Twilight Concert Series, Nick Waterhouse, Boogaloo Assassins: August 22, 2013

august 22, 2013

FREE, THURSDAY NIGHTS, 7-10PM

Nick Waterhouse Boogaloo Assassins

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Table of contents page 4

Rockin’ retro

pages 10-12

Nick Waterhouse renews vintage R&B, soul music

TCS lineup Learn about this summer’s future shows

page 5

Insider’s guide

page 13

The 411 on this year’s shows

Ditch the ride

page 6

Bike it, walk it or bus it to Twilight Concerts

It’s not over yet Fall will be a busy time of year at the Santa Monica Pier

page 14-15

Take a picture pages 8-9 Shots from last week’s show

Map Find your way around the Pier

Twilight Concert Series Schedule Aug. 22

Sept. 5

Nick Waterhouse with Boogaloo Assassins

Gardens & Villa and Mr. Little Jeans

Aug. 29

Trombone Shorty

Sept. 12

with The Dustbowl Revival

with The Delirians

Twilight Concert Series Partners Myspace Cirque du Soleil KCRW OneWest Bank 98.7 FM G'day USA Quantas Airways Shore Hotel Chili Beans Eyewear Michelob Ultra

Jimmy Cliff

LA Weekly Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Mambo Cotton On Australia.com Loaded Boards Rum & Humble Spaceland Laemmle Santa Monica Daily Press

Drum Workshop Uber Barefoot Wine Sabian

WSR Creative Bagavagabonds Heal the Bay Del Frisco's Grille Mariasol City of Santa Monica Pacific Park of Santa Monica Studio 16 City TV Whole Foods Buy Local Santa Monica For more information, visit

www.SantaMonicaPier.org

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Nick Waterhouse

Rockin’ retro Nick Waterhouse renews vintage R&B, soul music F

rom the first note you’ll hear, it shouldn’t be hard to tell that Nick Waterhouse is not of this era.

Too many critics fall into the trap of categorizing the Huntington Beach native as an R&B artist, while these same writers will make the inevitable Mayer Hawthorne comparison.

While both musicians are white and record and perform black music, the craftsmanship that goes into Waterhouse’s recipe is unique.

Ahead of Waterhouse’s performance on Thursday, Aug. 22, as part of the 29th Annual Twilight Concerts at the Santa Monica Pier presented by MySpace, understand he’s not some one-hit wonder. Among musicians, the color of a fellow artist is irrelevant and becomes even less so considering Waterhouse’s stellar 2012 debut album “Time’s All Gone” is really, really good. It is absolutely vintage, with a 1950s-60s feel. While the social and business landscape of those decades was dramatically different from today’s, Waterhouse holds that era near and dear. Having absorbed Ray Charles, Roy Head and Little Willie John growing up, it’s natural for him to bring a big-band brass section, bluesy saxophones, jazz drums and backup

singers together on a track. It’s his taste in music.

Never mind the fact that the old soul that is Nick Waterhouse is just 25. In an L.A. Weekly profile two years ago, writer Kristina Benson visited his studio in Costa Mesa and found an “angel-faced, starched-shirted, vintage glassessporting” kid who “stepped out of the honor roll page in your parents’ high school yearbook.” He was 24 then and had just started the first recording session for his debut EP on Silverlakebased indie label Innovative Leisure, home to rocker Hanni El Khatib.

The label’s co-founder, Jamie Strong — who Angelenos should instantly associate with Stones Throw and Do Over parties — became a Waterhouse fan from the first time he saw him perform. “When you see an artist live, that’s when you can tell whether or not they have it ... Nick nailed it from the first note,” Strong told the Weekly in 2011. “No one knew who he was but everyone was so into it, dancing and just having fun. It was the real deal.”

Fellow “throwback musicians,” as the writer Benson calls them, have gravitated to Waterhouse, whom she calls a “rock

& roll scholar who commands up to a dozen musicians onstage beside him with the authority of a seasoned bandleader.”

Waterhouse is the opposite of tech-savvy producers of today.

His studio features vintage analog equipment and he records using open-reel tape machines.

On “I Can Only Give You Everything,” Waterhouse eerily evokes Amy Winehouse’s style. His official bio couldn’t be more correct when it states he is a musician who is “moving forward into the past.” That’s at his essence as he marches to the beat of drums from five decades ago, re-imagining and re-creating the sounds of New Orleans, Motown and Memphis. He doesn’t need to call in Pharrell Williams or Timbaland.

