Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
It’s only been a couple of months since I’ve hung out with 100-percent skate rocker Eddie Solis but in his case that may as well be a lifetime. His two-man hardcore band It’s Casual has a bunch of listening parties and killer shows coming up (including on this Sunday at The Vex with Black Flag and Good For You), his hometown-centric radio show Los Angeles Nista (with guests including local musicians, skaters, artists, entrepreneurs, and politicians) is taking off, and he even has a photography show coming up in Santa Ana. What! I had to get the scoop, and met my friend this morning in beautiful Echo Park.
In the old print magazine, Eric and I used to give our Top 10s about everything that we had been checking out or into during the production of each issue. The lists could be random, ranging from what was on Eric’s thoughts on business to me being a new parent, with art, music, cinema, and other things in between. This was always done at the last minute, and it turned out to be one of the magazine’s most popular sections. It allowed readers to get to know our personal interests, habits, and happenings and, in turn, get to know us pretty well–even more than the articles which were pretty transparent anyway. On the same page, we’d ask friends and contributors to provide more highly edited Top 5s within a specific theme (favorite vegetarian restaurants, must-have art supplies, best starting five basketball players, etc.).
This is kind of in-between the self-indulgent Top 10s and the tighter Top 5s, mixed with music reviews.
The only other time I put together a show was a San Diego Comic-Con party with Flattbush, Upsilon Acrux, and The Binges with DJ sets by Free The Robots way back in 2009. Looking back, that was a pretty rad lineup! So it makes sense that Bradley from Flattbush would facilitate my second-ever gig. He serves drunks at Alex’s Bar but also books shows now and then. This one came together at the last minute and I am very grateful to my friends who put themselves out there during the deadest part of the holidays to take part.
