It's the 11th year of Midnight Mass! We here in San Francisco are so lucky to have Peaches Christ's maniacal midnight film screening series. It is definitely one of the best things about living in this city. The screenings are truly out of this world, with fabulous preshows and special guests. For a full schedule of this year's Midnight Mass, click here. The opening night screening of Showgirls including special guests is appropriately on that most American of holidays, July 4th!

Peaches and I recently had a chat about the upcoming season of Midnight Mass, her favorite cult films and of course, her favorite Disney ride!

Miss Ess: This year's Midnight Mass includes perennial fave Showgirls! Tell us about the cast members that will be joining you at the screening.

Miss Peaches Christ: Showgirls is the only film we've programmed in all eleven seasons of Midnight Mass and it's kinda considered our "signature show."  I'm thrilled that this year we're finally adding actual cast members from the film to our bill.  We've been promised behind-the-scenes tales about the making of this modern day cult classic! Patrick Bristow, who plays Marty the dance instructor, is coming, along with Rena Riffel, famous for receiving the infamous line hurled at her character "Nobody wants to fuck a Penny! They wanna fuck a ‘Hope,’” so she's actually listed as having played Penny/Hope. I love it! Both of the actors are really enthusiastic about sharing stories with us so I'm beyond excited.

HBO Video 90528

Being that it's been some time since I gave you all some found art, I've put together a gallery for you chock full of homespun goodness (badness?).  Here's a batch that has a bunch of customized LP covers, direct from Vinylandia...






Lovely piece here, I think it might even be more appropriate than the actual album cover...below is an original Aladdin Records comp that someone created an awesome pink cover for...

On this date in 1975 one of my all time favorite musicians, Tim Buckley, died of an accidental overdose of heroin; he was 28 years old. Today he is mostly remembered as the father of Jeff Buckley, but
Tim should also be remembered for his brilliant songwriting, his extraordinary voice, and for being one of those rare musicians who relentlessly pushed boundaries, whose experimentation was often mesmerizing and sometimes disquieting. Some people get him, some people don’t, which is how it should be.

Tim Buckley was one of my very first musical discoveries of something I couldn’t find on the radio. I was a prepubescent, guitar plucking Catholic school boy with some stolen change from my mom’s piggy bank when I bought a used copy of Blue Afternoon at Platterpuss Records on Hollywood Blvd for under a dollar. Blue Afternoon was a revelation, and over the course of the next couple of months I tracked down the rest of his albums, and played them all till I knew every nuance to every breath to every note to every chord to every song. A couple of years later when Buckley died, it was my mom who told me; she had heard the report on the radio. And I think she was a little nervous in breaking the news to me.

Anyway, one of his greatest, most beautiful and famous compositions is “Song to the Siren” from his 1970 album Starsailor. Here is a peculiar sampling of some of those who have covered the song: I’ve included the original version performed live by Tim Buckley on the final episode of the Monkees TV show (and with the original lyrics-- he eventually changed the ‘oyster’ line because someone once laughed). Of course I’ve included the famous hit version by This Mortal Coil, the Cocteau Twins side project. Probably my favorite version, with the original lyrics, is by Damon & Naomi (whose version is probably one of the few that reflects Buckley’s and not This Mortal Coil’s). Susheela Raman version is magnificently striped down to the bone. I’ve also included two versions which surprised the hell out of me: George Michael’s (drenched in reverb, but holy shit, I have to admit he nails it!) and Robert Plant, who oddly enough sounds just like Jeff Buckley at times… I know that doesn’t make sense but give it a close listen …

Fries Home Video

Corporate sponsorship and rock and roll go hand in hand, at least in some circles. I think the Poison Girls had it right...Anyhow here's a batch of Killer Korporate Klassicks for all you "Swingin' Corporate Raiders." (The absolutely lamest pop culture reference I've ever dropped-- anyone who can tell me what TV show it's from gets a big kiss from Rain Phoenix.)

What have Anthony Stewart Head from Buffy, Paris Hilton, Ogre from Skinny Puppy and Sarah fucking Brightman in common? Repo! The Genetic Opera:

An Earworm is a term for a portion of a song or other musical bit that gets "stuck" in someone’s head and repeats continually against a their will. Often, relief comes only when it is swapped with a newer fragment from another tune. Research indicates that the people who get the most earworms tend to listen to music frequently and are more likely to have other neurotic habits, such as biting pencils or finger nails or tapping fingers. In Oliver Sacks latest book, Musicophilia, he defines the phenomenon as “involuntary musical imagery.”

After having the plug pulled prematurely on the concert he was a part of last Saturday at the Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival in Norfolk VA where authorities charged him with "abusive language" (apparently for uttering the lyrics "What the fuck" during one of his songs),  Boots Riley of The Coup has issued a statement saying that the local authorities' charges against him are "racially motivated."

The obscure local Virginia law, on the books as # 18.2-416, has never before now been applied to a performer, nor has it been enforced against anyone in over 25 years.   But yet the city of Norfok is determined in pressing forward with the charges against the visiting Oakland emcee.

"City Officials claim that they are making the statement that profanity will not be tolerated," said Boots Riley in a prepared statement sent out yesterday by his label. "Obviously, since no one has been charged with this in 26 years, profanity IS tolerated. The statement they are making is that the culture and the people they feel I represent won't be tolerated. I was already off stage; the man they asked to leave the stage was Trombone Shorty, another Black man who looks nothing like me."

"This happened at 10PM, and it was far from a 'family' atmosphere, most of the audience was intoxicated after drinking at the festival's bar -- 'The Missing Kidney.' There was also a VIP section where free alcohol was distributed by the keg. Anyone who has been to a music festival on a Saturday night understands the scene. I did not leave the park afterward, as was claimed by FestEvents, the organizers of the Bayou Boogaloo Festival. I stayed and debated the validity of the charge with police and festival promoters. It is clear that this is part of a larger debate that has nothing to do with profanity, one that is being dealt with nationwide. That debate is about racism, gentrification and the ownership of public space."

Background

Paul Anderson is a prolific Generation X filmmaker with a trademark style and five Academy Awards under his belt. He's also made music videos for everyone who's performed at Largo. In addition to his film-making, he's dated models turned singers, singers turned models, daughters of singers and models who only sing in the shower.

Style

Paul Anderson's films are notable for their flashy style and complicated, interweaving story lines. As one of the video store generation of filmmakers, he employs a large bag of cinematic tricks, including quick cuts, constant camera movement, stunning scenery, dutch tilts, low angles, high angles and revolving pullback shots-- tricks gleaned from growing up with a VCR rather than film school learning. He frequently employs female-led ensemble casts drawn from a stock of trusted actors. Making up that group are such players as Julianne Moore, Sean Pertwee, John C. Reilly, Colin Salmon, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeremy Bolt, Melora Walters, Jason Isaacs, and Luiz Guzman, to name a few.

Themes

Anderson's ostentatious style is frequently used to elevate the seemingly mundane to epic proportions. Sometimes the point of this ostentatious streak seems merely like showing-off, perhaps an effect of Anderson's high level of film exposure but probable lack of theory. He frequently revels in the seedy underside of outwardly blissful environs. Other frequently recurring themes include constructions and examinations of makeshift families, the role of media, divine acts, secret governmental organizations and the unintended consequences of technology run amok.

Films

While trying to beat the heat, I often think of what far-off cold places I'd like to go before the world turns to desert. North Asia is high on my list for sheer obscurity. Even the designation "north Asia" sounds like something that never gets said. I think that my first awareness of North Asia as a place came with playing Risk (aka La Conquête du Monde) when my conquering cavalry rode triumphantly into Yakutsk, Irkutsk and Kamchatka. It's expensive to fly there, they almost all love throat-singing, the curiously named Jew's Harp and occasionally stumble across frozen mega-fauna. Beyond that, I know more about the member Planets of the Federation than the little-known nations of North Asia... (in Ying Yang Twins voice) at least til now.



The Altay (also known as Altai or Altayans ) people are a nomadic Turkic people who've settled in the Altai Republic (and neighboring Altai Krai).


According to the website waytorussia.net:

Some facts on garbage: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, or a total of 29 pounds per week and 1,600 pounds a year; multiply that by the United States population of about 300 million, and you have one hell of a mountain of trash. And this average only considers households and not industrial waste or commercial trash.

The garbage produced in a year in the U.S. alone could fill enough garbage trucks to form a line to the moon… or cover the entire state of Texas two and a half times … or bury more than 990,000 football gridirons six-foot deep in compressed waste. Also, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the entire fleet of commercial jets in the US.

And for those inclined, here are a few more dumpster diving tips.

Tip # 1 - Never, and I do mean never, climb inside a dumpster that is equipped with a trash compactor. Sure some of those tales may be just urban myths, but once in a while down at the ol’ landfill a grisly discovery finds some poor sucker, flashlight still in hand, squished like a bug.  

Tip # 22 - I always avoid climbing a fence to reach a dumpster. Here are a couple of reasons why: first, if there is anything worthwhile to be had, chances are middling to good that the wares will be lying around outside the fence. The fact is most people are lazy and won’t take the time to put their trash bag down, reach in their pocket, fiddle for some keys, struggle with selecting the right key, unlock the fence, pick the sack of garbage back up, open the dumpster, drop it in and the relock the gate unless they absolutely have no other choice … and even then they’ll find an excuse. And the second reason for not climbing a fence: As a kid, my little sister slipped climbing over a chain link fence. She caught her arm on a spike, and as she dangled there, frantically clawing at the air and at the fence, screaming “there’s a hole my arm, there’s a hole my arm!” every thrashing twist ripped a bigger gash in her bicep, until finally it tore loose. The sight of a dripping hunk of skin hanging from a spike on a fence and the blood soaked cement below has stayed with me for many a decade. Simply put -- I don’t climb fences.