Appreciating his music means appreciating American music.

That’s the description he himself prefers as a man of few words.

It seems Waterhouse doesn’t care to elaborate about his music, opting to describe it as “it is what it is.” It’s safe to say he isn’t being coy. His intention is to be appreciated for his skill in recording and performing timeless music that carries with it a significant, historic legacy. In other words, he innovates by being a preservationist. Now that takes soul.

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WATCHING THE SHOW from the beach tonight?

Don't forget to recycle your glass bottles and aluminum cans.

2411 Delaware Avenue in Santa Monica

(310) 453-9677

Twilight Concerts insider’s guide Tickets

Smoking

No tickets necessary, this is pure free summer fun (remember that?) all thanks to our partners and sponsors who have brought us another season of awesome free concerts at the beach. Make sure to show them some love.

Don’t even think about it, it’s a 100-year-old wooden Pier, and we really like it.

Pets Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.

Time 7 p.m. — 10 p.m., but those in the know stake out a good spot early.

Parking Parking is available in the 1550 Pacific Coast Highway Lot next to the Santa Monica Pier on a first-come, first-served basis. Those wanting to avoid long waits should try one of the municipal lots around Second Street and Colorado Avenue or grab the ParkMe app for live data of parking availability and prices.

Go technology!

Weather & attire It never gets too cold, but sometimes it gets a little chilly once the sun goes down. So bring something or head up to the Pier Tent on the deck to grab this year’s limited-edition sweatshirt or T-shirt!

Seating Seating is not provided, so feel free to bring your own chairs, blankets, etc ...

Food & drinks Bike & skateboard valet Park your wheels at the free bike and skateboard valet located next to the beach bike path just south of the Pier.

There are plenty of great food and beverage options on the deck and at the various restaurants on the Pier. Most even have to-go options perfect for munching during the show. As a reminder, alcohol consumption is not permitted in public spaces, but there are several full-service bars in the area.

Friends & family

The Concert Garden

Bring them, the more the merrier. You will not regret it. This is one epic summer tradition.

There is a 21-and-over Concert Garden featuring Barefoot Wines, an assortment of cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

Do not miss this view.

First aid/lost & found If you need first aid or assistance, please visit the Pier Tent or flag down a security officer. If it is an emergency, please call 911.

E-mail list & special offers Sign up at TwilightSeries.org for special announcements, offers and invites.

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Santa Monica Recycling Center

CLOVERFIELD

Aluminum Plastic Glass Bi-Metal Newspaper CardboardWhite/Color/Computer Paper Copper & Brass X DELAWARE AVE. 10 WEST

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GLOW

It’s not over yet Fall will be a busy time of year at the Santa Monica Pier A

fter the guitars, drums and keyboards are packed up and the sweltering summer heat has died down, a new stage will be set at the Santa Monica Pier in the wake of this year’s Twilight Concert Series.

The bevy of events slated for this fall at the world-famous pier promises to quench thirsts for art, comedy, cinema, music and everything in between.

Starting just nine days after the Twilight Concert Series ends, the Pier and KCRW, the Santa Monica College-based public

Tenacious D

radio station, will put on Beach Ball, a two-day music event starting Sept. 21. The first day of the festival will feature the smooth, soulful sounds of artists such as Aloe Blacc, Allen Stone and Maceo Parker. Day two boasts a reggae lineup of Michael Rose, formerly of Black Uhuru, The Skatalities, U Roy, and others. Tickets prices range from $27 to $65 and can be purchased online through Ticketfly’s website.

Film buffs will feel right at home with Front Porch Cinema, a four-week installment of classic and contemporary movies, beginning with “The Wizard of Oz,” followed by “Hunger Games,” Academy Award-winning documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” and culminating with “500 Days of Summer.”

The films will be shown every Friday night at 7:30 p.m. starting on Sept. 28 and will be free to the public. In addition to the silver-screen adventures, pier patrons in the city by the sea will enjoy DJ’d music starting at 6 p.m.

Also on Sept. 28, GLOW, a unique, all-night outdoor art display, will transform Santa Monica Beach and Palisades Park into its own canvas for interactive artwork. Born in 2008 and inspired by France’s “Nuit Blanche,” a similar dusk-till-dawn art event, GLOW features artists from all over with their pieces displayed in specific areas along the beach, giving attendees a new perspective on otherwise-ordinary areas of the Santa Monica coastline. The event is free.

