again.  Her music sounded like a chorus of nuns singing inside an ancient European cathedral.  And one couldn’t help but notice her smile and occasional giggles.

The final performer of the night was an older gentleman, Doug Lynner, who played a Magical Serge from the 1970s.  It had what seemed like a hundred wires that he spent time plugging and unplugging from one slot to the next.  At times, his music sounded like what must be considered the music of deep space.  At other times, I imagined listening to a choir of Battlestar Galactica cylons.  And then at another moment I thought that the music signified the cells of my body singing to me.  Or the aurora borealis.

The two did a song together, vocals on top of synthesized sounds.  Then Doug Lynner ended the night with a final song.  And to end his song, a fire engine roared pass outside and so he felt it represented a perfect way to end his song.

Noticed:  A guy sitting next to me was way too into the music, in my opinion.  At times, he swayed to the music like he was listening to a gospel choir.  

After the music ended, it was off to the BART station.  And there I was for 30 minutes.  The BART is doing some construction, but 30 minutes is an extreme length of the delay especially when I just wanted to get home and go to bed.  It didn’t take long to realize that the BART electronic signs that were stating that the next train was going to arrive in 12 minutes wasn’t right as after five minutes and then ten minutes the time hadn’t change.  I was approached by one individual who asked in frustration, “Has there been an announcement about why the train isn’t coming?”  When the train finally came, we were packed in like the proverbial sardines.  Yeah, life without a car.

Southwest

Comment 1:  The chicken is in the pot.  The chicken is in the pot.  Please authenticate.

Comment 2:  We’ve been given permission to take off.  Please don’t exit the aircraft.  And no flash photography.

San Francisco Dispatch #7: Cafe Du Nord - White Teeth, Bang Bang, The Lower 48

This Dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting the series here.

I went three straight weeks without venturing into the local San Francisco music scene.  There was a BART strike and then work took over for a couple weeks.  What’s the purpose of working in the San Francisco area for a few months if I can’t catch any local music?  I swore that no matter what I was heading out on this particular week.

My goal to check out new venues continued and so the week’s pick was Cafe Du Nord.  I didn’t know anything about the venue other than the fact that it was within an appropriate walking radius of a BART station.  So I didn’t have any special reason for heading to this venue other than it would be a new venue; however, after doing some research on one of the bands I found myself getting very excited about the night.  The band that got me excited is called The Lower 48.  Their Facebook page had by far the most “Likes” of any of the other bands scheduled for the night.  I did some casual research on the page.  I went to their “About” section, which didn’t state their hometown.  I took a look at their gigs.  I noticed that they played around Portland.  I am one who believes that a touring band from Portland equals a must see band.      

One Facebook event invite noted that the night would start at 8:30 p.m.  I was thinking:  yeah, right, the night isn’t going to start at 8:30 p.m.  Well, I was wrong.  I got to Café Du Nord at 9 p.m., walked down a long staircase to the building’s basement and White Teeth, a two piece band, was finishing up their last three songs.  The first song I heard made me wish I had caught more of their set.

Comment of their set after there was a cry for an encore:  The drummer doesn’t know any more songs.

This was a night for some two piece bands.  Bang Bang was up next, two gals rocking.  Their friends were out in force with their iPhones, taking videos and photos.  The lead singer sings with deep vocals and with a force that drives their music forward in an urgent manner.

As good as the other two bands were, the night belonged to The Lower 48.  They did not prove my theory wrong that touring Portland bands are awesome.  Their very first song had folks dancing.  This is a three piece band.  Two guys in suits and one gal rocking an updated Joan Jett look.  The drummer plays barefooted and divides a portion of his time to the harmonica and trumpet.  The lead bassist cracks the jokes. The gal plays the guitar and does the lead vocals.  And I swear that other than their wonderful music, I was fascinated by how the lead singer used her mouth to form the lyrics.  Now some folks in bands rock a certain look or have a distinct onstage stance, but here is someone who I swear must practice how she forms the lyrics.  There is no way that she’s doing this naturally.  It has to be practiced and if you catch this band she will have you mesmerized.

Fun moment of the night:  a woman in the audience was having a problem with her bracelet during The Lower 48’s set.  It kept falling off her wrist.  Finally, frustrated with it, she tossed it on stage.  The two guys in the band pointed it out.  The drummer yelled out, “I’ll take that.”  He got out from behind his drum set to pick it up and put it on his wrist.  At the end of the set, he tossed it back into the audience where a guy picked it up and tried it on his wrist.  The male friend of the gal who tossed it onto the stage pointed this out to her, asking if she wanted to claim it back.  She replied it was fine.  Considering it wouldn’t stay on her wrist, I’m sure she was happy to get rid of it.

Did I leave the venue on a high?  You bet.  Best music night in San Francisco (other than perhaps catching Los Angeles band NO on my very first music night out in San Francisco).  If The Lower 48 ever comes down to Los Angeles, I want to be up front.  Oh, and as for Café Du Nord:  as the name might indicate, there is an elegance to this basement level venue.

