After The Dance: In The Presence Of Leon Ware!!

Last night I was privileged to celebrate legendary Leon Ware's 72 birthday and 50 years in the business. [official website]

Leon Ware's a singer, songwriter and producer best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You with Marvin Gaye. Ware's notable for writing the Top 5 R&B single, I Wanna Be Where You Are for  Michael Jackson in 1972 and creating the Body Heat album with Quincy Jones. He collaborated with Maxwell on his debut album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite.

This night represented a lifetime of hits and a rare legendary performance! My friend Nikki Grier is his longtime back-up singer and tonight the 2 of them along with with a 5 piece band
lovingly played Leon's best of the best. It is positively chill-inducing to hear I Want You sung by the man who wrote it. Such a beautiful song and so closely linked to Marvin Gaye, if anybody has a right to sing it, it's Leon Ware. His voice is strong and soulful as hell, as is Nikki's (who was quite sick, but didn't show it at all).

Leon spoke to the audience a lot between songs, always steering the patter back to how horny and virile he is even at his advanced age. It is amusing and keeps Nikki and the band amused and laughing. He did take time out to eulogize Whitney Houston and Don Cornelius - and played After The Dance in their honor (the song features the lyric: "you were looking good on Soul Train...").

Additionally, the club presented Leon with a beautiful birthday cake and passed out b-day cupcakes to those in attendance.

Some of the music mentioned above is available to hear right here:

Dakota's Burlesque All Stars : The Skinny In NoHo

Dakota is one of the coolest chicks I know.

A classically trained dancer who is one of the most in-demand burlesque performers, she not only dances, tours and teaches, but has established companies in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Puerto Rico. Her current project is Miss Dakota's Burlesque All Stars (BAS). As the name implies, the troupe is stacked with a roster of the sexiest flashiest girls in the business; tonight's line-up included salsera/singer Charlene Rose, bump 'n' grind princess Jasmin Figueira, Alyssa Marquez, Lanie Hoxie and hostess & singer Erin Fargo. (See video below)

(Show note - Although dancing to tracks this night, The BAS are usually backed by live musicians led by bassist Steve Pandis.)

I've known Dakota since the Bongo Fury days at Harvelle's. Speaking of which, Bongo Fury is returning to Harvelle's (Long Beach) on Friday Feb 17. Walter Davis has re-tooled the production which re-unites him with dancers Carolina & Zepha.

I've been running into Hawaiian dancer Maile a lot lately. 

The Stevenson sisters and Roman Vasquez.

Roman Vasquez with not-the-Stevenson-sisters.

The Toledo Show : Fuck You For Fucking Me...

...For Fucking Myself!!
-The battle cry of Toledo Show frontman Toledo Diamond.

The Toledo Show 2/12/12 Santa Monica, CA -
Another night of sweaty jazz funk and delicious dames bumpin' and grindin' went down last night at Harvelle's. The Toledo Show band is Asa Watkins (drums), Walter Davis (sax), Spoonie (bass/vocals), Sebastian Leger (keys/trumpet) and Shamari Harbin (vocals). The Dames are Erin, Evalee, Mindy, Molly & Nykky. Special guest on vocals - Ultralove.


The Toledo Show play at Harvelle's in Santa Monica every Sunday night, and at the new Harvelle's in Long Beach every Thursday. 

It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it!!

Vintage Trouble At The Cosmopolitan

I've never really followed a band.
I had a friend that loved R.E.M. so much, she followed them on tour from L.A. back to their hometown - Athens GA, - and then settled down there. It brought her adventures galore; it was a road trip that literally changed her life.

I didn't move my life anywhere, but I did venture out to Las Vegas and The Cosmopolitan Hotel to catch the only band I've ever left California for - Vintage Trouble.

Like the Grateful Dead's "deadheads", Jimmy Buffet's "parrot heads" and Lady Gaga's "little monsters", VT has "troublemakers". A pansexual group of people of all creeds and colors with one thing in common - a love of great music and great songs sung by great singers - so they all love Vintage Trouble. I am one of them.

This was the first night of the band's 5 day stay at the hotel's Book + Stage Lounge with it's awesome sound system and P.O.V. monitors all around the bar. The Cosmopolitan is a regal monument of a lodging; inside is a casino (of course) and several floors of restaurants, bars, hangouts and shopping that are enjoyed by tourists and locals alike. 

Vintage Trouble has an album out called 

The Bomb Shelter Sessions. It's available on Amazon and on the band's official website VintageTrouble.com!!!

Meet A Dame : Here's MINDY

Mindy is a Dame. 

One of The Toledo Show "dames" to be exact. She is a burlesque dancer - one of the sexiest and most feminine of all the Dames (watch this blog to meet the others). Everyone loves Mindy. She can make you feel like you're the only guy in the room and you've got 100% of her attention. 

Mindy is the proprietress of the website Dolls And Dames; an erotic website featuring girls styled like 1950s pin-up models. Like those old porn-lite images of Bettie Page and others of that era, these dolls and dames are always having "wardrobe malfunctions", losing their top, or being spanked, but they smile through it all. It ain't free, but it's inexpensive, and for those who like their sexual ephemera vintage - it's the only game in town. Light up a Black 'n' Mild™, pour yourself some Remy Martin, put on your matching slippers, robe & fez and log-on.

