Los Angeles

Travel Blog: Bohol, Philippines- Part One: I Flew To The Other Side Of The World To Go Diving & All You're Getting Is One Singular Mention Of The Ocean In This First Blog

BOHOL, PHILIPPINES

Prologue

Hello Fellow Travelers,

Welcome back to one of my absolute favorite blog series that I do here at my beloved site; travel blogs! I know, for a large handful of you all, this is also your favorite series of mine & I think for good reason. This is often the blog that I get to share major passion of mine, travel, as well as a few subsequent others such as food, beverage, dive, & storytelling. Fortunately for all of us, this series will contain all of these aspects & more! So, if you’re along for the ride, buckle in, as the full scope of this trip & its embedded tales will take up a good three weeks worth of space on this blog! With all of that being said & everything else out of the way, let’s dive on in shall we?!


PART ONE:

Day One

Los Angeles, California


Evan & I landed in Los Angeles around 10 AM on March 7th. Our direct flight options for our arrival with Southwest Airlines were either the flight we chose or one that got in around 9:15 PM, which would have cut us far too close to our 10:35 PM departure with EVA Air for Taipei. This naturally left us with around 9 hours worth of time to burn before we had to check-in for the aforementioned flight. Initially our plan was to have our friend Jenna pick us up from LAX & drop us back later but upon looking into the amount of time it would force her into in commutes on our behalf we opted to rent a car for the day instead. Popping on over to Avis we snagged the rental I had booked the evening prior, a Tesla Model 3, of which Avis has an exclusive deal for the rental of. The really nice part about it was that we weren’t responsible for charging it upon its return which really helps save you a bit of cash, especially with LA gas prices being around $5 a gallon.

Downtown Los Angeles

Jenna had planned to head over to Pasadena to catch our other friend Rory’s Barry’s Ass & Abs class. She’d suggested dropping our luggage with her in North Hollywood, then carpooling around together, but unfortunately the time it would have taken for such a measure would have forced us to miss Rory’s class. So we opted just to meet there instead. We made it to Pas with about ten minutes to spare & loaded our luggage into the locked trunk & loathsomely named “frunk” (front trunk) of the Tesla.

I think Evan has cursed us, either that or it’s all to do with the timing of when we travel seeing as he is off Wednesdays & Thursdays so we usually end up flying those days. Either way we seem to always do a “leg day” the day prior to large amounts of travel, I guess this time would be no different.

Barry’s has a lower focus class on Tuesdays & an ass & abs class on Thursdays, that usually ends up being the cause of his post-leg day flight woes. Even if we don’t end up at Barry’s we typically end up adhering to their schedule so that we don’t get thrown into a wonky “I’m too sore for this” situation should we decide to hit another of their classes during the week.

Burlington Arcade In Pasadena

After class we were all desperately craving a coffee. Evan & I had wanted to venture into The Burlington Arcade in Pasadena for a while & the Pas Barry’s location just happened to be right within the same block or two, so that’s where our search began & ultimately ended.

The Mandarin Coffee Stand is nestled right in the middle of The Arcade. It is a teeny, tiny coffee shop that has a customer occupancy limit of four guests at a time. The are a local, Asian women owned & operated shop that specializes in Chinese style coffee. I got a latte known as the “Toasty” which consists of Rooibos, Cinnamon, Espresso, Brown Sugar, & Oat Milk. Not typically a fan of the milk of the oat, I tried it anyway at the recommendation of the barista & it was nothing short of bangin’! As we stood around the strip sipping our respective coffees we all decided the next necessary & logical step would be to find food.

If you were to dig into the notes app on either Evan or my phone you’d discover a shared note simply titled “Travel Visits.” In said note you will find lists upon lists of mostly restaurants & bars that we’ve written down over the years to try should we ever find ourselves in any of the locations listed therein. Despite our many years in LA the list for it seems to continue to grow & grow & so we both began to pilfer through in search of what would inevitably be that day’s lunch.

Many of the locations that we found were either evening only, too far from Pasadena, North Hollywood, or LAX, weren’t open that day, or weren’t a type of food we were all feeling, but at the end of our extensive filtering we ended up deciding on a deli in Westlake called Langer’s.

Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant was founded in 1947 & has been in the Langer family ever since. They are a member of the LA Times 101 Hall of Fame & have been a staple on the Michelin guide for many years. They are famous for their #19 Pastrami Sandwich which has been voted amongst the world’s best which is exactly what Evan & both ordered. The sandwich was excellent, sporting Pastrami on Rye with Coleslaw, Swiss Cheese & Russian Dressing. Jenna ordered a simple sliced Salami on a Hoagie it Provolone which was simple & delightful in its own way. After lunch we ended LA’s early afternoon traffic & made our way towards Jenna’s place in North Hollywood. Once we’d gotten to North Hollywood we pulled off into the CVS to grab a few provisions.

Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles

Photo Credit: Evan Michael

Anytime I fly overseas or on a flight that is longer than 4-5 hours I bring the cabin crew a sack of goodies just to say “thank you” & help ease their time on the job in even the slightest of ways. I typically pick up some family sized packs of chocolates, candies, & snacky things to give out. In addition to our care package we also picked up some Zzzquil for the flight, since it was an over nighter. After acquiring our items we continued onto Jenna’s to recharge for a bit; both for ourselves & our devices which had already made it through a morning of travel & a day of light exploration.

With our time in LA coming to an end & our need to head off to the airport approaching, we popped into a quick shower, refreshed deodorants & the like, & swapped over into our travel clothes before packing everything back up, bidding Jenna a fond farewell, & beginning the hour+ commute to the airport.

Once we’d dropped the car back at Avis we headed into LAX to check-in for our EVA Air flight to Taipei with continued service to Manilla. Once we got to Manilla we’d have to go through immigration & customs before rechecking our bags & continuing on. We met the rest of our group from Midwest Aquatics that were headed to Bohol at the check-in gate & after greetings & hugs we all headed through security.

The process was lighter than usual so we found ourselves incredibly early for our flight, so much so that the British Airways flight occupying our gate hadn’t even received their plane. We wandered around the international terminal before settling in on something to eat. After some truly mid fish tacos, I found a secluded corner in which to write two weeks ago’s blog & awaited the boarding process.

We boarded right on time & once we’d taken off, & eaten our in-flight meal, we took the Zzzquils & attempted to get some sleep.

Downtown Los Angeles

End Of Day One



Day Two

Taipei, Taiwan


We arrived in Taipei around 5:15 AM, local time. I managed to sleep for about a half or so of the duration of the fourteen & a half hour flight, Evan managed about two thirds. That was when he wasn’t attempting to shut off our sleeping neighbor’s over head light.

We had booked ahead online & gotten ourselves the exit row. I’m a rather tall gent at 6’4” & definitely need the extra leg room that the exit row or premium economy provide, especially on airlines based out of parts of the world where people tend to be on the shorter side. I had the “window” (there was no window) & Evan had the middle. At the time of our booking the aisle seat was already occupied, we actually assumed that it was Deb, a member of our group. It wasn’t, it was a gentlemen we had no relation to. When you’re in the exit row all of the buttons for your seat are located on the arm rest to your left about thigh high. Strangely enough, in EVA Air Economy Class, the reading light for the aisle seat illuminates the middle seat. No joke. Like each of the other buttons illuminate each of their respective seats, except for the aisle which basically doubles up on the middle. Additionally, the man on the end’s button for his over head light seemed to be a little on the sensitive side & every time he shifted in his seat it lit up the light over Evan’s head. I legitimately thought it was his own light until I noticed him slyly reaching over, across the man’s lap, trying to tap his light button. In his words “I had no issue with the light itself, it was the heat that it generated that was keeping me awake.” When he finally got around to turning off the light the man shifted in his seat thirty seconds later, immediately reigniting Evan’s personal warming bulb. Later when he got up to use the restroom, Evan positioned the man’s blanked so as to block any accidental bumping of the button from occurring.

Wheel Pies

We had about a three-ish hour layover in Taipei & we’d arrived before any of the shops & restaurants had opened. So, we as a group, decided to stretch out collective legs & walk the length of the terminal. By the time we’d made it all the way down shops had begun to open. Several members of our group took special interest in the Sanrio shop but I had my eyes set on a bakery that was beginning their prep as we initially walked by. The bakery in question is called Mazu Village, it’s half wheel pies & half boba stand. The boba & wheels pies are presented in a combo format so Evan & I opted for the one that would let us each have one of each of the two flavors; Salted Custard & Salted Custard with Peanut Butter, & also gave us each a Taro Boba Tea. The rest of the group ended up with something similar & while the two of us had decided that we favored just the custard pie over the one with peanut butter, as we found it too rich, the others disagreed.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

After our saccharine breakfast we sat around making calls for a bit. Evan called his family & I called my sister, whose birthday it still was in the states. At this point we’d crossed the international date line & were a half a day ahead of everyone back home. We waited around a bit longer before I went to a booth to buy some Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup which Evan & I split. I actually think one of the best parts of the soup was the Sauced Cabbage that came with it & the hyper sweet Cold Assam Tea. We wandered around the airport for a bit after we finished our food, flitting in & out of the assorted duty free shops before we descended to our gate to wait to board.

