Happy Thanksgiving From Radio Free Silver Lake

Yesterday, Octavius from Demo Listen had me on KXLU 88.9 FM to guest DJ a fill-in show he was doing and, man, but it was a great time. From four to six in the afternoon, we played music from local LA bands and ... there are just so goddamn many that we weren't able to get to everyone.

Our playlist included tracks from Tigers Can Bite You, Sea Wolf, Mezzanine Owls, Irving, The Movies, Division Day, The Deadly Syndrome, The Black Pine, The Spires, The Devils Romantics, Artichoke, Foreign Born, Bedroom Walls, Let’s Go Sailing, The Western States Motel, The Lights From Here, The Happy Hollows, Earlimart, The Little Ones, andThe Silversun Pickups.

And also I meant to play Great Northern, Thailand, Eagle & Talon, The Ettes, The Submarines, The Hectors, Cold War Kids, Airborne Toxic Event, The Lava Children, and Tandemoro, but ran out of time. Next time!

Since today of course is Thanksgiving, I asked a number of local musicians to write me a short message about what they’re most thankful for.

The bands I listed above are one of the main things I’m most thankful for in the last year. After being able to so routinely just walk down the street and catch bands as good as all of them at The Echo, Spaceland, or The Silver Lake Lounge … sometimes I really wonder how I could ever live anywhere else.

But enough about me, here what everyone else had to say…

EARLIMART

I am thankful for the following:

Cafe Tropical - Rocket fuel coffee
Alegria - Strip mall cuisine
Dusty's - French Canadian's know how to do it
Bellevue Park - I'm really into running right now.
HBO on demand - I'm really into TV right now.
The Parson Red Heads - residency at The Echo in December.

Aaron Espinoza

THE MOVIES

I'm most thankful that the Republicans got knocked down a notch in the mid-term elections; that Donald Rumsfeld resigned; and for the health and welfare of my family and friends.

Jessica

THAILAND

We're thankful for our small place in this big city and for our friends and families, many far from here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Staci and Marc

DIVISION DAY

Kevin: I am most thankful for my friends and loved ones, they've shown me more loyalty and love this year than I could ever wish for.

I am thankful to have our practice space in Eagle Rock, and to have been so warmly welcomed in to the community there by all the bands we share it with. Becoming a part of that little community changed my entire relationship to Silver Lake/Los Angeles, made it so I feel at home here, against all odds considering my history of disdain for LA.

I am thankful to have met cool people who I can skateboard with, thankful to have only briefly been put in jail this year, thankful to have finally made it out on tour after years of waiting, thankful that I live so close to good Thai food and a kickin' bakery, thankful that my arm injuries aren't messing up my drumming too much, thankful that I no longer have to do data entry for work, thankful to have met my extremely generous freind E.C. at Pasadena Kinko's, thankful that Masa and Todd will always hang our concert posters, and thankful that I live in such a culturally fertile and exciting place as Silverlake.

To quote Tim from The Movies, "How could life be so good?"

Seb: Pie.

Ryan: My friends here and far away, eating great food with family, the rock block, Verizon In-Calling, Trader Joes, the USPS (sometimes), the Internet, and being able to see a bunch of different towns in the last year - one of which gets a super un-thankfulness check mark next to its name. Music in LA! Pie!

THE HAPPY HOLLOWS

I'm most thankful for Charlie and Chris and all of the awesome friends we've made this year in all of the awesome bands we know.

Sarah

THE DEVILS ROMANTICS

I'm thankful for ping-pong and domino's keeping our band together.

Mike

TWO SHEDS

1. Old episodes of Star Trek enjoyed with fuzzy robe and glass of single malt scotch.
2. Cheese of any kind, from any place.
3. All the cool new folks I've met through playing music.
4. Overdraft protection.
5. My sister still being with us.

Caitlin

EAGLE & TALON

This year I'm thankful for coffee, butter, my bike, new big-headed nephew, neat (+ weird) friends/family, musical evolution, having the luxury to worry about the stuff I worry about, passing smog test, internet social life!!, and the awesome potatoes I'm going to make today.

Alice

THE BLACK PINE

What are we most thankful for in the past year?

Being in love, being with music, being in love with music.

Em

THE SPIRES

We’re thankful for many things this year, among them are Sun Kill Moon’s Tiny Cities, the new Dylan record, tahini with mango salsa on a cracker (it’s amazing), our friend and recording engineer – the fabulous Craig Costigan and his Garage Majal, a Democratic House and Senate, having all our limbs intact, our two fat house cats, our new cool-ass blue practice spot, WFMU out of Jersey City and of course, last but not least – Radio Free Silver Lake.

Jason & Colleen