It’s 1948 and we are on the corner of Euclid and El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights. Above you is a neon red sign reading “til-two CLUB.” Inside you find a checkered floor and black booths. Fast forward to 2017 and the bar looks exactly the same. You’d never know that between 1948 and now, this location hosted a feisty biker bar, Playhouse, as well as the beauty salon turned Beauty Bar as recently as 2010. Now, Til Two hosts up-and-coming bands, everything from rock to punk to funk. Funk, you say? That’s still a thing?
It was just after 11 on this random Saturday night when we showed up at Til Two. We sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and looked around. Couples cuddling in the booths, a few locals at the bar, some random guy asleep on a pile of suitcases, and the setup for what seemed to be a large band on the stage in back. Every now and then, this chick would wander by, decked out in an astronaut costume, bleach blonde wig and striped knee high socks. You know, the usual. But by midnight with no glimpse of a band, we started to wonder if we missed the show.
Then from the back of the club, DJ Boogieman starts to warm up the crowd with his funkalicious vibes. A lone musician takes the stage behind the keyboard. The lights dim. With a plastic tube dangling from his lips, Throwback Zack emerges from the shadows. Then the fun begins.
We’ve all heard a Talkbox. You just may not have known you heard it. That guitar solo in Peter Frampton’s “Do you feel like we do” was created using a talkbox. Tupac’s “California Lovin’” is heavy on the talkbox. Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, they all used it for some pretty memorable songs. How does it work? Here’s an example: The performer plays some notes on a keyboard. The sound from the keyboard is sent into a plastic tube instead of an amplifier. The tip of the tube is tucked inside the performer’s mouth. By “mouthing” sounds or words, the sound from the keyboard is modulated into a new sound which sounds a lot like a robot voice. This robot voice is picked up by a nearby mic and sent out into the crowd. Here’s an example from Throwback Zach.
Next up, Honey Sauce Band. Remember the astronaut chick? Turns out, she’s Saucy Lady AKA Noe Carmichael AKA frickin’ amazing vocalist for Honey Sauce Band. The band is a self-proclaimed “experimental disco funk band out of Boston.” After about 30 seconds of their music, you realize there is more depth and talent than your average up-and-coming band. These are Berklee trained musicians who will knock your socks off with their improv skills and sheer talent. And did I mention their conga player, Noriko Terada? She was on fire and so animated—she looked like she was having the time of her life!
What started off as a near miss of a night turned into a crazy introduction into Funk in this City Height’s historical jewel of a bar. Can’t wait for the next. A special thanks to Jenna for convincing me that we should stick around for just a few more minutes, a decision that turned into this surprise of a night.