Hard-working jazz singer/instrumentalist Esperanza Spalding, who recently played several dates in California and whose latest album Esperanza on Heads Up International has been available at Amoeba Music since it was released last month, took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with the Amoeblog this week. The jazz acoustic bassist/vocalist  talked about how she defines the type of music she plays, her recent gig at the Roots Picnic in Philly, the state of jazz music in 2008, and how she got into the style of music initially. 
 
"I fell in love with the music via the bass," said Esperanza. "Playing the instrument automatically made me a draw for jazzers who needed bass in their band, or on a gig. People would literally tell me, 'Hey if you check out these records or learn these songs, you can have this gig.'  And, when the music I was assigned or turned onto was jazz, I would take it to heart and try my best to understand it. Of course, for my musical palette at that time, it took a while before I could really    
   appreciate what I was listening to."

As for the challenge of being both a vocalist and an instrumentalist simultaneously, the artist said that it just takes practice as far as executing the music. "But what can be difficult is being a singer, in the sense that you are engaged with the audience, and really responsible for emoting, and getting into the lyrics, melody, etc and being an effective bassist/band leader," she added. On the topic of Esperanza's music, I asked the artist how she herself describes her style? "Hmm, investigative," she replied. "I am trying to synthesize all the elements that are present, or at least present in my intention, if it doesn't always translate to the listener. I figure in a few years I'll really be able to peg my sound."

It seems like I just talked about Sigur Ros on the blog, but that was way back in November when they released their live/unreleased stuff sort of album. I just can't talk enough about how much I love this band. This week they are putting out the brand new full length album full of all brand new songs. The album is called Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust. For those of you that do not speak Icelandic or Hopelandic, this translates into "With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly." As you can imagine, the new album is fantastic. After all, it is a new Sigur Ros album. How can it not be great? But it is a bit of a departure from what we have come to expect from these guys. While still managing to very much be a Sigur Ros album, it comes off as being a bit more of a pop record I think, but in a Sigur Ros kind of way. Don't worry, it is still weird. The opening song and single is "Gobbledigook." The song includes a lot of hand claps, and I am a big fan of the hand claps. It is a nice way to start the album, but it really gets me with the second song. This is the kind of Sigur Ros song that I fall in love with. I have no idea what they are signing about but it just doesn't matter. It is like some huge classical anthem that you just fall in love with. It speaks to you without the words. I don't even really think of the vocalist as a singer. His voice is just another instrument in the band. The song has a lot going on. It sounds like a full orchestra and a choir of young Icelandic singers, and it's all brought together by Jonsi's beautiful voice. It is that voice that first made me fall in love with the great Sigur Ros, and it is that voice that keeps me a loyal member of the Sigur Ros fan army. His voice is like the most beautiful instrument in the world. I know I sort of sound like a cult member, but they really are that good.

ULTRA RARE THEATRICAL SCREENING!

 

Saturday June 28

Doug McClure
& Vic Morrow in

Humanoids From The Deep

1980, 80 min.

New Beverly Cinema
7165 W Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Midnight, $7

From The Caverns Of The Deep... It Strikes!

As you may already know, here in San Francisco we recently celebrated the uproarious madness that we like to call Amoebapalooza!  Here are two first-hand accounts of the controlled chaos that is Amoebapalooza SF!

First, we hear from Miss Kelly Sweeney:


Every spring, say around March or so, ideas begin buzzing around inside the heads of Amoeba’s staff. These inklings and urges are born of a question: What should I do, or rather, who can I be at Amoebapalooza this year? Could it be that this is the year that your dream Thin Lizzy cover band enables you to live your classic rock fantasy on stage for fifteen minutes? Is it finally time for you to rediscover your inner Buddy Guy, Stevie Nicks, or Michael McDonald? Everyone’s whisperin’ Fleetwood Mac -- will it happen? Whether you’re of the impression that Amoebapalooza is nothing but a glorified talent show or, conversely, that it’s perfect conduit through which Amoebites can shed some of their geekdom while gaining an odd sort of street cred, one cannot look past the fact that when it comes to “office parties” Amoebapalooza celebrates the uniqueness of the people that daily breathe life into the overall experience of one of the world’s best record stores.


This year’s Amoebapalooza hosted a motley lineup of acts featuring employees and friends of Amoeba SF. Tributes to our fellow employee and cherished friend Anthony Marin punctuated the playful atmosphere of the evening, with everyone expressing their reverence and grief in gestures, dedications and in some cases bizarre shout-outs; the love we feel for Big Ant was very much a part of the celebration.

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It might well look from a mainstream glance that hip-hop today has evolved into nothing but slickly produced, bouncy, party music with mindless lyrics that are more concerned with ringtone-designed, catchy choruses than any type of political message.

We are in a time in the once widely revolutionary music that whenever you hear of an artist accused of being 'offensive' it is more likely that they are being misogynist  than being lyrically threatening or offensive to the government or the economic or social system.

But there are still hip-hop artists today making politically charged, socially relevant music in the tradition of such militant rap artists as Public Enemy and Paris. Immortal Technique is such an artist and his latest album, The 3rd World (Viper), which arrived in Amoeba Music yesterday, is a prime example of an artist using his craft and resources as a platform to make powerful political, economic, and sociological statements.

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with the outspoken Harlem, NY emcee, who is as critical of the music industry as he is of the Bush administration. The 3rd World, like his previous releases such as the classic Revolutionary Vol.2, is  released on his own label, Viper, with carefully monitored distribution by KOCH. He told me he would rather have control of his music and his business than have some huge corporation pimp him. Not that any large entertainment conglomerate would not be scared away by such a loud political rapper. The industry won't really push political artists, he told me. "They will champion someone who is not fit to defend those positions for our people," he said, noting that this only inspires him to stick to the script. "It's very important for us to never lose sight of the revolutionary aspect of hip-hop.....that's the 3rd world: the revolutionary side, the street side, the hardcore side, and the independent."

        

 
        

        
     
        

              

        

       

      

     

    

      
 

      

One of the distinctive features of the expansive East Bay city of Oakland is the amount of churches that dot its wide landscape from Deep East Oakland to North Oakland, and of course West Oakland. Churches are everywhere --every few blocks in most parts of Oakland it seems there's a church building.

What's so wonderful about these churches is how they range so widely in architectural styles and types.

Each church boasts its own unique structure and they vary from the fancy to the functional. 

If time allows, it's fun to leisurely travel Oakland's streets and take in their beauty.

Click on this website for a list of many (not all) of the churches of Oakland. But really, you don't need a guide to find them.  Go anywhere in Oakland and you'll pass a church within no time.

West Oakland (the red part in opposite map of Oakland) is a good place to start where there's a church on every second or third block. As a result the churches of West Oakland play a key role in defining the image of this East Bay neighborhood. However, with the fast advancing gentrification that's been going on in West Oakland in recent years, many longtime residents may be forced out due to rising real estate value. 

Hence economics would dictate that many of these little West Oakland churches, most of which draw a steady but small congregation every Sunday, will in short time become an endangered species, so if you want to see them in all their beauty do it now.

Vestron Video 5352

Come and join us for a night of rebellious music -- Dance floor Afro-Beat, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Salsa & Cumbia classics, all with messages of freedom and rebellion. Amoeba employees Gazoo (Edwin), Askari (Eric) and myself will be on the turntables with Ray Ricky Rivera as our host. Special guest will be East Los Angeles Reggae En Español band Umoverde.

All of this for only five bucks!



The Scene
806 E. Colorado St.
Glendale, California
Cost: $5

Vestron Video VA4348

George Carlin died earlier today (June 22, 2008) in Los Angeles. He was 71 years old. The truly unique and always outspoken American comedian/social commentator/actor, who had a history of heart problems, died of  heart failure at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica at approx 6PM today. 

Unlike so many comedians who tend to tone down their act as the years slip by or as they become more famous & widely accepted, George Carlin consistently kept his work  on the edge by always being brutally honest and darkly satirical as he routinely tackled such targets as religion, culture, politics, and the hypocrisies of America.

The ever anti-establishment Carlin will probably be best remembered for "The Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV" routine of his (found on his Class Clown album) in which he tested the limits and challenged the government regulated words that dared not be uttered on television (or the radio).

In 1972 in Milwaukee at a show Carlin did this routine, uttering those seven "dirty" words from the stage, resulting in his arrest for disturbing the peace. The same routine, when played on American radio, led to the 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language.

Personally, I loved everything he ever did that I got my hands on: records, books and filmed performances-- three video clips of which are included below. One is the aforementioned "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" from a 1978 concert. Another is the wonderful "Modern Man" from more recent years, in which he does an inspired piece about modern technology (great for mixing over beats because of its poetic flow) and another amazing recent piece - the no-holds-barred "America Is Tyranny" in which Carlin tells it like it really is today in the messed up United States of America.

60 years ago this week on June 21, 1948, at a press conference in the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel (former home to such 20th century luminaries as Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, Nikola Tesla, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cole Porter, and former President Herbert Hoover), Columbia Records unveiled their latest concept; the “LP.” This choice in dates was by no means a random selection. Columbia picked the summer solstice because it’s the longest day of the year and “LP” stands for "long playing."

