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| RJ Bloke |
As you might already know, RJ Bloke (Jay Souza) is heading north at the end of the month, leaving Los Angeles to make his new home in Portland, Oregon. But he had booked a few last shows before the move, and last night he played a set at Audio Graph Beer Company, in downtown L.A. It was part of the Big City Camp Fire music series, which is held at that brewery monthly, hosted by Rob Faucette. Last night's lineup also included Emily Zuzik, whose new EP,
Age + Alchemy, is certainly worth checking out. It was an excellent night of music and beer, one of my favorite combinations.
Whenever you go to a brewery you haven't visited before, there is always that question of which beers to try because they're all new to you. I often choose by the name. That's how I ended up getting turned onto Flying Circus at Wingwalker Brewery (a place that is no longer open), for example. So I was leaning toward a hazy IPA called Spectral Blur, but the bartender steered me to a west coast IPA called Overdrive (one I would not have chosen based on its name). It was so delicious that I ended up sticking with it for the rest of the night. The staff and the patrons were friendly, and the place had a good atmosphere. The seating was on what felt to me like the Playskool versions of picnic tables, but they served their function adequately. The baseball game ended before the music began, so there wasn't that competition between artist and television. This music series, by the way, began in February, so it hasn't been around all that long.
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| Rob Faucette |
At 7:14 p.m., host Rob Faucette started things off with a short set, kicking the night off with "Damn Old Heart." And the first lines grabbed me and made me laugh: "
She don't matter no more/Now my quarrel's with you." This was my first time seeing him perform, and I immediately loved his music. Isn't it great when you know right away that you're in good hands? Rob followed that with a cover of "A Few Old Memories," a Hazel Dickens song, and then told the audience, "
I have two albums coming out someday." He mentioned that his next song will be on the second of the two, maybe coming out next year. That song, "Like A Shadow," featured the line "
Like a shadow that wasn't there yesterday." And if this one song can provide an indication of what these two albums are going to be like, they are definitely discs I'll want to add to my collection. That was followed by "Stromness," named after the town in Scotland. He then wrapped up the set with "Son Of A Witch." Halloween is coming up, after all. I appreciate the
Macbeth reference in the song. "
Double double, I'm in trouble/My fire won't start, and my cauldron don't bubble." But the line that especially made me laugh was, "
I turned my pet frog into my sister."
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| Emily Zuzik |
That set ended at 7:33 p.m., and four minutes later Emily Zuzik was on stage, ready to go. No wasting time between artists at this music series, apparently. She mentioned Rob's witch song, and then joked that she was dressed like a witch herself. She opened her set with "Between Midnight And Memphis," a song from
Age + Alchemy. What a strong vocal performance! The crowd cheered as she belted out certain lines. I love when a crowd is involved like that. She followed that with "Easy," which is also from the new release. Both of those first two songs were co-written with Ted Russell Kamp, as was the next song, "The Case For Slowing Down." In introducing that song, Emily said it's about getting older and looking over your life, "
which is kind of the central theme of that EP." She followed that with "How'd You Get So Good," a song from
The Wild Joys Of Living, and one that came about through "What's In A Name," a songwriter's challenge that she hosted (which itself got its name from Juliet's famous speech in
Romeo And Juliet: "
What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other word would smell as sweet"). Songwriters would be given one word, and then get together to perform the songs they'd written around that word or theme. The word for this particular challenge was "change." This was around the time that Obama was president, she informed the audience. "
Remember that?" Ah yes, it feels like a century ago. The country he presided over is gone. Emily Zuzik next chose "Trouble," from her
Torch & Trouble album. "
Something's gotta give, something's gotta change."
