Foo Friday

My day started off as any normal day off would. Get up, work out, run errands.....who knew by day's end I'd get to see my favorite band all together for the first time in two and a half years?!?!?!


Dave Grohl, who once bashed Twitter by suggesting people get a life, get out and actually accomplish something, has been using the social networking site to promote the new album from beginning to end. He doesn't Tweet constantly, like some celebrities, but would post sporadic pictures of the band or studio progress. As a fan, it's been a neat way to at least have some sort of contact. Since the album wrapped in December, the Foo Twitter page has been fairly quiet as of late. In the past, Foo has been known to do one or two small shows to test-run material from the new albums. Right before Christmas they played a small show at Palladino's in Northridge (right by their studio). I was very disappointed that it hadn't been several weeks later once I was in L.A.!


Several times throughout the week the band tweeted that they were practicing and getting ready for something. Friday afternoon the Tweets really took off. Dave sent several pictures which turned out to be clues regarding the show's location. 

He kept teasing with lines like "you guys ready?", "sure feels nice to be able to play the new album from front to back like a set list..."  and "hope we get a chance to do that soon..."  I was texting several friends I've made through the band anticipating an announcement of some sort, but I assumed it would be in regards to an official tour. I had set up twitter to send any new dave tweets as text messages (yes, im a dork) I was down Ventura shopping and had just made some plans to meet a friend for drinks later when I got the tweet at 5:29 P.M. (Foo Fighters w/ the Bronx...Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara...8 pm...$20) I had to read it thru several times before it really set in. I was SO EXCITED!!  I raced home to throw on a different top and shoes and took off. The 101-N was at a standstill so GPS took me a different route. 45 minutes later I was halfway there and got another tweet (Maaan you guys are quick. no mas people can fit into Velvet Jones tonight. sorry, sold out)

At this point I had to make the decision whether to go on and test my luck or turn around. After being so excited I decided I had to see what I could get to work out. After the adrenaline rush I had just been on, it would be a huge disappointment to not see them (however I prepared myself that I may very well not get to...just in case something didn't work out). I really hated to pull strings and call my friend the drum tech, but was slightly panicked and thought it wouldn't hurt asking. He said it was going to be a bad show (horrible acoustics) and that the crew wasn't happy about it....he'd try but couldn't guarantee anything.

Some fellow Foo fans I knew had gotten there, heard it was sold out and gone to get food. Backup plan was to meet up with them and wait around for the guys after the show...I was definitely determined though.  parked and walked up. Thirty people had lined up in hopes of getting in. Luckily, a crew friend remembered me from the hotel in Chicago after TCV in May....he said he'd see what he could do and to just chill out front for a few.

Security was making everyone form a line down the side of the building, but I didnt want to be halfway down the block if he came back out. The guy in charge of guestlist asked my name, radioed  and went ahead and let me in. I didn't realize everyone else was getting wristbands and I had the After Show pass til I took a pic of it. 

I was amazed -- even though the show was "sold out" it was still seemingly really empty. I could walk right up front and center. 

It eventually did fill up.

The opening band was a punk band from Los Angeles named the Bronx. They were pretty good and will be appearing at Coachella this year.
Then Foo came out. I was directly in front of Dave. I've always been front row for their shows when I've had GA tickets, but have always seen them in an arena setting which means having  a barricade and security between you and the edge of the stage. This time I was leaning against the monitor on the stage. They played straight through the entire new album which was great. It was a weird feeling seeing them and not knowing the songs (a lot like seeing TCV at Austin for the first time). The teaser clip they posted this week is the beginning of the first song on the new album. Obviously I still probably love the older stuff more, but it's what is familiar. The new stuff is very rocking but still melodic....cant wait to hear it more and get more familiar with it. They filmed last night for the documentary they're releasing with the new album so there were tons of cameras (and lots of little ones they'd clip on the ends of the guitars, etc) 

