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Eater
3 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Five Months After the Eaton Fire, Altadena Restaurants Are Finally Reopening
On a sunny Saturday morning in late April on Lincoln Avenue just south of Altadena, husband-and-wife team Perry and Melanie Bennett are prepping catering orders as they get ready to open their shop, Perry's Joint. The team makes irreverent deli-style sandwiches, like the Pastrami No Chaser featuring pastrami with classic fixings, or the Hey Joe, which doesn't hold back on stacking its hot pastrami, roast beef, toasted hot link, cheese, and more. Served in an eclectic jazz-inspired interior, Perry's Joint's sandwiches have beckoned diners into the shop since 2004. Like so many businesses in and around Altadena, the reality for those who survived the Eaton Fire has been anything but easy. The fire began on January 7, 2025 and was fully contained on January 31, eventually taking 14,000 acres, more than 9,000 structures, and 18 lives in its wake. Altadena's business owners, many of whom are residents themselves, now face a naturally fading news cycle and declining foot traffic as many residents remain displaced. This feeling is particularly exacerbated for restaurants, which already operate on razor-thin margins. While places like Perry's Joint, Prime Pizza, and El Patrón can rely on a lunchtime clientele of recovery workers, that business is temporary. 'How am I going to adjust when the workers leave? I don't know,' Perry Bennett says. 'As a dreamer, I live in the possibilities of the future, but this situation has completely shut that down.' Randy Clement, co-owner of West Altadena Wine and Good Neighbor Bar, and his wife and partner April Langford have been at the forefront of representing the community since the fire began. In the days following the fire, Randy and April helped countless residents confirm the fates of their homes, dodging blockades to traverse Altadena and give hope or closure to as many people as possible. The couple, which operates multiple businesses around Los Angeles, opened their Altadena outpost in 2024. 'The fundamental difference in operating in Altadena now is that decision-making, planning, intuition — they don't apply after something like this, so we take it one day at a time.' Other businesses that survived but remain closed struggle with the idea of reopening at all. This is particularly poignant for those restaurants offering dinner service who cannot rely on recovery workers at lunchtime and whose local patrons are still displaced. Tyler Wells, co-owner of Bernee, opened his restaurant in December 2024, just weeks before the Eaton Fire. A warm and inviting space with a wood-fired hearth, Bernee represented something new for Altadena, attracting diners for its intimate experience and plates like a Wanderer New York strip steak topped with compound butter or local vegetables charred on the grill. Reopening a restaurant of this genre, in a building that directly neighbors many that did not survive, poses specific emotional and logistical challenges. 'Even after remediation, if we reopen, it's a challenge if you're only serving 20 people per night,' Wells says. 'When I see our staff, I get jazzed up about reopening, but then I go to the restaurant and think, my God, this is just not possible right now.' 'We can't rely on the word of mouth we were expecting because so much of Altadena is gone.' David Tewasart, owner of neighboring business Miya, a home-style Thai restaurant, also weighed the benefits of reopening in a neighborhood that is simultaneously processing a communal loss and contending with evolving safety concerns, and eventually opened on May 27. Miya quickly became a local favorite after opening in 2023, emanating genuine Altadenan hospitality. Initially started as a to-go window, its weekly menu was always handwritten on butcher paper, offering diners a taste of Thai home cooking from its loving staff. As its popularity grew, so did the dining room, which more recently expanded to dine-in for both lunch and dinner service. Keegan Fong, owner of Woon Kitchen, opened his second location in Pasadena, on East Washington Boulevard south of Altadena, just days before the Eaton Fire began. It temporarily shut down after the fire and then reopened on January 18, after utility companies gave them the green light. 'We can't rely on the word of mouth we were expecting because so much of Altadena is gone,' says Fong. He says that with business consistently down at least 20 percent, Woon is relying more heavily on delivery platforms and catering opportunities to try to meet its revenue goals. While these pivots help, they do not dependably make up for slowed business. 'I want to host all the locals through this door that I wanted here in the first place, and now I have to accept that we'll have delivery drivers through the door instead,' Fong says. 