Ice, Ice, Baby!!

A bunch of Venice friends made the somewhat rare trek far past Lincoln last Saturday to celebrate our friend Hilary's birthday with some ice skating at the newly opened (for the Season) Pershing Square Outdoor Skating Rink. Yeah, there's a closer one in Santa Monica, but that one is really crowded and pretty slushy, and downtown you get that pseudo-Rockefeller Plaza feeling going skating amid the skyscrapers and lights. The main difference is that the trees are Palm, not Pine - and the skill level among Southern California skaters is probably not that of East Coast kids raised on ice skating.


Never mind MINNESOTA kids raised on ice skating! Saturday night was monumental in that our little 1 1/2 year old friend, Quinn, had his first time on skates ever! As his Dad is a Minnesotan too, this was a big, big deal. See how he takes right to it! With a jaunty wave to his fans, even!



His Auntie CJ tried to show him a thing or two before she completely ate it, swerving to avoid a clutch of kids clinging to the side boards.


It's a surreal field trip to ice skate in the balmy (compared to any other outdoor skating rink around the country) evening, and really did help to get us in that almost the Holidays spirit.

Slick ice is a great equalizer, and it's a good time to even just sit and watch the folks try to stay upright. My favorite is the big guys just terrified and clinging to the edge boards, as their dates laugh and cling to them. One of my friends asked if it was sick that she rather enjoyed watching people fall on their faces. No, it is not. It's just being human. It's a cheap date too - only $6 per session (one hour sessions go from 12-10 pm on weekdays, and 10 am - 10 pm on the weekends), with $2 skate rental fee if you don't have your own.

As the calendar turns toward the Holiday hubbub, treat yourself to a little good old fashioned ice skating ... to remember the child-like fun part of it all.

Skate now until January 18th, 2010 (that already feels weird to write)!

A WIM-sical evening.

I think it's the best when you meet people and become friends, and have no idea what they do in life or anything, you just like them for themselves ... and THEN you find out that they're in a great band or they do amazing paintings or are roller derby girls or work with handicapped kids, and you like them even more.

That's how it was when I met the guys from the Australian band, WIM, at my friend Vav's birthday party last week. They said they were over here to record their album with this hotshot producer guy, and were having a grand old time here in the States, and then we went about our business of having a blast at the party. While chatting with a couple of the guys, I asked who they would see themselves on a bill with, to try and get an idea of what their sound was like, or whose music they like, as I always think that's pretty telling. When they said, "David Bowie and Nina Simone", I knew that I was going to dig what they were up to ... I just didn't know how much.

So last night - after a little (er, LOT) Paqui Tequila at Patio Culture's tasting party - I found myself walking across the street to The Stronghold for the second night in a row to see our WIM guys play a show. We actually had so much tequila that their new no alcohol policy was not an issue in the least, and we were ready for a rowdy night of music, surrounded by our whole gang of friends, old and new. There were a whole bunch of people on the bill last night, and WIM had just been squeezed on at the last moment, so they were to go last/late. Which was a good thing, as they were the clear Headliners of the night.


Their Myspace page says that their influences are "The Middle Ages, The Wheel, and Glitter", and as much as that doesn't tell you, it also lends you some clues. Their sound is kind of 70's Brit Pop, but also very much of the NOW. This was their first time playing in America, and you could see on their faces that they were loving every minute of it. Simon Jankelson, the keyboard wonder, said, "We're absolutely charmed to be here", which absolutely charmed all of us. Their song, "America" has a line that goes, "I've thrown all my troubles away", and that's exactly how it felt if you looked around the room at everyone dancing and having a ball, thrilled to be among the first over here to discover a band that you can already tell is going to win lots and lots of fans. Especially girl ones. Every single guy in the band is adorable, and sweet as pie.

Martin Solomon is a classic front man, stalking around the stage and belting out the hits in his resonant voice that doesn't really remind me of anyone else too much - a good thing. He danced around and sat down with people in the crowd and made the whole room get a crush on him.


Saul Wodak plays the guitar, Dustin Bookatz plucks the bass, and Harry Thynne holds down the beat on drums, all while obviously loving it and having a blast playing together. "John" and "Something For You" (probably the hit single, poppy, harmonic and catchy as it is) were my favorites, but every song was good, and that's not always easy to say. Everyone at The Stronghold LOVED them, and it was one of those great nights where the feeling for everyone is mutual. The WIM guys all gushed about how L.A. was a "Magical place ... ", and what a great time they've had, so I feel pretty good about your chances to see them play again over here soon. Plus they're going to have to tour behind that newly recorded album that we've all now super-pre-ordered.


