When it comes to bands named after cannabis, Lettuce is easily my favorite.
It’s (finally) the night of Thursday January 23rd. I’ve spent the last few weeks eagerly anticipating this moment, as I briskly walk through Downtown Los Angeles on my way to The Novo.
Tonight, I get to witness the rare sonic pairing of funky jazz legends Lettuce and The Genius himself, GZA, performing the entirety of Liquid Swords, accompanied by his live band, Phunky Nomads.
Did the show end up living up to the hype? Let’s dig into it.
Lettuce & GZA at The Novo
My evening begins by grabbing a bite to eat at The Exchange, the restaurant within the trendy The Freehand Hotel in DTLA.
This spot is one of my sleeper hit recommendations. Don’t let their sparsely populated dining room fool you, their food is top-tier, with a menu that “explores the multi-cultural flavors of LA through a Middle Eastern/Israeli lens”. Expect everything from lamb ribs to falafel plates and hummus platters (with plenty of lettuce, of course). While I’m personally attempting my first ever “dry January”, their sweeping selection of craft cocktails and natural wines is worth visiting for alone.
Cannabis-wise, the night kicks off with a hand-rolled joint of Baba Ku’s Wavy flower. The stroll to The Novo, part of the LA Live complex that includes the Crypto.com Arena, Regal Cinemas, and Lucky Strike, is an easy ~10-15 minutes from The Exchange. This gives my friends and I plenty of time to enjoy this balanced hybrid without feeling rushed.
Baba Ku is a family-owned brand that honors the legend of Baba Ku, known as the “father of cannabis and hashish,” who traveled the Afghan countryside healing patients with this sacred herb. After just a few hits, I feel the stress of the day melting away without becoming overly sedated. Although this brand has only recently come to my attention, I will definitely be on the lookout for their future releases. Their rosin gummies, handcrafted here in LA, are not to be missed.
I had been to The Novo at least once before, most recently for Pinegrove back in 2022, and found that it checked most of the boxes I look for in a venue.
- Tons of open GA floor space? Check.
- Wide selection of drinks and stoner-friendly snacks? Check.
- Audio levels balanced so they won’t blow out my ear drums? Check.
- Massive smoking patio? Oh, you’d better believe it.
See? I wasn’t kidding about this smoking patio. It looks like something out of the Blade Runner sequel, eh?
As I break into another round of joints, this time the Sweet Flower x A Golden State (S) dogwalker prerolls, fast friendships start to develop with other patiogoers (cannabis does tend to have that effect). The collective knowledge of music within this group is expansive – all the heads have seemingly come out for this show.
While out on the patio, I hear Lettuce described as “a branch off of funk” by none other than Hassan Hurd of Fishbone fame…and I wouldn’t disagree. This Grammy-nominated 6-piece blends elements of “hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, jam, go-go, and the avant-garde” into their performance. To describe Lettuce as simply a funk band is like calling a Faberge egg an Easter egg – though both have their merits, there is a distinct difference in complexity.
The anticipation keeps building.
GZA & Phunky Nomads Kick Things Off
GZA, backed by Phunky Nomads, is slated to kick things off shortly after ~8pm.
I’d hope that GZA, a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, would need no introduction. Not only is he their oldest member but also the first among them to snag a record deal. Liquid Swords, which was certified platinum in 2015, is GZA’s second solo album and easily one of the top Wu-Tang solo projects (though I do personally prefer Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ironman by Ghostface Killah). If you read through every “Best Hip Hop Albums of All Time” list, I’d bet you’d find Liquid Swords on every single one.
Like most Wu-Tang work, the album was recorded in RZA’s Staten Island basement and is riddled with samples, most notably from 1980’s grindhouse ninja classic, Shogun Assassin. Seasoned film buffs might remember this as the same movie Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) watches with her kid at the end of Kill Bill: Volume 2. Unsurprisingly, death is a core theme of 1995’s Liquid Swords, with this album described as more “dark” and even “goth” when compared to the rest of the Clan’s output. Each track is layered with expertly crafted lines that will take even the keenest of ears multiple listens to fully grasp their impact, a true testament to GZA’s nearly unrivaled lyrical flow.
