Winna Winna Chicken Dinna

Okay, so winners round 1. These were the first to post on the blog....if they dont go, we pick more people. They have 48 hours to respond. also, we are giving away 2 tix per day on Twitter so check us out over there if you didn't win in this round....for those below, email me to confirm.

Jezin	Vanessa
Delight	Sherry
Gregory	Gerily
Holderman	Evan
Lange	Jani
Handzlik	Craig
Sikola	Jason
Carter	Cedar
Weems	Lindsey
Sikola	Jason
Cressman	Jordan
Fisher	Erin
Lewis	Ashley
Barnett	Arian
Heath	Jessica
ValCarcel	Meredith
McCown	Jackie
Grey	Tim
Addante	Brianna

Got a few more - will give out end of week.
Thanks for supporting music. Thanks for supporting the ROCKE.
and by the way, another tidbit. tuesday morning - BIG band following up NOFX. cant announce till 4/16.

NOFX Tickets & the definition of COOL

I know I know. All you all just care about the NOFX tickets. Cool. I have them. lots of them. and I'm going to give them away somewhere in this post. Read on...
But before I say that, wanted to thank a good friend of mine, a guy who played last night at the Rocke, Jay Nash. I met Jay through CP a few years ago, and one night we had walked through a torn-up beginning of what was to ultimately become the Rocke. I bullshitted my way through the layout, even though I winged it when I was building it, because I hadn't built a live venue per say. But last night, I was watching Jay, and he elegantly thanked me for putting live music back in the South Bay on stage (which is nice, but a bit overstating) - and I thought to myself. Damn. In two years we've done some really cool stuff in here, and music seems to be back in the South Bay, alive again. And as I was reflecting on that, he started playing one of his tunes (by the way, www.myspace.com/jaynash) and I realized something : I love listening to slow, mellow tunes about life, love lost, times gone, and letting my mind run with it. Some good solid emotional tunes, and no I dont cry when he's playing. So Yeah, not manly, not macho, I get it, chicks dig the asshole (yes girls, its true, stop lying) . Punk, reggae, rock, way "cooler." And 5 years ago I would've lied. But I guess that's what being in your 30's is all about - defining cool as whatever you like, regardless of what people think. So, f people who try to define cool, or put it in a box and wrap it up (case study: Apple). Let people decide whats cool for them. And gd (making my own acronyms) you'll find me at the next mellow, songwriter show, because I like it. That being said, the actual next show you'll find me at is the NOFX show - and so here's how to get tix:

Thank you for your reponses already, but you have to be A FOLLOWER of the blog to get tickets through me. sorry, ruthless self-promotion. :) BUT, if you're my friend on the digital, then you get hookups with free tix. so become a follower, and then email me. First 25 people to do that (i have timestamps) get free tix. GO. Also, if you are blogger illiterate, follow twitter cuz we're given some away there as well. And lastly, everyday we're giving away some tickets at Happy Hour AT SAINT ROCKE in drawings. Cool? See you all there.... Allen

A week of Good Karma....f'ing finally

If I were religious, I would throw out an academy award "thank you jesus" while pointing towards the sky (and I would say it really fast). But alas..

A recap of a kick ass week:

1. Close friend got married. I was in wedding. Saw my old friends, and got super nostalgic. My most sarcastic friend (whats up Peter) found about this blog. I took alot of shit for it. I did the old "good for business" response to deflect. nice speech by the way.

2. I finished building a new bar at Union Cattle Co. 2 nights of no sleep, 4 days of construction, 15 subs helping, and a ton of coffee. check it out. its sick - and we're doing the whole restaurant in 20 days. by the way, building a venue/restaurant is like building a house on crack. we can't close for very long, so we work all night long. just so all you all can drink in a disneyland looking adult place.

3. TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS confirmed at Saint Rocke 5/15. Holy shit. 5546, pressure drop, and the list goes on. if you have ever listened to reggae music, this guy is up there with bob marley. seriously. this show at saint rocke will be RETARDED.

4. NOFX confirmed 4/19. Scared for my venue. Take it easy on us Fat Mike. But so excited. Another band I grew up, skating & surfing pre-music. This show is PRIVATE. I have tickets though for my online crew - so hit me up. respond to the blog and we'll hook it up. This is with HavocTV, some guys from Manhattan that grew up local and went to Costa. They are doing some really cool stuff over at www.havoc.tv

5. SHOW ON 4/20. Can't tell. But late on 4/19 after the NOFX show, we start loading in at 2am, for our next show which will be at 7am. more to follow. definitely follow this.

