Login HereDown by the LA river, in the grimy, industrial, "Repo Man" part of town, stands a couple of buildings swarming with activity 24/7. Amongst the lonely warehouses and wandering homeless people, ladies and gentlemen I bring you Downtown Rehearsal, two hundred and twenty rooms of band "lock-outs".
You see, at first a band will rent a rehearsal space by the hour, usually a three hour minimum. The drag about this is that you have to lug your gear in and out after every rehearsal. But once a band gets a bit more serious (or can afford it) they move on up to a highly coveted "lock-out". This means that the space is now yours, you pay monthly. It's a total luxury to be able to leave your gear set up.
Every city has its own buildings of "lock-outs". The infamous and very sketchy Music Building in Midtown Manhattan was amazing. My friends The Lunachicks rehearsed there in a room with Freaks who were "willed" the room from The Fuzztones, who got the room from Madonna.
At Downtown Rehearsal, the creaky freight elevator ascends, covered in band stickers, floor after floor, and one hears a different cacophonous blend of out of tune -caterwauling dark wave, uneventful roadhouse blues, salsa extravaganzas, ho-hum punk rock bands, and (my favorite) grind-core with Cookie Monster vocalizing.
A total microcosm of the music industry and radio, some of it is god awful in my opinion. But because everyone can hear what their neighbors are up to, I'm sure there are bands listening to mine thinking "who is that? God, that is awful!"
In the usually dirty bathrooms, the toilet paper is on a locked rod so no one will steal it and the light bulbs sometimes end up missing too,. I've been in much swanker joints, but I still find this place somewhat glamorous and exciting. People are creating, bad as it may be, they're working on it.
For some bands who are determined to "make-it", this place is a Field Of Dreams, for others, they've just got to have their fix of turning it up loud and kicking out the jams. And the beat goes on.........
I'd love to hear The Spin You're In in the comments section
The Spin iMix In: And The Beat Goes On |
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The Spin I'm In: And The Beat Goes On |
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Spotlight
Donita:
Sister Hazel’s new release, “Absolutely” came out this week. I know they might be a tad bit mild for your taste *g*, bu have you heard it yet?
fitz! Donita!
Oh… Leisure Guy!
:-)
Wow, that place sounds amazing and it gives me a great idea…..
You should have open house concerts there. Pick a weekend once or twice a year and invite the public to come wonder around and meet and listen to the bands.
It would be a musical version of the Brewery Open House where the artists open up their studios to the public.
I haven’t see the place, but it just might work. Maybe you could even have a ground level space that could be an ongoing venue for tenants.
Or maybe I just miss Al’s Bar too much.
Donita! STONES!
I’d like to ask everybody to keep FDL commenter and the man who wrote the “Have You Had Enough?” song Tommy Yum in your thoughts and prayers during a difficult time right now. His three year old son Esten has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs our support. We’re all thinking about you Tommy and I hope everything turns out ok for you and your family.
I’ve been listening to some mixes my son got from some website. Someone mixed some Queen with Fifty Cent. Not all that bad, really.
But my kick this week has been Joe Cocker. I love that voice and really love his backup singers.
Lunachicks!
What is the Stones video from?
Is there more of it?
al’s bar! i played there once with the piss drunks on a tuesday night to 4 people.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 3
God, I miss Al’s Bar too. If you miss that part of town though, I’m playing a new hangout called The Blue Star on 15th St. Dowtown on Sat night. you can go to donitasparks.com for more info.
Dr. Bong @ 0
I haven’t heard them. Nothing is too mellow for me if it’s good.
Can you send me a link?
Wow that Stones YouTube is absolutely mesmerizing.
Wish I was in Los Angeles, Donita, I’d go to the show.
