Tag: Anaheim

Tortilla Jo's in Anaheim doesn't want money

We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.[1. I haven’t given their food a chance, but after you finish reading this, can you blame me?]

Last Wednesday, I went to the House of Blues (Anaheim) for Scream It Like You Mean It featuring Silverstein and Emery. We got there a bit early to grab dinner before doors open.

We randomly chose Tortilla Jo’s.

There weren’t many customers, so we were seated quickly. The host gave us menus, someone else brought us chips and salsa, and…that’s it.

About 5-7 minutes later, the host that sat us asked, “Are you done looking at the menus?”

“Yes,” I replied.

He took them and walked away. There wasn’t an employee that offered us water or took our order. I counted at least twenty times where an employee or manager[2. I think he was the manager because he was wearing a long sleeve dress shirt.] walked by our table. Nobody acknowledged us.

After being there for 23 minutes, we left. (I know the photo shows 18 minutes, but we were there for about five minutes before I started my stopwatch.)

I didn’t want to say anything because of principle. We waited until after the concert for In-N-Out (La Mirada) on our way home — six hours later.

We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.

The Ready Set and Andrew Swanson

A couple weeks ago, I met Andrew Swanson[1. Andrew Swanson also on Twitter (@swansonswanson) and Flickr.] running merchandise for The Ready Set. It was good times.

They first played at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood. After some trouble waiting for the box office to receive the list that would have my name on it, all was well.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a photo pit at the Knitting Factory. I didn’t mind too much because I hung out with Andrew at the merch table! 🙂

So, what did I learn about Andrew?

Becoming the merch guy for The Ready Set (on this tour) — Andrew was introduced to Jordan Witzigreuter (The Ready Set) by his photography. After taking photos at some of their shows, they became friends.

Travel — Until now, Andrew hasn’t been away from home for this long.[2. I was fortunate to have been able to travel a lot in junior high and high school, so you can imagine the excitement.] His blog and Twitter account tell his adventures.

The downside? You’re away from home. No home-cooked meals, your own bed, or family.

Andrew’s photography — He used to photograph with a Canon EOS 40D. He had the 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lenses. But, he was depressed with the lack of fast lenses, so he sold it and bought a Canon G10.

After The Ready Set finished their set, most of them hung out at the merch table to meet fans, sign autographs and take photos. All of them were really cool and laid back.

When I talked to Matt, their tour manager, I found out that I could make their set the next day. So, he got me on the list again! Very cool, especially since I wanted to get some decent photos for them.

I fared better at the House of Blues in Anaheim. After signing some contract for the HoB[3. More on that in a future post.], I got in right away.

I talked to a few other photographers in the pit, including Mike McDougal (@mikemcdougal on Twitter). They were all really nice, too. Of course, I got some pretty sweet concert photos, plus some fan photos afterward.

Photos are also on Flickr: Knitting Factory, Hollywood / House of Blues, Anaheim

Thanks to Andrew Swanson, his infamous dad, Jon Swanson, and The Ready Set!