With autumn in full swing, another music event will make its debut at the Santa Monica Pier starting Oct. 5. Way Over Yonder, presented by the Newport Folk Festival, will feature the melodic stylings of artists such as Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Neko Case and many others. Headliners of the festival will perform on the Main Stage, while acoustic acts Hurray for the Riff Raff, Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, and others will per-

form on the Carousel Stage. One-day passes start at $45 for Saturday or Sunday. Two-day passes are also available starting at $80.

Rounding out the pier’s full schedule of fall fun will be Festival Supreme, the start-studded comedy and music event of the season. Famous acts including Adam Sandler, Zack Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Tenacious D and many others promise to give attendees a night of laughs that they won’t soon forget. General admission tickets for the 21-and-over festival are available for $99, with a VIP option costing $250.

Arcade games are included with the price of admission.

Fun for everyone doesn’t even begin to describe what the pier has in store for the fall. Don’t forget to bring your smartphone camera with plenty of room for pictures and video.

You’re going to need every bit of it.

FALL Schedule Beach Ball sept. 21-22 GLOW sept. 28 Front Porch Cinema Sept. 28-Oct. 19 Way Over Yonder Oct. 5-6 Festival Supreme Oct. 19

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2013 Twilight Concert Series Aug. 29

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with The Dustbowl Revival

Trombone Shorty

Gardens & Villa

Since the release of their Grammy-nominated 2010 debut album, “Backatown,” Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue have grown creatively while winning hordes of new fans performing nonstop on five continents.

Their latest album, “For True,” offers substantive proof of their explosive growth, further refining the signature sound Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has dubbed “Supafunkrock.”

“There was excitement from everywhere,” said Andrews of the experience on the road and how it fed into the creation of “For True.”

“We did over 200 shows in the last year and a half, and every night we allowed the music to take us over. Musically and creatively, we wanted to shoot for some different things.”

The band — Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax and Tim McFatter on tenor sax — stirs together old-school jazz, funk and soul, laced with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats, and they’ve added some tangy new ingredients on “For True” as they keep pushing the envelope, exploring new musical territory.

“We never sat down and really thought about concepts and what we wanted our music to sound like,” Andrews explained. “It’s just that, over the years, we allowed each one of the band members to bring their influences and taste in music into our music. Anything we hear or are influenced by, it naturally comes out in what we’re trying to do. It’s just our sound, and it happened naturally.”

Andrews wrote or co-wrote all 14 tracks on the new album, including collaborating with the legendary Lamont Dozier on “Encore,” while this time playing as much trumpet as trombone, as well as organ, drums, piano, keys, synth bass and percussion. Indeed, he played every part on the swaying, Latin-tinged “Unc.” He’s also come into his own as a singer, honoring the hallowed legacy of the great soul men of the 1960s and ‘70s. Like its predecessor, the new album turns on a rare combination of virtuosity and high-energy, party-down intensity.

The Dustbowl Revival The Dustbowl Revival is a Venice, Calif.based collective that merges old school bluegrass, gospel, jug-band, swamp blues and the hot swing of the 1930s to form a spicy roots cocktail. Known for their inspired live sets, The Dustbowl Revival boldly brings together many styles of traditional American music. Imagine Old Crow Medicine Show meeting Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven Band in New Orleans or Bob Dylan and Fats Waller jamming with Mumford & Sons on a front porch in 1938.

Growing steadily from a small string band playing up and down the West Coast (hundreds of shows in the last two years), DBR has blossomed into a traveling collective featuring instrumentation that often includes fiddle, mandolin, trombone, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, accordion, tuba, pedal steel, drums, guitars, a bass made from a canoe oar, harmonica and plenty of washboard and kazoo for good luck.

With an enthusiastic and growing national following, DBR released their first LP “You Can’t Go Back To The Garden of Eden” to rave reviews. Their tune “Dan’s Jam,” received Americana Song Of The Year honors by the Independent Music Awards (Tom Waits, Ozzy Osbourne judging). The group has placed songs in several independent films and TV projects including “Made In China” (IFC) which won SXSW, and in an upcoming episode of “American Idol.” National radio play includes L.A.’s KCRW and KCSN, Austin’s KGSR, San Francisco’s KPFA and Seattle’s taste-making KEXP.

Sept. 5

Gardens & Villa and Mr. Little Jeans Gardens & Villa is the project of five college friends from Santa Barbara, formed following the collapse of a noisier post-punk band and a hitch-hiking journey up the West Coast.

Members Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Levi Hayden and Shane McKillop began play-

SEE LINE-UP PAGE 12

The Dustbowl Revival

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LINE-UP FROM PAGE 10 ing in earnest as Gardens & Villa in 2008.