In the Taoyuan International Airport all of the gates are situated a level below the main parts of the concourse so you have to ascend a flight of stairs/take an elevator up when you arrive & descend the stairs/elevator when you plan to depart. It’s nice because it keeps the waiting areas separate from the hustle & bustle of the main terminal. The EVA Air Gods saw fit to grace us with the Sanrio plane for our trip from Taipei to Manila. I was actually surprised to see how many of us in the group were excited about that, but the plane was cute! Even once we’d boarded the plane was full of little Sanrio easter eggs such as the Hello Kitty air freshener holder in the lavatories.

Sanrio EVA Airplane

We departed Taipei at around 9:10 AM local time & began our two hours & thirty minute flight across the Luzon Strait to the Philippines & Manila.



Manila


Our flight landed in Manila at 11:45 & we were immediately ushered off the plane to immigration. Evan somehow made it through the passport check without filling out the online application for a visa, the rest of us weren’t so lucky. We were all handed a QR code to scan & fill out a digital form before we could get our stamp. Pretty standard procedure, just thought it was odd Evan got through without it, he must just have one of those faces.

He did fill out his visa application retroactively as we sat waiting for our baggage to come through. Figured it was better to have it done & entered in, especially if it ended up being needed upon our departure. Once we all had our luggage collected we headed out to the transfer area where we booked the transfer shuttle to the local departures terminal & exchange USD for Filipino Peso.

The man running the shuttle kiosk at the international terminal told us that it would be about a forty-five minute wait before we would have a transfer & it wasn’t guaranteed that we would all fit, in which case they would have us wait an additional 30-45 minutes for the next shuttle. I’m not really sure how or why the transfer times on the shuttles are so long, especially since the walk time between the two terminals was only about 5-10 minutes. We all opted for that.

The walk was a bit of a system shock. Most of us changed into lighter clothing before hand, but coming from LA & then Taipei where the weather was sitting in the mid to upper 50s, the shift into the 80s felt like much more drastic a change. By the end of our walk to the other terminal we were all sweating. Each of us reapplied deodorant & proceeded to the Philippine Airlines ticketing counter where we were met with one of the more common annoyances when it comes to checking baggage internationally across different carriers; entirely different baggage rules. We made it work & got everything figured out without the need for any extra dollars being exchanged.

By the time we made it through security we only had about an hour to an hour & a half left over in what was our four hour layover. We camped the bags & we went out exploring in waves to see what the airport terminal had to offer. Two party members came back with some rather tantalizing looking Boba Tea & Evan & me, & two others set out to find & claim our own.

Once the teas were acquired we returned to our gate & waited to board. Around 3 PM we all started lining up to board & before long we were off on our way to the island of Bohol.



Bohol

Bohol-Panglao International Airport is a bit on the smaller size, boasting around five or six gates in total. We arrived after our brief hour & a half flight just before 5 PM where we descended the escalator to the single baggage carousel, collected our belongings, & were greeted by the Magic Oceans transfer crew with water bottled & some bomb ass banana chips. We all climbed into the two vans they’d provided, with out luggage occupying a third vehicle, & off we went towards Anda.

Bohol, Philippines

The drive to the dive resort was a long one, not going to lie. We’re talking like two & a half to three hours long. After being in planes for a total of 22 hours off & on & laying over, I think all of us were ready to be done & there. The benefit of these far out locations & trips is that once you’re there, you’re there for a while! They also certainly drive different in the Philippines than we do here in the states. For starters there’s no speed limits, at least not in Bohol, unless designated by a work or school zone. They also don’t necessarily abide by the lanes. Evan & I got sat on the front bench of the van & I think we both regretted it as there were many times that each of us was slamming down our foot on the imaginary brake that we each wish we had. At the end of the day though the driver DID deliver us safely to Magic Oceans, even though I though we were going to hit dogs or those going out on the then Saturday evening who were walking along the side of the road.

I did manage to sleep the last hour & some change in the car, mostly because I had to pee & it seemed the only solution to avoiding that issue. We arrived in the darkness to Magic Ocean where we were all guided to the dining area for dinner, which was in full swing. Dinner at Magic Oceans is served family style with an exquisite chef preparing an appetizer course, a main course with around five dishes, & a dessert. I made it about halfway through the trip before I realized that I’d forgotten to write down the nightly menus so unfortunately they will be absent from this series despite their amazing quality in nature & the chef who prepared them’s lovely singing voice (we’ll get to that in later installments).

Once we were all situated with food, Evelyn, the resort manager gave us a quick briefing regarding our rooms & the plan for the morning in which we planned to start our diving. Once she had finished we were each escorted privately to our rooms where our luggage awaited us & promptly showered & went to bed so as to be ready & refreshed for the adventures that awaited us the following day!…but not before I went out the door of our room to the sandy overlook where I sat listening to the rush of the ocean for a few minutes.

