The Hundred Days, Bathroom Murders and The Mulhollands @ Club Moscow

It was an interesting night at Club Moscow with a nice variety of musical styles. Nearly everyone should have seen a band that met their musical style.

First up was The Hundred Days. They hail from San Francisco. I’m betting they could fit in just great at Spaceland. Interestingly, they started to play just as people were being allowed inside. When they started to play, there actually might have been more people waiting in line than those inside the venue. Sorry, but Club Moscow should have opened the doors five minutes earlier or given The Hundred Days a slightly delayed start time. Too bad more folks didn't get to see them.





The next band up was Bathroom Murders. They had a huge sign that they hoisted above the stage. I have to say that initially I had no clue what it said. I couldn’t read it, honestly. It said, “Bathroom Murders,” but for the life of me I wouldn’t have known that except for the fact that they mentioned their band name. (This may be a sign that I'm getting old.) They could probably fit in perfectly at a club attended by various Hollywood starlets. Their set was fun and they pumped up the audience. I loved the fact that they had a song called “Freaks Come Out At Night.” I say this band is like Michael Buffer (“Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” fame), pumping you up for thirty minutes of mad dancing.









My final band of the night was The Mulhollands. They had some technical problems that made watching their set-up amusing. Sarah Jeanette was trying to get the microphones set-up. The wires weren’t reaching across the stage. Jeff on bass was having issues plugging into the right socket. And then when they started their set, their new guitarist, Taylor, had wire/pedal board problems. These are the occasional problems that one hits when being in a band. It doesn’t matter, of course, to me. I thought they were awesome. A number of their friends were up close to the stage. Sarah Jeanette was looking rather sophisticated. Murray on guitar was playing rather dramatically. And The Mulhollands' sound: sweet vocals backed up by a pop-rock sound.











I am always amazed by how quickly bands at Club Moscow switch in and out. If you took a stopwatch out, I'm betting the switchover is quicker at Club Moscow than any other music venue.

A Movie Review: Youth in Revolt

"Youth in Revolt." I must say I found this movie a bit dull. Recent teen movies I've seen (and perhaps it is because these are the only teen-type movies I will see) have this more-sophisticated-than-I-was-when-I-was-a-teen feel to them. This one is no different when within ten minutes the two teen lovers are talking above the heads of probably many of the folks who are watching the movie. I do love these types of movies, but in this case the whole thing got on my nerves -- maybe I've just seen one too many of these types of movies recently.

Anyways, the whole plot line with our lead male (Michael Cera) going to extremes to unite with the girl of his dreams (Portia Doubleday) is stupid. I just felt it when on and on and on with him doing the dumbest most parent-disrespectful actions. This is one of those few movies where you actually have to say the parents are more likable than the teenager.

We Barbarians and Union Line @ Bootleg Theatre

I caught We Barbarians and Union Line at the Bootleg Theatre this past Tuesday. I’ve wanted to catch Union Line for awhile. I noticed in the past that they were occasionally on the same schedule as Local Natives. I just wasn’t ever able to go on those specific nights. Well, Tuesday was the night I finally got to see Union Line.

First off I caught We Barbarians.

Comment from the lead singer: We have a new LP out. Not many people know it is out according to the iTunes sales. Hopefully, that will change after tonight.

Observation: There were times when I thought that two of the band members were close to knocking heads.

Next up was Union Line.

Much like Local Natives, there was a bunch of switching around on various musical instruments.

There was a lone cymbal out there that eventually got some love.

Comment: Someone say something!!!

Last song of the night was called “Pearls.” This would appear to be the fan favorite. As they were about to play their last song, the band teased, “We’re not playing ‘Pearls’ tonight.” There was an audience cry, but as soon as they started playing it there were screams of delight.

It seemed like an OC girls night out.

