last night we went to go see dave navarro and j-mello perform "acoustic" at the shark club in costa mesa. there were many things about this that were bizarre. first of all, it was billed as acoustic but only dave was acoustic. the drummer was playing regular drums and everyone was mic-ed. true that's how an acoustic show is made loud enough for everyone to hear. however, they had a laptop running electronic beats and samples of other instruments so that's why i disagree with it being an "acoustic" show. (also, i never understand why if it's not all acoustic, why someone in the group plays an acoustic guitar because you never hear it.) second, it was at a straight hip-hop type nightclub. i guess that is to be expected based on that it's dave playing with j-mello, who appears to be another hip-hop guy that dave has hooked up with musically. however, appearances can be deceiving. third, the club is in orange county. dave never goes to orange county unless he's paid for it but this place was very close to one of my favorite vegan restaurants, native foods, so that made it really bizarre. fourth, after their performance, we were talking to them outside as they had a little smoke break and if standing outside in costa mesa talking to dave navarro very close to your favorite vegan restaurant is not bizarre then i don't know what is.

the shark club. well it has that name because they have a tank with a shark. totally disappointing. i felt sorry for the shark having to live with all the disco lights and madness. valet parking was free unless you wanted to pay $10 for special parking. the free parking is not that far away (if you can't walk 20 feet then you have issues) and they bring the car to you so why pay? we had to wait in the cold (it's cold now, finally) outside as the staff were trying to figure out how to let people in. i don't know if they even had a method. we signed up for the vip list to get in (free) and it took them forever before we finally got in. but beggars can't be choosers. i got to see this show totally free. the only thing i paid for was some drinks and tips. (please tip bathroom attendants people. how'd you like to work in a bathroom smelling other people's shits and you have to hand them towels?) one more comment on the club. i felt like i was doing a sociology project on straight mating rituals. end comment.

dave acoustic

the performance. it was too short. they went on the stage and off in under 30 minutes. about 5 minutes of that was a break after the first song because the laptop wasn't being pumped through the system so it couldn't be heard. then after 2 or 3 songs, dave left the stage and the drummer and j-mello continued by themselves. that was it people. so glad i didn't pay but this was a short and good show. i got there quickly and got home at a decent time. i got to hear a new artist and it was actually good. j-mello looks hip-hop but he's a combination of things. once you see him up close, you realize the jewelry and tattoos are not typical hip-hop accessories. he's wearing coffins and skulls. one tattoo by his eye is not a tear drop but the g-clef. this is a guy into music. the songs he did were a blend of various elements and his lyrics weren't completely demeaning to women like the songs that were being played before they took the stage. in fact, i'm looking forward to hearing this guy's album! after i got home, i looked j-mello up and he's the son of the guitarist from kool and the gang. his songs are about growing up rich in the suburbs isn't what it's cracked up to be, being the only black family in a white neighborhood, etc.

dave and j-mello

as always, we were right in front and when you're right in front, the artists tend to look at you. j-mello loves to sing directly to the people right in front. several times he went around to the various ladies and at the end shook our hands. however, many times i couldn't understand what he was saying, except that one time he was right in front of me. perhaps it was a speaker clarity issue? or a mic too close to mouth issue? not sure. once dave left the stage, i really was sad about the no camera rule because j-mello struck some great poses that i know would have been classic photos. however i probably would've needed a lens with a wider angle than what i have. when we entered the club, they made me take my camera back to the car but that's because i didn't try to hide it. inside, i saw several people with cameras but during the show i don't know if they took pictures. the only cameras i saw going off during the show, mine included, were camera phones.