Music Trip to Los Angeles, CA, Part 2

Sunday: I registered for the conference, and walked outside to check out the Walk of Fame, and a movie premier at Grauman's Chinese theatre. I ate dinner at a true Jewish Deli (Kanter's), and went next door to play the open mic...but there was no PA and only 6 people in the place, so I decided to wait to play another night. That was a mistake, because the other open mics I tried to find no longer existed.

Monday: I bought a copy of the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Ok...I bought like a copy from every available day. I flipped through the production schedule and was suprised to see that so much was still being filmed in LA...I thought it all went to Canada after the SAG strike. I went to the conference all day. It was cool--but full of introverted techno geeks like myself. I had an open mic picked out for the evening. I drove around for two hours, before realizing that I had bad directions. I got the check out the area, though...I cruised down Hollywood Blvd., Sunset Blvd., and Melrose Ave. I gave up on the open mic and ate dinner at Barney's Beanery, which was the coolest place I went to in LA. It was full of aspiring actors, session musicians, full-time wannabes, and the occasional player on the prowl. The Real World was on and Kendal apparently used to waitress at Barney's. It's a real earthy bar that serves chilli and burgers...it's been around since the 40's, and has played host to the beat poets, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, and God knows who else. They had Karaoke...and, although I hate karaoke, I must admit: it was some of the best karaoke performances I had ever seen. It was like watching Round 2 or 3 of American Idol.

Tuesday: Conference all day, music all night. Tonight, I attended the Film Music Composer's Forum where four film composers and an entertainment attorney talked about getting started in the film and tv music business. There were 300 peope in attendance. 270 of them were men. (I'm thinking, don't women write film music too??) I got a great packet of info. and I learned a few tricks. I networked a bit with some guys in the film composing major at UCLA. They have a live professional orchestra come in every other week to perform their pieces.

Wednesday: I met with the BMI TV and Film Artist Relations Representative. It was my Rock Star moment. Imagine: third floor, West Hollywood...Glass doors...fashion diva receptionist buzzes you in...you take a seat on the all white ultra-contemporary furniture. Very cool. She kept a copy of my music and gave me some great tips about getting started in the film music business. She was very nice after she saw that I wasn't a total nutjob. (I guess I fooled her!) I had dinner at a high-priced West Hollywood restaurant. People were spending money like water. It was the best food I had in LA--which is saying something, cuz everything was great..

Thursday: I flew home after another ride through Beverly Hills. I promised myself I would come back one day with Tracey. American Airlines served no meals and was late, so I had to eat running through the airport in Dallas. A fellow traveler commented on how they wouldn't even give her an extra bag of peanuts when she asked. Times is HARD! I was a bit freaked that I had to play a gig the next night, having not practiced...oh well, that's rock and roll!

Back to Part I

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