We Barbarians Photos:







Union Line Photos:

Forest Lawn Glendale: Museum

Forest Lawn - Glendale. I headed off to Forest Lawn - Glendale recently. I've lived near Forest Lawn for five years and never entered the grounds. I decided to break that streak and visit the museum.

Below are some pictures of the grounds.











The below is where "The Crucifixion" is seen. No photos of "The Crucifixion" since that isn't allowed, but let me tell you it is something to see. A massive painting.



Photos in the museum were allowed so here are some photos of Christmas Windows.





Oh, and a photo of an Easter Island statute -- small scale, of course.




And one thing I did not know, theft of flowers at a cemetery can send you off to jail.

A Movie Review: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Saw a movie on DVD recently called "Breif Interviews with Hideous Men." The basic plot of the movie is about a young lady named Sara Quinn who is working on her graduate thesis. She is interviewing men regarding how feminism has impacted them – at least, I believe this is the direction her questions take (the ending of the movie implies that she could potentially have taken a different direction). She interviews various men, which is then juxtaposed with her own life. The interviews were interesting. There was an interview with an African-American man who had distanced himself from his father. He was obviously a successful man while his father had worked as an attendant in a high end hotel men’s bathroom. The man was disgusted that his father made a living doing that sort of work, but he also realized that his father had made sure his children grew up with opportunities. Many of the other interviews dealt with relationships men had with women.

I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy the movie very much. First, the silly complaint, in my opinion, there were too many characters, some who looked very similar to each other. This sometimes caused some confusion regarding the plot line. I wasn’t the only one feeling this way as at least one other person who saw this movie that night had the same impression. Second, the movie looks for the raw base hideous human motives, but I’m not sure that this is really what drives us. Yes, we all have these hideous desires, but I think we human beings (less serial killers and such) are more complex than just these base desires.

Updated February 2nd: I discovered that this movie doesn't street until March. This must have been a pirated/stolen copy. It wasn't a screener. I feel a bit dirty at the moment.

The Ignorant and Pu$$y Cow at Juanita's

This is one of those nights I wish I could have shown up earlier and stayed later, but I was feeling rather ill. Anyhow, it was a must attend, because it was Pu$$y Cow's double CD release party.

I have to admit I wasn't even planning on seeing The Ignorant. I atttempted to time my arrival so I'd just catch Pu$$y Cow and then hopefully head straight home. Thinking about it now (when at the moment I'm feeling better, though not well) I'm happy I caught their set.





The main event was Pu$$y Cow, of course. They had about a four song set list and then allowed their friends to shout out song suggestions. As always, they had an all-girl mosh pit going. For one song, the lead singer from Bobot Adrenaline took over the lead singer role.

I have to admit I struggled to stick around towards the end. I could feel my fever spiking. All worth it though. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the night.

Resonant Heads and Silver Needle @ El Cid

I headed off to El Cid for a Rob Z night. First up for the night were the The Resonant Heads.

Next up was Silver Needle.

It was a night of Kiss or Kill bands. There might not be many who come across this blog who have heard of Kiss or Kill. It was a weekly club that featured three bands a night. Many of the people who went to this club have formed friendships.

It was a nice night. I had to leave before the final band of the night as I was feeling a bit under the weather. Oh well.

Photo of Resonant Heads.



A couple Silver Needle shots.






Rob Z always has the coolest theme decorations.

Aushua @ Silverlake Lounge

I saw Aushua briefly at Spaceland back during Local Natives residency. I decided I’d check out a full set at Silverlake Lounge.

Observation: I’ll go right to the end. The lead singer thanked the audience and then gave us all a nice round of clapping.

Comments: “Anyone else want to take a deep breath?” “Is there anyone in love with me at the moment? Can they get me a water?” Someone did eventually bring up a water bottle. I believe I heard the lead singer say it was his sister. Of course, I’m not sure he actually drank any water.

Quote: Today is powerless against a reckless thought.

