Andrew Spitser is an indie rock musician who’s used to being on stage, but his Dec. 6 performance at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard was particularly nerve-wracking. That’s because the 34-year-old, who’s also a lawyer, had to sing in front of his fellow attorneys for the first time.
Spitser is a litigation associate at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, which brought a packed crowd of lawyers and clients to the West Hollywood music venue as part of its ongoing 100th anniversary celebration.
Said Spitser: “I may have been less demonstrative on stage than I usually am.”
Mexican Seasoning
The downturn in the economy is forcing some to dial down their holiday party plans. For example, CB Richard Ellis Group isn’t hosting its usual party for its downtown L.A. office, but that’s not bad, said Mark Tarczynski, senior vice president and a longtime commercial broker.
In the past the company might throw a party at a fancy hotel ballroom or exclusive private club and serve up steaks and champagne, but this year it was about nachos and margaritas. Jason Warner, also a senior vice president, hosted a party Wednesday at Casa, a new Mexican restaurant in downtown.
“It is in the holiday spirit,” said Warner, who’s also an investor in the restaurant. “I thought it was a nice thing to do for our office.”
Tarczynski said the old parties could be stuffy, anyway. This one was “more about the spirit of being with friends and family.”
Square Peg
Cedd Moses, the man behind many of downtown L.A.’s hippest bars, could be described as the black sheep of his family. After all, he was the lone businessman in a clan of artists.
His father is contemporary Los Angeles artist Ed Moses, and his younger brother, Andy, also is a painter. But Cedd Moses, who was never artistically inclined, started his first business as a child and went on to become a financier before going into the hospitality business. He is now chief executive of 213 Ventures.
“A lot of the time, you rebel against your parents,” he said. “No one in my family was looking out for the finances.”
Even though Moses, 48, was more preoccupied with being entrepreneurial than artsy, his downtown adaptive reuse projects Broadway Bar, Golden Gopher, Seven Grand and the reopening of Cole’s P.E. Buffet are inspired by his upbringing.
“Over time, I got an appreciation for great art and architecture, so I’ve melded my business mind with my appreciation for (that),” Moses said.
Oh, and it probably didn’t hurt that Frank Gehry was one of his father’s friends, either.
Staff reporters Alexa Hyland, Daniel Miller and Maya Meinert contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].
