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daily.titan
BUZZ 08.27.07
MUSIC IN A GLASS HOUSE
Find out why nobody’s throwing stones at this glass house The Buzz Editor: Jennifer Caddick Executive Editor: Ian Hamilton Director of Advertising: Stephanie Birditt Assistant Director of Advertising: Sarah Oak Production: Jennifer Caddick Account Executives: Nancy Sanchez Juliet Roberts -------------------------------------------------
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daily.titan
BUZZ 08.27.07
4th Street
By Evan corcoran
Daily Titan Staff Writer
If you are wondering what the hell there is to do this weekend, take a trip to Long Beach. Go to 4th Street where a strip of dive bars and cheap drinks will leave you with a LBC hangover and money still in your pocket for the hair of the dog the next morning. Four bars, all with their own style and within walking distance of each other will give you a night filled with good music and cheap drinks. Live bands and crass juke boxes are on the menu for entertainment and if you get bored with the bar scene just take a short walk down the street where you’ll find a hooker trying to wave down her next john or a homeless musician playing for some spare change. Whether you start off the night getting a bite to eat or finish it with the munchies, you might want to hold on to some of that change before heading into the Pike Restaurant and Bar. The bar is known for its fish and chips and the regulars swear by them. The food is so good it keeps you coming back, said Laurel Foley, a long time customer and recently
hired bartender. Foley considers it her kitchen away from home. Even if you aren’t feeling the hunger monster there is always something going on for kicks. The ex-drummer of Social Distortion, the owner Chris Reece and their blues band Dick Delux & the 4th Street Band play about once a month. Reece has styled the bar with an old sailor motif. Every day of the week there is a live band or DJ that keeps the Pike
rocking. They have iPod Sundays, where you can throw in some of your own favorite bands. The acts at the Pike generally range from blues, rock and country. Happy hour is from three to six every day and Monday has martini specials. After you have had your fill you can take a short stroll up the street to Ferns. With energetic bartenders, Ferns is a good place to get you amped up for the night. It has three pool tables, a foosball table and offers a live band or DJ every night. Even without live entertainment you can throw some spare change in the jukebox and crank out some old school punk rock. If you’re looking for a laugh, check out Ferns Tuesday for comedy night. If it’s not funny, at least there is no cover and lowpriced drinks. Renee Griegro, the manager and former Cal State Fullerton student, has her own unique twist on the drinks she pours. Go in there and ask for a Blanch Devaro, a shooter that gets you drunk before you have a chance to ask for another. “Sweeter then a Georgia peach,” said Griegro about her intoxicating concoction. For you Golden Girls fans the name should be familiar. Griegro mixes up other drinks named after each Golden Girl and they all leave you walking out of there with a stumble in your step. “Everybody is friends here,” said Beth Zafranovic, a bartender who has been working at Ferns for only six days. A good environment and strong drinks makes for a great time. Just remember you still have to crawl into the next bar. Up the street you will find yourself at The Red Room, a small bar with one pool table and great attitude. The bar is adorned with skateboard decks on the walls and features a new skate video once a month. Drink specials are offered daily.
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Photos by evan corcoran On Mondays the theme is HipHop with the DJ bumping assshaking tunes. On Tuesdays the DJ switches to old-school punk rock. So you can lace up your boots and party like it was 1984. A good crowd ranging from skaters and punk rockers to hip-hoppers fills The Red Room nightly. It offers a wild time for anyone looking. As the night winds down you might be looking for something a little more laid back. Your last stop should be The V Room. A big, red, neon V draws you up the street, calling you to come have a drink. A small corner bar with two pool tables provides a turned down
joint to finish off the night. There are a lot of locals, but is still welcoming to anyone who walks in. Every Thursday a DJ sets up and plays music anywhere from the ‘60s to the ‘90s. The V Room is a good place to chill out before calling it a night. If you managed to make it to all of these bars, call a cab. Cheap, strong drinks can hit you like a ton of bricks. As for me I still have 10 bucks in my pocket and I’m trying to recall what happened last night when I rolled down 4th Street. So I’m off to grab a Bloody Mary and try to forget what beer tastes like. Well, at least until tomorrow.
