Sunday, September 19, 2010

Weekly Events Calendar: Found in LA (September 20th - 26th)

Monday September 20th
- Ranchero Brothers (Rhett Miller and Murray Hammond of Old 97s) @ Largo
- Vanaprasta, Pacific Hurt, Cue the Moon, The Hundred Days @ Echo (FREE)

Tuesday September 21st
- Ratatat, Dom, Bobby Birdman @ Club Nokia
- Typhoon, Y La Bamba, Maxim Ludwig @ Spaceland
- Maximum Balloon (Release Party) @ Space 15 Twenty

Wednesday September 22nd
- The Do, Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate), Mia Maestro @ Bootleg
- The xx, Warpaint, Zola Jesus @ Palladium
- Tommy Keene Performing "Songs From The Film", Threes and Nines, Check Out Girls @ Spaceland

Thursday September 23rd
- Fool's Gold, Rainbow Arabia, Wallpaper @ Troubadour
- Cassorla, Strangers Family Band, Slang Chickens @ Echo Curio


Friday September 24th
- Glasser @ Amoeba
- Cantora Records Showcase feat. Rumspringa (Debut Record Release), Superhumanoids, Gamble House @ Bootleg

Saturday September 25th
- Aquarium Drunkard Presents Waved Out Fest 2 feat. Dungen, The Entrance Band, John Grant (of The Czars), The Fresh & Onlys, Shannon and the Clams, John Carpenter, Lord Huron, So Many Wizards, Summer Darling, Young Prisms @ Echoplex
- Glasser @ Mondrian Sessions (Skybar) - Call or email skybarla at morganshotelgroup dot com to RSVP
- Kisses, Lesands, Hands @ Bootleg

Sunday September 26th
- Vampire Weekend, Beach House, The Very Best @ Hollywood Bowl
- The Abbot Kinney Festival feat. Voxhaul Broadcast, Dam-Funk & Master Blazter, Abe Vigoda, Kenneth Pattengale, Crystal Antlers, Olin & The Moon, Anthony Valadez, more @ Abbot Kiney (Venice)


Friday, September 17, 2010

Foodie Fridays: The Manila Machine

The Manila Machine
www.themanilamachine.com
Twitter: @ManilaMachine


On a toasty Tuesday a few weeks back (yes, one of very few this entire "summer"), I—along with our trusty photographer Jen—ventured to an even toastier North Hollywood. Why the trek to the dreaded Valley, you might ask? To try out L.A.'s first Filipino food truck, the Manila Machine, of course!


Parked on Lankershim by Weddington, the truck was inviting not just with its joyous orange and purple facade, but with its incredibly welcoming owners on-board. Not only have Nastassia Johnson and Marvin Gapultos become food truck rovers extraordinaire, these multitalented Filipino-Americans are also fellow food bloggers, of Let Me Eat Cake and Burnt Lumpia, respectively.


"We noticed that there seemed to be a lack of Filipino food that was accesible. Sure you can find some Filipino restaurants in Glendale or in Carson but unless you are Filipino, you probably do not even know they exist. We both agreed that Filipino cuisine deserved a place in the L.A. culinary scene," Nastassia said. The Manila Machine officially launched at the June Downtown Art Walk, making history not only as Southern California's first Filipino food truck, but also as the first truck to be run by food bloggers.


We began with the lumpiang Shanghai. For those of you unfamiliar with Filipino cuisine, lumpias are essentially the equivalent of Chinese spring rolls. Made with pork, carrots, and ginger, these marvelously crisp starters were served with a sweet and tangy dipping sauce.


Next, we moved onto the chicken adobo. This traditional Filipino dish consists of a bed of jasmine rice, topped with a juicy piece of breast meat which has been glazed with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, and green onions. With each tender bite, I became increasingly nostalgic of my days in Manila... oh wait, I've never been...


What L.A. food truck would be complete without some variation of a slider? The Manila Machine's offering incorporates a traditional pan de sal roll, instead of a standard hamburger bun. While they were sold out of the popular longganisa (a sausage similar to chorizo) variety, we went for the "Original Manila Dip," which included a generous piece of chicken adobo, topped with caramelized onions. Beef- and spam-based sliders are available, too.


For dessert, we started with the turon, which is essentially a banana coated in a crisp egg roll wrapper, and drizzled over with caramel sauce. To call it an indulgent treat would be a massive understatement.


Perhaps best of all, however, were the ube (purple yam) cupcakes. Baked fresh daily, these babies were perfectly fluffy, moist and sweet—a combination often hard to come by. There's only a modest coating of coconut frosting on these purplicious treats, which eliminates the potential issue of collapsing from sugar overload, a fear we've long associated with bakeries like Sprinkles and Crumbs.


