a string of hits

Here's a photo I took yesterday outside the Rite Aid at Franklin and Western. I just finished a hike up Mt. Hollywood and went to pick up a Rx on the way home when I came across this man playing a broken trumpet outside the store. As I left the store, I asked him if I could stay and listen and take some photos, and he seemed quite content to let me do that. I asked him where he was from and he told me instead where the woman who wrote the song he was playing was from. "...mumble mumble mumble...She's from Nova Scotia. It was a string of hits!" O-kay. "What's your name?" I asked, and he replied with chuckle," Earthquake. My name's Earthquake." O-kay again. He continued to play this garbled "string of hits" as I watched him-- and the people around us.

What I found most interesting was that, a half hour earlier when I walked into the store to pick up my Rx, few people were stopping to give him a second glance, much less any money. (The honest truth is that he isn't a very good trumpeter.) But when I came out and started talking to him and taking photos, all of a sudden that changed. People started walking more slowly past him, and 90% of them dropped dollar bills into his Thrifty Ice Cream cup. I wonder if, because someone was paying attention to him, they thought that he was suddenly more interesting that he was before? A little more deserving of their dollars? Or they saw that a young woman was interacting with this man, so he couldn't be too crazy or too much of a threat? I'm not sure, but it was certainly fascinating.

It reminds me of a great article I read a while back by Gene Weingarten about virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, who played unnoticed in a Washington Metro station for 45 minutes. This man sells out concert halls with $100 seats, and yet less than a handful of people stopped to listen to him play outside of the subway. Again, fascinating.

Impel at the Derby

Last Thursday I saw my friend Poon's band, Impel play at the Derby in Los Feliz. They're so good! Poon and the guys have come a long way since I last heard them in a big storage space in Fremont, CA over two years ago. Even with the less-than-ideal acoustics at the Derby, they sounded great! I can't wait to hear more from them... and from the looks of it, that'll be happening very, very soon!

Note: Due to really funny lighting and a no-flash rule, I had a hard time capturing Aaron, on drums and Justin on guitar. *Sigh*-- I've got lots and lots to learn.... and probably some very expensive lenses to buy. Anywho, here are Poon and Erik in all of their Impel glory!

Hootenanny 2008

Wow!! I had SUCH a great time at the Hootenanny last weekend! This is my third Hootenanny, and this time I was lucky enough to score a media pass which gave me front-stage access (I snuck backstage for all of two minutes before getting the boot! Oops! I'll take what I can get :)

Some of the best bands in SoCal were there, including rockabilly legend Glen Glenn, Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Boys, Tiger Army and of course, the indestructible Mike Ness. It was rockabilly heaven... and with all the cars, tats, slicked-back 'dos and parasols, it made for some fantastic photos. Here are a bunch of my favorites:


Driving to the show:



Everyone's gotta look good!






With music comes mayhem... in the form of burning porta-potties:



The Hootenany wouldn't be complete without gorgeous old cars...





And, of course, the music.

Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys:





Royal Crown Revue:








The girls went crazy for Glen Glenn, who is seen here handing out pictures of himself with Elvis:





Tiger Army (click here for youtube link):











And last but not least, Mike Ness of Social Distortion:








Self Portrait (or, Note to Self: Wear sensible shoes next year!)