Early in February I reread a Richard Brautigan poem titled Karma Repair Kit. At the time I was in the infancy stages of planning a group show focused on music, the act of eating, and poetry.  Here is Brautigan’s poem:

Karma Repair Kit:
Items 1-4

by Richard Brautigan

1. Get enough food to eat,
and eat it.

2. Find a place to sleep where it is quiet,
and sleep there.

3. Reduce intellectual and emotional noise
until you arrive at the silence of yourself,
and listen to it.

4.

The simple poetic list struck a deep chord within myself and resonated into the title of the show.  Karma Repair Kit it had to be.  I set a date 2 months in the future and began the process of finding artists.  By the time April 25th came around, most musicians who had expressed interest had become too busy or flaked.  I became disenchanted and laid down the ideas to waste.  In planning events, shows and parties, you come to realize over the years that you can excite people about the idea of being part of a collective experience, but when it comes down to setting up, showing up, and cleaning up, the group grows thin.  I knew I couldn’t do this alone.  It’s not worth it.

Eben Stewart showed up at my house last week and said “Are we doing this still?” with enthusiasm.  Eben and my band Lantern just played a couple shows in Big Sur and Monterey a early in April.  I said “Yea if you help”.  We shook hands and Karma was back in action.  We quickly hatched a new plan, strung lights and a chandeleir, borrowed my father’s BBQ, and we were set.

People started showing up around 6PM on Saturday and Lantern went on a 8:30 to our best show yet.  I was slipping around in wet grass and I almost fell off the stage down a hill while losing myself in a heavy part of one of our songs.  Comedian Tommy Ritter then hit the stage for a venomous set that offended everyone, which is an amazing feat.  Although offended they laughed like hell especially when this crazy Hungarian man Andras decided to loudly argue all of Tommy’s jokes.  Eben finished off the night to a huge crowd and babes dreaming about the dusty roads of the musician’s mind.

Karma Repair Kit was a huge success and although it was stressful I can’t wait to have another one sometime this summer.  Next time maybe charge for beers.

Thanks to the following people:  Trademark and Thomas Mahoney, Eben Stewart, Kyle Burns, Michael Hamm, Joe Imes, Fernie, Tommy Ritter, my neighbor Paul for the stage, Andrew Paszterko for the pasta and BBQ, Caseman, and Jess for the extension chord.  Also thanks everyone for showing up, you are all great friends I love you dearly.

All Photos and Documentation by Kyle Burns

On April 25th there will be an out door celebration/show at the Echo Park Lodge in Echo Park. Right now we are hunting down bands who are willing to tone down and do shot acoustic sets from some other big dogs. This is a charity event for a soon to be known cause, which we are not at liberty to discuss.

Maybe this is what the lineup will look like:

Moab
Panthere
Lantern Black Lodge
Samurai Dreams
Eben Stewart
DJ Tom Hanks

WISHLIST:
Exile
Dead Meadow
National Sunday Lay
The Black Pine
XUXU Fang
The Meek

We are very interested in finding more local musicians. Contact camerin@trademardrecorings.comif you are interested in playing.

TRADEMARK

From Trademark Recordings:

BUY: FREE TRADEMARK RECORDINGS  -TM D7i 2 (16 Dec ‘08 - 22 Dec ‘08)

ABOUT: Los Angeles’ Echo Park Lodge (a.k.a. the Black Lodge) is a dwelling rich in paranormal activity, including known registrations of the “Hum” phenomenon, apparition sightings, and cult activities related to Thelemic and other black magick teachings. Akasa vocalist Camerin Kelly descended directly into this den of iniquity on a solo mission to capture the influences of this spiritual graveyard, inspired by minimalist folk, dub echo, and the unearthly surroundings. The results are presented in the form of his alter ego, Lantern Black Lodge, in a recording known simply as, “Shine On You.”

TRACKS: 1.) Shine On You 2.) No Down Time 3.) Piano Tree

SEE ALSO: http://www.myspace.com/echoparklodge, Akasa

RELEASED: 16 December 2008

Back In Los Angeles.  My sister is a dirty girl.  HOOHAA!

Justin Taines and I went to City Sip the other day.  City Sip is a new wine bar in Echo Park and Justin hates it.  Justin hates many things here on our planet earth, but for some reason he has a true black blooded taste for destroying City Sip’s laid back vibes.

1. Justin hates standing at the bar and drinking wine. He also hates ordering wine, because it makes him feel pretentious.  He also hates ordering beer at bars because it makes him feel like a loser.  So I don’t know how to help him here.  I’d say stop thinking so much and fucking order.

2.  He hates intellectuals or what I like to call the “faux sophisticato”.  It’s a class that Justin doesn’t fit into so he says, but I think he might be mayor of the city in which he wishes to annihilate.  Justin may have a case of the not so common Nero bug.

3.  Justin pretends to hate Cheese Plates.  Another lie.  He eats expensive onion, cheese and toasted bread every morning.

I found City Sip to be a nice alternative to the dirty little liars that hop around the local Little Joy and the Echo.  I’m sick of everyone lying all the time.  It’s not attractive.  Cowboy shirts don’t make you hip and either does playing pool or drinking coffee all day long in plain view.  Comb your hair, shave, and drink coffee somewhere productive.  Like at a job.  Anyone ever heard of actually being productive in Echo Park?  Lethargic people are disgusting.

I saw an ex lover on Television last night.  That makes me hip cause now I am drunk and being truly drunk is hip as fucking hell.  Fuck it!  I’m cussing again.  Haunted 600 miles aways from the entertainment mecca is somehow relieving.  As Chris Isaac plays in the background to a stormy Mendocino Day.

“Ohhh I, wanna fall in love”