INTRODUCTION I've been aware of the Vietnamese American music scene based in North Orange County since at least the early 2000s. I had no idea just how big it was, though, until I stumbled across singer Thiên Phú's blog, VietCeleb, which has profiles of about 400 Vietnamese artists, with a large percentage of them associated … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County
Tag: North Orange County
Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
If you're American and you recognize names like "Bad Boys Blue," "C.C. Catch," "Sandra," or "Modern Talking," there's a good chance that you, or someone close to you, is Vietnamese. For the uninitiated non-Viet Americans, those are the names of three German (and one German-Dutch) pop bands whose songs have been compiled, covered, and claimed … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra
The other day I got around to exploring the North Orange County suburb of La Habra. I was joined on the adventure by my friend, Matt, who'd long ago mentioned that should I ever get around to visiting La Habra, he'd like to come along. I like to think that La Habra's motto, "a caring … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra
Pan-Asian Metropolis — Orange County’s Lost Chinatowns
INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN ORANGE COUNTY Today, Orange County is widely recognized for its prominent Asian-American population. There are significant numbers of of Vietnamese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Filipinos, Indians, Japanese, Cambodians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Thais, Indonesians, and Laotians living there, as well as many smaller groups. Metro Los Angeles (which includes Los Angeles and Orange counties) is in fact home … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Orange County’s Lost Chinatowns
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Yorba Linda, the Land of Gracious Living
INTRODUCTION If Yorba Linda is known for one thing, it’s as the birthplace of disgraced Republican president Richard Nixon. 22 years after his death, the memory of Yorba Linda’s most famous resident continues to loom over the suburb, the main attraction of which is the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, built on the site of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Yorba Linda, the Land of Gracious Living
No Enclave — Exploring Hmong Los Angeles
HMONG LOS ANGELES The Hmong are a stateless people who mostly live in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Approximately 281,000 Hmong lived in the US, as of the 2010 census, and the state with the largest population is California. While most California Hmong live in either Fresno or Sacramento Country, several thousand live in Southern California, … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Hmong Los Angeles
Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets
Supermarkets are wonderful places. My old landlord, a friendless and frankly unlikeable person, told me that Gelson's was her favorite place to spend Thanksgiving (alone). Joe Strummer wrote of getting lost in one, an experience apparently so traumatic that he required Mick Jones to sing his lyrics. The group Supermarket recorded just one song, called "Supermarket," the lyrics of which consisted … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets
Sandra Set to Perform in Los Angeles and Dallas
1980s German pop star Sandra is set to perform at the City National Grove of Anaheim on 4 March Club Nokia on 2 March 2016. On the 5th she’ll perform in Dallas. At both dates she’ll be joined by fellow German Eurodisco singer Patty Ryan (“Stay With Me Tonight,” “(You're) My Love, (You're) My Life,” “I Don't Wanna Loose You … Continue reading Sandra Set to Perform in Los Angeles and Dallas
Eurodisco Legends Joy Are Coming to Orange County!
The following entry originally appeared on the Amoeblog Austrian Eurodisco group Joy are scheduled to perform live in Santa Ana on 5 December Saint Nicholas Eve/Krampusnacht) at the Yost Theater. They will perform hits including “Touch By Touch,” “Hello,” “Japanese Girls,” “Valerie,” “Im In Love,” “Countdown of Love,” and more. Buy tickets now as there are … Continue reading Eurodisco Legends Joy Are Coming to Orange County!
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Anaheim
FOREWORD For over a year now, Anaheim has topped the polls of communities to be the subject of an episode of California Fool's Gold. Until now I postponed my exploration for several reasons. For one, Anaheim is huge and contains so many points of interest that I suspected (quite rightly) that exploring it to my own satisfaction … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Anaheim
Eric Brightwell 