Southwest Airlines side notes:

Comment of a flight 1:  Federal regulations require you to turn off your electronic devices and that you don’t fall asleep.  Wake up!

Comment of a flight 2:  I am going to tell you what my dad told me when I turned 18.  We love you, but take your bags and get out.

Comment of a flight 3:  That sound you hear does not mean the wicked witch is dead.  I can assure you my mother-in-law in New Mexico is alive and well.

Comment of a flight 4:  If your mask does not inflate with air after one minute, please deposit $0.50 cents.

San Francisco Dispatch #6: F8 -- Saul Stokes and Impuritan

Another week came, which meant another music venue to explore in San Francisco.  This time it was off to a bar called F8.  Via Bart, I got off at the Civic Center/UN Plaza stop and went down 7th street and turned on Folsom.  The whole process took 45 minutes.  I had this distinct feeling that I was speed race walking with someone else as I tried to get to F8 as quickly as possible.  Despite my efforts, I arrived in the middle of the first musician’s set, Saul Stokes.

Saul Stokes is a one man show who creates music via gadgets with wires that go everywhere.  Now his choice of music instruments initially made me moan when I walked into F8.  It reminded me of my adventure at The Lab.  Now I don’t want to bad mouth the musicians who played that night at The Lab. In fact, one of these days before I leave San Francisco for good I wish to head back there.  I just wasn’t looking for a night of “art” music.  My initial reaction to Saul Stokes was wrong.  His use of his electronics was totally different from how those at The Lab used their electronics.  I was met with the beautiful sounds of rock.

After his set ended, the MC called out that everyone should come up and check out his equipment before he tore it down.  A number of us took the opportunity to take a look at all the knobs and wires.

As for the set-up of F8, various seat couches line the floor.  It reminds me of a venue in Vancouver called The Media Club.  A side door near the stage kept opening up and folks would walk in and out.  I wondered what was going on there.  I looked through the door and the area was brightly lit with folks sitting around round coffee tables.  When I walked out later in the night, I realized that it was a bakery.  I guess the bar and bakery share bathrooms.  Also, since there was a cover charge for the bands, there must be an honor code in place.

Next up was Impuritan.  As I was sitting on one of the couches a young woman came and asked if she could take a seat.  “So do you know anyone in the band?” she asked.  “No,” I responded.  “So why are you here?” “I’m just randomly checking out the different music venues in San Francisco.” “Well,” she responded, “the advantage of the San Francisco music scene is that the city is so compact that the music venues are very close together and we have a real music scene here unlike a spread out city like Los Angeles.”  I could have gotten into a huge argument with her on that point.  And then she nodded to her friend who was on the keyboards.  “He’s a real musician.  In fact, he’s an artist,” she fawned.

The night was dubbed as a shoe gaze night.  Maybe shoe gaze means something different in San Francisco versus Los Angeles.  I find it hard to pigeon hole Impuritan into any specific music genre.  I can say their set was like a jam session that swept across multiple genres.  One moment they sounded like a jazz band.  The next like a rock band.  The next moment they sounded like an aimless group of musicians, each pulling their music in different directions.

Moments of the set.  One of the band members after every song went around high fiving all his bandmates even when they were attempting to down their beers.  This resulted in the lead singer asking early in the set, “Are you going to high five me after every song?”

Unrelated moment of the set.  One of the band members yelled out, “Radioactive.”  A young woman at the bar who probably hadn’t even heard the comment started to get highly animated with her friends.  The band’s response, “She’s been waiting for that song all night long.”  Imagine Dragons, you’ve invaded the F8 bar.

Southwest flight attendant comments of a Friday night:

“For those of you clapping, you’re suffering from captive audience syndrome.”

“We have reached the magical altitude of 10,223 feet and 3 inches.”

San Francisco Dispatch #5: Amnesia -- with Indianna Hale/TV Mike and the Scarecrows

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

Amnesia.  If that is the name of a music venue, wouldn’t you think that the music would be death metal or some dark trance sounding music?  Or maybe there would be women dancing in cages and the walls would be lined with very scary or disturbing art.  None of those thoughts or the thoughts I might have put into your heads applies to this location.  Amnesia is like entering a bar from the Old West.  Once you enter the bar, if you immediately turn around and look up you’ll see a line of beer barrels above the front door.  The music stage looks like it might have gotten transported from a real Old Western bar and by that I also mean the stage looks very old.  The guitarist from one of the bands (Indianna Hale) would tap his foot and after each tap I worried that he might crash three feet down as a floorboard would bounce an inch or two upon each tap.  As for the audience, there was no pretense.  No one was dressed in a “hey, look at how cool I am” fashion. It was a show up in what makes you most comfortable look – minus the possibility of the pajamas look.

