The Mynabirds and Elle Belle at The Satellite

Let's call it a night of magic.  The Mynabirds (Laura Burhenn -- photo to left) hit the stage and her first song had the crowd's attention.  She has that alto vocal nailed.  And it's a touch raspy, yeah.  The place was packed.  In fact, there was a minor disagreement going on beside me.  A couple attempted to get up front.  They got a tap on the shoulder regarding line of vision interference.  Laura Burhenn came to Los Angeles from Omaha, Nebraska.  Their loss. I wonder if she's ever run into Warren Buffett.  

Elle Belle opened up the night.  The lead singer was having a fun time making quips.

Quip #1 (turning to his keyboardist):  You forgot your tambourine?  Oh well, I guess this is a night of forgiveness.

Hmm, I wonder what sort of forgiveness was required earlier in the night.

Quip #2 (talking about a guest singer that had come on stage):  You can look her up on wikipedia to learn more about her . . . that's a lame joke.

Their music takes a frenzied turn as the lead singer shows his passion for their sound.

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Hunny and Mount Saint at Chinatown LA

It was off to celebrate the Chinese New Year's at Chinatown Los Angeles.  This meant catching Hunny and Mount Saint.  Hunny had the young girls cramming the front of the stage.  Their earnest rhythms got one girl feeding the lead singer orange slices.  After their set, I think every girl there got a photo with various band members.  Mount Saint was the main reason I headed down to Chinatown.  I saw them previously at the Bootleg HiFi.  There really is something just mystical in their sound.  Enchanting.  I will admit I found myself at times counting how many times lead singer Brittany tapped her right foot before bringing down the left.

Footnote:  instead of dealing with the traffic, I went with the metro Gold Line.  Of course, I drove to the Gold Line.  Part of me was thinking, "I'm really not doing anything for the environment.  All I'm doing is saving myself the hassle of having to find parking in Chinatown."  Oh well.

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The 9th Annual Dre Day at Dragonfly

I missed last year's Pu$$y Cow (photo to the left) hosted Dre Day.  I had a serious cold at the time.  There was no missing this one.  It was a fun time starting from the moment I got to the club.  The door guy was very friendly.  Then I went inside to pay the entrance fee to the ticket guy.  A third guy was working the event and as I turned to head inside the Dragonfly, he blocked my way.  He kept nodding his head towards the ticket guy.  I was wondering if I was supposed to get a hand stamp or wrist band.  I turned to the ticket guy, but he didn't seem to know what was going on either.  So I turned back to the third guy and he kept nodding his head towards the ticket guy.  Finally, frustrated with me, he said, "You said you wanted to buy a ticket and so what do you do next?"  I was in total confusion.  Was it customary to say "Thank you" at the Dragonfly?  ". . . you are supposed to give him $10."  I looked at him, thinking, "What?"  The ticket guy responded, "He already gave me the money."  The third guy said, "Oh, I didn't see that."  The ticket guy responded, "He was on top of things."  We shared a laugh.

Now I have to admit that ever since the Blue Star shut down that my music venue choices have basically been reduced to The Satellite, Silverlake Lounge and Bootleg HiFi.  So what was so great about Dre Day wasn't just the celebration, but catching bands that I haven't come across.

The first thing I noticed was the hyper-energy emanating from the bands.  Be it Jen from Payoff
playing that guitar from every possible bodily angle or Patrick from Lysolgang leaping to the ceiling or Pu$$y Cow throwing a party celebration and let's not forget Johnny Madcap and The Distractions keeping the crowd going in a post-midnight nightcap.  (I'm not saying you don't see similar hyper-energy sets at my recent favorite venues, but I say there is a 50-50 chance you'll see a more laid back approach.)  

Is it appropriate to say that Jen has Gwen Stefani vibes?  Lysolgang was by far the most fun for this photographer.  As for Pu$$y Cow, I've been very derelict.  How can one go close to 2 years without seeing a favorite KorK band?  Excuses aren't relevant.  They left a lovely mess on the Dragonfly floor.  Johnny Madcap and The Distractions ripped down with passion a sheet that revealed a marijuana leaf in front of the American flag.

Noticed:  all four bands had female guests musicians.

Brief encounters.  I was approached by one young woman (speculation being that she'd gotten in via a fake I.D.) who insisted that I keep photographing the bands.  Hey, I took over 300 photos :-).  I had a brief conversation with someone who was embarrassed by the fact that she had gone to the wrong bar and that all her friends were elsewhere.  Hmm.  She wasn't leaving, so she must have been enjoying herself.      