Any LA FDLers thinking of getting together and going? I’ll be there in spirit.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 9
the Stones clip is from the film “Sympathy For The Devil” by Jean-Luc
Godard. Very compelling film if you enjoy watching “the process”
is that from that godard movie?
best wishes for Tommy Yum and son
Donita
great playlist this week. I forgot all about Tender by Blur! thanks and I hope to see you at the Viper Room show
Fascinating, Donita. I always wondered where the pros practiced, what it looked like, sounded like, etc. Being from Washington, D.C., I can’t even imagine floor after floor of musicians jamming… creating.
(As I write from a grey-carpeted office building, with floor after floor of copiers and staplers jamming.)
hi donita!
what a great way to start my friday–watching the stones working!! inspirational!
i’ll be at your show! can’t wait!
haven’t got the new Beck disk yet, but the few songs I’ve heard indicate it will need to grow on me. that’s OK: my initial reaction to the preceeding album “Guero” was somewhat ho-hum, only to have it become a favorite after multiple listenings.
Jenn @ 18
Wellll, they’re definitely not all pros. Some can just afford the room.
Some fairly sketchy characters as well.
I feel for you in that grey carpet. My room has grey carpet too, yours just probably comes with health insurance
Most interesting news of the day- Foley bitchin to Jeb Bush about the White House snubbing him- and the news that Rove co-erced Foley to run again this year.
Startin to look as if the White House knew what Foley was up to and didn’t want Clusterfuck seen with him- but they wanted his seat and Rover threatened him if he didn’t run again.
Wouldn’t it be great to have this whole thing blow up right in Clusterfuck’s lap?
Apparently during a Florida hurricane trip into Foley’s district- Clusterfuck refused to be seen with Foley leading to the Foley bellyaching. This (stiffing a gooper congresscritter) is NOT DONE- so Clusterfuck had good political reasons for stayin away from Foley- he knew!
Hey,
Great clip! Al’s bar, sigh, played many a show there.
Kevin
punaise @ 20
New Beck albums are the musical equivalent of Saturday Night Live casts. When they first debut you immediately say its not as good as the last one, but then after repeated listening you decide its at least as good as the last. Eventually you decide its inconceivable how you could have doubted the genius behind it.
I hear you on the lock-outs. When I lived in New Haven, we practiced in the tope three stories of what had once been a mutli-level department store. Fun times.
As for the spin I’m in, that spin doesn’t come to Philadelphia until early november:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TNEcBfAf7QA
American Hardcore: they made a documentary about my teenaged years, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 24
nicely put!
unfortunately my CD collection is peppered with several albums that never made it past the first couple of listenings. for shame, for shame…
God, is there anything worse than being in a practice space and not being able to hear your own band because the 80’s cover band next door is playing “Pass the Dutchie” at ear-splitting volume?
I think not.
Hey FirePups - wanted to say THANKS! to whomever linked the YouTube in Late Night of uke player extraordinaire, Jake Shimabukuro.
Wonderful stuff.
And completely OT, but this pisses me off: Article in Forbes –
Fear Will Fade by Kenneth L. Fisher
Don’t worry about Congress. The average return for the third year of a presidential term is 20%
Uh. Yeah. I saw this after having lunch with the spouse at the local family sports bar, where all the redstaters hang, wall-to-wall televisions, covering sports, sports, and more sports. This time they didn’t even have CNBC on one of the tubes, like they usually do. I was disgusted; they were playing the hell out of the Lidle-plane crash story, too. My spouse points it out on the largest 8′ x 10′ screen; don’t they know who was flying the plane yet, he asked?
Cripes, in the scheme of things, this is peanuts, I told him. I’m sorry for his family, but there are little planes like this crashing every week and they don’t make the sports bar. And with all the other HUGE stories going on in the world right now, this is nothing but airwave-filler.
One dead Yankee and he gets more airtime than all the last 1000 dead troops got, combined.
Hey Donita…
Can I go to Downtown Rehearsal and just wander around and take photos? Would I need someone grant me access? Would the bands mind?
It would not be for commercial purposes. I do digital artwork based on my photos. It sounds like an interesting place to do a series on.
