Wearing an N95 face mask and a scarf to protect other’s, Star La’Marla wonders along the empty street at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, hearing sounds of the neighborhood that are normally overpowered by the noises of the busy streets of Santa Cruz. She is absorbing the eerie solitude during a beautiful after sunset blue hour evening. Walking through your own neighborhood, the city you know so well has changed for so many of us these days and you feel like a tourist exploring a foreign city. The emptiness in the streets is bringing up feelings that come with solitude. Loneliness, mortality, but also reflection and observation of things that are hidden in plain sight, obstructed by restless busyness while hustling through ones life. The beauty of places in solitude can enlighten one’s mind to rediscover the landscape around you and makes you reflect on your purpose in the world. COVID-19 reminds us of our mortality. The virus has taken too many lives.
Star La’Marla, a musician, teacher and actor from Stonelyonsproductions.com wanted to record the unprecedented times of living under a lock down in the city of Santa Cruz, California. The idea came to life when Stonelyonsproductions.com and Holger Blech from HBmedia.us put their heads together, covered with N95 face masks of course, and came up with this short movie around sunset, playing at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The song “Nothing is Sacred” by Becca Stone is for download on Band camp at beccastone.bandcamp.com . Her song coincided with the scene cut which happened before we had decided on any musical background yet. The music piece “Nothing is Sacred” has found its place. A thank you to Tammi Brown at Tammibrownmusic.com for her encouraging words as we kept her in the loop during post production. The Lost American Jazzbook had put on a beautiful live-stream concert with Dan Zemelman on piano and the beautiful voice of Tammi Brown in solitude but not without an audience.
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Star La’Moan and The Kitchenettes perform a rockin’ version of LOUIE LOUIE, live at the Poet Patriot in Santa Cruz, CA sometime in January 2016!
Star La’Moan sings with the John Michael Band featuring DB Walker and Kenny Schick at the Homeless Garden Benefit at Don Quixote’s, Felton on February 15, 2013.
Star La’Moan & The Kitchenettes perform a jazzy Jamaica-inspired version of LOUIE LOUIE live at Poet Patriot in Santa Cruz, CA on April 20, 2018.
Star La’Moan works the crowd as she does while The Kitchenettes jam on the stage of East Cliff Brewing Company. Not only does the band bring a porcelain sink, but pots and pans for the audience to join in the merry making tunes that sometimes feature conch shell solos.
Jackson Frost performs with Star La’Moan and the Kitchenettes – Get Up Offa That Thing, at Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, Felton, CA. Dec. 21, 2016