WIM for sure has a whole crowd of new fans this morning. They left to conquer New York today, so we all hugged our goodbyes after the show, and I promised to brag about them to everyone I know. So here I am. Bragging. We loved WIM, their music, and that feeling they gave us last night - the one where music brings everyone together to have fun and CELEBRATE life.

Thanks, Guys. We can't wait until next time!



*Check out the kind words the L.A. Times Music Blog threw out for WIM:

My Freund, Tom - At The Stronghold.

I wrote about The Stronghold as a music venue back in April of this year for The Beachhead, and wondered how it would turn out. I've seen a fair share of growing pains (mega-disorganization one night when we had a visiting friend scheduled to play ... no bueno) and recent confusion about it all, so last night I just finally asked one of the owners, Michael Cassell, just what exactly the deal was ... what their vision for the place is, because it's a really great space, and I'd love to see it do well, especially because - selfishly - it's super close to my pad.

He said that they want it to be all about the music - not about getting hammered (though that could have a lot to do with the fact that they have no liquor license). He said, "People are paying for silence" - meaning that they want it to be a place where people sit and LISTEN to the music, and really appreciate it. Kind of like a McCabe's show. I HOPE that folks will want to pay a cover to just sit and listen to great music in the neighborhood - sans alcohol - but it remains to be seen. The bonus to that is that it can go really late-night, with no booze laws to deal with. And you can always smuggle it in red cups if you've got the shakes or something. Per the management.

So last night was the first time for the no alcohol deal, and it was Tom Freund Tuesday - he's got a residency for every Tuesday this November. I hope you already know him and his music, but if you don't - it's high time you did. I was at a Steve Earle show last month (with Tom Morello and Ben Harper to boot) and I was standing there talking to Tom Freund when this young guy came up and just fawned over him like those other legends weren't even there. "I can't believe I'm at this show and I just met my favorite singer-songwriter!", he rejoiced. It was darling, and so nice to hear, as Tom throws down with the very, VERY best of them.

The Stronghold (the music space is upstairs from the custom jeans part downstairs - you can hear the industrial sewing machine whirring long into the night) is really a lovely interior, all wood floors and big iron spiral staircase loft looking, with leather couches and chairs set up around the stage area. It's downright cozy ... and if it gets too much so, there's a gigantic back patio where you can go get fresh air or pollute it. Coffee and water are on offer, as well as a little selection of snacks. Total McCabe's. Or a Speakeasy.

I chatted with Tom a little bit backstage before the show, as though we've been homies for a long time, you don't often get the chance to dig deeper at shows and whatnot. He settled down in Venice because he's a New Yorker, and if you're moving to California, you'd better be near the ocean, is how he put it. I totally agree. He has a gorgeous wife, Francie, and a stunning little redheaded daughter called Delilah. They are part of a community of great hipster parents in Venice, which is one of the things he likes most about where we live ... people helping out and creating that nurturing vibe for everyone involved. The Ocean is a crucial part of life for the Freunds, as is the walk and bike-ability of how we get around in these parts. You'll see them hanging out all over town, but Tom said, "I'm an Abbot's guy by nature", meaning Abbot's Habit. That's about the people. If it's about the coffee, he'd take a cappuccino from The French Market, thanks. (Amen). It doesn't hurt that musicians of the highest caliber are friends and neighbors, especially when someone is as about the tunes as Tom is.

Amilia K. Spicer and Steve McCormick are a couple of those friends and neighbors, and opened for Tom last night, taking you to down home Kentucky (where she's from) through her beautiful voice and straightforward guitar playing. Steve is a great harmonizer, both with vocals and guitar, and you can tell they really enjoy playing together. I need to go hear her more. Tom joined them on his stand-up bass for her last song, "Harlan" about the town in Kentucky where she's from - or as she put it, "this is a song about my DNA." It was so lovely with the three of them creating a whiskey soaked visit down home on that stage, that Harlan is now on my list of places to check out.