The name is pulled from the location of their house on Villa Street, and the property’s lovely garden to which they tend. The music they make is very much connected to the coastal city they call home — the stoney bike rides, dance parties and a scene free of judgment.

For two weeks in the summer of 2010, the band camped behind visionary and now-labelmate Richard Swift’s Oregon studio. No shower, no kitchen, but all the magic you could ask for. After taking a band oath to always play all parts live — a la Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” — the band added member Dusty Ineman to supremely execute the live incarnation of the band.

Mr. Little Jeans Meet Mr. Little Jeans, a.k.a. Monica Birkenes. She is small and Norwegian and she makes music that will leave you reeling.

Her pop dances left of center, a curious thing of equal parts organic magic and buzzing electricity. She has worked hard to get to this place, traveled far to find it. On some unmarked pasture between St. Vincent’s prettiest moments and Debby Harry’s wilder inclinations, she stands fronting an army of bright ideas and sharp sounds, a shipbuilder’s daughter with a voice that could part a sea.

Monica grew up in the middle of the woods in a seaside town called Grimstad. Her dad built catamarans and her mum was a secretary whose love for music was infectious. They didn’t have much money, but put their daughter through years of piano and voice lessons which she’d attend wearing her mother’s oversized outfits from another era. There were four black cats called Missy, and some neighbors who killed a man, but otherwise it was all Nancy Drew, dancing through the trees, and singing to mum’s records.

Her first instrument has always been her voice. Monica sang in the church choir at 5, then around town wherever and whenever her mum saw fit: malls, old folks’ homes, theaters, even on local television once or twice. At 10, she recorded a cassette of children’s classics and shopped it around to gas stations mainly.

By 15, she was singing in bars, clearly underage but backed by a band of boys in their 20s. She focused on music in high school, then relocated to London to study drama.

A year later, Monica was on her own in England, having left college to chase singing leads gleaned from the “wanted” pages.

Mostly she spent an endless string of years as a terrible waitress and, after an exploratory trip to Los Angeles, a couple more years sofa-surfing, country-hopping, and racking up credit card debt as she wrote with different producers — Peter Moren (Peter Bjorn & John), John Hill (Santigold) — and shaped her sound into that of the inimitable Mr. Little Jeans we now know.

Jimmy Cliff

Sept. 12

Jimmy Cliff with The Delirians “I got one more shot at the goal/Straight from my soul/I’m in control,” sings reggae legend Jimmy Cliff on “One More,” the lead track from “Rebirth” the new Universal Music Enterprises album from the Grammy-winning musician, actor, singer, songwriter, producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, produced by punk icon Tim Armstrong, of Rancid and Operation Ivy fame.

The release, his first studio album in seven years, is the next step in their collaboration on last year’s “Sacred Fire” EP, an effort Rolling Stone called Cliff’s “best music in decades ... [his] tenor still soars.” With the groundbreaking 1972 film “The Harder They Come” celebrating its 40th anniversary, Cliff — who starred in the movie and contributed the title cut, “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Sitting in Limbo” to the soundtrack — is still going strong in a career that has spanned almost 50 years and includes his native Jamaica’s highest honor, the Order of Merit.

In the autobiographical “Reggae Music,” Cliff recounts going to see famed Jamaican producer Leslie Kong in 1962 to convince him to work with him, releasing Cliff’s first hit, “Hurricane Hattie,” when he was just 14.

“Jimmy is one of my musical heroes and I’ve been responding to his music my entire life,” said Armstrong, who had never met Cliff before, but was once recommended to him by mutual friend Joe Strummer of The Clash.

Gathering Armstrong’s studio band, the Engine Room (bassist/percussionist J Bonner, drum/percussionist Scott Abels, organ/percussionist Dan Boer and piano/lead guitarist Kevin Bivona), the first song they tackled was a cover of Rancid’s “Ruby Soho,” a skatinged number from the band’s 1995 album “... And Out Came the Wolves” about a musician having to tell his lover he’s headed for the road.

“I had no idea it was one of Tim’s songs, but I liked it and could identify with the sentiments,” said Cliff. “I never really had the opportunity to hear his music, but it was a great thing how we hit if off in the

Mr. Little Jeans studio.”

They also worked on a cover of The Clash’s “The Guns of Brixton,” a song about the growing tension in Brixton at the time.