6. HAD A GREAT DINNER & TALK. Sounds basic right? But think about it. when is the last time you had dinner (grilled salmon i made, bomb), a glass of wine, a good 75F sunset, with a lovely lady, and had a GREAT CONVERSATION. I tend to talk too much as it is, but I don't think she minded. She's a friend of mine, and it's plutonic, but damn, these days those day are rare.

7. DOGS GOT WASHED. The stinkin dogs. Finally got them washed. thats why this is #7. You're thinking who cares.

8. Figured out concept for upstairs UCC. I am separating union cattle into two places. the upstairs is going to be called OCEAN BAR. YOU LIKE?

And that my friends, is a kickass week. Finally. Was wondering when karma would hook a brother up.

Pondering a classic question on the way home from Mammoth...

Last Weekend..Mammoth....1.5 days....epic. Solid snow, solid friends, blue skies, and aside from my tired quads, just a great trip. Good to get away from the bar business for a weekend. That being said, went to some restaurants up there - and I'd have to say - pretty average. But like crooked police, I never name bad restaurants. Its the brotherhood. But I digress.
So I'm driving the drive home from Mammoth, with a friend I've know for 25 years, and we're talking...what else...women. And we get into the "age" conversation. And we start talking about honesty, and how (now dont get all pissed off - read through it) women almost force men to play games in a way. Let me explain. Most men are super straight-forward with what they want - but if they are too straightforward, women (especially younger) don't like it. They like the bad boy, the non-communicator, the guy that doesn't call 'em back, or that waits 6 hours before a text back. But see, guys know this. So instead of do what they are feeling, they instead are forced to play the manipulative role in order to keep it going - to keep her interested and on the edge of her seat. Now I call bullshit on this, because I try to be as honest as possible, even if it hurts. Doesnt mean I succeed all the time, but I try. So my friend, who is back in the fishpond after a 10 year hiatus asks me....

"Well what the F do I do then? Be honest and lose, or play the game and win?"

GD, thats a hard question.

SUBLIME w. ROME : Yeah or Nay

Now we all know Sublime, and if you didn't like them, you suck. They created a genre in my eyes, that people have been trying to copy/edit/make their own for the last 15 years. I saw Sublime in 95 and it was one of the worst live shows ever, as Bradley could barely play the guitar. I was going to school at Santa Clara, and it was in the student auditorium. Look back at it now and laugh....BUT, they put out some amazing, ground-breaking tunes, and the tunes are still going strong today.

So the question is - ROME WITH SUBLIME. Good idea or bad? On one hand, you say, look at Van Halen. David Lee Roth, then Sammy Hagar. Still Van Halen, both good, both different. But Sublime seems different. Sublime IS/WAS Bradley Nowell. At least thats how it feels to me. And Sublime with Rome seems more like marketing than the same band. What do you guys think of this latest incantation?

Temporary Personal Ban on Reflective Music

I realized something today. Its pretty basic. I tend to listen to slow, mellow vibe music, and although Im not a huge lyric guy (more focus on the instruments), the lyrics tend to be about life and everything being alright, and valleys, and peaks, and etc.etc. And you know what, whether you realize it or not, it sets your mood during the day. And lately i've been a little flat, so I've installed a temporary ban on this music in my life for a few weeks as a test. Like today. I went to update the website and I usually throw on Jay Nash, Josh Radin, Tyrone, Chris Pierce - some mellow cool shit like that - but I type slower, create slower, start thinking. So today I put on Dirty Heads (although wish they would play Saint Rocke over Brixton but oh well) and I was rocking it. Just getting it done. (didnt mean to plug, but did). So lesson for today to myself. You make your mood, you dont let the world make it. Its better that way. Turn it up!

