Venue: Puka Bar
City: Long Beach, CA
Set length: Around 45 minutes
Tonight’s Lineup:
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Dick Jerky @ 9:00 PM
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Meka Leka Hi @ 10:00 PM
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CH3 @ 11:00 PM
Pre-show banter…
Heard from Liz that CH3 was playing a small place in LB so I headed down with my 1Ds, sans flash. Everything was shot at a 3200 ISO and f/2.8 as the place was pretty dark and I couldn’t afford to give up any light at all. Most of my shutter speeds were in the 1/50 to 1/80 range and… Ahh, what the hell am I telling you this for?!? Just look at the damn photos. Here we go…
I dig this place. The staff is friendly, the sound is good and it is fairly easy to maneuver around the stage. Also, unless you are being a complete douche-nozzle, the security just lets you have a good time – not many of these types of bars left these days. If you are in the area just drop by and mention my name… They won’t know who the hell you are talking about but it might be a good conversation-starter… hah!
Venue Review…
Got down there a little early and had a few beers. Cool place, down-to-earth people and divey enough to keep the over-cologned douche-nozzles far away. A few more stage lights would have been nice but it worked out. I felt at home here and would frequent this place more if I didn’t live so far away from it but I’ll definitely keep my eye on their calendar.
www.myspace.com/PukaBar
Don’t take my word for it, check out these YELP! reviews below. I realize the reviews are mixed, and there is truth behind even the most negative ones, but you have to take the bar for what it is. If you want to hang out in a club with a gazillion people wearing the latest fashions while listening to the most recent Lady Gaga remix then this is no the place for you. The Puka Bar is like a cross between the V Room and the Que Sera, so if you like those places then add this bar to your list of watering holes.
www.Yelp.com/biz/puka-bar-long-beach
Reviews, comments, and possible putdowns for Channel 3…
This gig was an unadvertised show as a warmup for a 2 week stint in the east coast and the UK. The audience consisted of friends and family and it appeared as if everyone had a fun time, including the band. They ripped through a setlist of new and old with a few stops in between to “Ratpack” the crowd, as I like to call it. Very fun night and make sure to check their site for upcoming gigs. They will be back in LB at Alex’s Bar in August, which should be a fun show.
Sidenote: Special appearance by T-Bone (from Dick Jerky) in these photos! You’ll know when you see him…
If you are looking for more CH3 photos, I have 2 more galleries in the FotoBlog section under the following dates: 5/8/2008 and 6/10/2006
www.chthree.com
