Super Furry Animals

Managed to make it out to see Super Furry Animals at the Avalon.

The show was one for the books. Caribou opened. I didn't know much of their stuff but was really impressed. Crudely animated sequences synched perfectly to their various instrumental/semi-vocal soundtracks. Dual drums and guitar made for some epic rock.

Supper Furry took the stage through a goofy introductory video with an A-team theme. The first third of the show was solid, but pretty streight forward. As the show progressed, songs merged togethor and a vibe was created. The visuals were un-remarkable until halfway through the show. Suddenly it all fell togethor and performance really took off. They kept their more rocking songs till the end apexing with the political "They Don't Give a Fuck", which was prefaced by a video montage with the phrase "All Governments Lie and Murder". The band wore glowing suites and the lights were pretty dark for most of the show, so it was more about watching the videos and feelin the performance grow. Except at one point, the singer slipped on a big power-rangers helmet for a bit.

I'd definately see both bands again.

Last week I saw Deerhoof at the Echo. Another show that really found its feet (get it...deerhoof) towards the end of the show. They have definately become a force to be reckoned with. The opening bands sucked.

O.k., so I'm not much of a show reviewer.

Wooly Goodness

About a month ago, I scored a vintage Pendleton shirt for 5bucks at the Melrose and Fairfax Flea Market.

I love this shirt. Its a perfect fall/winter shirt and it fits me perfectly. The plaid is what Pendleton calls a Shadow Plaid. The wool is a little course, but that just makes it more "manly". The cool thing about the wool is that its machine washable.

Pendleton actually still makes the exact same shirt in the same array of Shadow Plaids. They also make a pretty sweet looking shirt/jacket. Only problem is that they retail for 80-90 dollars. Do a little research on E-bay and you can score a used version for a bargain, or keep your eye out at various vintage stores, they're a staple.

Plaid flannels are back in style, but Pendleton's never left. This particular cut of Pendleton shirts I think is timeless and will last a life time plus.

Cookin the Bikes

Parking at work is insane. Most days, the immense parking lot is packed by 9:30 in the morning and I'm forced to park on the street. An area where several of my co-workers have had their cars broken into. And not to mention the price of oil. Lets not even go there for the moment.

So, in an attempt to be part of the solution in some minor way, I've taken to biking to work a few days a week. I'll admit, its been slow going. Two days one week, a day another, maybe 3 one. Regardless, I'm attempting to make the effort and enjoying it when i do.

But my interest in going back to the bike, is certainly not a unique one. Los Angeles' bicycle culture has been thriving recently. I've been noticing many hipsters riding bikes around SL these days. The popular breed at the moment seems to be the Fixed Gear or Single Speed bike, whether it be a rebuilt Peugeot or a brand new high-class italian model. Single speed means just that, clean and simple, no derailers and usually just one brake. Fixed Speed is a bit more hard-core. The cranks only move forward, and when you're in motion they don't stop, which allows the momentum you create to be better maintained. But when it comes to taking a steap hill, these puppies can be tricky.

Critical Mass and Midnight bike rallies are now institutions in the area.

An organization called the Bicycle Kitchen is at the forfront of Bicycle culture and politics. The Kitchen is a communal bike shop that help people work on and build bikes by renting out their space and tools to anyone who needs them. Don't know what to do with the tools? They have several people who will assist you in figuring out the parts and process'. These guys are serious about manifesting change through cycle culture. No car, no gass, no blood on your hands. Those aren't their words, their mine.

I had read (as may you) a few articles on the place and in pairing my new found interest in biking with my curiosity for the place I signed up for one of their Basic Maintenance courses that spanned 3 saturdays for three hours each. The course had us completely take apart our bicycles and rebuild them. In the end, the bicycles actually did run better. We learned how to tweek our breaks and gears, change a flat, and also clean and replace parts housed in the interior of the frame among other things. On the third session I actually started rebuilding an old bike that I thought might be doomed for the parts bin. Ben, the teacher was very helpful and I had a blast.

Will biking be yet another good intention expired after the novelty wares off? I hope not, we'll see. I biked to the Farmers Market this morning...that's somethin aint it?

