HOV : The Tony Tarasco Roast

You're big - you bad - you brag - you boast—

but tonight we get-in' that azz—

Cuz it's the Tony Tarasco Roast!!

So began the first annual Tony Tarasco Roast.

Who is Tony Tarasco and why would he be roasted?

On the eve of his 40th birthday, Tony was roundly insulted and goofed-on by friends and family in attendance. Roastmaster Brew (aka Anthony Brewster) kept the insults flowing and the barbs flying before leading his group House Of Vibe All-Stars through a set of wicked funk with some soul and reggae thrown in there.

House Of Vibe has a new CD out.

House Of Vibe play every Wednesday night at Harvelle's.

Tony Tarasco & Anthony Brewster

Rapper Deploi

Drummer Fish

Bassist Colin Wolfe

Tony's choice of attire for the evening's events was this pimped out Hugh Hefner smoking robe and an emperor's crown. Look like he just tasted some Parkay or sumthin'.

Cyrus

These are the shoes Tarasco chose to wear.

Did he have these in his closet?

Thaaaaat's Brewster!!!

Tony Tarasco - no wig and robe

Freewill

Jon Swift blurs as Deploi spits

T-Smidi and Jon Swift

Deploi takes it to the next level

Guitarist Kris Hawkins

Tony endured the roast for close to an hour but his mic was unexpectedly cut off when he tried to have the last word. Apologies to the roasters whose names i was not able to get at the time of this posting.

HOV : The Tony Tarasco Roast PT.2

The Tony Tarasco Roast / House Of Vibe All Stars night was so epic it needed two postings. I didn't even mention in the last post that Chali 2na was hangin' out that night. Chali always heats it up at Harvelle's when he plays with HOV. And with the Tabasco™ fire lit under Mr T, Chali brought it to it's boiling point!!

Pics taken with the Hipstamatic™ app for the iPhone!

That's Chali 2na having a great time!

Kris Hawkins solo-ing through "Maggot Brain"

Greg Raymond gets down on the keys

Tony and Deploi on the m-i-c.

Jon Swift caught in the act

Tony adjusts his coiffure as Brew intros the next high-larious roaster

Chali 2na gets it done!

This "roaster's" delivery was a crowd pleaser.

Brew 'splains the "roast rules" to Tony

Cyrus took a shot at the sizzling Mr Tarasco

This "roaster" sported Tony's Baltimore Orioles Jersey.

Deploi leavin' 'em in a trail of smoke

Sebastian and Dan are 1/3rd of the HOV horn section

Amy Lou shakes her moneymaker

Deploi

Chali frontin' the band

Ijeoma sings "Be Thankful"

Fish

Bassist Corey Cofield

Deploi and Chali rip it up.

House Of Vibe All-Stars play a set of wicked funk and hip-hop mixed with some badass soul and reggae every Wednesday night at Harvelle's. Some of the best musicians play for HOV, and you never know who might sit-in. They got horns and guitars and keyboards and many rappers and singers. And Amy Lou on percussion!

Today is Kirk Fletcher's Birthday!

Happiest of birthdays to my fave guitar shredding, Vans™ wearing blues guitarist!

Kirk will be playing at Harvelle's on New Year's Eve!!

Just Dave Band : Tales From The San Fernando Valley

The Just Dave Band is Dave Bernal on vocals guitar andharmonica, Chad Watson on bass, Nick Amoroso on drums and Aaron Tap on guitar.Johnny Stachela sat in on a couple songs on guitar. His SG was in the shop so he played the hell out of his Les Paul instead.

Dave Bernal (aka Just Dave or J.D.) is a folk/blues player whose prowess on his instruments is second only to his songs ; tales of love set in the San Fernando Valley.

As a native of Van Nuys (the pearl of the SFV oyster) I can truly appreciate Dave's take - us valley-ites being judged for years due to Nicolas Cage as the "new waver" in the movie Valley Girl, cheap digs in Clueless (the Beverly Hills kids get mugged in the valley), Fast Times At Ridgemont High's mall scenes being set in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, and of course Frank Zappa's unleashing of Valley-speak in the

classic "Valley Girl" that kinda set it all off.

Dave's work has nothing to do with

any of the above. He rides

through the streets of the valley with his six-stringer and makes impossible sounds through his harmonica. Catch him driving on the 101 or at a venue in the 818.

Special nod of gratitude to Deborah Foreman, Moon-unit Zappa, E.G. Daly, Stacey Dash, Birmingham High School Alums Sascha Escandon, Carlos Vera, Mariko Henderson, Leslie Deutsch & Andrea Wilson and The Blade Barbershop at Victory and Balboa!!

Pink Door : Comedy Benefit

The Pink Door Cancer Fundraiser was a comedy show produced by Don Nyal and held at Harvelle's early in the evening on Tuesday December 14, 2010 and featured 6 comedians.

Rick Ramos

The event producer Don Nyal

Dan Mintz

Levi MacDougall

Margie Kment

Jarret Grode

Dan Levy

The MeSoHungry Truck provided sweet potato fries, pulled pork sliders, short rib sandwiches and other deliciousness.

Vintage Trouble : What A Night!

It was raining cats and dogs in Santa Monica - but those inside were only wet from sweat. A "pub crawl" has descended upon the club and it's filled with drunken Santa Claus hat wearing party-ers.

Ty Taylor on vocals wears his soul on his sleeve.

Nalle Colt plays guitar and Rick Barrio Dill on bass rock the crowd.

Below, Richard Danielson on the drums!

With the club packed to the brim (and a line down the block) Ty and Vintage Trouble were up to the challenge of turning all these Xmas revelers into fans (aka Troublemakers)!

Mission accomplished!

Vintage Trouble plays every Tuesday at Harvelle's and their CD "The Bomb Shelter Sessions" is available now at all the usual outlets.