First band up at Amnesia was led by singer Indianna Hale.  She definitely doesn’t have that death metal look.  The music was Americana.  Indianna Hale and her band appeared to be having more fun than the audience, which for some reason felt that standing 10 yards back from the stage was an appropriate distance.  Indianna Hale couldn’t help but laugh throughout her set.  There was some kind of inside joke going on between the three band members throughout their set.  When their set ended, a demand was made for an encore.  There was some hesitancy on their part.  Finally, one of the band members called out, “Would you like to see Indianna on the drums and singing like Karen Carpenter?”

Next up was  TV Mike and the Scarecrows.  Now for those of us from a certain Los Angeles music scene, this might cause us to think about Mike TV and Get Set Go.   TV Mike and the Scarecrows on this night continued the Americana sound with a six member band though it was mentioned from the stage that they are at times a seven member band.   Their set went on for about 45 minutes.  Though I enjoyed their set, I was a little upset about the length of their set as I was hoping to catch a little of the last band of the night. Unfortunately for me, I needed to head off towards the BART.

Amnesia unique touch:  steps to the stage are pulled out from under the stage during switchovers.

Conversation of the night outside Amnesia:  You’ve got to come and check out my band one of these days, also.

San Francisco:  is San Francisco that rare city where one feels safer walking around at midnight versus walking around at 7 p.m.?  I’ve been finding myself going to a number of venues around Mission Street.  I find myself more concerned about my safety exiting the BART system in broad daylight versus when I’m heading back to the BART system at midnight.  I’ll need to talk to my San Francisco friends about this someday.

Southwest.  So I hit A List membership.  After my Thursday night out at Amnesia, I checked in online and got assigned number A17.  Now for those of you who don’t know anything about Southwest that is a very good number to have.  Off to the airport I went on Friday evening in a very good state of mind.  Not only was I heading back to Los Angeles, but I was basically going to get to sit wherever I wanted on the plane.

I got to the airport and come around 9:30 p.m. I got this strange feeling that the previous Southwest flight to Los Angeles hadn’t left yet along with a number of other flights.  The terminal was just way too crowded.  The Southwest plane at the gate my flight was supposed to depart from had the lights off inside and generally just had the appearance of being unoccupied.  I kept looking up at the departure board and it kept saying that my flight was on schedule; however, it also kept saying that the flight before mine was delayed until 9:20 p.m.  Now why would it keep saying that?  Soon a Southwest employee made an announcement, “As you all know our computers are down . . . “  What are you taking about, we all know?!?  A long story short, there went my awesome number as Southwest had suffered a massive computer failure and everyone who hadn’t given up after waiting around for 4 hours plus were packed onto the first available flight to Los Angeles once the computer system came back online.

I didn’t get to my home until 3 a.m.  I could have gotten home by 2:30 a.m., but I was delayed by another 30 minutes when our flight landed at LAX and we couldn’t get to our gate.  Why?  A China Air jet was getting towed out of an area we needed to get towed into and during this process the tow caught on fire (not the plane, the tow).

Comment of the Southwest flight:  If you’re in the technology field and you’re interested in a job with Southwest, check Southwest.com tomorrow morning because there will be job openings posted.

Duke Basketball vs. Florida State: 78-56

This was my first Duke basketball game in awhile.  For some reason, I kept on forgetting what nights they were playing -- thinking they were playing on one night when they were actually playing on another, for example.

This was an interesting game as Duke scored 34 of their 78 points from the free throw line.  I am actually surprised that only two Florida State players fouled out.

Plumlee really looks like he could turn into a beast some day.  He really played some solid minutes.

Parker looked like a non-factor in this game -- in the sense that you never felt like he was taking over the game.  That was driven in part by his poor shooting.

Interesting that Hood was announced as a starter and then was pulled due to illness.  I can't help but wonder if he's one of those players that gets so nervous before a game that he has a need to vomit before hand.  Just a thought.

My interesting observation.  As the game was coming to an end, two Florida St players came up behind Hood and pulled him down as he was going for a layup.  As Hood was on the ground, one Florida St player ended up in front of him while one remained behind.  Hood was not pleased with the situation and was about to leap up and confront the player in front of him.  The player behind him held on to him, preventing him from charging.  Who knows what might have happened.  Perhaps techs flying left and right.  I thought it was a solid move by the Florida State guy to keep things from potentially escalating.
 

San Francisco Dispatch #4: The Knockout - All Your Sisters and In Letter Form

Another different venue was in store for Dispatch #4:  The Knockout.  It was a night of “postpunk noir” as described by the Disorder invite I saw on Facebook.  My opinion on the night: one band sounded like The Cure while another reminded me of a Los Angeles band called The Monthlies.

The Knockout is south of the 24th Street Mission BART stop.  A little bit of a walk from the BART stop, but not so far as to prevent one from taking that walk.  The Knockout (to a degree) is a dead ringer for The Silverlake Lounge.  The stage area is painted in black, including a black ceiling.  A disco ball is almost in the exact same position in relationship to the stage.  There is also an uncanny similarity in the narrowness and depth of the stage and floor.  