I wanted to stick around for the residency band, The Steelwells, but the night seemed to have started a bit late with Aushua not going on stage till 10:45-ish. Yes, sounds a bit early for the music crowd, but The Steelwells didn’t look like they would go on until closer to midnight so I had to call it in for myself. Totally worth the trek; however, to check out Aushua.

Fall 2009 Movie Rankings

Best of the Bunch

Zombieland
Up In The Air
The Princess and the Fox
Blind Side
Pirate Radio
The Road
Whip It!

Not Fabulous, but worthwhile

Fantastic Mr. Fox
An Education
Avatar
Where the Wild Things Are
Sherlock Holmes
It's Complicated
Jennifer’s Body
9
Capitalism: A Love Story
Invictus
2012

I have to say that of the movies I saw, there were none that I just despised. Even Capitalism: A Love Story, which I think it totally bias, is still worth seeing.

A Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

"Sherlock Holmes." This is a nice spin on Sherlock Holmes. I didn't think it was the best movie in the world, but worth a watch. A friend of mine mentioned that he likes Sherlock Holmes (in general), because of the logic used. The movie does put an emphasis on this. I don't really have much to say about this movie so I guess I just view this as a popcorn, fun, non-controversial movie.

Eastern Confernce Champions, Asa Ransom and Hockey at Spaceland

I headed off to Spaceland on Saturday night. My friend had an extra ticket so I took it.

First band of the night was Eastern Conference Champions. It was like a religious experience. Okay, that's probably going too far; however, from the very start I was blown away. I've always wanted to catch them and I'm so happy I finally got to see them.







Next band up was Asa Ransom. They're from New York. As can be seen in the below pictures, they have this 20's look. They're also just a fun band to watch.










The final band of the night was Hockey. This band was the main act and at this point the place was just packed. It was song after song of pure brilliance and their fans ate it up.












And so I was there all by myself. Yes, strange, my friend never showed up. Oh well, it was worth it.

A Movie Review: It's Complicated

"It's Complicated."

I was expecting more from a Meryl Streep movie.

Here's my major problem: I thought Jake (Alec Baldwin) was just a ham. I just didn't understand how someone would want to marry (or get back together with) a guy like that. Okay, the first five minutes portrayed him in a positive light, but after that I thought he was just a ham.

A lovely, attractive family.

This is a movie about the top 1 or 2 percent of the income bracket. The house was huge. They were in Santa Barbara. That house has to be in the multi-million range.

This movie isn't awful, it is just there. A movie likely to be considered one of the weaker Meryl Streep movies.

A Movie Review: Princess and the Frog

"The Princess and the Frog."

This is a lovely movie. Here's my quick basic outline: Time frame around War World I. A young lady (Tiana) is brought up dreaming of having a middle class life. She believes you get there by hard work. Via her hard work, she is very close to having enough money to start her dream restaurant. This is where life goes a bit topsy-turvy. A young prince (Prince Naveen) has been turned into a frog by an evil voodoo man (Dr. Facilier). Prince Naveen (as a frog) convinces Tiana to give him a kiss. Bad move, she also turns into a frog. Off they must go to find a good voodoo woman (Mama Odie). Along the way they run into an alligator (Louis) and a firefly (Ray) who decide to take up their cause. They are directed to head back to the city, because Prince Naveen needs to kiss a Princess (Charlotte, Tiana's friend who is New Orlean's princess for the night.)

Here's my thoughts:

I love how this movie deals with the color scheme for the daytime and the nighttime. Skin colors change. Clothing color change. Maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than I should.

I love how even the spoiled child (Charlotte) was treated in a good light. She definitely isn't the normal evil spoiled child. She is still a true friend to Tiana even though they're obviously in different social classes.

I thought the end game for Dr. Facilier was a bit scary -- not for me, but for kids under the age of 7. If I saw his death at that age, I'd have nightmares.

It sounded like most of the audience clapped at the end of the movie. Well deserved.