A Super Secret St. Paddy's Day Show with Flight Facilities

I'm not usually one to embark on the St. Patrick's Day shit show that blows up the bar scene and spews onto the streets of LA. I'd like to think of it as amateur hour, where all the generally calm and collected take the excuse of a holiday to go out and get wild, too wild, for me. So when my friend Andrew hit me up about going to a show on Sunset Blvd. I was naturally inclined to say no. It wasn't until he divulged the deets that Flight Facilities (a DJ duo I was still hitting myself over the head for missing at last year's festival circuit) was playing a secret show at Mondrian's Sky Bar that I started to get intrigued. So I said, what the hell, let's go!

We arrived 30 minutes before the show was set to start, hoping to avoid the treacherous lines that follow free shows, but shockingly the venue was bare. We grabbed a window booth and watched the cotton candy-colored sunset, while sipping on whiskey and waiting. I scanned the slim crowd every now and then, secretly crossing my fingers that the green-garbed shitheads were too busy downing shots to stop by. 20 minutes after the show was set to start, two cute yet goofy Aussie boys started spinning. Lit only by candles and decorative white string lights, the duo led the slowly growing crowd into a low-key groove. 

A little bit disco, a little bit 90s hip hop, the mood was set and I was above the clouds. Remixing original faves like "Crave You" with a bit of funky soul, I had found my slice of heaven. The dudes downed beers between head bobs and chatted with a few nameless models, but the vibe was overall perfection. Just a few music-lovin' kids hanging at an outdoor pool, dancing with effortlessly gorgeous strangers, NBD. Drew and I scooted out after a few hours, being a school night and all, but the party raged on behind us. As we shimmied back onto Sunset and into our car, I thanked my lucky stars for the most perfect St. Paddy's Day ever.

Why Kindness Is The Coolest New Musician On the Block

It was a gloomy Wednesday night when a very hip crowd filled the quaint El Rey Theatre in Mid-City Los Angeles. Slowly the hoards of vintage threads, ankle boots, and costume jewelry began to take over the room with a hushed anticipation. British cutie Adam Bainbridge (aka Kindness) was about to take the stage and the foreshadowed excitement was buzzing in the air. Countless hours spent listening to Kindness' soundcloud couldn't have prepared us for the dance party that was about to occur. And boy, does the dude know how to groove.

Adorned in a blazer, cropped black pants, and shiny patent leather oxfords, Kindness demanded attention the second he stepped on the stage. And his moves kept the entrancement going. Filling the space with smooth vocals and a funky sound, unlike anything I heard in a long ass time. Think motown meets Aaliyah (he even covered her “If Your Girl Only Knew”).

The entire theatre became a total dance party, as unannounced guests Kelela and Angel Deradoorian stepped onto the stage. Each performer under the spotlight that night seemed of otherworldly level. Two goddesses guised as back-up singers shook their groove thangs while belting out hearty sounds. The magic in the moon was full force that night.

From his smooth tunes to his fancy footwork, Kindness evoked something deep inside me that had been sheltered away. With lanky limbs and a unassuming amount of awkwardness, the man took the command of the stage with an air that epitomized dancing like no one was watching and a confidence that belted, "Fuck y'all haters, this is me."