Weekend in Los Angeles

Brewfest went down (see Friday's post) at Henry Fonda on Saturday. The SUPERGOOD caravan arrived around 5 pm and was surprised to find a rather sparsely packed venue. You might think that unlimited access to beer for 8 hours would draw the crowds early...but maybe LA is just not a beer drinker's stomping grounds. OR, maybe, the fact that it wasn't being done outside (similar events in the Spring drew many many more patrons) had something to do with it?

There were some important LA music community faces in the crowd, including Kevin Branson, Lindsey Cook and her MySpace Records crew and the family from Spaceland too. Got to bump into Russ Rubin of Fresh Management, and manager of the amazing indie-sensation Saint Motel.

While I was admittedly more focused on the amazing beer from Bootlegger's Brewery and Coronado, I did enjoy the set by Samuel Stewart in the Blue Palms Lounge. Thank you for the tip off Kelsea! With the endless stream of booze flowing my direction, I had to head out to save myself...ending up on the Westside in Venice for a night of continued drinking sans live music. And, thankfully, no stalled vehicles, unlike Friday....

Friday night's caravan ended in an empty gas tank and less than fulfilled brains because Semi Precious Weapons and Saul Williams were both underwhelming (sorry The Viper Room and The Roxy, no disrespect to you at all...they just didn't deliver). I had high expectations for the SPW show but whomever the androgynous woman DJing in fishnet stockings was - she was way too uninspiring and predictably attempting to look cool that me and the rest of the SUPERGOOD crew with me just couldn't handle it. The flamboyant man in a grey tanktop and no pants also didn't make the spectacle any better.

SO, we bounced to The Roxy - hoping to improve our luck with a unique night of hip-hop. But, the Afro Punk Tour and Niggy Tardust performance was a bit too avant-garde and not enough of the "Twice In A Lifetime" Saul Williams that I was yearning for. With his feathery cape-like get up, he was certainly a spectacle to watch but audibly, not what I was desiring. Rather than the griping lyricism that he so easily possesses and displays, there was more screaming and emo than I had expected. Although there were plenty of heads pumping their fist and digging his flavor, myself and the mini SUPERGOOD entourage were not AND we were in the majority.

That said, the venues were not to blame for the sub-par Friday night shows. And despite their being faultless for the less than thrilling performances echoing from their stage on Friday, The Roxy and The Viper Room are hitting us hard this week with incredible music.... Start your week off right at The Roxy as they just announced that Them Crooked Vultures, Dave Grohl's new supergroup, will be performing a special show there on Monday November 16th. DON'T MISS OUT. You can start lining up at 2 pm....