Wesfest - My Trip to West Hollywood
On Sunday i took a trip down to West Hollywood to attend Wesfest, which was a scholarship fundraising event in honor of Wes Wehmiller. John Montagna, one of my favorite musicians i met through his touring with Alan Parsons, was among the listed performers. So since i wanted to see him, see other neat performers, and introduce myself to LA, i figured i could go. My friend Ian P. who i also met through APP fandom, came down from Oregon to attend too.
I had miscalculated when i needed to get up - really, it was in my laziness' favor, along with not having been able to sleep either. So instead of 7am, i rolled out of bed at 10.
I stopped by Bon Temps for breakfast, as the dinner waitress the other night said that they served beignets for breakfast. That ended up not being true. :-( So instead i ordered some orange juice and fried okra. I may or may not go back and definitely not bother for breakfast again - they're a bit expensive.
The drive down 101 was gorgeous. It was a sunny day, and even out of the corners of my eyes while concentrating on driving, i could see the big white waves crashing into the shore cliffs. There were some interesting-looking mountains near and far. Far away, i could see a few mountain peaks that had snow on them, even though it was late-spring warm here near the coast. Nearer, there were rocky semi-vegetated mountains and formations that jut from the ground. One part of the road has the northbound lane tunneled through one while the southbound lane goes through a narrow pass. Some trees grew sideways due to the wind no doubt, which amused me. As i passed through Santa Barbara, i wondered which of these hills belonged to a certain family. The highway itself was in aggravating disrepair - something that it seems a lot of California is afflicted with.
The drive seemed shorter than i thought it would be, and i arrived quite well ahead of schedule. As i approached the LA area, i could tell that it was huge, but the mountains all around obscured any kind of overall view. Most of what i saw was a little like outer Detroit, in that it was plentiful with trees and green space - mostly though it was the large rich properties and the Bel Air Country Club i was passing by. I didn't like that section of Sunset Drive, though - it was curvy and surrounded by lush green, which would have been nice if it weren't also really narrow and in serious disrepair.
I finally hit the cluster known as the Sunset Strip, which was teeming with office buildings, businesses galore, and generally a big cluster of touristy stuff. There were signs for "Celebrity Maps" everywhere (no, i didn't get one), and thanks to previews via Google Earth, i knew what to look for to see where Roxy Theatre was. I drove on past, hoping to get a glimpse of the Hollywood sign. And eventually, yes, there it was in the distance. I tried to get somewhere i could park and take a picture of it, but i had absolutely no luck with it - i wasn't trying too hard anyway. What i did see in enough time to make a decision was some Warner Brothers studio gates. I figured i'd stop at the first reasonable-looking place to eat for a restroom break, some food, and a place to park for some pictures. There was a Taco Bell just after i had passed some more WB buildings, and i went outside to the patio to eat - with a nice view of yet another huge WB office building and the WB tower, which i took pictures of. I decided to get back to Roxy and asked for directions. The people there were friendly but not very helpful.
What WAS helpful (to a degree) was the GPS navigation built into my Blackberry. It got me back to Sunset but told me to turn left instead of right, so i had to turn around - as it was making odd utterances and a repeated command to make the next legal u-turn (I just went around a block). When i got back to Sunset, it told me to turn left again. "Shut up, stupid bitch." She continued barking out useless-now information while i tried to find parking. There was plenty to be found, but the one parking garage i wanted to use was closed. Across the street, Key Club was already looking to be packed with a huge line, while at Roxy, only one man was waiting. There were a few other people around the parking lot there, which i didn't bother going in, though there was a turn lane indicating the turn into it - though the parking lost had posted "Exit Only" there.
It was still daylight with another two hours, so i found another place to take a break and get something to drink, then i wandered over to the gift shop that had a lot of random toys and a whole huge selection of t-shirts. I didn't go downstairs to see their adult-themed goodies. :-p Eric called me back right when i was talking with Ian, and both of their callbacks were confusing the call waiting function. I eventually got those straightened out and apologized to both. I told Ian that the parking garage that was closed had just opened, so he'd have better parking than i did. He arrived, and we walked down to Subway and chatted for a while. Roxy obviously meant it when they said it wasn't going to open until 7. The ticket booth wasn't even open until then. We marveled at touristy people and stuff passing by. The tour buses looked like fun, but they were probably expensive, and i didn't have time now to hop on one. We pondered if we'd get a glimpse of John, but i had heard noises from practice and setup and figured he was in there doing that.
After a long wait in the lines, we finally got in, with occasional jokes about the "teeming mob" and being uncoordinated around the barrier fence. We were still among the very few who were there when we first got in line, but the line was growing - 20 people, 40.... One little group of people looked very much like they'd be related to John, and apparently i was right. I knew that he had family and friends in this area too. We went in, and indeed it was standing room only, though there was a good-sized couch near the door (though it was usually occupied by several snoozing people) and a sitting area that was reservation-only. We finally saw John - he was still doing some prep work on the stage. Also, he was the first performer. The Roxy had started filling up. It looked like a fair turnout.
