Welcome to "A Minute In …" — a BGS feature that turns our favorite artists into hometown reporters. In our latest column, Los Angeles' Sean Watkins takes us on a tour of his favorite hikes and hangs.
Howdy, folks! So, for my "Minute In" section I've chosen four places I really love in Los Angeles. Two of them are nature-y and two are food-y.
Point Dume Point Dume has been a landmark for sailors going up the coast for centuries. It's an ancient volcanic rock formation jutting upward from the south end of Zuma Beach. A huge cliff faces the ocean, but you can walk up around and behind it to get to the top, if you don't want to rock climb it. Once you're up there, you'll find amazing panoramic views. And anytime other than summer, it's usually pretty empty of people. It's also a great place to look for whales. I've seen a few from up there. Also, for Big Lebowski fans, this is where Walter and the Dude emptied Donnie's remains from the coffee can.
The Trails Café The Trails Café has been one of my favorite spots to hang in L.A. for a long time. It's in Griffith Park and is the perfect place to hang and relax and forget that you're in the middle of a huge, busy city. The coffee is good (Stumptown) and the avocado sandwich is great! I like to go there, camp out at one of the picnic tables, and write or work for a few hours. Lots of big old trees and shade. You also might make yourself a little coyote friend, as they sometimes wander by sniffing around for food.
Griffith Park Just up the road from the Trails Café, about half-way to the Griffith Observatory, is a little place you can pull off the road. There's a trail that starts there which quickly heads up a pretty steep ridge. It's not an easy trail, and there's not room for more than a few cars to park at the bottom, so there's usually no one there. It's a great place to go watch the sunset and clear your head.
CaCao Mexicatessen I just moved to the Eagle Rock area and this is my new favorite taco place. There are so many great tacos to be enjoyed in these parts, but this place takes the cake for me. Connected and run by the same people is Vinos Del Valle, which features wines and beers made in the Baja peninsula. Pretty cool spot!
Sean Watkins is a Los Angeles resident and musician. His latest album What to Fearis out March 18.
All photos by Sean Watkins, except lede image, courtesy of the artist.
Everyone likes to talk about the "good ol' days" of their city — the days before high rises and high-end coffee shops took over and a little bit of history got squeezed out as a result. Most people, however, neglect to look much past the decade or two they've lived in a certain spot, forgetting the years of growth and change that brought the city to its current incarnation. We've rounded up some of our favorite spots on the web to check out cool, historic photos of some of our favorite cities, and you can give them a look.
Grannis Photography has an extensive collection of vintage photos of Nashville, from way back when at the Grand Ole Opry to the days when Green Hills Market was a fixture in what is now Trader Joe's and Whole Foods territory. The site is run by professional Nashville photographer Leila Grossman, who bought the photo archives of Bob Grannis in 1997.
The digital archives of the Denver Public Library are a gold mine of historic photos, many of which are essential to understanding Western history. With over 50 collections of photographs available, the archive is sure to have something for everyone.
Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga has a lot of history, and Deep Zoom Chattanooga is one of the web's best resources for exploring it. The image galleries, which are categorized by decade and go back to the 1800s, were pulled together by Sam Hall, a history enthusiast who spent years making the project into what it is today.
Portland, OR City of Portland Archives, Oregon, SE 4514 E Burnside Street near SE 45th Avenue, A2011-013, 1964
Vintage Portland is a photo blog created and run by the City of Portland Archives and Records Center. With categories broken down by both decade and geographic location, the blog is a wonderful source for anyone looking for the history of a specific Portland locale.
Shorpy, an online archive of historic photos from all over, has an extensive collection of vintage photos of Los Angeles, ranging from Old Hollywood to early businesses in some of the city's most popular neighborhoods.
Shorpy is also a wonderful resource for historic photos of Chicago, collecting early images of landmarks like Grant Park and showing what 1910 Chicagoans saw as a "Changing Chicago."
Lede photo: City of Portland Archive, Oregon, Logan Oldsmobile Company on the corner of SE Grand Avenue and SE Yamhill Street, A2011-013, 1961
I’m excited to kick off this new venture. Recently I realized that despite the plethora of talent in this town, there was no central source for featuring bluegrass music in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. So here we go… let’s bring this community together and preach the gospel of bluegrass music.
I’m not out to be the ultimate source for this stuff– truth be told there’s just too much out there for a one-woman operation. However, I do aim to serve as a guide to other resources out there, in addition to:
– highlighting newly released and discovered music – announcing upcoming shows in the area – interviewing locally based artists
…and throwing in some other fun stuff here and there.