As for the crowd, the color black was definitely the appropriate attire for the night.  I stood out like a guy in a suit at The Smell.  I took a look around the audience a few times to see if I might recognize anyone in the crowd.  Since this was my fourth night out in the San Francisco music scene I figured there might be a 1% chance I would recognize someone.  I didn’t initially, but when I was about to leave I suspected I recognized a couple that was just coming in for the night.  They had that fashion sense that stood out.  Sometimes you see what you want to see.

All Your Sisters was the first band up for the night.  They had a nice crowd for being the first band of the night.  There were a couple of photographers in the crowd that were there specifically for them (I didn’t notice the photographers photographing the second band).  Their sound reminded me of The Cure.  The set started with just their vocalist on stage.  Then the keyboardist joined mid-song.  And then for their second song the drummer came on stage.

Noticed:  after their set, the lead singer had so much music equipment to pack up that the second band was pretty much set up by the time he got all his stuff off the stage.

In Letter Form was the second band of the night.  As they started off, I couldn’t help but hear undertones of one of my favorite Los Angeles bands, The Monthlies.  (I haven’t heard much from The Monthlies in the last year though in January they did leave a one word Facebook and Twitter message.)

Unfortunately, I still follow an LA rule (though slightly adjusted), which is the get in bed by midnight rule.  In San Francisco, I do have a 30 minute adjustment to the LA midnight rule, driven by the fact that I do not have a car and must depend on the BART system.  The LA rule resulted in me missing the last two songs (as well as the last band of the night) of In Letter Form.  Upon arrival at the BART, I realized I could have stuck around for the last two songs as the BART was delayed by 20 minutes.  That stunk -- stinks that I missed the last two songs and stinks that my rule wasn’t met that night.

My one big complaint about the San Francisco music scene is the fact that on two occasions, the first band of the night didn’t start until past 10:15 p.m.  I like the LA music scene where in many locations the first band starts at 9:15 p.m.  I guess we in Los Angeles like to sleep a little bit more or perhaps we just wake up earlier than folks in San Francisco.  Or maybe they just drink more coffee in San Francisco.  Or maybe it is because a lot of LA venues have 4 bands playing versus 3 in San Francisco though I have to say that in the Echo Park/Silver Lake part of Los Angeles the venues clear out after the 11 p.m. band.

Random Thoughts

Thoughts on San Francisco weather.  It is June and at night it can be freezing.  I was walking to the BART on this particular night and the chill factor made it feel like December in Los Angeles.  I am told that July is even colder.

Thoughts on San Francisco food.  I’m a vegetarian so I’ve been checking out the vegetarian restaurants around town.  Herbivore and The Golden Era Vegan Restaurant stand out.  Those restaurants would immediately rank as the best vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles.

Thoughts on recognizing people.  A few weeks back I was at the LAX airport and happened to notice a young woman.  She was in line with me as we were going through security.  We also were on the same flight out to San Francisco – sitting within a couple rows of each other.  So on a recent weekend, I was back in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to catch The Princess Bride.  I was heading to take care of a pre-movie human need when I couldn’t help but notice a young woman walking past me.  Where have I seen her?  My mind started to scan the memory banks . . . wait a second, the San Francisco flight.  What are the chances?

San Francisco Dispatch #3: Brick & Mortar - Mahgeetah, My Goodness, Fool's Gold

This Dispatch Series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting the series here.

I am slowly edging my way into the San Francisco music scene.  I’m doing so kicking and screaming in a way as I find myself scanning for band names that sound familiar.  My main source of information at the moment is the San Francisco Weekly calendar and on one particular scan I noticed that there was a FREE show at Brick & Mortar.  Free!  That felt like a Monday night in Los Angeles even though it was on a Tuesday night.  Also, Los Angeles based band Fool’s Gold was headlining.  I’d never seen Fool’s Gold so it was all the more reason to head on out.

I jumped onto the BART.  I was aiming to get to Brick & Mortar at 9 p.m.  I arrived at around 9:10 p.m.  There was a short line out the door.   I was hoping that this didn’t mean that the venue was already at capacity.  Luckily, it wasn’t though when I was next up at the door I was told to wait as they planned on letting folks into the venue in waves.  Two young and beautiful women decided that they didn’t want to wait in line so they cut the line and walked inside.  They were promptly told to get back out.  And they promptly decided to leave all together.

I got inside as the first band was into their first song (Mahgeetah ).  Now was this an actual San Francisco-based band? I wasn’t sure and would have to look it up after the show (they are).  They are a four piece band.  I maneuvered my way towards the stage via the side. When I got to the stage area, I noticed that everyone was standing five yards back from the stage.  I wanted to go to the front of the stage to take some photos (unfortunately, the photos were taken with my point and shoot and not with my DSLR; my hotel room that I’m staying at does not have a safe and I feel uncomfortable leaving my DSLR and lenses out in the open when the maids come in to clean).  I was a little hesitant.  Why were all these SFers standing so far from the stage? Eventually, a couple rowdy guys broke the shyness of the crowd and brought the crowd closer to the stage.