…see, I mentioned it, once…& yes, that did happen, seriously. There were Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crabs in the sand fighting over a scrap of food. Evan even took a picture of me headed there! (See Below)

Path Outside Our Room At Magic Oceans

Photo Credit: Evan Michael

End Of Day Two


END OF PART ONE

Blog: Forcing Creativity

As songwriters the message that we seem to have drilled into our heads over & over again is that in order to be successful in the writing realm, or in music in general, you have to be able to force creativity at any given moment. While on the surface I don’t entirely disagree, you do need to “show up” to do your job. You need to be able to walk into a room, especially when writing for a major artist, & pull a quality song out at the drop of a hat. It’s a scenario I am sure a lot of us are familiar with even in the non-musical world, the need to tap into the creative on the fly, but something I’ve found that is next to impossible to get on demand is that of inspiration.

Inspiration & creativity often go hand in hand, especially where the art world is concerned. It tends to hit like lightning & fade quickly. The trick of striking while the iron is hot can be a difficult one. Inspiration, unfortunately, often comes exclusively from life experience. It comes from living, failures or successes in love, stories that invigorate you, adventures that flex your sense of wonder, etc. Inspiration is not something that can be faked or forced & when an attempt is made to do either it ends up being abundantly apparent.

I’m going to once again refer back to a writing camp that my dear friend Leena Regan put on, if you’ve read any of my other blogs you’ll know that bring up often. In said camp Leena really hammered in the point that if, in a writing situation, you feel like you’re pulling teeth, stop immediately. It’s a mistake I’ve made in the past for sure & I’m sure a lot of us who create have made as well. The problem that ends up arising when you force your way through painful creation is that it completely saps the joy out of creation. Your piece ends up being soulless, heartless, lifeless. It ends up being a stand in that you lock in a drawer & never look at again.

I was discussing this very topic with a producer friend of mine, Joshua Gleave, last night! We were both talking about how we feel it’s a complete & utter waste of everyone in the room’s time to try & juice a song from the pulp of your brain if the spark just isn’t there. He said that he’s had writes where he & his co-writer got a verse & chorus into a song, both looked at each other & immediately said “nah,” calling the session. I’ve definitely had the same, but I’ve often found that going from a different angle ends up igniting the fire of inspiration.

I was in a write back in October with my friend Frye & she & I had the exact same experience as Josh did above; we got a verse & a chorus in & were like “nah.” Nothing wears your creative brain out faster than writing something you’re not feeling at all or creating something you have no attachment to & know will end up going nowhere. We did end up getting a song out of that session but it was one that ultimately we both felt incredibly drawn to & inspired by.

I ended up getting burned out of writing for this exact reason. I stopped looking forward to writing because it felt like a chore, & not a fun one at that. I had always been told what I mentioned at the top of this post, write to write so you can write more & write better. I don’t disagree that we should flex our creative muscles on the daily, no argument there, but I don’t believe that has to take the form of torturous forced “mea culpa” style “inspiration.” You can be creative in other ways! Greet your day with some object writing, paint, draw, dance, sing, play an instrument, do something that gets the neurons of the left side brain firing. You can flex & maintain your creative muscles by broadening its definition for yourself & simply creating to create.

I’m sure that any of you in the virtual audience who are songwriter currently reading this can attest to the following; the best songs I’ve ever written were those I never planned to write & most of the time they were those that just came pouring out of me like lava. In addition to that, most of the best co-writes I’ve had were those where we’d either given up on writing, taking the pressure off, or had just been goofing around. Pressure, to me, brings instant death to inspiration.

Please, please, please don’t burn yourself out creatively the way I did! Find new ways to integrate your art into your life, to get the juices flowing. The songs will come when it’s time for them to, I promise, but you must be persistent & patient with them!

As always my loves, have a fantastic weekend!

-C

Blog: Obliterated

About two & a half years ago I was sitting on the steps inside my former manager’s Hollywood apartment jotting lyrics into my notes app to a song, humming softly to each line that popped into my head, all while Danny sat less than three feet to my left at the computer programing a track. This song started as an idea I had in passing about those who had lost their love & never recovered, those whose hearts had been truly & utterly “Obliterated.” Fast forward to today when I’m having my first ever international feature release with an artist I’ve come to call a friend, Hektor Mass!

Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m going to fill in the details from the last 2.5 years, I’m just currently in a bit of a state of disbelief that this song is finally seeing the light of day, especially in its current form!