'At the same time, we were dealt this hand, so let's do our best to figure out how to work within it.' Over on Allen Street, Zak Fishman, co-owner of Prime Pizza, remains busy filling lunch orders for recovery workers in the area. Prime Pizza was one of the first Altadena restaurants to reopen after the fire on February 6. 'It feels like we're approaching the stage when people forget. It's natural, it's not good or bad, but humans cannot live in that heightened emotional space forever,' he says. Altadena Beverage & Market on Allen Street in east Altadena also reopened on May 3. 'It's really emotional, but we're excited to see everyone, ' says co-owner Kate Vourvoulis. Fishman says that now is the time for businesses to work behind the scenes to advocate for state and federal financial support. However, many small businesses in Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County with a lower tax base, may struggle to see that as a realistic — or timely — support solution. While opportunities like federal loans provided relief during the pandemic, nothing close to that level of aid has been provided to fire-impacted business owners. The county initially offered small fire relief grants and, more recently, introduced a small business loan program. With the initiative of owners like Clement, the county is now also issuing permits to expand business operations into parking lots. However, there has been no continuous or more robust county or state-level financial support to supplement what will amount to months or even years of consistently lower revenues for surviving businesses as the town slowly repopulates. 'Smaller businesses cannot weather this downsize,' Fishman says. 'People need to understand what a dire situation this is for Altadena.' Clement describes the circumstances as isolating. 'You look to other business owners for support and it starts to feel like a group therapy session, trying to emotionally triage your neighboring businesses,' he says. 'For our regulars, we represent a part of home. I want that to grow and to be here for people as they return.' People who call Altadena home or own businesses here feel a sense of responsibility to preserve what makes it special. From its notable history as a haven for Black families seeking to buy property following aggressive redlining practices in the 1960s, as well as for artists seeking creative sanctuary, Altadena's story and diverse demographics have set it apart from other neighborhoods in the city. For a place steeped in the wide expanse of urban Los Angeles, Altadena retained a novel small-town feel and a distinct microclimate that revolves around the backdrop of picturesque Echo Mountain. Many residents, myself included, displayed their town pride with a 'Beautiful Altadena' license plate holder, which was sold at the local pharmacy. Los Angeles residents and businesses rallied to provide overwhelming support to fire-impacted Angelenos early on through financial donations, food and clothing campaigns, and emotional support. But Altadena needs sustained action over a longer period of time to fully rebuild the community. Most residents remain displaced and dispersed across the city and beyond, with limited emotional, financial, and logistical bandwidth to support Altadena's businesses. For these fire victims, no one else can manage their insurance claims or temporary housing needs, which demand time and money that would otherwise be spent in and on Altadena. Altadena's commercial sector now relies on consumer participation from greater Los Angeles, well beyond Altadena's community borders. With local clientele temporarily lost, many businesses struggle to encourage customers to make the effort to visit Altadena. Local business owners do not want Altadena treated as a disaster tourism site; rather, they want Angelenos to know that Altadena is open for business. 'The bar is now filled by people unafraid to engage with or see people going through tragedy,' says Clement. 'If someone from Mar Vista came out to support us on a Wednesday night, I'd say God bless you, thank you for caring and being willing to understand that life is not rose-colored glasses.' It's that type of gesture that Clement thinks helps offset the sadness — the heaviness — of a community recovering. Fong similarly describes the opportunity to support Altadena businesses as simple: 'If I'm going to order pizza tonight, I'm ordering from Prime.' This sense of genuine community permeated through the town's businesses, many of which are owned and operated by local residents. 'It's my regulars, my Altadena family that helps me stand up. My emotions fluctuate, I'm tired, I cry, but if my business survived — there's a reason,' says Maggie Cortez, owner of homey Mexican restaurant El Patrón on Lake Avenue. 'It's going to be tough, but I'm not giving up,' she says. Frank Kim, owner of Highlight Coffee on Lincoln Avenue, offers a similar vision of the future. 'For our regulars, we represent a part of home. I want that to grow and to be here for people as they return.' The Altadena business community's resilience highlights a commitment to collectively navigating the long road ahead and a shared desire to press forward in the face of immense challenge and uncertainty. 'My saving grace is that, being born a Black American, you have to be able to survive the system. So when the town burns down and your retirement plan is sitting in a pile of ash, you think — I've been through this,' says Bennett. 'Look what my ancestors went through for me to be here today. I'll be alright.' Related Wildfire Coverage on Eater LA Sign up for our newsletter.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
