The band Beach Party, performing at the August Village Studios Twilight Sessions, co-hosted by Boing Boing and Audeze. Photo: Spurgeon James
The August 16th installment of the Twilight Series, a music event held at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles, was a total blast. Here are some photos of the fun and great bands. The next installment is in September, with a fun lineup planned.
Village Studios CEO Jeff Greenberg, with Boing Boing co-editor Xeni Jardin. Thanks for the shoop, Waxy!
The bands we heard at the August 16 hoedown were The Dead Ships, Beach Party, and In the Valley Below. Studio CEO Jeff Greenberg gave Boing Boing guests an awesome private tour of the historic studios, where we (quietly) watched control room crew manage a live recording.
A Steigl becomes a guitar slide. Photo: Spurgeon James
Among our longtime pals in attendance, Dangerous Minds (and Disinfo.com) founder Richard Metzger, and D.A. Wallach. D.A. has recorded at The Village before with Solange, and he’s the artist relations advisor with Spotify.
We had snacks and drank Stiegl Brews, and cocktails with handmade Distillery No. 209 (me, I sipped Jamaican ginger ale) in the recording studio where Fleetwood Mac recorded “Tusk.” It was dope.
Rocking out with bands and Steigl brew. Photo: Spurgeon James
Weezer just finished their most recent album at The Village, and it should be out around the time of the next Village Studios Twilight Sessions, which we’re again co-hosting with the Crescent Hotel Beverly Hills, Audeze and others.
Jeff Greenberg, CEO of Village Studios, and Boing Boing in the house. Photo: Spurgeon James
The Village Studios are an important part of American music history. Built in the 1920s as a Masonic Temple, in the early 1960s it became home to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Center for Transcendental Meditation. In the late 1960s, the building was transformed into a recording studio where hundreds of artists made music–among them, Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers, The Beach Boys, Mariah Carey, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, George Harrison, Weezer, Elton John, Caribou, Coldplay, Tom Jones, B.B. King, John Lennon, Little Richard, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Ringo Starr.
My colleague Jason Weisberger, who is as in love with this historic place as I am, said it best:
What I find so special about The Village is not just the beautiful building, but the community and generally great feeling I get by simply being there. Jeff Greenberg, the studio CEO, is truly an amazing and inspirational person. His deep love of music, musicians and their community is the energy the entire organization seems to run on. His stories about the studio and his struggles to make it work are wonderful.
If you want to come to our next Village Studio Twilight Sessions on Saturday, September 13, email us at inquiries@boingboing.net with your affiliation and we will try and hook you up!
Deep gratitude to Audeze, makers of handcrafted headphones that provide an ultimate listening experience, communicating music’s emotional impact directly into your soul.
Much appreciation to our beverage sponsor Distillery No. 209, makers of No. 209 Gin, a small batch hand-crafted spirit with a flavor for the 21st Century.
Family owned Stiegl Brewery, where century old tradition merges with the latest brewing innovation.
Fancy cocktails.