After playing straight through the new stuff, Dave talked here and there. They've been practicing at 606 in a small space, but it was Nate's idea to take the album out for some club gigs and really get the fans' response. The rest of the show was basically like the greatest hits (first 4 albums....nothing from In Your Honor or ESP&G except Pretender). 26 songs total. Some rarely played tunes included "Enough Space" and "Wattershed" which was incredible. Dave dedicated "Up in Arms" to his wife which was cute. They ended the regular show with Everlong, then came back out for the Pretender, I'll Stick Around, and This is a call to "finish the night with what started it all." ("This is a Call" was the first song on their first album in 1995....also their first single) I loved that line. Before he left the stage he said "See you next week" indicating I'd most likely be seeing them again very soon! (hopefully)

Granted the acoustics weren't great (my hearing was pretty wrecked) but to see them in that small of a venue, no barricade, no security, leaning against the monitor with Dave's guitar like a foot from you was pretty incredible (especially when I didn't know about the show til 530 then thought I wouldn't get in) Also not to be weird but it was close enough that for several songs I'd be singing along and would lock eyes with Dave for a few lines...which was pretty special.

Instead of asking for set lists/picks people started to grab them off the stage.  I was pretty stoked to have gotten in and gotten the pass  (although I caught a pick that was tossed out....I think it's from Nate or Pat but need to check.)

I decided to see where the pass would get me. Checked with several security guys who said for sure upstairs (private bar/balcony. got a drink up there, but I'm glad I was down front for the show) They thought backstage but wasn't positive. The main guard was stopping a lot of people saying backstage was for family only. I chilled out front for a bit. I talked to a couple of the crew guys I knew.

Other Foo fans bailed and headed back to LA. Since I couldn't easily get backstage I debated whether to hang out, go around back, or bounce. I decided to wander around back and see what was up.

The guys were loading up gear so I chilled for a bit. There was a guarded outdoor smoking area and then the backstage room. Even with approval the guard let me stay in the outdoor area, but not go inside. Nate was out there by himself so talked to him for a bit. Jesse and Rami were hanging out. I told him I had heard how amazing the album was and that it was nice to finally hear it in person and in its entirety. I also introduced myself and mentioned that I  just moved and missed the Paladino's show so was stoked for this. That's when he said that they're doing more of these club gigs so to get ready.

And that was that. What more could I ask for. Front row seeing Foo in a small and intimate venue. Meeting the boys. Meeting and reconnecting with the crew  which should prove helpful in the future.


I was very impressed with Santa Barbara. It seems very cute and I'd love to go up and spend more time during the day sometime; however, I was exhausted and had an hour and a half to drive home (didn't get back 'til 3:30 but was still riding the adrenaline high)  After these club gigs, I'll probably get spoiled and not even really need to see them on tour doing big arena shows. 


Tomorrow the madness might start again. As I've been typing this I got a few more Foo blasts:
"Thanks Santa Barbara. That was rad. Can't wait to do it again..."
"Now let's see.....who's next...."
"Hmmm....look sharp, ladies and gents...I feel another one coming on!"
"More to follow"


It's been fun to read the postboard trying to decipher the current hints. Some people for a while thought they might do a late night show tonight....but seeing that it's already midnight guesses are that they'll be one tomorrow. As far as getting dressy, people are supposing a nightclub somewhere in Hollywood. I couldn't have come to LA at a better time!  We'll see what tomorrow brings. Stay tuned for more Foo fun :-)

Pinkberry

One of my most recent discoveries of L.A. life was Pinkberry. I've heard of it for years, but never gotten to indulge  in it. They started (and are predominantly located) in California, but are beginning to spread across the country. It basically is frozen yogurt (but was extremely flavorful). Their flavors include vanilla, chocolate, mango, pomegranate and blood orange. The first half of the toppings are a variety of fresh-cut fruits while the second-half are your standard variety of different types of chocolate, almond slivers, etc. They display the calorie count per serving which makes it much more tempting to go for that serving of strawberries (10 cal) over the dark chocolate shavings (50 cal).  I got chocolate frozen yogurt with raspberries and strawberries.......made for a wonderful dessert!