Ironically, Strummer’s last session ever was with Cliff on “Over the Border,” a song from Jimmy’s 2004 album, “Black Magic.” It was at that time Joe talked up Armstrong as

someone who might make a good collaborator for him.

“It was inspiring working with Tim because even the sound of the album feels like we went back to the ‘60s and ‘70s,” said Cliff. “I had forgotten about a lot of the sounds and the instruments we used then, and we brought that all back.”

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Ditch the ride for a stress-free time Bike it, walk it or bus it to Twilight Concerts E

veryone knows that parking blows in Santa Monica, but you don’t have to give up on the city by the sea. Just leave the car at home and walk, bike or bus it down to the Santa Monica Pier for this summer’s edition of the famous landmark’s 29th annual Twilight Concert Series.

The most convenient way to play is by hopping on your beach cruiser, using pedal power. It’s a great way to lose weight, stay in shape and avoid traffic jams Downtown. The city by the sea has an extensive network of bike lanes; a Downtown Bike Center complete with showers, lockers and a repair shop; as well as a free bike valet just south of the pier for those attending the concerts. It’s right off the beach bike path for easy access.

If you are riding from the northern side of town, Montana Avenue to Ocean Avenue is a great route with plenty of scenery. You may want to use one of the walk bridges that connect Palisades Park to the beach bike path or take it all the way to the pier’s entrance at Colorado Avenue and walk it down to the valet.

If you are coming from the south, try Main Street, Neilson Way (which turns into Ocean

Avenue at Pico Boulevard) or for a great view of the ocean hit Barnard Way. Make sure to turn west on Bicknell Avenue to get to the beach bike path for the last mile or so.

Those coming from the east side of town by bike should take bike lanes on Arizona Avenue or Broadway for a stress-free ride. Both streets hit Ocean Avenue, which will lead you straight to the pier entrance.

Always remember that a white head light and red back light are required when riding at night and that it is illegal to ride on sidewalks or fail to stop at all traffic signals and stop signs. Helmets are not required for adults, but they are recommended. You just might need that brain of yours.

And don’t forget to bring a trusty, strong Ulock to secure your cycle if you decide to stop off for some snacks before the shows.

For more information on biking in Santa Monica, visit www.bikesantamonica.org

Big Blue for you If biking isn’t your bag, check out the

award-winning Big Blue Bus, Santa Monica’s public transit system that has hubs at UCLA and Culver City. Most routes end in Downtown, so no matter which one you take you’ll be able to get to the pier by walking only a short distance. And the cost is cheap; only $1 per ride for most passengers.

Big Blue has added extra service on Line 3 in anticipation of concert crowds. Line 3 runs along Lincoln Boulevard and Montana Avenue.

And if the Big Blue Bus doesn’t work for you, there’s always the Metro system of Rapid and regular buses that run regularly on Wilshire, Santa Monica, Pico and Lincoln boulevards.

For a detailed map of BBB routes, visit bigbluebus.com, and for Metro hit www.metro.net.

Park it OK, so we know that taking alternative forms of transit is not that difficult, but if you must hop into your car, there are plenty of places to park in Santa Monica, the best and

most affordable being those structures farther from Downtown.

Santa Monica has a new parking app for your iPhone that makes finding spaces easier than ever before. Santa Monica Parking, powered by ParkMe, provides real-time parking information for City Hall’s 28 lots, 12 structures and 5,967 on-street metered spaces. The app also includes information on privately-owned parking facilities. iPhone users can download the app for free via the Apple App Store by using the search string “Santa Monica Parking.” Sorry Android users, but your app isn’t online just yet but check back soon as city officials promise to have one up shortly.

Parking at the Downtown structures after 6 p.m. only cost $1 for 2.5 hours verses the previous rate of $5. Reduces parking rates at the Civic Center and the Main Library are $1 per hour and a $5 daily maximum, just in case you want to head down early for some shopping on the popular Third Street Promenade.

For a complete list of parking resources and pricing, visit www.parkme.com and search “Santa Monica.”

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The English Beat had the joint feeling like 1980

Take a picture T

he English Beat saved nothing for later during their classic set at last week’s Twilight Concert Series show.

The ska-inspired rockers led by Dave Wakeling drew one of the largest crowds of the summer to the Santa Monica Pier looking for a touch of nostalgia.

This week’s show is a bit of a departure with the retro stylings of Nick Waterhouse, a man who is all about classic soul and R&B.

photo courtesy Brandon Wise

the english beat

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photo courtesy Brandon Wise

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photo courtesy Brandon Wise

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