Donita @ 21
I find that working a very dull job for the gov’t, surrounded in grey, makes me crave insurance like nothing else, just because it’s offered to me at a discount. I’ve wrapped myself up into an insurance bubble!
I have: health, dental, vison, short-term disability, long-term disability, life… plus, on my own I have auto, liability, renters, and pet insurance for my Siamese cat, Tiki.
It’s sad.
But I get to make music on my laptop in my free time at work!!! So in a way, my boring office job is giving me time and room to create! :) Some days I literally get paid by the gov’t to write music. Unbelievable. So I’ll stop whining.
***
Have a good show!
Donita Sparks @ 11
Sister Hazel
…what’s yer email and I’ll drop you a sample or two.
:-)
BLEAH!! I’m stuck in my office bored as hell and it’s a gorgeous day outside.
Sigh.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 24
TRex @ 27
There’s a band nearby our room that is doing a really lousy Social Distorion knock-off. Loaded with soccer crowd backing vocals.
TRex @
31
No online shopping or I whip out the tazer.
Jane Hamsher @ 33
“excuse me while I whip this out…”
No online shopping or I whip out the tazer.
You’re, like, the only girl I know with a car-charger for her tazer, Jane. You like that thing entirely too much.
What else is gonna take down a dinosaur? Didn’t you see Jurassic Park?
TRex @ 27
Yes there is. I will see your 80s cover band version of “Pass the Dutchie” and raise you a lounge act drowning out your band’s rehearsal with an off key Neil Diamond medley with a Spanish speaking accent.
True story.
The treatment of musicians in the Los Angeles music industry hasn’t changed in over forty years. Whether it’s a record company, rehearsal hall rental or a club owner, they all treat the not yet popular artist as the bottom of the pond. Many are still offered gigs to perform at top clubs for half of the door andthealleged promise that music producers will be there….don’t you know. Since the gig is on a week night with no advertising, the door usually consists of the band’s friends and family. This is how it was in the ’60’s and this is how it is now. The career of a musician is one of the most difficult and under appreciated one can choose.
Esweet Caroline…
Twisted Martini @ 39
Indeed. They com into hAmerica…TWO DAY!
There was a fire two weeks ago in Oakland that gutted a warehouse and spread to engulf a neighboring rehearsal space/recording studio. The musicians heard about the overnight fire, and began showing up in the early morning, watching to see what, if anything, could be salvaged. From some of the radio interviews (before anyone could get inside), it didn’t sound promising. It looked more like they were going to end up paying quite a price for their coveted lock-out.
They may be able to recover some financial damages from the warehouse folks, as the fire started there, but that won’t help bring back the great instruments that the musicians had grown deeply attached to. They’ll get new ones, I hope, but the old ones with all their memories are gone.
I remember visiting a friend in LA in the mid 80s (?) - he suggested that we check out this up and coming new group playing locally, but we didn’t go. Red Hot Chili Peppers.
I spent way more time in those dens of iniquity then was healthy for an upstanding citizen attempting to avoid a sordid past…and that was just SIR.
;>)
Brand X - Cambodia
Material - Silent Land
Jeff Beck w/ Imogen Heap - Rollin’ and Tumblin’
P.I.L. - Rise
One for the Yums: Steel Pulse - Don’t Give In.
…And one for the neocons: Slayer w/ Ice T - Disorder.
‘Wish you were here’
LunaCHICKSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Didn’t know if you’d seen this, Donita but when Christy used it the other day I knew I had to save it for you:
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Great Video, Donita. - Places like this are keeping the dream alive for all kinds of bands - I would KILL to hear you guys rehearse through the door to your room. Bet most people are blown away by that awesome sound!
Sympathy for the devil…………….sympathy for anyone who has to rehearse next to a shit band. It would be an honor to rehearse next to Donita Sparks.
