RES Screening (February 28, 2006)
Photo:
RES invites you to our monthly series showcasing brand new music videos, short films and motion graphics. Featuring new short films from Pleix, Tronic and Jonnie Ross as well as new music videos including Death Cab for Cutie, Colder, The Go! Team and much more, including the famous RES raffle. After-party with DJ Kiino Villand and special guests.
Tuesday, February 28, 8:00 p.m.
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
$10
last night was fun as i hopped around which is the best thing in the world to do. in los angeles it's kinda difficult unless you're sticking to one particular location and can walk around a bit (hollywood strip, silverlake digs, cauhenga crawl). Or if you find a good designated driver. honestly, i'm ALL in favor of a rail system. but that's another picture to paint.
I started off the night at El Chavo with my new Real World pallies for the weekend. Since Monday is a holiday, I decided to travel and spend some time out of the city. I need to take a break to catch my breath and get some things in order in my life (why does that always involve tequila) so I'm traveling to Mexico for a few days. I'm staying in a house with 15 other people and it's going to be....insane. One BIG house on the beach complete with dirtbikes, kayaks, turntables, bonfires who knows what will go down. Another picture for later.
So I met up with some of the R.W. gang at El Chavo which is a cute little Mexican joint in Silverlake (Sunset and Virgil). The drinks were good, food a-plenty and the coolest guy was playing some sort of Mexican harp (pardon my ignorance!). I would go back for sure, it's a great spot that's not cheesy like Spanish Kitchen or El Cholo. I met a few friends next door at the Tiki Bar which is insanely cute. Not to be confused with the "Tiki Room" at DisneyLand. Very small and Tiki-themed everything. Go here!!!!
After this was Loggia which is a part of the Highlands. It's an amazing spot on the 5th Floor at Hollywood and Highland. It overlooks Hollywood Blvd and is generally a good place to go and kick it. Coming up the escalator I saw Danny Masterson with a few friends, he was wearing cool glasses and on his way out of the joint. We stayed at Loggia for a drink or two, which is generally all one can take before the crowd gets slightly mundane. That's all I've got!
Last night the girls and I went out for V-Day. We started at Citizen Smith, a new restaurant and bar that opened on the northeast corner of Cauhenga and Selma. It's amazing that they've fit another bar on the "crawl" but I'm glad it's there - it adds a touch of class to an otherwise mundane strip of Hollywood nightlife. The space is beautiful with hardwood paneling and interesting textures throughout. To my *glee* they use the same chairs at the bar that the Roosevelt has- the coziest ones I've ever sat in. There's also a spacious patio that puts Velvet Margarita's to shame. I would recommend this place for an evening of nice cocktails and catching up with friends. 
We then hit up Cinespace to see Wolfmother perform. I've never been a huge fan of Rush so I was a little skeptical. But their talent married with stage presence (read - ENERGY) was over the top and everyone was floored. These guys are so talented and dedicated - read the bio on their website. The cultural implications of whether they will take off is another story but I think a certain revolutionary vibe of resistance and expression is coming back in a big way. Cinespace Tuesdays is turning into a Hollywood nightmare. Which once was a fun indie party is now a crazed and over-publicized event. I imagine it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Last night was a whirlwind of drinking at Nirvana in Beverly Hills (www.nirvanabeverlyhills.com/). A few of us went for after work drinks and stuck around for a few hours, until there was hardly anyone left. I don't know when red became the standard color for a small bar but this one took full advantage with red paneling, velvety pillows and silk sheets wrapping around cliched beds serving as couches. They have a good martini list and the drinks are reasonably sized for the price. They use the plastic (!) larger ones that are more difficult to spill in a crowded bar (good thinking - this place is tiny). I had an amazing pineapple, ginger, and vodka infusion that was yummy. 