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daily.titan
BUZZ 08.27.07
From left to right: Sean Fernandez, guitar, Victor Pintado, drums, Nick Maury, bass, Nolan Yard, vocals, JohnPaul Trotter, guitar
By Jennifer Caddick
Daily Titan Buzz Editor
The Dialectics play music with a laid-back honesty that resonates a calm complacency in their sound. That mixed with their playfully, sophisticated banter immediately proves this San Bernardino based band knows their way around a stage. JohnPaul Trotter, guitar, Sean Fernandez, guitar, Victor Pintado, drummer, Nick Maury, bass, and Nolan Yard, vocals, have been together for almost two years and with their new album, Alchemy, now in stores, the world is their drum beat. These multi-talented musicians’ passion for funk, rock and jazz combines in a seamless way that meticu-
lously creates The Dialectics and it’s obvious their adoration for music is what gets them out of bed in the morning. Jen Caddick: What do you love about music? Sean Fernandez: I love the emotions it creates and the inspiration. It is just a roller coaster for all kinds of emotion whether it’s to inspire people or motivate people. Nolan Yard: I like music because it tells a story no matter what kind of mood it’s setting, whether it is sad or happy. The music doesn’t have to be a verbal story with linguistics. Just instrumentally it could tell a story through the solos and music. JohnPaul Trotter: Infinite possi-
Photo ILLUSTRATION by cameron pemstein
bilities for creativity. Nick Maury: I like how music is so diverse and there are so many different styles … there are all these sonic possibilities. It is also the universal language. Even if u can’t understand what they are saying, it can still speak to you and you can feel something from it. JC: When did you guys start getting really passionate about your music? JPT: I dicked around a while and then by the time I was 10 I finally realized ‘yeah I want to do this.’ There were a lot of wasted years. I don’t know what the hell I was doing … thinking about Nintendo and my neighbors’ Game boy.
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Photo by cameron pemstein
BUZZ 08.27.07
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and funk. JPT: I like a lot of classic, cult jazz. NM: People ask who do we sound like and what kind of style we are – I’d say various styles, but our main focus is the songwriting end of it, in the instrumentals and making sure all the components of the song sound good. JC: Where do you guys play shows usually?
NY: I think in high school I realized singing was something I was actually good at and it was something I wanted to pursue. I like all styles of singing – from funk to classical. JC: When did you guys meet and form The Dialectics? SF: Me and [JohnPaul] go back the farthest - junior high school. JPT: We’ve been playing in bands together since then on and off. SF: Yeah, and then we met these other guys on the streets somewhere. NM: I actually met these guys on MySpace. They put an ad out for a bass player. My band all moved on to college because I was only a freshman at the time and they weren’t really doing anything. I auditioned for like a month and then joined.
Photo by cameron pemstein JPT- That’s right we forgot to tell you that you were in the band! JC: Has your music changed since you guys have been together? JPT: Yeah it has totally evolved. The main things we want our music to do are groove and be something you can really feel. I don’t think the new stuff we are writing now is going to sound anything like the old stuff. JC: What are your musical influences? SF: There is such a range… NY: Well [Victor] likes Tool, I like Elton John, [Sean] likes Boss Nova and [JohnPaul] likes everything. SF: But we all like a lot of stuff. There is a big classic rock influence
JPT: Well, in the past it has been in the Inland Empire and spots in Fullerton, like Plush Café. Lately we have been focusing more on Hollywood and L.A.- The Viper Room, The Gig, The Roxy… NM: We just got done doing a show at The Whiskey A-Go-Go. JPT: The best shows are the ones we get to play with friends and other bands that we really get along with well. Where there are just good vibes. It’s not really about how many people show up or if we make any money or anything like that. The reality is we aren’t going to make money, so you might as well really like what you are doing and like who you are playing with and like what you are around. JC: So, tell me about your new album. JPT: We just finished it in July… It’s called Alchemy.
Photo by cameron pemstein JC: What’s the goal for the band right now? JPT: Just playing… playing, playing, playing … wherever, whenever. SF: Trying to do that and being able to only do that would be a big goal. And you know, we aren’t expecting to be rock-stars or anything, but if we could make a living doing what we love and getting people to hear something different, which I feel we have to offer, it’s really a good thing for everybody. We just want to do what we love and give a little to the music community because it
needs it. JPT: I mean, there are good bands out there, it is hard to find ‘em but they’re there. NY: Just to get by doing what u love to do, whether it is on the street corner or in the biggest venue. The Dialects will be playing at The Blue Café in Long Beach on Sept. 5. Their album can be found at Rhino Records in Claremont, Amoeba in Los Angeles, Mad Platter in Riverside, crybaby.com and through Snocap on their MySpace at http://profile.myspace. com/thedialectics.
