The Bowie banner outside of the Grand Star on Friday night. (Pic: Liz O.)
My first club gig of 2024 was Underground’s Bowie Nite on January 12. Both floors of the Grand Star Jazz Club were open, so Larry G. played all the David Bowie jams downstairs. That’s also where people were able to get their Bowie makeovers from Miho. Meanwhile, I was upstairs playing all the other Underground jams, or as many as can be squeezed into a four hour set. Thanks to Larry for having me play and for everyone who spent some time on the upstairs dance floor!
You have two chances to catch me in the DJ booth this week. First up is Club Underground’s Bowie Nite this Friday, January 12, at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. Underground is taking over both floors of the Grand Star this week, with Larry G. playing open to close on the main floor and me, Liz O., doing the same on the second floor. Discounted tickets are available now via either Dice and Eventbrite.
The Grand Star is located at 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles 90012. It’s inside Chinatown’s Central Plaza, right next to the Bruce Lee statue. Both street and lot parking is available in the neighborhood. The venue is also right across Broadway from Metro’s A Line station in Chinatown. Party starts at 9:30 p.m. and it is a 21+ event.
On Tuesday, January 16, you’ll find me at The Mermaid loaded up with Italo disco jams for L.A. Industrial’s weekly party, Dolce Vita. There’s no cover and it’s 21+, so stop by with your pals for some tasty cocktails and a soundtrack filled with tunes by the likes of Fancy, Fun Fun, Ken Laszlo, Sabrina and more.
The Mermaid is located at 428 E. 2nd Street in Little Tokyo. There’s typically loads of free parking available after 9 p.m., which is the same time that Dolce Vita starts. The bar is also a (very) short walk from Metro’s A/E line stop in Little Tokyo.
My copy of Bandido by Miguel Bosé the day I found it inside Sonido del Valle in Boyle Heights (Pic: Liz O.)
I paused with the door of the convenience store fridge open when I heard the song. It sounded like Ultravox during the Midge Ure years, but it was in Spanish. Who was this? Shazam likely would have turned up the answer, but I asked the cashier instead. Miguel Bosé, she answered immediately.
Maybe I should have known that? I think the cashier was surprised that I didn’t recognize the singer. We talked about music often when I popped into the store. She played a lot of ‘80s Spanish pop jams. Once I remarked, “ooh, I love this song!” while Flans’ version of “No Controles” played and that got us started. But, I also didn’t grow up with the music. I had some knowledge of the alternative bands that were in the 1990s ether, stuff like Cafe Tacuba and Kinky, but I didn’t start listening to Spanish ‘80s until the ‘00s and what I knew came via my friends who are DJs.
Chaz Jankel’s debut solo album featuring “Ai No Corrida.” (Pic: Liz O.)
I walked towards the front of Fingerprints feeling fairly accomplished. A dig through the holiday record bin may have turned up no copies of “El Burrito de Belén” (or “El Burrito Sabanero”), but, I did find a vinyl copy of Let It Be Blue, the !!! album that was one of my favorites of 2022, on sale for a very 2002 price. I was happy to leave the store with that and nothing else, but Carlos called me over to a bargain bin. “Look,” he said with excitement on his face. He held up the Chaz Jankel record where the musician’s first name was spelled Chas. It’s the album with the original version of “Ai No Corrida.”
Bowie Nite at Club Underground is coming up on January 12, 2024 at Grand Star Jazz Club. Join Larry G. and me, Liz O., for a night celebrating Starman. Both floors of Grand Star Jazz Club will be open, so expect to hear your favorite Underground jams in addition to Bowie classics. Makeup artist Miho will be on hand as well to Bowie-fie your look for the night.
Head to the Mermaid on Tuesday for cocktails and Italo disco with Dolce Vita
We’re not doing Disco Matinee this month (stay tuned for details regarding our party in February), so I have a week off from club gigs. However, you can catch me on Dublab this Thursday, January 4, where I’ll be Moniquea’s guest on her show “Jammin’ Croquettes.” I’m really excited to start off 2024 playing alongside Moniquea, whose taste in music is impeccable, so make sure to tune in between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. As for IRL L.A. music events this week, I have a few recommendations listed below.
Records from Musical Youth, Detroit Grand Pubahs and Body of Light inside Going Underground Records (Pic: Liz O.)
My first quandary of 2024 occurred late in the afternoon on January 1 inside Going Underground Records as I quickly flipped through a crate of indie releases alphabetized by the letter F. There, I found Kate Fagan I Don’t Want to Be Too Cool and Future Islands As Long As You Are on vinyl, both of which I could use in my collection. But, when it comes to new vinyl, I need to exhibit some restraint. Which should I choose?
I probably should take pics, but I don’t, so here’s a screenshot from some video I got during “Tren al Sur.”
It was such a 2023 ending to the year. I was upstairs DJing at Underground’s New Year’s Eve Ball and preparing for the countdown. My stupid iPhone does everything but count down the seconds to midnight. So, I find a website with the time in L.A. down to the seconds. We’ve got 15 minutes to go. I slow things down with “Por Que Te Vas” so people can get their drinks. Keep it mellow with “Tide is High” and “Rock Steady.” We’re about three minutes away from midnight when I work in “E.V.A.,” then one minute, then 30 seconds. Then the website crashes, because, of course that’s what will happen at the end of the year where everything stops working. We got through the countdown regardless, but I’m adding “watch with a second hand” to the list of antiquated things I need to get this year because nothing new works.
Club Underground‘s New Year’s Eve Ball is ready to drop this Sunday, December 31 at Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown. I’ll be DJing alongside Larry G. and Malvada as we takeover both floors of the venue from 9:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Tickets for the party, which is a NYE event pick in Southern California News Group papers, are going fast online, so get yours as soon as possible via Dice or Eventbrite. Last year’s event sold out, so don’t wait until the last minute for this. This is a 21+ event.
Waiting for the Lyft outside of La Cuevita. (Pic: Liz O.)
We were right around a dark stretch of the 110, near where the freeway crosses the L.A. River when I saw very brief flash of light and heard my Lyft driver gasp. Somebody was running across the freeway, he said. I looked to the side and saw a figure— thin, dressed entirely black save for the sneakers, which had something reflective on them— climb over the barricade. I don’t know about the driver, but I was stunned for the rest of the ride home from La Cuevita, remaining mostly silent through the end of “Personal Jesus,” which was bumping in the car, and then nervously tapping the beat of “This Charming Man” on my leg while thinking about how grateful I was to have gotten such a good driver right before the surge pricing went into effect on the Friday before Christmas.