The next stop was Canter's where I enjoyed my favorite martini, the slightly dirtier version straight-up. Canters serves martinis my favorite way, in a smaller glass with a sidecar of vodka. For those who haven't been Canters is a Jewish diner in Fairfax Village - it's really large, down to earth, and the food is actually decent (vegan friendly - yay!). There's a *tiny* bar on the side called The Kibitz Room where one can hide and catch live music virtually unoticed. Speaking of being noticed, we couldn't help but pick out Seth and Summer from the OC having a late dinner. Seth walked by and we looked right at each other, but I couldn't quite place where he was from. My first thought was "how old is that guy, because his skin is super young but he seems to have an older demeanor" (yes, welcome to hollywood). It wasn't until my friend made a loud'ish remark that apparently offended Summer - they got up from the table next to us and moved elsewhere.
Tonight in LA - in an attempt to broaden my (drinking) horizons I'm heading to Vine Bar to check the scene. I haven't been to this one yet and it's not so far from my 'hood, so who knows it may be fun. Oh and what's up with Cha Cha, that place has blown up! I go there often and have already missed the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Trent from Pink Blog. I hope it doesn't get any more attention, it's perfect the way it is right now. Good, relatively cheap drinks, good music (though sans jukebox) and an interesting mix of people. 
Saturday night I'm working at KCRW on "Brave New World" but there are some good things going on I would've gone to otherwise. For instance, Create Fixate (http://www.createfixate.com/feb06/feb06.html) and "McSweeney's Presents" at RedCat (http://redcat.org/season/0506/mus/mcsweeney.php).
"McSweeney’s Presents:
The World, Explained
U.S. premiere
Are you curious about Teddy Roosevelt’s obsession with Sasquatch, or the exciting trend of multi-user garmentry? Learn about these vital topics and more when publishing phenomenon McSweeney’s stages an evening of readings, comedy and slide-show presentations. Primary sources consist of charts, photographs and a complete catalogue of the nine presidents who had hooks for hands.
Scholars in attendance include: John Hodgman, David Rees, Mike Colton, the editorial staff of Yeti Researcher, and Eli Horowitz.
Hosted by Patton Oswalt plus musical entertainment by Jon Brion."
"Unlike "Buy a Bear a Beer" Day in Montana, this city-sponsored vaginal rejuvenation surgery includes, but is not limited to,
* Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz from Jindalee and a port from Benjamin
* Ask-no-wine-questions, tell-no-wine-lies April & Sara's "Infinite Refills of Geelong" program
* Bread, cheese, and fruit courtesy of Gelson's
* More songs about incompetent midwives spun by activist-prankster Reverend Roy Lee Gittens
* Non-tedious vinformation vinsanity via the two-13 intrazed by ripeness technician Julian Davies
* Floral and hardship by archeo-ethno-pharmacologist Liz Garo
* Aztecan hip flasks & DNA-rich celebrity socks for multiple-choice wine questions answered with arm, hammer, or sickle
* The whole life-affirming lot for the beer-bellied cryster price of 20 dollars U."
-----------------------------------------------
Bread cheese and fruit courtesy of Gelson's! I'm THERE! Has anyone been to one of these? Clearly, the emphasis is on drinking loads of wine and getting randy rather than swirling, sniffing, and sipping. I have to admit I'm a little frightened by this event. Anything named "vaginal rejuvination surgery..."? No amount of wine and cheese from Gelsons will make me find any humor in that, no matter how coyly put. Whatever happened to the feminine mystique? And sadly enough, speaking of...(see recent post above)
Friday night I traveled downtown to the Natural History Museum for the opening of Sonic Scenery. It was neat but I'm not sure if the $10 for the musical narrative was worth it. It was nice to listen on my own iPod rather than a rental, but I feel that they should have opened up more rooms for the exhibit allowing the music to breathe a bit more. The two main rooms were Dioramas featuring animals in their natural environments from Africa and America (not to be confused with the new Dior calfskin iPod holder) .