The new “LP’s” played at a speed of 33⅓ rpm, and came in two sizes: 10in (25cm) and 12in (30cm) in diameter and were pressed out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or what we now simply call vinyl. This new material was more durable and much less brittle then the shellac used in the previous 78rpm format. (By the way, ‘shellac’ is a substance obtained from the secretion of a Southeast Asian beetle). The LP’s audio quality was better and the playable length of time for each side increased dramatically. This new format was revolutionary.

Although they released approximately 50 records simultaneously to help push the fledgling LP market, the first popular music catalogue number for a ten-inch LP, CL 6001, was a reissue of the Frank Sinatra 78 rpm album set from 1946, The Voice of Frank Sinatra. (Initially the 12in format was reserved for higher-priced classical recordings and Broadway shows, though that would change just a few years down the road). Not only was The Voice Sinatra’s first studio album, but many music critics claim it holds the distinction of being the first concept album … no way dude!

Worldwide Underground is every Sunday at Amoeba Hollywood from noon til one. Here is my set list.
You can also hear or download my set by clicking here. Thanks to Jayme for recording it.

"Nana de Colores"-Diego Carrasco
"Oye Mi Olelole"-Celina Y Reutilio
"Senor Presidente"-Los Cojolites
"Tres Golopes"-Toto La Moposina
"Oualahila Ar Teninam"-Tinariwen
"Osman Pehlivan"-Arif Sag
"Sonido Amazonico"-Los Mirlos
"Usti, Usti Baba" - Senor Coconut Vs. Kocani Orkestar
"Cumbia"-Columna De Fuego
"Watergate"-Tipica 73
"Astronautas A Mercurio"-Sonara Casino
"Tifit Hayed"-Wganda Kenya
"Che Che Cole"-Antibalas
"Afrobeatnik?"-Gecko Turner
"Paloma"-Sidestepper
"Cumbia Sapuesana"-Aniceto Molina
"Volaron Las Brujas"-Los Erederos De La Cumbia
"Cologiala" - Rodolfo y su Tipica R.A.7
"Rebellion"-Joe Arroyo
"Lloraras"-Dimension Latina
"Bacalo Con Pan"-Irakere
"Rico Suave Bossa Nova"-J Dilla
"Wanda Vidal"-Marcos Valle
"Pe Da Roseira"-Gilberto Gil
"Tive Razao"-Seu Jorge

Lightning Video LA 9929

The Bay Area's own Pansy Division are the stars of a new documentary chronicling their blood, sweat and tears as one of the country's first out queer rock bands. The title of the film is, appropriately, Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band. It will have its first US festival screening this Thursday, June 26 at 7pm at the Victoria Theater as part of this year's Frameline LGBT Film Festival. For more info on the screening click here.

The film was created out of older footage and recent band member interviews and was directed by Michael Carmona. Bass player Chris Freeman has a film degree and was the editor of the film! I spoke to band member Jon Ginoli about it and he related that the documentary is "an outsider's perspective with insider's access." 

The band will be in attendance at the screening and there will be an afterparty at the fabulous Eagle Tavern, where Pansy Division will perform!

I’ve spent the last month or so moving, filling my new apartment and emptying my previous life. Funny, once my old house was bare and the garage was cleared of all its natural debris, I wanted to stay. Then again, no surprise there, just a few weeks earlier I wanted to torch the garage with all my crap inside: the thousands of records, the hundreds of books, the furniture, memorabilia -- destroy everything that wouldn’t fit into a Trader Joe’s shopping bag and my pants pockets, and the rest just send up in an electrifying whoosh of a bonfire. I could have used a purifying ritual about then, no matter how cruelly naked the results. Sorry to muff such a blissful moment, an unfulfilled act I needed to execute decades ago. I just didn’t have a gas can or matches this time around.

Actually, I couldn’t hang onto the mindset I’d need to genuinely cleanse my life. Besides if I did burn it all down, I would have ruined this fine-looking tableau of rafters, conduit and cobwebs. Right now, with my weary, worn back, boxes weighing down every square inch of walk-able space in my new digs, living in an empty garage staring at the rafters seem so much more appealing than sorting through my fifth edition dog-eared books and my bubblegum records and the scraps of paper that explain who the hell lives here.

Summer began June 20th at 23:59PM, coordinated Universal Time, which is mean solar time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London, overlooking the River Thames -- Coordinates 51° 28′ 40.12″ N, 0° 0′ 5.31″ W.  And here in sunny ol’ Tinseltown -- coordinates 34° 6′ 0″ N, 118° 20′ 0″ W, summer began at 4:59 P.M, June 20th.

OK, a couple of weeks ago I was speaking to a friend about what movies I'd especially like to see screened... At the top was Kamikaze '89, Fassbinder's starring role in a totally depressing (now retro) futurist New Wave sci-fi thriller. Second on the list was Never Too Young To Die. Only a matter of a couple hours went by before I noticed that, due to the terrible fire at Universal Studios, Phil had changed a few of the titles he was showing. Boom, there it was!!! A real life, full screen showing of one the 80's strangest creations.  Gene Simmons dressed up looking like Carmen Miranda morphed with Frank N Furter, wearing Lynda Carter's old fake Kiss costume. The God of Thunder as an eco-terrorist by day and Pre-Op glam-metal cabaret singer by night. Vanity flying "high" after her big role in Barry Gordy's the Last Dragon. John Stamos as the 2nd generation secret agent gymnast sent to save LA. It's all waiting for you 24 hrs from now, down at the New Beverly which is located at  7165 Beverly Blvd., just west of  La Brea. Phil will take your $7 at the window, please thank him for showing this film!!! 

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80 years ago today, in 1928, the legendary jazz musician and groundbreaking force of nature Eric Dolphy was born in Los Angeles. He was one of guiding forces who piloted the "new thing" of jazz though the late fifties and the 1960’s. His unique improvisational style intoned wide intervals, extended techniques, scorching intensity and unexpected sonic explorations on alto sax, clarinets, and flute. Such sounds were seldom heard before and seldom sound as accomplished since.

Educated at Los Angeles City College, he walked the fine line between traditional/mainstream jazz and the avant-garde like few musicians could. Though his work is often classified as simply “free jazz,” Dolphy’s playing was more then just his own idiosyncratic personal voice. He touched on the history of most jazz styles, from New Orleans to bop to third stream; he experimented with various non-Western music and 20th century classical ideology, pioneering extensions as both a soloist and as a jazz composer. His influence is still felt today.

During his short time on the scene Dolphy played with almost every great jazz musician of the day including, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Chico Hamilton, Oliver Nelson, Max Roach, Gerald Wilson, Abbey Lincoln, Gunther Schuller, and Andrew Hill. In his own bands Dolphy included the likes of Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Richard Davis, Ron Carter, Jaki Byard, Roy Haynes, Mal Waldron, Booker Little and Freddie Hubbard.

At the age of 36 Eric Dolphy died in a diabetic coma in Berlin on June 29th, 1964. Dolphy was posthumously inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame shortly after his death.

Tartufi is one of the greatest local bands around here in the Bay Area. Co-members Lynne and Brian spoke with me recently about the progress on their new album, their guilty pleasures, and the musical collective they have created. If you are in the Bay Area, you can catch them next at a free show at Cafe Du Nord on Monday, June 23!


Miss Ess: How did you form together and come up with your sound?

Lynne: Like Voltron, just like Voltron. It was a natural progression from the direction we were headed in musically, spiritually...and Transformerally.

Brian: I saw Lynne play years ago, was blown away by her style and was determined to be in a band with her. Our musical tastes are very close and our vision is so in line it's frightening. Tartufi presented us both with the opportunity to write and play exactly what we wanted without the interference of extra band mates and the burden of unnecessary, inflated egos.

ME: Sounds ideal. How does song writing work within the band?

Lynne: We both bring things to the table and sculpt them into something we are both happy with. Like potato latkes.

Brian: We often give ourselves technical or musical challenges and problem solve our way to writing something we are both excited about. There's a lot of "what if we tried this...?" in our practices. Then we spend the next several hours rearranging our gear, experimenting, studying electricity, and making pained expressions as we try to wrestle our ideas into something tangible.

What do you think of the SF music scene at the moment?

This Summer’s awesome shows have already begun, and this weekend alone is going to BLOW MY MIND!!  And it’s not going to be one of those weekends that starts pretty good and builds into one huge final show, oh no.

We begin big on Friday night with Earth at the Great American Music Hall. Dylan Carlsen’s sludgey, droney, stoner metal band has grown and evolved into the template that so many other bands have tried to emulate-- like SunnO))) for example. The line-up is complete with Adrienne Davies on drums, Steve Moore playing trombone and Wurlitzer, and Don McGreevy on bass. I LOVE THIS BAND. And co-headlining with them is Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, which is exciting for me for 2 reasons:  I’ve never seen them, and the last time I saw Earth they played with Neurosis, so this will be a completely different experience. I can appreciate and respect a band not contained in a box, either internally or externally created. Click here for a great new interview with Earth. For more info on tonight's show at the Great American, click here.

Then we have:


Saturday night at the 12 Galaxies is Amoeba Music San Francisco’s Amoebapalooza!  Employees and friends perform in 15 minute sets, with assured madness to ensue. Some acts have been together and performing for a while, some acts are purely for fun—a one time gig. 

It is now officially the week of Coldplay. I knew the album would be huge but it has seriously done better than anybody's expectations, and the week is not even over yet. It will for sure be the Sex & the City of the summer. Everyone is expecting it to do well, but this is just craziness. I think it might end up being the biggest debut at Amoeba ever. However, the most exciting release of the week for me would have to be the new Joy Division Documentary. Control really left me wanting more Joy Division in my life, and now I can finally have it.