If you don’t know songwriters there’s a little known fact about us that I think the outside world should know. Much like your Miranda Rights, anything you say or do can be used against you in a song. Thus many of us have hidden lists; in our phones, on our computers, in notebooks, on random post-it notes, of all the things we’ve heard in passing or all the thoughts that crossed our head that we think would make intriguing song ideas. As I mentioned above (see above), I had the idea for a completely decimated heart in passing. I’m not entirely sure how long it sat in my notes, but I don’t feel like it was there for that long before it got put to use.

The fire that ignited the idea for Obliterated, sonically, came from a song called “Lips on You” by Maroon 5. Danny, otherwise known as The Delta Mode, & I were driving around in Billie, our former manager’s, car & I had the aux. I put on the song & remarked about loving the production, to which Danny said “you know we should do something in the similar vein!” That was really all it took. We got back from BevMo & immediately got to work on the song.

I remember it not taking long to write. I remember it lyrically being a very stream of consciousness idea as Danny started to assemble the bones that would make up parts of the track you hear today. I’d pitch him lines, he’d tweak them lyrically or melodically or offer me another approach, but the song as a whole took about 30-45 minutes to write that day. I remember Danny & I had a long discussion regarding the use of the word “Obliterated” itself. At the time the idea was to do the song then potentially release it under The Delta Mode, so Danny’s concern was that German audiences, where he lives, wouldn’t be able to say/understand the word. My counterpoint was “good, make them look it up, drive more views to the song.” So the lyric stayed.

After the initial write was done Danny set up a small tracking mic in Billie’s closet. Truly a three foot by two foot space with a ceiling that sat about five and a half feet tall. For those that have never seen me in person, I’m a tall gent, 6’4” to be exact, so did I record vocals with my head cocked to the side, right up against the ceiling the whole time? You bet your ass I did.

The session itself happened at some point in the afternoon. I think I, myself, took a break & ventured down to Barry’s in Hollywood. By the time I got back Danny had taken Billie’s Ovation guitar & recorded a drop lick very reminiscent of Slash himself! Of course it had gone through compressors & filters galore to get from sounding like an acoustic guitar to an electric but parts of that guitar line are still present in the songs current form!

From there we had a very well produced demo, it got passed around amongst our friends & collaborators & everyone was head over heals for it, but I thought it was missing something. A second verse. See, at this point in time the song was just a verse, pre-chorus, chorus, & post chorus then it had a drop & would repeat everything save the verse a few times. I sat with the song for weeks trying to wrap my head around a second verse idea but I couldn’t for the life of me recapture the inspiration I had the afternoon it was written. So I took it to Evan Michael. Evan was very keen to write on the song, he loved the idea, the melody, etc. He was able to see the song from an outside perspective & find new angles to come at it with. And thus the second verse was born.

From here the song entered a series of disagreements. Danny would want one thing, I’d want another, we’d try to compromise to no avail; I am hardheaded after all. Danny himself claims to have done about a hundred different versions of the song but was never happy with it himself, so it was put on ice for about a year. The next time the song came up was to be under the newly minted Delta Mode, a group that expanded outside of just Danny & his brothers, in which the production would be cut back to the original demo, vocals would be recut, & the second verse would be added. However, it never came to be. Once again disagreements, misunderstandings, & life got in the way & the song was iced indefinitely.

Having finished that last paragraph I’d like to interject something here. Music is a creative medium, it is very personal. We all, as musicians & songwriters, want for our vision of a song, especially one that’s personal to us, to be our vision. It’s hard to let other people’s ideas in to that vision from time to time. No one is the bad guy in this situation, no one is to blame, we’re all on good terms still, there’s no need to take sides on any of this, it’s simply the music business. Got it? Okay, good. Onward we go.

Like I said, the song was on ice for quite a while. I had many friends asking when it’d be released or how & I honestly loved how much people loved the song, I knew it had to come out in some form. Enter fate.

A friend of mine from LA, who is a writer & artist began posting a lot of different things with a Spanish gent in LA. I was curious who he was as I’d never seen him in any of his stories in the past so I acquired. He told me his name was Hektor Mass a DJ/Producer in town from Barcelona whom he was showing around. I was told to check him out, so I did! I followed Hektor, added songs of his to my workout playlist, then we began to interact with one another over Instagram. This continued for a few months before I eventually ended up in Spain for Medusa during August of 2019 & who was the headliner for the opening party of Medusa Spain? Hektor Mass.

Unfortunately I missed Hektor’s set due to delays & I was honestly a little upset I wasn’t going to get to hear his music live or have the chance to meet him face to face. Call it manifestation or destiny or whatever but on the last night of Medusa who did I see at the bar? Hektor Mass. We struck up a brief conversation, I told him about “Obliterated” & he asked me to send his way. He loved the song but wanted to put his spin on it & make it his own.

