You have a very different studio approach than others, tell us about it.
The studio is meant for recording. Once I've stepped in the studio I am one hundred percent ready to record. No papers, no pen, no cell phone. Whatever verse I am about to record is already memorized. I go straight to the booth and get it in. It's not my thing to brag about making fast music because it's not about how fast you make a song, it's about the quality. I've just trained myself to make quality records in a timely manner. Give me eight hours of studio time and I'll give you eight to ten songs. Problem is finding an engineer who can keep up with me (LAUGH).
Chet's Pick Of The Week:
While I was thinking of what I suggest you all do this weekend, a couple things came to mind. While I demand you relax and enjoy your days away from the grind, I was also pondering the situation going on across the street from you all in Miami in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill that's been splashing across the front pages of every news agency this week left me considering how we all can enjoy ourselves for a green-invoked weekend. Along the way in research-land, I found a great spot for you all to enjoy yourselves while keeping up with the eco-friendly theme of Chet Settin' this week. Take your gas-guzzler hybrid over to Karma Car Wash & Cafe and get your wheels shined while you enjoy a cool stout as well as a wide selection of tropical, organic coffees and specialty tapas, relaxing in the shade.
Chet's Pick Of The Week:
With oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico dominating this week's newsy headlines, I have a few things on my mind. The first being about the weekend guide and where I think everyone should be, and the second being the changing dynamic of what we all consider to be "hip," and "trendy." So, to fuse together the eco-disaster down south with the effervescent nightlife we all need and love, I request your presence at Ecco Nightclub in the flashy and trend-filled Cahuenga Corridor. With valet parking for your hybrid and solar-powered rooftop lighting, Ecco is built green from the foundation up. I thought it would be as good a week as any for us to get out and go green. Tweet about your thoughts at @JoonbugLA and let's see some pictures from your glowing green night at Ecco.
In the shadows of segregation and under the biased fears of ignorant misunderstanding, the cast of Memphis spectacularly illuminates the charisma of the 1950's South through the underground sounds of early rock and roll. It is the wind blown love story of country boy barfly turned national television DJ, Huey Calhoun and the woman he loves, Felicia Farrell, a "race music" celebrity from the other side of town. The colorful story of black versus white and the cosmic realignment of the soul through a new age of music captivates awestruck audiences in Manhattan's world-famous theatre district each night at the Shubert Theatre.
Chet's Pick Of The Week:
This is the place to be on Wednesday night. So, you're thinking Tea Room and getting images of Queen Elizabeth holed up in her sitting room in Buckingham Palace right? You're furthest from the truth. You'll want to show your face before the clock strikes twelve though. And, speaking of faces, the owners better know yours or your chances of getting in are slim.
Tucked away in a slender passageway behind the main stage in H.Wood, The Tea Room certainly defies every cliche image you have in your head. It's a who's who of the celebrity scene coming straight off the movie lots and into their best Armani suit for a night of hob knobbing with the world's loveliest. The cocktails are strong and guest list is short, so my recommendation is to buy your way onto a barstool at H.Wood proper first, and work your way into the tightly knit circle that most Tea Rooms are. You can do it, if you do it right!
With an impressive foreward by client Jennifer Lopez, celebrity stylist and makeup artist will premier his first book "About Face," in Miami on Thursday April 29, 2010 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. The stylist will be speaking on his inspiration and his secrets on how every woman can achieve cosmetic perfection at his premier launch event at Books & Books at the Bal Harbour Shops on Collins Avenue. Be sure to stop in and get an expert opinion on your look and how to glam up your style for any occasion.
KISSES disco project highlighting Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmunson will premier on April 27, 2010. Kivel brings much of his songwriting inspiration from his time as a travel writer where he reviewed hundreds of exotic locations across the globe. The pair styles their hits after cult disco and remixes their beats to broadly interpret everything from today's Top 40 to trance and house blends. The 7" Single Release Party for title track "Bermuda," will take place at Origami Vinyl on the 27th.
Playhouse is, by far the most evolutionary nightlife experience in Los Angeles. After walking down the dimly lit hallway, the bar opens up as if it's swallowing you into a circus of modernity. The drinks are typical of Movie-Land with names garnished after your favorite pictures of all time. Your bartender extraordinaire is also a professional trapeze artist who will swing and sway as he pours your cocktail of intensity. Located in LA's famous Fox Theatre, Playhouse is befitting of a socialite's paradise. Thursday nights are for the most glamorous names in Hollywood, and should be at the top of your list of places to attend for a twilight schmooz. Follow your childhood fantasies into this magical land of flipping and turning and enjoy a mix of drinks and entertainment.
Wonderland
1835 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 957-1599
The glitter of the bar and the potted plants of the Red Queen's palace create a magical Wonderland of nightlife and revelry. In Hollywood, clubs are in competition for one thing. How to get the best faces and the biggest names into one place. Wonderland is a whacky-themed oasis with just that. The club has a retractable roof for those breezy summer nights in LA and serves as a hotspot for a roladex of rotating DJs. Drinks are named after the venue's namesake and will leave you feeling like you've taken a trip into a psychedelic rabbit hole yourself.
Overlooking Hollywood Boulevard, you'll find the glitz and glamour of the days of old Tinseltown inside Drai's Hollywood nightclub. Drai's offers dining under the facade of a silvery moon and dancing on an orbital themed floor. The Vegas spinoff brings a shimmery affection to the glory days of filmmaking and gives a modern twist on the Hollywood style of yesteryear. The club is complete with a pool and dimly lit VIP section for gazing abover the crowd as the beats entrance a packed house many floors below. Complete with bottle service until 3am, this is a must see for party hoppers and a place to be seen by your celebrity counterparts.