DECEMBER 13, 2021 I VOL. 50 I #50
Celebrat ing t he Holidays Come Up Markets in photos
‘Comprehensive Approach’ Feuer wants to create a safer LA
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Boyle Heights Christmas Parade
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OPINION
take a picture with him. If you do, I will haunt
union supporters, I felt terrible accepting
Santa drools, Santa Lucia rules By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist
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est you think I’m simply a curmudgeonly Santa-phobic crackpot, let me give you some background about why I go on yearly rants about Santa: I was five and cute as a Norwegian fairy child: tow-headed, stubborn and prone to extreme displays of merriment or temper. Appropriate for the season, the only moderation I had was while sleeping. It was Christmas Eve and mommy gussied me up to wait for Santa. My dress featured gray, black diaphanous material, flocked dots, a red velveteen belt with accents and a red satin petticoat. It had kind of a hooker vibe, now that I reflect on it. We lived on a small farm outside of Denver. We had chickens, a few horses and Shad, my beloved German shorthair pointer. My family was not doing well. Daddy had been unemployed for months due to rumors about being a communist. (He wasn’t.) Nonetheless, my parents were house-proud, and they did what they could with very little. The house smelled like pine and roasting meat. “When is Santa coming?” I say. “Soon.” “Why is he coming?” “To bring presents.” “Why?” “Because that’s Christmas.” “Why?” “Just wait.” “Where’s Daddy?” Crickets. The tree was lit up with bubble lights. My two sisters, who were also dressed up, sat on the couch. Alane, the eldest, was bored; Mary, the middle daughter, focused like a shark on the chum of gifts already under the tree. She liked presents. Mommy was herding us around to get pictures of “the girls” in front of the tree. “Smile, girls.” “When is Santa coming?” “Soon.” Then hark! The yonder sleigh bells did ring.
Ellen Snortland “Can you hear that, Ellen? That’s Santa! He’s outside. He’s parking his reindeer.” “Ho, ho, ho!!! Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho!” The bells are now in the house. Those awful bells. The soundtrack of my horror. The door to our living room and eating area opened, and in walked the ugliest, saddest, scariest creature I’d ever seen. It wore nasty, stretched-out and faded red long johns, a phony beard, a flaccid red pointy cap, some kind of belt and those horrible sleigh bells. As soon as he showed his face, I let out a bone-shattering scream. Think Drew Barrymore in “E.T.” Never one to hide behind my mother, I launched myself at this monster that had breached our home. “Where’s my Daddy? Where’s my Daddy? Where’s my Daddy?” I screamed. I beat on his chest. My mother is frozen while my sisters convulse with hysterical laughter. “Santa” runs out, jingling all the way with those horrible bells. Then he comes back, throws the bag into the room and runs back out again. This gives you a little taste of why I find Santa such a wretched symbol of Christmas. Now, as an older person, I attack him whenever I can. You’d be surprised at how many people tell me, “I thought I was the only one who hates Santa.” Trust me: you are not alone. Attention, grown-ups! If your child is creeped out by Santa, do not force them to
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Hey you! Speak up! Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community. Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com. you in my own version of the Ghost of both toys knowing they were made on the backs of children. Organize now! Christmas Present and Future. I say, “Instead of ‘ho, ho, ho!’ say ‘no, no, News flash: not all children think Santa is wonderful. Just think for a minute — stand no!’ to Santa.” Really. What does he teach us back and let go of your emotional attach- by example? That Christmas is all about gifts ment — what this fellow represents with- and delivery; it’s OK for little children to sit out all of the sentimental baggage. As a on the lap of a man they’ve never met if he’s naughty-and-nice control freak, who is he in a shopping mall; it’s OK to be loud and to be judging good and bad? That “jolly” red rude if you have a big bag of gifts; breaking face and nose? These are checklist items for into homes through backdoors or fireplaces chronic alcoholism. And then there are the is exemplary behavior; being dangerously mixed messages from my parents, who ex- obese gets you on cards, decorations and in horted me to never, ever talk to strangers. movies; it’s OK to smuggle expensive items But Santa was the strangest person I’d ever in bags; public drunkenness and smoking is met, let alone spoken with. So not only was acceptable; it’s OK to exploit short people in EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski I thrust upon his lap so he could breathe workshops, etc. STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero his nasty, alcohol-laced breath onSara me,Edwards, I was Kamala So, Kirk my friends, I come by my Santa conCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: DIRECTORS: Olivares, Stephanie Torreshonestly. Join my Santa Stinks Facesupposed to ART let him know Arman what my fondest tempt PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez wishes were?STAFF Yikes! And those nasty whis- book group to join other Bah-Humbuggers CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos kers and his ACCOUNT hands on me while bouncing and Bah Humbug with the best! EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb me and taking pictures? Eeewww. Other than that? Merry Christmas… soon. FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris Don’t get me started about his human Ellen Snortland has been writing a genrights abuses! He enslaves elves that work der column for decades. Contact her at in his factory. As our family were die-hard authorbitebybite.com.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITERS: Andres de Ocampo, Jordan Houston CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Esteban Ramirez, Matt Sayles/Invision for Black Ink, Nicolas Wendl ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris
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City attorney and mayoral candidate Mike Feuer outlined his “neighborhood safety plan” and steps he would take to create a safer Los Angeles, if elected as mayor in the 2022 municipal elections. Photo by Chris Mortenson
Feuer’s ‘comprehensive approach’ to creating a safer Los Angeles
By Andres de Ocampo LA Downtown News Staff Writer ity attorney and mayoral candidate Mike Feuer outlined his neighborhood safety agenda if he were to be elected mayor. During a Dec. 7 press conference at Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Feuer covered an 11-point plan to make neighborhoods safer, saying when it comes to issues like public safety or homelessness, “the time has passed for politicians to speak in slogans. “This is the time to be specific, the public needs to know where I stand, what steps precisely I will be taking as mayor and I’m laying those out now.” With the city’s general municipal elections set for November 2022, Feuer and other local elected officials — like City Councilmembers Kevin de Leon, District
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14, and Joe Buscaino, District 15 — have launched campaigns to succeed Mayor Eric Garcetti. Other candidates include U.S. Rep. Karen Bass and Jessica Lall, president and CEO of Central City Association. He touched on issues like expanding the city’s police force, deepening trust between LAPD and the public, along with uplifting underserved communities and preventing crime. “I’m trying to convey that there is a whole array of ingredients that makes a community a safe place,” he said. “That’s why I’m calling for this comprehensive approach here.” Feuer would like to see LAPD’s police force having at least 10,000 diverse officers, who have more training on de-escalation of violent confrontations and ways
to reduce instances of use of force. As far as policing reforms, the mayoral candidate said, “It’s imperative that we deepen ties with LAPD and the communities that the department serves.” To do that, he would expand the Community Safety Partnership Bureau, which would place officers in neighborhoods for a number of years to establish “a relationship of trust and mutual respect to the communities that they serve.” Feuer said those who oppose police reform and in favor of defunding the police are presenting “a false choice to us.” “We need to have communities that are safe, and an ingredient in safe communities is a well-trained and substantial police force that takes the steps that I mentioned,” he said. “(A police force) that is deeply tied to the communities it serves and that is trained in deescalating violent confrontation.” While establishing mutual trust and respect with LAPD and the LA community, if elected, Feuer said crisis response teams — which operate out of the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety — comprised of trained mental health professionals and social workers should be expanded and routinely on-site for nonviolent incidents, dealing with potentially mentally ill people. Touching on another hot button issue, Feuer addressed the recent “smash-andgrab” burglaries. “In response to COVID, the court systems imposed a ‘$0 bail system,’ for most (misdemeanor and low-level felony) crimes, but that approach can put the public at risk,” he said. The $0 bail system was imposed by the California Judicial Council during the pandemic to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus in jails and courthouses. Though the council’s order expired in June 2020, the LA Superior Court said it would maintain a temporary $0 bail system until further notice. “Today, I’m calling on the court to eliminate $0 bail for crimes that have become disturbingly prevalent in recent months. One of those crimes is organized theft from retail stores another is burglary from commercial establishments, and another is auto theft,” Feuer continued. Feuer said the $0 bail system sends a message to would-be criminals that they could act with impunity. To Feuer, eliminating the $0 bail system would mean “those suspects would either be held in jail or restricted by monitored ankle bracelets or home detention and not released into the street until a risk assess-
ment establishes that they are not a danger to the community,” he said. As far as risk assessments that determine if someone is a “danger to the community,” Feuer said the assessments deal with prior criminal history, the likelihood of being a flight risk, community ties and other considerations, which are appropriate ways to distinguish who should be held or monitored. Though Feuer plans on maintaining accountability for criminal offenders as mayor, low-level offenses or not, he made clear that accountability does not always have to be punitive but can be transformative. Feuer highlighted the Neighborhood Justice Program he developed that offers first-time offenders a way to make amends for their crime through equally comparable responsibilities like community service or restitution. The program is rooted in a goal of reducing recidivism and Feuer’s city attorney office reported a 5% recidivism rate among 5,000 individuals who completed the program. Feuer went on to highlight ways to uplift and help underserved communities faced with gun violence and a lack or resources, both monetarily and opportunistically, by galvanizing private sector investment, expanding job and afterschool programs and bringing community leaders together. The mayoral candidate — whose career includes a focus on gun violence prevention — said, if elected, he will create a gun violence prevention task force, run by the mayor’s office, while also helping youth affected by gun violence work through their trauma with therapy. Feuer also talked about creating sustainable solutions for Los Angeles. “We need to be repudiating the zero-sum debate that we have in our community today. A debate that says that police are our enemy or a debate that says that community-based programming is soft on crime. We need to be smart in addressing our rising crime issues in our city (that) requires all of the components I’ve described today. “I intend to be a mayor who leads by inspiring people, by setting out a vision of what could be, also a mayor that rolls up his sleeves and makes sure we effectuate that vision with clarity and pragmatism. Decisive leadership is what the city needs right now… A mayor that understands the comprehensive needs we have in our community to improve public safety is a mayor that’s going to succeed.”