James Franco-Starrer ‘Hey Joe' Acquired for U.S. Release by Glass House Distribution
'Hey Joe,' an Italian drama in which James Franco plays a U.S. Navy sailor stationed in post-World War II Naples, has been picked up by Glass House Distribution which is planning a North American release via both theatrical and digital platforms. The gritty film, directed by Claudio Giovannesi ('Gomorrah' TV series, 'Piranhas'), was sold to Glass House by Italy's Vision Distribution during the Marché du Film in Cannes. More from Variety 'I Only Rest in the Storm' Review: A Sprawling Narrative That Demands Patience and Attention 'Girl on Edge' Review: A Mother and Daughter Hit Thin Ice in Zhou Jinghao's Alluring but Unsatisfactory Skating Drama 'Mama' Review: A Housemaid Abroad Gets an Unpleasant Homecoming in an Intriguing Character Study That Veers Into Melodrama Franco, who has been struggling to fully reenter Hollywood after facing sexual misconduct allegations that he discussed with Variety when 'Hey Joe' premiered in Italy, recently attended the amfAR Cannes gala and donated a painting to the auction. In 'Hey Joe,' Franco plays Dean Barry, an American sailor who in 1944, at age 23, disembarks in war-torn Naples. He falls in love with a young, very poor, local woman named Lucia. A couple of years later, Dean is forced to leave Lucia, alone and pregnant, to go back to New Jersey. He eventually returns to Naples to find the woman and her son, Enzo — but the city has changed a lot and Dean must navigate these challenges leading up to a surprise finale. Franco speaks both English and Italian in the film. 'We were captivated by 'Hey Joe' from the first screening,' said Tom Malloy, president of Glass House Distribution in a statement. 'It's a rare blend of American and Italian storytelling, grounded by an emotionally resonant performance from James Franco. We believe this film will resonate strongly with audiences and critics alike during awards season,' he added. The statement noted that Glass House plans to release 'Hey Joe' in late 2025 'during the heart of awards season' targeting both theatrical and digital platforms. 'Hey Joe' is produced by Italy's Palomar in tandem with RAI Cinema and Vision Distribution which released the film in Italy to meager box office results following its Rome Film Festival launch last year. Screen International was first to report this news Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
The Herald Scotland
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
This Scottish rock trio shared a dressing room with Hendrix
The band's two Sunday shows there, on the evening of May 7, 1967, saw Hendrix, who had already tasted UK Top Ten chart success with Hey Joe and Purple Haze, assaulting his amplifier with his guitar while, out of sight of the cheering audience, a diminutive roadie struggled to keep the speakers upright. Sharing the bill – and Jimi's dressing-room – that night was a powerhouse trio from Scotland, called 1-2-3. They consisted of Billy Ritchie on Hammond organ and guitar, Harry Hughes on drums, and Ian Ellis on bass guitar. Ritchie and Hughes were just 20, Ellis a year older. For a band that had made its debut at Falkirk's La Bamba only the previous November, 1-2-3 had made stunning progress. In London, they had impressed the manager of the Marquee venue after playing a mere half of one song at an audition. The venue's newsletter remarked that the band had created 'an entirely new sound in 'pop group music''. Jimi Hendrix was supported by 1-2-3 in 1967 (Image: PA) Their subsequent residency at the Marquee was a series of riotous affairs, with half of the audience loving them and the other half taking an active dislike. Fellow musicians such as Greg Lake, Robert Fripp and Keith Emerson watched them play, however, and were impressed. Epstein was, too, to the point that he signed them to his NEMS Enterprises management company. The Saville Theatre gigs in May 1967, then, were another step forward for 1-2-3. The concert programme (copies of which are for sale online at eyebrow-raising prices) noted that they had a wide-ranging repertoire dominated by standards arranged in modern jazz style" and that NEMS would shortly be releasing plans for a debut album release). Not everyone shared such upbeat assessments of 1-2-3, however. Derek Boltwood, a writer on the Record Mirror music weekly, wrote in a review: 'It seems to