Paul Dateh and inka one are famous on YouTube for Hip Hop Violin. Their video has had 4,535,195 views to date. Michael Zampelli and I went down with cameras in hand and captured some of the action live. The Kogi catering truck, an L.A. favorite amongst the crowd at LAist was also on the scene. The line was consistently an hour long and it stayed there even after most of the crowd left.
Here’s the YouTube video that has over four and a half million views on YouTube:
Visit Michael Zampelli’s photo gallery from the Summer and Music Festival, including photos of Paul Dateh, inka one, the Greenmeme art installation, “Urban Lab: Chantilly Clad” and the Kogi catering truck.
Here’s the video of Hip Hop Violin – Paul Dateh and inka one Live in Long Beach:
Residents and visitors of Long Beach will converge on Pine Avenue for another evening of live music this Saturday July 3 from 5-9 p.m. This week’s concert is titled Roots and Blues and features legendary blues artists James Harman and King Cotton as well as Long Beach’s own supergroup, The DIBS. (links go to MySpace)
The show is free and family-friendly, and it’s a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Free bike valet parking provided courtesy of Long Beach Cyclists.
Future Summer and Music Concerts include:
Swing Saturday July 10,
Battle of the Tribute Bands July 11 and
Church of Rock & Roll July 17.
It was a smooth-groovin’, fun-flowing day of live music on Saturday June 12 as the Summer and Music Festival kicked off it’s 2010, 13-concert series. The first show of the summer was called Future Legends and featured local, up-and-coming acts such as Deep Sea Diver, Jay Buchanan and So Many Wizards (see video).
Saturday’s concert took place on a closed-off section of First Street between Elm and Linden in Downtown Long Beach. The sound and lighting equipment were solar-powered with help from Sustainable Waves and there was a free bike valet on site (not to mention easy access to a bar, a coffee shop and Chinese food).
As the day progressed, the street filled in with an assortment of Long Beach characters. The people-watching opportunities alone made it well worth the trip. The crowd ranged from 2 months old to 85. Toddlers ran from their moms, teenaged girls danced in a circle and I, of course, wore pink and roller skated.
DJ Lithuanian Prince made sure there would be inspiration for roller skating and dancing, as he poured out a non-stop musical selection of hard-to-find, easy-to-jive-to vinyl picks. The day had a soul-filled family picnic feel to it. One of my favorite bands of the day was So Many Wizards. Here’s a video of one of their songs from this Saturday’s live performance.
If you missed the Summer and Music kick-off, have no fear; Rockabilly on Pine is coming this Saturday, January 19 from 5-9 p.m and this year’s itinerary features 13 eclectic music events, including some favorites from last year, such as Battle of the Tribute Bands and Funk Fest. Concerts will span the genres of folk, jazz, pop, rockabilly, funk and beyond, bringing together artists and art enthusiasts of all kinds. For details, visit www.summerandmusic.com.
Sitting on the pot, taking a shot at SUB-Mission in San Francisco
A few weeks ago I went on a road trip to San Francisco. It was great to get away and hang out with my brother.
We visitied a new club called SUB-Mission and had a rip-roaring good time.
As the bands (Skitzo/Savage Machine/Farticus/Cretacious/Fluff Grrlz) spewed out their version of 80’s hardcore metal/punk, and as guys and gals stood watching with their arms crossed and heads bobbing, I pranced around in the audience, pink flower in hair trying to nudge people into action.
The highlight of the night is when I was running around in circles creating my own mosh pit and the singer from Farticus basically jumped me. The two off us were locked tight, she was singing, I was holding her and time stood still as I thought to myself, “holy crap, what do I do now?”
What I did was set the singer back on stage and go on about the business of actin’ a fool. The next day, as my brother and I recounted the evenings events, I said, “now that’s life…THAT is living in the moment.” I can guarantee you, it will never happen again.
Evidently, someone caught my insanity on video. I’m the blur that you see going by during the video and the one who the singer, Vag jumps on at about 1:56. I’m not sure if I’m proud or humiliated but one thing is for darn sure, I had fun!
So get out of the darn house once in a while and have some fun. If you’re in San Francisco, check out SUB-Mission. It’s located in the Mission District and the SUB stands for: Strength, Unity, Brotherhood.
Maybe my humor has gone a little far South this weekend. I did make 665 1/2 the Song of the Week and I wrote an article about Shitting Glitter, but this is a year of breaking free from self-imposed limitations so pooh on you.
I could not contain my laughter on Thursday night when I saw comedy troupe Eva Brontosaurus at DiPiazza’s. They sang about STD’s and excrement the way Donny and Marie sing about country and rock and roll.
Somehow they were able to stage it so that songs about diseases and body fluids were funny. I guess it starts with the choice of wardrobe.
I shot this photo before they went on stage, they were already making fun of themselves then. (Unfortunately, I didn’t capture the shiny red patent leather pumps the singer was wearing, that was like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae).
Later, when they began singing love ballads about blood and urine and feces with perfectly serious faces, I began to bust out. Theatrically they are like a bad high school drama team. Think Molly Shannon as “Superstar” from Saturday Night Live.
Who knew you could have a sense of humor about Satan? Well, Rosemary’s Billygoat doesn’t seem to take the devil too seriously at all. Watch the video and read the lyrics and just see if 665 1/2 won’t make you laugh. I dare you.
Here’s a little sample of the lyrics:
Well ever since I was born,
I’ve been growing horns
I eat Christians for breakfast
Pentacostals for lunch
and then you come along
and I got me a hunch
you think you’re evil
don’t make me laugh
At best, you’re a 665 1/2
You can listen to the studio version of the song here:
This band was the halftime entertainment at the Saturday Roller Derby bout at the Doll Factory in Los Angeles. Michael Zampelli was there to document the evening on behalf of LAist.com.
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
Today I returned from a visit in Austin TX to my life in Long Beach, CA. I am inspired to scour my bathroom clean and hook up a turntable. It started with a lighter that reminded me of the song 99 cent lighter(featuring WILL.i.am of the black eyed peas) by Blood of Abraham, which I only have on vinyl. I became obsessed with hearing it. Thus the quest to put the right audio input to the into the amplifier and get the speakers hooked up correctly.
Alas, there is a reward at the end of the quest. I am listening to 99 cent lighter on vinyl now and it is a visceral treat. Which reminds me of my week in Austin and seeing Gayle Gold and Criminal Tower live. I got excited, blogged about it, then shot e-mails and MySpace messages to musicians and promoters.
Deena Odelle (Gayle Gold singer, writer and artistic-type) is passionate about her work like I am so she sent me a great e-mail with detailed info about her band members and their musicial backgrounds. It’s really fascinating so I want to share with you what she wrote me. If you want to see photos and video from the show, go to the previous blog. Here’s a picture of me with the band…it’s becoming a tradition to get these photos whenever I can.
Note from Deena: Hey great! very fun. You’re awesome. Next time I’m in Cali I’m gonna email you and see what good music is going down.
Just so you know (if you want more juice) though (Gayle Gold) is a new band, all the band members are already known for other projects. Here’s some background on us that might give you more insight:
Chad Allen: (synthesizer) was in Oblong Boys and Zom Zoms. He also founded Low Red Center. Low Red Center also just came out with an album that’s #3 on the KVRX Charts!!!
Winston Reed Chapman (drums) is a former member of Austin indy-pop sensation Belaire and just formed a group called Bob & Barbara, who already have been signed to Business Deal Records.
And I’m the woman behind Nanobangbang- a variety show that’s worked with over 10 local musicans. I’m also in Low Red Center and so is Sam Gary.
Frank Zappa – You Are What You Is is available on iTunes. Watch the YouTube Video here.
In my opinion, connecting with people and their stories and influences is what life is all about. It is fascinating to me the series of events that lead us to where we are in life. I feel like we miss some of that when all of our information and interaction comes from the mass media or a select group of co-workers or family members. For me, getting back into live music has provided that charge that makes life enjoyable, flavorable and interesting again. The music scene is very happening and vibrant. Get out there and experience it even if you just start by visiting some MySpace pages or buying something unusual on iTunes.
P.S. Most of the links above go to MySpace or iTunes so you can check out the music for yourself. Happy clicking.
Sure, Austin Texas is a musical mecca with a vibrant night life but let’s face it, everything slows down as it gets closer to Christmas. Lucky for me and my brother Matt, we were able to catch one live music show during our Christmas visit.