Needless to say, the atmosphere is electric with anticipation as Phunky Nomads take the stage to build the beat. A few moments later, GZA steps out from behind the curtain to bless us with the album’s opening track, “Liquid Swords”. If you haven’t seen the classic music video for this one, be sure to get it into your queue. While you’re at it, throw in “Shadowboxin’” ft. Method Man as well.
Now, GZA absolutely slayed this performance. I’ve seen a decent amount of live hip-hop shows but have rarely seen ANY artist hit every single lyric of every single track without taking a break to collect themselves. Sure, he’s had ~30 years of experience, but this set was genuinely something special. After the album wrapped up, GZA moved onto a few covers that had the audience singing, grinning through every word, including the R&B classic “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” by Wu’s own Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
If you’re even a passive fan of old-school hip-hop and GZA is coming to your area, especially if he’s backed by Phunky Nomads, don’t sleep on tickets.
Lettuce Take the Stage
Naturally, the smoking patio is packed to the gills as the crowd, equal parts streetwear hypebeasts and tie-die-clad wooks, mills around, waiting for Lettuce to take the stage.
We have enough time between sets to enjoy both a Diamonds and Hash Infused Preroll, a 1-gram of Homo Haze (H) from Stone Road, and another handroll, this time Zatix’s Grape Guava. The Homo Haze delivers a punch of potency, while everyone remarks on just how incredible the Grape Guava tastes. Zatix always knocks it out of the park with their terpene-rich buds, and this unique phenotype of their signature Blue Guava is a standout, offering a sensation like “eating a bag of Gushers while standing in a flower market” (and yes, I am quoting myself here). The Grape’s effects are a shade more tranquilizing than those of their Blue Guava brethren, but most will still find it gives a nice boost of uplifting energy – an energy which settles pleasantly in my system as we head back inside, creating the perfect high to enhance our appreciation for the upcoming grooves.
The Pit area is packed shoulder-to-shoulder and I am, frankly, too old for that. Fortunately, the rest of the GA Floor space remains comfortably more open, affording me room to fluctuate between some light dancing and leaning against the guardrails to rest my aching feet.
While this was my first Lettuce show, it certainly won’t be my last. Their music is a cosmic gumbo that seasons a base of 70s funk with hearty chunks of blues, reggae, rock, etc. It’s the kind of music your retired Dad will probably enjoy just as much as Gen Z kids who just discovered The Dead because of John Mayer (or because they finally tried LSD). Lettuce have also released some incredible covers, such as this Tears for Fears classic.
The funk ramped up to 11 once Lonnie Jordan took the stage to add an MC’s energy to Lettuce’s jazzy instrumentals.
Yes, that is THE Lonnie Jordan, founding member of War, playing with Lettuce. One of the highlights of their set (and my evening) was a funky, loungey rendition of War’s classic “Lowrider”. Shit, by the time it wrapped, I was ready to go meet Memphis Raines to help him boost 50 cars.
Especially after these past few weeks of fires ravaging our city, we’ve needed some positivity, a little love for the City of Angels. Lonnie clearly understood this assignment, delivering hooks like:
“LA is my home town and it’s always been a funky town”
“I’m so blessed to be living in LA”
“We get high off sunshine”
Eat your heart out Randy Newman!
As the overhead lights came on and the crowds began to dissipate, there was no way that anyone was walking out of that show feeling disappointed.
Closing Time
You may have clocked earlier that I mentioned “stoner-friendly snacks”. Yes, in addition to M&M’s and Haribo gummies, they’re offering small bites like chicken sandwiches. But the real champion here is the box full of Uncrustable PB&J’s, paired with fresh fruit.
Not a bad way to kick the munchies, without feeling too guilty about it.
Well, that’ll do it. The Novo has rocketed its way up my list to now become one of my favorite venues in LA while GZA and Lettuce both blew my expectations out of the water.
For more reviews like this one, stay tuned to RespectMyRegion.com.
