l.j.o.m.

THE LEXINGTONS, JIM PRIEST, KEITH NILES, SANTOROS - TOGETHER AGAIN IN ONE SWEET BAR!

2010-10-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

DEPRAVATHON 1: ANGELS VS. DEVILS! FRIDAY, JUNE 4TH!!!

2010-05-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

THIS SATURDAY 04/17 @ WHERE

2010-04-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

KEEP YOUR ORBS PEELED AND YOUR HEARTS ON FIRE

2009-12-30T23:03:00.001-08:00

DANIELLE GRILLI & BUFFY VISICK (and Her Mormon Organ) - TOGETHER AT LAST!

2009-11-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

drawing by david shane smith

THIS FRIDAY NOV 20th!!

2009-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

From L.J.O.M. Upcoming Dates

ESTIMATED TIMES:
9:00 - NILES
9:45 - LOS NOVOS
10:30 - JIM PRIEST
11:15 - THE LEXINGTONS

NOTE: THERE IS A $5 COVER

*

this one should be vaguely fun...

2009-10-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

From L.J.O.M. Upcoming Dates

THIS SUNDAY - 3 OF CLUBS!! 9 PM

2009-10-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE - WE'LL BREAK THROUGH THE BARRIERS OF WHAT WE WERE... Also to note: $3 cans of Tecate and Pabst/$5 well drinks, lights and PA, a cool fucking stage, and a lot of talented artists trying to get better at what they do.

FEAR NOT, THE FLAME IS LIT.

THIS THURSDAY, OCT ONE! 8:30 PM. DON'T YOU DARE MISS THIS ONE!!

2009-09-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

BUFFY VISICK AND HER MORMON ORGAN JUST ADDED!!

POEMME FATALES 3! THIS SATURDAY SEPT 26TH/8 PM/5 BUCKS AT WHERE!!

2009-09-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

FIVE BUCKS * OPEN BAR * BLAIR AND ESME * DJ LADYFINGERS * THE LEGEND GROWS

POEMME FATALES 2 - THIS SATURDAY!! 8 PM/$5 COVER/OPEN FRIGGIN BAR!!

2009-09-16T00:06:00.001-07:00

POEMME FATALES - EVERY SATURDAY IN SEPTEMBER AT WHERE!

2009-09-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

From poemme fatales

(PEGGY MISSED THE PHOTO SESH, BUT SHE'S IN!)

From poemme fatales

All Pics by Fred Turko

WHERE WE STAND

2009-08-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

been a while since last did we post. thought i'd let y'all know where we're at and where we're fixing to go next (and no those ain't Where jokes). short answer: I don't fuckin' know! to recap, the Open Mic had it's last show at The Little Joy on Sunday May 3. The reasons we left are multifold, we covered some of that in the first post. we have since done six shows - one an anniversary and the other five as part of our Summer Tour. yes it's a tour of cool local bars and spaces, always involving liquor and always an open mic. these have been, to a show, artistic successes. this is a clearly different entity than the Little Joy one, and I know it's a little confusing, but we're working it out, or rather, letting it find it's own new identity. right now it's more about a crazy talented group of people and a different venue each week and gathering a new audience - it's also a fuck of a lot more work! but we are fully committed to the tour, er The Tour. we don't know how long we can keep this shit up and maybe someday soon we will settle down and call a place home, maybe we will just call the "road" home and continue to roam this earth like axe-wielding huns. hope you will continue to support and participate and help and prove to the world how special and open an entity this thing really continues to be. everyone is welcome to have a drink and a laugh and throw down!

ALL FUCKING GODDAMN SUMMER!

2009-07-24T10:23:00.001-07:00

art by krista gall

THIS IS OUR NEW POSTCARD FLYER, brokered by the multifarious judas jim priest, and effected by his friend krista. one comment i got already: that's a great flyer, man. especially if this was like 1984... i like that! i'll take that. it kinda reminds me of a movie poster too... anyhoo i'm sorta johnny appleseeding these little fuckers around silverlake and EP... if you wanna help, let know.

THIS WEEKS TOUR STOP IS AT WHERE IN SILVERLAKE! as ever, liquor. we rocked the place to its foundations last time; this time we may just have to tear it completely to the ground!

FURTHER! FURTHER! FURTHER!

Little Joy Open Mic Refugees ON FIRE!! Stop 3 This Sunday July 19th at SHOWCAVE!!!!

2009-07-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

From L.J.O.M. Upcoming Dates

SHOWCAVE IS A COOL LITLE SPACE AT 1930 ECHO PARK BLVD - ECHO PARK AND EWING. THE SHOW STARTS AT 9PM. THERE WILL BE BEER AND I THINK WINE. ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT. GOOD PLACE TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT? BRING YOUR BONDAGE GEAR OR SOMETHING. OR JUST COME AND BATHE IN THE PURE ECHO PARKNESS OF IT ALL. SOMETHING.