Monday 1.24.2011

One of the aspects of L.A. life which was totally new to me was the concept of food trucks. I have yet to venture to one, but some of the most popular seem to be Kogi's (Korean BBQ tacos/burritos), Coolhaus (ice cream sandwiches), Sweetcakes (cupcakes on the go) and a grilled cheese truck (known for one with macaroni n' cheese and bbq rib meat). They aren't for the faint of heart! (or health conscious) You follow them on twitter and whenever they reach a new location, they update their coordinates. Still a very new (but interesting) concept....I might have to venture to one soon for fun!

Yesterday I found out about a show at the Whiskey-A-Go Go on the Sunset strip.  This famous venue is known for being the birthplace of many bands. The Doors were once the house band. Many British bands played their first shows in the area here including Led Zeppelin, Cream and the Monkees.  I found that they were having a show for a band called Camp Freddy. This band is a conglomeration of members from different bands (Dave Navarro of Red Hot Chili Peppers/Jane's Addiction, Chris Chaney of Jane's Addiction, Matt Sorum of Guns n' Roses, etc) They only play locally and often invite other famous musicians to cover each other's songs.  The only way to get tickets were to go down and pick them up at the Whiskey.

After a run around Silver Lake I ventured down to Hollywood. You had to go up to the offices above the venue which was neat -- lots of music history happened up there. I got my ticket. While I was in the area I decided to explore Book Soup, a local bookstore I had seen. I always like to have an independent bookstore that I enjoy to go browse. In Lexington, I have Joseph-Beth. In Denver, I have the Boulder Bookstore and the Tattered Cover. Now, in Hollywood, I have Book Soup.  They had quite a wide variety in the store itself, as well as 1000s of magazines outside on the newstand. I'll definitely be back! I also ventured to Amoeba Records to browse a bit more. They're the largest independent record store in the world, carrying 250,000 titles at any given time (heaven!) They were setting up for an in-store performance from Iron & Wine.  I ventured home to have dinner and get ready for the show.

The show was really fun. Definitely the loudest/hardest rocking show I've been to since I got to LA. There were only maybe 200 people there (between the two floors) which was neat. I've been really impressed at the intimacy of some of these really famous venues in Hollywood. Definitely a nice environment to see bands. The venues also tend to be very nice and clean (compared to some in Denver that were more run-down). There were two opening bands.

Headcat finally started which I was looking forward to. Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead sings. He's good friends with Dave Grohl and has performed with him. He also played with Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) and Danny B Harvey.  They're known as a rockabilly supergroup and were really fun. They played some original songs, songs from each of their respective groups and some covers including "Not Fade Away" and "Crossroads."

Then Camp Freddy came out.  They played a lot of covers including "War Pigs," "Whole Lotta Love," and "Highway to Hell."Some of their guests including Jason Bonham (John Bonham's son who played with LedZep during their reunion show), Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row), and B. Real of Cypress Hill. In the past they've had Ozzy Osbourne, members of the Stones, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, etc.

Sunday 1.23.2011

This has been a busy week -- hence the lack of blog updates. I'll try to do one big one now to make up for it!


Tuesday I started the internship which was fascinating.  The morning consisted mainly of meeting people, learning the basics of publishing and the oh-so-important lunch schedule. In 2006, Congress established a statutory rate of 9.1 cents per song that the publisher receives (up to 5 minutes....past 5 minutes you adjust accordingly). In some cases 4 or 5 publishers may hold rights to the song. Also, splits are not always clearly cut. For instance, one party might hold 12.5% of a song while another holds 87.5%. At the end of the day they really are dealing with fractions of cents. I learned about the main websites I'll be using to research which publishers hold which songs. That afternoon I re-organized the publishing files which was fascinating to see the variety of artists and albums in the catalog. Some of the artists' files I dealt with included the Doors, Ray Charles, Chicago, Talking Heads, Sinatra, the Ramones, Metallica, Fleetwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers. My boss actually encourages reading through the files which was fascinating (and cool to be holding on to pieces of history like that!)