The second band was a two-piece band from Seattle, My Goodness.  The drummer started the set with a row of 4 cups of water lining the front of the stage.  He needed them as this band had some serious energy flowing throughout their set.  After the set, folks headed up towards the stage, congratulating them on their set.

The final band of the night was Fool's Gold .  The sounds of lingering tunes set to the evening waves along a Hawaiian beach spun through their set.  I noticed that they were treated well by the staff.  Towels were brought for each member of the band – needed by the end of the first song – along with a glass of vodka (or similar type drink).

As for Brick & Mortar:  it reminds me of The Bootleg.  Brick & Mortar is a venue that seems to be located in a forgotten part of San Francisco’s night life.  The venue also has a high ceiling and a piano on stage (which on this night was used as a storage spot for a drum set).

Let’s take a moment to discuss Southwest

The most hilarious comments from a Southwest flight attendant:      

Comment 1:  Federal law prohibits tampering with the lavatories’ fire alarm and web cam.  She didn’t just say that?  No, there is not a web cam in the lavatories.

Comment 2:  There are 135 of you and 3 of us.  We’re out of ‘What do you have’ and ‘I don’t know’ drinks.

San Francisco Dispatch #2: The Lab

This series was meant for Intraffik.com, but I'm posting this series here.

I decided to check out an event in San Francisco where various musicians got 15 minutes to perform.  The venue was called The Lab.  I didn’t know what to expect other than it would be “art” music.  I was thinking it might be similar to a movie scene depicting modern music in Paris.  I had briefly checked out the venue’s website, but I didn’t have any time to click through the links for the artists.  I jumped onto the BART, got off at 16th St. Mission and walked a block to The Lab.

When I got to the door, I hesitated.  What sounded like a fire alarm was ringing inside and a small group was hanging outside.  Hmm.  No one seemed overly concerned about it, but for a second I thought that perhaps someone had accidentally set off the alarm and folks were just hanging outside until it got fixed as the noise was very irritating.

I noticed a guy inside who looked like a ticket guy.  Let’s do it, I thought.  I walked in hesitantly.  The guy looked up and nodded, “Come inside.”  Okay, so this high pitched alarm sound was related to this event.  The tickets were based on a sliding scale between $5 and $10.  I noticed that ear plugs were being made available.  Folks were gathered around part of the space so I walked on over.  An artist (Moe! Staiano) was running back and forth, turning on alarms and bells that created piercing sounds.  To end the show, he attempted to run around the crowd with saran wrap, but that didn’t work out as he hoped as he was having a difficult time getting the saran wrap separated from the roll.  He defaulted to running around the crowd with yellow warning tape. And when that ran out, he returned to the saran wrap, having better luck that time around.   And then he turned off the alarms.

Next up was a trio of young women (Weather White) playing foot pedals.  In the middle of their performance the ceiling lights flickered on and off.  This signaled that their set had run over the 15 minutes – my assumption.  One of the women cried out, “That was only 8 minutes.”  There was some brief confusion and awkward moments as the band attempted to find out if they were really supposed to end their 15 minute set.  A photographer called out, “This is very awkward.”  The woman who had cried out snapped back, “What do you mean awkward?”  She was taking her art very seriously.  The photographer tried to explain his perspective, “It is awkward for us and you, because your set is being cut short.”  Another band member randomly drifted off into the crowd in very slow motion, I was unsure of her intent as she seemed indecisive on rather to stay with her band mates or to disappear into the crowd.  One of the show organizers ran up and said, “My mistake.  I got the times mixed up.”  They closed out the set with one last song.

The next three sets highlighted a guy playing digital music (Wobbly), a gal playing with a mask on (Zeek Sheck) and two musicians with a synth and various strange contraptions (Pigs in the Ground).  I started to look around me at the crowd during these three sets.  A handful of folks were attempting to move to the beat.  I wasn’t exactly sure what the beat was.

Note:  I found a video of Pigs in the Ground’s set at The Lab.  There was the brief use of a trumpet that I don’t even remember hearing.  I have to admit there is this soothing brainwave sound to their music.

The last set of the night for me was a band with two saxophones and a drum set (Ettrick).  I was half thinking I would listen to some non-digital inspired music. I was wrong.  I’m not sure how they did it, but as they blew through the saxophones the most high pitch digital sounds blasted from the speakers. The drum set was used more for beating out cymbal anger then an attempt to create any rhythm.

I have to admit I was confused by the night, but I also have to say I kind of enjoyed the mess.

A non-music observation on BART before getting to The Lab:

I walked over to a BART station and put my Clipper card over the reader.  In front of me, the gates were open.  I couldn’t recall if the gates were already open before I swiped my Clipper card or if I had just missed seeing the doors open up.  I decided to just walk through.  When I got to the 16th Street Mission stop I swiped my Clipper card and a message showed up saying to see the attendant.  Great, the gates where I got on had been open before I swiped my card and I just hadn’t noticed.  Either I was going to get a steep fine or a harsh warning.  I was thinking worse case that I would get a $100 fine and so as I walked to the booth I planned out how to complain big time about that worthless BART gate. Well, I was just asked where I had come from and then he checked my history from the Clipper card.  The guy then just said in a bored voice that I owed $3.50.