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| Emily Zuzik |
"
So I promised a spooky song," Emily said, and then delivered the captivating "Ernst Kirchner." This was probably the set's most beautiful performance. She followed that with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "One Step Up," a song from
Tunnel Of Love, and then returned to
Age + Alchemy for "Taking A Walk." "
It's about falling in love," she said in introducing it. She delivered a delightful rendition. For the last song of her set, she asked the crowd if they'd prefer a quiet or rocking song. People predictably called out for a rocking song, and she obliged with "Motels," which, like "How'd You Get So Good," comes from Emily's
The Wild Joys Of Living album, and like "How'd You Get So Good," was the result of one of the "What's In A Name" challenges. The word that time was "motels," and Emily joked that the group ended up with a lot of dirty songs. "
This is mine," she said. "
And all those dirty little things that I do/Are things I'm done doing to you." Her set ended at 8:21p.m
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| RJ Bloke |
RJ Bloke was on stage before 8:30 p.m., jokingly telling the crowd, "
If you saw me Saturday at Frogtown Brewery, this is the same set, same ad libs." He mentioned his move to Portland, coming up in two weeks, and then started his set with "Be Happy." This song has a somewhat different vibe in his solo shows than at Patrolled By Radar shows, and he delivered some nice work on harmonica. I thought this show was his penultimate Los Angeles show, but he mentioned one other show I hadn't been aware of, that being at the Hotel Cafe on the 26th, though there he will be one of many performers that night, so not delivering a full set. The last show will be at Bigfoot West on the 29th and then the "
movers come on the 30th." He followed "Be Happy" with one of my favorite songs, "Coat Of Disappointment," which was inspired by a man whose wife had died. If you are not familiar with this song, I highly recommend checking it out. It's on the Patrolled By Radar
Be Happy album, released in 2011. "
I sat and cried last night/Before the stone that bears her name/I planted a flower in the rain/Now I'm waiting for the sun." "
So generally someone dies in every song," Jay said afterward. "
Generally." About the next song, he then said, "
I wrote this one for my dad when he was on his death bed." That song, "Fast Life Slow Death," is another of his best, and is another that is included on
Be Happy. That is an album that should be in every music fan's collection. And I don't mean streaming; buy the CD.
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| RJ Bloke |
"Better Than Then" followed, with the line "
Mother Earth does not love us anymore." Ah, can you blame the ol' gal? He then played "God Is A Scarecrow," afterward saying, "
Someone dies in that song somewhere, probably in the fire." When he asked the audience, "
Do you want to hear a Beatles song?" someone called out, "
As long as someone dies, Jay." "
It's implied," Jay replied, and played "She Said She Said." And, indeed, it is, for this song has the line, "
She said, 'I know what it's like to be dead.'" That was followed by "A Sailor's Mind," a song from the RJ Bloke solo album
Hold Drugs Dear, released in 2023
. "Fill me up with/Beer and liquor." That line seemed appropriate. When introducing "El Norte," Jay said, "
I wrote this when Bush was president." He added: "
And nothing has changed. It's just gotten worse." After the song, he casually gave a deserved Fuck You to ICE (not that any of those bastards were in the audience, of course; fascists don't listen to good music), and then said playfully, "
Anyway, I'm here to distract you from your troubles." The next couple of songs were included on
Hold Drugs Dear: "I Feel Found" and "All You Need Is Enough." "
This is the closest thing to a true love song that I've ever written," he said when introducing "I Feel Found," and then mentioned the plastic picnic tables, saying such things aren't allowed in the Portland area. The line from "All You Need That Is Enough" that stood out last night was "
Children singing without fear." He wrapped up his set with a great, raw rendition of "Widow Next Door." His set ended at 9:11 p.m.
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| Rob Faucette |
Six minutes later Rob Faucette was back on stage for the final set of the evening, opening it with "Permanent Kisses." "
I have another accidental Halloween song," he told the crowd after that one, introducing a song he wrote after his dog died and he wanted his dog to haunt him. And when he momentarily forgot the lyrics, he said he was convinced that's how he's being haunted. He followed that with "Everything I've Got Is A Bad Idea" and then "Higher Than I Want To Be," the latter, he said, being based on a true story. Oh yes, we've all been there, right? I suspect some of us will be there again soon. "Back Step" was a really sweet song. "
Watch the stars and breathe." Rob followed that with a nice rendition of "Can't Forget," the Yo La Tengo song. He introduced "Sadness Of The Suburbs" as his mother's favorite song, a song he wrote in his twenties. And, yes, it's a good song, with some catchy elements, particularly in the vocal line. That was followed by "Great Golden Lounge In The Sky" and then "Costume Cowboy." "
This is a Halloween song," he said when introducing "Costume Cowboy." The song is a play on "Rhinestone Cowboy," with the first line being "
I've been trick-or-treating so long" instead of "
I've been walking these street so long." After that song, he asked if there were any requests, and someone shouted out "M-R Ducks." And so that became the final song of the night. It's the title track to an album by Rob Faucette And The C-Words, an album he happened to have for sale on vinyl. Now if you'd ever had the misfortune of stepping foot in my cramped apartment, you'd say that the last thing I needed to do was buy more records. But I enjoyed Rob Faucette's set and wanted to take some of the music home with me. And when I was informed the record was on blue vinyl, well, there was no chance I wasn't buying a copy. Th show ended at 9:51 p.m.
Audio Graph Beer Co. is located at 1203 S. Olive St. in Los Angeles, California.
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