Adam Kurtz

Hard to believe it's already April. But it is. And it has been for 13 minutes already. And what have i accomplished in April so far? Hardly anything!

I've been in LA now for over a month, but i think in all fairness the clock should start now, now that I am in an actual apartment and it's the new month and because I say so. I'm sitting in my room in my apartment now, and things are spiffy. I just finished up a cover of Radiohead's "Bodysnatchers." Bodysnatchers is the song Mikey P tasked me to learn on guitar before my arrival (he was to learn Blackbird), and I learned it. Then I thought it only fitting to do a real cover of it as my first song in my new 'studio.' The studio is exactly the same as what I used to record Open Road (ProTools 8, a few mics, laptop, MBoxPro, etc), except for the critical addition of a MicroKorg. This MK doubles as a MIDI controller and sweet MF-ing synth. So my Bodysnatchers version is laden with MK noises. And I love it!

But enough about that. LA. In my pre-month I have accomplished a fair amount. I worked for a week on a real-live set, providing craft services to the cast and crew. I played my first LA gig, at the Viper Room acoustic lounge. Drew a large (relative) crowd, thanks to friends and friends of friends who came out and supported. Thanks, guys and gals! I found and moved into a sweet apartment in Koreatown.

When I left Maine, my self imposed task was to find the exact opposite of Portland - not because of any ill will or any such thing, but just because, that would truly be the next chapter. Something entirely different. Well - coming to LA pretty much provided that. But, you may say, yes, all well and good: location, opposite; climate, opposite; opportunities in the music and entertainment industry, opposite; ocean, opposite; palm trees vs pine trees, opposite; but language? not opposite, you are still in America. THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD SAY! But I trumped you, because I live in Koreatown, which for all intents and purposes is either Korea or some part of Mexico. Everyone is Korean or Hispanic, and speaks either Korean or Spanish. In this neighborhood, I am a minority. I walked around today and saw 2 other white people. I was looking for them, so i think the number is pretty accurate. I love it. I love the signs that are all in Korean; signs outside a restaurant that are all unfamiliar characters except a few numbers, like $9.99. So something inside costs $9.99, but damned if I know what it is. Maybe tomorrow I'll go in and find out! "Excuse me, it says $9.99 outside, just serve me that, and I will eat it."

So that's my hood. I love it. Sure, it's not as 'cool' as Silverlake or Echo Park, but I can drive my minivan over to those parts and hang with the cool kids whenever I want. I'm gonna stay here and learn Korean!

Other things I've learned about LA:

1) avoid left turns at all cost. Go around the block. I don't know, just make sure you don't have to take any left turns. One or two cars max go through the lights. It's brutal. And between 4-7pm you can't even take a left at some intersections. Best to just avoid the whole institution.

2) there's always something fun and free to do. ASSSCAT comedy night at UCB sundays. tapings of bands for talk shows (i saw Erykah Badu live yesterday for her taping of Jimmy Kimmel, thanks dilly dilly).

3) bands, at least the ones seeking members on craigslist, care about your appearance and having "the look" more than quality of music. my instinct is to chastise, but then again, look at what's popular; maybe they're on to something.

4) i now think it's cold when it's 53 degrees out. i almost shiver, even. what have i become?

5) if you need something, check the area 99c stores first. holy shit, there are so many 99c stores here, and I love them! things cost 99c!!!!

6) tap water is kinda gross. i'm a man who loves tap water. i even drank it in russia sometimes. but the tap water here is just funky. i may for the first time in my life become a guy who buys bottled water. but don't jump to judge yet, i haven't bitten that bullet yet. i do, however, feel rather dehydrated.

7) never drive to the sunset strip. terrible idea. meters are enforced until 2am and it's like $10 an hour at the meters, not quite, but might as well be.

8) you should always use your blinker, but it doesn't matter, people don't pay attention. i almost destroyed another car because it was a 2 lane road merging into a one lane, with cars parked in what would be the 2nd lane, i had my blinker on, merging left, the guy sped up on my left, but i had my blinker on, and i was like, i'm coming in, and he slammed on his brakes and his horn, and i gave him the look that said "hey, i had my blinker on, you knew i was coming in, so back the [expletive deleted] fuck up!"

9) everyone knows a cool thing that you don't about, and they cannot wait to tell you.

10) it would be really hard to be bored in LA. Being bored is almost a luxury. Almost like when it rains here. You get psyched. Today it was supposed to rain, and it didn't, at least not in Korea.