be all the rage for groups to have a line-up of only three people. There were two such groups at the Saville last week — The 1-2-3, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience — the 1-2-3 should take a lesson from Jimi Hendrix — you've got to be very good musicians if there are only three of you to make the sound'. Someone who took umbrage at this was a young man named David Bowie, who was about to release his debut album. He had been friends with Billy for a while, having heard their adventurous version of one of his earliest songs, I Dig Everything. And it was Billy who introduced him to Hendrix at the Saville. Not long after Boltwood's review appeared, Bowie bumped into the band at the Marquee and told them that he had written an indignant reply to Record Mirror. His letter spoke of 'three thistle- and haggis-voiced bairns who had the audacity to face a mob of self-opinionated with a brand of unique pop music which, because of its intolerance of mediocrity, floated as would a Hogarth cartoon in the Beano …' The story of 1-2-3 would evolve further – a change of name to Clouds, the release of three albums, and high-profile tours, but for a variety of reasons the trio never received the acclaim their musicianship and ambitions deserved. In later years. however, they have been rediscovered and favourably reassessed. Ellis and Hughes had been in a Bathgate-based group, The Premiers, when they first came across Ritchie, who was already renowned as an expert on the Hohner organ and was capable of playing front and centre rather than on the side of the stage – a decidedly unusual arrangement for the time. At length, the three formed 1-2-3. The first rehearsal, as Billy wrote in his revealing memoir, The ABC of 1-2-3: The True Story, 'was the best musical experience of my life. We all knew we had hit on something special. '1-2-3 was, I believe, one of the finest bands ever to emerge in popular music. It was a tragedy that the band, in that form, never recorded. 1-2-3 wasn't as polished or as powerful as Clouds later became, but what it lacked in experience, it more than made up for in soul and inspiration… Clouds at the 1971 Reading Festival. Photo courtesy of Billy Ritchie (Image: unknown) 'The band', he added, 'was rooted in blues and jazz and pop principles that were not only musical gold dust, but a godsend to all who took from it, and that band would still sound unique today… there really hasn't been a band like 1-2-3 before or since'. A good example of their boundary-stretching work is their version of Paul Simon's song, America, before it had even been released on Simon and Garfunkel's 1968 studio album, Bookends. Rewritten by Billy to include new time signatures 'and as much scope as possible for the three of us to express the song in every way', it showed what the trio were capable of; it was 'Prog before there was such a thing' They also reworked a very early Bowie song, I Dig Everything, even dropping a snippet of Bach into the middle section. A recording made at the Marquee can be listened to on YouTube. Epstein certainly liked 1-2-3, but his sudden death at the age of 32 in late August 1967, just a few months after he had signed them, rendered their immediate future uncertain. Impresario Robert Stigwood, who had just merged his own company with NEMS, took control of their career, but his priority was the career of a promising young act, the Bee Gees. His relationship with 1-2-3 did not last long, and the band and NEMS parted company. Soon, however, they came into contact with Terry Ellis, of the Ellis-Wright agency, who became their manager and agent. When Clouds's debut album, The Clouds Scrapbook, was released in August 1969, tracks such as The Carpenter, I'll Go Girl, Scrapbook and Waiter, There's Something in My Soup all played superbly to the band's individual and collective musical gifts. Today, writes Billy, Scrapbook is regarded as a really good album, one that attracted rave reviews at the time; 'it was', he observes, 'a strange mixture of pop songs, muso playing, and flashes of what would become progressive rock. For me, Waiter … is the best piece of work on there, as close to the bridge between Beatles pop and progressive rock as you will ever hear'. Promotional material by Island Records, issued in advance of the album's release, said: "It would be nice if we could just tell people that Clouds are an extraordinarily talented group playing exciting music in a totally original style". However, it continued, "mental barriers are thrown up against anything new and uncategorised and we are forced to be sneaky and use an easily accepted superhype method of attracting attention to Clouds and their album 'Scrapbook' - again, not what one would expect to hear. Clouds have successfully utilised all their talents to present a varied piece off aural entertainment. Presenting something new, which you believe in, is always something of a crusade, although always most rewarding. So watch Clouds tonight, listen to their