Where the Action Was rock history tour October 2, 2011

WHAT: After a three-year hiatus, Esotouric's Where the Action Was rock history bus tour returns to the road, in association with 100.3-FM The Sound
WHO: Tour hosted by pop critics Kim Cooper and Gene Sculatti with guest stars 1960s pop sensation Ian Whitcomb, and Rita Wilde from The Sound, with other on-air personalities to be announced
WHERE: Tour starts with a reception and Pink Floyd "Immersion" box set listening party inside the legendary Capitol Records, 1750 North Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028, then proceeds by bus through Hollywood and West Hollywood
WHEN: Sunday, October 2, noon-5pm
COST: $75 per person, includes refreshments
VIDEO PREVIEW:
TOUR INFO: http://www.esotouric.com/action, 323-223-2767

LOS ANGELES- On October 2, Esotouric, L.A.'s most eclectic tour company, pairs up with 100.3 The Sound and radio personality Rita Wilde and guest 1960s pop sensation Ian Whitcomb for a special edition of WHERE THE ACTION WAS, the Hollywood rock and roll history tour. This much-loved tour returns to Esotouric's schedule after a three year hiatus.

Passengers will gather inside the historic Capitol Records building (musical home of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and special guest Ian Whitcomb's 1960s-era record label Tower) for a pre-tour reception and listening party for the new Pink Floyd box set "Immersion," then board the bus for a time-travel trip through Hollywood's stunningly cool musical legacy.

This three hour tour, co-hosted by pop critics Kim Cooper and Gene Sculatti, explores the musical history of Hollywood and the Sunset Strip through visits to celebrated nightclubs, recording studios, record labels and other places of subcultural importance. Illustrated with an elaborate onboard slide show featuring rare vintage photos, live performances, album art and ephemera, and hosted by a pair of historically minded music fiends eager to share fascinating tales, WHERE THE ACTION WAS is a must for rock fans who've heard the famous names, but need some help figuring out where is all happened.

Guest star Ian Whitcomb was a British Invasion pop sensation, whose "You Turn Me On" was a Billboard Top Ten record in 1965. He produced actress Mae West's 1972 rock and roll album "Great Balls of Fire," popularized the ukulele before Tiny Tim, and is tha author of several fascinating books about pop music history and his own musical adventures. Today Ian can be heard DJing on XM Satellite radio and performing vaudeville-era tunes with his own band The Bungalow Boys and in Janet Klein's Parlor Boys. On the bus, Ian will share fascinating stories about his 1960s-era Hollywood adventures and give passengers a star's eye view of the legendary Sunset Strip scene and creative life inside the Capitol Records tower (he was signed to Capitol's subsidiary label Tower Records).

On WHERE THE ACTION WAS, passengers make a fascinating journey back in time, from the mid 1960s through the punk era, when Hollywood was ground zero of a series of cultural explosions. The small area covered is packed with important spots including nightclubs (Whiskey A Go Go, Pandora's Box, Rodney's English Disco, The Masque), record labels (Capitol, A&M, RCA) and teen hang-outs (Ben Frank's, Canter's, Tiny Naylor's). Artists featured include The Beach Boys, The Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, The Doors, The Bobby Fuller 4, The Germs, Jan & Dean, Janis Joplin, Arthur Lee & Love, The Mamas & Papas, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Sonny & Cher, Phil Spector, Iggy & the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, and many, many more.
The tour visits the unassuming intersection where teens rioted over an unfair nightly curfew (inspiring the Buffalo Springfield's Stephen Stills to write "For What It's Worth"), the hotel where Janis Joplin died, the notorious Continental "Riot House" hotel in which Led Zeppelin partied with teenage groupie queens, Ciro's, the Troubador, and many more. It explains how Canter's Deli's continued popularity as an after hours gathering spot is directly tied to its willingness to serve hairy weirdos in the 1960s, reveals how Elvis Presley's shopping trip to Wallich's Music City influenced L.A.'s surf and hot rod music scene, and recalls a time when the Tropicana Motel was simply THE place to go for star spotting.
WHERE THE ACTION WAS is a long overdue celebration of the people and the venues that made Southern California the center of the rock and roll world for more than two decades. Available for purchase on the tour will be autographed copies of Gene Sculatti's "The Catalog of Cool," Kim Cooper's books and issues of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture, and Ian Whitcomb's books and CDs.

ABOUT THE HOSTS: Co-host Kim Cooper is the editrix of Scram, the acclaimed journal of unpopular culture that over 22 issues has celebrated neglected musical genius, and spawned the anthologies "Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth" and "Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed." Her latest book is the best-selling volume of the 33 1/3 series of little books about great albums, on Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea." Kim is creator of the 1947project time travel blog series including On Bunker Hill, spearheaded the successful preservation campaign to save the Union 76 Ball signs, and writes and hosts all Esotouric's true crime tours.
Co-host Gene Sculatti is a writer, editor and music-business veteran whose work has appeared in USA Today, Rolling Stone and Creem. Gene was Editorial Director of Warner Bros. Records and Director of Special Issues for Billboard magazine. His book "The Catalog of Cool" was the bible of pre-internet hepcat exploration. Gene is also author of "Too Cool," "San Francisco Nights: The Psychedelic Music Trip" and "The 100 Best Selling Albums of the 60s," and hosts a weekly internet radio show on LuxuriaMusic.com, Atomic Cocktail (Thursdays, 5-6pm Pacific Time).
Upcoming Esotouric bus tour and special event schedule
Sat Sept 24 - The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare
Sun Sept 25 - LAVA's free Sunday Salon (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Oct 1- The Real Black Dahlia crime bus tour
Sun Oct 2 – Esotouric and 100.3 The Sound present Where the Action Was
Sat Oct 8 - Gold Diggers & Snake Handlers: Deranged L.A. Crimes From The Notebook of Aggie Underwood (Joan Renner's free lecture, info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Oct 15 - Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles
Sun Oct 23 - Blood & Dumplings
Sun Oct 30 - LAVA's free Sunday Salon (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Nov 5 - Weird West Adams
Sat Nov 12 - Charles Bukowski's Los Angeles
Sun Nov 27 - LAVA's free Sunday Salon (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Dec 3 – Pasadena Confidential with Crimebo the Clown (weekend pass available)
Sun Dec 4 - Eastside Babylon crime bus tour (weekend pass available)
Sat Dec 10 - Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice crime bus tour

Esotouric's Kim Cooper and Richard Schave are proud members of LAVA - The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. http://www.lavatransforms.org
For more info on Esotouric, visit http://www.esotouric.com

For info on Ian Whitcomb, visit http://www.picklehead.com/ian.html

For info on 100.3 The Sound, visit http://thesoundla.com

Official Website: http://www.esotouric.com/action