Inside an four story abandoned warehouse in Hollywood.
Coffee art at @UrthCaffeLA in Downtown Los Angeles. This cafe is one my favorite places in Downtown, the building itself is gorgeous and the food and coffee never disappoint.
Kitty kisses from Marlowe <3 Yes, I’m a animal loving, cat lady. 
The @TheGroveLA on a hot summer night.
More street art in Echo Park.
Recently I have been blown away by local LA music. Maybe I’ve been out of “the scene” for too long, but when I recollect moments of going to local shows I always felt the music was horrible. Since my night at Casey Irish Pub where I saw C-Horse I have been to a handful of local shows and have been nothing but impressed and overjoyed with the musical performances.
Last Wednesday I found myself at Lot 1 cafe in Echo Park for Derde Verde’s April residency. Playing with them were two other bands including Last American Buffalo. This enticing band of four allures the true essence of an indie rock band with a pinch of folk, their sound is unique and easy on the ears. Down to their plaid shirts and striped sweaters, these guys capture what it is to be a genuine Los Angeles indie band. What’s the best part about Last American Buffalo? You can download their album on their website for FREE.
Ramiro Gomez’s inspiration for his latest installation titled Rose Gardens, is the Chicano sub-culture of cholos and cholas. Movies like Mi Vida Loca, cartoons like Dora the Explorer and the ‘paletero man’ (Mexican ice cream man) were all inspirations for his more than 70 piece collection now on exhibition at Pehrspace in Echo Park.
“My big inspiration was Mi Vida Loca and dealing with the idea of gentrification and where I came from and who I am,” Gomez says.
This all began two years ago when Gomez started “cholaing” up Urban Outfitter catalogs, combining the modern day hipster with the 90′s image of a chola. Gomez then moved on to cholaing up Dora the Explorer books and finally record covers.
“A chola has a very hard exterior, but the interior of the chola is so much more and who they are on the outside is a costume that says ‘back off you’re not getting to my core, my interior,’ and they guard themselves,” Gomez says. “They’re Mexican-American kids, Chicano’s who are tied between cultures; having Mexican parents, but being born in the U.S. trying to figure out where they belong.”
Rose Gardens is open until April 11, 2012
All photos were taken by me and are the property of Jasmine Duarte (TM)
