Guerrilla Nights

Remember this video???  Neither do I.  Well, sort of.  Being 10 yrs old at the time.  Vaguely.  Like most things at that age.  Tony Rich’s debut LP is still very sexy.  Recommend if you and your lover have a sensual evening alone together.  Imagine candlelight, chocolate, rose petals,  bubbles, and this record blasting from the speakers.  Of what I refer to it:  taking them wayyy back, back into time.  One of my co-workers in the cubicle area was freaking out that I knew all the lyrics to R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” yesterday.  Most, classic, R. Kelly tracks are still written on my brain.  I can thank my old friend Matt for that wonderful talent.  Busting out some random lyrics at a moment’s notice.  Wonder what he’s up to now.  Thinking back is like finding your yearbook under a pile of clothes in your room.  Get sweep up in nostalgia.

Anyway.  As you can imagine, rolling on four hours of blissful slumber after our impromptu-Picksysticks-sponsored Troubadour showcase featuring The Joy Formidable.  I didn’t know what was louder?  The band, speaker volume, or the crowd.  The ‘Joy’ was electric and Picksysticks couldn’t have been happier.  He went all Guerrilla and brought his high powered Canon into the battleground.  And we were close.  Fucking close.  My Canon S100 had a field day under the strobe– flicking– red white and blue lights.  I wasn’t trying and still getting some of the best pictures of the season. Debating whether I should write it up because I only stayed for half their set.  Went on way later than expected.  The stage setup was quite cool.  They like to jump around.  If I had to do a write up it would be about the killer young/fresh opening act – J. Thoven.

In between work and work, I caught a showing of The Sessions staring Helen Hunt…William H. Macy…and the incredible John Hawkes.  You know it.  Probably seen a trailer and was like, “That looks interesting”.  Run with that feeling, because it was.

The film won’t win best pictures, but Hawkes deserves something for such an amazing performance.  He really embodies what I could imagine Mark was during that time in his life.  Consumed by fear, trepidation  and all those feelings high school kids have before prom because the plot follows a paralyzed man trying to lose his virginity.  It’s a bit more complicated than that.  Even more romantic really, but in it’s simplistic form…it’s another envisioning of 40-year-old virgin like story.  It has heart, throbbing members, and some fan service from Helen Hunt.

In a movie theater first saw it at the very quaint /comfortable NoHo 7 in…well…North Hollywood for anyone reading this from outside of Los Angeles.  Loved the whole theater setup and was shocked I never ventured there before.  The leather seats are what sold me.  It was my first time walking the streets of NoHo in about four or so years.  Last time was when I volunteered at a low budget film festival (Valley Film Festival) at The Portal Theatre in the art district on the edge of the blvd back in 2007/8.  All I could thinking was there wasn’t all these buildings.  Just vacant empty lots.  The district has really boomed in the years that have pasted.  Was really shocked by it all.  Plus, it made me feel old.  (ha!)

Work is rolling in so gotta wrap up my over-thought out words now.  Have a great Tuesday.  MXViDs be poppin’!

Tags: 1995, 2012, animated gif, blues, concert review, J. Thoven, john hawkes, journal, love song, movie review, NoHo, picksysticks, r&b, rant, soul, the joy formidable, the sessions, the tony rich project, william H. macy