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Gonzo Report: Shanin Blake charms The Voodoo Room
The crowd was flamboyant and heavily female
Shanin Blake, spreading positivity and divinity.
Recently, my main squeeze Jamie Estrada joined me for an evening among the fairies and pixies in the Voodoo Room at the House of Blues. For a while, I thought I might need a little voodoo of my own just to get inside. I tried calling for reservations, but nobody answered. No luck on the website either. Eventually, I discovered that I had to use OpenTable — I thought of Arthur C. Clarke’s line about how any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
As we entered, we noticed four women dressed up in mystical medieval ensembles: lots of capes and veils. They had driven down from San Bernardino, and they let me snap a picture. Inside, the abundance of open tables told me I needn’t have bothered with OpenTable. Jamie and I shared a salad with walnuts, apples, a vinaigrette dressing and grilled chicken. The salad was $12. The grilled chicken was an additional $5. We also shared a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich for $15. As we ate, we got a little show before the show: every woman who walked by seemed to be in costume; everywhere was sparkles and wings. At least I knew I was in the right place.
A couple of months ago, my social media feed introduced me to a scantily-clad blue-eyed blonde-dreadlocked fairy adorned with numerous bracelets and necklaces, and I followed her down an internet rabbit hole. It seemed she wasn’t merely fascinating to behold; she could sing and play ukulele — and bang a drum. This was 30-year-old singer, artist, influencer, model, and mother Shanin Blake, a hippie diva spreading positivity, self-love and divinity. Her Divine Dopamine tour was the reason Jamie and I ventured forth.
Speaking of venturing forth: as Jamie and I ate, we saw Blake herself bop into the restaurant, boyfriend in tow. Never seen that before. We passed her silver tour van as we headed for the Voodoo Room’s entrance. Right after we filed in the first act started: Joshua Golden. I thought he sounded not unlike one of those guys you hear playing Christian Rock before a Sunday church service. He must have overheard my thoughts, because he leaned into the microphone and announced, “I’m a big church guy.” He played a quick 20-minute set.
The next act was hip-hop trio Angel Card: vocalist, ukulele and bass player, accompanied by a computer. Another 20-minute set. The stage crew got the stage prepped with dreamcatchers big and small, celestial cutouts draped in Christmas lights, and a monitor displaying trees and playing forest sounds. There was an artist painting neon flowers in the dark. Above the painting were the words BarelyAwakeKalee. The walls were also covered with paintings. The crowd was flamboyant and heavily female. Mushroom hats, more wings. We got poked in the face by a set. Kudos to the bald individual in all black with flip flops. He had four women in his arms, and they all seemed to enjoy hugging each other. The wait for the main act was extensive. There was no seating in the Voodoo Room; the floor felt hard against my feet. The crowd started to get restless, and they shouted, “Shanin, we want Shanin!” At long last, she and her band came out to play. She came out decked in wings and pointy ears, smiling brightly. The backing band consisted of a flautist, DJ and a multi-instrumentalist who played a marching drum, guitar and rain stick. Shanin never stopped smiling, giggled while she spoke, and had this excitement that radiated through the crowd. “Sorry I lagged,” she explained. “I lost my phone, and the set list is in it. I finally found it in my boot!” She also spoke about her life journey: “I had my child when I was 18. I didn’t let that stop my dreams of playing music!”
Towards the end of the show, she asked us to split the room in half to form a walkway down the middle. “I’m going to do something I’ve never done before!” she cried. She pranced to the back of the room then came up through the middle, giving photo ops, sharing the microphone with select, fans and jumping back on the stage. Her final song was “Twerk to Release the Trauma” She gathered a group of women up on stage to twerk. Not a bad way to end the show: attractive women shaking their butts on stage. For her part, Jamie noticed the numbers 999 flashing on the TV monitor. She got home and did a little searching, and found that 999 an angel number meaning the end of a cycle and the beginning of something new.
