Last week we had out 6th annual Ice Cream Man Xmas Party at The Prospector in Long Beach and I’m pretty sure it was my favorite yet. I say “pretty sure” because, outside of jumping around and rocking out, I’m not quite sure what else happened. Still Flyin’ drove a van down from San Fran to rock out, Crystal Antlers came from around the corner, and Hasselhoff Curtainrod was unearthed after being buried for the last five or eight years. On top of that there was loads of free ice cream and hot chocolate.
We started the night off by grabbing dinner at the Prospector. The prime rib and the steak and lobster special seemed to be the winners that night. You can’t go wrong with starting things off with some beer and cheese sticks either. Mmm… The party started at ten, which crept up quite quickly. My brother gave me a ride back to the Ranch to grab some cream and Gooch worked on getting the hot choco setup in the very back. Everything was good to go right around 10:30 which was when Crystal Antlers were set to start.
I was busy running around for most of Crystal Antlers set but I’d catch bits and pieces and was digging it. A handful of months ago they released a single, “Little Sister,” which is my favorite song I’ve heard from them. I was just about to head back to the hot choco table when I heard them start playing it. I headed towards the stage and was just as impressed with the live version as I was with the recorded one… which you can snag for free at www.crystalantlers.com
We’ve been trying for three years to get Still Flyin’ to play the Prospector and this was the year it finally worked out. I had seen them during SXSW and we threw an ice cream social at Dolores Park in San Fran for Road Trippin‘ but I hadn’t really seen a proper brew groove, hamm jamm, get down. This was the night and the eight-piece party band got me dancing quick. Eventually more people joined in on the dance party and they mixed it up with some old and new stuff including “Good Thing it’s a Ghost Town Around Here,” “The Hott Chord is Struck,” and “All Lips Touch.”
To close out the night we resurrected one of my all-time most favorite Long Beach bands, Hasselhoff Curtainrod. You really need to hear them to understand what their music sounds like because calling them an “improv rock band” sound wimpy. They jam but it’s not the jam you’re thinking of…. and definitely different than the hamm jamm from Still Flyin’. It was hard to believe that Hoff, with Ed, Brandon, Travis and Mike hadn’t played together for so long, they didn’t miss a beat. I wish I could bike to see them play somewhere else around Long Beach, like when I used to a decade ago when I’d sit on the floor of Que Sera and get my mind blown.
Thanks to all the bands for playing and for Gooch, Meghann, Ellen, DT and everyone else who helped with the hot chocolate and ice cream. Thanks to Wade and the Prospector and to Crash and Frank for shooting pics too. Happy Holidays!
