It was somewhere off Sunset Blvd across from the Hustler Store when the sobriety started to kick in . . .
Last night I was at the Whiskey A Go-Go to see a band called "Johna" (I've never heard of them either, but their cute lead singer Nadine has a beautiful voice and is German so that's a plus too.) (It's a duo, the lead singer (with acoustic guitar) & a keyboardist, a semi-unusual mix, but it works. Well they're both German. *.*)
I'd never heard of this band before however somehow (and this has happened to me 3 times in LA already) tracked me down and invited me to the show, and since I'm a curious adventuresome fella and don't mind new experiences I said I'll try...so I did http://www.facebook.com/#!/johnamusic ;-look em up if you're inclined.
I was out running errands and I let my invitee know I may not make it to the show :(
But I did...
That wasn't the weird part...that was the refressing part...the weird part happend shortly after I arrived.
So I parked at an overpriced lot next to the Whiskey. Though it is nicer only walking a few feet to get my car at the end of the night.
And I went for a walk cause the club wasn't opening. I had overheard the owner was coming late. (The show actually started about 30 minutes after scheduled, and not because of that 'make em wait' philosophy, but because the owner showed up to open the doors late. (Or so I heard.)
I waited in the line for about 30 minutes. And ended up waiting in the line specifically for people with tickets...I did not, so I had to get in a second line. And a magical scalper offered me a ticket to the show for 5$...having never head of the band I was about to see, I took that route, the woman next to me gave the scalper 10$. I flirted for a little while until I realized she was a bitch.
Earlier in the night, waiting in line, I started to get creeped out about this show because in the line...at a place called "WHISKEY A GO-GO" it has 'Whiskey' in the &*(*&(*@&(*@& title!!!! Were what appeared to be a very large group of 12-15 year old kids waiting in line for a field trip, with 1 adult shapperone. This was creeping me out. Why weren't their bar feild trips when I was in school?
Well it turns out the reason they were probably their was because of the opening band. The opening band looked like a group of 12 year olds attempting to be rockers. (The guitarists could play well enough) The first song they did were, ehem, "I've got 99 problems but a 'chick' ain't one" (Not that chick can't be construed as derogatory among women it's that bitch apparently is offensive, but 'bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks'. (Nevermind) A least they didn't try a toned down version of Rape Me by changing the word 'rape' with the word 'hug' or something equally hilarious. Regardless the moment the kids started singing I walked quickly and calmly to the bar. (Corona)
The real kicker that had me rolling on the floor was when the kids band covered "Hero of the Day" a Metallica song kidzbob style. It took all my strength not to laugh at the top of my lungs. I thought his voice was breaking into puberty in the middle of the song. "The hero of THE day YEahhhle" (you can imagine)
<- Imagine this kid singing, the song below ~
They get an A+ for effort though.
Then they sang 'an original, instrumental' which sounded like noise, pure unkempt 12 year old angst noise. (The guitarist wasn't bad though) I had to go out for a smoke or heroin or something to get my mind off of this.
Other highlights. A bouncer telling a 15 year old looking British kid, not to pass out fliers at the club, the same bouncer kissing and hugging his mom (apparently) who had stopped by to say hello and a girl that looked at least 9 carrying part of a drum kit out to a car.
My drinking partner was a poster of Janis Joplin smiling on the wall next to the table.
I would have normally invited more friends (even though I did tell people about the show and posted about it on my FB, and am telling people about it now) but because I am very tolerant and I couldn't at points stand in the same room without laughing I'm sure any company I'd invited wouldn't have had the patience to stay for the band I was waiting on.)
The second band was a hispanic rap group I think, also kids, which covered "I Wanna be a Billionaire" and "Video Killed the Radio Star" I asked the bar tender if he had some rope and a tall stool and how sturdy the rafters were but said they were all out of rafters.
Anyways after a walk up to the Hustler Store for a quiche or pastry or something (Yes they have a cafe) there cafe person was out so I walked slowly back to the club. The bouncer told me 'he wished he could go for a walk' made me laugh.
Finally the band I was there to see played and as a strange contrast to everything else they A.) Played well, she has a beautiful voice for that style and were a rather stripped down duo singer songwriter style music with a keyboard. Very relaxing as apposed to the caterwauling (of a cat) make a shrill howling or wailing noise;) I had heard from the previous bands.
I sat through their entire set but didn't stay to introduce myself. There wasn't a large turnout, which is sad because they were clearly the only thing worth listening to in the club that I heard last night. (Though I didn't stay for the group after them, but that one seemed adolescent too and probably just as inexperienced as the others.)
Johna was worth some semblance of my time...the others were not even worth a note.
In LA you try things and sometimes they pan out into other things.
- First chapter, LA is nuts -
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