Heather Watch : You're Nobody Til Somebody Kills You

Returning to Freddy's on a Saturday night for the purpose of visiting Heather and checking out the late night menu.

I'm tempted by the "Crispy Pig's Ear And Fried Egg" - I get a visual of a dark brown deep-fried ear on a plate next to a sunny-side up egg. I mentally gag a little : Heather assures me that it's not what it sounds like -  and that the ingredients are inside a big fluffy bun. My curiosity will remain for now - I ordered the Belgian waffles (with bacon butter, maple bourbon syrup and grilled apples.)

[Here's my food review: The waffle was light and airy, and didn't turn to mush under the syrup and butter. it's slight crispness remained throughout from first bite to last. The combination of ingredients created a dish whose ingredients built on each other from sweet to salty - with degrees of both in various increments.

The pieces of bacon within it's butter base added the right shading of salt (I don't know if the bacon was cooked in the butter or added to it). The apples were lightly grilled, and slightly sweet. The true sweetness came from the maple syrup and with it's bourbon kick, it allows for the flavor without the alcohol. It was quite delicious and the portion was perfect for a late night bite (It was about 11pm). My compliments to Chef Charlie!]

Tonight Heather wonders whether or not to dye her hair dark. She's been blonde forever, but has been told she might be taken more seriously and thusly more successful at her (day) job if she were a brunette. (She is a rep for several fashion designers.) She was asking some of the patrons what they thought. I happen to have several photos of Heather in my phone. In many of them she's wearing various wigs. From a short blue/black bob to shoulder length feathered ginger job, she has had many looks which she can pull off. She's got great features and great skin, so she really could never look bad. She takes my phone and shows the photos to the customers who she has engaged, to help them vote "yay" or "nay". For the record, I think she should do it. Her (day job) boss is a very successful business woman and sounds like someone who knows her business. Heather respects her opinion quite a bit.

Heather's a mid-western-raised, downtown girl who has been in L.A. long enough to know her worth, but not so long that she has a list of wannabe actor/rockstar ex-boyfriends or a drug habit. She's pretty grounded for someone her age and with her ambition.

That's enough analysis for now.
Watch this space for the dilemma's resolution!!

I'm was planning on stopping by for a bite and then going to Eastside Luv, but I started talking to the manager of the bar and then he pulled out a bottle of Absinthe. It seems like a lot of stories that start that way end badly.

LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE : Comes To Harvelle's

The current issue of Los Angeles Magazine ("Classic L.A." issue) features a glowing review of my favorite Westside bar. If you read this blog, then you are already aware of Harvelle's. 

If not, check out the write-up, and if it sounds good to you, come pay a visit.  

Besides the decor and the speakeasy vibe, besides the custom cocktails and authentic nightly blues & jazz, there's always plenty of parking in the structure adjacent to the club and there's a spot next door (West 4th/Jane) that serves great food (you can order and have it delivered to the bar) until about midnight. If you love live music, enjoy a night out dancing, or imbibing with like-minded people over delicious one-of-a-kind cocktails, check out Harvelle's (1432 4th St. between Broadway & Santa Monica Blvd. in downtown Santa Monica) [Harvelle's Santa Monica]

Some other things you may not be aware of:

Harlow Gold - the spectacular underground burlesque revue that consistently sells out (It's the last 2 Thursdays of each month - reservations are highly suggested.) [Reservations link]

There's Westside Wednesdays - local Venice collective House Of Vibe All Stars mid-week massive that combines live hip-hop, reggae, jazz, funk and r&b played by some of the industry's most in-demand musicians. [House Of Vibe All-Stars]

Every Monday night is Ultralove - infamous local singer/songwriter who's faithful fan base makes a ritual of kicking the week off with a dose of the band's illest medicine. [Ultralove]

And there's The Toledo Show.

The longest running show of it's kind, having just celebrated it's 10 year anniversary at Harvelle's, it's a wild burlesque road trip to hell and back. The must-see spectacle is a Westside institution and you really should be indoctrinated. Every Sunday night, the tall, dark and handsome Toledo Diamond mounts his Show - his gravely baritone tells erotic stories of hard living in the back alleys of this grimy urban metropolis, while the impossibly funky band jams tirelessly. A bevy of dancing "Dames" gyrate electrically throughout the evening, enticing you with their bouncy bodices, ripped stockings, red lips and high heels. They're a thing of beauty. [The Toledo Show]

Last year, the up and coming Vintage Trouble left their sold-out year long Tuesday night residency at the club to launch their first European tour. They've been back twice since and are currently in Australia playing sold-out stadiums and festivals. They will be back in Europe this summer touring with Lenny Kravitz. Congrats to VT for being the next big thing. It's completely deserved. [Vintage Trouble]

Additionally, there is now a second Harvelle's in Long Beach.

Larger in size with the same attention to lighting and sound, the venue is garnering accolades and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The bluegrass/ragtime of Capt Jeffrey & His Musical Chumbuckets have been packing 'em in on Sunday nights (Phil Alvin of The Blasters has stopped by and sat in a couple of times). The very cool The Vespertines take over on Monday nights. And on Feb 4, Sheila E. will be bringing her family (Pete, Juan, and Peter Michael Escovedo) for what promises to be an exciting night of incredible latin flavored funk!! That's what the Escovedo's do!! The club is located at 201 E. BROADWAY beneath The Congregation Ale House [Harvelle's Long Beach]