I hadn't known what to expect, and the one assumption i had was wrong anyway. I thought it would be a band or two, with John playing bass with them. No, it was several different bands/performers, and none of them had what i would have assumed would be Duran Duran type music.
Although i really liked hearing John with Alan Parsons Live Project, it was really nice to hear him perform his own songs! He started out with "Ticket to a Sunrise," which i recognized immediately as he started the first notes. Then he played an amusing song about "Bros" (think Tool Academy - hehe i understood the reference) and then had two other people ooh-ahh along with him on "You Are Safe." Sooooo nice! I was kicking myself because although i knew that i was previously able to get some low-light pictures with my camera, all my pictures of him were coming out blurry.
The next performance was Joe Brooks (whose band sounded a lot like Green Day but not as goofy), and the noise was too loud for me. I was feeling like my heart was going to get confused by the heavy beat. Roxy really isn't that big, certainly not big enough for the big sound its system was cranking. And there wasn't much in the way of refreshments except some swill that you'd expect at a little crank-it-loud underground rock venue. There was one song i actually really liked, and i went to the merch table to see if it was on there - it was.
John emerged from backstage, and we caught sight of each other. I got a good hug, and Ian was similarly greeted. John motioned to his family and hung out with them for a bit. Although it was great to mingle and talk with him, the LOUD MUSIC made talking (rather, yelling in each other's ears) a real effort. I got a good picture (two, though the first one was my fault - cut off the top of their heads, eesh) of John and Ian, and then i realized what was wrong with my camera settings during his performance. Argh!
After a few more performances, they showed a slide show with music performed with Wes Wehmiller while pictures of him rolled. Then this year's scholarship recipient came out, and he's a young man starting music college, REALLY good on bass.
The "ambient" music was mostly boring-to-me oldies, also played WAY too loudly. John brought up the topic of hubbub on Roadkill, which although Ian and i were curious about his side of the story, we hadn't planned on actually bringing it up. He pretty much avoided wading through the explosion. He didn't have much to add to it aside from that it's show biz and that Lisa had invited him over to hang out and he didn't go. His trip was pretty crazy anyway, with transportation to the airport being a tricky issue due to the snow. Ian kept nudging me hinting to get a pic with John, but my mind wasn't in that frame at the time, so it didn't occur to me then. I wasn't picking up cues all night anyway - not unusual for me but hindered more by everything going on there. Half the time, i was also itching to get off my feet (5 hours of standing in there) and out into some quieter fresher surroundings - which it was odd how Sunset Strip's sidewalk was comparatively. By this time, the Roxy had gotten pretty crowded.
Tal Wilkenfeld came up for the headlining act at the end of the shows, and though she was really good, the rest of the band wasn't quite as impressive. The keyboard was way too loud and a bit chaotic though tending to stay on the high end. I'm not so sure she or the band meant to sound so "ridiculous" - er...disjointed. It was weird how each song seemed to groove, fall apart into chaotic jazz jumble, and then somehow meld back together in rhythm after an ear-scrambling. It made me long for something similar but rhythmic and more cohesive, namely Allman Brothers, which at times they really resembled. Apparently Ian and i weren't the only ones who had expected something a little more, as the crowd had thinned considerably, though there was one fellow who was really bopping and nodding to the music.
Ian and i waited around to see if John would emerge again, and he did. It had been a long day (for John moreso than for us), and all of us were pretty weary of the place. I was still alert and awake, though, just wanted to get out of the crowded little venue. So we hugged John goodbye and headed out to our cars. Ian walked me out to my alley parking lot, and he headed back to the parking garage.
I was up to driving on toward "home" so i did. The roads were surprisingly vacant. It was good, because suddenly i came across a dense rain-fog. I figured i could stop somewhere if i needed to, but that time didn't come. I just traveled on through. At one point, i was startled by how bright the sky got - the full moon was beaming brightly through the fog, bright enough for me to see a bright moon ring without distracting my eyes much from the road. Sometimes i would pass a valley filled with the fog while the road was clear, and it was like a big white ghost lying in the valley.
I saw a Marathon station lit up well in advance of the exit, so i grabbed a fillup and a Yoohoo.
I kept seeing signs of different cities that surprised me how fast i was getting there. The drive, again, didn't seem nearly as long as i had thought, and i got home well before time for Eric to wake up for work. He had just gotten notice too that his work schedule was rearranged to night shift.
