Here is the updated schedule:

Wed. Nov. 12
VIPER ROOM 8:00 (7:30 door) - Opening for Fastball!
*Age Restriction Unknown* (probably 21+)
*Cover Charge Unknown*
www.viperroom.com

Mon. Nov. 17
VIPER ROOM
8:00 (7:30 door)
*Age Restriction Unknown* (probably 21+)
*Cover Charge Unknown*
www.viperroom.com

Th. Nov. 20
HOTEL CAFE HOLLYWOOD
7:00 pm
www.hotelcafe.com

See you there!

~D*J*E

The Purple Orchid in El Segundo is one of the Southland’s rare tiki bars, and if you don’t know where it is, you could easily drive right by it. However, once inside, The Purple Orchid is as much a tiki oasis as a bar can be — a laid-back venue where tiki connoisseurs can relax and dance while enjoying the atmosphere, their friends, and good surf music. Aside from the festive décor, the best part of the venue may have been the television screen behind the stage showing excessively random kitsch clips in between beach-themed Elvis movies.

Upon entering the bar, I was immediately and warmly greeted by Bill McGlynn and Joyce Seko, the guitar and bass players of the night’s opening act, Glasgow Tiki Shakers. Bruce Graham rounds out the trio on drums for some seriously fun instrumental surf rock. Something particularly impressive about the Tiki Shakers is how their off-stage personable natures did not disappear once on-stage. The members interact with the audience and even encourage audience participation. About halfway through their set, they really warmed up, playing faster songs that engaged the crowd. I happened to be celebrating my birthday that night, and my favorite part of their set was when they had the whole bar sing “Happy Birthday” to me, followed by a rousing surf version of the The Beatles composition, “Birthday.” Overall, Glasgow Tiki Shakers were lively and about making sure the audience had as much fun as they did.

Later in the evening, The Dynotones took the stage as the night’s headliner. The group wowed us with their matching shirts, coordinated moves and a whole ‘lotta reverb.’ While members Dano Nichols (guitar), Dan Moses (Guitar), Rob Kruse (bass) and Tim Fitzpatrick (drums) barely fit on the bar’s small stage, they often jumped into the audience, which was a fun variant to many bands that minimize interaction with the audience. This OC-based band plays its original surf-rock often in the Southern California, area and has shared previous stages with Los Straitjackets, Dick Dale, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. The Dynotones are definitely one of the more accomplished independent instrumental surf/rod bands with more accolades to come.

The bottom line is both bands made for a very fun night. More information on Glasgow Tiki Shakers is at www.myspace.com/glasgowtikishakers and The Dynotones can be found at www.dynotones.com or www.myspace.com/dynotones.

Glasgow Tiki Shakers

Glasgow Tiki Shakers

The Dynotones

The Dynotones

(c) 2008 Erin Jacobson. All Rights Reserved.

When invited to attend Neil Diamond’s recent stint at the Hollywood Bowl, I had no hesitation in accepting. When a friend asked me “Aren’t you a little young to like Neil Diamond?” I had no hesitation in answering, “Absolutely not.”

While I actually was one of the (chronologically) youngest people at the show, everyone that night was young again, including Neil. Still on the momentum of his recent number one album “Home Before Dark,” Neil gave a performance defying his 67 years of age.

He played a few songs from “Home Before Dark,” but stuck mostly to the hits, giving the fans what they wanted. “I Am, I Said” and “Love on the Rocks” came early in the show, and then we danced to upbeat versions of “Crunchy Granola Suite” and “Forever in Blue Jeans” (one of my personal favorites). Backed by a very talented band, Neil also did a swing-inspired version of his composition “I’m a Believer,” made famous by the Monkees and more recently covered by Smashmouth. During “Brooklyn Roads,” childhood home movies of Neil and his family played on the big screens, making audience members feel closer to Neil, the man, rather than Neil the legend. During “America,” the screens flashed images of European immigrants coming to the United States through Ellis Island, evoking memories of many audience members’ ancestors. “Cherry Cherry” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” were both performed true to the original arrangements, as they should be. Neil closed the show with “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,” commonly referred to as “Hot August Night,” completing what could have been classified as a religious experience on our hot October night. However, the highlight for Neil and the audience was “Sweet Caroline.” The song has become a club anthem in recent years, with Justice even sampling the song at the last Coachella festival. After Neil finished the song, the audience would not stop cheering, so he launched into a few more choruses to everyone’s delight.

I personally missed hearing “September Morn” and “Heartlight,” but honestly, I could not have asked for a better show. To the audience, everything Neil did, said or sang was golden. From my box near the stage, I could see Neil’s beaming smile as he basked in the love and appreciation from his audience, projecting it right back to each and every one of us.

For more information on Neil Diamond, including future tour dates, visit www.neildiamond.com.

The photos were taken by my friend, Kateri DeMartino:

Because the siblings are from out of town, they need extra support at these LA gigs, some of which will be industry showcases. All their current show dates are listed below. I will be at all or most of these gigs and I encourage you to come and bring your friends. If you would like to preview the band, you can do so at www.myspace.com/theabdomen.

I will also be putting out a podcast featuring The Abdomen very soon. I am in the middle of a cold and my voice is just not up to par yet.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Abdomen show!
~D*J*E

Here are the show dates:

Tues. Oct. 28 -
The ROXY
8:30 pm (8:00 door)
All Ages
$11.50 Cover
www.theroxyonsunset.com

Mon. Nov. 3
HOTEL CAFE HOLLYWOOD (with Greg Laswell)
7:00 pm
21+ Age Restriction
$10 Cover Charge
www.hotelcafe.com

Wed. Nov. 12
VIPER ROOM
8:00 (7:30 door)
*Age Restriction Unknown* (probably 21+)
*Cover Charge Unknown*
www.viperroom.com

Wed. Nov. 19
VIPER ROOM
8:00 (7:30 door)
*Age Restriction Unknown* (probably 21+)
*Cover Charge Unknown*
www.viperroom.com

Th. Nov. 20
HOTEL CAFE HOLLYWOOD
7:00 pm
www.hotelcafe.com

This album has been riding on massive hype for longer than a decade. An actual release will kill the mystery surrounding the album, which is the main fuel for the hype.

If released, will the live up to its expectations? Probably not, judging from leaked tracks from a while back and the thoughts of friends who heard the tracks.

I look forward to hearing it and I hope its good. I can tell you one thing, I’m not placing any bets on the release.