Please send me your feedback, suggestions, ideas, comments, et al! Would love to hear from the community out there. And keep checking back to see where we progress.
So without any further ado… let’s kick things off with some Mississippi John Hurt.
The Dustbowl Revival (Caitlin and Zach, second and third from left) at SM Farmers Market
In Woody Allen’s most recent film foray, Midnight in Paris (2011), Owen Wilson’s character, Gil, is transported from the modern streets of Montmartre to jazz age Paris, submerged into the sights and sounds and magic of the era. My first experience seeing The Dustbowl Revival was not unlike this: from the moment I stepped into the speakeasy atmosphere of Downtown LA’s Villains Tavern, surrounded by the sweet, nostalgic sound of bandleader Zach Lupetin’s cacophony, I was transported to another time and place entirely. They played well into the wee hours, but their bluegrass-gypsy-blues-swing mix was stuck in my head long after I left the vicinity. I recently met with Zach and lead singer Caitlin Doyle over dinner and quizzed them with ten questions…
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THIS STYLE OF MUSIC?
Zach: I grew up in Chicago, and most of the stuff I was inspired by came through my dad, starting with the blues– Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, and later Benny Goodman, The Allman Brothers, etc. For me, everything starts with the blues, including bluegrass, western swing– they’re all different flowers from the same seed. And that stuff that bridges the gap–the Dead, Dylan, Joe Cocker, even the Beatles and the Stones–they all started with a blues and Americana core–always with that knowledge of the original. I got turned on to bluegrass in college at the University of Michigan. Once I moved to LA I put up an ad on Craigslist saying this is the music I want to do and this is how I want to do it. By luck I had some really good people get in touch. That was three years ago.
Caitlin: I grew up with a family who played the Grateful Dead and Tom Petty in the van on these epic road trips. They didn’t really get jazz, but I loved it. I was always singing and I studied jazz in college. On one hand, I find jazz completely creative, on another it’s completely stifling–everyone thinks they’re a singer, you know? I was always searching for something different. So when I moved back to LA after college, I saw the Craigslist ad, and I’ve been with them ever since.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LA?
Zach: I moved out here with a degree in film. I had already lived in New York, but I needed to be near the ocean. The music thing has just taken on a life of its own. You know, in this town, you say you have a screenplay and people are skeptical. But if you’ve got a horn section and a good song, chances are people are going to think it’s awesome.
Caitlin: I moved out here because of Will Smith. I remember being here when I was younger, and seeing this massive ad on the side of a building off Sunset for Wild Wild West, and just knew I had to live here. This place can be larger than life.
WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES AS A BAND?
Zach: From a songwriting perspective– Dylan, Count Basie, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson and gospel music.
Caitlin: Performance wise, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne. It’s not always a particular person. It’s more about letting go of fear and just singing.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SOUND?
Zach: I’d say we’re a mixture of bluegrass, New Orleans swing, and Chicago blues. Not unlike what Preservation Hall Jazz Band or Del McCoury band are doing now–where you have some genres that you might not think fit but end up working together beautifully.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC STORES IN THE CITY?
Zach:Truetone and McCabes in Santa Monica [NOTE: the band plays McCabes on July 30–tickets here], and Record Surplus, which is where I get a lot of vinyl. There’s just not a lot of very good vinyl stores anymore.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?
Zach: Red wine. And pickle shots–it’s a New York thing with a shot of Jameson and a shot of pickle juice.
Caitlin: Whatever we have a drink ticket for or whatever a sailor will buy me.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VENUE TO PLAY IN LA?
Caitlin:Cinema Bar–it’s our living room–we’ve been playing there ever since the band started.
Zach: It depends–each one has it’s own charm. We’ve had some great shows at The Mint. But it’s really the crowd that makes the venue. The crowds at Villains have been amazing. But ultimate venue? Amnesia in San Francisco–wow.
IF YOU DIDN’T LIVE IN LA, WHERE WOULD YOU BE BASED?
Zach: Maybe back in New York. In an ideal world, I’d be based in multiple places.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST MEAL IN LOS ANGELES?
Zach: It would involve soft shell steamer clams at the Blue Plate Oysterette and the salted butterscotch pudding at Gjelina in Venice.
Caitlin: Street dog… with extra jalapenos.
WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT OBSESSIONS?
Zach: Bowling. I just joined a bowling league. I bought a ball and shoes and everything. Any my new autoharp from McCabes.