The performances were very good particularly Matmos (there's nothing like seeing groups of indie kids with headphones on spacing out in a museum to a live performance by Matmos). I would give the exhibition itself 45 minutes at the most. Which was perfect because next up was a stop at the Mountain Bar in Chinatown. This bar is small, dark, comfy, and clean - perfect! Not so crowded and the drinks are affordable. This guy ordered a dirty martini and it looked like a little glass of (dirty) heaven. The bartenders are supercute and nice and the music was good. I'll be heading here much more often. On my way out we walked past Firecracker which was going OFF. A DJ was set up in the street and people were out there dancing despite the chilly weather. Saturday I traveled back to Chinatown for the New Years parade. Bought some of that good Chinese green tea for 3.25 (100 bags). The market I found it in had all different kinds of ginseng. I'll need to do some research on the effects of different kinds of root now that I know where to find it. 
Saturday night was a music video shoot for the new Charletans single set to drop in early April. The party was at Little Radio downtown on Long Beach Blvd. For the longest time I thought they were actually in Long Beach, it's good to know they're not so far away. :-) Tonight is a party for KCRW staffers at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. Liza, Jason, and Raul will be spinning so it should be fun. I'm a little tired from weekend craziness so who knows if I'll wind up going. peace for now...
"Listen up! The Natural History Museum invites you to bring your iPod to the opening of Sonic Scenery and be among the first to experience our new audio exhibit of gallery soundtracks. Don your headphones and wander the Museum after hours listening to new collections-inspired compositions by The Sun Ra Arkestra, Ozomatli, Autolux, Nels Cline, Matmos, Jon Hassell, Nobody, Stephen Hartke, Languis, and David J. Pause and plug in to musicians and DJs performing "silent sets" heard only by headphone. At 8pm, join Sonic Scenery artist Jon Hassell, Dublab founder Mark "frosty" McNeill, KCRWs Edward Goldman, and moderator Hope Tschopik Schneider in a discussion of the future of sound in space. After your tour, relax in the Museum's Grand Foyer as Reef Project (AKA Thee-O) spins an iPod DJ set spanning the history of ambient music from Erik Satie to Brian Eno."
I love how in an attempt to make the venue (or *ahem* NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM) hip they're calling it the NHM. All snidery aside it looks like a great event. I have my iPod but forgot to bring a cable with me to work. I'd much rather pay $10 for a podcast I'll never listen to again to be able to listen to it with my own gear than $3 rentals. Looking forward.
Saturday April 29th:
Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, Common, Damian Marley, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, My Morning Jacket, Ladytron , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tosca, Cat Power, Animal Collective, HARD-fi, Derrick Carter, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, The Juan Maclean, Audio Bullys, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, The Duke Spirit, Editors, stellastarr, Lyrics Born, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Zutons, Platinum Piped Pipers, White Rose Movement, Chris Liberator, Colette, Imogen Heap, Joey Beltram, Hybrid, Wolfmother, The Like, Living Things, Nine Black Alps, The Section Quartet, Infadels, Youth Group, Shy FX & T Power, Infusion.
Sunday April 30th:
Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Matisyahu, TV on the Radio, Sleater-Kinne , Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley, Coldcut, Phoenix, Digable Planets, Amadou & Mariam, Little Louie Vega, Mylo (DJ Set), Seu Jorge, Wolf Parade, The Go! Team, Kaskade, Metric, Art Brut, Dungen, The Dears, Jamie Lidell, The Magic Numbers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jazzanova, Michael Mayer, Mates of State, Gilles Peterson, Gabriel & Dresden, The Subways, Minus the Bear, Be Your Own Pet, Giant Drag, Kristina Sky, The Octopus Project.
------------------------
I think this is a fantastic lineup! It's so diverse that they can't go wrong. My only complaint is that once again they biffed on the Sunday night headlining act...TOOL?? C'mon! They could do way better than that. Nine Inch Nails were a let down last year...I sense a pattern happening here. Anyways can't wait!!!