Happy New Year!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Gonzo Report: Shanin Blake charms The Voodoo Room
The crowd was flamboyant and heavily female
Gonzo Report: Shanin Blake charms The Voodoo Room
The crowd was flamboyant and heavily female
Shanin Blake, spreading positivity and divinity.
Recently, my main squeeze Jamie Estrada joined me for an evening among the fairies and pixies in the Voodoo Room at the House of Blues. For a while, I thought I might need a little voodoo of my own just to get inside. I tried calling for reservations, but nobody answered. No luck on the website either. Eventually, I discovered that I had to use OpenTable — I thought of Arthur C. Clarke’s line about how any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
As we entered, we noticed four women dressed up in mystical medieval ensembles: lots of capes and veils. They had driven down from San Bernardino, and they let me snap a picture. Inside, the abundance of open tables told me I needn’t have bothered with OpenTable. Jamie and I shared a salad with walnuts, apples, a vinaigrette dressing and grilled chicken. The salad was $12. The grilled chicken was an additional $5. We also shared a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich for $15. As we ate, we got a little show before the show: every woman who walked by seemed to be in costume; everywhere was sparkles and wings. At least I knew I was in the right place.
A couple of months ago, my social media feed introduced me to a scantily-clad blue-eyed blonde-dreadlocked fairy adorned with numerous bracelets and necklaces, and I followed her down an internet rabbit hole. It seemed she wasn’t merely fascinating to behold; she could sing and play ukulele — and bang a drum. This was 30-year-old singer, artist, influencer, model, and mother Shanin Blake, a hippie diva spreading positivity, self-love and divinity. Her Divine Dopamine tour was the reason Jamie and I ventured forth.
Speaking of venturing forth: as Jamie and I ate, we saw Blake herself bop into the restaurant, boyfriend in tow. Never seen that before. We passed her silver tour van as we headed for the Voodoo Room’s entrance. Right after we filed in the first act started: Joshua Golden. I thought he sounded not unlike one of those guys you hear playing Christian Rock before a Sunday church service. He must have overheard my thoughts, because he leaned into the microphone and announced, “I’m a big church guy.” He played a quick 20-minute set.
The next act was hip-hop trio Angel Card: vocalist, ukulele and bass player, accompanied by a computer. Another 20-minute set. The stage crew got the stage prepped with dreamcatchers big and small, celestial cutouts draped in Christmas lights, and a monitor displaying trees and playing forest sounds. There was an artist painting neon flowers in the dark. Above the painting were the words BarelyAwakeKalee. The walls were also covered with paintings. The crowd was flamboyant and heavily female. Mushroom hats, more wings. We got poked in the face by a set. Kudos to the bald individual in all black with flip flops. He had four women in his arms, and they all seemed to enjoy hugging each other. The wait for the main act was extensive. There was no seating in the Voodoo Room; the floor felt hard against my feet. The crowd started to get restless, and they shouted, “Shanin, we want Shanin!” At long last, she and her band came out to play. She came out decked in wings and pointy ears, smiling brightly. The backing band consisted of a flautist, DJ and a multi-instrumentalist who played a marching drum, guitar and rain stick. Shanin never stopped smiling, giggled while she spoke, and had this excitement that radiated through the crowd. “Sorry I lagged,” she explained. “I lost my phone, and the set list is in it. I finally found it in my boot!” She also spoke about her life journey: “I had my child when I was 18. I didn’t let that stop my dreams of playing music!”
Towards the end of the show, she asked us to split the room in half to form a walkway down the middle. “I’m going to do something I’ve never done before!” she cried. She pranced to the back of the room then came up through the middle, giving photo ops, sharing the microphone with select, fans and jumping back on the stage. Her final song was “Twerk to Release the Trauma” She gathered a group of women up on stage to twerk. Not a bad way to end the show: attractive women shaking their butts on stage. For her part, Jamie noticed the numbers 999 flashing on the TV monitor. She got home and did a little searching, and found that 999 an angel number meaning the end of a cycle and the beginning of something new.
Happy New Year!
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