Last Friday night in a small, nondescript office space in the middle of Denton, Texas, The Strange Boys put on an unforgettable show for twenty five unsuspecting kids. After hearing Keith and Sean rave about them, I saw them at the Fuck Yeah Fest and they absolutely blew me away. I became obsessed with this band immediately because they're doing something literally no one else is: reviving 60s garage rock. At times I hear the psychedelic surf rock of ? & The Mysterians, the pop sensibilities of The Kingsmen, and an exaggerated, almost Stones-ian approach to vocals. Not to mention, they're some of the most unassuming dudes I've ever met.

Just before The Strange Boys took stage, or should I say took room, I got a whopping taste of Texan hospitality. Some dude, who couldn't have been of legal drinking age, goes into the back room, opens the fridge, and comes back into the adjacent room to hand out free beer to the rest of the kids. Mmm, my first Lone Star. It's no Shiner Bock and it clearly tastes like Budweiser, but I try my hardest not to let my friends know that. Never rip on state-wide beers. They carry some sort of iconic reign over Texas.

There's not a person in attendance over the age of twenty five and the small room is about as half-packed as it's going to get. Lead singer Ryan Sambo begins playfully singing, occasionally shouting, nonsensical jabber into the microphone. Words can't describe how ecstatic I am to be in the middle of nowhere watching my favorite unsigned band of the year. Nothing excites me more than a venue that is so hard to locate (the entrance is literally in a dark alley way behind a revivalist center) that it virtually operates sub rosa.

The Strange Boys - "Drugs Igby Drugs"

Continue reading "The Strange Boys @ Secret Headquarters 09/21/07"

First launched in May of 1945, the Lane Victory saw service in three wars (WW2, Korea, and Vietnam), and is now maintained as a museum ship and docked at LA Harbor Berth 94 in San Pedro.

Although the Lane Victory wasn't a combat ship (she was operated as a Merchant Marine vessel and carried cargo), she saw plenty of action and still has all her guns, some of which are still occasionally fired. Nothing aboard the ship is classified, and the very friendly volunteers enjoy talking with visitors about the ship and the Merchant Marine in general.

The former cargo hold now houses a really cool maritime museum, and entry to the ship is a bargain at $3 per adult and $1 per child.

The really cool thing about the SS Lane Victory is that she's still seaworthy, and during the summer, you can buy tickets for the monthly cruise - the ship sails along the Catalina Coast and during the cruise, an air attack is staged using WW2 era planes.

The next (and final cruises of the summer) will be this coming weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Information on how to purchase tickets can be found on the ship's website.

More information on the SS Lane Victory here and even more pictures after the jump.

Continue reading "Oh, the places we shoot: SS Lane Victory"

Only one man in the electronica realm could entice me to endure the 378 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco just for a measly DJ set. Simon Green, a.k.a. Bonobo, hails from Brighton (UK) and has released three full length albums of downtempo that have changed my musical world. With that said, when my friend asked me if I wanted an extra Bonobo ticket for a show in the city by the bay I jumped all over it. Sure. I'll make the waffly, five hour long car ride up I-5 through the dust bowl of California for this mysterious man.

I'll never do it again.

I've fallen into traps like this in times past. It generally occurs when I find out that my favorite electronica artist is playing at this obscure venue that virtually no one has ever heard of. See, it entails a whole lot of mystique and that's how I get sucked in initially. Anyways, I'm brimming with so much excitement when I hear that Bonobo is actually playing somewhere on the west coast. You can imagine the plethora of thoughts: "Oh my god. Could this actually be happening? I wonder if he's going to play any of his own material. I wonder if he'll slip in any surprises."

Continue reading "Hey, Mr. DJ, I thought we had a deal"