There has not really been a good Joy Division documentary yet-- a least not one that I have seen-- so it is nice to finally have one on DVD. I just got the DVD yesterday but I have not had a chance to watch it yet, so I can't exactly talk all that much about it, but it is "Fantastic" according to Russ Fischer from Chud.com. This is the quote on the back of the DVD. I really hate quotes on the packaging of DVDs. At least CDS usually have little quotes on stickers on the outside of the plastic. I know they are great marketing tools but it really ruins the artwork. I should be happy at least they put the quote on the back of the DVD. I would think that they could get a quote from somebody more well known than chud.com... but I guess not. I had not really heard of chud.com, so this quote did not influence me to buy the dvd but it did make me check out their website. I might now be a fan of chud.com. I had been looking for some other movie blogs to check out and I think I might have found one. C.H.U.D. stands for Cinematic Happenings Under Development. It seems to be a website/blog for comic book and sci-fi/horror nerds, but I will have to do some more investigation. I do believe them though. I bet the DVD is fantastic. It includes the documentary with all the surviving members of Joy Division and also 75 minutes of additional interviews.

60 year ago today Nicholas Rodney Drake, enigmatic British folk musician, was born. Today he lives only in myth, legend and allegory. Drake, who released three albums in his lifetime, Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon  failed to find a wide audience thirty odd years ago, but since his death in 1974 has found a continuing growth in popularity and influence.

Nick Drake was twenty years old when he signed to Island Records, releasing his debut album Five Leaves Left in 1969. Over the next few years he recorded only two other albums, though none sold more than five thousand copies in their initial releases. His reluctance to perform live or be interviewed no doubt contributed to his lack of commercial success.

Throughout his life Drake constantly battled depression. After the completion of his final album, 1972's Pink Moon, he ceased performing and recording, and chose to withdraw from society to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. Drake died from an overdose of the prescribed antidepressant, amitriptyline, on November 25th 1974.

There was no public announcement or notice of his death. Initially there was no effort to even reissue his three albums, but in 1979 the box set Fruit Tree, compiling his three completed albums plus a handful of home recordings and left over sessions, was released. However, once again, sales were poor, the album received little notice from the press, and by 1983 Fruit Tree was deleted from the Island Records catalogue. Still, a fanatical following and interest never ceased. Musicians such as Robert Smith, Peter Buck, Kate Bush, and John Martyn cited him as an influence. In early 1999, BBC2 aired a documentary, A Stranger Among Us—In Search of Nick Drake. And most notably in 2000, Volkswagen featured the song Pink Moon in a television commercial, and within one month Drake had sold more records than he had in the previous thirty years.

Watch the trailer today. Watch the movie on Saturday.

 

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Saturday June 21

John Stamos, Vanity
& Gene Simmons in

Never Too
Young To Die

1986, 92 min.

New Beverly Cinema
7165 W Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Midnight, $7

Vanity: the new breed of temptress! Stamos: the new breed of hero!

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June
June 7 Heavenly Bodies
(Phil's 30th BDay Party - FREE screening of this unjustly overlooked aerobics classic! Leg warmers & leotards encouraged!)
June 14 Burial Ground
(The Italian Zombie Classic!)
June 21 Never Too Young To Die
(What would happen if John Stamos, Vanity, Gene Simmons and George Lazenby starred in the SAME film? Find out at this RARE screening!)
June 28 Humanoids From The Deep
("They're not human. But they hunt human women. Not for killing. For mating!" The deliriously tasteless Roger Corman monster fest!)

July
July 5 Delta Force
(celebrate Independence Day weekend - watch Lee Marvin & Chuck Norris kick terrorist BUTT in the Cannon Films classic!)
July 19 Just One Of The Guys
(Sony's LAST 35mm print of the ultimate '80s role reversal comedy!)
July 26 Chopping Mall
(w/ special guests director Jim Wynorski & star Kelli Maroney in attendance, schedules permitting)

Ronnie Lane is one of those musicians who never really got recognized for the great talent he was.

He was mostly know for being in the Small Faces and the Faces, where he played bass and wrote songs, but was largely overshadowed by front men Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart, respectively. 

His later work both as a solo artist and with his band Slim Chances is what I have really been enjoying lately. He left the Faces in '72 and chose a quieter life on a large farm in Wales.  At one point he arranged a tour that was literally a circus-- they traveled as a caravan across England and set up tents, had animal attractions, etc. It was Ronnie's dream and it turned out to be a financial failure he never really recovered from.

Some of his songs for his first solo album, Anymore for Anymore, were recorded by the band outdoors in the hills of his property, surrounded by sheep and children playing.That era of the early to mid 70s seems to have been the most idyllic of his life.

And here's a performance of the lead track from that album, "How Come":



Lane's music fits into the classic rock idiom in some ways, the Americana idiom in others, but it has a buoyancy and a sparky energy that make it special and idiosyncratic. Ronnie's essence is truly captured in his songs.

There was one thing my Dad and I always agreed on, even when I was a teenager and we were unlikely to find any common ground: we were both awe-struck by Cyd Charisse, the greatest and sexiest of all of the Hollywood Musical dancers. She was gorgeous, strong, and always brought a little extra sizzle and nuance to her work.

Charisse died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering an apparent heart attack. She was 86.

Cyd Charisse danced in some of the greatest Movie Musicals during the hey-day of Movie Musicals. She first gained attention in 1943 in The Harvey Girls, and went on to appear in The Zeigfield Follies, Till the Clouds Roll In, and Words and Music. But she really hit her stride in the early 1950’s with Singin' in the Rain, where she danced with Gene Kelly in what can only be described as one of the steamiest of all Hollywood ballets. She went onto star in other classic films such as The Band Wagon, Brigadoon, Deep in My Heart, It's Always Fair Weather, and Silk Stockings.

In 1952, at the height of her career, her legs were reportedly insured by Lloyds of London for $5 million dollars. She was even featured in the 2001 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Valuable Legs" in Hollywood history.

Born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922, in Amarillo, Texas, her older brother nicknamed her Sid as a variation on Sis. She eventually changed the spelling of her name while at MGM, to “give her an air of mystery.”

A few months back I got a real chuckle out of friend who has years of experience working some big time gigs at a couple of major labels. He thought the sticker blog featuring multiple Janet Jackson stickers was a riot.  He had helped with the albums design, including the stickers, but really didn't recall designing different stickers for it.  Here's a whole gallery of sticker variations, none of which are as fun as the Janet example, but they do provide anecdotal details regarding the chronology of hits, attempted hits, awards, milestones etc...

Here at Amoeba, customers know to look for the red tag. Red tags = bargain. It looks like red was also used to tag deals at the Bargain Circus, Jive Time and Licorice Pizza, as well as many more retail outlets. Anyone out there know what "the Dalles" was? I know that it's a place in Oregon, but was there a chain named that as well?

Love him or hate him, Lil Wayne (aka Weezy) is the man of the moment with his anticipated new album, Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal) released earlier this week which broke sales records - selling close to half a million units on the day of its release. And with an approximated million copies sold within the first week - it is guaranteed to be the number one Billboard pop chart  topper. Undoubtedly the album will also go on to become one of the top selling releases of 2008. 

"It's doing really well here. It got a whole bunch of hype of course. But what is interesting to me is the diversity of Lil Wayne fans," reports Marques Newson from the hip-hop department at the Amoeba Music Hollywood store. "I was on the register Tuesday, the release date of the new CD, and there was literally every type of person buying it, every race and age you can think of.  Not just young guys like you might think...but like 40 or 50 year old white women or 60 year old black women."  

Speaking of age, what is most significant about Lil Wayne, a long established rap star  who just recently scored his first pop hit with "Lollipop," is that he is only 25 years old but has been putting it down in the rap game since he hooked up with the Cash Money Records crew when just a teenager.  Besides Lil Wayne's regular full length releases (it's three years since his last official album Tha Carter II) and the countless cameos he makes on other projects, there are a ton of mix CDs featuring his music, including DJ EFX (not to be confused with Raul "DJ EFX" Recinos -- veteran Bay Area hip-hop/house/ tribal/electronic DJ/producer), who recently dropped the popular Before The Carter Vol. 2.  The mixtape only helped fuel interest in the artist's official June 10th release that is clearly geared for crossover pop success with such high-profile collaborators as Jay-Z.

On top of all this, Lil Wayne recently wrapped up filming a part as a student-athlete in the forthcoming movie The Patriots with Forest Whitaker. So Dwayne Michael Carter (his real name) looks set to be a huge, huge star. Of course, the far-from-humble Dwayne has been calling himself "the best rapper alive" for quite a while already which, note, is one of the reasons he causes so much ire in others. Another reason he gets hated on in hip-hop circles is that the often clearly buzzed Weezy (cough syrup is one of his favorite poisons, as well as weed and E) will utter, or rather slur, some of the dumbest, most unprofessional things at the most inappropriate times (i.e, in recorded interviews), like when he recently told Foundation magazine that mix-tape DJs suck ("Fuck you if you are a mix tape DJ" and "I created the mix tape game" were two of his quotes).

In a Beirut beauty salon, the lives of five women from different backgrounds interweave as they share, support, confide in and bicker with each other. The “caramel” of the title refers to the candy, which they use as a depilatory. My guess is that it's supposed to be some kind of metaphor for tearing away secrets or something.