Wednesday I met up with a friend from Lexington who is out visiting for the next week. In conversation we realized his father was a teacher at TLS which was interesting. We had lunch and he showed me some of his old favorite hangouts around LA.


Thursday I got to delve into more publishing research which was a lot of fun. There were several songs that had been published on a compilation, but they were still unsure of what publisher has the rights to them.  If they track down the publisher after the fact, then they'll send them a check of backpay.  It was suggested I most likely wouldn't be able to track this information down, but good luck anyway. They also mentioned that sometimes songs have multiple titles so use Google or any resources available. The song I originally was looking for was "Mumblin' Word" by Huddie Ledbetter. On one site I found that it was registered as "Never Heard a Mumblin' Word" and Wikipedia listed it as having four other titles including "They Hung Him on a Cross" which had been covered by Nirvana. (Who ever thought knowing obscure Nirvana covers would help me at work?!) Searching that title on the HFA site I was able to find who held the publishing rights!!  It also gets difficult with songs like this that were written in the first part of the 20th century because there obviously wasn't the technology there is now. A lot of the recordings we have from these artists are ones that were made by representatives from the Library of Congress traveling to record them.  I also was given several packets for boxsets of songs to research and fill out a spreadsheet indicating what publishers get paid what amount for the songs.


On Friday, I went for a hike around Runyon Canyon which is beautiful. It's a very popular 160 acre city park with panoramic views including the Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, the ocean, downtown and all of Hollywood.

Friday night I had dinner with a friend at a sushi place across the street from where I live. Also checked out the Fox & the Hound, an English pub showing Lakers and rugby games.


Yesterday I had lunch at Gingergrass. Last night I met up with an old friend from Lexington. After picking me up we ventured to Hollywood. We went to Amoeba Records which is one of the best record stores I've ever been to. It's huge and to look at it, you wouldn't know the record industry is suffering whatsoever. Next we went to Jones Bar which is a dimly lit bar and Italian restaurant.  I got the turkey rappini which was fabulous.  We went to the Music Box theater to see Guster. The tickets had a start time of 8 P.M. which we assumed with an opener or two meant Guster would go on at 9:30 or 10. Turns out 8 indicated the band started then...so we unfortunately missed part of the show. They were still great and I'd love to see them again. The theater was beautiful as well.

Since the show was over around 9:30 we went to Cafe Aroma in Studio City for coffee and dessert. This cute cafe is several blocks from the apartment so I'll certainly be back again! They're known for being a good celebrity hotspot and their desserts were fabulous. We had a piece of chocolate hazelnut pie which was to die for. They're also very well-known for their red (and blue!) velvet cupcakes

Sunday 1.16.2011 / Monday 1.17.2011

Yesterday I went to go run in Griffith Park (the largest municipal park in the U.S.--this is the mountain that the Hollywood sign is on and contains wonderful views). It is also the site of four golf courses, the L.A. Zoo, and horseback riding. I was surprised to find that they still have cages and enclosures from the old zoo that you can wander in to. I ran several beautiful trails up in the hills.  In the afternoon, I went to Silver Lake Coffee to finish some writing for an online class and got dinner from Gingergrass. I got the papaya salad with chicken which has become one of my favorite dishes so far. Last night I settled in to watch the Golden Globes. I was thrilled that Colin Firth won best actor, but was disappointed in the Social Network getting Best Picture. I watched it last night and although it's a good movie, I don't think that all around it is nearly as good as King's Speech or 127 Hours and think they deserved recognition. It will be fun to see how they fare at the Academy Awards (which I think are far more respected anyway).


Today I ran some errands (got much softer sheets!) as well as hitting the Griffith Park driving range. After ten or so shots to get warmed up, my game seems to be pretty much back. In fact, most shots seem to be going farther than ever.  I also went for a long run down Ventura Boulevard (my neighborhood area) to explore the surrounding area. Tonight I've been doing some chores and preparing to start the internship in the morning. I'm excited to meet everyone there and see exactly what I'll be doing. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad that it's finally here!