East Beverly Blvd. in 60 minutes

Last Friday, I managed to survey a good range of East Beverly Blvd's culinary offerings.

At approximately 12:00pm I left work to head to a chocolate store to pick up a present. I turned left off of Alameda to 2nd street and headed west. Veering off 2nd, I headed up to Beverly Blvd. At this moment I recalled a Bagel Shop that had been hyped on KCRW during their pledge drives. Brooklyn Bagels, they claimed (as did a few other sources) were the true bagel, rare in this town. Just passing Alvarado at around 12:15 I spotted the sign, pulled over and parked. Picked myself up a bakers dozen (2onion, 2sesame, 2rye, 2cinamon raison, and 1 salt and poppy). They looked good and reasonably priced. The place is open to 11pm on most days and between 3-5pm on Mondays thru Thursdays they offer the holy delights for half price.

Bagel bag in hand, I got back into my car and continued on Beverly towards my main destination Picholine on First. I drove passed the original Original Tommy's Chiliburger stand and arrived at Picholine around 12:25. The destination is just passed the corner of Commonwealth, veering off of Beverly onto 1st street. Picholine is currently two stores, one that serves sandwiches and does catering, the other handcrafts chocolates. I stepped into the chocolate store and ordered a small box of dark chocolates, including the novel Chili infused chocolate square with a Mayan style design on the top. Exiting the chocolate store around 12:35 I noticed that the sandwich shop did not take plastic and my plan of picking up a quick sandwich was foiled. Instantly, the image of the red hut of heart attacks popped into my head. Tommy's it was.

Just a few minutes later I found street parking and ran over to the shack that Tom built. Almost as quickly as I ordered my meal to the surly Mexican host, my burger and fries were served up in front of me, wrapped in a cozy blanket of wax paper. Canned soda was selected out of one of several freezers (mine, Hawaiian punch). The parking lot is surrounded by counter like tables with no chairs. A stand-up experience to instigate digestion I figure. The burger, no architectural feat like Jays, was sloppy but good. The fries were exceptionally crispy yet maintaining potato-y goodness. I scarfed the lunch down, probably a little too fast, dumped my mess in a trashcan and got back in my car.

I entered the parking lot of work at 1:00, completing a perfect hour of gluttony.

Prolog: The bagels were delish, but since they contain no preservatives, they go stale quickly so either consume immediately or cut and freeze leftovers promptly. The Chili chocolate? Awesome, really, I dug it.

Flour or Corn?

Corn of course! That is, if you're talking Taco's. Although I'm willing to try a Burrito in a large corn tortilla, I doubt it would work.

My friend Byron is in the midst of his own late night mexican food web-site, and when it is released I will fully endorse it, but for the time being, the two linked above hit the spot.

Vive Magoo

Cartoon Modern, at quick glance, looks like a great resource of information on classic cartoons. Musings on the highly under-rated UPA studio that produced the exceptional Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing cartoons.

The blog is actually in conjunction with a book of the same title to be released by Chronical books. The author Amid Amidi has another fantastic animation blog called Cartoon Brew.

Also check out BoingBoing's interview with John Kricfalusi. Props to Rob Knaack for clueing me in on this one.

Butterstick!

The National Zoo's giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub this last summer. The cubs name is Tai Shan, but DCist seems to have nick-named the cub Butterstick (referring to the size at birth of said cub equaling that of a stick of butter). I think I'll name my first child Butterstick.

On Dec. 8, for the first time, the cub will be available for public viewing at the Zoo.

Jenny and I will be in D.C. at the end of December. Maybe we'll try and stop by and say hello to this insanely cute little guy.
Its crazy how much he looks like Tare Panda.

Glutton or Gourmande Pt. 2: Tamale Fest

Last Sunday, a weekend mostly lost to my battleing off a cold, Jen and I managed to get down to the first annual Los Angeles Tamale Festival. The fest was held at 1400 North Spring Street, conveniently near Not A Cornfield (see below entry).

It being the first year, the fest had a grass roots feel. The neighborhood it was held in seems to be trying its best to grow out of its "no mans land" image of the past. I had only been down through this area trying to find my way downtown from San Fernando Blvd. one day.

