Time to hit the road, LA. After a tumultuous year of fires (both literal and figurative), rollercoasters (both literal and figurative) and a lot of damn good music, it's time to go explore the the country and myself...thanks for coming along for the ride...
www.hondacivictour.com
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Friday, July 9, 2010
When it finally hits...
Sabrina, Alex and I have been working around the clock since the fire Tuesday morning. While they've been dealing with the insurance company, investigators and lawyers, I've been scrambling to cancel some shows and find homes for others. One of my main concerns has been trying to help some of my bands keep their shows by moving them to other venues. It's been hard, as all of the venues with sound capabilities and capacities similar to us have long been booked out for this month. More meetings throughout this weekend and early next week...we'll see what happens.
Had a long talk with Bri (Sabrina) this morning. We both realized that neither one of us has been able to sleep. We're relieved that we had insurance, and our families are glad we'll be taken care of financially. But for us, that venue had become such a major part of our lives. Sabrina and I spent 80 hours a week for 2 years at desks 10 feet away from each other--joking, working, asking each other's advice on flyer designs, promoting tips, etc. Even during our meal breaks we would talk about bands and music. Dakota wasn't just our career, Dakota was a second home. It was a place we worked, we hung out at, we ate our meals at and everyone that worked there was family.
And now, Bri's desk doesn't exist. It was literally disintegrated in the fire. The wall behind my desk, where I had dozens of autographed event posters and thank-you letters from bands and managers, does not exist anymore. The space where my son, Ja-Ra, would play and nap while I worked does not have a ceiling and is filled with mounds of ash and charred wood. I keep thinking about how he would run through the venue during soundchecks, playing peekaboo with musicians and giving Alex and Brandon high-fives. It's all very surreal. I've wanted a phoenix tattoo for years...I guess it's time to get it.
Had a long talk with Bri (Sabrina) this morning. We both realized that neither one of us has been able to sleep. We're relieved that we had insurance, and our families are glad we'll be taken care of financially. But for us, that venue had become such a major part of our lives. Sabrina and I spent 80 hours a week for 2 years at desks 10 feet away from each other--joking, working, asking each other's advice on flyer designs, promoting tips, etc. Even during our meal breaks we would talk about bands and music. Dakota wasn't just our career, Dakota was a second home. It was a place we worked, we hung out at, we ate our meals at and everyone that worked there was family.
And now, Bri's desk doesn't exist. It was literally disintegrated in the fire. The wall behind my desk, where I had dozens of autographed event posters and thank-you letters from bands and managers, does not exist anymore. The space where my son, Ja-Ra, would play and nap while I worked does not have a ceiling and is filled with mounds of ash and charred wood. I keep thinking about how he would run through the venue during soundchecks, playing peekaboo with musicians and giving Alex and Brandon high-fives. It's all very surreal. I've wanted a phoenix tattoo for years...I guess it's time to get it.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sifting Through the Ashes
I was at the venue for most of the day today with the owners, Sabrina and Alex, Chris, our sound engineer Stephane, our head chef Joe and the insurance company. We spent the day sifting through the rubble and ashes and trying to see if there was anything salvageable. There wasn't much left. After a few hours, I couldn't stand in the venue for longer than ten minutes at a time, as the smell of smoke, ash, chemicals, etc. got to be too much. Was glad to leave around 4--especially since I got a flat tire on the way to the venue this morning, and I also had to deal with the Vegan Cafe throwing us dirty looks and asking when the parking spots would reopen (seriously?). Managed to wash most of the smell of building barbeque off myself and make it to West Hollywood for a meeting at The Roxy. The only thing keeping my head on straight right now are the hundreds of emails I'm getting from musicians and friends. Thank you to everybody that's become a part of my life; I hope I get to work with you all someday...more pictures and videos tomorrow. Got to get some rest now. Or rather, got to take a cpl shots of vodka and then rest.
Fire at the Dakota Lounge
This is the email that was sent out to over 2,000 people yesterday:
Late last night/early this morning (Tuesday, July 6), there was a fire at the Dakota Live Music Lounge that enveloped the venue. Luckily, nobody was injured in the fire, but unfortunately for us, the majority of the venue is now in ruins. The offices where our small staff of friends worked overtime since 2008 to build a company that brought independent and national acts to our intimate stage no longer exists. Our hand-painted mural at the bar that the owners worked almost every night behind is charred and every inch of what remains is now covered in water and soot. Whether it's luck or a force greater than us all, though there is no roof above it, our beloved stage is still fully intact. After an emotional meeting between the owners, Alex Fieglein and Sabrina Roark, and their Vice President of Booking, Heather Rae, they have decided to try to stay on track as much as possible and do whatever it takes to reopen the venue they all devoted their lives, and their life savings, to.
Late last night/early this morning (Tuesday, July 6), there was a fire at the Dakota Live Music Lounge that enveloped the venue. Luckily, nobody was injured in the fire, but unfortunately for us, the majority of the venue is now in ruins. The offices where our small staff of friends worked overtime since 2008 to build a company that brought independent and national acts to our intimate stage no longer exists. Our hand-painted mural at the bar that the owners worked almost every night behind is charred and every inch of what remains is now covered in water and soot. Whether it's luck or a force greater than us all, though there is no roof above it, our beloved stage is still fully intact. After an emotional meeting between the owners, Alex Fieglein and Sabrina Roark, and their Vice President of Booking, Heather Rae, they have decided to try to stay on track as much as possible and do whatever it takes to reopen the venue they all devoted their lives, and their life savings, to.
We thank all of you for the support that has poured in since the incident this morning and we ask that you all please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to rebuild this historic venue. It's been said that the greatest moment in music is the second just after the last note has been played, the silence when the listener can fully take in and appreciate the experience that the music has just brought to them. Our stage has held the music of both household names and the local singer-songwriter, music has been played for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. And though there is only silence now, maybe we can take this time to all appreciate the experience...and hope for the time when we can listen again.
Please feel free to contact myself, Rae, with any questions, either at this email address (rae@dakotalounge.com) or at my new cell phone 310-873-8601. The three of us are still working hard and will do our best to open our doors to all of you, our Dakota family, very soon.
Peace,
The Dakota Lounge Family
Heather Rae
VP Booking & Promotions
Dakota Live Music Lounge
1026 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
P: 310.393.8200
C: 310.873.8601
F: 310.496.2694
rae@dakotalounge.com
dakotalounge.com
VP Booking & Promotions
Dakota Live Music Lounge
1026 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
P: 310.393.8200
C: 310.873.8601
F: 310.496.2694
rae@dakotalounge.com
dakotalounge.com
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