Speakeasy
by The Vickster
Ok, ok, ok, ok, OK!!! Just let me get this out of the way. Just let me get this off my chest, and then we can get on with the smooth groove we all know it.
WHY! WHY! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE KEEP OPENING COFFEEHOUSES! YOUR NAME IS LEGION. DO NOT. I REPEAT. DO NOT EVEN THINK OF INCLUDING THE WORD MEANING THE PROCESSED COFFEE THROUGH WHICH WATER IS PASSED, I.E. “GROUND” OR “GROUNDS,” AS A CUTE PART OF THE NAME OF YOUR NEW BUSINESS VENTURE! IT COULD RESULT IN A MAJOR IMPLOSION OR SEEPAGE OF REALITY, AS THE SATURATION POINT HAS ALREADY BEEN SURPASSED. REMEMBER, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
There, I feel much better, having performed a necessary civic duty. If only one person’s sanity can be saved… (let it be mine).
A new coffeehouse now graces a storefront in the Golden Mall of Burbank, nestled in amongst those wonderful used book and video stores. In operation for a little over two months now, it seems to have attracted the boho crowd caught in that vast cultural (coffeehouseless) void between here and there.
Grounds Zero features the usual lattes, mochas, espressos, teas and other potables, as well as great cheesecakes and desserts. You can read your hometown newspaper from Dublin, Addis Ababa, or Singapore as you eat one of their breakfast or lunch specials.
The owner, Todd Torrimson, is charming and gracious, and the knowledgeable and attentive staff appears to have been drawn from the crowd that frequents the cafe, mostly the Young and the Pierced, the Neo-Iokas, with a sprinkling of the Yuppie/Boomer element.
The decor is vague and somewhat in the style we call “Nonchalantaise;” one gets the impression of deliberate casual splendor, but yet… there is a certain coffeehouse.
There’s an open-mic night every Monday night, and every Thursday an eclectic open-mic reading. Call ahead to determine the entertainment on other nights.
Grounds Zero is located at 124 N. San Fernando Blvd (cross street Olive), with plenty of free parking nearby. Phone: 818-567-4257. Open seven days a week, 10–11 a.m. to 1–2 a.m.
OK, boys ‘n’ girls! This month’s focus for Vic’s Picks is Poetry and Art!
Not only are there dozens of featured readings every month at NoHo coffeehouses, there are also weekly open-mic and open-reading nights where an amateur (or semi-pro) can get up and perform.
Vic’s Picks
Who: Local poets (and maybe YOU, too!)
What: Open Poetry and Open-mic nights. This is the great level ground where people can get up on stage and perform. Usually there’s no cover, and with the increasing popularity of these sessions, it’s a good idea to arrive early in order to secure a seat. Even if you don’t have the nerve to get up and expose yourself, great entertainment can be had in watching it being done. Performances run the gamut from the astonishingly good to the hilariously bad. (You oughta try it!) There are also workshops where you can learn the craft of writing and performing.
Where: Iguana Cafe, Eagles Coffee Pub, Grounds Zero
When: Iguana Cafe features open poetry reading on the 2nd Saturday each month (sign-up @ 8:30 p.m., reading starts @ 9:00 p.m.). There is a poetry workshop every Sunday (3:00–6:00 p.m.), followed by an open-mic performance (sign-up @ 6:30 p.m., show starts @ 7:00 p.m.). Check fliers—there’s no cover for any of the preceding events! Call for other reading information: Iguana Cafe, 10943 Camarillo St., NoHo, 818-769-7735.
Eagles Coffee Pub has Skinny Leonard’s Open Poetry on Thursdays, and open mic every week. No cover, no minimum. Eagles Coffee Pub, Lankershim Blvd., NoHo, 818-760-4212.
Grounds Zero’s weekly open-mic and poetry readings are on Monday and Thursday evenings respectively. Call for schedule (see above for location).
Who: All
What: Art Opening: “Woodlands & Waterways.” Featuring paintings and poetry, with the jazz guitar of Larry Feldman.
Where: Iguana Cafe, 10943 Camarillo St., NoHo
When: Saturday, April 28, 3:00–6:00 p.m.
That’s all for this month. Hopefully, get out, see you next month!
Next month: Coffeehouse daze!!!♦