In total, Jenny and I had 5 tamales, from 3 different vendors. One Chicken, two pork, one green chili and cheese, and one pineapple. My favorites were the green chili and the pineapple. The pineapple supplied by Tamales Alberto located at 1644 W. Temple St. The green chili from Nini's (no info on them).

This seems like a good warm up for the Indio International Tamale Festival.

Personally some of the best Tamales i've had have come from the Tamale guy who travels the local watering holes (such as The Rustic, or The Short Stop) although the 4 Newcastles downed while waiting for him to arrive probably helped. In addition, the tamales purchased at my place of work on any given morning are pretty great too. A great tamale consists of masa rich in flavor and smooth texture. The masa, at its best, has a buttery flavor with an added spicyness. Although Tamales can be frozen and enjoyed any time, seems like the fresher the better.

I like Tamales.

This is Not a Cornfield... It's a Porn Set!

You Got Porn in My Corn!...Oh man, the headlines just write themselves. What do you expect when you give Los Angeles artists full reign over a field full of corn?

Confused as to what the hell I'm talking about? First the back story.

Not A Cornfield is a "living sculpture" created by Lauren Bon and funded by Annenberg Foundation. In fact, Not A Cornfield, is A Cornfield. A cornfield planted on a previously barren rail yard on the edge of China Town downtown. Various events and performances have been held at this spot.

Now for the punch line.

Aaron Landy is a film maker who has been documenting an array of artists performing against the backdrop of the corn field. Landy, reports the LA Times, Is being accused of filming pornographic content in the field.

Landy said he photographed more than two dozen local dancers, poets, actors and artists offering samples of their own work against the cornfield backdrop before he was ordered out by project administrators.

He said he was filming a dancer in a colorful, flowing gown near a row of cornstalks Nov. 4 when project general manager Adolfo Nodal accused him of producing pornography. Nodal called in Los Angeles police and a state park ranger to force him off the leased park property.

So my thought is....Are you kidding me? In the porn capital of the world, a place where strip joints are as plentiful as Starbucks, do these people really expect that a corn field wouldn't be included in the festivities? I mean its just too perfect.

Not A Cornfield is located at 1201 N. Spring St. for your art posing, corn grabbin, porn shooting pleasure.

Covers that Suck

Pitchfork takes an entertaining look at their picks for the worst album covers ever.

Upcoming Shows

So I missed out on my chance to up my aging hipster credentials by mentioning last weeks Mugison show at Tangier. If anyone checked it out, please comment. Mugison is the latest export from Iceland. Sorta Beck-ish....kinda.

Regardless, my bets for upcoming live music events are the following.

The Melodians: November 16th at the Echo. True Old School Rocksteady from Studio One.

Arctic Monkeys: November 18th at Spaceland. This event is the "Franz Ferdinand" event of this year. There is tons of hype on these guys I think. They seem like the Libertines without the coke addled Kate Moss shaggin front man... The show is sold out, so if you have a spare ticket, help a brother out.

Tarantula A.D.: November 19th at Spaceland. These guys play soundtracks to old horror movies that haven't been filmed yet. Eerie "classical" music ravaged by interjections of Metal guitar. I've heard good reviews of their live shows.

Deerhoof: November 22 & 23 at the Echo. The last three albums have just gotten progressively better. The latest taking true pop aesthetics and picasso-fying them into true post-pop songs that are both challenging and familiar. I've seen them live once without knowing any of their stuff and am looking forward to this show.

Super Furry Animals: November 29th at the Avalon. Each album from SFA infects my ears for weeks at a time. I've never seen them live and am looking forward to it.

Glutton or Gourmande Pt. 1: Tigeorges'

On a stretch of Glendale blvd. bridging Echo Park with Downtown lies a no mans land that the city of Los Angeles deems "historic Filipino town" although there isn't one person who can really tell me why. Regardless, this stretch is a piece of my commute that holds a few mysteries that I've been curious about.

One of them was a restaurant called Tigeorges' Chicken. The place was always closed when I hoped it was open, and open when I didn't have time to stop in. Finally, last Friday a few work friends and I made it over to Tigeorge's for lunch.

