Musical shares

We're going to change things up a little today and take a look at political campaign finance, Rock-the-Vote style. The dollars may not be rolling into the music industry like they used to, but some LA artists do still manage to set something aside for their favorite politicians.  

And while downtown may be home to a ton of musicians, few of them appear willing to shed any scratch on campaign contributions, according to CQ Moneyline. Thus, we'll step outside the nine-double-oh ZIPs for the sake of this little investigation.

Below is a list of SoCal's top 11 musical campaign contributors for 2007-08. Most have probably played the Staples Center at some point, so we can at least say they've set foot downtown. 

I, for one, had expected to see a lot more Romneys, Huckabees and Thompsons on the list. 

Burt Bacharach

$20,000 --> Democratic National Committee

"That's What Friends Are For"
Don Henley

$19,200 --> Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Niki Tsongas (MA), Tom Udall (NM), Mark Udall (CO)

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"
Barry Manilow

$11,500 --> Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Ron Paul

"Because It's Christmas"
Bonnie Raitt

$9,900 --> DSCC, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, John Edwards, Al Franken (MN), John Hall (NY), Loretta Sanchez (CA)

"You're Gonna Get What's Coming"
Herb Alpert

$7,900 --> Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer (CA), Barney Frank (MA)

"A Taste Of Honey"
Stone Gossard

$4,700 --> Barack Obama, Al Franken

"Better Man"
Jimmy Buffett

$4,600 --> Joe Sestak (PA)

"Money Back Guarantee"
Graham Nash

$3,300 --> Barack Obama, DCCC

"Find the Cost of Freedom"
Vicki Randle

$2,500 --> Barack Obama, John Hall

"I'm the Guitarist for the Tonight Show Band And I Still Donated More Than Sheryl Crow"
Will.i.am

$2,300 --> Barack Obama

"My Humps"
Jackson Browne

$2,000 --> Al Franken, Moveon.org

"For America"

Source: CQ Moneyline

What up, Crow? A measly grand for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the best you can shell out? Henley owns you.

Jazz Jam on 2nd Street

2nd Street Jazz is an oft-overlooked little gem in Little Tokyo. Tucked away on the neighborhood's main drag, the cozy bar/lounge draws a mixed bag of post-sushi strollers and seasoned musicians to check out the nightly gigs.


And given the sign above the door, casual stoppers-by may be surprised to find the music calendar runs the genre gamut. You may walk into a night of live hip-hop, rock, soul or, of course, jazz on any given night.

But Tuesday is open jazz jam night, often home to a small community of USC music students eager to stretch their extracurricular chops. A trio of them christened the dimly lit stage tonight, with Richard Sears (piano), Kevin Hoffman (bass) and Ken Dakota (drums) vamping and improvising over a setlist of original compositions and straight-ahead jazz standards.



Things are relatively uneventful back at the bar area, where a small handful of listeners nursed the one-drink minimum. But it's early yet, and things will get busier as the night pushes on. It's worth checking out at happy hour for the drink specials and modest small plates menu.



Meanwhile, a few other musicians file in, and what appears to be a USC music community slowly forms at a couple tables by the stage. They order, um, Cokes and catch up on old times. Back on stage, drummer Ken Dakota closes out the trio's set with an edge.



Swing by the club when you need to unwind with a relaxed, inexpensive atmosphere and some top-notch musicianship.

Who knows, you may be lucky enough to catch Rufus Thomas, who will never, ever play here:

You Me and Iowa At Charlie O's

There's something about a construction zone that makes a band sound extra tight. Or at least extra tough. Such was the case Thursday night at Charlie O's, downtown's coolest mid-renovation gig space. From the exposed pipes to the bumper-stickered bathroom mirrors to the mean bartenders, there's something very CBGB about the joint. And indeed, local indie rockers You Me And Iowa would have sounded right at home at the late NYC rock pit. A visual sampling:

A Lost Souls Saturday

It's almost 7 pm; not exactly high-traffic hour for Lost Souls Cafe. In fact, this downtown cafe often takes the day off on Saturday. Things should start to pick up in an hour or so; or at least that's what Chase Frank is hoping. She's booked for a free, all ages gig at 8pm. In fact, looks like the staff is digging some sidewalk signage out of the maintenance closet to alert passersby of the show; a necessity for this cafe, tucked as it is in the most inconspicuous of downtown L.A. alleys, just off the corner 4th and Main streets. 

So I guess we'll see what kind of foot traffic rolls in for the show, but for now it's pretty empty. Just four laptop-lit faces, mine included, scattered around the perimeter of the main room. Indeed, free wireless is a draw here, and of course comes with the assumption that you'll buy something to sip or munch on.

One more laptop of note: the one driving the house sound system. The music is always loud and always good at Lost Souls. Often it's hip-hop, funk and soul, with the occasional side-order of jazz, classic rock or electronica. Each barista fancies a different sound, and they all have good ears for whatever they're into (some work with killradio.org, an L.A.-based internet radio station). Today it's Jamar, who is apparently digging on house music (ever hear the theme song from Da Ali G Show's Bruno segment? "Crank it uuuup.") But whatever the flavor, the music is a big piece of the vibe that keeps the regulars coming back. 

Starting to pick up a little bit now. No sign of a band yet, but bodies are rolling in—including one of a yellow lab—and expectant staffers are straightening up for the evening crowd. Someone just ordered a beer, a new addition to the principally coffee shop menu. Beer, wine and sake service began in early January and has boosted attendance at nightly events.