The most recent SOUP Kitchen show, SOUP Kitchen 7
at the Neon Venus Theatre was one of the most successful yet, featuring a wide variety of genres,
from garage punk to Americana to folk to lo-fi drum and bass to
post-modern indie. Bands featured were Brooke Trout and the Anchormen,
Stoned Koalas, Push to Transmit, The Big Bad, Totally Serious, Bumtech,
and Shakey Graves, pictured here. Artists featured were Jeff Klarin,
Rebecca Johnson,Liz Brizzi, and Trisha Hanudel. Filmmaker Thad
Jaworsky featured his films Snowman, The Polack and the Jew, and the
Toaster, which were all huge crowd pleasers. The whole shindig took
place at the Neon Venus Theatre, a new theatre venue that opened up
just fairly recently on Melrose and La Brea.
Brooke Trout and the Anchormen went on first, playing their style of
good ol’ Americana, a little bit country and a little bit rock n’ roll.
Totally Serious brought, I mean really BROUGHT IT with a bass and a
drum set. This two-piece band spanned the genres from metal to punk to
funk to indie and entranced the audience with their complex simplicity.
Stoned Koalas, SOUP Kitchen veterans, came with their brand of garage punk, turned it up to 11, and didn’t let up until their last note.
Bumtech gave the crowd a breather with some relaxed indie that just
felt good to listen to. Push to Transmit brought the energy up and
killed it on their hit “Vampire of Emotion” – if you get a chance to
catch these guys, GO! They’re definitely one of the better bands to
come out of LA in a long, long time. Shakey Graves was next, and held
the audience in the palm of his hand the entire time he was on the Neon
Venus stage. Soulful, angsty, twangy, and clever in the lyrics, I have
a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of Shakey in the months to come.
The show closed with SOUP Kitchen vets The Big Bad, who always bring
the house down with their loud bluesy rock.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE, and special thanks to Lisette and Peter!! We had a great time, listened to some great music, checked out some great art & films, and raised some funds for the Neon Venus Theatre Non-Profit to help support their theatre programs.
Keep your eye out for upcoming SOUP Kitchens and catch the best bands in LA!
The long-awaited SOUP Kitchen 7 is finally here - Saturday, Jan. 23, 7pm - 12am at the Neon Venus Theater at 7023 Melrose Ave @ La Brea! That's right, kids, we're at it again! This SOUP Kitchen features 7 bands, 4 artists, and 1 filmmaker, and promises to be awesome, naturally. We've got:
The Big Bad (rockin' blues with a badass frontman holding it down) Push To Transmit (sonic indie darlings of LA's East Side) Brooke Trout (female-fronted down-home bluesy rock) Stoned Koalas (chill to frantic lo-fi garage jams) Totally Serious (punk/funk/metal groove drum and bass) Bumtech (female-fronted indie - reminiscent of the cold days of the Northeast) Shakey Graves (porch-sitting heartwarming bluegrass jams)
And films all night long by the one and only Thad Jaworsky!
We've got a $3 donation at the door, all proceeds go to support the operations of the Neon Venus Theater. There's nothing but good stuff here, so we can't wait to see you all there!
Here
at Soup Kitchen we're always looking for the best info to share with our soupers
(that would be you), and we welcome any good stories you have that promote art, and are awesome! Below
is Euegene Lee’s Best of Music for 2009. The work is DONE people! Thanks Eugene. Soupers, Enjoy! 2009 was a good
year for music.
Usually when it comes to making these "Best of's..." the process like
most mix CD's are waaaaay to OCD, way to self indulgently agonizing. I tried this
year to just keep a running list on my iTunes starting January (or as I
remember it, the month Animal Collective came out with Merriweather
Postpavillion) and drag 'n drop as the months tick by, the songs I thought were
new, provocative, inventive, clear singles, and clearly awesome. If I had an
argument with religious zealous in defense of, if I crushed on someone because
they liked, if there was a song I annoyingly hummed while cleaning or pooping
or making a "Best of mix", if EVER there were a song a declare in
bold hyperbolic language (ie... "This shit is the best thing you'll ever
hear (pant pant) it's the best....do you know your mom's f***in' amazing...
what was that... meatloaf? The one with the gravy with the bits of... YEAH!
YEah, that's it... well, THIS SONG is even better than that! IF YOU DON'T
LISTEN TO IT YOU'LL PROBABLY GO TO HELL!), then said song would inevitably make
the running list.