Caitlin: Bell Brigade. Reruns of Roseanne. Buying clothes at thrift stores and taking them in–it’s so fun and cheap.
The Dustbowl Revival’s new album, Holy Ghost Station, comes out this month. You can see them this weekend at Make Music Pasadena, in addition to a slew of other places around and outside of LA. You can check out the rest of their schedule on Facebook, Twitter, or go directly to their website http://www.dustbowlrevival.com.
Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band: Devitt, Lydia, and Craig
The South Bay’s own Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band is having a really exciting year. Not only are they playing the hottest bluegrass and country venues in and around LA, but the band also released their self-titled debut album back in November, and makes their debut at downtown Villains Tavern this week. Fiddle player Lydia Veilleux and mando/lead vocalist Devitt Feeley sat down with me at the Wellsbourne on West Pico for some conversation and — for Devitt — a special occasion scotch (the band also consists of guitarist Craig Ferguson and bassist Brian Netzley).
Whatis your origin as a bluegrass band?
Lydia: Devitt and Craigplayed together in Cliff Wagoner and Old #7. I met Craig at a Make a Wish benefit, and the three of usreally banded together to create something more traditionally bluegrass… weall wanted to play more festivals. I grew up in Maine playing traditional Cape Breton style fiddle. It wasn’t until college that I reallystarted playing real bluegrass. That’s what all the cool fiddle kids were doing.
Devitt: It’s just always been part of my musical makeup, with everythingelse… rock and blues and jazz andclassical and bluegrass.
Lydia: We got Brian in theband about a year ago– our bass player– he’s now our go-to guy. And we just found out he can singtoo!
Devitt: You know how bassplayers are… they’re coy… full of surprises.
Lydia: I think Craig gotinto bluegrass in college at Berklee, but he has more of a jazz background.
Whatis it that brought you to LA?
Devitt: Buddy of mine wasplaying guitar and invited me to play in his band. It was pretty simple: chasing music dreams.
Lydia: After college Iassumed I would move to LA, NY or Nashville, but my husband composes filmmusic, so LA it was…..
Howdo you describe the music that Rocky Neck plays?
Devitt: I’d say we’re primarily a bluegrassband, but these days there are so many hats you can wear underthat title.
Lydia: And we don’t always havea banjo player.
Devitt: We do not have abanjo player, but one of the greatest bluegrass bands of all time, The TonyRice Unit, almost never had a banjo player, so… you know, thank goodness for those seventies and eightiesguys who played acoustic and bluegrass music… they broke a lot of thoseboundaries for us.
But you know, when it comes down to it, we’rean acoustic band that mostly plays bluegrass. So many other genres of music have let listeners down,but acoustic music means you at least have to know how to play your music alittle, and quite honestly, listeners are just more intelligent than they weretwenty years ago.
Whatare your favorite venues to play in LA, or in southern California in general?
Lydia: I love the Cinema Bar. It’s an interactiveaudience. I also like when we playPeter Strauss Ranch— an appreciative audience, beautiful venue, where we canactually hear ourselves play!
Whatare your favorite music stores in LA?
Lydia: Amoeba, becausethey’re carrying our record! Also,Angeles on Pico for my violins.
Devitt: I’ve been in musicretail on and off since 1986–I always like to support the Ma and Pa storesrather than the big chains.
Lydia: I like BoulevardMusic on Sepulveda too. Always great.
What’syour favorite drink?
Devitt: Well if it’s not aglass of water, on special occasions I’ll have a scotch. Craig and Brian are beer snobs though. I’ve actually never had a beer in mylife. Seriously. Water or whiskey.
Lydia: Stella. Or Blue Moon. Or Guinness.
Ifyou didn’t live in Los Angeles, where would you be based?
Lydia: Nashville? Austin?
Devitt: I would be in westernNorth Carolina. Tepidclimate. Great music. I go to MerleFest there every year. I love it.
Whatdecade would you rather live in?
Lydia: I like the 20s… thewhole Gatsby thing. That’s whenpeople still threw big parties and booked a whole orchestra.
Devitt: If I didn’t go backto some cool decade in the past hundred years, I’d go all the way back to the minstrel days. You played for your food, you wrotemusic about the people you were staying with, you know. That’s pretty cool.
Whatare your current obsessions?
Devitt: Junior, my paraplegiccat.
Lydia: And Craig’s newbassett hound puppy, Moses.
Devitt: Obviously Rocky Neckis an animal loving band.
Whatwould be your final meal in Los Angeles?
Lydia: Linguini with pinksauce from Mama D’s in Hermosa Beach.