After scouring the list of gigs on Austin Chronicle and visiting dozens of MySpace pages, we decided to check out a show at The Parlor. It wasn’t on Sixth Street, where I’m told most night life takes place but it was in a strip of town that seemed to be dedicated to a DIY way of life. No corporate chains nearby that I could see, only a series of arty, alternative looking stores with neon signs.
The Parlor is actually a pizza joint by day. They clear some tables at night to make way for the bands. The space between the bands and the audience is a tiny walkway to allow patrons to slip past the band to the counter where they can buy pizza and beer. The live music shows are always free and all ages.
I snapped a few photos and some bits of video with my early X-mas gift, the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. Although I have 5 videos total on my YouTube channel, I want to show you this one so you can see the people walking past the band to get inside. Since the entry way is right next to the “stage”, there really is no other choice. Here’s a video sample of Criminal Tower playing their song Chinese Kids on Crack.
A couple of notes of interest about Criminal Tower. The band is comprised of two young men ages 16 and 17 years old and this was their second live show ever. Personally, I’m impressed by their drumming skills and sense of humor. You can see more snippets of video including their songs Megatropolis in the Fourth Dimension and The Pregnant Cowboy over at YouTube.
Gayle Gold is the other band we saw. What a pleasant surprise that was. At the time of writing this article Gayle Gold doesn’t have a MySpace page so we really had no idea what we were in for. I asked the singer, Deena Odelle if she was influenced by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s perfomance style because she reminded me a bit of Karen O. She admitted that she likes the music but had never seen a live performance.
I don’t mean to pigeon hole the sound as Yeah Yeah Yeah’s because it’s not. In fact, I’m not sure I can pigeon hole it as anything. I did manage to shoot a couple of short videos of their performance. Here’s a sample:
Though you can’t see it here on these videos, the singer did from time to time writhe and crawl on the floor, hence the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s reference.
The name Gayle Gold was inspired by a band member’s ex-girlfriend. Most every song had a food tie-in and band members wore special 1/2 and 1/2 shirts made just for the evening.
The Parlor is located at 100-B E. North Loop, Austin TX 78751. You can find out more about their upcoming shows by visiting their MySpace page.
P.S. I didn’t have any pizza because I had just come from a family gathering where I pretty much chowed down. The pizza looked great and at least some of the choices on the menu were vegan-friendly.
Happy Holidays. Party safely and enjoy some live music if you can.
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
I oughta be ashamed of myself. As much as I love music and I’m always going on and on about it, I am occassionally 100% guilty of walking right past a street performer without so much as a glance in their direction. In fact, sometimes I get extra stiff because heaven forbid, they might need money. How dare they need money. I need money and it’s so awkward to say no.
Well, tonight two things happenend within 5 minutes of each other and it opened my heart to street performers once again. First, I clicked on a YouTube link in an e-mail from my friend Dr. Marjorie and it had this video in it. It’s all these amazing street performers from all corners of the world performing Stand By Me. (By the way, Seal just released a new album with Stand By Me on it, you might want to check it out if you’re into classic soul and Motown kind of stuff).
Not 5 minutes later, my husband urged me to come outside. “Listen, it’s real live carolers” he said. So, I went to check it out and to take it a step further, I went across the street to take their picture and guess what? They sang a song for me and only me. They even took requests. I asked for Silent Night. Here they are tuning themselves up to “play” it.
It was amazing and a little awkward to have all these people singing just for me but I opened my arms, smiled and said thank you. It felt good. After they sang for me they went to La Parolaccia restaurant. One of the best places for Italian food in Long Beach.
Here they are actually singing silent night.
I guess this is a wake up call for me to remember to enjoy my surroundings and give a little acknowledgement to the street musicians. I could tell by the looks on the faces in this group that they truly received joy from singing to people so it’s a win, win if you pay attention and give a smile once in a while. I needed to remember that.
P.S. Although I asked the group where they were from, I have now forgotten but I know they were affiliated with Cal State Long Beach. If you know the name, will you post it here please? Thank you.
Somehow they were able to stage it so that songs about diseases and body fluids were funny. I guess it starts with the choice of wardrobe.
Today I returned from a visit in Austin TX to my life in Long Beach, CA. I am inspired to scour my bathroom clean and hook up a turntable. It started with a lighter that reminded me of the song 
Gayle Gold is the other band we saw. What a pleasant surprise that was. At the time of writing this article Gayle Gold doesn’t have a MySpace page so we really had no idea what we were in for. I asked the singer, 
