Club Good Hurt Page 1

Jacob’s Loc Takes the Beach – Venice Beach
Club Good Hurt
Venice Beach, CA
July 16, 2004
Story by Charmaine Frost
Photos by Debbie Braasch

Janie, who was wearing the cutest mini dress and boots, was a welcoming familiar face at the merchandise table. I purchased some demos (you know…they need money for their after-parties) and the band members, who were mingling with the crowd before the show, gladly signed them. All of the guys are very friendly and approachable. It is so nice to see that they are so down-to-earth. I came across a couple of fans who had driven in from Sacramento, about a six-hour drive, to catch the show. The guys, who were surprised by the distance that they had traveled, were pleased to meet them and gladly posed with them for a pic.

I had told the band the previous night about Jacob’s Loc’s web page at Globaldust. Since they expressed interest in seeing it, I brought copies of the maps and the chart ranking the popularity of JL and other indie rock artists to the show to give to them. They really liked being able to see where their fans are located.

Ashley and Tiffany came to enjoy the show and catch up with Jacob, Tommy and the group. I got to see Tiffany’s engagement ring. It is so beautiful! The diamonds’ colorful and fiery sparkle can’t be properly captured in photos. Ashley and Tiffany both looked well and very happy.

This show was different from the previous night’s gig at The Casbah in their hometown of San Diego as it was a more mixed crowd. While a good group of loyal fans and a number of friends and family turned out, there was a larger local crowd who probably had never heard or seen Jacob’s Loc before. Some hung back a bit and/or

chose to observe from their perches at the bar. I sensed an atmosphere that was a mixture of various levels of curiosity and anticipation. Who was this new band and what kind of music did they bring for them?

Although the group was exploring new territory, they were not timid about getting their feet wet. Jacob broke the ice by inviting the audience closer to the stage. Then the band wholeheartedly jumped into their set with their trademark passion and energy. Apparently, Aaron’s amp went out near the beginning of the set, so the rest of the band swung effortlessly into an improvised jam while others scurried to change out the amp. Soon, Aaron’s guitar was back into the mix.

On July 16th, Jacob’s Loc tested the waters of Venice Beach with their debut at Club Good Hurt. The club’s ambiance was pleasant, with comfortable couches, blood red lighting and an amusing good-medicine theme including neon prescription and pharmacy signs at the bar and waitresses in sexy nurse uniforms. The room was large enough to keep it from feeling uncomfortably packed, but small enough to keep it intimate. The sound was sufficiently loud, yet clubgoers conversed without difficulty in spots further from the stage.