Tom Tuesdays are the best, and you never know who is going to show up to join him. Last night he was backed up by Matt Pszonak (on lap steel and bass), wonderful percussionist/drummer, Chris Lovejoy, and Jason Yates on keyboards (Jason of The Innocent Criminals). Jason played a few songs of his own to get us further warmed up, and then Tom took the stage for the intimate crowd (that grew less so with each song ... people were still coming in when I left post-Tom!). Tom opened with a song that isn't on any of his albums, "Crow's Landing". Judging from the crowd's reaction, it will probably be on his next one. This night was "Set List Free", Tom said, so with hardly a glance at Lovejoy, they launched into Tom's oldie, but goodie, "Trondheim". I love that one, and not just because I'm Norwegian. And I love the next one, "Bombshell" - and not necessarily because I'm one of those, it's just really good.

Tom's latest album, "Collapsible Plans" is a treasure. Ben Harper produced it (available on his website), and Tom has opened for a bunch of Ben's tour shows. They're longtime friends (and were a college duo together) and their music compliments each other totally. The song, "Collapsible Plans" was next, and the two girls right near me knew every single word - though Tom sang it a lot better. "Unwind" features such fancy finger-work on Tom's guitar, you can't even see his hands, they're such a blur. Funky Wah-Wah sounds permeate the mix, and the hoots and hollers at song's end were well-deserved.

Ah, good old "Copper Road". Tom would have fit in great with the whole desert-rock Gram Parsons times, that's for sure. In fact, he played Parsons' "Hickory Wind", joined by Amilia K., and the country yearning is almost painfully pretty, filigreed with Tom's masterful mandolin work. "Queen Of The Desert" fit that genre as well, and the mandolin ... That mandolin. Sigh. The real show-stopper for the mandolin is Tom's song about his wife, "Francie". PLUGGED IN mandolin madness, that again makes one pause to wonder how human fingers can fly so fast. It's a classic in the Freund ouevre, for very good reason. I'm humming it now.
But then Tom would also fit in great in any smoky jazz bar across the globe. "Comfortable In Your Arms" features his stand-up bass played with a bow, which he glides masterfully. "I want lessons", was all I was thinking while listening to that thing. Glorious. That was followed up by the Beatles' "Come Together" and then I thought, "Exactly. That is really the whole point. Of music. Of love. Of Community." ... I snapped out of that revelation just in time to whistle for the ripper of a bass solo on that one. Geez Louise.

"Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" is always a crowd-pleaser, with Jason Yates and Lovejoy leading the sing and clap-along. A word about Lovejoy: he just rules. He's so inventive with his little bag of percussion tricks, and such a joy to watch, with his crazy hair and big smile he gets from playing ... he's a real treat to yell and clap for.

"Why, Wyoming" took us back out on the road, with Amilia K. again lending her harmonic gifts. Because there is really no time limit as it stands now at The Stronghold, Tom could play as long as he felt like. Even on a Tuesday school night, that was fine by the entire room. "I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends" is always a good thing to remember and celebrate, and when the version is done all slowed down and fresh like Tom did it (joined by Shannon Moore), it's even better. Even BETTER when you get Stanley "The Baron" Behrens to join you, blowing on his harmonica like the bluesiest cat around. When Tom and I were talking pre-show, he said there are two great harmonica players on the planet - Taj Mahal and Stanley Behrens. Seriously. It was so great to see Stan play last night too, as he's been dealing with the dread liver cancer, and its horrid treatments. He's on the list to get a transplant soon, but you would know none of this by watching him play. The LIFE he breathes out through his harp is so powerful, you really do trust that this guy can handle anything that comes his way. Once again, the power of music to heal and elate was clearly evident. GO STANLEY!!!

"Digs" was groovy as ever, and had heads bobbing in unison around the room. "If you don't like the digs, you can find someplace else." Word. Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" was also given a jazzy treatment, and featured a drum jamboree between Lovejoy (I love that name) and Jason Yates on congas. "Stop, Hey, What's that sound?" ... that sound is fresh live music in our own backyard!!!
The last song of Tom's official set (I left, but heard it still going on up there as I went by later) was his excellent (said like Bill & Ted) "Truly Mellow". It takes you back to the time when you were that teen listening to music in the basement ... trying out new sounds, ideas, perhaps herbal remedies ... as you sorted out who you were going to become ... all the while feeling truly mellow. There's a good singalong part that is also easy, just "La-di-dah" repeated back to Tom. This crowd sounded good together too.

