Many people are fond of bashing LAX. While I’ve never bashed her per se, I will attest that she is early to bed, and she has her ups and downs. The downs, naturally, are considerably less steep with the aid of overpriced fermentation. So Then! Not a comprehensive list so much as it is a jumping off point, following are my personal favorite watering holes, whenever I find that I am suddenly spending more time than desired at the local airport. These recommendations are terminal-specific, so you won’t find the Sheraton or any of the other outlying Westchester oddities. Further, none of these joints require Admiral miles so you’re guaranteed to spend some quality time with your fellow plebes. Commoner.
WHAT
Art and music in the soothing confines of a downtown space
WHO
More appropriately, who not? When you shove this many DJs into one three-roomed warehouse it gets difficult to keep track of all of them, but the list includes Peanut Butter Wolf, Vikter Duplaix, Shakespeare, Aurelito, Azul, Anthony Valadez, Valida, Tony Watson, Raul Campos, I&I Soundsystem, Destroyer and Jeremy Sole, for starters. Expect the unexpected.
WHERE
The Bell Tower, 764 E 9th Place, Downtown
WHEN
Tonight, 9pm-4am
WHY
It is not yet time to make the turkey. Plus, it totally beats your usual pre-holiday Wednesday routine of downing an entire $5 bum-jug of Carlo Rossi table wine while Colbert sneers at you from the Tivo machine.
Art and select live performances may occur alongside the activities of the cavalcade of DJs. Be advised. $10 suggested donation with all proceeds going to (a) DJ Dusk’s Mar Vista Family Center and (b) (mother of Dilla) MaDukes’ battle with Lupus. Read the flyer as often as you like here.
Finally, for those of you at LAX today, our all-digital, terminal-by-terminal airport bar compendium arrives shortly. Hit “F5″ every 20 seconds or so until it appears.
Nic’s out, Jason’s in. Oh, and Garth’s back! The next KCRW saga officially begins December 1, 2008. So does Jason have an agenda yet? A grand scheme? Devious plans to turn the station into a gigantic conglomeration sponsored by Ableton Live? Time to head down to Venice, grab a coffee and squeeze in a few words. Meet Your New KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley!
First off, congratulations.
Thank you.
Now I’ll go ahead and ask the question that’s on everybody’s mind. What’s the first record you’re going to play on Morning Becomes Eclectic? There’s an over/under of sorts on whether or not it’s going to be something electronic.
I’ve been thinking about playing a song off the Crash soundtrack by Mark Isham. Such a great soundtrack. I’ve also been thinking about playing a track by Johan Johannson’s latest album Fordlandia. I really want to kind of flip the switch.
Do you have a general idea as to what the shift in your audience looks like? I’m guessing considerably larger post-NPR crowd in the mornings. (note self, might have been prudent to actually procure applicable segment and reach #s prior to venturing down to Venice for coffee this morning)
This past Saturday night I found myself at Spaceland as O’Death took the stage. If you haven’t heard the band before, they fit somewhere between the genres of jug band, folk, and pirate punk with an added splash of well-educated academic musicianship. Most of their songs are sea shanties and their drummer plays the chains as a legitimate percussive instrument. O’Death plays pirate music, but not Jack Sparrow pirate, more like that awesome pirate ship in the Goonies with all the skeletons and tons of jewels and treasure and shit.
This band definitely lived up to their reputation for putting on an energetic show; Bob Pyciore, the fiddle player, was jumping spastically around the stage like an epileptic Tim Burton character and David Rogers-Berry actually stood up a few times to throw a cymbal against his drum kit for an ear-splitting crash.
The circle nears completion. The one item remaining, as I see it, would be the Joe Frank weekly. From KCRW’s DJ Wire…
Garth Trinidad Returns to Weeknights on KCRW from 8 to 10pm
Starting December 1, KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad returns to weeknights, hosting a music show from 8 to 10pm PST, the slot previously occupied by new Music Director and Host of Morning Becomes Eclectic Jason Bentley.
Garth has been on the air at KCRW since 1996 and hosted a weeknight show, formerly known as “Chocolate City.” His exploration into urban rhythms and soul created a new home for a demographic that wasn’t served anywhere else and he was the first DJ in the country to play both Macy Gray and Jill Scott. »continue reading Garth Trinidad Returns to Weeknights on KCRW from 8 to 10pm
You just have to admire the DIY ethic. At first I thought this guy took the whole “give the computer the finger” motif so far that he hand-lettered each of these ridiculous signs (commonly posted paired with a second sign, each with a separate message and separate phone number). Closer scrutiny, however, reveals disappointing evidence of photocopier play. Let us hope that, given the central Melrose location of these posted adverts, they are not the handiwork of Mr Brainwash inexplicably finally getting something right for a change. Fear not, way too subtle. Too “thinky.” So who’s the salesperson here…Are these Korendian by origin? We crosschecked the phone numbers with what we currently have on file for David Liebe Hart. Neither number matched, but it could be he’s upgraded after hitting the big time with Tim and Eric. Sigh. Anybody call these numbers or have a story to share regarding these hand-lettered ads? We’re all ears.