From there I reconnected with Danny after about a year of distance & he sent over the stems for the original track and Hektor & I got to work in LA. Hektor wanted to keep a lot of the bones of the track, which we did, but this is the point in which we pulled Max Hurrell into the mix. Max is an incredibly talented young producer out of Adelaide, Australia who now resides in Los Angeles, someone I am also proud to call friend. Hektor, Max, & I sat down in small classroom studio at MI Hollywood & hashed out the song. We pulled up all stems, sorted through them, kept the ones we liked, ditched the ones we didn't, & began to move forward. At this point Hektor proposed a rewrite of the verse melody, siting that he wanted it to be more rhythmic with less space to give people something to dance to live. I struggled with the idea for a while, thinking I had to rewrite these lyrics I’d grown so attached to but in the end we were able to find a nice compromise! We pulled a lot of the same lyrics but added new ones in to fill the rhythmic chunks that were missing. We gutting the chorus instead opting for a verse, pre, chorus, verse, pre, chorus, drop, chorus, post chorus set-up!

Next we went to Capitol Records’ demo studios to retrack vocals. (Thanks Jenna!) It was honestly one of the most affirming yet grueling vocal sessions of my life. Max & Hektor were looking for a very specific vocal performance out of me, which after a while I believe they got! I sang higher & fuller than I think I have on most of my tracks & left the studio that night exhausted. I’m pretty sure we ended up cutting hours of just adlib vocal.

I went home to Nashville the next day but Max & Hektor continued working on the song over the next two to three weeks replacing a large chunk of the original track & adding a whole assortment of new melodic themes & ideas into the mix. I was blown away when they sent me the initial mix. Which we then sent off to Jonathan Roye here in Nashville to mix & then to Mike Monseur for master. Finally the song was complete!

After finalizing everything the song came out today, March 13th! There’s a lyric video here:


There are purchase links here:


Steaming Links:


Credits:

Performed By:

Hektor Mass, Charlie Rogers

Produced By:

Hektor Mass, Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Max Hurrell

Written By:

Charlie Rogers, Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Hektor Mass, Evan Michael

Drop Guitar By:

Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath

Keys By:

Charlie Rogers, Hektor Mass, Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Max Hurrell

Guitar By:

Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Max Hurrell

Drums/Rhythm By:

Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Max Hurrell

Synth By:

Hektor Mass, Danny “The Delta Mode” Bernath, Max Hurrell

Mixed By:

Jonathan Roye

Mastered By:

Mike Monseur

Recommendation Blog: Los Angeles

Much like my precious recommendation blogs I’ve included only Restaurants, Bars, & Theaters that I’ve been to. I can’t very well recommend something in good conscious that I, myself, haven’t tried.

Also, if you want to skip the area specific sections my “Quick Picks” are at the bottom!

LA PROPER: (Restaurants With Multiple Locations Around LA)

  • In-N-Out Burger: The west coast chain everybody raves about! I recommend going in with some knowledge of the secret menu! Double Double served Animal & Protein Style is my go to! Animal Style Fries are also a solid choice!

  • Lemonade: One of my favorite west coast chains, Lemonade is the healthy version of cafeteria style dining. Pick any number of options you like, but don’t skip on a Lemonade & a Giant Macaron! They have pretty solid Spicy Tuna Poke as well!

  • Salt & Straw: Started in Portland, OR then overtook California! Salt & Straw features its normal handful of Ice Cream but also does a series of “prompt” flavors that change every month!

  • Sugarfish: An LA sushi chain, it’s worth a bit of a splurge. Grab the Chef’s “I Trust You” & enjoy the Sushi journey!

  • Urth Cafe: Incredible Food, Incredible Coffee! This Persian inspired Coffee Shop is a great place to hang or have a mid day meal! There is one in the Southwest Terminal of LAX as well!

Beverly Hills:

  • Catch: Upscale Seafood, overlooks the divid between West Hollywood & Beverly Hills. Get a reservation, walk ins are few & far between.

  • Gracias Madre: Vegan Mexican that doesn’t suffer from a lack of meat & cheese. Get the Cauliflower Nachos for sure as well as the Jackfruit Tacos!

  • Zinque: Very trendy, the Tuna Tartine is incredible! Great drinks & atmosphere though!

Big Bear:

  • Local Tropicali: Excellent Poke Bowls, perfectly brewed Cold Brew, & other incredible Hawaiian inspired Bowls. Not to be missed in Big Bear! Staff is beyond friendly & helpful as well! Try the secret menu item the Krakatoa!

Burbank:

  • Bob’s Big Boy: You know it from the GIANT MAN ON THEIR ROOF. A Diner that boasts a pretty solid Burger & the like! The Antique Cars in the lot are a nice touch too!

