When I think LA has nothing left to give me, I have a weekend like this that reminds me that there are pleasures still left to experience here.

I found a little slice of Hawai'i in downtown Gardena called Bob's Hawaiian Style Restaurant . Mum was in town and I was jonesing for some local grub, so a bunch of us drove down there for dinner friday night. It was like someone had picked it up in Maui and dropped it in the middle of LA. From Thursday through Saturday, one corner of the restaurant is sectioned off for a bunch of the retired regulars who just sing and play traditional Hawaiian songs. The night we were there about 4 or 5 people played ukuleles and were joined by a bassist and steel lap guitar. It was so great! Like a cheap dinner show or my auntie's backyard. And every few songs someone would just come up and start dancing the hula or join in on the ukulele.

The only downside is the food, which is decent but not exactly what I was hoping for. They have the usual plate lunches and traditional foods and are just as heavy as you would find back home but somehow it was missing something. The loco moco I had was fine but you can't really mess that up. But the music and atmosphere more than makes up for it.

We ended up staying until closing when they announced that everyone get up, hold hands and sing Hawai'i Aloha. Its a very beloved and beautiful song (its practically the state song) I haven't sung in a while and is traditionally sung at the end of any kind of gathering. Its lyrics talk about the love for Hawai'i and its beauty. And with that I knew that this place is about as close to the real thing as you're going to find in So Cal.

Finally checked out the Bodyworlds show at the California Science Center with Mum and B. An amazing and very educational show that was less creepy than I had expected. B and I deducted that it was because they removed all the human personalities from the 'specimens'. None of them had their skin left on or any individual characteristics. Just reduced to being plastic models. Made you really take a look at one's own mortality in a matter of fact way. Afterwards, we were all discussing why humans are so afraid of dying and we all agreed its probably because no one really knows what its like. Its the unknown factor that scares people more than anything. There was however some questionable aristic license taken(there was a fedora hat put on one model for no apparent reason) but I guess thats to be expected. The show was very crowded and I'm very happy that the museum is getting a much needed injection of funds. I can't imagine what it took to get the show in the first place.

The REDCAT theatre in the Disney Hall complex is turning into one of my favorite perfomance spaces. Sometimes I need non-traditional musics, art, and performance and the theatre is providing that in a town that is overflowing with commercial goop. Ambient music pioneer/neo-classical composer Harold Budd was performing Sat. nite and B and I met Rabbit Legs there. RL has been working with Harold lately on a new cd that's being released on David Sylvian's label which also just released his own solo cd last month. The show started with a solo gong piece, moved to a few string quartet pieces that sounded like a film soundtrack to a noir thriller, then a solo electric guitar piece. After the break was Harold himself on piano with a saxophonist/flute player then ended with what seemed like an improv solo piano piece. Absolutely gorgeous music that created a somber but mysterious mood with its minimal but seemingly full compositions.

A busy week for shows and I'm trying to decide which ones to go to. Jellybean is playing tues. at Spaceland with fellow j's the 5,6,7,8's. They seem to have gotten a surge in popularity due to their Kill Bill appearance. The Wooster group is at the REDCAT with a multimedia dance/theatre piece that should be great. And Sat. is the Korean film festival at the Egyptian.

So much to do, so little time...