Brief mention of the LA Music Scene:

As mentioned in my last post on San Francisco, I do get to come home to Los Angeles on the weekends.  So the next day after my night at The Lab, I headed off to SFO airport.  My original flight was delayed by an hour.  When I reached the gate area, I noticed that the flight before mine was also delayed and that it was going to leave in 30 minutes.  I walked up to the gate desk and asked if I could jump flights.  I got to LAX 30 minutes earlier than anticipated!

Okay, now to the LA music scene.  Scanning Facebook on my return to Los Angeles, I noticed a post from Eastern Conference Champions saying that they were playing a set at El Cid.  Oh yes, I was there!!!  I am so hooked on the LA music scene.

San Francisco Dispatch #1: NO

This series was meant for Intraffik.com, but I'm posting this series here.

My real job has taken me to the San Francisco area on a temporary basis (I fly back and forth between LAX and SFO on the weekends).  I spent my first week hanging around my hotel.  That wasn’t all that interesting so during my second week I ventured out to get a taste of the San Francisco music scene.  Now did I decide to check out a San Francisco band?  No.  Not only was the answer ‘no’, but the name of the band I saw was called NO.  I decided to check out the Los Angeles-based band called NO.

They were playing a show at the Rickshaw Stop.  Before heading to the Rickshaw Stop, I needed to do some pre-research on the BART system as I have no car here in the Bay area.  Though I admit I would rather have a car while in the San Francisco area the BART does provide decent transportation; however, it would be nice if the system ran later into the night.  I got to the Rickshaw Stop a little too early so spent some time walking around the area.  Just across the street a jazz program was going on in an auditorium and many folks were dressed to impress.

I then headed back to the Rickshaw Stop and noticed a sign on the wall:  Sold Out.  Not cool.  I stuck around the door.  After a few moments, one of the employees I had briefly talked to a few minutes earlier came by and said that there were actually ten tickets left at the counter.  Yes, cool.

While in line I got into a brief conversation with those who also wanted the last ten tickets.  Two guys in front of me were from South Africa.  A woman beside me noticed that I had a Duke jacket on and said, “I’m moving to North Carolina for school in a month.”  I responded, “Are you moving to RTP?”  For those of you not in the know RTP means Research Triangle Park.  “No, Asheville.”  I also learned that she grew up in Los Angeles.  Interesting connections there:  Los Angeles San Francisco North Carolina.

An interesting note:  none of us at the front of the line had ever been to the Rickshaw Stop.

My question to the door guy:  Do you allow cameras?

I did not bring a camera to the Rickshaw Stop.  I did not know their policy and if their policy was a no camera policy I would be in a bind as my mode of transportation was the BART.  One can’t exactly stash a camera back in one’s car when you have no car.  The response was a positive so I plan to bring a camera the next time I go to the Rickshaw Stop.

The doors opened at 9 pm, but NO -- the first band of the night -- did not go on until 10:30 pm.  This might be a cultural adjustment I need to make while in San Francisco – start time being the adjustment. I am making this assumption based on one venue on one night so we’ll see how that cultural assumption holds up.

Interesting notes about NO.

The DJ made the announcement:  We’d like to now welcome NO to the stage.

A couple of the band members stuck their heads out from the backstage and took a look at the stage.  I don’t know exactly what they were thinking, but I guess they assumed based on their vantage point that it wasn’t yet time for them to go on stage. They returned to the backstage.  After a couple minutes passed, the DJ made his way through the packed crowd and went into the back.  NO soon exited with sheepish looks on their faces.

It didn’t take long for NO to show why their under-stated stage presence is very commanding.  Here is my opinion:  there is so much meaning in just the simple hand movements of NO’s lead singer.

Interesting note about me.

I had a large smile during their set.  I also got misty eyed as I realized how my time in SF is going to force me to miss out on much of the Los Angeles music scene – though I do have the weekends.

Interest note about technology.

I’m a credit card guy.  So when I noticed they were taking credit cards I quickly put my money back in my pocket and took out my credit card.  They were accepting payments via Square, my first time interacting with this technology.  The door gal swiped my card.  I signed with my finger.  And a couple seconds later I got an unexpected text message saying that my credit card had just been charged.

And here is a non-music related observation:  What is the big learning I’ve taken away traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and San Francisco?  If you park in Lot C and fly out from Terminal 1 via Southwest or the other airlines using that terminal here is a “speed” suggestion if you don’t mind walking:  On a Friday night you can walk to Lot C and drive to Glendale, CA in about 1 hour.  This has been tested twice.  If you wait for the Lot C shuttle (tested once), it can take 1 hour just to get out of the LAX airport.  (The Lot C shuttle really slows down to a crawl around Terminal 3.)  A caveat is how much luggage you’re hauling around with you.  A backpack and a roller, not a problem.  If you have more than that, you’re going to need the shuttle.

