Johnie's Coffee Shop Restaurant in L.A.

Located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California, Johnie's Coffee Shop is a former restaurant that's since become a popular filming location. The building is a classic example of Googie architecture, made popular in Southern California, and influenced by mid-century futurism and the space age. 


Johnie's Coffee Shop officially closed in 2000, but the building has survived because, not surprisingly, like so many spots in Los Angeles there was interest in using it as a backdrop in films and television. This coffee shop has appeared in music videos from Tom Petty's Swingin to Reba McEntire's Somebody. It has also appeared in movies like Volcano, The Big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs, and Gone in 60 Seconds just to name a few.

Tom Petty - Swingin - filmed at Johnie's Coffee Shop.

Scene from The Big Lebowski filmed at Johnie's Coffee Shop.

Reba McEntire - Somebody - filmed at Johnie's Coffee Shop.

Fiona Bevan in Medicine Hat

This week Fiona Bevan was in Medicine Hat, Alberta performing at the Esplanade. She's an incredibly talented singer-songwriter from the UK who opened the Hawksley Workman show on Tuesday night. Fiona quickly won over the audience with her soulful lyrics, charm, and catchy melodies. In addition to photographing her performance, I bought a copy of her album on vinyl which she was kind enough to autograph for me. Consider me one of her newest fans. 

A photo posted by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on Nov 4, 2015 at 5:13am PST

Joel Plaskett in Medicine Hat

Last night Joel Plaskett played an amazing show at the Esplanade in Medicine Hat, Alberta. 

I was invited to shoot photography at the last minute after Brandie at MHZine scored media tickets for the concert. I've been a fan of Plaskett since Three was released in 2009, however the concert far exceeded my expectations. He was energetic, funny, and sounded great. I already knew that Joel Plaskett was a talented Canadian musician, but now I know that he and his bandmates can also put on one hell of a live show. I also got some great shots!

A video posted by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on May 12, 2015 at 2:44pm PDT

Mo Kenney opened the show.

Best I Ever Had by Second Nature

When Gavin DeGraw's song "Best I Ever Had" came out last year I had it stuck in my head for weeks. I eventually went looking for covers to switch things up and fell in love with Second Nature's version of the song. Here's something upbeat that's bound to get stuck in your head too. 

Say Something by Pentatonix

This cover of Say Something by a cappella group, Pentatonix is another example of their incredible vocal ability. If you haven't yet discovered this group, they have an amazing library of covers and original material to explore on YouTube. I've been a big fan for several years now, and I'm continually surprised by how they can reinvent pop songs and make them seem original. Say Something is further proof of this. 

Kenya Chords by Pogo

I've been an avid fan of Pogo for years now, and his editing and sound mixing using pop culture is incredible. His skills go beyond that though. This is one of his entirely original creations using footage he shot in Kenya. The result is an amazing soundscape and a visual expression of the local culture.