Sid
darkblack @
44
Unorthodox Behaviour! (with Phil Collins - yes, that one - on drums)
Peterr @ 41
I hate to hear about things like this. I know when my brother’s guitars were stolen after a gig he was devastated and depressed for a couple of weeks despite having insurance cover his losses and getting new axes.
One of the sub tragedies of the Hurricane Katrina disaster was the damage done to the musicians of New Orleans. They are still collecting instruments to replace the ones lost by the musicians there. The Tiptina’s Foundation is doing great work to help musicians replace lost instruments and recover from the disaster.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 29
Yeah, I’ve actually been doing some video down there with a friend of mine for a documentary. Not easy to get into because of security, lots of junkie thieves you know.
In college I lived next to a guy who tried and failed to play bass. He was a big Rush fan, but all I could hear was his off beat, off key bass pounding through the walls. Geddy Lee he wasn’t!
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 41
Estop it!
Peterr @ 42
Wow, that’s a bummer. I didn’t hear about that
kristinejoy @ 50
Beats a grunge Polka band…
punaise @
48
And what a drummer in that setting! If only he hadn’t succumbed to the pop succubus…But a lad needed to get paid, I suppose.
Speaking of drummers…Stewart Copeland’s new Police movie, quality time travel in a handy package.
;>)
Twisted Martini @ 54
Beats a grunge Polka band…
One of my more eccentric musician friends has been bugging me to play keys in a concept act. He’s calling it Polka-core. I wonder if this is the same people? Are your guys in Indiana?
punaise @ 43
Sometime in the 1970’s I went to a Auto Show in Long Beach. Off in one corner was a stage and a Battle of the Bands going on. There were about 50 metal folding chairs and only about half a dozen people sitting in them at any given time. One of the bands was particularly horribe. REO Speedwagon
darkblack @ 54
Phil Collins downfall was getting in front of a mic (other than backing vocals) - so I guess we can blame that on Peter Gabriel. PC did some excellent drum work on the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album.
thanks for the Copeland heads up.
Jacqrat @ 45
Thanks for saving that for me. Great song, great clip, great hair
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 54
One of my more eccentric musician friends has been bugging me to play keys in a concept act. He’s calling it Polka-core. I wonder if this is the same people? Are your guys in Indiana?
No, that was completely off the top of my head. How about speed polka? A 1 and a 2…
Twisted Martini @ 59
No, that was completely off the top of my head. How about speed polka? A 1 and a 2…
A lot of current so called “punk rock” sounds like speed polka to me
darkblack at 55 — there’s a new Police movie? Be still my heart… *g*
Donita Sparks @ 59
And that Dress! And the kids “rockin’ out” in the background.
I wish Howie would fwd this to k.d. lang - she’d really appreciate it, and she did a cover.
Ever heard “Sha La La” by Al Green? Real sweet.
But look out: “Mary Woodson snuck into his Memphis split-level and found some grits boiling or boiled them herself while he washed and she came up on him just as he was getting out of the tub and dumped the whole pan on his skinny bones, that slinky S of biceps and pects and stomach later pictured on the “Greatest Hits” album beneath his strange, ugly-beautiful mug, the hangdog eyes and the missing chin and the teenage boy’s beard and the earnest, love-me smile so at odds with the seduction of his bare-chested glory. She scalded it all. Shoulders, back, belly. Burning grits probably dripped down into the crack of his ass. He must have bellowed, raw and deep, no falsetto when your skin is sizzling off of you. Mary Woodson had done what she’d come to Memphis do and so she went into the bedroom and retrieved Al Green’s .38, and tried to shoot herself. She missed twice and got lucky the third time. The police found in her purse a note declaring her intentions and her reasons. “The more I trust you,” she’d written, “the more you let me down.”
Al’s dark side…
I’d love to hear Slayer’s take on the Chicken Dance song, wouldn’t you?
I’ve been in much swanker joints, but I still find this place somewhat glamorous and exciting. People are creating, bad as it may be, they’re working on it.