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daily.titan
BUZZ 08.27.07
By Patrick Chavis
Dragons of Zynth have created a following that reaches from the Brooklyn Bridge to the sunny shores of California. Their sound is unique to anything you’ll ever hear on the radio. The group’s members come from Los Angeles, Chicago and Cleveland but all reside in New York, where they have made a name for themselves with bands like TV On The
Radio, Celebration and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. Even people in California are starting to talk about the Dragons avant garde music style. The band’s two front men, Aku and Akewety, are twin brothers who grew up on Hendrix, Zeppelin and Atlanta’s own Outkast. Their sound is a progression of the tunes they’ve heard and more. They have expanded into a looser, jazzy environment while not drowning out the pure soul and grit that comes from the blues and rock and roll.
to get bigger,” said Mickii DePorter, an avid attendee of the venue. This is where synth-fused dance rock groups like The Faint filled the room to capacity with kids whose dance moves alone could quite possibly assault an army… and win. “Oh yeah, I’ve definitely played that place hundreds of times,” said Blake Miller, the infamous squarejawed lead singer of The Moving Units. It’s the same stage where Death Cab For Cutie’s cherub faced Benjamin Gibbard crooned along with the crowd so loud his voice cracked in a haunting pitch and hushed the audience into complete silence. The Glass House gives artists and their fans the platform to experience each other face to face, instrument to outstretched hand and without
barriers. When Paul and Perry Tollett opened the doors of The Glass House in the late ‘90s, it stood as a place for music junkies to get their fix in an intimate and positive setting. Eric Palma, manager of The Glass House, noted that people go there for the love of music, not because it’s some hipster venue. With fading paint reminiscent of something deserted and graffiti etched into the glass front doors, the aesthetics of the place are quite near depressing. But the atmosphere that lights up inside can’t be measured in watts, but in volts. The Glass House welcomes the type of patrons that respect one another, but when security guards turn a blind eye, they still sneak band
Daily Titan Staff Writer
this weeks concerts 8.27 The Echo- Manic Troubadour- The Section Quartet Chain Reaction- Romeo Kills Juliet
8.28
Photo courtesy of thedelimagazine.com
Their debut album, Coronation Thieves, will be released October 2. The song “Get Off” will remind you of the vocal harmony of TV on the Radio revved with beautiful guitar work and constant precise drumming. “War Lover” has vocals that are reminiscent of the ‘70s punk band Bad Brains. Coronation Thieves has a lot of potential. So open your ears, fall into the abyss and the let the Zynth expand your mind. You can hear their music at Myspace.com/dragonsofzynth.
Spaceland- The Watson Twins The Gig- Crisantes The Knitting Factory- Pyrexia
8.29 The Echo- Faraway Places Troubadour- Driveblind & Back Door Slam The Hotel Cafe- Meiko
8.30 The Echo- Jail Weddings The Gig- Fireball Johnson
8.31 The Glass House- Yesterday’s Rising The Hotel Cafe- Side Story Spaceland- Wintergreen
9.1 Chain Reaction- Dear Life The Gig- Fox Hunter Troubadour- Knux
9.2 The Gig- Zach Hillyard El Rey Theater- Stereotype
By Nikki Donahue
Daily Titan Staff Writer
In the quiet heart of downtown Pomona throbs something with a much bigger sound. With its ability to literally shake neighboring walls with the vibrato of amplifiers and reverb, the Glass House reigns as the quintessential all-ages rock venue. Over the years, The Glass House has harbored the earliest performances of newborn bands and nursed them into full-grown musical elites. This is the place you go to see artists before they over saturate radio and play on rotation like elevator music in department stores. “It’s brought the music scene from Los Angeles to the Inland Empire and gives new bands the chance
Photo by nikki donahue posters off the walls with delinquent swiftness. The place is recognizable by the swarms of kids in front passing out flyers like tiny self-employed promoters. The Glass House doesn’t exist because of the big headline acts it draws. It exists within its humble frame because it’s built out of angst, grit and the kind of foundation that’s only created when kids lose their voice from singing at the top of their lungs.
BUZZ 08.27.07 7
daily.titan By Sylvia Masuda
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Talitha James Sociology major “I get my style from my mom. I shop at department stores like Marshall’s and stuff like that. My style is more free-spirited. Whatever makes me feel good. It doesn’t necessarily have to match. When people look at me they’re like ‘Dang I [want to] dress like her’ and they ask me wear I shop. My clothes are a reflection of my confidence.”
Photos by belinda hurtado
Aaron Allen Communication major “I get my style from my friend, some music videos … even though I don’t watch that much T.V. I dressup on random occasions. You can usually catch me in basketball shorts. It takes me 15 minutes to get dressed. I lay things out a day before so I can go.”
Klint Penamante Kinesiology major “I stay J-fitted. Sole purpose. I pick [my style] up. I try and set apart from everyone else and I had an older sister that use to dress me right too. I shop at Active, Rooted Movement and anywhere that sells nice shoes.”
Becca Blessum English major “I love forever 21. It’s so cheap. Rockabilly, sub-culture, 1950s, music, cars and everything about the 1950s is big. My friends think I have cute dresses.”
