Downtown Culver City has really developed over the last year, especially in the food department. It has been sarcastically dubbed as “CuCi” for its semi-pricey lunch and dinner spots. But in the armpit of CuCi, behind Ugo, Fraiche, Bottle Rock and the BofA, there’s a little alleyway gem that still keeps it real. REAL CHEAP. Aesthetically, this place is a skidmark and sore thumb in an area of newer and trendier businesses. Introducing Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop, a place that has been run by old-school Japanese Americans since 1983. Maybe even 1883.

I stumbled across this place when I was super poor one day during lunch. I was sick of Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken, Fraiche and that one rib joint that is so so. I parked in the structure and there it was. Sure, why not.

»continue reading Under $10: Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop, Culver City

PHOTO: Robert Smith, Coachella 2009 by Sung

Main set:
underneath the stars
prayers for rain
»continue reading Coachella 2009: The Cure Set List

PHOTO: Paul McCartney, Coachella 2009 by Sung

Main set: Jet / Drive My Car / Only Mama Knows / Flaming Pie / Got to Get You Into My Life / Let Me Roll It (with a coda of Purple Haze) / Honey Hush / Highway / The Long and Winding Road / My Love / Blackbird / Here Today / Dance Tonight / Calico Skies / Mrs. Vanderbilt / Eleanor Rigby / Sing the Changes / Band on the Run / Back in the U.S.S.R. / Something / I’ve Got a Feeling / Paperback Writer / A Day in the Life > Give Peace a Chance / Let It Be / Live and Let Die / Hey Jude

First encore: Birthday / Can’t Buy Me Love / Lady Madonna

Second encore: Yesterday / Helter Skelter / Get Back / Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) > The End (source)

» Coachella ‘09: Paul McCartney’s 35-song set list (OC Register Soundcheck)

9a

V’s house.

11:30a

Made it to Palm Springs ahead of schedule. Scarf down some damn good eats at Panera Bread.

12:15p

Back on the 111.

1:30p

Coachella! Unfortunately, Coachella parking is not anywhere nearby. We lose the cars in lot Pink Five with a long and winding road before us.

1:50p

Sunscreen protects us. V gets the tickets and bracelets. We get in the frisking line.

2:30p

A false frisk line pathology: if you follow the stampede to a new line, thinking a new checkpoint is legitimate, you get to the front of a false line, are told something like “aw, we’re just bullshitting”, and have to go to the back of the real line. This happens several times.

2:50p

Once in, We Are Scientists on the main stage flies frantic and harmonic. I’m into the installation art to the right, the pallets and water wheels, a ring of bamboo that shoot fire, a gigantic hand, a monster. On a tent-less stage sequestered with the wood, dance tracks on a Mac energize shower elves to spray mist onto a grateful throng of dancers.

»continue reading Friday at Coachella: MFV Chunk One

Gaja Moc is THE place for grill-at-your-own-table Okonomiyakis (ok, it’s the only place I know of).  Okonomiyakis are savory Japanese pancakes and, at Gaja, you can pick your own fillings, ranging from the predictable (pork, sausage, kimchee, teriyaki chicken, shrimp) to the few surprise guests (mochi, cod roe, plum, squid leg).   Think Korean BBQ, but less BBQ and more breakfast griddle.  You get a bowl of batter, your selected fillings, a minature spatula, and just go with it. 4 -5 min per side.  Especially recommended for those who enjoy the sight of mochi, cheese and spicy cod roe together atop a gooey pancake batter.

But:  For the under $10 part.  Gaja Moc just started opening for lunch (first date of service was 3/17).  They have insane (read: huge) lunch set menus, which are all plays on the noodle soup + salad + side rice bowl combo.  The udon soups come in a f*ing casserole dish, for god sake.  It’s pretty mad / rad:

»continue reading Under $10: Gaja Moc

PICK OF THE WEEK

Throbbing Gristle
Tues 4/21
Ricardo Montalbán Theater
Info
 
 
 
 
 

Xu Xu Fang @ The Echo (Record release party) Thu 4/30
Ziggy Marley Family Time @ Club Nokia Wed 5/6
Giant Drag @ Troubadour Fri 5/15
Curanderos @ Troubadour Wed 5/13
John Vanderslice @ Troubadour Mon 6/29
Dinosaur Jr. @ Troubadour Tue 6/23
Dinosaur Jr. @ Troubadour Mon 6/22
A Prairie Home Companion @ Greek Theatre Fri 6/5
Cafe Tacuba @ Gibson Amphitheatre Wed 6/24
Wilco @ Fox Theater, Pomona Sat 6/20
Sunset Rubdown @ Echoplex Tue 6/23
Grizzly Bear @ The Wiltern Fri 6/19
 

TUESDAY
Heartless Bastards @ Spaceland
James Pants @ Echoplex
Mike Stinson & Dave Gleason @ The Redwood
Throbbing Gristle @ Ricardo Montalban Theatre

»continue reading Losanjealous Concert Picks: April 20 – 26

Not sure who to check out this weekend? Turn to Twitter. Joe has merged the Twitter search API and Google Visualization API into a neat li’l program which more or less shows you who’s being talked about the most out there: Have a look. (I just offered him $25 to bump up Murder City Devils.)

Graphs show number of tweets per day, for the past 30 days (up to and including 4/15/2009, updated daily).

It’s cool, but the analyst in me wants more info on how this data is being parsed, and what exactly those metrics are that we are looking at (per 100? 1000? 10k?). A few bands (including Fucked Up) have been excluded, since their names are common words or phrases. Yo, Joe: are we sure about those Cure numbers pictured up there? The Cure being sort of a non-band phrase and all. Same goes for The Killers, could be argued. Also wish to discuss White Lies, Beirut and, obviously, Plump DJs.

(UPDATE: Regarding that data, a bit more info has been added to the page following the above post. Sample size is restricted to 1500 for any given search.)

» Coachella Twitter Buzz

Coachella is tomorrow, all of the suddenly. How did this happen!?
LEGEND: Half-sized thumb = cursory 5-10 minute glance inside the tent, but you should really be paying attention to the outdoor stages. See you there Los Angeles.

Full photo gallery below.
»continue reading Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, Glass House, April 15, 2009

Prog rock fans take note: Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White will be joined by vocalist Benoit David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, son of Rick Wakeman, at an arena or casino near you this summer. The tour kicks off June 26 out in Indio (anybody headed out to Indio this weekend, by chance?) and wraps up August 2 up in Bethlehem, PA. Steve Howe will perform with both bands on this tour. Full announcement and all dates after the jump.

YES THEY CAN! LEGENDARY BAND BEGINS 24-DATE U.S. TOUR JUNE 26 IN INDIO, THROUGH AUGUST 2 IN BETHLEHEM, PA, WITH SPECIAL GUEST ASIA

North American Tour Will See YES’ Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White joined by singer Benoit David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, with Howe doing double duty in both bands

»continue reading YES To Tour Summer ’09 With ASIA