Devitt: I kinda became aveggie about a year ago, but if it’s my last meal it might as well go for itright? I’d say a caesar salad withcoconut shrimp. No dressing. I don’t care from where. Just so long as I can have it on thebeach. I might be the blandestbluegrass musician in Southern California.
Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band’sdebut album was recordedin a hundred-year-old cabin in Big Bear. The five song EP is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, and at Amoebamusic on Sunset in LA. Check out more about them at http://www.rockyneckbluegrass.com/.
Bud, Andy, Evan, and Matt at Enterprise Fish Co in Santa Monica
For BluegrassLA’s inaugural interview, I knew of only one band who could possibly kick things off… THE GET DOWN BOYS. This LA based traditional bluegrass quartet have been taking the city (and beyond) by storm. The first time I saw them live was opening at the LA Bluegrass Situation in April– they immediately reminded me of The Steep Canyon Rangers (before they were backing up Steve Martin) who I would often see play The Cave in Chapel Hill in their early days. And if their recent, local success is any indication of where they’re headed, well… let’s just say things are looking pretty damn good. I met up with Andy Keathley, Matt Bruer and Evan Winsor at Liquid Kitty on Pico last week (the band also includes mandolin/fiddle player Bud Dillard)… here’s what they had to say…
WHAT IS YOUR ORIGIN AS A BAND? WHY BLUEGRASS?
Andy: Evan, Matt and I went to Berklee–but it’s not like we were a band there. Matt and I didn’t even know Evan there. We all moved to LA separately and found this underground bluegrass scene. Eventually some of us started playing together through the BASC (Bluegrass Association of Southern California) jams. I got a call from Calamigos Ranch [in Malibu]–they needed an act and I suddenly needed a band. We played there every Sunday, and it really allowed us to build a solid repertoire. By Summer 2010, we’d started playing at clubs, venues, weddings, wakes, parties– you name it, we’ve played it.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LA?
Evan: I had a lot of friends here from Berklee already.
Matt: I actually moved out to pursue film composing. I’m not doing that anymore.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC AND MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Evan: Old stuff–everything from Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe. Modern stuff? Definitely Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, The Punch Brothers, The Infamous Stringdusters.
Matt: And T. Bone Burnett.
Evan: Oh my GOD yes T. Bone Burnett. But what Bela Fleck is for bluegrass and music in general, we’re trying to be here in Southern California.
Andy: When I get into any genre, I go back to Chapter 1. 90% of our set is pre-1950s. The rest we play for the crowd.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE VENUES TO PLAY IN LA?
Andy: I think the best so far was definitely the Grammy Party at Village Studios with the Secret Sisters. And Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Fest a few weeks back [NOTE: Andy won Best Backup Guitar at this year’s festival]. Around here, Liquid Kitty really helped get us started. They really gave us a chance, even though they’d never had a bluegrass band play before. So that’s one of our favorites. But also places like The Basement Tavern and Enterprise Fish Co. in Santa Monica are great.
IF YOU WEREN’T BASED IN LA, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?
Matt: Colorado. Colorado has a great bluegrass scene right now. But if we went somewhere else–someplace like Nashville–the talent level is so high and there’s lots of competition compared to LA. But one long term goal is to travel and play in Europe.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO ANY DECADE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Evan: Probably the 1930s–right before WWII. There were so many amazing musicians in the midst of the Depression and everything else, plus a musician in a club back then was a 7-day a week job–there was no jukebox or DJ.
Andy: This might be nerdy–but if I could be following Phish in the Nineties rather than when I was in gradeschool…. yeah.
WHAT IS YOUR DRINK OF CHOICE?
Evan: PBR and cheap whiskey.
Andy: Any drink.
Matt: Yes.
WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT OBSESSIONS?
Andy: The new Strokes record. Fleet Foxes. Local Natives. Anything on KCRW–we are major KCRW fans. And a girl.
Matt: Politics. Girls.
Evan: Blues guitar.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST MEAL IN LOS ANGELES?
Evan: I’m vegan, so I’d probably say the Vegan TV Dinner at Real Food Daily in Santa Monica
Matt: East Wind in Culver City. I don’t even know if I could decide what dish to get.
Andy: Any food truck. Tacos? What ever truck is there. Whatever one happens to be outside Liquid Kitty.
ANY PLANS TO RECORD?
Matt: It is happening–it’s getting there–but it’s taking its own time.
Evan: When it’s right it’s going to happen. Right now we’re just enjoying playing live.
The Get Down Boys play Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Fest 2011
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