New Dating Service

Anybody need a business idea? Someone should start a LIVE MUSIC DATING SERVICE. Check it.
Music connects alot of people - its pretty hard to drive in the car with someone thats playing sucky music; if you love Dylan, and she's playing Young Jeezy, no go. If he's playing Death Cab, and you hate emo, goose egg. So, this service lines up music styles, and single people into go with some sort of tricky signal that they are part of the this thing. See, a few things: 1. you already like the same music. 2. It's loud, so the initial talking is minimum (good thing, not bad thing). 3. easy escape routes. 4. depending on your mood of what type of girl (or guy) you like, you go to either a Sade love show, or a Courtney Love show where the guys liked to get walked on. genius i say. genius. and by the way, there is a revolution called SPEEDY starting. you'll see. And lastly, if you're not following the blog, start following because only blog readers getting tickets to our iROCKe shows in April (holy crap, the lineup is getting retarded).

Girl Surfers

Quick aside. Growing up in the South Bay, and growing up in the surf, I've always been a little wary of girl surfers. If you ask Speedy, he will give you 20 minutes & 2 pocketfuls of reasons why girls shouldn't be surfing - and he's one of the best surfers around this beach town. But I have to admit, I stumbled upon the girl character they call Holly Beck, whom I've know through name but never placed a face, and she actually has a pretty cool vibe, surfs pretty well (I think she attends her classes at Haggerdes, ah poor Hags), and is pretty freakin hot. Now, I will 100% approve when she outsurfs Troy at Hags, but until then, half nod. So, Im actually changing up my vibe a little. And, yes, for all the women shaking their head in disapproval, I know my approval means nothing, but its my blog and my bar, so I get to say whats on mind. And for what its worth, at least this male is telling the truth.

Finally...Finally...Finally...

There is this thing in small business that can be at times devastating, but at times the most amazing feeling there is. Its called momentum. With what I do, we have ideas floating around daily like flies in the office; we swat them around, some allude our criticism, some die by our critical hand. But in the end, there are always 1 or 2 left in the window sill, waiting for the window open so that they may be free to fly into the world. One such 'fly' in my office is the iROCKe streaming platform, which I have been trying to develop for close to a year. Like the article in the Easy Reader said, I've been trying to break down the walls of Saint Rocke - imagine our little old brick building being as big as the coliseum. Well, for the Rebelution show, it was. 133,000 people virtually in Saint Rocke. And so now the momentum has shifted and that rock that Sisyphus was pushing up the hill finally made to to the top...and for those reading, we all get to enjoy. In April we start our series officially, and the first band that just confirmed is NOFX. Now you guys might think, ok, pretty cool. But if you know the music business, for a band like NOFX to play Saint Rocke is like the LA Dodgers playing a game at Torrance High (no offense Saint Rocke, no offense Torrance). Saufua if you're reading this you're laughing. Chris is my good friend from the flatlands. Anyway, NOFX draws shows of 2000-3000 people, and they are playing a venue of 290. Hence momentum swing. In addition, we have Jim Lindbergh (former Pennywise singer) and our local favorite Colleen (pickupchick.com) hosting the show. And guess what, I got tickets for my blog readers. You guys were part of the negotiation. So, pretty soon you're going to see promo for 8 shows in April /May with bands that you would never think would play the South Bay. And on this little private blog here, we're all gonna hook it up and see some amazing shows. and we're going to see them free. thanks for reading, and go shift some momentum your way. aj.s

Small Business Mentality

Sure, I'd love to sit at an office desk, take meetings, and chill all day. Would love to stay at 80,000 ft, talk in macro ideas & concepts, and then assign people to plans and see what brainchilds are born. I can imagine the CEO of LiveNation now... a decision a day, mixed in with meetings. But when you have a small business, you play everything. Tonight for example, I will spend my Friday night at Saint Rocke filming ALO (which is a killer band by the way), then go to UCC make sure everything is smooth. And by the way, right now Im updating the blog (fun part) so that I can finish the email newlsetter we send out weekly (not fun part). But you know what - thats what small business is I guess - its the sweat, blue-collar work, that in the end you look back at and can appreciate, if you make it. So tell Obama and his crew to give us a break. Tell the CA labor board, and the workers comp union, and all the other people with their hands out, to chill. It's hard enough just making a business work in simple terms of supply and demand. Let us small business people do our thing, and in return, if small businesses survive and thrive, even though we scrape our knuckles doing it, maybe our country will survive too. (wow, was i just doting politically?) aj.s

Online Downloading - The Horror! The Horror!

