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.
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.
First, thanks to all of you who came out to Club Underground on Friday night for Depeche Mode Night and my birthday party. I’m really happy to have been able to have the chance to celebrate at Grand Star Jazz Club with Larry G., Malvada and all of you. (Sorry for not posting the set list, but I accidentally deleted part of it and couldn’t remember much aside from a couple songs.)
I’ll be back at Underground on Sunday December 31, 2023 to celebrate New Year’s Eve with all of you at Grand Star Jazz Club, where both floors of the venue will be open. Early bird tickets are available now on both Eventbrite and Dice at a discount from the price at the door. Plus, last year’s party sold out, so the sooner you snap up your tickets, the better. Head to Underground’s website, or follow Underground on Instagram, for more info when it’s available.
I forgot to take pics last night, save for this one of a sign in the stairwell.
I don’t know what I’m most grateful for tonight. Was it the people at Club Underground who danced to the brand new Confidence Man tune? Was it the person who admitted listening to Confidence Man, who released one of my favorite albums of 2022, because of my sets? (BTW, Confidence Man is at the Echoplex on December 2.) Or, was it the trio who listened to my rant about how Chumbawamba were the working class heroes we needed, but we didn’t deserve them and now we’re stuck with capitalist icon Taylor Swift? Maybe it’s all that.
Thanks to everyone who started off this week at Disco Matinee with Jus’ B, Jen Rock and me. I have two more gigs this week– Dum Dum Records Anniversary Party and Underground’s Interpol Nite– and hope you can make it out to one or both of them.
The crowd at Underground dancing to an old Mylo/Scissor Sisters mashup.
One of the first things I learned in the DJ booth— and this might actually be a life lesson— is that you never know where the night will take you. Planning a set is futile because what you play is always dependent on what will make people dance. You won’t know what will make a specific crowd on a specific night dance until you see it for yourself. So, I never plan sets. I usually have songs floating through my brain, but plenty of times, like at Underground last night, those aren’t the ones I end up playing. So, maybe I’ll play those next week . You should stop by and find out for yourself.
It’s only Monday, but I’m posting to remind you to make your plans for the weekend now. This Friday, November 3, I’ll be back at Grand Star Jazz Club for another round of Larry G’s long-running indie dance club Underground. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite, so scoop up yours as soon as possible.
Dancing to Blue Monday at Club Underground’s Halloween party 10/27/23 (Pic: Liz O. )
Sometime before 11 p.m. I had to take off the blazer. I had tried to hang longer in the Battle Royale costume, but the dance floor upstairs at Grand Star Jazz Club was already full and it gets pretty warm behind the DJ gear. Advanced tickets for Club Underground’s Halloween party had sold out and, from what I could tell, people showed up early and ready to party. I don’t even know what to say about last night except that the energy was high and people were down to dance to anything, as you can probably see from the set list below. See you back at Underground on Friday, November 3. Happy Halloween!
It took a while to get this recording on to Mixcloud, but you can now hear the first hour of my set from Club Underground for Gorillaz x Daft Punk night, recorded live at Grand Star Jazz Club on August 11, 2023.