album and well ... JOIN THE CRUSADE". Clouds on tour, pictured with friends. Photo courtesy of Billy Ritchie (Image: unknown) Clouds now began to enjoy to a new level of public exposure. They gigged around Europe with the Island Records Tour alongside Jethro Tull and Ten Years After (including a memorable gig at the Royal Albert Hall in May 1969), and the Bath Festival of Blues the following month, headlined by Led Zeppelin, The Nice and others. They played prestigious venues in the States, including the Fillmore West in San Francisco, New York's Fillmore East and (alongside the Stooges) Los Angeles' Whisky-a-Go-Go. In Montreal, they shared the bill with Van Morrison and Johnny Winter. Every time, they delivered a storming set that often put other acts in the shade. In June 1970 Billboard magazine, reviewing a gig at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom noted enthusiastically: 'On the basis of its showing here June 5, Clouds will be a giant. The group is a trio from Scotland that drew a standing ovation on the basis of its hard-driving sound that never lets up ... The group is young, talented ..." There was a second Clouds album, Up Above Our Heads (1970), which was issued only in the States, and finally, that same year, Watercolour Days – 'a beautiful piece of rock orchestration with piano, organ, harpsichord, guitars, mouth organ, drums and violins', said Florida's St Petersburg Evening Independent. But Chrysalis – the record label eventually established by Ellis – was, in Billy's telling, more concerned with Jethro Tull, another band on their roster, and made little or no attempt to promote Watercolour Days. Disillusioned, Clouds broke up in October 1971. Discussions continue to this day after the effect that 1-2-3 had on music at the time. Many fans take the view that 'prog' – progressive rock – was influenced at the outset by 1-2-3. As one fan argues on the progarchives site: 'Many British musicians would strongly argue that UK Prog began with Billy Ritchie and his band 1-2-3. Their residency in late '66 and early '67 at the Marquee introduced musicians as diverse as Jon Anderson, Jeff Lynne, Deep Purple, David Bowie and Keith Emerson to the idea of complex orchestrations played in extended works'.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Over 8,000 guitarists rock out to Jimi Hendrix's 'Hey Joe' in Poland, breaking world record
Market Square in Wrocław, Poland hosted a Guinness World record-breaking gathering of 8,122 guitarists simultaneously playing Jimi Hendrix's hit 'Hey Joe' on May 4. The annual Thanks Jimi Festival was renamed to Gitarowy Rekord Guinnessa to reflect each record-breaking gathering, with the previous event in May 2022 attracting 7,676 guitarists.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Return of the Mack' Singer Mark Morrison Arrested for Alleged Simple Battery
Mark Morrison, the singer known for the 1996 song "Return of the Mack" has been arrested. On Saturday, March 22, Morrison, 52, was arrested in Palm Beach, Fla. following alleged simple battery in an incident that took place at Le Bar à Vin. According to the probable cause affidavit from Palm Beach Police obtained by PEOPLE, Morrison entered the wine bar that evening "yelling and cursing" about an event at the restaurant. The English R&B singer allegedly became "irate" during the interaction and pushed an individual — whose name was redacted — in their upper body. Fabrizio Riillo, a witness of the incident and the restaurant's nightlife manager per Palm Beach Daily News, stated that Morrison stood "very close" and "began yelling" about the event he was planning. Morrison then pushed an individual "twice with an open palm," per the affidavit. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Riillo said that they stood in between both Morrison and the person involved in the incident and asked Morrison to step outside. Morrison was arrested because he allegedly "intentionally" touched or struck the individual "against his will."Morrison was booked late on Saturday night and released in the early hours of Sunday, March 23 on $1,000 bond, per Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office records. According to Palm Beach Daily News, Morrison is due back in court on April 15 at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach. A request for comment to Morrison's studio was not immediately returned. Morrison is known for the 1990s songs "Crazy," "Let's Get Down" and "Return of the Mack." In January, his song "Return of the Mack" reached 500 million streams on its album of the same name was released in 1996, Entertainment Weekly wrote: "From its title, ''Return of the Mack'' sounds like another rap tale of gangsta paradise; Mark Morrison comes off more like a funked-up Seal, promising revenge to a deceitful lover in a warbly croon." "The end result is an odd but infectious new-jack-swing variation on 'Hey Joe,' buoyed by bubbly beats and the insistent title refrain." Read the original article on People
