Since my car broke down, I'll write about music...

I'm sure many of you are aware how easy it is to waste time on sites like Youtube.  First you look at some random clip, then you look at the "Similar videos" section, and then, four hours later...

This is pretty much what my Saturday Morning started with.  I'm not even sure what I was looking for.  I think I was looking for a random music video.  I got sidetracked and watched an REM/Bruce Springsteen video.  Then I watched a Patti Smith video.  Then I watched an Eric Clapton video.  Then I watched a Who video.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Four hours later, I've watched 4 versions of Layla, 6 versions of Because the Night, 3 versions of My Generation, etc.  And of course, once you watch Youtube flicks of all these people, you have to wikipedia/google them.

There's two things that struck me on my crusade to learn about this stuff.  One is how much these bands influenced the punk movement.  There's even a category of music for them, according to wikipedia: protopunk.  Usually 60s/70s rock is seen as a separate entity from the punk movement that followed, but then (if you're old enough) you remember the guitar-smashing shows by The Who, and remember the late 60s, rebel-against-authority movement brought on by the Vietnam War, and you realize that punk in its current incarnation is just the evolution of the rock and roll movements of the late 60s and early 70s.  Like for example, if you were to pull out "Horses" by Patti Smith and friends, you would pretty clearly hear aspects of "punk" in her music.  And it just goes to show the ebb and flow of music in general - no matter who you are, no matter how brilliant you are, your past influences determine your current and future work as a musician/artist.

The other thing that struck me is the level of instrumental talent that was displayed by a lot of these people.  And this strikes me partly because although I am certainly entertained by all sorts of music, and I'm not about to denigrate their vocal skills (which for the most part are excellent), I still wonder who is this generation's Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Mark Knopfler are.  I know there's a few out there - The guitarists for Tool and Avenged Sevenfold come to mind.  Nonetheless, I still feel like there are fewer great instrumentalists today.  Maybe today's music is all about vocals and drums/rhythm, with less emphasis on guitars, saxophones, and (to a lesser extent) piano.  I don't really buy into the conclusion that musicians as a whole are less talented today - there's more people and more exposure, and that almost always means more talent.  Perhaps the market is somewhat flooded  with all the new media formats making it easier than ever to put your music out there.  Maybe the business people are exerting some of their power to homogenize popular music in the name of the dollar.  There are many possibilities.  For me, all I can do is hope that more of the good music finds my way in my ears, and that the bad stuff doesn't turn me into a jaded old fool.

Brass Monkey

It's too easy to refer to that Beastie Boys song (or various other usages of the phrase) when talking about Brass Monkey.  Apparently it's a rather popular pub name too, so I probably should specify that I'm talking about the karaoke bar in Koreatown.

Yes, occasionally I hang out in the town of my people.

Anyway, this place is somewhat dive, in the sense that there's a noted difference in the decor outside (it's inside a modern-looking office building that looks like it's about 20 stories high.) I guess they had to make a conscious effort to look like a homely pub.  That sort of feel might make people more inclined to sing, so I guess I can't blame them.

Despite the fact that this bar is in Koreatown, it's more of a public karaoke place - you sing in front of the crowd, and not in the friendly confines of a soundproof room.  If your goal is to try and make some new friends, the public setting is probably a good thing.  What better way to break the ice than to serenade him or her with a bad rendition of Don't Stop Believing by Journey?  Being somewhat of a karaoke nutjob, I've developed a short list of songs that I don't mind singing in front of a crowd.  Some of these songs weren't chosen for their artistic value.  (I find it fun to duet Barbie Girl, for example.)  I ended up singing Friends in Low Places and Piano Man.

If you plan on singing, expect to wait about 45 minutes to 1:30, depending on the crowd.  We were there on a Thursday and my first song still took quite a while for them to get to.  Now, part of this was because there was a large group of birthday drunks hogging the mic, but I can't imagine any other night being any different.  And on Friday or Saturday you'll probably have to put your name in really early to get even one song in.

But that's okay.  2/3 of the fun at places like this is laughing at other people's awfulness.  And yes, that is fun.  And there's also some fun to be had in singing along from your table.  So even if you don't get to sing, the experience is still entertaining, especially after some booze.  They have a long list of special cocktails.  They're all really strong, but also really pricey.  The beer is pretty normal-priced, so if you need to drink cheaply that's your best bet.

I've been to other karaoke bars and this one certainly had a larger crowd than others I've been to, so you'll actually be singing in front of an audience.  This can be both good and bad.  It's still a fun, casual setting for some drinks with friends, as long as you don't mind the pain in your ears when that awful guy goes up there and butchers your favorite song.

Brass Monkey

659 S. Mariposa Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90005

Truckstop girls!

Now, at some point I should invest in a decent camera so I can do a better job of tracking all the fun spots, but oh well.  I'll make with what I've got.