Food trucks are a dime a dozen in L.A., but the Manila Machine gets the job done right—and at affordable prices. On our way out, we noticed an interesting message in Tagalog on the back of the truck, which read "Sarap! Sarap!" We later learned that this translates to "Delcious! Delicious!" Sarap, sarap, indeed!


Photos by Jennifer Saracino.

NEXT TIME on Foodie Fridays: Stay tuned!

Suggestions?
Mail to: foodiefridays at foundtrack dot com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @FoodieFridays

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tuesday's New Releases 9/14/10

Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle (4ad) (Sample/Purchase)
Chilly Gonzales - Ivory Tower (Arts & Crafts) (Sample/Purchase)
Chromeo - Business Casual (Big Beat/Atlantic) (Sample/Purchase)
Jacky Charlard - Je Sus Vivant Mais J'Al Peur De Gilbert Deflez (B-Music) (Sample/Purchase)
Jimmy Edgar - XXX (K7!) (Sample/Purchase)
Junip - Fields (Mute) (Sample/Purchase)
Of Montreal - False Priest (Polyvinyl) (Only $5.99- Samle/Purchase)
Vijay Iyer - Solo (ACT Music) (Sample/Purchase)
Walkmen - Lisbon (Fat Possum) (Only $5.99 - Sample/Purchase)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Recommended Shows - Sept. 13th-19th

Tuesday 9/14
- The Tallest Man On Earth, S. Carey (Bon Iver) @ Henry Fonda Theater
Listen to Tallest Man's "Love Is All" and that is all the convincing you need

Wednesday 9/15
- US Royalty, Chasing Kings, Line and Circle and The Smiles @ Silverlake Lounge - The Smiles have some promise, and it's not just because they go to USC.
- The Walkmen, Japandroids, Dan Mangan @ Henry Fonda Theater

Thursday 9/16
- Sam Amidon, Miracle Parade, Il Gato @ Bootleg - Very impressive reviews from Amidon's most recent release ; Il Gato makes it's first appearance in LA after a very bright start in the bay.
- Menomena, Suckers @ El Rey

Friday 9/17
-Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival: Saint Motel, Venus Infers, Spider Problem w/ Lobsters @ Ports o' Call Village (San Pedro)
- Parson Redheads, Le Switch, The World Record @ Spaceland - Parson Redheads move to Oregon in October so catch them while you can. Le Switch is back to a 5-piece band and have reworked some of their old material
- Smithfield Bargain, Bikos, Body Parts, Tommy Santee Klaws @ Echo Curio
- MEN @ Echo (Club Underground) / Skybar (Mondrian Sessions)

Saturday 9/18
-Guns in the sun and Tilt Magazine Present Miami Horror, Superhumanoids, American Royalty, DJ Dan Wilcox, Short Circuit @ Central Socia Aid & Pleasure Club - Miami Horror's first full live band performance in LA ; Superhumanoids are one of my favorite local acts.
- Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival: Dengue Fever, Fitz & The Tantrums, Gram Rabbit, The Growlers, AWOLNATION, We Barbarians, The Country, Leslie Stevens & The Badgers, Judson & Mary w/ Lobsters @ Ports o'Call Village (San Pedro)
-Phoenix, Grizzly Bear, Girls @ Hollywood Bowl
- Autolux, Gold Panda @ El Rey

Sunday 9/19
- Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival: See How We Are: John Doe & Exene Cervenka of X, The Section Quartet, Miss Derringer, Walking Sleep, Tijuana Panthers, Devon Eisenbarger w/ Lobsters @ Ports o'Call Village (San Pedro)
- Tamaryn, Puro Instinct (formerly Pearl Harbor), Dunes @ Echo (Part-Time Punks)

Monday, September 6, 2010

Hot on Hype Machine - September 6th-12th

Flight Facilities feat. Giselle - Crave You (via Dripping In Gold)
Icarus Himself - Digging Holes (via guerolitomusic)
The Temper Trap - Soldier On (Big City Love Affair Remix) (via musigh)
Warpaint - Ashes to Ashes (via Rollo & Grady)
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl - The Bike Song (via The Boy With The Thorn In His Side)
Laws feat. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Runaway (via HappyParts)
The War On Drugs - Comin' Through (via This Music Wins)
Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand (via We All Want Someone To Shout For)
Bassnectar - Magical World (via Salacious Sound)
Breakfast in Fur - Shine (via Heavy Percussion)
Summer Camp - Round the Moon (via esau.se)
Shad - Rose Garden (via Quick Before It Melts)
Everything Everything - MY KZ, YR BF (Grum Remix) (via ListenBeforeYouBuy)
Deerhunter - Helicoptor (via Sonic Masala)