Tigeorges' is a Haitian restaurant. Recently it was voted as one of the best rotisserie chicken joints in town by the LA weekly. A tall claim, given the likes of Zankou and Versailles, just to name a few.

The place itself was clean and featured an open fire pit in the front.

So we all decided to start with the basics and ordered the 1/4 chicken lunch special. In addition, we ordered two servings of plantains. They offer both sweet and salted variations, we ordered one of both. The chicken is served with rice and beans, salad, and a spicy cole slaw. As well, we ordered a sauce/condiment that was listed as HOT! on the menu. Our chicken was served promptly. The healthy serving of rice and beans were good but not terribly distinct. The salad was salad. The Cole slaw was spicy and vinegary (sp?). I definitely have a soft spot for Cole slaw, and this was good stuff. The chicken, the centerpiece, was tasty and juicy. Definitely some distinct spices that I can't place, but not overwhelming. The sauce supplied was something like a garlic/olive oil crossed with a vinaigrette type thing. I didn't quite know how to use it, but when poured on just about anything, it was good.

The plantains were served almost at the end of our meal. The owner explained the delay. The plantains are "double fried", frying once, then allowed to cool and fried again. Both varieties were incredible. Sweet were basically the dark soft ones that I usually find at Cuban places, the salty are crispier, yellow and taste more like banana chips.

All in all, pretty damn good. I have a feeling that some of the other dishes might yield more distinct flavors and experiences, but the chicken is a good basic introduction to Tigeorges'. I'm looking forward to trying the cafe con leche steeped with bay leaves.

I have a feeling I'll be returning soon for another lunch, so I’ll keep you updated to any new dishes tried.

Tigeorges' is only open till 7 most days (with a siesta break between 3 and 5), and closed on Sundays. Its located at 309 N. Glendale Blvd.

To Do This Weekend

Some good stuff going on this weekend.

First Anual Tamale Festival: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1400 North Spring st. Its the beginning of Tamale season. The winter holidays bring families together and Tamale making is a southland tradition with family and friends. Sample some and learn how to make your own. Website

Dangerous Men: Saturday 11/12, Midnight, Laemmle Sunset.
"This has to be the ultimate modern day ed wood discovery - john s. rad. who is he? nobody knows. he's not on imdb. if you TRIED your hardest to make a horribly awful film, it couldn't touch this glorious 35mm stinker - yes 35mm, not video. i would recommend going to this midnight screening if you can. john s. rad very sincerely wrote, produced, directed, and composed the soundtrack to this spectacular piece of sh*t - look for an article about all this in thursday's LA Weekly - but you heard it here first! it was a surreal experience to see this kind of thing opening in theaters in the year 2005 (about 6 in the LA area - proving ANYTHING is possible). alas it sunk faster than war of the worlds, but now's your chance! go see DANGEROUS MEN saturday midnight laemmle sunset 5 - 8000 Sunset Blvd West Hollywood - bring friends!! bring alcohol! trust me! get in on the ground floor of this future cult classic - you were there first! you won't be sorry - well, you WILL be sorry but... you know what i mean." -snagged from a G-Loop posting.

Don's Music 1st year Anniversary Party - Sunday November 13th, 2-6pm. 4873 Eagle Rock Blvd, Eagle Rock CA 90041 DJs and bands to play...I wrote about Don's record shop way back in the summer. This weekend he'll be celebraiting the first aniversary of his shop. Congrats Don.

Brewery Art Walk- November 12 and 13, 10am-5pm. 620 Moulton Ave. downtown. Whether you go to see the artists' open workspaces or just people watch, usually a good way to spend a day. Website

Little Paper Monsters

For all of those who, like me, can't afford to purchase all those funky designer toys, or for those with kids old enough for a good old fashioned arts and crafts session there isReadymech. Readymech has created simple fun little characters that cost the price of a ink-jet print off your desktop printer. Just print, cut, and tape em together. Maybe i'll steal a template and make an Action Boy version. Add that to the list.

Old School vs. New School

TileToy is a modular, electronic game prototype for tangible LED game tiles. TileToy brings the flexibility inherent in digital software to a physical tile that people can touch and interact with. By arranging the electronic tiles, players can engage themselves in various kinds of game play, ranging from fast-paced arcade style games to puzzle an learning games.