So who have you have used Legalsounds.com or something like it? C'mon, just admit it. I have. And before having Saint Rocke, I didn't think twice about it. Fast forward to the other day. I haven't downloaded music in I-dont-know-how-long, but I decided it was time for a new album to listen to as I lay in bed at night trying to close the eyes. So I, through repetition, go to that website, and then I think to myself, wow, an album by Josh Radin costs 1.99? how the hell can someone charge only 1.99 for all the creativity, artistic endeavor, and originality that Josh Radin put into the creation of that album? Repeat $1.99. That is 3 Snickers bars, or a 9 volt battery...and for that Im getting 10 songs that I will listen to and will shape my emotions & thoughts for an indefinite amount of time. That leads me to a bigger issue...why, if music is the soundtrack to all of our lives, is the general public so willing to bootleg the artists that are behind it?

The worst part is this. It's overwhelming. It's like the Haitian earthquake. Millions of people read about the horror as they eat their cocoa puffs, and then they put the paper down, get on the 405, and listen to Ryan Seacrest talk about Simon & Idol. WTF (thats what the fuck?). And I found myself overwhelmed by the insanity of a Josh Radin album priced at 1.99, and then you know what, I downloaded it. Shame on me.

Authors Note: listen to Josh Radin. He's an awesome artist. And buy his album for the sticker amount to support him. After writing this blog, author went to his site and bought album for full price to make himself feel better.

She Sunk My Battleship

And by the way, for those out there having trouble in relationships, take heed. We feel you. I sunk another ship - can't even figure out who's fault it was though. Good question - Does it really matter at the end of a relationship to figure out who was at fault, if anyone?

Brand New Day

Just one of those days. Got to surf manhattan this morning, but the payback is that its 1245am, and I'm still working. And its all soooo important! yeah, right. you ever laugh at yourself as the anxiety is settling in, the nervous energy brewing, and you laugh because in the perenial bigger picture its really not that important. After all, I have a restaurant/bar and a venue...I wonder what Obama is doing right now. I bet he takes the blue ones every time. But alas, the work continues, and we confirm new artists, and we develop new stuff, and it can be fun. But the other day i was at Tyrone & Mark's show (Tyrone Wells on Sunday), on Sunday when I usually dont work, because I went to film them. And it was fun. I got lost in the music for awhile (see the clips at the end of this blog). And at the end of the show, after a great performance, Tyrone was outside talking to fans and signing autographs like a true fan-thankful artist; not too cool for school, no give-me-my-post-show-rider-pizza-and-hot-tea, no pay-me-im-out...instead, he was genuinely interested in the people that had driven miles just to see him play. And as I walked away, humble, I smiled. Music is alive.

http://www.justin.tv/s/oHEV75M/clip/60824f08e89db688

Marley Family & Saint Rocke

So the last time Julian Marley came into town, he needed a practice venue - somewhere to polish up the show before they played Saint Rocke and moved onto Australia. So I told the agent to send them over to Charlie's, a friend of mine that has a pretty cool studio over by the old PV Bowl on Crenshaw. Well, Julian and his crew enjoyed it, so when they came back out, they asked for the favor again - and Charlie was gracious enough to grant it. They played SR last night (sick show), but on Monday night I had the pleasure of going to see them rehearse. Now let me set the table...you show up in an industrial cul-de-sac, walk into the back lot of a chain-linked fence lot, where there are few stragglers warming their hands at the makeshift firepit, with the smell of you-know-what pungent through the night air, and as you make your way inside, there is an army of music loving reggae souls getting the space ready for julian to play. The best way I can describe my interaction was 'fly on the wallesque', which is what I love. Colleen, a friend (who by the way check out her classic website www.thepickupchick.com) came with me, and usually I would go alone - but in this case, it was more fun with her. Cool thing about her is that a long time ago, I totally blew trying to ask her out and putzed it, and because of that, there is no longer that nervous expectation in my head. Sounds odd, but then again...
Anyway, they start playing slowly, sharply, jaggedly, stopping and starting, calling out changes, and then a rhythm sets in. drums and bass connect, keys follow, guitar starts up, and they begin with Natural Mystic followed by Positive Vibration. And I start laughing. Cant stop laughing. Am I really here? Is this what it felt like to sit in on Bob's rehearsals in Kingston? I closed my eyes, and Julian's gruff voice resembled Bob's, but his energy and love for the songs seemed identical. And I listened for a few hours, lost in the classic melodies. And a story was born.

IROCKE presents: Tab Benoit

Watch live video from Saint Rocke Live Music Venue on Justin.tv