The Valley Basks in Firefly’s Glow
Firefly is glowing red-hot. Jeffrey Best’s plush new restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City has Hollywood hipsters doing the unfathomable: winding through Laurel Canyon to spend their evenings in the Valley.
On the invitation of the Viper Room’s Sal Jenco, I checked out Firefly last Friday and particularly enjoyed its fried olives. The company was so good I ran too late to catch Bluebird at the Troubadour, but managed to make it to the Knitting Factory in time to hear Bruce Duff spin some muy excelente punk rock.
Naturally, I requested Bad Religion before being trounced by some circus freaks on my way into the main performance area for Guttermouth’s set. In the words of the band OMD, how bizarre, how bizarre. Sure glad I wasn’t part of the cleanup crew after that show. Someone blew chunks on a computer keyboard in the club’s corridor. Dude, that’s so punk....
Speaking of punk, score one for the neighbors in the long-running feud between WeHo’s 7969 club and members of the local community. As of deadline, the club will be shut down for a minimum of 30 days for minor code violations. For now, Tuesday night’s Michelle’s Triple X Revue has relocated to Arena, while Tiger Heat’s now at the Hollywood Athletic Club on Thursdays. We’ll keep you posted.
A word to indie label Side-1 Dummy: If you send me an advance copy of the new Flogging Molly album (due out Mar. 19), nobody gets hurt. Seriously, I heard the new album, “Drunken Lullabies,” and it’s sooooo good.... I hear that the Well in Hollywood is becoming a new favorite watering hole for the rocker set. That fine young Foo Fighter Dave Grohl hung out at the Well Friday night and on Saturday, Twiggy Ramirez, Jack Black and the Strokes chilled out there.... Monday it was the “Attack of the Killer Cuties” at the Viper Room as Mark McGrath, Stephen Dorff, Heather Graham and Elijah Wood rocked the crowd.
Oh, and the Viper Room’s got a new happy hour: It’s Thursdays, between midnight and 2 a.m. Coyote Shivers is deejaying. Tonight’s weather forecast: Mayhem.... Snacked on a “lobster martini” at the Key Club. It’s mashed potatoes with rock lobster sauce served in a glass. Yum yum.... Bar Marmont was a jumpin’ Sunday scene, leaving everyone feeling loosey goosey. It sure is a swell place.... Speaking of swell places, I’m off to Tangier to hear Mellowdrone. Meow.
Heidi Siegmund Cuda