Saturday 1.15.2011

Today I got up to more beautiful weather!  I knew Universal Studios was about a mile walk from the apartment so I decided to venture over to explore their Citywalk area. Although it is very commercial, there’s a lot to do. They have many stores, restaurants, a movie theater, and the Gibson Amphitheater (upcoming musical guests include Slash with Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton)  I had lunch at Togo’s (a sandwich shop across the street). I went to Silver Lake Coffee to do some reading / required people watching (very easy assignment in LA!) for my online sociology class.  Then I drove down to Culver City to meet a friend whom I hadn’t seen in six or seven years. We ordered in some Mediterranean food and caught up. I got home, watched some Denis Leary standup, and had a relaxing night.

Friday 1.14.2011

The weather continues to be absolutely beautiful. Today in the Valley it reached 90 degrees! I continue to be amazed just in general how good I feel living here. Not that I get caught up in Seasonal Affective Disorder but I definitely know I feel better when I’m able to get out and enjoy the weather. People are also very health conscious here, and it’s very easy to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. I’m also continually amazed at the vast variety of restaurants available. I got some groceries from Trader Joe’s before heading out to enjoy the beach. For free parking and nicer beaches I headed to Malibu. I went to Zuma Beach which is where Baywatch was filmed (but didn’t see David Hasselhoff running through the waves, luckily!) It was absolutely perfect. I varied between laying out and walking through the waves (got up to my knees, but it was still pretty chilly!) The beaches are just smooth sand with the occasional stone so it’s very easy to walk barefoot. I was used to the Outer Banks lifeguards using ATVs, but the Malibu lifeguards have yellow Ford Escapes they drive back and forth. There were several surfers in wetsuits out getting some good rides on the waves. After 2 hours, I decided to head back in (around 2:30 P.M.) and thought I would miss traffic, but was wrong. It ended up taking an hour and a half (for what should have taken 30 minutes) to traverse back across the valley.

A friend had invited me to a big party down at USC, but there was talk already of it getting broken up (they were expecting 600+ people) and it’s not in the best area of town so decided to avoid adventures in South Central, especially on my first weekend in town!  I looked to see what bands were playing. The Melvins were playing Spaceland in Silver Lake. I saw them for my birthday, and they were a lot of fun. They influenced many bands including Nirvana, and the lead singer is directly responsible for introducing Dave Grohl to Kurt Cobain. So I am very grateful to this band! I was excited to see them again, but learned the show was sold out. I went back to looking at shows and found Toad the Wet Sprocket playing the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard. They were never my absolute favorite band, but had some fun 90s alternative songs so I decided to check them out. I ventured down through Hollywood, passing the Critics Choice Film Awards. I found parking and went in. The first two openers were nothing special. The first band was fronted by a guy younger than me….I actually like his backing musicians more than him. The second band brought in a party bus of their fans and were Jimmy Buffet-ish although mid-set suddenly started getting really country. There were 9 musicians which I’m all for if they provide musical diversity…but it was definitely overkill. I’m also all for dressing alike if it’s classy and tasteful (i.e. Fitz and the Tantrums) but not having matching monogrammed Henley shirts.

Waiting for Toad the Wet Sprocket, another guy by himself came up and we started talking. He moved to town two months ago and hadn’t met many people to go to shows with. The show itself was a lot of fun.They have a bit more of a pop sound than I typically go for, but I was jus thappy to be out and seeing music. After the show, we went for coffee and walked around the strip. I saw landmarks I’ve heard of (Viper Room, Chateau Marmont, House of Blues). Also saw National Lampoon’s World Headquarters which I didn’t know existed!  I found a nice shortcut back to where I live in Studio City through Laurel Canyon – site of many tales from 70s rock ‘n roll!