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A Movie Review: Holiday (1938)

Holiday.  Johnny Case is off to meet his soon to be fiance, Julia Seton, at her family house.  They only recently met and decided to rush to the wedding alter.  The two of them plan to tell her father that they're getting married.  Johnny is in for one big surprise.  He doesn't realize that Julia Seton's father is a major Wall Street titan.  Johnny himself works for a Wall Street firm, but is much lower down the ranks.  While at the house, we also meet up with Julia's siblings, Linda and Ned.  Julia's father is skeptical of the marriage, but gives his blessing once he realizes that Johnny is a hard working young man and a perfect fit for his firm.  A problem arises.  A deal Johnny is working on makes it big, meaning that Johnny is about to become semi-wealthy.  That might not seem like a problem; however, Johnny's goal in life was to work hard, make a nice nest egg and then go on a long personal holiday to find himself.  Once he reveals this desire, it doesn't sit well with Julia nor her father.  On the other hand, Julia's sister Linda finds this very intriguing.  It doesn't take long for one to realize that Johnny and Linda are a far better matched than Johnny and Julia.

I started watching this 1938 film and within minutes I came to the conclusion that The Family Stone (a 2005 movie) is simply a remake of Holiday.  I did a quick Internet search and I'm not sure if any critics mentioned this fact.  In Holiday, we have Julia Seton (Doris Nolan) who wants a life of luxury and wishes to marry a Wall Street titan.  In The Family Stone, we have Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), a business woman -- okay, I admit that one wants to marry stability while another is a business woman, but we're also talking 1938 vs 2005.  In Holiday, we have Julia's sister, Linda Seton (Katharine Hepburn).  She wants adventure.  In The Family Stone, we have Meredith's sister, Julie Morton (Claire Danes), who enjoys seeing the unique side of life.  In Holiday, we have Johnny Case (Cary Grant), a business man who wants to make the big deal so that he can spend time finding himself.  In The Family Stone, we have Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) who is a button down corporate type who dreams of living a more carefree life.  Both movies take place over the holidays.  Both movies involve meeting one set of parent(s). Both movies essentially end with the same results.

The question is:  which is the better movie?  Holiday by far.  I enjoyed The Family Stone; however, I did have some problems with the movie.  I thought the Meredith Morton character was not well defined.  I also had a problem with the sibling swapping.  In Holiday, there is a similar swap, but The Family Stone takes it a step further and in Holiday we understand that Johnny and Julia decided to get engaged within days of meeting.  The fact that Johnny might find more in common with the sister doesn't feel like a stretch.  As I mentioned when reviewing The Family Stone, it does have one huge plus, which is whenever Claire Danes comes on screen.  Holiday on the other hand has plenty of laughs.  The characters are all well defined.  And there are some wonderful moments in the playroom.

Noticed:  there is a Nazi salute given.  One article I read states that the salute indicates an anti-wealth opinion.  Of course, I couldn't help notice that the couple that receives the salute has a vague  resemblance to Hitler and Eva Braun.  So I wonder if this was a pre-WWII anti-Nazi protest.  

Kid Cadaver/Waterbed/Scavenger Hunt at Bootleg HiFi

It was a fun night at Bootleg HiFi.  Kid Cadaver hit the stage first with a slew of fans in the audience.  Their electronic beats immediate hook you.  The drummer is amazingly fun to watch, his hair flies to the beat of his drums.  This was San Fernando Valley's night.  On their Facebook page, Kid Cadaver claims San Fernando Valley as their hometown.  The next band up, Waterbed came in from Tarzana.  Their music reminded me of a pleasant child's dream.  Towards the end of their set, I noticed lead singer Cat switching shoes.  I was thinking, why is she doing that?  Well, she was putting on tap shoes to do a little tap dancing.  The residency band for the month of February is Scavenger Hunt (photo to the left).  I learned another useful function of duct tape while the band was setting up for their set.  A roll of duct tape is of the circular dimensions to fit a cup of beer most perfectly.  On to the music, Scavenger Hunt just wants you to enjoy life.  If one is feeling glum, one only has to listen to Scavenger Hunt and a smile will cross those lips.