DWNTWN at The Satellite

DWNTWN. Sometimes a band hits the stage and the first notes of their music turn you into a fan.  Yes, I saw this band once before at The Bootleg.  Let me say this, they've turned it up a few notches since then.

And that dress:  I love shooting runway shots and one of my favorite shots to take is when a dress is sent flying in just the perfect way.  DWNTWN has that one down.  Love it.

Sirah at The Satellite

Sirah. She hit the stage and you knew something special was about to happen.  Sirah is a ball of energy, interacting with the crowd until they fall under her spell.

Skin Town at The Satellite

Skin Town. Now who gives the middle finger, with just a touch of a smile, to the crowd listening to her set:  the lead singer of Skin Town.  A mix of R&B, New Age and Asian influences:  that seems to be Skin Town.  Maybe I should catch them again to come up with a better genre.  

A Movie Review: Inside Llewyn Davis

Inside Llewyn Davis. Llewyn is a struggling folk singer in New York.  He takes the occasional paying gig that helps him survive a little, but he mainly just lives by couch surfing.  This movie is a great love story to musicians who are trying to get that one big break.  How does it turn out?  You'll need to see the movie.

As for why the Oscars didn't nominate this movie for best picture:  glaring miss.

Movie Review: All is Lost

All is Lost. I didn't love this movie until perhaps a week after seeing it.  I just continued to think about how the main character methodically went through his mental list to survive his sinking ship.  Just amazing.

A Movie Review. August: Osage County

August: Osage County. Some of the story line is a little over the top.  How many family secrets can possibly come out in such a short period of time?  On the other hand, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep give performances to remember.  It is almost like watching two champion boxers going toe-to-toe.

A Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips. The pirates seem a bit naive when dealing with the US Navy, but never mind.  This movie has an intensity even if you know the ending.

If I had an Oscar vote . . .

It is that time of the year again: Oscar season. I looked at my Top 10 lists from the last two years and compared it to the Oscar nominees. Of the 17 Oscar nominated movies over the last two years, 9 of the nominated movies did not make my Top 10 list. And, of course, a number of movies I loved didn’t make the Oscar list. For example: Dark Knight Rises, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Like Crazy.

So I am going to say this: if I was able to cast an Oscar ballot for this year’s Best Picture nominees, this is my very unique list.

10. This is the End. A movie with a number of actors playing hyper-exaggerated versions of themselves might come across as an egotistical project. And perhaps it is; however, I found this to be the funniest movie of the year. This solid comedy deserves recognition.

9. Monsters University. These characters want to be scary, but they really aren’t. We just need to remind little children not to look under their beds, because you just never know if you’ll come across that one scary

8. All is Lost. I walked out of this movie thinking: it was okay, but definitely not a movie I’d consider for my Top 10 list. Then I just found myself thinking more and more about this movie and how Robert Redford’s character methodically and courageously goes through a checklist in an attempt to survive after his yacht is wrecked. I started to realize this movie had really impacted me and did deserve a place on my list.

7. Inside Llewyn Davis. This movie is a love story to the New York 1960s folk scene. As I was watching this movie, I couldn’t help but feel it could also be interpreted as a love story to the Echo Park/Silverlake music scene circa 2007-ish.

6. Saving Mr. Banks. The movie trailers are all about Walt Disney trying to convince the author of “Mary Poppins,” P.L. Travers, to let him turn her book into a movie. This movie is so much more then that. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, make sure you bring a few tissues.

5. Her. We’re off in the not too distant future. What first caught my eye wasn’t how wonderful this movie is, but the set design. The not too distant future has us returning back to the style from the 1950s. Interesting. What is more interesting is this quirky love story that in the back of your mind you know might someday become reality.

4. World War Z. How do I describe this movie? Take Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion and add steroids to the mix. In sports, steroids are a bad thing. For this movie, it makes the search for a cure of a worldwide epidemic so much more intense. Is this a scary movie? Not really. It is more of a thrill ride that takes you along as it attempts to find that cure.

3. Despicable Me 2. Minions. Girls growing up. Evilness in the world that needs to be conquered. Yes, this is my second cartoon on the list and the most deserving. How does one not love this movie!!!

2. American Hustle. Jennifer Lawrence is the comic relief in a very funny movie. Need I say more?

And my best picture award goes to . . .

1. 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.

I know I am ignoring many movies that are likely to get a nomination. Of some of the potential nominees, I saw 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, Dallas Buyer’s Club, Nebraska and Captain Phillips. If any of these movies make the cut, I won’t complain. I squirmed through much of 12 Years a Slave. I loved the movie Gravity up until the last five minutes where I was waiting for the soundtrack from 2001: A Space Odyssey to pop up. Dallas Buyer’s Club has great acting. Nebraska is quirky fun. Captain Phillips delves into inner courage.

