MORE PLACES TO HEAR CHEAP LIVE MUSIC

Natural History Museum’s First Fridays
ADDRESS: 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007
phone: (213) 763-DINO
Website: www.nhm.org/firstfridays

While browsing the MySpace of one of my favorite band’s, IMA Robot, I saw that they had announced a last-minute show, but it was at the Natural History Museum. What?! The place that has halls filled with stuffed bears and elephants? I called up my friends and we decided to venture out.    

My friends Josh, Pham and Obdulio and I arrived at the museum at 4 p.m. because we were worried it would be packed with fans, but it turned out we were the only ones there. We strolled through the halls and checked out the fish bones, dinosaurs and other exhibits, while waiting for the show to start. At 7 p.m., the DJs spun a few songs and the opening act, some guys each with their own computer, played as we were surrounded by huge elephants and rhinos behind backdrops of trees, mountains and their habitat. After the opening act, we even saw Alex Ebert, the lead singer of IMA Robot, looking at a giant fish in a container. We chased him around the museum to try to meet him but he went into the restricted area. Finally the band hit the stage and it was AMAZING! The crowd was dancing and singing. IMA Robot played some of my favorite songs like “STD Dance” and “Black Jettas.” They even joked about playing with the animals around them. The show ended around midnight and I walked out of the Natural History Museum sweaty-headed from dancing and in awe that such a great show could happen in the place where I attended field trips in the third grade.
Devin Ruiz, 16, Ramona Convent (Alhambra)

Behind the El Capitan Theatre at Hollywood & Highland is Jimmy Kimmel’s Pontiac Garage, where FREE mini-concerts are held at 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. on certain weekdays. Artists range from emerging (The Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs) to big names (The Killers and Kanye West). After the two songs performed for the televised broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, artists usually perform up to seven more songs. It’s really great!

On TV the place looks as big as Lollapalooza, but it’s actually an intimate parking lot with a nicely lit stage. The sound system is loud and clear and the fans are loud (the Arctic Monkeys and Iggy Pop performances had mosh pits!). What’s cool is that when the artists do sound check, fans can peek through a hole in the fence while waiting in line and watch—it’s like watching a concert in line!
 
It’s easy to meet your favorite artists. After sound check, run to the alley behind the studio and call to them, or after the performance run to the alley again (I usually meet them this way). Sometimes the artists do a meet and greet at a signing tent. Go to 1iota.com to review the schedule and request free tickets. (The website says you must be at least 16 years old and have a valid ID.)
Leslie Centeno, 18, Bishop Conaty HS

On a recent Saturday night, two of my friends and I decided to check out the all-ages club The Smell in downtown Los Angeles. Despite its name, The Smell was hard to find. We drove up and down Main Street trying to find this place until it occurred to us to drive through the alley. Sure enough there was a sign in funky hand painted text “The Smell.”

Shows cost just $5, so you can go without blowing your allowance. As soon as I walked in, I noticed the art painted on the walls. The exposed brick walls made it feel old-fashioned and hip, and the vibrant colors and drawings really jumped out at me. The place reminded me of an old Vegas casino with its faint odor of cigarettes and vintage furniture. The Smell was not crowded and despite the fact that its all ages, most of the people I saw seemed to be in their early to mid 20s, but we didn’t feel out of place.

The club has two performance areas, one in front and one in back. In the front room, the first act was the band Tape Recordings of The FBI. I was immediately turned off by the noise.

After the performance however, I started to make sense of what the singer was saying. It felt more like art than music; it was very inspiring. I sat thinking and saw the singer walk by. Without hesitation, I got up and followed him. I was curious to learn what inspired him so I asked him a few questions about his music. I was surprised how friendly he was. I think it’s important for musicians to be friendly because if you can’t socialize with people, how are they supposed to understand your music and inspiration? The singer from Tape Recordings of the FBI seemed more than happy to talk to me about his music and told me that his inspiration comes from the frustration of technology and how it is slowly taking over our lives. I appreciated the uniqueness and artistic quality of Tape Recording of The FBI. I wish I could have said the same about the other band we saw that night.

The second act, Kevin Shields, played in the back room. Kevin Shields is a two-person band, a male and female who seem to be in their mid 20s, neither of whom is named Kevin nor Shields. At first, my friends and I heard this awful noise that we thought was a sound check going wrong or perhaps broken sound equipment. The noise started to grow louder and more painful by the second. I do not know how to even begin to describe it other than loud and screechy with no lyrics. For the first time in my concert going life, I had to wear earplugs. I found it pretty humorous when I later looked them up online that their “genre” is noise.

Being vegetarians, my friend Zenia and I were excited to read while researching the club that they had a vegan snack bar. Unfortunately, the cheap-looking snack bar had a “Vegan Menu” that consisted of water, cookies and protein bars. I was expecting something more like a vegan pizza, or a dish with a lot of vegetables—something healthy.