Labaki's video for Nancy Ajram's "Akhasmak, Ah"

First, Rima (the spittin’ image of Jerri Blank from Strangers With Candy) is a secret Sapphist, which is primarily conveyed through her enjoyment of washing a woman’s long tresses. Nisrine, a bride-to-be, isn’t a virgin but is marrying a traditional Muslim who expects her to be, so she goes to the doctor to get surgery. Jamale is an aging former television actress whose attempts to seem young (from taping her eyes up to staining maxi pads with red nail polish) come across as so shrilly hysterical that she earns unintentional laughs instead of sympathy as she competes, in vain, against younger, prettier women. Layale (played by the writer/director) is bitchy and snobbish and she stubbornly pursues an affair with a married man, going to amazing lengths to please him, even though he continually blows her off except for their brief romps in her car. Rose is a seamstress who gains the attractions of an dapper, older American whose suits she tailors. He asks her out but she chooses to devote all of her energy and time to her senile sister -- who was a voice to which nails-on-chalkboard is preferable. The message seems to be that women have to turn to each other, not men, no matter how stupidly they behave.  And, girl, men have no idea what they go through.

When you think about, it all holidays are basically the same -- days of celebration, all similar,  just with different names.

Father's Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, BIrthdays and the million other "days" that we celebrate are all pretty much one and the same thing: days where we stop to celebrate life, sometimes past, but usually present. 

It's about the love...for life: a time to sing out on the positives and to vow to live each day to the fullest.

Hence I think it appropriate on this "day" (or any) to re-watch that celebratory scene from Hal Ashby's 1971 film Harold and Maude (avail on DVD @ Amoeba) in which Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort's characters sing Cat Stevens' "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out."  Immediately below that clip is Cat Stevens performing "Father and Son."  Another appropriate Father's Day song is the 1991 hip-hop single from Ed O.G. & da Bulldogs "Be A Father To Your Child."  The third video below is "Father and Daughter" which is "animacion con acuarela por Michael Dudok de Wit," and below that  is "Father's Day Poem: to Dad" -- a stop motion animation by YouTuber indiestopmotion.

And here's a survey for the non-Los Angeles Communities of L.A. County. Vote for whichever communities you'd like to see me visit and blog about.

And remember, Eric's Blog gives you a voice!

Click Here to take survey

Embassy Home Entertainment 1330

New York, Chicago, Sydney and beyond...

Dear readers,

I've created a survey that I'd like you, if you have a second, to fill out. I want to know which Los Angeles neighborhood(s) you'd like me, your ersatz Huell Howser, to visit (and blog about) next. Just click on the link below and I'll go to which ever neighborhood receives the most votes... maybe it'll be your hood!

Click Here to take survey

Embassy Home Entertainment 4018

Oakland band Subtle pictured left to right: Jordan Dalrymple, DoseOne, Alexander Kort, Jeffrey 'Jel' Logan, Marty Dowers, and Dax Pierson.

In 2004 Subtle released A New White and in 2006 they dropped the second installment, For Hero: For Fool.  Very recently they released their third full-length, Exiting ARM on Lex Records. Amoeblog caught up with DoseOne to learn more:

AMOEBLOG: For those who may just now be hearing your band's music for the very first time, can you bring them up to speed on what Subtle is all about and in particular the central character Hour Hero Yes? Additionally, how important is it to be familiar with the previous two Subtle albums, with their ongoing intricate themes, to fully appreciate Exiting ARM? In other words, is it like that TV show 24 where if you missed the previous episodes you feel kind of left out in following the storyline?

DoseOne: To be honest: all along we have woven these themes and motifs into the music knowing that the music should also remain accessible from any point in listening. These works should be accessible as both a work of song and as a timeless four minute chunk of layered creativities. So that being said, there is by no means "homework" that comes with Subtle records. It's meant to be rich and abound with things to interpret: next decade proof, if you will.

Otherwise the lore runneth over. Hour Hero Yes is a modern man. As flawed as he is brilliant; both hero and fool. The three Subtle full-lengths follow his arm and ascension entirely. A New White is the writings of the shell and man Yes once was, the man he must reconcile with. It all takes place in one bedroom in
Oakland. And as his quest for self intensifies, his one bedroom begins to come to life as his night terrors and day dreams begin to flood with omen and creature. At the end of A New White, Yes opens his door and takes to the world, fear at his back.

"Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005," a 140-page study, was released this week by the NEA and is the first nationwide look at artists and their demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. The report profiles eleven different artistic occupations, including actors; announcers; architects; art directors, fine artists and animators; dancers and choreographers; designers; entertainers and performers; musicians; photographers; producers and directors; and finally writers and authors. The study draws its conclusions from the U.S. Census Bureau data and other government agencies and arts organizations. Here are some of the NEA’s findings:

Numbering almost two million, artists are one of the largest classes of workers in the nation, representing 1.4 percent of the U.S. labor force. As a group, artists number only slightly less than the U.S. military’s active-duty and reserve personnel, which stands at about 2.2 million. Based on the findings in "Artists in the Workforce," artists earn some $70 billion annually, but the median income from all sources in 2005 for an artist was $34,800, higher than the $30,100 median for the total labor force, but well under the average for professionals of $43,200. And artists generally earn less money than workers with similar education levels.

Between 1970 and 1990, the number of artists more than doubled, from 737,000 to 1.7 million -- a much larger percentage gain than for the labor force as a whole. Between 1990 and 2005, the growth of artists slowed to a 16 percent rate, about the same as for the overall labor force.

Some of the findings were a little surprising. For example, computers have apparently led to a decline in traditional visual artists. There was a huge jump in those who identify themselves as "designers," which includes Web designers. The number of art directors, fine artists and animators fell from around 280,000 in 1990 to around 220,000 in 2005. Designers, nearly 40 percent of all artists, increased from around 600,000 to around 780,000.

Exhibit A
THIS IS NOT FUNK:
Blame it on the music? Maybe. But watch the first video below and ponder the fact that for such a large gathering of "dancers," nary a one possessed even a grain of soul or funk in their groove. And was that the electric slide?

Exhibit B
THIS IS FUNK:
May James Brown rest in peace, but his music, the funk and nuthin' but the funk, lives on, especially when it's James Brown and band live in concert. For best results, play Exhibits A and B together with sound down on Exhibit A.    
 
Exhibit C 
THIS IS NOT FUNK EITHER:
Classic episode of The Larry Sanders Show where Wu Tang Clan are guests and during sound-check beloved dufus sidekick Hank "hey now" Kingsley (actor Jeffrey Tambor, right) comes out on the set to introduce himself to the group, with their CD in hand -- one song off which he particularly likes. At the end of this hilariously disastrous encounter, Jon Stewart apologizes to the group on behalf of his people. 

Put your THIS IS FUNK or THIS IS NOT FUNK in comments below-- include video or images or links.

Exhibit A: 
 

I am very proud to be a part of Amoeba Hollywood's very own World Music DJ series. Worldwide Underground starts this Sunday from noon to one p.m. Every Sunday we will explore a different sound from across the world. Most of the DJ's participating make their living spinning at various hot spots around Los Angeles. Worldwide Undergound is a chance for you to check them out playing music that is near and dear to their hearts. All of us participating will attempt to cross every musical & cultural border possible.

Below is a description of the series, the DJ's biographies, as well as links to their websites and the clubs they spin at.

Amoeba’s World Music DJ Series! Beginning on June 15th, Gomez Comes Alive! brings Worldwide Underground to Amoeba Hollywood! The sounds start at noon and include everything from Afro-Beat to Turkish Psychedelia to Reggae en Espanol and beyond. Special guests and surprises galore!

EVERY SUNDAY BEGINNING AT NOON
AT AMOEBA MUSIC HOLLYWOOD

JUST ADDED !

---

Saturday June 14

The Italian Zombie Masterpiece!

Burial Ground

aka Le Notti del Terrore
1981, 85 min.

New Beverly Cinema
7165 W Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Midnight, $7

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This is the big week that we have all been waiting for. No, I am not talking about the new Coldplay. The world must wait one more week for the album destined to be the biggest album of the year. I am still not sure how Coldplay became as big as they are. I really remember selling the import of their first album almost 10 years ago, back when nobody knew who they were. Now they are the biggest thing ever. I really don't think Coldplay needs much help in selling records. But iTunes has partnered with Coldplay and plays the commercial with the new single about 100 times per day. I have gotten a little sick of the Coldplay...but for some reason I like their new song. I guess it is the power of Apple. I had resisted getting a Mac for so long but am now so happy to finally have one. I guess they somehow got a hold of me. I guess I am not as strong as I thought I was. I was always strong enough to resist commercials and advertising in the past, but I guess I just gave in.

So what is really out this week is the new album from My Morning Jacket. It is called Evil Urges. I know that I have talked about My Morning Jacket a lot lately --at least I feel like I have. Some of those conversations have for sure been in my head, but I know I have also mentioned them on my blog a couple of times. I had held out for a while on My Morning Jacket as well. They got their start back in 1998 and it seems to have taken me almost 10 years to get into them. It took that little movie called I'm Not There to finally bring me around to falling in love with My Morning Jacket. I have slowly given time to each of their four albums and fallen in love with all of them.