  • Mama Hong’s: My favorite Pho place in America! Just really solid all around & inexpensive! I get the Filet Mignon Pho with Sliced Steak & Brisket added!

  • Priscilla’s Coffee: Get the House Specialty Latte. It’s incredible!

Chinatown:

  • Chego!: Korean Rice Bowls. Inexpensive but still amazing! Usually enough food to last two meals! I like the Pork Belly & the Fries!

Downtown:

  • Pitchoun: Cute little French Bakery tucked right in downtown LA. Their Pastries & Desserts are where they shine but their Sandwiches & Tartines are not to be ignored either!

The Grove:

  • Dominique Ansel Bakery: The inventor of the Cronut, Dom Ansel offers a variety of incredible Desserts & a Cronut of the Month! In addition to sugary confections they also have a restaurant!

  • Nonna’s Empanadas: Amazing Empanadas of all varieties! Sweet, Savory, you name it! The Guava/Cream Cheese is mind-blowingly good!

Hollywood:

  • Beauty & Essex: Contemporary American a little higher up on the price scale. Famous for their Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Bites as well as their Croque Madame Mac & Cheese & their Dessert Ferris Wheel. Bring friends & share plates!

  • Black Rabbit Rose: A Magic Themed Cocktail Bar with Live Music! Grammy Winning Pianist plays with his band there every Tuesday evening & Thursdays are Jazz nights!

  • Dirty Laundry: A dark, dingy bar that’s strangely still upscale! Alcoholic Frozen Drinks abound! Occasionally have Live Music.

  • Fat Sal’s: Exactly how it sounds. Massive amounts of food for cheap. Bomb Sandwiches & Milkshakes, just don’t go on a diet.

  • Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar: My favorite Frozen Yogurt in LA, always have fun flavors & are open late. They deliver as well!

  • Good Times at Davey Wayne’s: One of my favorite bars in LA. Davey Wayne’s is a fun 70s Themed Bar with a lot of charm. Their “Backyard” offers Yard Games, Hammocks, Fresh Grilled Tacos, & Alcoholic Snow Cones!

  • Hotel Cafe: Amazing, historic venue. You never know who will pop in here! Often have two shows going at once, so check online before you go!

  • Javista: A subsidiary of Urth Cafe. The same high quality Coffee & Food, but I think a little cheaper!

  • Jones: An LA staple. Jones is a late night Italian Restaurant that has been around forever. A good place for Celebrity sightings as well.

  • Lost Property: Inconspicuous as they come. A little bar tucked under a skyscraper. A great hang spot!

  • Mama’s Shelter: Part Boutique Hotel, Part Bar, Part Restaurant! The Shelter is a cool retro Hollywood styled Hang! There’s always something fun going down there! Amazing view of Hollywood from their Rooftop Bar!

  • No Vacancy: Another one of my favorite Bars in LA. No Vacancy is a Prohibition Style Speakeasy. Entering the bar is a little like being at Disneyland. I won’t spoil the fun but inside are Prohibition Era Drinks, A Live Jazz Band, & A Burlesque Show!

  • Roscoe’s: The O.G. LA Chicken & Waffles place! Open late & they you can also get it delivered!

  • Rubies + Diamonds: Salted Coconut Cold Brew, Medium Sweet. That’s all you need to know. You’re Welcome.

  • The Rusty Mullet: Beer Pong. Darts. Drinks served in a Sand Pail. What’s not to love? Rednecked Themed, but this bar is a total blast!

  • Stout Burger: So Cal Burger Chain. Go during Happy Hour, their burgers are half priced! Stout also boasts an extensive Draft List that’s always rotating!

  • The Study: Used to be “Hemingway’s,” The Study’s drinks are all literature themed! Often have Live Music there as well!

  • Velvet Margarita: Late Night Mexican Food! Make them bring back the Weekend Fish Stew, it was life changing.

Inglewood

  • Kanpai: THE. BEST. SUSHI. Hands down. End of story. Owner goes & picks out fresh fish every morning!

La Brea:

  • Bluestone Lane: Aussie Coffee shop! Get you a Milo Mocha & a Square of Poundcake (Frozen) & sit back & enjoy the chill atmosphere!

  • Tartine: A West Coast chain but there’s definitely a reason behind their fame! Incredible baked goods, don’t skip the Morning Bun or another form of Croissant, they’re to die for!

  • Three Borders Brunch: A must stop & I cannot stress that enough. El Salvidorian meets Mexican meets American food! It’s INCREDIBLE. So good it made me cry & the owners are always there cooking up a storm!