STOP 2 OF THE LITTLE JOY REFUGEES WORLD TOUR - OPEN MIC SUNDAY JULY 5!!!!!

2009-07-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

From L.J.O.M. Upcoming Dates

OKAY I WAS LYING ABOUT THE RIDING BULL...

STOP 1 ON THE WORLD TOUR

2009-06-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

little joy open mic video from early 2008 pt. II

2009-06-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Voices from The Little Joy (part two) from Anthony M. Vieira on Vimeo.

another cache from this guy anthony m. vieira from 2008. he's up in the bay area now working on a bollywood movie he says, but promises more shit in the future. great shots of the bar as it used to be, of kenny-baybay! lumbering down sunset blvd towards the joy, leslie sans badgers, larry colker, etc... really good to see - thanks anthony!

new 4th anniversary cd and anthology!!

2009-05-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

From L.J.O.M. Art

we have released a CD an it's crazy GO HERE TO LISTEN RIGHT NOW and an anthology for the 4th anniversary of the little joy open mic!

they'll be available for a donation at the next open mic this sunday– and soon online.

(but where IS the next open mic going to be???)

little joy open mic 4th anniversary party

2009-05-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

From L.J.O.M. May 09

OKAY SO I DESIGNED THIS FLYER IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES AND THE THING’S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE BUT I THINK YOU GET THE GIST. CLICK ON IT TO GET A BIGGER VERSION.

THE MAIN THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM ALL THIS IS THAT THE PARTY IS THIS SUNDAY AND IT’S NOT AT THE LITTLE JOY.

THE UNINTELLIGIBLE PHONE NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM FOR BEDLAM IS (213) 909-1512.

THE GUY SAID PARKING ON SUNDAY NIGHTS SHOULDN’T BE TOO HARD. NOT THE NICEST HOOD BUT NOT THE WORST EITHER.

AND YES THERE WILL BE A *RAFFLE* TO HELP DEFRAY CD/BOOK/PARTY COSTS. (YAY.) IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE AS A PRIZE LET DANA (CO-PARTY PLANNER) OR MYSELF KNOW – HANDMADE OR OFFBEAT STUFF IS COOL TOO.

THE OPEN MIC ITSELF WILL HAVE ACTUAL MIKES AND A P.A., BUT THE SOUND GUY’S SAID TO BE REAL GOOD AND, FUCK IT, WHEN IN ROME... ‘TWILL STILL BE HOMEY AND QUIET PLUS AN OPP TO LEARN TO USE A MIC BETTER.

HAS ALL THE MAKINGS OF ANOTHER GREAT EVENING?

old open mic footage unearthed

2009-05-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

The Little Joy from Anthony M. Vieira on Vimeo.

weird, this vid just surfaced on the internet in the last week or two. these guys came in from calarts with cameras like one and a half two years back, then dropped off the face off the earth. so it seemed. i dig the stuff they caught, specially the bar shots, and will see if they have more...

note: we'll be airing not-yet-seen 3rd anniversary video for the next two weeks leading up to the 4th anniversary. some familiar mugs and some maybe not so.

niles christens site by ruminating endlessly

2009-05-09T21:58:00.001-07:00

sitting here saturday night imbibing more diet coke than any man really reasonably should and spitting sunflower seed shells into a plastic cup, still trying to get my head around the whole demise of the little joy and what it means and what i should do about it, it's interesting how it keeps revealing itself to my mind, interesting and heartbreaking and exciting all at once. fuck, i don't know... i never really wanted to know anything to tell you the truth but i guess sometimes you gotta sit down and try to hammer something down like you do know something so you can move on.

the little joy open mic was a special thing at a special bar in a special part of LA at a special time. it was based on this simple idea: No Promotion and No Amplification. this was not my idea tho i immediately realized the beauty of it and kept to it over our four year run, which wasn't always easy. this is chiefly why the artistic integrity of the thing remained high - you weren't preaching to the converted, you weren't here to pimp your act, you were here to get better and stronger as an artist. over time, there were a couple other things i came to believe: that no one is bigger than the show, that every one on that shabby little list is equal as an artist and a human being. and that this was a place to bring NEW SHIT, that old shit has a stank to it that every one in the room can smell, that if you are a writer you write. these notions have also always proved true.

so yadda yadda, what does that have to do with the purpose of this site, asshole? hey get off my back, i'm writing here, i'm figuring it out as i go along, trying to get a rhythm going, i got elvis rolling in from the livingroom, i got cats hopping around the room like fucking grasshoppers, you wouldn't believe this room, it's like a bomb went off in here, it's got a kacszynski vibe for sure... (now how much would you pay ladies?)

the purpose of the site, the purpose of the site, puposas and empanadas and tortas all stuffed with goodness, the purpose of this site is firstly to let you know what is going on with the immediate future of the little joy open mic.

here are a few things i do know:

THERE WILL BE NO OPEN MIC THIS WEEK. i'm sure you figured that out already. it's going to take a while to find the right place. hopefully next week there'll be something. right now i'm thinking we might go on a little tour and audition a bunch of joints til the one that is right reveals itself.

