Quick post. If you’re a UCLA student and/or friends with a UCLA student, definitely come and check out The MAE SHI on March 4th with Mika Miko and the Rafter. All three are exceptionally good bands and it’ll be a good time.

And here’s a video of The Mae Shi performing at Fuel TV’s the Daily Habit.

And look out for an upcoming event with Ludwig and other industry folk at UCLA!

this picture says it all…near Insolvent. But don’t think the banks are going to fall,..it is YOU that is going to pay. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.

Remember that R-Kelly and Usher song “Same Girl”? Hell yeah it was idiotic.

But, check out the Flight of the Conchords’ take on it. Pretty awesome.

The Bad Brains are and will remain at the conerstone of the punk/rock/reggae movement. There are many tracks by the Bad Brains that exemplify their unique style and originality, but “I Against I” seems perfectly fitting at this point in time, and what better way to celebrate “Fat Tuesday” than with a little bit of Bad Brains? PS. check the “Poison” spray painted tag on the wall! -80’s baby, they don’t make’em like that anymore.

So, Pedro the Lion has been one of my favorite bands for quite some time now. Though the band is no longer together, their lead singer, David Bazan, is still recording and touring. Bazan has been doing a series of small intimate house shows the last couple of weeks. One of them was last night at my friend’s house in Irvine, CA. I, of course, drove home for the show. I got to my friend’s place at around 7:15. I walked into a room of probably 40 other strangers watching the Oscars, one of whom I actually knew. Bazan arrived at around 7:45. It was a slightly awkward entrance because we were all so surprised to see him just stroll in. However, he was definitely welcomed with smiles. He played for about an hour and a half. His set included all of the new songs from his upcoming album, a variety of old pieces, one of which being my favorite “Options” from the Control album, and a cover of Hallelujah. In between songs he took questions from the room about himself, the new album, his history with Pedro the Lion and his other band Headphones, Obama, and various other topics. He even took a brief moment to answer a phone call from his daughter. It was precious! It was such a great experience. It’s rare that you get to see one of your favorite artists in such a small setting. The last time I saw him was two years ago at UCLA’s Royce Hall with Ben Gibbard and Johnathan Rice. If you’ve ever been to Royce Hall, you’d know that this house show is on the completely opposite side of the spectrum.

I took a couple of videos from the show. Unfortunately, they all sucked. But here’s a video from another performance of a cover of Hallelujah.

Check out Bazan’s current EP Fewer Moving Parts and definitely be on the look out for his new album. More info at www.davidbazan.com

I just got the new Alien Workshop video and it’s so sick. It hasn’t really strayed from the style of their older videos like Photosynthesis or Mosaic. To me, the new guy Jake Johnson had one of the coolest parts. A real OG NYC skate part. Go buy Mindfield. Trust me, it’s worth the money.

A good old friend of mine named Joselle Yokogawa has a really great blog, “Josie’s House of Style”. I have known her since the early 90’s when she used to work at a boutique in Riviera Village, where she would design the window displays. Long story short, she is quite the fashion writer with a long resume, and her blog rocks! (for all the lady’s) - Plus, how cool is she in this photo with Ice-T? - dope~!

As readers of this blog may know, LUDWIG chose as our first sponsored “athlete” a real-deal piano virtuoso named Otto Ehling. He hails from the east side of the Hollywood Hills in an eclectic artist enclave where Woodrow Wilson Drive hits Pacific View Drive. Otto lives in the most incredible house in Los Angeles. It’s covered with 40 years worth of handmade mosaic, lovingly pieced together by Otto’s father, George Ehling. I’ve known George since birth. I grew up across the street during the 1970s in an old ranger station (more on that later). Anyway, this will be my first of many posts about the Ehling family as a lead up to a Ludwig-sponsored, very exclusive private piano concert by Otto to be held in the his house. You should see Otto play Rachmaninoff. It’s absolutely incredible. Invited guests will also get a house tour by George himself.

All is well in the Ehling family.

I’ll start the tour at their garage on Woodrow Wilson Drive. From the first moment you see the house you’ll notice it’s special. Each inch of the place is covered in decorative mosaic, ranging from simple repeated patterns and inlays to complex portraits of family members past and present.

Even their garage is something to behold.

George was always good with the ladies. Here’s Otto with his mother, Ivenia. She’s from Brazil and always welcomes me with open arms, no matter how many people I bring to see their house.

Good looking and talented.

When you arrive in front of the Ehling house, George is usually in front working on a mosaic. Today we found him up on the wall in his workshop where he cuts tile. The stonework shown here was done with the assistance of Manuel.

George is very proud of this piece. He’s worthy of it.

George Ehling: Self Portrait.

Anyway, when I was about five years old, George told me he was God. When I told my mother about it she informed me that while George may be a “god,” he most certainly was not the “God.” I went to George with this new information and he told me that my mother was correct, but that my dog was also a god. He was right.

A god.

Mark and movie props from George

Look out for PART 2 when we enter the house.

“Ceremony”. I really like this song/video for a few reasons. First is the classic nature of the New Order track. It’s one of those songs that exemplifies that quintessential teen-age time-capsule vibe. I mean, when I hear this song it instantly takes me back to nostalgia land and at the same time it sounds very new and fresh, and full of wonder. It makes you want to go out and take a walk in the city with headphones on, kind of like in your own world, yet still part of the vibe of the city…This version is played by Radiohead in some house, and it looks like they are having a lot of fun with it, not to mention it sounds really good! -Enjoy.