When I read in the online edition of the Los Angeles Times a few days ago that the biggest storm system since 2005 was about to enter California, I was a bit concerned about whether or not the weather was going to keep me from attending the party for my radioshow. I thought, “How the hell are things gonna be if I don’t show up for my own party?” In the end, I was more concerned about getting through the drive than I was about my resolve to get there.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only person with similar resolve.

For that, it made me all the more impressed by people who traveled near and far to attend the Urban Landscapes 10th Anniversary Party at the Mountain Bar in Chinatown L.A. Having left San Luis Obispo at 4pm. Friday afternoon, it wasn’t long before darkness settled in. The rain had made itself present throughout most of the day, and during the drive it was raining in sheets. The wind also did its thing, seemingly pushing itself against my car. I had to drive steady, and needed to kill the music so that I could focus on the 200-mile drive to L.A. I had to change plans a bit, but I made it to the venue at around 8:30pm–a half-hour before the event’s scheduled start time.

That’s my story. Others have had their stories of driving in the weather too. One person drove down from Santa Cruz (near the Bay Area) just to meet me and attend the event; several KCPR DJ’s came through to join us, quite a number of them arriving directly from San Luis Obispo (that deserves major props); a couple of DJ friends arrived from San Luis Obispo too, but not before, one of them mentioned, passing at least three overturned vehicles on the way down. For all of those who braved the drive, I wholeheartedly salute and respect both your resolve and your presence.

I also must give respect to the party’s performers for coming through: the band Forward Motion; the DJ’s…Foniks, Mawkus (showin’ off his new found hip-hop skillz), Don Guapo (soulful house forever), Plan 9, and our headliner Jeremy Sole (a very down-to-earth person for someone who’s earned major respect in L.A.).

Big ups to producer Yosaku for attending as well. He’s a really cool person to chat with, and I’ll drop some music from him on the next show.

I want to extend my thanks to everyone else…from the people who took time out of their Friday night to brave the weather and join us, to the cool staff of the Mountain Bar who helped us out when the need arises.

Finally, I need to give major respect to the man who’s worked tirelessly to make the event happen: the resident DJ/planning of the Voodoo Lounge DJ Abstract Butta Fingas. The event wouldn’t have been possible without both the diligence and tenacity to bring everything and everyone together.

And in case you’re wondering, I passed on spinning that night. We’ve started a half-hour late, and hip-hop had already kicked in. My slower tempoed records wouldn’t have stood a chance at that juncture, and I was cool with that. For those of you that were hoping to see me in action, my apologies. You’ll have your chance in due time, y’all.

Expect a few more events to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary in the near future. Details coming soon.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Categorized as:News> Tidbits

Posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 11:04 pm You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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