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A Movie Review: Ivanhoe

This movie revolves around the struggles of returning King Richard to the throne of England.  King Richard is being held captive in Austria.  His brother Prince John refuses to pay the ransom.  Prince John goes even further.  He does not inform anyone of this demand and instead uses the moment as an attempt to seize the throne.  Meanwhile, the movie focuses in on Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) who is in search of King Richard.  He locates him in Austria and learns that a ransom needs to be paid.  He returns to England, working with Locksley/Robin Hood (Harold Warrender) and Issac/a Jewish banker (Felix Aylmer) to put roadblocks in the way of Prince John and to raise the necessary ransom.

I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid and just loving it.  And this time around, I just found it a bit boring.  I guess when I was young, I was drawn in by the gallant Ivanhoe, protecting and being protected by beautiful women who both loved him.  Now I see it and I can't believe that Ivanhoe would choose  Rowena (Joan Fontaine) over Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor).  Come on, Joan Fontaine over a young Elizabeth Taylor?

And the boring part?  The movie just seems to revolve around Ivanhoe being moved from one location to another.  He is wounded in a joust tournament.  He is carted off where he is put under the care of Rebecca.  Prince John's men come to the conclusion that Ivanhoe is up to something.  Ivanhoe's allies learn of this plot and take him into the woods.  When his father is captured, he surrenders himself.  Okay, all very gallant of him, but I found it boring.  

And then there are just too many silly or unlikely moments in the movie.  For example, Ivanhoe just randomly stops right under the window of King Richard's jail cells.  Or, Ivanhoe is able to attend a court proceeding when many of his sworn enemies are also in the court and no one recognizes him until he official makes his presence known.  (Admittedly, the sword fights and various battle scenes look laughable, but that is a special effects situation.)

The movie does attempt to make a progressive argument as it addresses the outcast status of Jews in England, which I suppose could be seen as addresses social issues in America.



 

Little Dove/Town in the City/Young Creatures at Silverlake Lounge

Little Dove (see picture to left) is a two piece band that had me thinking Pat Benatar.  I love the contraption that the drummer uses that I'm rather sure he constructed himself.  After the rock guitar rhythms of Little Dove, on came Town in the City.  With their violinist, I couldn't help but think early Local Natives when they had a violinist.  I just loved the harmonies of this band.  Young Creatures has this casual and yet earnest sound with lyrics that makes you ponder.


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Hearty Har/Banta at The Satellite

Hearty Har.  At times, this band reminded me of a Kiss or Kill Club band called The New Fidelity.  Hearty Har has a 60s/70s sound.  They do mix it up.  Sometimes hitting the psychedelic.  Other times, going with the folk.  You won't get bored as this band travels of gamut of music genres.

My amusing notice (or what I consider amusing):  So they have 2 guitarist and a bassist.  The 2 guitarist have large pedal boards.  I was half wondering if they used all the various pedals.  Then you have the bassist who had only two pedals.

Banta.  This band drives off the wonderful vocals of Sharaya Mikael.  Their music also creates this urge to dance -- not in a club style, but one where you're having fun with your friends out on the beach.

Notice:  They had a friend using an old school overhead light projector.  On the base, two glass plates were placed atop the base.  Different liquid colors were squirted into the two glasses, which made for some mood images across the stage wall.

    

  



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A Movie Review: Philomena

Philomena. Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) has just been fired from his Labour Party job in the UK.  He's depressed and is considering writing a book on Russian history.  He goes to a party where a young waitress approaches him, Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin).  Jane's mother, Philomena (Judi Dench), has just revealed some information to her.  As a young teen (1951), Philomena got pregnant.  She was sent to Sean Ross Abbey in Ireland where she had her child.  The child named Anthony was then given up for adoption to a wealthy American couple.  Jane asks if Martin will assist in tracking down Anthony.

Martin initially declines, but then has a change of heart.  Philomena and Martin being digging into the whereabouts of Anthony.  The nuns at the Abbey are not very helpful, but then via some fortunate luck they are led in the direction of America.

This is based on true life events.  As in all true life events movies, it is always helpful to read up on the accuracy of the film, which one can do via this link. Over-all, this is an unfortunate story told in a compelling way.  Steve Coogan as the somewhat arrogant, focus driven journalist and Judi Dench as the unsophisticated mother give wonderful performances.  The movie doesn't spare any punches towards the Irish Catholic church though at least via the link the modern Sean Ross Abbey isn't portrayed properly.

For a movie that deals with tension, I will admit there isn't much tension to the movie.  Yes, there is supposed to be an emotional wallop that hits, but to me all the potential outcomes are already played out via Philomena's concerns.  And you already know that they'll eventually locate Anthony, because why else would you make a movie about this topic if there wasn't a payoff of sorts.  Even with that complaint, it is still well worth watching this movie.