The Second Summer of Love

It was 20 years ago today (well, this coming summer, which is just around the corner) that what was known as The Second Summer of Love occurred. England's youth fell in love with Ecstasy, which they combined with a taste for Chicago House Music and the results made history. As is often the case, the fashions of 20 years ago (in this case, the 1960s) became fashionable again. Tye dye and peace symbols abounded on teens around the world. Thousands of people started attending massive Acid House raves. A feeling of pacifistic and environmental optimism swept much of the planet (or maybe that was just my teenage outlook). The Factory label's Hacienda nightclub featured DJs and bands which mixed disco, house, hip-hop, electro and indie rock. Soon, other northern clubs followed their lead, such as Boardwalk, Devilles, Isadora's, Konspiracy, House, Soundgardens, Man Alive, The International, Bugsy's and The Osbourne Club. And the hooliganish Casuals tuned in and begat Acid Casuals.

Madchester, So Much to Answer For

Half a world away in Columbia MO, I used to listen to KCOU, which would play lots of Acid House and Belgian New Beat. It was the first contemporary music that I was into as it was happening. My parents only played soul, bluegrass, jazz and classical records. Then I discovered the Doors, T Rex and the Beatles through the radio. And after discovering College Radio, a new world opened up. I would dance (in private) on the hearth in the living room to these strange, new sounds and hope that my mother wouldn't ask what the hell that stuff was all about because I couldn't really explain its hold on me, although it's debt to my beloved Kraftwerk was evident. Our exchange student, Alexis Poul, found an Acid House button at JFK which was, of course, a smiley face with the words "acid" and "house" printed on them. Alexis told me that all anyone listened to in France was house music. And when I went there, in '89, it was true. Even the buses played house.

"Not Fade Away" is one of the best songs ever written: simple, direct, pleading, mentions a Cadillac in its lyrics...I mean, what more could you want in a song?

I had the great pleasure of witnessing a Bob Dylan show in 2000 from about four people back. It was incredible, and one of the highlights was "Not Fade Away."  I've pretty much been thinking about the song ever since then.

For Buddy Holly to write something so pure and so fantastically mutable, especially at the age of 21, is remarkable. He owes a debt to Bo Diddley for the beat, that's for sure! The song's been covered a zillion times over and each time there's something new-- whether it's Dylan's band's killer harmonies or Mick Jagger's haughty congas--  and "Not Fade Away" retains its greatness. Yeah, even in the Rush version.

Here's Dylan performing the track back on the same tour I saw him on with his kick ass band.  The sound quality's not the greatest, but I still think it rocks:



Now here's Bruce Springsteen, back when he was the hardest working man in show business, performing the song:



And of course there's the Stones:

Lightning Video 9959

San Francisco's own Or, the Whale is on the rise. Their album LIght Poles and Pines contains a country-tinged bunch of slow burners and their live shows are jam packed with energy and fantastic musicianship. Here, the band collectively answer the first half of the questions, and then sometime-banjo wielder Alex answers my nitty gritty questions toward the end of the interview.  The band explains how the group came to be, their current obsessions and what is in store for the future of Or, the Whale.


Miss Ess: How did Or, the Whale form?

Or, the Whale: We formed from the renewed friendship of Alex Robins (guitar) and Matt Sartain (guitar), who had gone to high school together in San Diego and both coincidentally moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2005. Subsequently, Alex put an ad on Craigslist about forming a "Sweet Country Rock Band." Jesse Hunt (drums) and Tessa Wagner (former lap steel player) both replied to the ad; in the meantime, Alex responded to a separate ad posted by Lindsay Garfield (vocals) about finding a guitar player to collaborate with. Matt went to school with Justin Fantl (bass); Lindsay worked with Julie Thomasson (keys). Our first show with this original line-up was January 2006 with Two Gallants at Making Impressions Fine Printing Salon in SOMA. Tessa left the band in November 2007; Alex then answered the Craigslist ad of Tim Marcus (pedal steel) who then replaced Tessa and solidified the current line-up.

Promotion companies and distributors make the records go round.  As everything in the music industry scatters and morphs, let these classics from the 70's and 80's remind industry lifers, as well as record collectors, of the "good old days"...

MGM/UA Home Video M801283 

Dumpster-diving is the practice of sifting through the trash, either commercial or residential, finding discarded items someone else has deemed disposable. The art of dumpster-diving is variously known as urban foraging, alley surfing, curbing, dumpstering, picking, garbage gleaning, binning, skip-weaseling, skally-wagging, pearling or simply trashing. Here are some more suggestions, rules of etiquette and safety measures to consider.

#16- When sorting through the goodies in a dumpster DO NOT TAKE paperwork containing someone’s confidential records. It’s dishonest, immoral, and you’d be equal to the trash, scum and vermin you’ve been digging through. And besides, it’s really bad karma. I suspect in your next dive you might meet with a razor-sharp, rusty, hepatitis-tainted jag of metal slicing into perhaps the most personal and indispensable part of your carcass, or you might just get lucky enough to come face to face with a pissed off rat the size of a cat! Keep in mind the garbage gods have a way of exacting revenge!

#19- I don’t want to sound like your Mother, but always wash your hands and arms afterwards. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to wash your face and neck. Oh, and don’t forget to get behind your ears.

#8- Be inventive: look around and use the items in the surrounding environment to construct tools or poles or steps to help you reach that desired piece of treasure just out of reach. And though this is something everyone should already know, be careful. In dumpster diving, death defying stunts are not necessary; no piece of garbage is really worth injury. Being aware of your comfort zone is kind of essential. And though I seldom followed this creed because I am something of a nimrod -- and I have paid the price-- be prepared to walk away … and forage another day.

In 1988 Public Enemy released their groundbreaking album It Takes A Nation of Millions To Us Back (Def Jam). 

In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of this historic hip-hop album (considered  by many to be the greatest hip-hop album ever), Public Enemy did some concerts in Europe as part of the Don't Look Back concert series, playing the entire album.

Don't Look Back is the concert series produced by All Tomorrow's Parties in which established artists perform in concert an album of theirs (generally an agreed-on classic release) from start to finish in its original sequence. Sonic Youth partook in the series when they performed their seminal Daydream Nation and Girls Against Boys did the Don't Look Back series last year when they performed their Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, for which Johnny Temple of the group was interviewed for the Amoeblog.

For the recent Public Enemy Don't Look Back performances of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, they did a short series of shows, including stops in Manchester, England and in Dublin, Ireland.  Tall Paul Lowe, today's special guest Amoeblogger, attended the group's Dublin, Ireland performance two weeks ago (5/25), which was at the Tripod in the Irish capitol. Paul's report follows, below the track listing to the classic 1988 LP. Note that the photo above and the photos below of Public Enemy in Dublin two weeks ago were all taken by Tall Paul Lowe.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra
July 10, 2008 7pm @ The Santa Monica Pier
Free

Spanish Harlem Orchestra is one of the leading modern Salsa groups today. This night will be for the dancers. If you want to hear a really great Salsa group and see some incredible dancing, you shouldn't miss it. On top of that, Amoeba will have a booth set up in which we will be selling CD's and doing numerous giveaways. I'll be there as well, along with other Amoebites at the Amoeba booth. Come say hello!



Son de Madera & Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos
July 11, 2008 8:00 PM @ Grand Performances (Downtown Los Angeles)
Free

Son De Madera are the Beatles of Son Jarocho music. They are very melodic and aren't afraid to experiment with a traditional genre. Their music is filled with improvisation, both lyrically and musically. Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos are known as the group that backed up Linda Ronstadt during her Canciones De Mi Padre session and subsequent tours. On their own, they have put out many classic releases, including their last three excellent releases on the Folkways label.



Rachid Taha
July 12 2008, 8:00 PM @ Grand Performances (Downtown Los Angeles)
Free

Rachid Taha is a rock star everywhere except, you guessed it, The United States. The Algerian-born singer is not one to typecast himself. He can perform tradition Algerian music, but live would rather rock out on Clash covers and bombastic rock anthems. However, 2006's Diwan 2 was a return to his Algerian roots and one of my favorite releases from the year. Other than Manu Chao, no one mixes genres so well in a high energy show. Just don't let him get too drunk.

I had the pleasure of seeing the band Mystery Hangup at Self-Help Graphics on Saturday. Mystery Hangup are three sisters from Orange County (plus a token guy bass player) that just rock harder than anyone I’ve seen in a while. Their sound and look come straight out of the classic 80’s L.A. Goth compilation Hell Comes To Your House with Sonic Youth and psyche rock influences. From my description, they may not sound all that original. I had the same feeling when I saw their first few songs. I figured it was just another young bilingual band heavily influenced by 80’s Goth and Punk. However, my attention was caught in the middle of the set when lead singer/guitarist Kat put down her guitar and played various percussion instruments as the rest of the band played a Birthday Party-like vamp with folkloric influences. Another thing that caught me by surprise was at end of the set, when the band launched into a full-on Cumbia. It wasn’t a modified Gothic Cumbia ala Caifanes, but a straight up keyboard/bass/drum/guitar Mexican style Cumbia like Los Dinners would have played in the 70’s. So, just to recap, Mystery Hangup is a bilingual Gothic Punk with Latin Music influences. If that was a sport (bilingual Gothic Punk with Latin Music influences), Mystery Hangup would be in the top three. It's not that I don't like the more rocking element of their sound, but it's with cultural influences that sets them apart from the rest of the bands.

Jazz artist Esperanza Spalding is one of those rare talents that comes along every once in a while: an artist that when you first see and hear, you immediately sense is destined for bigger things, and deservedly so. 

The acoustic bassist/vocalist's recommended latest album Esperanza on Heads Up International, which dropped five weeks ago and is available at Amoeba Music, displays the impressive chops of this vocalist who sounds like someone far more mature in years.