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Vaccine mandate protestors gather outside of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse to support lawsuit seeking to stop LAUSD student vaccine requirement. Photo by Chris Mortenson
Nonprofits sue LAUSD over student vaccination mandate By Andres de Ocampo LA Downtown News Staff Writer wo nonprofits trying to stop the Los Angeles Unified School District’s student vaccine requirement drew a crowd of parents, their children and others in opposition to the requirement to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff listened to arguments from attorneys representing two nonprofits — Children’s Health Defense–California Chapter and Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK). Beckloff told the court he was leaning toward denying the preliminary injunction, which would put an emergency stop to LAUSD’s student vaccine requirement, but needed more time to consider. Beckloff did not release a timeline for his firm decision on the injunction. Nicole Pearson, an attorney representing the nonprofits, said she is hoping for Beckloff’s decision soon. “(Beckloff ) did not give us a deadline,” Pearson said. “It’s a double-edged sword because you don’t want him to rush, but I know that everyone is waiting to know what his decision is. We’re asking for an order stopping the district’s shot mandate until we can go to trial, which could take months.” The petition filed by the nonprofits in October states they both represent and support thousands of children and families across California. Children’s Health Defense has approximately 540 members and Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids has 930 members who live within the district’s boundaries and have children enrolled in LAUSD schools. The attorneys argue that LAUSD did not follow California Health and Safety Codes and other legal and administrative procedures pursuant of their vaccine requirement. For example, LAUSD is not authorized to mandate vaccine requirements for in-person learning. California Department of Public Health, the responsible agency, did not give authority to the district. The district declined to comment. Serving 600,000 students, the district requires children ages 12 and older to have the vaccine by January. All unvaccinated students will not be permitted on LAUSD campuses for in-person learning and will be referred to LAUSD’s independent study program. Students younger than 12 are encouraged by the school district to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, however, they are exempt.
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Ian Jameson holds up a “Vaccine Kills,” sign in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, protesting the LAUSD student vaccine mandate. Photo by Chris Mortenson
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Covered NEWS California will help LAUSD said children with existing medical conditions, homelessness or those in the foster care system are exempt, among other LAUSD conditional exemptions. No exemptions are recognized for religious or personal beliefs for students. Christina Urrutia stood outside of the courthouse with her three children, all three of whom go to LAUSD schools and are unvaccinated. “The mandates are now being a problem for my kids at school,” Urrutia said. “We believe in natural immunity. We all got COVID and we all still have the antibodies. The fact that they’re forcing a mandate on our kids is ridiculous.” Urrutia said she doesn’t trust the science behind the vaccines and, despite her beliefs, she said she worries about her children being unvaccinated will have other consequences. “I have teachers and kids who are bullying other kids who are not vaccinated,” she said. “They’re separating us and they’re not keeping us together.” Urrutia said her three children, who are in second, fourth and seventh grade, are now being homeschooled. “I can protect my kids from the school mandates by pulling them out, but what happens when we can’t take our kids to gymnastics or soccer and they can’t just play like regular kids,” she asked rhetorically. “It’s segregating everybody. We’re here, hoping and
praying, that people will start waking up and understanding that kids should be able to play with other kids… If you want to get the vaccine, that’s fine, but don’t mandate it, especially if there’s natural immunity going on,” she said. James Fiala is a registered nurse and when asked if he trusts the COVID-19 vaccines, he said, “absolutely not.” “I believe that we should have a right to choose (inoculation) and not have it forced on us,” he said. Fiala said that people, “should be extremely worried,” about the vaccines. After all, he works in the health care field and refuses to take the COVID-19 vaccine himself. “People say that COVID is a terrible, scary thing but the virus has killed no more people than the flu,” he explained. Fiala added natural immunity might be more effective. “We think the law is on our side,” Pearson said. “The California Legislature is very clear about which department they want to be implementing these kinds of rules. “It’s a matter of the judge listening and reading the law and applying it. I understand he’s under a tremendous amount of pressure, I know there are big forces in opposition to this like unions, organizations and government agencies that want to get kids vaccinated. We just have to hope that he sides with the law and with these children. We’re protecting these kids, that’s our goal today.”