Once the applause died down, my crew and I said our goodbyes and ambled down the steps into the night, feeling mellow, feeling lucky, and feeling hopeful that The Stronghold will get it all streamlined and flowing. Live music so close to our homes is just about the best thing ever, so I'm rooting for them. There is a special feeling when you get people together to be just about the music, and in such close quarters. It all goes back to that music, love and community ... and the more opportunities for that, the better.

Tom Tuesdays - one more left in November. Don't be square.

Venice Is A Poem.

"Poetry is what Venice is all about. It ain't the only thing, but it's the fundamental thing."

That's a quote I heard from Jim Smith of The Free Venice Beachhead, who heard it from Pat Hartman. The Beachhead has an entire poetry section each month, but there's a lot more poems around Venice ... even just breathing in, really.

One of my favorite things about Venice is the poetry of it all. And the APPRECIATION of the Poetry of it all. The Beats hung out here ... The Venice West Cafe (and then Sponto Gallery) celebrated the poets and their muses all day, all night. Jim Morrison wrote poems on the sand, and turned them into Doors songs, before he left to only write poems in Paris.

Some of that poetry can get lost amid the gentrification, crime, and the general busyness of everyone's lives in this Millenium. Beyond Baroque keeps it going, though, with constant poetry readings and cultural events you would grow from just by walking in the door. They are also the Sponsors of the Venice Poetry Wall down - ironically or not? - on the side of the Beach Police Station. I've always loved to take a moment and soak in the words etched there ... now kinda fading and in need of some upkeep, but there to try and capture the reality in front of you in a few perfectly chosen lines.


Punk rock poetry is represented too, as Exene Cervenka pleads, "Head the Future off at the past. Part the freeway, let my people go free."

There are even poems gouged into the walls of the Public Restrooms down at the beach. Not long ago, I was thinking of someone I missed far away, and wondering what they were doing, when I rode my bike up to the restrooms to rinse my feet of sand. I looked up and this Wanda Coleman gem was staring me in the face:

... so sometimes poems in your midst can even make you more aware of yourself. Trip on that.

My favorite one so far, I think, comes from Viggo Mortensen (a longtime supporter of Beyond Baroque) and goes diagonally all across the wall, so I'll tell it to you myself ...

"It was all part of a wonderful secret, an infinite number of welcoming gifts that had lain waiting in the sea."

Leave it to Viggo to perfectly describe our Venice.

Or don't. Write your own poems, celebrate your own gifts ... and the ones waiting in the sea.

Seek Truth!

Some good advice popped up parked in front of my place this morning ...
So that will set the tone for the week. Seek Truth. Yes.

Vive La French!!!

If you know me or have visited me, you've either heard of or been to The French Market Cafe on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice (South of Venice Blvd.). That's because I go there every morning and get what I feel is the very best coffee in town. I love it. I miss it when I'm away. They don't even have to ask me what I want ... and sometimes it's even ready for me when I'm still standing in line to order it. We are tight.
A lovely mademoiselle called Agnes came over from France in 1999, and soon thereafter took over The French Market Cafe from a French couple with her business partner, Lionel. They made some improvements, but kept the general idea ... delicious French food (get Le Cheval for brunch - open face sunny egg, bacon, swiss on baguette - delicieux), along with a store selling all the foods, magazines, wines, and other French things for French expatriates, and Americans alike. Then she met a dashing customer called Patrice ... they fell in love, married and bought out Lionel. Today Agnes and Patrice Martinez run the place together, and it's as though you've entered their own backyard. People they know come in all day, kiss both cheeks, and stay to have a proper European-length meal out on the sunny patio, as kids and dogs play - and grow up - over the years.
I started going there years ago because it was the closest place to get coffee to my house. I continued going there because it is so dang good. I've written about it in my journal good. It took a while (about a decade) to get super in with the owners and workers there, but now I love them all like ma own famille. Carole knows pretty much every detail of my life from seeing me every morning, and has become a dear, protective and supportive amie. Like we've brought each other souvenirs from our travels friends. Mikey offers a smile and sweet comment every day, and makes the coffee just how I like it (though Carole really knows best). Tobias always has something philosophical to say. Genevieve works harder than anyone I've ever seen, and I've made her smile twice this year already! Agnes & Patrice are handsome and welcoming all day long. I bring them cookies at Christmas, they gave me a swell bottle of wine. It's just the kind of place you hope to have in your life ... your morning "Cheers" bar.
Speaking of Cheers, or Salut, rather ... The French Market Cafe FINALLY got their wine and beer license this year!!! After years of bureaucracy and hassles by the City Officials ... you can now buy one of the gorgeous bottles of wine or champagne from the cute cellar inside, and pop it open to enjoy as the afternoon light turns everything gold. It is a terribly civilized way to while away a twilight, that is for sure.
The French Market Cafe nestles you in at 2321 Abbot Kinney Blvd, starting at 7 a.m. They usually wrap up their day by 5, except for Thursday-Saturday is now 10.