I’ve read about a couple other possibilities out there that I haven’t seen yet: Before Midnight and Philomena.

A Movie Review: Nebraska

Nebraska. A quirky movie about an elderly man who believes he's won a million dollars.  It's a movie about family, but also explores how unearned wealth can cause the uglier side of individuals to come out.

A Movie Review. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. To me, this movie has two personalities. The first half of the movie is just plain boring as our two lead characters are taken from district to district, a victory tour. Then when we get to the games, the movie explodes into an exciting flick.

Money and sandwich bags

One of my quickly thought up New Year's resolutions was to properly use my money.

I was thinking about how to do that.

I am someone who nearly always brings a lunch to work.  I'm a sandwich guy.  Now this is an activity that already saves an individual money.  So how can I squeeze out a few more pennies of savings.  Hmm . . . I've decided to do something perhaps interesting, perhaps disgusting.

I am going to re-use my sandwich bags 2-3 times.  I will, of course, wash them before reuse.  Now one article I read on the topic broke down the costs of putting the bags in a dishwasher.  In this situation, it just didn't pan out financially.  I personally don't know why one can't simply hand wash the bags, using a touch of dish soap.  Honestly, it isn't like this is going to save me a lot of money.  Maybe $5 bucks a year -- cost of buying a new box of bags.  The touch of dish soap is minimal as this cleaning activity can just be combined with my normal washing of my dishes.

      

David & Olivia at Silverlake Lounge

David & Olivia. You know a set is going to be good when one of the band members is seen swaying to the random noises of the sound check.

Sam Outlaw at Silverlake Lounge

Sam Outlaw was beginning his set as I walked into Silverlake Lounge. The place was packed for this country set.  This included four gals dancing throughout the set at the very front of the stage.

A Movie Review: About Time

About Time. As a time travel movie, I think it falls apart the further along the movie goes.  Yet, it is such a sweet love story, you can't help but love it.

A Movie Review. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. This movie has its moments, especially the ending. So you can't say it stinks. It also isn't brilliantly funny throughout so you can't call it a classic. It is just one of those movies to watch for those funny moments that pop up every so often so you can have a good laugh.

A Movie Review. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. This is definitely a better movie that the first; however, why did I find myself feeling that I was just putting cash in a money bag for Peter Jackson and the studio?

The Americans at The Satellite

I always love checking out The Americans. There just is something about a stand-up bass, yes?

Cigarette Barbies at The Satellite

I saw the Cigarette Barbies and said to myself:  this band is one awesome opening band.  I say go catch this band.

New Year's Resolutions

As the new year started, I didn't even think about having any New Year's resolutions.

I figure I should have at least a few:

Make sure I properly use and invest my money.

Make sure I take a couple vacations in 2014 (of course, properly spend on my vacation and not over-spend).

And figure out how to convince the Intraffik editor to start posting more of my intraffik intended blogs.  LOL.

Top "New" Bands/Singer Songwriters I came across in 2013

In the past, I attempted to see a band twice before I put them on my annual list of my best discovered bands.  That unfortunately isn't the case this year.  I guess as I get older, I don't go out as much, which limits how many times I can see bands. Also, I spent time in San Francisco this year, which limited my interaction with the Los Angeles music scene.

 Anyways, here's my list. As always, may of these bands aren't new (if not all), but they were new to me.

 1. Bombay Show Pig. I saw this band at Culture Collide. They convinced me rather quickly that I needed to see them again. And since I don't fly off to The Netherlands on a monthly basis, I caught them the very next night at Harvard & Stone.

2. The Great Wilderness.  This was another band I saw at Culture Collide.  They're from Costa Rica and they'll rock you for 30 minutes.

3. The Lower 48.  I caught this band in San Francisco.  They're from Portland.  Are there any bad bands in Portland?  I always say this, because I haven't seen a single band from Portland that I didn't like.

4. Tropical Popsicle.  A recent catch at The Bootleg.  I've seen this band's name around, but I finally saw them in December.  Loved them.

5. PAPA.  They did a residency at The Bootleg.  They conquered.

6. Kita Klane.  Another Culture Collide catch.  Luckily, she's from Los Angeles and I'll get to see her again -- likely at Hotel Cafe.

7. South of France.  The final Culture Collide find that I'll list here -- yep, Culture Collide provided a treasure trove of awesome music.  Their music just carries you.

8. Crushed Out.  A two piece band with a drummer that is just too fascinating to watch.

9. Emily Kinney.  Hey, a Walking Dead star who sings beautifully.  I hope she doesn't die too soon on The Walking Dead.  Of course, if she does, maybe she'll do more shows in Los Angeles.  She's playing Hotel Cafe in a couple weeks from now.

10. Kan Wakan.  They have one song that will have you crying for joy, because that is the reason why humanity created music.

Here's to 2014

Hopefully, those who come across this, have a wonderful 2014.