Gianna Urrutia protesting against the LAUSD vaccine mandates. Photo by Chris Mortenson
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Covered California will help PHOTO PAGE
Boyle Heights Christmas Parade Photos by Chris Mortenson oyle Heights celebrated Christmas early with its holiday parade on Dec. 5. Celebrity participants included ABC7 reporter Eric Resendiz, actor Carlos Ayala and Spanish radio personality Humberto Luna. Entertainers were aplenty with Aztec dancers, mariachis and folklórico groups performing along the route.
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The “Welcome to Boyle Heights Christmas Parade” opening banner.
Members of the Mexican Moderno Dance Academy perform for spectators.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez at the Boyle Heights Christmas Parade.
Low riders make their way toward Mariachi Plaza.
LA City Councilman Kevin de Leon waves to those watching the Boyle Heights Christmas Parade.
Aztec dancers during the Boyle Heights Christmas Parade.
Members of the Roosevelt High School Marching Band perform.
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Come Up Markets at Plaza at FIGat7th Photos by Chris Mortenson ome Up Markets hosted an outdoor, holiday market at the Plaza at FIGat7th on Dec. 4. A marketplace for Black brands, creatives and entrepreneurs, Come Up Markets is a diverse shopping experience for fashion enthusiasts, sneakerheads, vintage shoppers, art collectors, vinyl aficionados, innovators and conscious consumers. Guests shopped, danced, ate and connected at the Ferriss Mason-presented event.
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Items from The Melanin Collection were on sale at the FIGat7th holiday market.
Business owner Jason Smith shows off his Champagne Champions brand.
The sun peeks out while shoppers gather at the Holiday Market on FIGat7th.
Ericka Franklin checks out custom jewelry from JIV designs.
Grammy Award-winning singer/business owner Cocoa Sarai dons clothing from Strange Fame.
Jazzmyne Bogard, Johanna Key and Dhaujee Rose are part of the Honey Kids Club.
Derreck Cobb, owner of A Man Who Sews, specializes in handmade leather goods.
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Covered California will help BUSINESS Jonathan Lopez enters academy as scholarship recipient By LA Downtown News Staff onathan Lopez of Downtown LA has joined the ULI/REAP Virtual Academy, a nationwide initiative in diversity and inclusion in commercial real estate, as a fellow and an Eric S. Yarbro Scholarship recipient. Scholarships are granted to a highly select group of candidates who demonstrate outstanding promise and ability. Lopez is an aspiring commercial real estate specialist and analyst. He interned at various sites throughout California, including Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, Long Beach and Culver City and remotely in Washington, D.C. He interned at Skanska in commercial development where he identified and analyzed multifamily pathways. Lopez shared his observations via a white paper and underwrote a mock potential acquisition proposal for a mixed-use project. As a corporate development intern for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), he managed its relationship with various corporate donors for a fundraiser and informed them of recent legislation and policy issues for which the organization was advocating. Lopez earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California Riverside. Joining ULI/REAP, he hoped to gain more exposure to various roles in development and its neighboring fields. “The program has already met many of the expectations that I had by getting to attend webinars with brokers, developers and professionals with roles involving sustainability,” Lopez said. “Getting to learn about retail, studio and multifamily development has been insightful in learning about the various career opportunities available.” The ULI/REAP Virtual Academy in commercial real estate launched its third nationwide program since its inauguration in the fall of 2020 with a kickoff event on Oct. 18 attended by 105 fellows from the United States and Canada. The ULI/REAP Virtual Academy is a landmark partnership between Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program) and the Urban Land Institute. Classes are live and on-demand and run for eight weeks through Dec. 16. REAP Chair G. Lamont Blackstone noted REAP was formed to overcome “the past embargoes on involvement of minorities in real estate.” Cindy Chance, executive vice president