J'adore, French Market! See you in the morning!



*Oh, and just so you know. You get in line clockwise around the center of the store, order from the counter (or order ahead online - see above link), pay, get a number and they'll bring you the food outside if it's nice out (usually is) and you found a table, or inside in the little dining room. (I say this because it seems hard for some people to sort out. And Carole doesn't like that.)


** I especially liked going here when it was our last retarded government's "Freedom Fries" days. Burn.

Precious Movies.

I love this time of year. Yes, for the subtle California seasonal changes - the golden afternoon light, the need for a sweater at night, the smell of fireplaces burning around town ... but the real way you know the seasons have shifted in Los Angeles is by the GOOD movies finally coming out. I don't really like it that they save all the good ones until now so that they can be fresh in Award Season voters' minds - spread it out a LITTLE! - but it's just the way it is, so now is the time to be ensconced in a dark theater ... if you can't be at the beach that day, that is.

Yesterday was an especially trying day for some reason, and I don't think anything is in retrograde? Technical difficulties all week;

{Dear Verizon High Speed Internet Customer Service: You can suck it. And by It, I mean the yawning abyss left empty by the vanishing of my business. Losers. Bye. CJG}

... delays of all kinds; rejection letters; a three day headache; and general disillusionment. I'd finally had it with trying for the day, and went to the movies to escape it all. We were going to see the new Coen Brothers' film - because one must - but only front row seats remained. Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire was starting at the same time, and it was also high on my list. WHOA.
If I thought I had even ONE problem before seeing this astounding film ... it all dissipated about three minutes into entering the life of Clarice "Precious" Jones. The things that she endures are so horrifying ... we were shaking with held-back sobs at one awful point ... but she keeps going. The spirit inside of this 16 year old girl is so strong, I was instantly ashamed at myself for thinking I'd had an inkling of a bad day. The performances by absolutely everyone are so honest and touching - and EVIL, in the case of Mo'Nique (who I'm telling you, will win an Oscar) - that you are firmly in their world for every frame.
Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey each play small, but important roles, and excel. (Mariah Carey! Acting well!) But the lead performances, for sure Mo'Nique, but also Gabourey Sidibe as Precious, will just tear your heart out. I left the theater, first shaking my head and wiping my face of tears, but then skipping and clicking my heels that the cards I've been dealt have not ever come near the absolute trauma of this titan of a girl. Who keeps going forward no matter what happens. The movie ends with the dedication, "For Precious Girls Everywhere ..." - and that's about the roughest part of the movie - realizing that these scenarios DO exist. We could all do well to remember that ... all the time. That even though stuff happens that shakes your head up and ruins your day, it could always be so, so, so much worse.

Don't shy away from this movie because you think it will be too sad, either. It's actually laugh out loud funny in a few parts ... but inspiring all the way through. Go.

On another movie note ... I like when you go to Netflix and there's the little section that says "Local Favorites For Venice, CA". I always find it kind of reassuring to see the ones that people whom I live around watch - decent movies. What an interesting way to check out demographics. I'd be interested to know what other areas have in that section ...


That's how I first heard about the one I watched the other night, Anvil. What a great documentary! It's great for how METAL it is (Anvil is a metal band from the 80's that never blew up, but the guys are still going for it up in Canada, hoping they'll still break through and be huge.), but also for, again, how really inspiring it is. (It would be a swell double feature with American Movie - similar dreams, equally touching). Though it seems unlikely that these rockers, now in their 50's, will ever be massive (you do find yourself wanting to order their cd's just to help), they love what they do, their families support their dreams, and they never give up hope. And isn't that what it's all about?

View, reflect, and count your blessings.