I bleieve they play at 10:00 - so you have plenty of time

I'm, sad. :( But, I *think* we may be going to the cemetery on Saturday. We'll play soon.

Have a great time everyone! Wish I could be there.

Shimmy like my (imaginary) sister, Kate, for me!

Great show, completely different set from the last one. I tried to take some pics but it was way to dark to get a good photo. El Cid was a fun and funky venue steeped in Hollywood tradition. We'll have to find more reason's to play in Silver Lake again.

They didn't do "My Sister Kate" this time!!! But, they did a LOT of cool new tune I had not heard before, so it was cool.....VERY cool! I just love the Ditty Bops.

Oh, and they had a brand new shirt for sale and I bought one. It was proclaimed by Amanda that I was the "first person to buy the cool new shirt". This after it was proclaimed by our waitress who reserved us a table for the show because we were "the first to arrive t a rock show" and that made us cool.

Forget Swank, it's COOL we're after! ;)

What reason more do you need than "Tref and Tom live nearby"? Hmm?

Sadly, I was the first to LEAVE the rock show-- they switched the order of the bands, and I since I have to be at work across town at seven am, I could only stay until 11:45. On the upside, the girls played my favorite song (Ooh La La) just as I was leaving, so I was happy indeed.

The Ditty Bops on NPR!!!!!!



Nice interview and some songs (some not on the record).

For Audra: They don't have keyboards here, but they have snare. We're not crazy, girl.

Indeed!

I had a very good time. I liked the middle act quite a bit. Some nice slide guitar playing. Who were they?

Skeeter Truck was their name, I believe.

Here's my Ranking of the Swank for the evening

The Digs: The El Cid in Silverlake

The Gig: The Ditty Bops Wednesday August 3, 2005

The Scene: Old school Hollywood, the El Cid occupies one of D.W. Griffiths’ soundstages used in the filming of the notorious Birth of a Nation. The place itself has been converted into a Spanish style villa complete with a patio bar and dinning area. The restaurant itself rests below Sunset, so your entrance requires a slow amble down sagging paths and skewed staircases that afford a teaser view of the patio below. Come early, and you’ll find performances of Flamenco or Belly Dancing on the small dining room stage. There’ a small balcony with three booths upstairs, but this seating is usually reserved for special guests and early dinners.


The Patio
You can wait out for the late evening performances with a full meal, some tapas, or a cocktail on the two tiered patio. The musical selection is eclectic ranging from Arabic belly dancing beats to French pop a la Gainsbourg. The crowd comes late for the music, a collection of LA hipsters, Silverlake creatives, and even a celeb or two though this writer is clueless to both show and star.

The Ditty Bops were the reason for this adventure. They went on at 11:30, perhaps later than expected and pushed through a couple sound problems with their opening number. Despite the dodgy start, the Ditty Bops humor and enthusiasm carried through the set of mostly new material and exceptional performances. Amanda Barrett’s vaudeville background was obvious with her switching from mandolin, to washboard, to slide whistle, to helium filled balloon. All in all enjoyable show, perfect for the intimate stage of this venue


The Ditty Bops - from the darkness of the balcony
The Cocktail: Sangria, of course, is the specialty for this Spanish lounge, though I opted for a New World Margarita instead

The Low Down: Hip Hollywood Eclectic

The Rank:
(out of a possible 5 umbrella drinks)

El Cid - :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Ditty Bops - :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: