After quite the extravaganza, I arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon! Unfortunately, I ran into some issues along the way. Although I left Saturday afternoon, my car broke down around Yreka, California, and I had to wait a few days for it to get fixed. I stayed at the nearby Motel 6, where I was able to read my books and try to relax. However I was on edge the whole time, waiting for m car to hopefully let me finish my trip that I intended. Yreka seemed to be a dying town, with the few historic buildings being the main attraction to the city itself, as well as trout fishing. However, most of the business seemed to be centered around the highway, with bright fast food and gas station signs lining the sky. However there were many god nature trails where I could sit and enjoy my surroundings. Once I was able to hit the road again on Monday, I didn’t have much time before it got late and I had to find a place to sleep. I spent a night sleeping on a friend of a friend’s couch in San Fransisco at an apartment near San Fransisco State. We didn’t talk much (due to the fact that I came in at around 1 AM and he had work the next day), but I thanked him for his hospitality and left him some treats (a bag of beef jerky). In the morning when I got to my car, I was greeted by quite the surprise; my ancient GPS that I have been using for years had finally called it quits and stopped working. With no map, smartphone or slightest sense of direction, I began to try to retrace my steps from the night before to try and find the highway again. This did not work, and I ended up getting pulled over by the police for talking on my phone (talking to my dad as he was trying to help me find the highway vie Google Maps) and getting let off with a warning (phew), as well as directions to the highway entrance. Who knew you couldn’t talk on the phone while driving in California? I didn’t!

After around six hours of driving, I began to approach the greater Los Angeles area. Although I was close, this did not mean that I had any idea what I was doing. The highway system took quite a bit of patience, as I had to pull over multiple times and call people for extra directional assistance. But it was no big deal, as I eventually managed to find the house in the late afternoon. While all of these setbacks were quite stressful, I remembered to enjoy myself. While I didn’t have control over many of these situations, I did have control over how I reacted, and how easy it would have been for me to become fed up, and to let these problems manifest themselves into my time here. But once I pulled into the right driveway, an instant feeling of relief came over me. It was great to be able to sit in my car with m mission complete, watching the palm trees sway in the wind. The heat made me feel as if I was sinking into my seat, and I was able to rest my shoulders from the stress of travel.

Right when I walked into the house, I knew I had found the right place for me to be. Olivier, a 69 year old man from France, answered the door and helped me with my things. He immediately gave me so much information about the house, as well as his experiences working as a producer in the music industry when he was younger. The house that I’m staying at was originally owned by the drummer for Toto, and after getting a tour of it, I fell in love. It has a very 50′s vintage look to it, but the garage was turned into a music studio complete with analog recording devices, synthesizers, guitars, basses, fancy microphones, and a vocal booth for recording. After settling in, I was already out the door and going to a show. I drove through Laurel Canyon to go see Arca at Hollywood Forever’s Masonic Lodge.

Arca is a Venezuelan producer based out of London, who plays experimental industrial music. His songs ride a fine line between beautiful and horrific, as they barrage you with alien sounds and bass, and move frantically through themselves. On my way down to Los Angeles, I had been listening to Arca a lot, and didn’t even know he was playing until I arrived! I felt like Arca was a really good choice to listen to while driving through California, giving the intense highway driving an edge to it, matching the overstimulation of my surroundings. The show was very powerful, as the songs screamed at high volumes, paired with intense visuals by Jesse Kanda. It was a very 21st century experience; the vibe of the set changed dramatically many times, and it felt like  could really see the beauty and grime of being a human in the 21st century portrayed through song. After the show, I walked around Hollywood and pondered my experience. It reminded me of last weeks blog post, where I discussed the importance of being present in life and critical thought. I felt like the set did a great job of this, as it ranged from absolute beauty to pounding bass and chaos. Much like the world we live in today, Arca’s music is at times abrasive, and suddenly can become relaxed and peaceful, and fluctuate between the two. I found it to be very powerful, and it was a great kickoff to my project.