THE COMMUNITY WHICH HAS SPRUNG UP AROUND THE OPEN MIC IS A LIVING THING. said community has been a recent development in the history of the thing, and the artistry of these folks has risen to a level which i hold to be evident. moreover there is a social community which loves to party, hang out, hook up, smoke out, catch flicks, camp out, and generally ruminate on the vicissitudes of art and sports and chicks and dudes and music and politics and the open mic. this a lovely thing. there are a TON of events and venues and ideas springing up both with me and with others that will involve the colorful cast of freaks and miscreants which people this community. this site is partly for that purpose.

THE OPEN MIC IS AN ENTITY WHICH IS BY NATURE DISTINCT FROM SAID COMMUNITY. an open mic is a place where people go when they need a safe place to go to nervously get up before a small group of people and air what they've been hiding in their closet in an effort to express themselves. it should always be a place where strange people can walk in off the street and blurt out whatever the fuck they want. it is a place of miracle and invention and possibility and stink and reality. it's important that there is a possibility for this to happen.

god the tunes are really starting to gel, the moon outside is all heavy and full, there are strange cats hanging outside the window, it's almost like i'm high, damn it, damn this shit!

THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LITTLE JOY OPEN MIC IS STILL HAPPENING ON MAY 24TH 2009 AT AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION. this will be a huge blow-out so come with your guns loaded. there will be food and cake and NEW ANTHOLOGIES and a NEW CD and of course an OPEN MIC. (god willing!) i am weighing options currently and hoping for a place with a real open atmosphere where we can get a walk in crowd, but if not, fuck it, we'll do it up crazy nonetheless. please come out for this if you can. and please help out if you can - more on this later.

THERE ARE SEVERAL EVENTS AND PARTIES IN THE OFFING THAT WILL INVOLVE THE OPEN MIC COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS. i think this is one of the purposes of this site. some of the ideas i've been playing with are really exciting, a bit different than what i usually see around LA, and are partly about creating gigs that you can be proud to be involved in, i.e., not the same shitty old business as usual. i know many of you are way ahead of me in this regard. in this and all other non-open mic activities, i don't personally think promotion is a bad word as long as it is coupled with quality. who asked my opinion? I FUCKING DID!

THERE IS A PRETTY HUGE ARCHIVE OF STUFF FROM PAST OPEN MICS WHICH WE WILL BE POSTING ON THIS SITE. we got a ton of good video, pictures, drawings, recordings, etc. which we'll be gradually putting up on this site, maybe on an artist by artist basis. (i.e., buffy visick and her mormon organ are playing a gig in two weeks, we have Buffy Week, and feature her songs, videos, and wacky thoughts....)

THIS IS NOT A SITE ON WHICH TO EULOGIZE THE LITTLE JOY OPEN MIC. as artists we move forward. this entity is still alive and vibrant, and whatever energy coalesced to bring us all together is still alive and should be forward looking. (again, in my own fucking opinion.... i'm still piecing this all together....) once we get on our feet and steady ourselves, the site will open up so everyone can participate fully.

PLEASE COMMENT AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE SITE AND ALL THE HOOEY I BEEN SPOUTING. if you're like me, you're probably a bit sick of my voice, and after last week's adulation fest i don't blame you. i don't pretend to know all the answers, but i do have strong feelings on some of this, i guess particularly the open mic. like i say, i'm still processing, and every day and every conversation about things reveals new angles to the thing which help me through the process. maybe the same is true for you, maybe it ain't, let us know.

THANK YOU TO ALL YOU FUCKERS FOR BEING SO SWEET AND UNDERSTANDING DURING THIS UPHEAVAL. I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE YOUR HEARTS IN THE RIGHT PLACES AND HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO GREATER THINGS. our friend KC is administering this site, with the help of many of you, so i hope you'll contribute. you'll be hearing from me re: the anthology and other things via e-mail soon soon, like in the next two days, but once we get our feet under us, trust me i will shut my cunt the fuck up. carry on. niles