Thursday 1.13.2011

I had seen on a calendar of events for Hollywood that today Colin Firth was receiving his star on the Walk of Fame. His location was in front of a British pub, the Pig ‘ n Whistle, where fellow Brit Emma Thompson received her star. I had no idea what sort of crowd to expect so figure I’d drive down an hour early, and if the place was absolutely mobbed I wouldn’t hang around. It actually was much less crowded initially than I expected (to my luck!) I parked and got a spot on the rail in the second row. Photographers and cameramen flooded in right in front of us, but I still had a view. Once the ceremony started, Colin came out.

They said that they always have a fellow actor who has worked with the honoree. They mentioned that today’s guest worked with Colin on the King’s Speech – I got excited and hoped it was Geoffrey Rush. It was Guy Pearce who played his older brother. Pearce is Australian so has a great accent (and is easy on the eyes).

After Guy’s speech, Colin took the podium for several minutes. He attributed much of his success to the support from his wife, Livia. After his speech, they unveiled the star, had a photo op and he did some interviews..

The photographers talking to us beforehand mentioned that the stars typically come over for autographs and photo ops, but that not all do. Colin had initially gone to another section further down the barricade before returning to some interviews. Guy Pearce came over and I got a picture with him! 

Colin soon followed and I was able to get a photo with him as well! 

Throughout the whole experience, both seemed very humble and genuine (as I would expect). It’s nice to have that sort of experience with a celebrity you respect, as opposed to them being a complete jerk. I also found that just being down-to-earth and having manners goes a long way as far as meeting celebrities (calling them Mr. So&so….please/thank you…) as opposed to some crazy fans who scream at them and absolutely lose their minds.  At the end of the day, they’re everyday people…not some animal at the zoo. After going back to the apartment to upload pictures and get lunch, I went back to the driving range to hit some balls. Tonight I returned to Gingergrass in Silver Lake to meet up with my old guitar teacher/fellow friend from Lexington who is moving to LA (Silver Lake) in several weeks. His sister (a fellow Lexingtonian) came as well.   Once he moves out, we plan to hang out some more. After dinner, I laid low at the apartment and got to bed early.

Wednesday 1.12.2011

This afternoon I ventured to Griffith Park’s driving range. After about ten or so shots my game was suddenly back. It felt great to get out and hit again. I definitely plan to take advantage of the wonderful weather and get back in the golf groove.  I also had tickets for a taping of the Lake Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I arrived to the studio lot where CBS films their other shows (Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Price is Right, etc). A taping of the Price is Right just let out and I was amazed—their fans are absolutely crazy. There was a flood of people still wearing their nametags and with special shirts they had made for the show. A lot of people lingered and whenever someone came out that had won a prize, they would cheer. (People are nuts!) I had a priority ticket so was fourth in line. We had to pass through security then wait in line. (lots of waiting….it’s truly an exhausting experience) Then they had a warm-up comedian come tell us when to laugh (and even if we thought the joke wasn’t funny, to do a fake laugh). He continued with bad jokes trying to get us revved up. Craig finally came out to do his monologue which was hysterical. His first guest was David Duchovny, the main actor on my favorite show, Showtime’s Californication.  He was my main reason for attending the taping. He was very charming and entertaining. The second guest was Jo Frost who plays Supernanny. She was surprisingly very funny as well.

I got back from the taping and needed to chill for a little while; however, I felt like venturing out. I hadn’t been to see live music yet and hoped to find a show. A fellow Foo friend in San Diego had posted that the Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist (Chris Shiflett) was playing at a small bar in Fullerton (by Anaheim).  He was doing an acoustic show called Rockers in the Round with guitarists from other bands collaborating. I headed down which was only a 25 minute drive – not bad.  I met four other Foo friends. I continue to be amazed at how friendly and welcoming other Foo fans are—I made some good friends to go to future shows with.  I don’t know of any other band that has the camaraderie or network of fans that Foo has, but some of my best friends continue to be other fans which has been wonderful. The show was really neat and intimate. When I got there, two other fans introduced me to Chris. This was so different from seeing Foo at a huge arena environment. Where, other than a small bar like this, would I be introduced to the guitarist for my favorite band on a first-name basis?!  I started to get tired so cut out a little early. I was tempted into getting my first In’n’Out order in years to enjoy on my drive home.