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Jonathan Lopez of DTLA is an aspiring commercial real estate specialist and analyst. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lopez
of the ULI, applauded REAP’s “powerful network” and reiterated the ULI’s commitment to “shaping the future of the built environment” and “building better communities.” ULI/REAP Academy speakers and instructors include representatives from major national firms including Starbucks, JLL, PGIM (the investment management arm of Prudential) and Walker & Dunlop. Several are REAP alumni. As a result of donations from Robert Freedman, Real Estate Board of NY, the Adolph & Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation and multiple sources, Project REAP created the Eric S. Yarbro scholarship fund. That funding pool has supported REAP fellows and alums in their pursuit of educational opportunities to advance their commercial real estate careers. The Eric S. Yarbro Memorial Scholarship Fund is awarded to Project REAP candidates and alums in honor of the life and legacy of Eric Yarbro, a member of REAP’s board of directors. As a successful commercial real estate broker at two major international real estate services firms, Yarbro served corporate clients in the office and retail real estate sectors. Scholarships are awarded to fellows in the ULI/REAP Academy and alumni to assist them with educational offerings for their professional development. The awards go to qualified academy candidates including graduating seniors, college graduates with a demonstrated interest in commercial real estate and those dedicated to making an impact in the industry.
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Unrivaled Brands is celebrating the grand opening of a new dispensary in DTLA on Saturday, Dec. 18.
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People’s OC is coming to DTLA By LA Downtown News Staff nrivaled Brands will celebrate the grand opening of its new dispensary, People’s DTLA, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. The OC-based brand will celebrate with local artists, brands and food and beverage vendors, including live art and customization by female muralist Mr. B Baby, tacos and drinks from The Taco Cartel, D.R.E.A.M. Donut Truck, custom latte art from Coffee Dose, nail art by Planty of Nails, custom laser etching with cannabis etching, screen printing, gift wrap station and terp bar. People’s DTLA will support diverse and minority-owned businesses and brands while giving back to philanthropic partners Chrysalis and Downtown Women’s Center. Both organizations are guiding and empowering through jobs for homeless women. The company has promised 5% of proceeds from launch day — and other events — to them. The Downtown location is the company’s second People’s-affiliated and fifth overall dispensary in California. A People’s Riverside location is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2022, and licenses are pending for two additional southern California locations. “We are pleased to announce the grand opening of People’s DTLA ahead of sched-
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ule,” said Cassandra Ochoa, Unrivaled Brands vice president of business development. “Getting DTLA opened ahead of schedule is a testament to the expertise and coherence of the Unrivaled Team, as we work toward a common goal of curating comfortable and inviting experiences for consumers. As one of the most visited dispensaries in California, People’s has become a trusted staple in the Orange County community, and we are pleased to provide that same unique hospitality and modern experience in Downtown Los Angeles.” Unrivaled Brands is a multistate vertically integrated company focused on the cannabis sector in California and Oregon. In California, Unrivaled Brands operates five dispensaries, a statewide distribution network and two cultivation facilities, as well as one additional cultivation facilities and four dispensaries under development. In Oregon, there is a statewide distribution network. Unrivaled Brands is home to Korova, whose high-potency products are available in California, Oregon, Arizona and Oklahoma, as well as Sticks and Cabana. Unrivaled Brands’ People’s Downtown location is at 1149 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles. For more information, visit unrivaledbrands.com/retail/.