Tuesday night’s first filmic performance by the band ADULT. (for there were two back-to-back performances) was full of familiar faces as well as just plain full. Local electronic intelligentsia, from theremin players (Kevin Li of Seksu Roba) to three-year-old impressers (DJ Lance Rock from Yo! Gabba! Gabba!) sat captivated as the Brian Eno prelude faded away, the Silent Movie Theater went dark, and images of a woman’s legs and pant suit skirt stood starkly on the screen, motionless, even as ricocheted sounds of electronic knocks and phlangers bubbled up from either side of the stage. Nicola Kuperus’s horror film “DECAMPMENT” had begun.
The longtime KCRW DJ will leave his current evening time slot to host Morning Becomes Eclectic starting in December.
KCRW announces the appointment of Jason Bentley as Music Director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic, effective December 1. Bentley will leave his current evening time slot to take over KCRW’s signature music program from 9am to noon PST, Monday through Friday. »continue reading KCRW Announces New Music Director Jason Bentley
I could be wrong, but I don’t think we’ve done a straight-ahead bar review on these pages since June 2006, back when wayward contributor Annie mouthed off about the Spotlight and Bar 107. Drumroll, new bar just opened, here goes nothing.
WHAT I AM WRITING ABOUT
Stinkers Truck Stop
WHY IT IS NOTEWORTHY
Stinkaz (can I get informal here?) is themed as a truck stop, and it “soft opened” (hold – how does a bar “soft open” again? Further, isn’t liquor by definition “hard” ? .. ) last Thursday. Stinkahs has mounted skunk asses on the walls. The asses spray mist on your head while you drink. Stinkezs also has a CB apparatus and a terribly loud truck horn (warning). Apparently Stinkuz also has Stinkers Ale (or similar) but they were out when we visited last Monday. Stinkers is brought to you by the man behind Bigfoot Lodge, Little Cave and Saints and Sinners. You know…theme bars. Stinkers has also been Thrillisted, Eaten and Metromixed in the last week or two so I will be brief.
WHAT I AM WATCHING WHILE I AM WRITING THIS The Replacements on HBOHD featuring Keanu Reeves, Pat Summerall and Gene Holy Jesus Would You Look At That Juicy Mustache Hackman. Exactly how in the Christ do movies like this get made!? More pressing, why am I all of 70 minutes deep?
How To Create A 110′ Tall Tree Out Of Multiple Trees And Make It Look Perfectly Fake: The Grove Christmas Tree Primer
Put up gigantic phallic tree trunk, sans branches
Add PVC sprinkler piping
“Screw” branches into place, tying or affixing to other branches where need be
Not too many, and not too irregular! Make it perfectly, abnormally conical
Leave room for ample Nordstrom packages at base
It looks perfectly abnormally conical, but still too much like a real tree
Spraypaint that motherfucker an abnormally uniform forest green
Add ornaments, lights and you are done! The tree shall tower over the Hasidic core of Los Angeles like no other before it, with the exception of the one that was constructed and stood in this verysame spot last year, and the one the year before that, and so forth, beginning in 2002 Anno Domini.
This past Saturday night I found myself at Spaceland as O’Death took the stage. If you haven’t heard the band before, they fit somewhere between the genres of jug band, folk, and pirate punk with an added splash of well-educated academic musicianship. Most of their songs are sea shanties and their drummer plays the chains as a legitimate percussive instrument. O’Death plays pirate music, but not Jack Sparrow pirate, more like that awesome pirate ship in the Goonies with all the skeletons and tons of jewels and treasure and shit. 
The circle nears completion. The one item remaining, as I see it, would be the Joe Frank weekly. From KCRW’s DJ Wire…
You just have to admire the DIY ethic. At first I thought this guy took the whole “give the computer the finger” motif so far that he hand-lettered each of these ridiculous signs (commonly posted paired with a second sign, each with a separate message and separate phone number). Closer scrutiny, however, reveals disappointing evidence of photocopier play. Let us hope that, given the central Melrose location of these posted adverts, they are not the handiwork of 
HEADS UP
I could be wrong, but I don’t think we’ve done a straight-ahead bar review on these pages since June 2006, back when wayward contributor Annie mouthed off about the 
For Christ’s Sake! It’s That Time of Year Again…
