I’m going to stop apologizing for my lack of blogging, since I’m pretty sure only 3 other people (if that!) besides me actually read this thing. Work is keeping me pretty busy, but I’ve had some great opportunities to check out some marvelous events in California in the past few weeks. Here is a summary of April and May: San Jose Visit, LA & Venice Beach for my sister’s bday, The Elemental Experience, Karl Strauss Beach to Brewery Festival, Greg Laswell, Vision of a Dying World, Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s, Paramore and Graduation Weekend with old friends. I took some cool photos, and will share them with corresponding info below.
In April, I visited my best friends from College, Tanya and Dustin, in San Jose. Not only did we wrap things in bacon (see below!) but we also went to this rad flea market/festival, Vintage San Jose: Rocks & Rolls. There were classic cars and craft beer. What could be better?! We visited Santa Cruz beach, went out in downtown Campbell, and I also got a chance to visit the Silicon Valley and Mountain View.
Next, Chliana and I went to LA to celebrate my sister Jackie’s birthday. We dined at Baja Cantina, a delicious Mexican restaurant in Marina del Ray, and then headed out to Lucha Libre inspired bar, The Cha Cha Lounge in Silver Lake to get our celebration on. It was a great time, and we drank too much!! A few of my friends came to her party of sorts, which was a fantastic plus. The next day, we headed to Venice Beach, since Chliana had never been. We paid too much for parking, took a long stroll along the boardwalk, shopped for some cool souvenirs, and even saw the weenie mobile! It snuck away before I could get a good pic though. Damn you WEENIE MOBILE, DAMN YOU!
Check out more Photos and Recaps after the jump…
Next, we headed to the Elemental Experience on Mission Bay in San Diego to check out some sweet bands including Pete & J, Dirty Sweet, Mason Jennings, Pinback, Bassnectar, and Matisyahu. We came for Pinback and Mason, we left loving Bassnectar and Dirty Sweet! Each band brought their own crowd, and it was superb to check out some new tunes in the sunshine. The event was excellent, the weather was GORGEOUS, and the cause was fantastic. The event was held to raise money for a homeless shelter for young adults past the age of 18 that have been kicked out of the “system.” 91x was there to show some support, as well as Vavi and other local artists.
Are you tired yet?! Yes, me too. Still a bunch more left!!! And just think, I only selected my FAVORITES! Arrrrrrgggh. Next up was the Karl Strauss Beach to Brewery Festival. I have always wanted to attend this annual event, and finally got a chance to check it out! One of my favorite local reggae bands, Stranger, was playing, and the beer was pouring left and right! For $20, you got 5 samplers, and full beers were just $5 after that. All of the money raised went to surfrider foundation, which made me feel good as I downed 91X Belgian IPA, Endless Summer, & even a Pineapple IPA. They even had a petition to drastically cut the use of plastic grocery bags in SD, which I was eager to sign. I got to catch up with some old girlfriends too, which is always delightful. In addition, I spotted Mat Diablo from afar, and was too shy to say hello. FML!
May continued to bless me with wondrous shows! I saw Greg Laswell at the Casbah which was spectacular. He was very charming and his tunes and rustic voice moved my soul. His sweatshirt had a glorious purple horse on it. He said he got it on the road in Texas. He played a lot of older songs, which was a nice surprise. Some of the highlights included Amazed, High and Low, What a Day, and his wonderful rendition of Cindy Lauper’s “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun.”
I then saw Vision of a Dying World at the Soda Bar, which is also one of my favorite local bands. One of my favorite songs by them is “The Time and the Place for Everything” and I’m disappointed to explain the following story. Chliana and I approached one of the lead singers/guitar players and bought him a drink (Maker’s Mark, on the Rocks) and chatted with him for a few. I explained I had been going to their shows for a couple of years, and was wondering when they were going to play my FAVORITE song from one of their oldest albums. He proclaimed “oh gosh, Jackson wrote that when he was 17, we’ll probably never play that again. That song is like the girlfriend you break up with and never want to see again.” I was super bummed! I mean, couldn’t he just amuse me and tell me they’d play it some day?! Or just lie?? I mean, I can’t imagine being in a band and a fan requesting an old favorite, and shutting them down like that. I lost a lot of respect for them that night, and it was a major bummer. I’ll probably still go to some of their shows, but I wont spread the good news about their music anymore.
I also saw Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s in Costa Mesa with Anne. We snuck up to the front, and got some great photos as well as candy from the hilarious pinata Richard smashed with his guitar towards the end.
Finally, I won a Twitter contest from 91x by responding to a tweet: “Paramore is coming to 91X tomorrow! Wanna meet the band and see a performance? First 10 fans to reply @91X their fav Paramore song get in.” I responded with “Pressure” and was the first to win!! I got to bring a guest to the 91x studios where we got passes, a tour of the studio (or shall I say cubicles), and an acoustic performance in a tiny room with couches. I have never been a HUGE Paramore fan, but I think they are pretty cool. I loved their song on the Twilight soundtrack, and Hayley Williams has a gorgeous voice! Still can’t believe she is only 20 years old! After performing Misery Business, CrushCrushCrush and Decode (acoustically for the first time!), the band signed an 8×10 glossy and took group photos with fans. They were really cool! Check out the pics and video of Paramore performing decode below!!
A few friends also graduated from SDSU this weekend, so Tanya and Dustin came to visit. I also had an awesome photo shoot with D Photo Photography with my office for our new website launch (details to come soon!). Check out a few favs below.
Thanks for sticking it out (if you made it this far) and let me know what you think! I hope June and July are equally as fun, as I’m sure they will be since I have another Greg Laswell show, Art Around Adams Festival, Coldplay, a trip to Portland and Seattle, and more! Stay tuned, and I’ll try to post more frequently.
Peace&Love
Man, you are one busy lady!
– Mmm…bacon…
– Love the pink classic car!
– So sad I couldn’t be there for Jackie’s bday but I heard you guys had a blast!
– Jackie burned Greg Laswell’s CD for me — I love it!! Have a blast at the concert and in the Pacific Northwest!!!
Thanks Jenny!! Glad you enjoyed the post. We really missed you at Jackie’s Bday!! There’s always next year, right?? hehe Bacon=da bomb! I also have to talk to you about the Pacific Northwest! I’ll email you soon!