“A one man junkyard army from New York” (LA Weekly),

“Nick Cave meets No-Wave” (SF Chronicle)

“A house party of unusual artistic coterie” (CMJ 2007)

AND THE FIRST SUBVERSIVE LOUNGE EVER.

The Key Party came to Darren Gaines like someone else’s wife at 3am on a Friday night. Bingo, Sigourney Weaver had a hand in the bowl for him. Musicians showed up, reached their hand into a bowl and pulled out the instrument they were going to sleep with that night. They picked pots and pans, toy airplanes, and a washtub bass made solely from parts found within a block of his West Village apartment, they picked anything broken, borrowed or stolen. That late night affair became a manifesto that was a goodbye to boredom, a goodnight to bands born of drums and guitars and bass. It became “15 songs of rock and roll poetry celebrating the debauched, the broken, the drunken and the misfitting” (PopMatters 2007). Gaines’ songs of “heartbreak and unemployment (sung) with complete conviction… there is no posing here.” (itsnotthebandihateitstheisfans.blogspot) propelled TKP’s debut CD, Hit or Miss, onto CMJs album of the Day, the SF Chronicle’s Pink Section Download of the Week and numerous CORE College and Specialty Radio Charts.

But even sleeping around gets boring… enter the Pink Panther and please Mr. Mancini, meet the three Johns (no, not that John but Prine, Cash and Rotten). The new songs are not your fathers’ lounge or hipster kitsch, sure there’s a jazz horn section, but that junkyard kitchen sink still clanks like a factory pipe and the punk by way of Deano still screams DIY. The bittersweet séance, the iconoclastic brew, the orgiastic noises still chill. But it’s Darren Gaines’ voice of “tattered velvet…” that continues, “his croon oozing around and through cigarette smoke“ (PopMatters) that again define these new songs. One part manifesto, one part punk-a-rock, one part Gaines “just woke up from that joyous get-together, only to find his head aching and his house wrecked” (CMJ 2007), these new songs are all parts subversion.

To quote Darren Gaines, “Thank you and good night."

FOOD: SKOOBY'S HOT DOGS

Located directly across Hollywood Blvd. from Musso & Frank, SKOOBY'S is to the French Fry what its neighbor is to the martini.

It's the food, stupid!

In order to serve you the best food, we offer a focused menu that combines our original recipes with access to the best and freshest supplies available in Southern California. Unlike other well-known hot dog stands, Skooby's does not use freezers, microwaves, or heat lamps. We promise you the best food, and we won't let you down.

The best hot dogs in Hollywood

Specially made for us by California's premier sauage maker, our hot dogs combine that classic taste and "snap" with our freshly made toppings, all in our distinctive fresh rolls.

The best fries in Los Angeles

Our freshly cut, pan-tossed fries - along with our homemade dipping sauce - have been declared the best in town.

The best lemonade in California

The best lemonade starts with the best lemons: Sunkist lemons grown right here in California.

Located at 6654 Hollywood Blvd.