So, the Detour fest was fantastic, not only for the diverse bands & music that were showcased, but, IMHO, for the opportunity to stroll the streets of Downtown LA with no traffic, hearing the thundering music ricocheting off city hall and the downtown court buildings. Seeing giant moving projections traveling across the pinnacle of city hall itself was amazing, lighting the Dragnet signifier with a mist of blue and red. I love this city and I love how this event can transform LA’s most rigidly patrolled and crowd-controlled area into an anarchic stroller’s paradise, complete with all the trappings: drunk 19-year-old girls barfing, jr.-high-school-age boys walking around in skinny jeans like stick figures with big heads, people skipping down the streets to the music, older rockers in their glam finery strutting the middle of the street like glittery peacocks, etc.
But I actually haven’t sorted all my thoughts, or my photos, just yet. So bLA contest winner Ric Sarabia wrote up HIS impression of the event. I’d like to do this more in the future, hear back from our winners to see what they thought of things. Here’s what Ric the Winner had to say:
Amanda and I hopped on the Gold Line from Highland Park Saturday afternoon and got off at Chinatown where we strolled over to Phillipe’s for French beef bleu dipped sammiches. We strolled on down to the festival arriving just as the Aggrolites took the stage. Tight, happy ska – they looked sharp all dressed in red bringing an irie vibe to this downtown intersection at 3pm. It’s so awesome to get people rubbing shoulders on the streets around city hall for this party. Great buildings.
We wandered around looking at the merch and ferris wheel and ended up lolling on the grass by the south stage with mango/banana smoothies as the Deadly Syndrome played a nondescript set while we waited for the Ed Banger crue. When we arrived at the plaza stage Franki Chan was spinning. He’s so tiny! The audience was definitely ready for Ed Banger and would go into a frenzy when Busy P or Kavinsky was spotted necking with their hunnybuns back behind the stage.
Ed Banger comes at you like a fuckin’ spider monkey…
Justice photo courtesy Gustavo via Creative Commons.
(More on Ed Banger, Kinky, Satellite Party, Teddybears, Justice & the ride home after the jump.)
Continue reading Detour Fest : A bLA Winner Sounds Off →
I’m freshly off the plane from Seattle, still reeking of ozone-rich air and pine trees and rain, but I have to remember to tell you guys–HEY! OMG! We has ticketz! To Battles! At the Fonda! Tomorrow night! And like anarchic icing on the cake of Rock, they play with locals No Age, worth seeing all by themselves and whose DIY art-attack approach to….well, everything (not just music) is really inspiring.
The good folks at The Jim Henson Company have offered up a pair of tickets for this Friday’s Puppet Up! Uncensored for one lucky blogging.la reader.