I was really pleased with the trip, a wonderful drive, seeing a friend and musician i really like, and introducing myself to Hollywood. From the noise and the lingering feeling of the APLP shakeup - and John's little relay of it, and of course that last act and the rain-fog, i was feeling a little disjointed myself. Sometime if i can find the means and time and substantial excuse to see them and some friends in New York....
I had miscalculated when i needed to get up - really, it was in my laziness' favor, along with not having been able to sleep either. So instead of 7am, i rolled out of bed at 10.
I stopped by Bon Temps for breakfast, as the dinner waitress the other night said that they served beignets for breakfast. That ended up not being true. :-( So instead i ordered some orange juice and fried okra. I may or may not go back and definitely not bother for breakfast again - they're a bit expensive.
The drive down 101 was gorgeous. It was a sunny day, and even out of the corners of my eyes while concentrating on driving, i could see the big white waves crashing into the shore cliffs. There were some interesting-looking mountains near and far. Far away, i could see a few mountain peaks that had snow on them, even though it was late-spring warm here near the coast. Nearer, there were rocky semi-vegetated mountains and formations that jut from the ground. One part of the road has the northbound lane tunneled through one while the southbound lane goes through a narrow pass. Some trees grew sideways due to the wind no doubt, which amused me. As i passed through Santa Barbara, i wondered which of these hills belonged to a certain family. The highway itself was in aggravating disrepair - something that it seems a lot of California is afflicted with.
The drive seemed shorter than i thought it would be, and i arrived quite well ahead of schedule. As i approached the LA area, i could tell that it was huge, but the mountains all around obscured any kind of overall view. Most of what i saw was a little like outer Detroit, in that it was plentiful with trees and green space - mostly though it was the large rich properties and the Bel Air Country Club i was passing by. I didn't like that section of Sunset Drive, though - it was curvy and surrounded by lush green, which would have been nice if it weren't also really narrow and in serious disrepair.
I finally hit the cluster known as the Sunset Strip, which was teeming with office buildings, businesses galore, and generally a big cluster of touristy stuff. There were signs for "Celebrity Maps" everywhere (no, i didn't get one), and thanks to previews via Google Earth, i knew what to look for to see where Roxy Theatre was. I drove on past, hoping to get a glimpse of the Hollywood sign. And eventually, yes, there it was in the distance. I tried to get somewhere i could park and take a picture of it, but i had absolutely no luck with it - i wasn't trying too hard anyway. What i did see in enough time to make a decision was some Warner Brothers studio gates. I figured i'd stop at the first reasonable-looking place to eat for a restroom break, some food, and a place to park for some pictures. There was a Taco Bell just after i had passed some more WB buildings, and i went outside to the patio to eat - with a nice view of yet another huge WB office building and the WB tower, which i took pictures of. I decided to get back to Roxy and asked for directions. The people there were friendly but not very helpful.
What WAS helpful (to a degree) was the GPS navigation built into my Blackberry. It got me back to Sunset but told me to turn left instead of right, so i had to turn around - as it was making odd utterances and a repeated command to make the next legal u-turn (I just went around a block). When i got back to Sunset, it told me to turn left again. "Shut up, stupid bitch." She continued barking out useless-now information while i tried to find parking. There was plenty to be found, but the one parking garage i wanted to use was closed. Across the street, Key Club was already looking to be packed with a huge line, while at Roxy, only one man was waiting. There were a few other people around the parking lot there, which i didn't bother going in, though there was a turn lane indicating the turn into it - though the parking lost had posted "Exit Only" there.
It was still daylight with another two hours, so i found another place to take a break and get something to drink, then i wandered over to the gift shop that had a lot of random toys and a whole huge selection of t-shirts. I didn't go downstairs to see their adult-themed goodies. :-p Eric called me back right when i was talking with Ian, and both of their callbacks were confusing the call waiting function. I eventually got those straightened out and apologized to both. I told Ian that the parking garage that was closed had just opened, so he'd have better parking than i did. He arrived, and we walked down to Subway and chatted for a while. Roxy obviously meant it when they said it wasn't going to open until 7. The ticket booth wasn't even open until then. We marveled at touristy people and stuff passing by. The tour buses looked like fun, but they were probably expensive, and i didn't have time now to hop on one. We pondered if we'd get a glimpse of John, but i had heard noises from practice and setup and figured he was in there doing that.
After a long wait in the lines, we finally got in, with occasional jokes about the "teeming mob" and being uncoordinated around the barrier fence. We were still among the very few who were there when we first got in line, but the line was growing - 20 people, 40.... One little group of people looked very much like they'd be related to John, and apparently i was right. I knew that he had family and friends in this area too. We went in, and indeed it was standing room only, though there was a good-sized couch near the door (though it was usually occupied by several snoozing people) and a sitting area that was reservation-only. We finally saw John - he was still doing some prep work on the stage. Also, he was the first performer. The Roxy had started filling up. It looked like a fair turnout.