I’m not a musician, but I can relate. In my profession, if you don’t get a thrill from walking through a factory, watching a building being built, or seeing a computer lab in use you’re just in it for the money or the health insurance. There probably aren’t many other parallels between engineering and music, but if you don’t feel some joy watching it being done, even inexpertly, you’re in the wrong line of work.
Donita,
A friend of mine out your way was just in a lockout a month ago, and he said your description nailed it, right down to the bathrooms. He’s putting together a live art rave that goes off tonight in the OC, and was working with a urban artist who knew a bunch of bands. Rock on!
punaise @ 42
I saw the Red Hots 3rd ever live show (and dozens after that). I was blown away. I loved them for years (until Anthony stopped rapping and started singing).
However, I was invited by a friend to see some English band playing at a local club in L.A. for the first time. I passed. It was Radiohead (aargh).
On the other hand, I also saw an unsigned Georgia band play at Madame Wong’s for a crowd that was me and 6 others. That was REM. They were amazing. They played after the headliners and the crowd just poured out. But they didn’t give a shit. They put on a fantastic show. It was all about the music.
punaise @ 57
No, it was Clinton
;>)
I’m slightly more charitable than yourself, P… I trace Phil’s trail of ignominy to when he decided to pretend he was the Supremes.
:)
Christy Hardin Smith @ 61
Yes indeed, ma’am.
;>)
Okay, back after slogging through sleet and snow to pick up the boy at school…
Talk to me about lock-outs. I got a town full of vacant property and I need to create a think-tank of folks who’ll help me find business models to turn the properties around.
Not being a professional musician, I have no idea what’s essential to a lock-out, what’s a reasonable fee (free won’t work, need to cover taxes and power, yes?)…So? Fill me in. What’s it like elsewhere?
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 12:20p m (#65)
As Spock once observed, sometimes wanting a thing is more satisfying than having it.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 66
aargh, indeed. although (and I repeat myself here) the thrill is pretty much gone for me with Radiohead. not much since “Kid-A”…
Cujo359 @ 66
There are many more parallels between engineering and songwriting than you would realize. Both endeavors are fundamentally mathematical in nature, both require attention to detail that would drive lesser mortals crazy, and they both require building a foundation before improving in myriad ways and styles on top of it. My ex used to be a construction engineer and she made these observations to me a long time ago.
darkblack @ 67
that was a softball, wan’t it?
Rayne @ 70
Well, you need parking and and easy access for bands to get their heavy gear in and out for gigs. With more than one floor, an elevator, preferably freight. Secured front door. Individual rooms with locks and walls on the thick side. Heat if you’re in a cold climate, lights, power outlets and plenty of juice. Shared bathroom in the hall. Insurance of some kind I guess. I think you’d be in buisness if there was enough DEMAND in your town. There’s a lot of demand in LA.
Kos has a good post up about the potential impact of the Thugs losing-people who don’t want to remain in the minority will either switch or retire. It maybe the only was we can get rid of the odious Dan Burton, my congress-thug.
I’m a lesbian.
I blame Rammstein, er, I mean Clinton.
donita! you are my queen! thanks for that stones clip!
PLEASE: stop polluting this blog by even mentioning phil collins. jesus!
Rayne @ 69
The ideal? Space (of the compartmented type), security (locks and live bodies), and soundproofing…Lots of soundproofing.
A level loading dock, or ground floor double doors that can accommodate P.A. gear and other big biznezz. It doesn’t have to be multi-story, but if it is it had better have a freight elevator.
Set it in an industrial area where the neighbors are scarce, or M.Y.O.Crime types.
Fees? Factor rental/triple net, utilities, personnel, and profit margin… Scaled to what the market will bear.
Like Donita says, it’s about the local demand.
You need to hear Gogol Bordello.
Gypsy Punk!
