Another Great Trip to LA, It Went By Way Too Fast, But A Foo Fighter Sang Happy Birthday To Me!
We got to celebrate my birthday on the west coast, catch up again with our friends Mike and Adam, eat some great food, and see a few shows, too!
I also came back here with some news to share with you about artists I’ve featured in “On The Verge!”
For starters, Eric Knight’s band, Disciples of Babylon, hosted a listening party for their new CD that’s being released in October! We spent Friday night, my birthday, at the studio where it was recorded, and got a sneak peak of every track. These guys are so talented, and Eric’s vocals just soar to the sky! I can’t wait for the release. There’s definitely good things ahead for this band, and when they’re playing on the east coast, I’m going to have them in our studios. I’d also love to thank them for the oh so delicious and very well decorated Foo Fighters birthday cake they presented to me! My friend Myra, who occasionally makes a guest appearance on my blogs, was also there, and we got to catch up in person! It was a birthday night I’ll never forget. After the listening party, we went and had pizza and some cocktails at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Blvd.
We got to catch up with Will Carpenter of Ships Have Sailed, another OTV band who’s also been to our Magic 98.3 studios! He was telling us all about his recent trip and live shows in the UK! Can’t wait to have these guys back in the studio when they’re on the east coast. Did I mention Will’s wife, Payal’s parents live about a mile from my house here at home! Talk about a small world, huh? Beautiful people who know how to make you feel welcome and have become friends.
There’s also a story about the very first artist I interviewed for OTV, Alicia Murphy! She’s been to our studios twice, we’ve done a few follow up interviews, and we were trying to meet up the day before I left, but the timing wasn’t right. We kept texting, trying to figure out a time and all of a sudden, I received a video from her, followed quickly by another. She was hanging with the newest member of the Foo Fighters, Rami Jaffee, and they sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me! OH EMM GEE, year made! (My own little piece of Rami history: He was once a member of The Wallflowers, and when I started in radio, they were one of the first bands I ever interviewed, and when he was leaving the studio, he said “Good Job” to me…I never forgot that!) I can’t tell you how flippin’ excited I was when she did that…she knew it would mean so much, and it’s something I will never delete off my phone! I’ve been showing everyone (shocker, right?!) To quote Alicia, THAT WAS SO RAD! LOL
We stopped at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and saw the memorial for Chris Cornell….that had to be one of the more somber but beautiful moments on the trip. The amount of notes, pictures, and flowers left at the grave by fans was overwhelming, but it showed me how I was not alone in my admiration and love for him, and while I still can’t believe he’s gone, his music will live forever.
If you’ve never been to the west coast, do yourself a favor and go. You’ll enjoy the weather, the music, the vibe, and perhaps, like me, you’ll want to one day pack up the cats and make it your home!
Debbie with the hubby, Gerard.
Oh heyyy, LA…see you again next May!
(Photos/Videos courtesy of Debbie Mazella)
Debbie’s a Maniacal Music Lover, Met fan, Animal Advocate, and Cosmo drinker!
