2018: January 26th 9:19 AM (by way of 11:37 PM)

Converge at The Regent - awesome band, awesome show. Here's a break-down of my night in Downtown LA - still the filthiest city I've ever seen in my life:

-Drive to Hollywood after work and meet up at Keller's place

-One last Americano before the show to help buoy my up-since-four-AM-arse

-Drive to DTLA, stare aghast at the post-apocalyptic landscape - as Keller mused, "It's an abandoned city"

-Walk three blocks to The Regent. The Regent is owned by Spaceland, who now own/book the Regent and the two places on either side of it, Prufrock Pizza and The Love Song Bar. We had some pizzas and a pitcher of Stone IPA at Prufrock, then further avoided waiting in the massive entry line by walking over to the Love Song Bar, where they had Abita Amber on tap (Not my favorite Amber but I needed a break from the IPA mouth) and were spinning The Kinks on vinyl over the sound system. Halfway through the first pint local LA band Spain began a set of some of the most wonderfully jazz-tinted indie rock I've heard in years. We stayed for three songs and then...

-Go into The Regent just in time to see Sumac's set (we missed Cult Leader). Sumac is Aaron Turner's (formerly of Isis) new band. They are outstanding. Converge went on at 11:00 and KILLED it. No video up from last night's show yet, so here's them doing my favorite song on The Dusk in Us live a few months ago:



All in all a fantastic night that we rounded down with a few beers at a wannabe dive back in Hollywood.

Aside from the live experience, yesterday's playlist looked something like this:

Jimmy Hendrix and the Experience - Axis Bold As Love
Thin Lizzy - Fighting
Converge - Caring and Killing
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Roxy Music - Eponymous
Swans - The Glowing Man (disc 2)

Here's a trailer for a movie I really want to see. Thank the Universe for Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix:

Converge - Murk & Marrow

Converge is new to me, though I've heard of them in an increasing capacity for the last few years. Now I understand why. After listening to the new album, I can say The Dusk in Us is definitely going on my top 10 albums of 2017. Also, a friend scored sold-out tickets for us to see them at LA's The Regent, the venue where I caught Dillinger Escape Plan's farewell LA show last year. Maybe these guys will act as a suitable replacement for seeing DEP live.

Maybe. Either way, great album.