Taste.

M Cafe de Chaya. Where do I even begin?

I could profess my love for your white bean and heirloom tomato salad, or perhaps your delicious scarlet lemonade, but I feel as though it wouldn't be enough.

I am wondering if your delivery range reaches Chicago...

M Cafe is a delicious restaurant here in LA. Lucky for me there is one just a few blocks from my apartment, so I have been eating here constantly. Lucky for everyone who eats here, M Cafe is an extremely healthy choice, that serves only macrobiotic cuisine. I have tried about 7 things on the menu now, and they have all been ridiculously delicious.

I think the best part about the food is that you feel great while you're eating it AND after. I have grown so tired of the gross, bogged down feeling I get after consuming some food. Sure, it may feel good in the moment, but the coating of grease left covering your body afterwards sure does not. Lately I have been becoming more and more turned off with the idea of eating meat. I'm not saying that the power of a cheeseburger may not overcome me in the future, but as for daily consumption, I just don't feel right about it anymore . Maybe it's all the sad cattle trucks I have driven alongside on the way home from Chicago, or perhaps it's been all the great fresh food of summer, but something in the back of my mind keeps telling me 'no.'

This is not meant to be some preachy post about the horror of eating meat, just something I have been conscious of lately. However, I certainly will preach the importance of trying new types of food all the time! Get out of your comfort zone people, you can only eat so much mac n' cheese.

This is the delicious California Club I had for dinner. How bad can that be?

Look & Listen.

This weekend I attended the 30th annual Sunset Junction Street Fair here in LA's Silverlake neighborhood. I wasn't able to see as much music as I had hoped to, but it was still a lot of fun as a few beers and some delicious zeppole from Rosa's Bella Cucina were involved.

On Saturday I set out to hear a band called Eastern Conference Champions. I heard them first on the buzzbands.la Sunset Junction playlist and have been listening to their EP Santa Fe nonstop ever since. Unfortunately I was only able to catch the end of their set, but what I was really great. Awesome little drum improve thing at the end was totally cool, and the crowd was really into it. I am definitely going to make it a priority to see them play Mayne Stage in Chicago on 9/24.

Sunday I sought out to see Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, a current favorite of mine. Little did I know that everyone in greater LA area would want to see them as well. This time I was there on time, but due to the mass of people I couldn't actually see the band play, so although I could hear them it wasn't the greatest live music experience.

$20 a day might have been a bit steep, but Sunset Junction was an overall good time with good friends, and that my dear, is priceless!

Buzzsicle 10-Sunset Junction by buzzbands

Listen.

Since being in LA, I have become obsessed with KCRW, LA's NPR station. They have the best programming of any radio station I have ever heard. I am especially into Jason Bentley's show Morning Becomes Eclectic. He has this incredible knack for playing music I already love, as well as great music that is new to me, it's really the ideal mix of new and old. Thankfully KCRW streams online so I won't have to abandon my new show once I'm back in Chicago.

The other morning Rufus Wainwright visited Morning Becomes Eclectic and preformed live on the show. Wow, if you have never heard Rufus before you need to listen, and even if you have, you will absolutely love this. Check out Rufus Wainwright's performance here.

Listen.

Young The Giant - My Body by buzzbands

This week I visited Sunset Sound here in LA, and was able to sit in with Joe Chiccarelli and observe his skills on the console. It was an incredible thing to see, this man is truly a master. While I was there, he played some music from an album he just produced from a band called Young the Giant. I was extremely impressed by the music. I think these guys have a great sound and man is this song catchy. It didn't hurt listening to it on Joe's speakers!

Give the song a listen, I'm sure you'll be tapping your little foot right along with me. You can head over to the Young the Giant website to grab a free download of "My Body." The guys are also heading out on tour with Marina & The Diamonds next month, and if you happen to be in Chicago Sept. 9th you can come see them at Lincoln Hall with yours truly.

See me now.

My time in Los Angeles has been amazing. It has been so refreshing, a change of pace that lasts more that a handful of days spent visiting my family in Michigan. Not to say I don't love that time, or love my Chicago family, I do more than anything. It is nice however, to get out and be independent for a moment.

It is so easy to get comfortable, get dependent on other people. Why go out when I could stay right here with people I love? Being alone in a new city has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, meeting so many new people, being in intimidating professional situations and simply being in an unfamiliar place. It really has been an amazing experience and is making me look forward to 5 months from now when I could potentially be relocating permanently.

Comfort can often lead to complacency. Being in LA I have really been pushing myself to create opportunities, make lasting impressions on people and garner important relationships. It has been so reassuring to get such great response from individuals in the industry that I really look up to.

Today I had the enormous pleasure and fortune of meeting a man by the name of Andy Johns. This is a man who has literally had a hand in shaping the music that our parents loved and in turn we loved (if you have good taste!). Sitting in his living room this afternoon, listening to Stairway to Heaven, off Led Zeppelin's 4th studio album which Johns engineered, I could barely wrap my mind around the idea of how fortunate I am. To be able to spend 6 weeks in this amazing city, to meet such talented and inspiring people, to have friends and family that support my crazy quest to make a living working in the unstable music industry, a girl couldn't ask for much more.

I think the main thing I took from Andy today was a strong reminder of why exactly it is I want to work in this industry, a pure love for music. Although that sometimes doesn't seem like enough, I know it is. I am passionate about this art, and although I do not create it myself, I want to support those that do, and help them make a living doing so. I want to make sure talent is acknowledged, and that my children will still have real music accessible to them.

Before I left Andy's house today I managed to snap a quick shot of an amazing black and white photograph of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the recording studio together. Quite honestly I wanted rip it off the wall and take it with me, but it just didn't seem possible, so the photo will have to do. Beautiful.

The crash years.

This blog and I have such a love/hate relationship.

I start out so motivated, and inspired to share my thoughts.

I feel as though I have meaningful things to say, and show to others.

Then, nearly as soon as this wave of initiative comes crashing in, it seems to wash away.

So here I am again, for the hundredth time starting back up again. Perhaps this time I will remain more focused than in the past..perhaps I won't. Guess we'll just have to ride this one out together!

As for my current status, I am spending the month in beautiful southern California. I love it here. I never want to leave. You just don't get views like this everywhere.