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

Perenial Debate

A super tough question: open on a holiday like christmas eve or christmas in order to help the business stay in business, and help everyone keep their jobs, or close on christmas and these holidays and let your employees enjoy the holiday with their families and loved ones? Thoughts?

FOR MY BLOG READERS

So, I know I like doing this more than people like reading it, but I hopefully some people do actually read this - and if you do, got some special news. We are going to be filming live, with the streaming platform I talked about earlier, on January 12 and closing to the public, and the band that we are streaming is XXXXXX. I cant tell anybody who the band is, and there are all sorts of people that would squash the little venue owner, but I do get a few names on the list to add (they get 90% of the list) - by the way, thats called having leverage in a situation. Anyway, if you'd like to come, email me at asanfy@aol.com and put the code BLOG in the message header, and I will give my tickets away until I dont have anymore. One thing though - and i wont be able to check so we're on honor system - forward my blog to your friends. See if they think its interesting. Alright then. Off to the Cirque show in Santa Monica.

New Years Eve

I know this might sound anti-business for me to say - but why is New Years eve always inevitably a letdown? I was talking with my friend today, and he said "NYE sucks unless you are with a girl that wants to kiss you." I paused, and thought, and then wholeheartedly agreed, but not for the reason you might think. I think everyone has a 10 second reflection on life when the ball drops, a promise for a better tomorrow, and chance at repentance, forgetting the bad that happened, and memorializing the good. And then after that quick reflection, you want to feel like you've got a partner in crime to start out the new year - a bud, a shoulder, a lover, someone thats focused on you right then and there. Then, its back to the partying. But no matter how good a party you're at, if you're the one running around at 11:50 trying to spot the only single guy or girl left in the place, pretty much you're f'ed. That being said, as I smile, what are some things I can do to make NEW YEARS more fun at both our places?? I personally think we have some kickass stuff going on (check out the websites), but Im always done for ideas. Anybody got any?

Life as a TightRope

When you own a venue, or a bar, or a restaurant, its pretty easy (actually really easy) to get caught up in the minutia. Our business is a cycle, a repetitive weekly cycle. On Mondays we start, on Sundays we finish, and on Monday we start all over again. We order our food, our liquor, our beer, our artists (booking), schedule our employees, review our performance, make goals for the next period, and then we start all over. Through this process, you can find yourself looking up, and the weeks simply become a number: 1-52. Then after week 52, comes week 1, new year. Besides making a living (which is essential but not primary - big difference), there are certain joys that come with our business. One of my mind is the people that work for Saint Rocke & UCC. 90% of my employees move on, are doing this in the short term, and I'd say 50% dont care at all about the business. But the other 50%, and the minority within that percentage, really do care, and they find themselves growing as people. When I see someone like that in our organization, I do my best to give them tools to grow, learn, and come away in a place they werent before. Ask a few of them - started as busboys, now they are in management. Its amazing (its actually how I started - Louises Trattoria, Riviera Bar & Grill, Molloys). But when the other thing happens, when you put effort and hope into an individual, and seriously take time and your emotion and pour it into someone turning the corner, it can be brutal when they turn their shoulder. Its happened to me, just happened, and will happen again. It brings up a good point in life: Most great occurrences in life, most meaning, is found in a place that can just as easily bring you negativity, as it can positivity. And I guess that's the tightrope of life.

Working with the City....MAN, Oh Man

So not sure if you've heard, but we partnered with the Mamma D's crew to open ROCKE SUSHI KITCHEN, down in Hermosa, at the old Club Sushi spot. I've been building and designing the restaurant, and tonight I have to go down to the City Council to plead with them to allow us to fix a mistake that was in our city documents when we bought it. I thought this would be an interesting topic, because when we opened Saint Rocke, we went through the gammet of the City, with the naysayers telling us that we were too loud, we couldn't operate, etc.etc. If you look at the door at the back of Saint Rocke, at the behest of one city council member, I had to put in a door that costs $9,000. FOR ONE DOOR!! It is made for an airplane, just so no sound could potentially leak out. Now Im not being politically charged here, but as this blog is about owning a venue, those potential venue owners beware....know the city, know the politicians, and konw what you're getting yourself into before you dive in. It's half the battle. And by the way, a bad economy doesn't do much on the scale of weighing into their decisions. So, check us out on cable tonight, and hopefully we'll make it through so we can serve you some sushi.

HOLY F .......Tuesday in December

Man, I gotta say we got some cool shit that Im excited for. When you run/own restaurants (ask anybody), you dont tend to like to go to your own place, because you can't have fun there. You can't "let down your hair" or guard, you get annoyed by little things like trash on the floor, you have to talk to people that are pissed off for some reason or another, you can't flirt with the bartender (keyword: sexual harrassment), and the sound is never just right. a little too loud, a little too soft, etc.etc. BUT I have to say, there are a few shows coming up that override my nuerotic idiosyncracies that Im going to FOR SURE. Top five upcoming shows and why:

1. Unwritten Law Christmas Unplugged. I f'ing love unplugged shows. Great songwriting, and the genius bleeds through the distortion. This is going to be sick. 12/13

2. Ellis Hall in December on Tuesdays. The only thing I can attribute this to is good karma since someone stole my surfboard in manhattan off the beach. I knew I had something good coming. Tuesdays in December. He is a modern day Ray Charles.

3. Justin Nozuka. Cant get that friggin "golden train" song out of my head. 11.25.

4. Chris Pierce + Amber Rubarth. CP has more soul than my favorite Vans. Amazing.

5. Justin Hopkins w. Katie Costello. LOCAL. can you say SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC?????

Hope to see you all there. Introduce yourself - would love to meet anybody that reads this gibberish :)

Allen

FIRST LIVE STREAM SHOW

This weekend, Jay Nash, will be our first artist to be a part of our live streaming show. Log on to www.saintrocke.com this Friday night at 7pm to check it out. Worldwide from the South Bay.