Her music, while rightfully labeled jazz (she does a lot of standards including "Body and Soul"), sometimes subtly melds elements of soul and hip-hop, hence widening her appeal. And of course the fact that she is also a most beautiful woman doesn't hurt either.  Over the weekend she won over the crowd when she played at The Roots Picnic in Philly and likewise when she performed on David Letterman last week. 

Also below is a great clip of Esperanza and her band live in concert in Copenhagen (courtesy of STV) performing a variety of songs including "I Adore You," and "She Got To You." There is also a short interview with the New Jersey resident in this Danish TV video clip. Over the next two nights Esperanza will be in Los Angeles. Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 10th) she will be doing a show at the Catalina Bar & Grill and on Wednesday she is scheduled to perform on The Jimmy Kimmel Show.  On Thursday (6/12) she will be in the Bay Area when she performs at Oakland jazz club Yoshis down by Jack London Square.

For more information visit Eperanza Spalding's MySpace page and/ or check back here on the Amoeblog for an interview with the artist sometime over the next two weeks.

What's the difference between North Korea and Heaven? You can at least die and escape North Korea.  A friend directed me to this debate from April 7th between Christopher Hitchens and his younger brother, Peter. I had a good time with the Hitchens family (as I always do), so I figured I'd pass the video along.


Peter:


Christopher:



Christopher:

Media Home Entertainment M986

OK....to some there is an art to the bank label.  To others, it' a cost cutting measure...
For Phil, they're his birthday gift...

New World Video 9501 

Sadness struck both Amoeba and the local Bay Area hip-hop community this week with the tragic passing of the much-loved Anthony Marin (aka Big Ant) who, at the young age of 37, died of heart failure last weekend. 

A DJ/producer and multi-instrumentalist, not to mention an incredibly knowledgeable musicologist, Big Ant had been a fixture on the local hip-hop scene for many years -- ever since he moved north from LA in the nineties. Before working at Amoeba SF he had worked at Tower Records in the South Bay and Cue's in Daly City.

If you were into the local DJ or hip-hop scene you would have seen Big Ant over the years at countless events. A large framed man with a warm hug and a winning smile, plus an unbridled knowledge of all types of music (far beyond hip-hop), he had DJ'ed all over, played damn near every instrument it seemed (including guitar/drums/keyboards in Black Fiction - the experimental rock band he was a member of along with fellow Amoebites Jason Chavez and Tim Cohen), and was a ham at Karaoke.  This evening, Friday June 6th, from 5PM to 9PM, those who knew this great man will gather in his honor at Milk, which is directly across the street from Amoeba on Haight St.

For more in depth tributes to Big Ant, visit 4AM/Jason Chavez's MySpace or the text/photo dedication to him on the homepage of the Amoeba website, where Jason Chavez, his best friend, wrote so poignantly: "The best lesson he taught me is the lesson that every loved one that passes teaches us, that we are all still alive and we need to live, love and find our purpose and passions for ourselves and our passed loved ones who are watching us and guiding us towards our destinies. Everyone stay up, he'd want us to."   R.I.P. BIG ANT.

AMOEBA MUSIC SAN FRANCISCO HIP-HOP TOP FIVE (6.6.08)

1) J-Live Then What Happened? (BBE)
2) TOPR The Marathon of Shame (Gurp City)
3) Giant Panda Electric Laser (Tres Records)
4) Subtle Exiting Arm (Lex)
5) The Cool Kids The Bake Sale (Chocolate Industries/A&M)

Summer is almost here, which means Los Angeles will have a barrage of outdoor concerts. Venues Like The Greek Theater and The Hollywood Bowl have already kicked into gear. Nothing is better than seeing a show outside of a dank, dark club that smells like fifteen years of spilled alcohol and overflowed toilets. My picks center around World Music because that's what I like. Some of the artists are folkloric but most are modern musicians pushing the envelope of modern music beyond what we can see right now. On top of that, most of these shows are free.

Here are my picks for June:






Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
June 20 2008
8:00 PM @ Grand Performances
Free

Seun Kuti is the youngest son of Fela Kuti. Much like his father, his lyrics are politically charged and the Afro-Beat rhythms the band creates are just as infectious as they were in pop's days. His highly anticipated release, Many Things, is due out in June.









Quetzal
Jun 28, 2008
8:00 PM @ Levitt Pavilion (Pasadena)

Los Angeles suffered a major blow late last year when Quetzal moved to Vera Cruz. However, they are back in Los Angeles for the summer and this show promises to be a great welcome home. Their mixture of Son Jarocho, Cuban Son and rock is coupled with one of the best singers ever, Martha Gonzalez. If you haven't bought their last album, Die Cowboy Die, you're missing out. It's the best album to come out of East L.A. since Los Lobos' Kiko.

AMOEBA MUSIC HOLLYWOOD
HIP-HOP TOP FIVE (6.5.08)

1)  J-Live
    Then What Happened? (BBE)

2) Atmosphere
   When Life Gives You Lemons, You  
   Turn That Shit Into Gold (Rhymesayers)

3) Gnarls Barkley
    The Odd Couple (Atlantic)

4) Flobots
    Fight With Tools (Universal Republic)

5) Lil Wayne
    Lil Weezy-Ana Vol. 1 (Noiseland)

If ever a hip-hop release deserved to do well it is the highly recommended new J-Live album, Then What Happened? on BBE, which is this week's number one release on the Amoeba Music Hollywood Hip-Hop Top Five Chart (thanks Marques Newson). The album, the artist's fourth and featuring some guest shots including Chali 2na and Posdanous, is also doing well this week at the Berkeley and San Francisco Amoeba Music stores.
 


What is most amazing about this under-appreciated hip-hop artist is that he is not just a great emcee but he is also a gifted producer and DJ. See the clip of him above, live in Amsterdam, simultaneously rapping on the mic and cutting up on the ones and twos. Impressive stuff! J-Live's rich style is both respectful and inspired by the genre's golden-era past while still sounding new and  pushing forward. Just back from some shows in Europe, he currently is in Atlanta, with East Coast shows lined up but unfortunately no Cali dates locked down in the immediate future. You can expect an Amoeblog interview with J-Live sometime over the next couple of weeks.

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Control is finally out on DVD this week! However there is no Blu-ray. This just might have been the movie to push me over the edge and buy a Blu-ray player. I still am not completely sure what a film looks like on Blu-ray since I have yet to see one, but I imagine that this film would look amazing in high definition. It seems like it was out in theater like forever ago, but I guess it was only last November. The film was scheduled to come out a month or 2 ago but was pushed back until this week. I am really excited-- as excited as I can be about one of the most depressing films that I have ever seen. If you are in the mood for another depressing movie you should also check out The Bridge. I had been wanting to watch this movie ever since it hit the theater last year, but I just could not bring myself to watch it until recently. I normally love intense and disturbing documentaries, but this one was especially hard for me to watch. The movie is about people who have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Maybe it was hard to watch because I love that bridge so much. I guess this is sort of selfish, but I have spent many days walking across it and I just didn't want to associate it with death. I will for sure not feel the same next time I cross the bridge.

At least you know what you are getting with the Joy Division movie. You know how it ends. And if you are a fan of the music then you know how the music can affect you. Joy Division is a very unique band for its fans. Many of us didn't even start listening to the band until after Ian Curtis killed himself. I was still too young to be listening to anything but Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse Club records when Ian Curtis took his own life, so I never had that period of enjoying the band while he was still alive. At least with bands like Nirvana there was a significant period when Kurt Cobain was still alive for his fans to still enjoy him. So Joy Division is always associated with death in my mind. I always can hear his depression and confusion in all of his songs, but for some reason I can completely disassociate New Order from that feeling, maybe because they ended up sounding so different.

If you did not have a time to watch this movie in the theater. Now is the time. Just get it over with it. I guarantee that you will like this film if you like Joy Division even a little bit. The film is shot so beautifully that you could even appreciate it without liking the movie. I was a bit worried about the movie since I knew it was based on the book by the wife of Ian Curtis. Deborah Curtis consulted on the film so I really worried that the film would not be completely accurate in regards to the relationship between Ian and his wife. While I am sure that it is not really completely accurate, the film does not exactly portray Deborah Curtis as a saint. I tend to always side with the female character in movies, but this was not the case in Control. The movie really made you side with Ian and feel bad for him. I really just wanted to jump into the movie at certain points and tell him that it was going to be OK. We all have had our own relationship problems. Of course, it becomes a bit more serious when you throw marriage, kids, fame, drugs, and epilepsy into the mix. While the movie ends like you would expect with his suicide, I was surprised at how they portrayed his final moments with his wife. It almost seems like it was her fault and as if it could have been avoided...but even if she had acted differently in these final situations, it also seems like he would have eventually killed himself regardless.

The film is cast perfectly. Sam Riley is absolutely amazing as Ian Curtis. He seriously amazed me by how fantastic he was in this film. The whole film just looks like one continuous amazing black and white photograph. They managed to find four guys that looked very similar to the actual guys in Joy Division, if not a bit more attractive and movie-like. The film somehow captures the feeling of a Joy Division song. It seriously gave me shivers as I was watching it. I ended up forgetting that this was a cast of actors and not the actual people.

40 years ago this evening Senator Robert F. Kennedy won the California primary in his bid for the nomination as the Democratic Presidential candidate. Following his victory speech in the early morning hours of June 5th 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. Though I was just a little kid going to Catholic School, I remember June 5th vividly -- from my morning walk to St. Casimir grammar school with my sister, to the kids I played with at recess, the afternoon Mass, the ride home from my Mom and Grandmother, to eating a Swanson’s Salisbury steak TV dinner that evening. I can almost remember the prayer I said that night for the Kennedy family before my bedtime … so much of that day remains clear in my head, or at least I imagine it so.  

