By Antony & Spencer. This weekend, three of our S&N contributors got to catch up in person for the first time in years. The occasion was our editor Spencer’s very first trip to California. (Editor’s Note: Yes, I’m writing about myself in the third person, for reasons that will be obvious later). Spencer is very much aware that it is inexcusable for this to have taken so long, especially now that the trip is over and he’s discovered just how much he loves the West Coast lifestyle. After a multi-day tour of Los Angeles that was (unsurprisingly) heavy on Hollywood history, Spencer’s trip gave him the chance to reunite with longtime friends and S&N contributors Mark and Antony over very large beers at San Diego’s Biergarten and Modern Times, where we talked music, dating, parenthood, tacos, and a whole lot more. And in honor of the trip, Antony compiled a little travel music for Spencer—who couldn’t pass up on sharing with the rest of you. (As you can see, these joint postings cause a lot of awkward drafting issues. Don’t complain, you’re getting free music).
So enjoy a few pictures from our first S&N West Coast summit, and download a wonderfully unconventional soundtrack for your own California travels.
Official S&N staff meeting in San Diego
The real Mulholland Drive is a hell of a lot less confusing than the movie Mulholland Drive.
Because of course this happened.
I mean, come on, I’ve earned it.
Caught a glimpse of Anne Hathaway on the red carpet.
Got scary close to Alfred Hitchcock’s office at Paramount Studios.
Beneath the Paramount Studios gate made famous in Sunset Boulevard.
This was the movie studio built by Charlie Chaplin way back in 1918.
Maybe gentlemen prefer blondes, but I’ve always preferred brunettes.
Now *this* is stardom.
Had drinks at the site of the very first Oscars.
City Hall, made famous on film in everything from Dragnet to L.A. Confidential.
The Bradbury Building, as seen in movies from Blade Runner to The Artist.
The Griffith Observatory, where all rebels have a cause.
Dimly-lit drinks at the Dresden, as seen in Swingers.
A tunnel of books at The Last Bookstore.
A little refresher in the gardens at the Getty.
Saying goodbye on the flight home.
Download S&N Mix 24: The Road To California.
- Gregory Alan Isakov – Liars
- Karl Blau – Fallin Rain
- James Blake & Bon Iver – I Need A Forest Fire
- Conner Youngblood – A Summer Song
- Local Natives – Past Lives
- The National – Peggy-O
- Grant-Lee Phillips – Yellow Weeds
- John Moreland – Heart’s Too Heavy
- Kevin Morby – Dorothy
- Okkervil River – Okkervil River R.I.P.
- Robert Ellis – California
- Plants And Animals – So Many Nights
- Idlewild – Utopia
- The Staves – Roses
Shadows & Noise 
@Spencer. Loved seeing you. Dig the photo essay. And the mix is okay.
Oh and what do you mean by unconventional mix?
Haha, well, you admirably resisted the urge to include songs that might make a more conventional California mix — “California Love,” “Hotel California,” pretty much anything from The O.C.… You know, all the terrible choices I would have made. 😉
Was listening to the mix during my commute today and it’s making me wish I weren’t back home just yet! That new Isakov song is just fantastic.
Yes, the Isakov is stunning. It’s from his album with the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks — just a real thing of beauty.