So, long story short, I am apparently the gender-swapped version of a fag hag (I hang around lesbians.)  This is relavent because, well, Truck Stop Friday caters primarily to this crowd.  Now, before you get images in your head of a lot of really butch, manly women that are about as attractive as your average garden toad, the bar where this even is hosted happens to cater to attractive femmes.  So while there are a fair share of the ugly, manly women, there are also plenty of less-scary, easier-to-look at women there.  It should be noted that this is only important if prefer the company of non-ugly people.  (I happen to be in that category.)

This event is hosted at Here Lounge, in the heart of Boys Town.  If you don't know what that is... well, check out West Hollywood between Doheny and La Cienega on a Friday or Saturday night and you'll figure it out.  Basically there are 5 (fairly hot) female bartenders who, about once every 20-30 minutes, climb on the bar and dance.  Or let patrons do body shots off of them in exchange for lots of money.  Or give birthday people lapdances.  I was trying to arrange for the birthday lapdance for a friend of mine, but unfortunately said friend flaked on me.  Oh well.

Now, for the straight guys, I wouldn't exactly advise going to this event and expect to pick up girls.  There are guys that do this, but it seems a little out of place.  (Not surprising, since the event and the promoters cater to lesbians.)  Now, if you've got a gender-balanced group of people then I think some fun can be had for everyone.  Guys can certainly be entertained watching the dancers (and watching the hot lesbians make out on the dancefloor.)  And girls can, well, explore.

The music is a mix of 80s/90s rock and current hip-pop.  I always have a soft spot for cheesy 80s rock, so I enjoy it, though your mileage may vary in that regard.

If you're not a gay girl, I wouldn't exactly make it a point to come here every week or anything, but it's still a nice change of pace if you're down for something different.  If you ARE a gay girl and you haven't been, well, get crackin'.  That said, I generally have fun.  The crowd isn't entirely lesbians either, so it's not like you have zero chance of meeting someone cool if you're not a gay girl.

This is a video from last Friday (May 9th):

Yes, I know the audio sucks.  And the video quality kind of sucks too.  But my cell phone is all I've got.  Feel free to donate to the "Get me a handycam or digital camera" fund.

Here Lounge

696 N. Robertson Bl

WeHo, CA 90069

Sick puppies (I'm still recounting things that happened in the past)

I've been in Los Angeles this long, I'm a fairly big fan of music, and I've never been to the "World Famous" Troubadour. That's probably grounds for revoking my music fan card. Oh well, problem fixed.

I still find the venue to be rather strange - mainly because of the presence of 15 year old girls with their parents. The parents try so hard to have a good time. They even have their hands up in the air and try and follow the crowd. Maybe they're reliving their '70s youth through their kids. Whatever it is, I just can't imagine mine joining me in a cramped crowded area where the lead singer of the headlining band is feeding shots of tequila to the opening acts. But I'm just one person.

The opening acts were alright. I liked the first one more (Saving Abel.) I would have enjoyed it more but the vocals were kind of mushy (I'll blame the sound tech guy.) The second guy was kind of weird - the guy's voice was really... effeminate.  I think he outed himself on stage, which would explain a lot.

As for Sick Puppies - I hadn't really listened to them much prior to attending this show, but they made fans out of me.  Apparently one of their songs appeared in a popular YouTube video.  I had never seen the video either, so I really was pretty lost.  Nonetheless I really got into their music.  The lead singer (Shim) has so much energy up on stage and knows how to put on a good show.  And there's the highlight of the show, the bassist Emma.  She's turned into my pseudo-celebrity crush.  Looking at her on pictures, she's definitely cute but not like super amazing looking.  Then you see her rockin' out on the bass and she just looks amazing.

They're playing again tonight (the 8th) in Hollywood.  They sold out the Troubadour, so I don't even know if tickets are available, but if they are it'll probably be good times.

Going back: Room (Hollywood)

I imagine that this scenario plays out fairly often: a (relatively) newly-single person suddenly finds himself with time on his hands now that he is, well, single. This more or less describes the scenario under which I ended up reconnecting with this one dude. After a couple of consecutive bad experiences at bars, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. As it turns out, if you or someone you know likes to get plastered at a bar on weekdays, going to the same bar on weekends becomes much easier (and much cheaper.)

Although the Room is in the middle of Hollywood (with all of the shenanigans associated with that) it's not filled with your run-of-the-mill douchebags like most establishments in the area. As with any bar/club on a Saturday night, you might have trouble getting in if you arrive at 10:30 with a party of dudes, so be aware of that. (I saw a group of 6 guys get turned away on my way in. Seriously, how stupid can they be? Can't any of them find that token girl to bring along?)

Now I have no game, so I won't judge a place based on how well I do in *that* regard.   And maybe my experience is a little rosier because I drank for relatively cheap, but hey, if nothing else it shows the importance of tipping your bartenders.