A Momentary Aside, if you will...

So I really didn't have any other intentions for this site other than to have someplace to post up the playlists for my show. Although this past summer I was very excited to have the opportunity to write for one of my favorite blog sites fakeRICH, I apparently ran out of steam/drive/motivation to keep writing and/or kuci took up a lot more time than I had anticipated, so I never actually started writing for them (my apologies Joseph! total fail on my part -_-). Anyway, I wanted to post this up somewhere related to music so here's a piece that I wrote ages ago on the Crosby here in Orange County. I have so much respect for Chris Alfaro, the Crosby staff, and the establishment itself that I really wanted to do a story on them. Here's to you guys :)




Thank you Crosby for Bringing Some Swagger to Orange County

August 28, 2009


Torn between the “Starving Artist”, a phenomenal construct of gruyere cheese and sautéed balsamic mushrooms that supersedes its culinary label of “grilled cheese sandwich” and the Creole shrimp pasta whose savory tomato Creole sauce always delivers an instantaneous bite, I decide to go utensil-free today and order the former. The “Artist” has never done me wrong in the past. Come to think of it, nothing I’ve ever experienced at the Crosby has either.

I look out the large, landscape-sized window beside me and notice boutique bridal shops and discount garment stores gradually light up as dusk sets in. A few feet away from the restaurant at the cross streets of 4th and Broadway in downtown Santa Ana’s artist village, I see locals carrying groceries and riding bicycles across the street alongside the cars emptying out from company parking lots. As I sit and people watch, the sound of soft jazz music accompanied by a steady percussion puts me at ease and I begin to nod my head to the subtle baseline. To my right, encased in large cabinets with glass display panels, new literature on visual art and cultural phenomena catches my attention as I consider looking through a Murakami book while I wait for my food. Wondering which painting is on display today, I turn around and glance upwards above the entrance. It’s a piece by street artist Shepard Fairey that bears the intricate stencil and collage-pattern work set in crimson, black, and gold characteristic of Fairey’s artwork and Obey Giant apparel line. I admire the piece but found the painting of a giant rat several months ago much more amusing.

Great food, eclectic music, interesting reading material, artwork, and a low-key, intimate space nestled in a community removed from the culturally static binds of suburbia. This is what the Crosby means to me.

A breath of fresh air to OC residents seeking good nightlife without having to make the trip to LA, the Crosby makes for a good night out on any day of the week. Owners Chris Alfaro, Marc Yamaoka, and Phil Nisco set out to bring some flavor to the area when they opened the restaurant/bar/bookstore in April of 2008. Since then, it has proven to be a place where one can get their fix of audio indulgences without the annoyance of pretentious décor or overzealous drunks clumsily making their way to the dance floor. Fashioned after the jazz lounges of the 1920-1960s with stylistic nuances such as the dozen or so vintage boom boxes that run lengthwise along one wall of the restaurant, the dark, enclave-esque Crosby serves as an ideal place where musicians and DJs can perform comfortably Monday through Saturday night. Funk, soul, vintage ska, dubstep, reggae, hip-hop, garage rock. Take your pick. You may even hear co-owner Chris Alfaro spin a set or two under the name Urth (or perhaps his more recognizable nom de plume, Free the Robots) serving a fresh mix of glitch, jazz, and warped electronica topped with off-kilter samples and a side of melodically skewed vocals.

All things aside, seeing Chris Alfaro in action is enough for me to check any venue out. Call me a fan girl if you must, but the guy’s got talent.





The Santa Ana native and frequent participant in the Los Angeles underground music circuit, who is gaining increasing critical acclaim for both his musicianship and entrepreneurial activities, cites his colleagues as key influences with where he is taking his music today:

"People I grew up with throughout the years have kind of taught me everything, especially my buddy the Gaslamp Killer who has shown me a new world of music…his energy and what he plays pretty much influenced my entire direction of music. And those kids DJ Shadow, Flying Lotus, Daedelus, Nosaj Thing, all of which are good buddies of mine…I’m very honored to be actively doing stuff with them…They’re my inspiration."

Having some heavy-hitting beat makers as close, personal friends has fared well for both Alfaro and the Crosby. His familial relationship with the beat-centric sphere of the music community has lead to several partnerships and collaborations with the likes of Dam-Funk, Shepard Fairey, DJ Rhettmatic, J Rocc, Plann.B, 12th Planet, Wendy City, No MSG, and the list goes on. To this day, I still can’t get over how choc-full of music this place is. And the best part: IT’S FREE. Despite the wide array of talent that comes into the Crosby, there’s no real preoccupation with money there. Such aforementioned guest spots occur informally as Alfaro discusses a lack of monetary intent behind having musical showcases at the restaurant:

"It’s not your typical…‘Come in here, make us money, and we’ll give you money.’ It’s more like, ‘Come in, hang out, we’ll jam, we’ll talk music, probably get some collabs going, we’ll have fun, have some meals, talk to some people, [and] kick it…I don’t care how big you are. You come in here just asking for money only—it’s just not part of the game…We have a lot of friends that are doing a lot of big things in music and they come to our spot as if it’s like their home too. And all the different DJs from LA, all these different places, they’re all just homies. If they’re not, then they’re friends of friends that are just down…because they know it’s more like an artist to artist vibe."

It’s this same modest and homely atmosphere coupled with a slew of artists each month that makes the Crosby so appealing. As an area that has limited exposure to the burgeoning music scene in Los Angeles, Orange County definitely gets a taste of what’s coming up in music now that the Crosby is in the picture.

To sum it up: The Crosby is legit. It’s a no-bro zone (usually) and it isn’t infested with your typical neon kids or snot-nosed hipsters who don’t care where they are so long as the person to the left and right of them is drinking a can of Pabst and rocking the same Ray-Ban sunglasses and plaid shirt they are. If you are said person, however, my apologizes to you and yours, but don’t let my comments stop you from checking the place out if you haven’t done so already. Grab a drink. Pull up a chair. Order some sweet potato fries. And listen to some good tunes. One of the most chill spots in Orange County won’t judge you and your tired-out plaid shirt.