2009

The Sunset Strip has you covered this New Year’s Eve, whether you are looking for a rockin show, casual drinks with friends, multi-course dinner with live jazz, or all of the above!
 
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
New Year’s With The Head Cat at Viper Room
8852 Sunset Boulevard | 310.652.7869 | www.viperroom.com
The Head Cat featuring Lemmy (Motörhead), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and Danny B. Harvey (Rockats, 13 Cats, Lonesome Spurs). Tickets are $35.

#NYEROX With Mike Posner at The Roxy Theatre
9009 Sunset Boulevard | 310.278.9457 | www.theroxyonsunset.com

Since the doors opened in 1972, The Comedy Store on The Sunset Strip has been the premiere venue for breaking new comic talent. Ever the industry leader, “The Store” has recently asserted itself as a pioneer in its use of technology, in particular social networking tools, to market their business. Alf LaMont, The Comedy Store’s director of marketing and development is the man behind the scenes ushering the landmark club into a new era of viral and community based marketing. With The Strip’s third Tweet Crawl set to take place this Friday, Dec. 18, there’s no better time to get to know this comic genius.
 
 
How did you get your start at The Comedy Store?

The popularity of the The Sunset Strip’s (@thesunsetstrip) Tweet Crawls over this past year, [club crawl + Twitter community], have grown so much that now The Strip has decided to throw a Holiday Party for their followers. This time the Tweeps can celebrate along America’s most notorious Boulevard with an evening of events and special offers at several of the businesses, all while donning their favorite Holiday attire – ugly sweaters encouraged.

Missed the live feed Dec. 5? Don’t fret, you can catch up on the action now. Episode features Mark McGrath, David Faustino, Nylon Pink and more!

The lights are always bright on The Sunset Strip. Spread some holiday cheer with a month filled with amazing live music, holiday parties and special dinners.

Dec. 3
Lost Patrol at Whisky A Go-Go
8901 Sunset Boulevard | 310.652.4201 | www.whiskyagogo.com
Show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.

Dec. 4, 11 and 18
Camp Freddy at The Roxy Theatre
9009 Sunset Boulevard | 310.278.9457 | www.theroxyonsunset.com
Camp Freddy and friends take over The Roxy Friday nights through December. Tickets $20.

Weeks and even months before any band hits the stage, a lengthy and often tedious process of negotiation has already taken place behind the scenes. The skill and “pull” of a club’s talent booker can make or break their business. Booking is a challenging mix of balancing budget, networking, having a good ear and a fair amount of luck. The Roxy Theatre’s Megan Jacobs is one of those talent bookers making magic happen behind the scenes.

Jacobs has booked talent at The Roxy Theatre for the past four years. Starting as the assistant talent buyer, she and the team at The Roxy have made the legendary venue a current, thriving club on The Sunset Strip.

New York-based glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons have steadily made a name for themselves in the club scenes on both the East Coast and the West Coast, building their fan base one show at a time with their electric live performances. Jewelry designer turned outrageous frontman Justin Tranter captivates audiences with his provocative stage presence and titillating theatrics. Get to know one of the most exciting and glamorous performers on the scene today.

How did the band form?
We have all been friends for a long time. We met in music school in Boston, and then moved to NYC. NYC was a lot more boring than we thought it was gonna be, so we decided to start a filthy fucking party band to make the city what we wanted it to be.

The Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) has secured its dates for 2010: Thursday, August 12, Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14.
 
The third annual festival will kick off August 12 with a tribute to a Sunset Strip icon. In 2008, SSMF honored Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and Elmer Valentine – all whom helped create the vibrant music scene on The Sunset Strip – and in 2009 SSMF honored rock icon Ozzy Osbourne.
 
Like this year’s event, which took place Sept. 10-12, SSMF 2010 will include a street festival on Saturday between San Vicente Blvd. and Doheny Drive. The street festival includes performances on outdoor stages as well as live music in the clubs within the closure, street vendors and interactive entertainment experiences.
 

A handful of upscale restaurants along the notorious Sunset Strip, which stretches 1.3 miles through the heart of West Hollywood, are offering specially priced three-course meals over the next week as part of the dineLA Restaurant Week Event.
Restaurants participating along The Sunset Strip are:

Asia De Cuba $$$
BLT Steak $$$
BOA Steakhouse $$$
Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood $$$
Katana $$
Ketchup $
Restaurant at Sunset Marquis $$$
RH Restaurant and Bar $$

Diners can select one of three choices for each course including appetizer/soup/salad, main course and a dessert.

What goes on behind the scenes of the notorious Sunset Strip? Who are the people that really run the show; the movers and shakers that keep the wheels of Sunset turning? And what are the tales they have to tell? This new series of articles will give you an insider’s look at the real Sunset Strip through the stories of those who know it best.

Tommy Black has been slinging drinks at the Viper Room for more than 8 years now. Having been in a number of successful bands from Sparkler to Palo Alto/Golden State and now Scott Weiland, the Viper often touts him as one of their “Celebrity Bartenders” (a phrase coined by former talent buyer Joe Rinaldi). Get to know your favorite silky haired bartender/bass player a little more…

Can you take us through the early days of arriving in L.A. and getting into the music scene?