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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help
Lady Blackbird celebrates stunning album ‘Black Acid Soul’ By Bliss Bowen LA Downtown News Contributing Writer his year has been rich in music that’s emerged from the pandemic to offer catharsis and healing, from the likes of Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra, Allison Russell, Arlo Parks, Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, the War on Drugs, Yasmin Williams, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Mdou Moctar, Adia Victoria, Shungudzo and Weather Station. Amid that estimable company, West Hollywood-based artist Lady Blackbird (ladyblackbird.com) stands tall with her elegant debut album, “Black Acid Soul.” “It almost felt like going back home,” she recalled while discussing the album the morning after a sit-down interview and brief performance at the Grammy Museum. “I just wanted to make a classic, timeless piece the best way I could. But there were no rules. We were open to anything. It’s a feeling, at the end of the day, you know? It’s a vibe.” Laughing while describing how producer/arranger/guitarist Chris Seefried started hashtagging “#blackacidsoul” to convey the fusion they were creating in the studio, she said, “It’s our own little subgenre.” Resisting definition — jazz and psychedelic soul are equally applicable — “Black Acid Soul” represents a departure from previous rock, R&B and gospel projects the vocalist has done under her own name, Marley Munroe. Aside from a few originals she composed with Seefried, “Black Acid Soul” is a stunning showcase for her creative interpretations of tunes by the likes of Reuben Bell, Sam Cooke, the James Gang, Nina Simone and Irma Thomas. Munroe says she tried performing Simone’s daunting “Blackbird” at a gig years ago and “it just didn’t sit where I knew it could sit, you know? It’s such a moment, that song, and it was too deep for that moment.” But “Blackbird” was the first song that leaped to mind when Seefried approached her about a collaboration that would go back to basics with a very stripped-down sound built around the textures and quicksilver dynamics of her contralto, so they made a quick vocal demo that “started the story,” as she puts it, of what became “Black Acid Soul.” “Unlike the other songs on the recording, when we went in live and played all together, for ‘Blackbird’ we used the demo vocal recording and they played
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Lady Blackbird celebrates the stunning album “Black Acid Soul” at Zebulon on Tuesday, Dec. 14. Photo by Tony Duran
around me, which was not the easiest thing in the world to do because that song is very free. There is no beat,” Munroe said with a husky laugh. “You come in when you want to come in. The whole process of how this album was, all the way down to recording live like that, was new for me. It was real. I
loved every part of it. … “When Chris sat me down to talk about pulling everything back, I was trying to be a rock star (laughs). I didn’t realize that stripping everything away — maybe I didn’t think I could do it. Because I love and appreciate all styles and genres of music and all sorts of artists. I have
sung it all, from soul to gospel to blues to R&B to rock, and I’ve enjoyed singing it all. I’ve pulled from all of those genres to create what I have for myself.” According to Munroe, it was while playing back “Blackbird” in the studio that someone said something about “the lady” and Seefried responded with “Lady
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Marley Munroe created her own “subgenre” for the “Black Acid Soul” album, which is unlike her previous works in jazz, rock, R&B and gospel. Submitted photo
Blackbird.” Munroe embraced the name as “another very natural, organic thing that happened” during the recording process. “I’m glad it did because it did separate (projects), and this felt like such a rebirt,” she said. “Black Acid Soul” doesn’t unveil a personal narrative like, say, Russell’s “Outside Child,” but it too reaches moments of transcendence achieved after a lengthy journey. The intimate exchanges between Munroe, Seefried, Miles Davis pianist Deron Johnson, bassist Jonathan Flaugher and drummer Jimmy Paxson resonate powerfully in a time of reckoning and reflection when people are craving connection — perhaps most notably during the sublimely meditative “Fix It,” written by Munroe and Seefried to the melody of late jazz great Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece,” and a ravishing take on Tim Hardin’s “It Will Never Happen Again” that almost didn’t happen. “It wasn’t really striking me at the beginning. I thought, ‘I don’t know what I would do with this.’ Chris really pushed that and said, ‘Listen a little harder.’ I did, and let me tell you, that’s one of my favorites to perform,” Munroe recounted. “It’s funny how things change when you listen a little deeper.” BBC DJ Gilles Peterson has crowned her as “the Grace Jones of jazz,” a deserved accolade widely quoted but less frequently explored. Munroe grew up singing “at fairs and churches and weddings and funerals” in Farmington, New Mexico. (“Where do you sing in a small
town like that?” she said with a laugh. “There’s nothing there!”) By 12, she was signed to a Christian label out of Nashville. Munroe said nothing became of that on her own, but she did get to sing with TobyMac, a member of DC Talk. Later on, she was signed briefly to Epic Records and basically had an album complete and released a single, ‘Boomerang,’” but the label made a “massive cut” to its artist roster before that album could be released. Now, with the birth and release of “Black Acid Soul,” she feels like she can “finally exhale.” Munroe and Seefried followed a recent sit-down interview at the Grammy Museum with a six-song performance with the full band; Dec. 14, they’ll give “pretty much a live presentation” of “Black Acid Soul” at Zebulon in Silver Lake. “As many let-downs and work and many years that I’ve been doing this and it not quite coming to fruition all the way,” she said, “for me, it was all worth this moment and how lovely it has all come together.”
Lady Blackbird with a full band WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14 WHERE: Zebulon, 2478 Fletcher Drive, Silver Lake COST: $30.75 INFO: 323-663-6927, zebulon.la
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DECEMBER 13, 2021