Larchmont Village:

  • Cafe Gratitude: A very pleasant Vegan Cafe! Sandwiches, Pasta, Etc, all bangin!

  • Go Get Em Tiger: Hella cool Coffee Shop! Awesome Lattes with an awesome crew!

Las Feliz:

  • Alcove Cafe & Bakery: A bit pretentious but I’ve never had anything bad there! Very broad menu ranging from Eggs Benedict to Salads to Sandwiches!

  • Ample Hills Creamery: This NYC Based Creamery is incredible. Their flavors are inventive while still being within the realm of classic taste!

Malibu:

  • Malibu Seafood: Fresh Seafood! Don't know what to get? Get the sampler! The Sandwiches are also pretty great!

  • Nobu: Probably one of the most famous LA restaurants, Nobu is High End, & I mean High End Sushi!

Melrose:

  • Blu Jam Cafe: One of my go-to stops in LA. Blu Jam is famous for their Crispy French Toast! It’s bangin’! I recommend getting the Tropical Variant of the French Toast with the Vanilla Creme Sauce! The Churro French Toast is incredible too as is their Breakfast Quesadilla!

  • Market Provisions: The best Yogurt & Granola I’ve ever had! May seem like a little thing but it’s incredible as is their Dungeness Crab Croque Madame!

  • Taste on Melrose: Get the White Truffle Lobster Mac & Cheese. End of story!

  • Wolf: An interesting place to Brunch, the Golden Eggs are one of their specialties as are their Crispy Potatoes!

North Hollywood:

  • Aroma Cafe: Very large menu with a lot of variety to it. Never had anything bad there! Huge pastry selection as well. Quant & Cute. A fun morning meeting place!

  • El Tajano: Tuesday night Two-For-One Margaritas & Tacos! Go with friends & play some Yard Games!

Silverlake:

  • DeSano Pizza: The Nashville Pizza Gods go west! Get the Diavola & the San Genarro!

  • Las Globos Theater: Awesome Hip Hop Club! Go discover the next big thing in Hip-Hop!

  • Silverlake Ramen: A must stop. My favorite Ramen in the States! Get the Blaze (Spicy Tankatsu) with Pork Belly, Extra Egg, & Black Garlic Oil. You’ll thank me later!

  • Sqirl: A Fun little Healthy Breakfast/Lunch spot! The Sorrell Bowls are great as is the fresh Brioche with Ricotta Rainbow Style!

  • The Thirsty Crow: If Silverlake Ramen has a line, wait it out here! The cocktails are all amazing!

Studio City:

  • La Loggia: Upscale Italian. Amazing fresh baked bread & pasta. Get a bottle of Baby Blue while you’re there as well!

  • Voodoo Doughnuts: The Portland Doughnut Giant goes south! This one is located at Universal CityWalk & unlike its siblings, isn't open 24/7. They are also lacking the more “risqué” doughnuts i.e. The Cock & Balls & the Blunt. Still worth it for a Portland Cream, Memphis Mafia, & Maple Bacon Bar!

West Hollywood:

  • Barnie’s Beanery: A good Celebrity spotting location! Been at the same location forever. I recommend their chili sampler!

  • Flaming Saddles: A gay bar with the best dance floor in town, no matter what your sexuality is, they cater to it!

  • Motherlode: Cheap, STROOOONG Drinks! Start your night out here to save some cash & get the bang for your buck!

  • Night & Market: My favorite Thai spot in LA since Pok Pok pulled out. Very similar to Pok Pok in design & taste! Go potluck with some friends & try a few things!

  • Pump: Vanderpump’s WeHo Bar. Drinks are a little pricy but they’re very tasty & very strong!

Quick Picks:

  • Bakery: Dominique Ansel

  • Breakfast: Blu Jam Cafe

  • Brunch: Blu Jam Cafe (Traditional) Wolf (Upscale) Market Provisions OR Sqirl (Interesting)

  • Burger: Stout (Specialty) In-N-Out (Normal)

  • Coffee: Diamond + Rubies

  • Contemporary American: Beauty & Essex

  • Donuts: Voodoo Doughnuts

  • Empanadas: Nonna’s Empanadas

  • Frozen Yogurt: Frog

  • Healthy: Lemonade

  • Ice Cream: Salt + Straw OR Ample Hills

  • Italian Jones (Normal) La Loggia (Upscale)

  • Korean: Chego!

  • Late Night: Jones

  • Mexican: Three Borders Brunch

  • Pho: Mama Hong’s

  • Pizza: DeSano

  • Ramen: Silverlake Ramen

  • Special Occasion: Beauty & Essex

  • Sushi: Kanpai

  • Thai: Night & Market

  • Vegan/Vegetarian: Gracias Madre