Fini: “One of the sub tragedies of the Hurricane Katrina disaster was the damage done to the musicians of New Orleans. They are still collecting instruments to replace the ones lost by the musicians there. The Tiptina’s Foundation is doing great work to help musicians replace lost instruments and recover from the disaster.”
There is a story out there about the “piano man” who made a cross-country trek from OR with a trailer full of instruments (on NPR I think). Anyways, we donated our 100 year old upright piano that was a family heirloom. What I won’t give to find out where that thing ended up and what a night it would be to see Henry Butler or Emille (from Kermit Ruffin’s band) playing it!
Twisted Martini @ 76
Hey there neighbor, I live on the far eastside of Indy. Thankfully I am in Julia Carson’s district though. Another Hoosier on FDL, YAY!
rat bastahd @ 78
we’ve been piano-sitting a vintage Steinway baby grand for years. wonder if the owners would mind if we sent it to NOLA?
Friday Videos: Farewell to CBGB’s
Lots of good live clips. I believe the club shuts its doors for good on Sunday.
rat bastahd @ 81
You’re a good man for donating that piano. I gave up an old sampler I wasn’t using anymore for the cause. I also convinced some friends to donate a couple of amps and a glockenspiel, though I’m not sure how much demand the Zydeco players will have for a glockenspiel.
Donita 74 –
Thanks for the overview. Really doesn’t sound more complicated than “apartments” that are merely shells. I think I’m looking at a case of “Build it and they will come”, in this situation. We aren’t a performance mecca here in my neck of the woods, but I think there’s potential to start something entirely new given the sea change in virtually every entertainment market due to paradigm shifts in distribution.
Plus there’s another opportunity under our noses. We have a young state university that was built on the far reaches of the county, has been growing so fast that the school can’t keep up with housing demand. Seems to me these people are both artists and consumers of art. We could address the housing problem AND lock-outs — only real problem is distribution.
Logistics.
Hi Donita and thanks for the Stones!
OT, this Santorum/Casey debate is a slugfest and the whiny one is virtually wahwahing… on cspan2.
punaise @ 72
Low and over the plate, real pretty.
;>)
Al @ 76
There was a remarkable resemblance during the mid-period Genesis era, wasn’t there?
;>)
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 78
I think we met at the Abbey with *ilson and Poputonian when Jane rolled through in June.
Twisted Martini @ 89
Oh yeah, I forgot your screename for a minute. Thanks for the memory refresher, I’ve slept since then. :)
Rayne @ 12:47 pm (#85)
Does the local university have a good music school? If it does you may be onto something.
brendan @ 84
Oh god, it’s actually happening. Breaks my heart. CBGB’s RIP
Christy Hardin Smith @
62
Uh-Oh…Christy’s Sting Thing is out of the closet.
Margot @
7
That Queen/FittyCent mashup is courtesy of the Kleptones. There’s an entire record of Queen/Hip Hop mashups called (ready for this?) “A Night At The Hip Hopera.”
It can be found by checking all the usual torrest sites. Since it violates ten kinds of copyrights, it’s illegal to “sell” per se, but it can be had for free if you know which rock to look under.
Good luck.
punaise @ 43
I saw Robert Hunter in 81 at a small club. He debuted his newest effort ‘Touch of Grey’.
We all know where that went.
Jane Hamsher @ 89
See, if she watches “Dune”, she can get her Sting on AND see Denny Hastert’s acting debut in one sitting!
Oh, check it out- get the whole “Night at the Hip Hopera” album here.
Yay.
Anyone here reading from London? I am going to be in the UK on tour with the Low Lows and we have a bunch of days off… and it looks like eating out in London costs about as much as I normally spend on food in a WEEK. You can fly Ryan Air to Venice for just a few quid more than eating at most London restaurants. Someone tell me where the cheap curry is!
Twisted Martini @ 51
Turned out it was Chris Squire.
Led Zeppelin
1st US Tour - 1969
Oakdale Tent / Theatre in the Round - 1200 seats
Priceless