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.
I don’t have any club gigs this week, but you can catch me on Sunday, December 17 in “The Conversation” with Mike Regalado at 8 p.m. on Boyle Heights radio station KQBH. It’s a talk show about music, so tune into 101.5 FM if you’re in Boyle Heights or listen online outside of the neighborhood to find out what we discuss. As for actual L.A. music events, I have some suggestions for those of you who aren’t heading to Crypto.com Arena (ugh, can they change that stupid name soon?) to see Depeche Mode this weekend. Keep reading for more info.
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.
With only a handful of gigs left for this year, I figured that now is a good time to post my top 10 jams for 2023. Technically, these aren’t all songs that came out this year, and my top pick I actually started playing in 2022, but they all made an impact on my DJ set in 2023. Check out the list below and I hope to see you on the dance floor soon.
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.