You would never expect Second Avenue to be a treasure chest. The backdrop of a yawn-inciting brick wall isn’t going to bring you in. If you do happen to venture inside, you might notice it smells a little too perfumed and the music is set on The Wave — yes, the dreaded, smooth jazz. It’s an unexpected place to find cheap, tailored bundles of joy. This consignment shop has plenty to pick from if you gravitate towards the funky side of the fashion spectrum. Hang out and peruse the racks a little longer and you’ll understand. You might find a fluffy, pink fur cardigan, a lime-green knit shawl, a pair of loud, turquoise slingbacks and embroidered and rhinestoneembellished jeans. Oh, and notice the kitschy leopard-print carpeting. Now, Second Avenue doesn’t feel so much outdated as it does eccen-
tric. Think a tamer, more street-savvy Bjork on a budget. The prices are more than reasonable. In fact, they are the next best thing to the flea market. It’s not hard to find a one-of-a-kind steal for under $20. But unlike a thrift store, the textile variety is rich: frills, lace, nubby wools, angora and chiffons. Charmencrusted necklaces, straw purses, silk scarves, belts and shoes are all up for the taking. Quality is fantastic. If they didn’t mention it, you wouldn’t know they stock used clothing. Retail associate Theresa McCart said they make a point to diverge from being just another thrift store. If you’ve got your own wardrobe oddballs you want to toss out to the dogs, iron ‘em out, hang ‘em up and make an appointment. Brands are preferred, but Jones will accept offbrands that are clean, new or gentlyused that’s no more than two years old — on hangers, please. She’ll price them as she sees fit and from there, your clothes will stay at Second Avenue for 60 days.
Photo by sylvia masuda If your offerings sell within 30 days, you get paid 40 percent of the profit. After 30 days, you get half that. When your two months are up, they’ll donate your wares on your behalf or you can pick them up to peddle elsewhere. If Second Avenue will chance on selling your unwanted goods, surely then you can take a chance to stay a while, brave the smooth jazz and, inevitably, find something awesome.
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daily.titan
BUZZ 08.27.07
By Thomas madden
Daily Titan Staff Writer
While people fill the op-ed columns with tales of Operation Iraqi Freedom being comparable to the worst military blunder in American history, Vietnam, I decided to use this weeks column to momentarily stray away from slagging off one popular war criminal – Bush, and focus on another – Manuel Noriega. For those allergic to any media outlet that doesn’t revolve around nude pictures of Brit or shots of Lindsey completing sham rehab, former Panamanian dictator and ex CIA desk jockey Manuel Noriega will soon be a free man, well at least for the duration of his 12 hour plane ride to France. Lets hope that some leftover under the mattress drug money can afford him a plush first class seat. While Noriega and our celestial celebrity beings, like Lohan, do have some things in common (rather flattering mug shots and a penchant for Panamanian nose candy), Manuel’s story actually involves more theatrical appeal than “Georgia Rule.” Noriega was the self promoted general of Panama and acted as a supposed neutral middleman between the U.S. and Fidel Castro. He aided in U.S. efforts in El Salvador and Nicaragua and was a potential employee of the month for his work as a CIA operative, being typically paid off in cash and weapons. He was fleeced by the CIA, especially from then Director George H.W. Bush who annually paid Noriega $110,000 for his hard work and extraordinary drug dealing skills which kept sweaty shoulder padded suit wearing Americans dancing to Duran Duran for all those years. However, like with any Bush friendship past or present, one simple misunderstanding can lead to not only ignoring your phone calls but a full blown invasion. This souring led to President Bush leading an attack, which encompassed everything in his bag of artillery. From blasting Van Halen music to displacing 30,000 innocent residents, Bush finally succeeded and locked up his old mate Noriega. Well after a Nicole Richie-esque stay in drug felon terms, Noriega is now being released on account
of good behavior. Both France and Panama are competing for his draft rights, with the French looking to have a little more sway in landing the highly taught free agent. It seems right. Why send him back home where the Panamanian government wants to charge him with murder when the French have him on money laundering charges? Of course, American bureaucrats want to see him go down for money issues rather than murder because those in charge value money over anything, especially life. Plus, I am sure that seeing Noriega in a beret and striped jumper would be more amusing than any of the threads Panama has to offer. Well, while I tried to steer away from attacking my favorite set of bowling pins, the Bush family, I simply just couldn’t. But it’s not my fault, I promise. They are seemingly friendly with every creepy crawly from Noriega to Hussein. Yet, when it comes time to play war in the backyard with their friends, the Bush boys, unfortunately, are
cartoon by reza allah-bakhshi the bullies who take the game a tad too far. What can you do other than bidding Bon Voyage to Manuel and getting back to the comfort food that is the celebrity blogosphere? As Brit would say, “Like totally porkout y’all!”
Artist: Liars Album: Liars
Artist: Super Fury Animals Album: Hey Venus
Artist: Northern State Album: Can I keep this Pen?
Artist: Odd Nosdam Album: Level Live Wires
Artist: Aesop Rock Album: None Shall Pass
Artist: Art in Manilla Album: Set the Woods on Fire