I hadn't known what to expect, and the one assumption i had was wrong anyway. I thought it would be a band or two, with John playing bass with them. No, it was several different bands/performers, and none of them had what i would have assumed would be Duran Duran type music.
Although i really liked hearing John with Alan Parsons Live Project, it was really nice to hear him perform his own songs! He started out with "Ticket to a Sunrise," which i recognized immediately as he started the first notes. Then he played an amusing song about "Bros" (think Tool Academy - hehe i understood the reference) and then had two other people ooh-ahh along with him on "You Are Safe." Sooooo nice! I was kicking myself because although i knew that i was previously able to get some low-light pictures with my camera, all my pictures of him were coming out blurry.
The next performance was Joe Brooks (whose band sounded a lot like Green Day but not as goofy), and the noise was too loud for me. I was feeling like my heart was going to get confused by the heavy beat. Roxy really isn't that big, certainly not big enough for the big sound its system was cranking. And there wasn't much in the way of refreshments except some swill that you'd expect at a little crank-it-loud underground rock venue. There was one song i actually really liked, and i went to the merch table to see if it was on there - it was.
John emerged from backstage, and we caught sight of each other. I got a good hug, and Ian was similarly greeted. John motioned to his family and hung out with them for a bit. Although it was great to mingle and talk with him, the LOUD MUSIC made talking (rather, yelling in each other's ears) a real effort. I got a good picture (two, though the first one was my fault - cut off the top of their heads, eesh) of John and Ian, and then i realized what was wrong with my camera settings during his performance. Argh!
After a few more performances, they showed a slide show with music performed with Wes Wehmiller while pictures of him rolled. Then this year's scholarship recipient came out, and he's a young man starting music college, REALLY good on bass.
The "ambient" music was mostly boring-to-me oldies, also played WAY too loudly. John brought up the topic of hubbub on Roadkill, which although Ian and i were curious about his side of the story, we hadn't planned on actually bringing it up. He pretty much avoided wading through the explosion. He didn't have much to add to it aside from that it's show biz and that Lisa had invited him over to hang out and he didn't go. His trip was pretty crazy anyway, with transportation to the airport being a tricky issue due to the snow. Ian kept nudging me hinting to get a pic with John, but my mind wasn't in that frame at the time, so it didn't occur to me then. I wasn't picking up cues all night anyway - not unusual for me but hindered more by everything going on there. Half the time, i was also itching to get off my feet (5 hours of standing in there) and out into some quieter fresher surroundings - which it was odd how Sunset Strip's sidewalk was comparatively. By this time, the Roxy had gotten pretty crowded.
Tal Wilkenfeld came up for the headlining act at the end of the shows, and though she was really good, the rest of the band wasn't quite as impressive. The keyboard was way too loud and a bit chaotic though tending to stay on the high end. I'm not so sure she or the band meant to sound so "ridiculous" - er...disjointed. It was weird how each song seemed to groove, fall apart into chaotic jazz jumble, and then somehow meld back together in rhythm after an ear-scrambling. It made me long for something similar but rhythmic and more cohesive, namely Allman Brothers, which at times they really resembled. Apparently Ian and i weren't the only ones who had expected something a little more, as the crowd had thinned considerably, though there was one fellow who was really bopping and nodding to the music.
Ian and i waited around to see if John would emerge again, and he did. It had been a long day (for John moreso than for us), and all of us were pretty weary of the place. I was still alert and awake, though, just wanted to get out of the crowded little venue. So we hugged John goodbye and headed out to our cars. Ian walked me out to my alley parking lot, and he headed back to the parking garage.
I was up to driving on toward "home" so i did. The roads were surprisingly vacant. It was good, because suddenly i came across a dense rain-fog. I figured i could stop somewhere if i needed to, but that time didn't come. I just traveled on through. At one point, i was startled by how bright the sky got - the full moon was beaming brightly through the fog, bright enough for me to see a bright moon ring without distracting my eyes much from the road. Sometimes i would pass a valley filled with the fog while the road was clear, and it was like a big white ghost lying in the valley.
I saw a Marathon station lit up well in advance of the exit, so i grabbed a fillup and a Yoohoo.
I kept seeing signs of different cities that surprised me how fast i was getting there. The drive, again, didn't seem nearly as long as i had thought, and i got home well before time for Eric to wake up for work. He had just gotten notice too that his work schedule was rearranged to night shift.
I was really pleased with the trip, a wonderful drive, seeing a friend and musician i really like, and introducing myself to Hollywood. From the noise and the lingering feeling of the APLP shakeup - and John's little relay of it, and of course that last act and the rain-fog, i was feeling a little disjointed myself. Sometime if i can find the means and time and substantial excuse to see them and some friends in New York....