Video Killed the Radio Star
It's a fact: Nightlife in L.A. is better during the week. But it isn't always easy to find fun happenings to tide you over until you can play DVR catch up over the weekend. Luckily we were alerted to Music Video Night, a cool Tuesday night party at The Bar on Sunset, a small blink-and-you'll-miss-it spot on a random stretch of boulevard north of Bronson Ave. in Hollywood. Co-founded by Keith Patterson, the bass player of local band Red Arrow Messenger, and Kahlea Baldwin, daughter of actor Daniel, this intimate party was more fun than we expected.
Patterson sources a bevy of random, mostly old-school music videos that are screened on a wall in the bar. And with a good, loyal crowd and inexpensive drinks, Music Video Night is the perfect respite from usually uneventful and somewhat dreary Tuesdays.
This is what we found when we checked it out.
The Buzz: Truthfully, there isn't much. For us, this was an unexpected find courtesy of Patterson, who posted a reminder on a friend's Facebook page that piqued our curiosity. But judging by the fairly dense crowd, there is obvious traction among Patterson's friends and fans who never miss one of his usual live shows.
The scene: Dozens of twenty-somethings enjoying stiff, cheap drinks, good conversation and a little in-seat dancing with new friends and old. A diverse crowd of young creatives included toy designers, magazine writers, musicians and stylists. And everyone seemed pretty carefree while watching and listening to music that felt like the most amazing iPod shuffle session ever.
Think Blondie, Smashing Pumpkins, Jamiroquai, the Beastie Boys, Wu Tang Clan and Skee Lo. Patterson also played two equally brilliant versions of "This Must be the Place" — first by Miles Fisher and then the Talking Heads original. A crowd gathered in front of the screen to see Flight of the Conchord's hysterical "Ladies of the World" short, while Eric Pyrdz' "Call on Me" reminded us of dance parties in our college apartment and the days when YouTube, well, wasn't. Around 1 a.m. the crowd cheered for Spike Jonze's stunning '60s-themed dance spectacular for Bjork's "Oh So Quiet" and we decided to end our evening on a very high note.
The visuals: The Bar is as normal a bar as they come. It isn't a dive, per se. But the booths are pleather, the walls wood-paneled and the bathroom kind of smells. In other words, perfectly perfect for a Tuesday night outing.
The dress code: We spotted casual fashion that was trendy without trying too hard. Guys sported good jeans that weren't too tight, cotton tank tops, solid T-shirts and untucked large-checked button downs that somehow looked completely different than the hipster plaids were used to seeing a bit further east. The girls kept things simple as well in cute cotton dresses, gladiator sandals, wood-soled platforms and leather shorts. You could pretty much wear whatever you wanted here and likely feel that you fit in just fine.