BONKERS! @ RE-BAR 12/19/2007

Last week we went to check out Bonkers!, a biweekly showcase of Seattle based electronic music and other talent held at Re-bar in Belltown. We arrived, greeted some friends, and grabbed a couple of Elysian drafts. Our friend and resident technician, Mr. Zillion was priming the crowd with some fresh hot braindance while people mingled and drank. Beers were cheap and the mood was light and unpretentious. By the time Kris Moon began dropping beats, the dance floor was crowded leaving virtually every chair empty and all booties in the house shaking.

Next Bonkers! night is Wednesday January 9th, 2008 from 10pm to 2am featuring Tyler Potts(Dragon's Eye), Cephalopod Appreciation Society, DJ TJ Gorton(Beat Freeze) and resident technicians The Naturebot, Mr. Zillion, & Erictronic.

SHAG @ ROQ LA RUE GALLERY 12/14/2007

Seattle's own Roq La Rue Gallery, mecca of pop surrealism & lowbrow art hosted an exhibition this evening featuring original paintings and prints by artist Shag, entitled Motorino. I drove to Belltown to meet some friends & hang out. Gallery director Celeste kept the Cosmopolitans and local beer from Manny's flowing while gallery owner Kirsten answered questions about available artwork. Shag partied with fans & friends to local music talent via DJ Vodka Twist & live surf tunes by The Mercury Four.

THE TOM PRICE DESERT CLASSIC @ FANTAGRAPHICS 12/8/2007

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Georgetown hosted their first anniversary party Saturday night. It was an event not to be missed as we quaffed PBR's, chatted with hosts Jim Woodring and Jim Blanchard about jazz and art, then scored an out of print Robt. Williams book for 20% off from Fantagraphics guru Larry Reid who relayed an amusing anecdote about Williams. Equally eventful was the debut performance of The Tom Price Desert Classic comprised of members of Gas Huffer, The Monkeywrench, and The Derelicts. Tom and co. blazed through their set leaving a child unconscious and the rest of the crowd wanting more.
Later we walked down the street to Stellar Pizza and Ale for the best pie we've found in Seattle, and a pitcher of local draft. Another host of the Fantagraphics party, artist Ellen Forney arrived shortly after we did showing she's not only talented but has exquisite taste.


THE TOM PRICE DESERT CLASSIC

A BEER WITH BUKOWSKI

Before moving from Long Beach to Seattle, we decided to go in search of one of our favorite authors, the late Charles Bukowski. We first drove from Long Beach over the Vincent Thomas Bridge into San Pedro to the house where Bukowski lived for more than a decade, and where many of the interviews from the documentary Bukowski:Born Into This were filmed. Upon locating the house it became apparent to Megan and I that before going any further we needed a vital ingredient, some booze.
We visited a nearby liquor store, it's weathered brick exterior reminiscent of Hank
himself...surely he had procured a bottle here once or twice. As we walked through the doorway and to the back of the store where the refrigerators were located, we were confronted with a most important question. WWBD? What would Bukowski drink? We decided on Heineken as he was often seen drinking them in interviews, so we grabbed a couple of tall bottles and headed back out.
Returning to the house we found it very mysterious, shrouded in tall trees and other shrubbery, with only a long driveway leading to a garage on one side. At the end of the driveway a couple of cars, and a gray cat were visible. Hearing voices coming from within the foliage, and no sign of a door to knock on, we decided not to intrude and to be satisfied with a picture of the driveway and what may have been Bukowski's cat. Next we drove to the nearby Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verde to visit Bukowski's grave. It took a few minutes for us to locate Bukowski's gravestone. We sat down and opened the two beers, one for us, and one for Hank. We set his beer in a plastic holder usually used for flowers, and drank ours. Cheers!

ROBERT POKORNY/LOLA @ M MODERN

Saturday night I trekked out to M Modern gallery in Palm Springs with Megan and our friend Liz. It was the opening night of two exhibitions, Robert Pokorny's "The Blue Dox", and Lola's "Pocket Full of Posies". The Nailor's (Jay & MiShell) M Modern makes a comfortable oasis for viewing lots of art, imbibing your drink of choice and listening to a hip variety of tunes by the in house DJ. Regardless of the fact that every one of Lola's eerily cute paintings was sold before the doors opened, she made the trip to the gallery to meet fans of her work. Robert Pokorny was also present, showcasing whimsical, narrative paintings involving his current muse, the dachshund. The intense detail involved in the works composing "The Blue Dox" kept viewers rapt, revealing minute brushwork only seen upon close inspection.

Check out M Modern @ www.mmodern.com
Lola @ www.lolastrangeart.com
Robert Pokorny @ www.ripgallery.com

SPOTLIT MAGAZINE @ ACRES OF BOOKS

Friday night we headed out with friends Katie & Liz to Long Beach historical landmark Bertrand Smith's Acres of Books, for a reading by writers featured in the inaugural issue of Spot Literary Magazine. SpotLit is a new magazine edited by California native, Susan Hansell who MC'd the reading, consisting of works by writers from various areas of the U.S.. Familiar images of Southern California were depicted in humorous, yet serious style in Suzanne Allen's poem "Milk" which referenced the "nuclear Double D's", and in Joshua Peralta's short story featuring the 'entirely fictious' Long Beach establishment, "Le Chambre Rouge".