Problem is, what usually ends up happening is towards the end of the year when
I close the ivy and start making the mix, there are of course, too many songs.
Each one is unique and "great" in their own right... or they are just
songs that I LIKE but are probably awful or bland to ears of others. I'd then
have to debate quality base on... ahhh this is getting boring... BASICALLY, I
made 2 lists: Side A and Side B.
Side A's represent the clear as day singles and good-ass-songs of 2009. They
might have made everyone else "Best of..." list, but they are such
that can't be denied, certainly not by this pilgrims list. Side B are songs
that are not any less "great" in quality, and like many Side B's, are
deeper cuts that touch upon the musical power that resides in the ether and the
dark. Or they are songs by Side A bands that are just as good but more potent in
the company of non-single-y sounding tracks. Side B. They are both 17 songs
long, each can JUST fit on a rewritable CD (remember those!) and 17 is a prime
number, these are prime tunes.
1. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero (Released on March 10, 2009)
2. Animal Collective - My Girls (January 6, 2009)
3. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (February 24, 2009)
4. The Dirty Projectors - Stillness in the Move (June 9, 2009)
5. The xx - Basic Space (August 17, 2009)
6. Asobi Seksu - Familiar Light (February 17, 2009)
7. The Big Pink - Velvet (September 22, 2009)
8. Camera Obscura - French Navy (April 20, 2009)
9. Wilco - One Wing (June 30, 2009)
10. Built to Spill - Hindsight (August 11, 2009)
11. The Dodos - Fables (September 15, 2009)
12. Them Crooked Vultures - Scumbag Blues (November 17, 2009)
13. Mew - Beach (August 25, 2009)
14. Atlas Sound - Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox) (October 20, 2009)
15. The Cribs - Emasculate Me (September 7, 2009)
16. Bat for Lashes - Daniel (April 7, 2009)
17. Yo La Tengo - And the Glitter is Gone (September 8, 2009)
***Note: I apologize for the exclusion of "You and I" by Jeff Tweedy
and Feist... but I recommend heading to a Starbucks or an Old Navy, I'm sure
they are playing it there! :)
Side B:
1. Grizzly Bear - Southern Point
2. Bat for Lashes - Sleep Alone
3. Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
4. Them Crooked Vultures - Elephants
5. Sonic Youth - What We Know (Released on June 9, 2009)
6. Sugar Army - Building Castles (July 10, 2009)
7. The xx - Heart Skipped a Beat
8. The Big Pink - Dominos
9. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
10. The Raveonettes - Boys Who Rape(Should All Be Destroyed) (October 6, 2009)
11. Health - We Are Water (May 21, 2009)
12. Atlas Sound - Quick
Canal (w/ Laetitia
Sadier)
13. Wilco - Bull Black Nova
14. The Dodos - Two Medicines
15. Modest Mouse - Guilty Cocker Spaniels (August 4, 2009)
16. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Gentle Sons (February 3, 2009)
17. Doves - Jetstream (April 7, 2009)
--Eugene lives in the cozy nook of Los Feliz, CA
working as an actor with contributions in film, television (locally and
abroad), voice over (animated series), national commercials, and has recently
completed Season 1 of the Pan Asian Talent Showcase: Sutasi (www.sutasi.com). He is
currently producing his first short and has previously created the “book
trailer” for the eco-thriller “Save the Whales Please.” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNRGMmcvkmE)
He was also DJ for the “Fiercely Independend College Radio Station: KSDT.org”
(UCSD) for 2 years.
While
his musings on music and such are scattered throughout notebooks, magazines,
and social networking sites, Eugene
will be launching his new music blog portal “RECord/reCORD” on his website: (www.eugeneclee.com).
Consistently, he believes “track 4’s” on albums are the best.
So, I went to the No Doubt concert a few weeks ago- YEY! I couldn’t believe I had better seats than Jimmy Iovine and Timbaland- thanks to someone special:) Anywhoooo I found the video of the guest performance with Shirley Manson. I love them both. I almost peed on my choners when I saw Shirley come out- she’s still bad-ass!
Can’t wait to tell you where the next Soup Kitchen will be…it’s going to be awesome!
FIRST - Super thanks to everyone who made SK6 the huge success that it was - our best one yet!! Those who've been with us from the beginning can certainly attest that we've come a long way from the backyard in Glendale!