Sweet huh? Check out their blog and the accompanying awkward demo video.

Vote!

Thats all. Just go out and Vote today!

Alternate Transportation Pt. 1

When I lived in Washington D.C. I took public transit alot. The subway, the bus, it just made sense and it was easy. In Los Angeles, I don't know if I've ever taken a bus and I've rode the Subway twice simply as a novelty. I've actually grown to loath busses here, or I guess I should say Bus Drivers, they drive like New York cabbies, but with vehicles three times bigger!

Regardless, I think alternate sources of transportation are desperately needed in this town, let alone in this world. Any way to make these options seem more appealing to the mass audience is desperately needed.

Some artists in Berlin created a guerilla art tool they call Parasite. It and the media created for it entitled Parallel Worlds is part of a series of proposals for Moving Canvas.

"They all have emerged from our reflection on the visual and symbolical importance of trains in an urban context and the possibility of exploiting their short-lived prominence as brief communicative moments."

The Parasite is basically a Projector and computer built into a case with a suction cup on one side. The case is covertly attached to the side of a subway car. As the car flies through tunnels, the projecter shoots images and words onto the walls of the tunnel.

In this day in age, I found it amazing that someone could so easily slap what looks potentially like a giant bomb to the side of a subway car.

Regardless, Integrating "public art" into a typically binalle process of commuting is novel and could actually encourage public transit. If such a technology was officially integrated with trains here in LA maybe people would be provoked to use them, if simply just to see what was going to be projected next.

Or maybe we should listen to the brilliant ideas of Mr. Hal Fishman.

Stay tuned for more rants on Los Angeles transportation and my attempts to use my car less and less.

Form Factor

I've kind of had a Love/Hate affair with B&O products.

When I was in high school I saved up to buy this bitchin Bang and Olufsen turntable that was my prized posession for a while, only for it to die after a few years and have someone tell me it couldn't be fixed.

These days, I feel they stradle the line between out-dated 80's Porsche style and genuine out of the box thinking.

Although, functionally the BeoSound 3 doesn't brake any major barriers, its form factor rocks. Way out of my price range, I may still stop by a store and pet one.

My Concrete Jungle Pt. 1

While attempting to do some research on the Jensen Recreation Center building I came across some interesting websites featuring information about Los Angeles architecture and history.

A site I have been to a few times before, once again offered one of the best (if not the only) overview of the building. Historic Echo Park.org yeilded this information:

Designed by Architect E.E.B. Meinardus, this three-story Beaux Arts/Italianate style structure was built in 1924. Originally, the three-story Jensen Recreation Center had a row of shops, a bowling alley, and a pool hall at street level, and 46 apartments on the top two levels. For more that 50 years, the 17x28 foot incandescent sign (illuminated with 1,300 red, green and white light bulbs) atop the building that depicts a bowler throwing a strike was dark. A testament to the neglect and disrepair the building and the neighborhood sometimes suffered over the years. In 1997, the sign was restored to its original appearance through a cultural affairs grant. For many residents, the relighting of the sign was a momentous event that signaled the revitalization of the community and gave the neighborhood an identity.Read More

It was first the sign that stood out for me, but as I took a closer look, many interesting elements peaked through the signs for cheap clothing shops and tax offices.

Before gathering this information, I had day-dreams of finding a hidden door somewhere around the building giving way to a vintage bowling alley.

So anyway, back to some of the other web-sites I found along the way. You-are-here.com is an incredible pictorial document of the architecture of Los Angeles. For those of you who don't live in LA, take a journey through this site to get a sense of what our town has to offer. For those of you who do, track down your favorite places or find some new ones just browsing around. There is a funky interactive map of downtown as well.

Modcom.org is the homepage for Modern Commitee, a group devoted to the knowledge and protection of Los Angeles architecture. I believe its a subset of the Los Angeles Conservatory, both which offer tours of Los Angeles architecture.

As well, Olvera street has a decent website.

I'll keep ya updated on more references to LA environments and hilight features from these sites as i find them.