Special thanks to: The Undead M, For Blocks, Evita Freaks, Push to Transmit, Reidar Doan, Coco O'Connor, What's Their Name?, Laura Lichter, Star Foreman, Rocio Moran, Sebastian Zelepin, Will Koffman, Eric October, Steve Seleska, Hestin Lostwood, Mitchell Stein, and Dreams by Machine.
Super Special thanks to: Ave 50 Studios, and Juanita's for being so so awesome.
Super, super thanks to our SOUPers! SK6 would not have been so rockin' if not for all the people who came out to show some love. We heart you guys!
Now that everyone's been duly thanked - HOW THE HELL WAS IT?
I got there at 1pm. Lord knows why. I spent the next couple hours with our bucket player eating a leisurely Juanita's lunch, playing on the internet, and watching soccer. Sujelia showed up and it dawned on us - we need a banner for behind the bands! We need flyers!
And we were off! Like ninjas, we were back by 5pm, with our spankin' new banner hung and our Darth Sauce flyers distributed to the tables. The house jazz band played for a while, and we let them. Naturally, no one shows up right at 5pm, and we were getting a bit nervous when it was relatively empty at 6pm. We let the jazz band play until about 6:45pm, and we finally got the party started around 7pm. Hell, our set was only 10 min. long, so no harm no foul...as long as the remaining 7 bands show up exactly on time. Like clockwork....
We set the bar pretty low - no time to practice when there's a SOUP Kitchen to throw! Push to Transmit were up next, and lord how they rocked. They brought their families - replete with youngun's! I still love "Vampires of Emotion". If you get a chance to see them, GO!!! It's like listening to what should be on the radio, but live!
Next up was Coco O'Connor. Such a beautiful voice. The type you want to hear in a smoky lounge with lots of dim lighting and people getting close in the corners. Portisheady is another way to describe it. Check them out! Coco O'Connor myspace
Then The Undead M took the stage and pretty much owned the place. They were loud, rock, and banged out song after song of nothing but punk. And that girl has some pipes on her! She is one hell of a singer for sure. This is one band you don't want to miss!The Undead M myspace
For Blocks, our first hip-hop group was next. They were nothing less than impressive on their myspace, and they rocked it onstage. They were missing their female singer, so they couldn't do some of their songs, but these guys were tight. Worth a trip to Pomona to see them! Check out "Beer"For Blocks myspace
Because our fashion show cancelled at the last minute, Erin Brown saved the day. A comedienne with some new material to try out was confirmed for the show literally hours before. She was funny, for sure, and she graciously gave us some tips for making the comedy portion better for next time. We'll definitely be doing more comedy in the future. Thanks so much Erin!!
Resident SK band, What's Their Name? was up next. It's always a show with Thad and Mag, and even their friends are never quite sure what to expect. They threw broccoli, they missed Nightman and his sexy hands, and they also had some new material. Always a hit, they came with a booming energy and didn't let up until their final Birthday Dirge. What's Their Name? myspace
Next up was Evita Freaks. Evita has one hell of a voice! Such a powerful voice! She belted her way through the Evita Freaks' bouncy, happy and angry (all at once!) set list. They will get stuck in your head!Evita Freaks myspace
Last was Reidar Doan. What perfect music to wind down the long blowout of a SOUP Kitchen. Mellow and soothing acoustic guitar, and such a goddamn nice voice, it was impossible not to get swept up in the soundscape. Reidar Doan myspace
All in all, it was a smashing success. Again, thanks to everyone who made it happen! See you at the next SK!
Hello my love
It's getting cold on this island
I'm sad alone
I'm so sad on my own
The truth is
We were much too young
Now I'm looking for you
Or anyone like you….
P.S. Don’t forget to go to Soup Kitchen Tomorrow @Juanita’s!
I'm so excited about this weekend! It will finally be time for another Soup Kitchen. This time it's going to be at Juanita's- it's a pretty cool space I know all of you will like. Another thing I like about this soup kitchen is that we will have a lot of girl power (kill bill style!). In the art arena there is Laura and Rocio. Naira will be putting on a great fashion show at the start of the evening. She'll be bringing her entourage of 25 models, make-up and hair people. I'm sure her fashion show will be one to be remembered.Hollywood Kill has Karen on vocals. Push to Transmit has Elena on drums (drums are not just for boys anymore). Coco O' Connor will also perform- she's a multi-instrumentalist y sometimes DJ. The Undead M has Melissa on vocals for the very punk rock band, and Evita Freaks has por supuesto Evita.
OOOOkay, the boys will be awesome too, but maybe because I'm a girl i want to say that whatever they can do we can do better...;)