Here is the eulogy, in its entirety, given a few days later by Ted Kennedy. I know it’s almost ten minutes long, but relax for a few minutes, have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine or a cigarette, and give it a listen.

Thorn EMI Video TVC 1635

Amoeba Music and Phil Blankenship are proud to present some of our film favorites at Los Angeles’ last full-time revival movie theater. See movies the way they're meant to be seen - on the big screen and with an audience!

June

June 7 Heavenly Bodies

(Phil's 30th BDay Party - FREE screening of this unjustly overlooked aerobics classic! Leg warmers & leotards encouraged!)


June 21 Never Too Young To Die

(What would happen if John Stamos, Vanity, Gene Simmons and George Lazenby starred in the SAME film? Find out at this RARE screening!)


June 28 Humanoids From The Deep

("They're not human. But they hunt human women. Not for killing.

For mating!" The deliriously tasteless Roger Corman monster fest!)


July

July 5 Delta Force

(celebrate Independence Day weekend - watch Lee Marvin & Chuck Norris kick terrorist BUTT in the Cannon Films classic!)


July 19 Just One Of The Guys

(Sony's LAST 35mm print of the ultimate '80s role reversal comedy!)


July 26 Chopping Mall

(w/ special guests director Jim Wynorski & star Kelli Maroney in attendance, schedules permitting)



August

August 2 Night Of The Juggler

(No one can stop James Brolin!)


August 9 Rainbow Brite & The Star Stealer

(Rainbow Brite's first movie - insanely RARE performance!)

The Strangers begins with a caveat, "The horrifying events that took place in the Hoyt family's vacation home at 1801 Clark Road on February 11, 2005, are still not entirely known." We are also told that the film is "inspired by actual events." Those inspirational events most likely included watching Helter Skelter and maybe Fatal Vision. But the "based on actual events" gimmick is a tried and true one; and one indicative of The Stranger's formula-following strengths and weaknesses.



One guy went to the trouble of mapping the address given in the film and many others have taken the opening claim as truth. I'll try to help by adding that I heard the cry of a Great Horned Owl at several points and I've included this handy map of their range so that we can narrow it down further.

      

In interviews, speaking of his influences and tastes, first time director Bryan Bertino praises The Blair Witch Project ("I'm one of the people who loved The Blair Witch Project. I don't care that the camera is shaky and Heather says f**k a lot"), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Descent. He also mentions John Cassavetes and Terence Malick, whose work is reflected in the main characters' strained relationship and the film's measured pacing. By and large Bertino succeeds in creating a low budget '70s vibe. The summer home (a ranch home, naturally) is furnished in heavy, brown furniture and lit by 15 watt bulbs (apparently the owners are either photosensitive or very energy conscious). Crackly records of Gillian Welch, Joanna Newsom and Merle Haggard play. It almost feels like a Pinter play or a Bob Rafelson drama.

The film story begins (like last year's not-entirely-dissimilar Vacancy) with a couple traveling in a car-- their feelings for each other obviously strained but not entirely explained. As the preceding events become more clear, the tension slowly and expertly builds on the viewer's anticipation of something awful. Nothing happens and yet we know something will. Nothing new here, but it's well done and sticks to the thriller formula closely so it works.

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Brad and I both saw the Sex and the City movie this weekend! After years of waiting on baited breath, we both agree that the movie is fabulous in every way, shape and form. Our discussion is extremely SPOILER FILLED, so if you haven't seen the movie yet and want to go in without knowing key plot details, skip reading for now. The conversation that follows is more for those who have experienced the movie already-- we want to celebrate the film's arrival and dish about it a bit.


Miss Ess: I think of Sex and the City overall as a fluffy and fun treat, so the movie really lived up to that description for me. I liken the series to reading a trashy gal magazine like Glamour-- there's fashion, there's men, there's life advice! It all comes in a slightly cheesy and ultimately fantastical package. Sure it's all a fantasy, but it's fun to be swept away sometimes and that's what the show always provided for me. The movie was more of the same and it felt so good to have the ladies back in action! I appreciated the way the film was like a bunch of episodes condensed into one enjoyable whirlwind of Manolos and cobblestone. What did you think of the movie?

Brad: I really enjoyed the movie so much as I was watching it, but I really love it now even more since I have had a day to think about it. I really got obsessed with the show and always thought the episodes were too short. They always left me wanting more. The stories felt rushed sometimes -- but with the movie you could really settle in for a long fun story. The actresses were all fantastic and seemed to just pick up right where they left off. It really made me realize how great the show was, and also the fact that there will probably never be one just like it. It sort of made me wish I could go back and see a whole new movie the next week. Much of it was sort of predictable but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. It was the perfect mix of tragedy and comic relief that made the show so great. The show was always sort of unbelievable and a great big fantasy but at the same time totally believable and realistic. I need to go watch the whole series again now. I need more Sex and the City!

MCA Home Video 355

Last week the label Illegal Art did the world a great favor and released a nicely packaged comprehensive retrospective of the best of hip-hop cut-n-paste pioneer Steinski -- something that has never been easily available before, and not all nicely presented together like this.

But this great collection beautifully showcases the legendary producer who, both along with studio partner Double Dee and as a solo artist, directly influenced so many artists, including most notably DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist and Coldcut. 

Steinski: What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective is something that belongs in every music collection.  The 2 CD set comes with a nice booklet and liner notes by Hua Hsu that include Steve "Steinski" Stein's comments on each of CD 1's fourteen tracks. Included are the three legendary "Lessons" with Doug DiFranco (Double Dee) -- the first one originating as an 1983 entry in a Tommy Boy Records remix contest -- plus the artist's most important solo outings and remixes including the JFK assassination-themed "The Motorcade Sped On," recorded under the name Steinski & The Mass Media that came as a track on a free 7" EP compilation given away with UK mag NME in 1987.

The second CD is the artist's relatively recent Nothing To Fear mix made for BBC London's Solid Steel radio show a few years ago, with song titles for all 28 tracks in the CD booklet.

A grizzled police detective named Yoshioka investigates a murder in a muddy waterfront in Tokyo. The victim, although drowned in a puddle, has lungs full of saltwater. As Yoshioka investigates, all of the clues all seem to point to the him.  In the process, he grows more unhinged and defensive whilst troublingly remaining unable to write himself off as a suspect. His violent, murky memories seem to implicate him as well, and he suffers from insomnia and possible hallucinations.


Soon afterward, more killings occur with the same under similar circumstances. Yet they're easily explained and, in doing so, fail to exonerate Yoshioka in the first case. Kurosawa uses twists and turns not merely to keep the audience guessing about the true nature of the crime, but also to take the viewer somewhere unexpected-- into a feeling of loneliness and a state of guilt about ignoring the plight of others because of our collective societal embrace of insensitivity and deliberate emotional isolation.


Although the cover of Lion's Gate's DVD suggests that the film is merely another "scary hair" ghost story (and in some ways it is), it's mainly an atmospheric mood piece that has more in common with Antonioni and his ilk than horror directors. The title, Sakebi, literally means "Scream," which makes a lot more sense than the English translation of "Retribution," which seems chosen to mislead potential viewers into more false expectations. Anyone expecting horrifying vengeful ghosts will likely be disappointed by the glacially paced and contemplative film, although there are (mostly startling) moments of horror.

Playhouse Video 6669

A rock n' roll musical pioneer, guitarist Bo Diddley, died earlier today (June 1st) in Archer, Florida as a result of heart failure. He was 79 years of age.  Known for such pioneering rock n roll songs as "Who Do You Love?" and "Bo Diddley," Diddley influenced legions of guitarists for generations to come.  In fact his uniquely distinctive sound became known as the "Bo Diddley beat."  You can read the obit/full report on CNN.com. R.I.P. Bo Diddley.

This is our opening night. Ray and I will be spinning selections from the Discos Fuentes, Fania, Tico, SAR, and Allegre labels. Also we will play some great music from obscure South American, Mexican & Central American groups from the 70's & 80's.

We will have a performance by the best Cumbia/Vallenato group in L.A. right now, Buyepongo. On top of all that, there is no cover charge.

We hope to have that dance floor moving. I think we should enforce the Midnight Star "No Parking On The Dance Floor" rule that night. Maybe we could have someone in a cop uniform go up to someone who's not dancing and say:

Excuse me, madam
You’re standing still in a no parking zone
You don’t get a move on that body
I’ll be forced to give you a ticket
So get with it

Wednesday, June 4th
Mal's Bar
2331 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, Ca. 90007
213-746-2177
Starts @ 9 p.m.
21 and over
FREEE!!!!

Media Home Entertainment M763

The music of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, who are back touring and scheduled to play the DNA Lounge in San Francisco tonight, stands the test of time two decades later -- as proven by the videos to three of their songs below.  While labeled "industrial" music, even helping push the genre to popularity and being one of the most popular acts on Wax Trax! (the label known for industrial music, with such other acts of the genre as KMFDM, Ministry, and Front 242), My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult actually transcended the genre as they continually evolved.

As well as being industrial music, the duo (Buzz and Groovie -- pictured left back in the day & below with their ensemble in more recent years) were equally heavy metal, electronic, goth, dance, and cut n paste in musical styles. Meanwhile their imagery was consistently deeply rooted in the occult and Satanism -- something that led to them causing controversy and being targets of various religious and parental watch dog groups. Unpopular with these groups were the songs and videos for "This Is What The Devil Does" and "Kooler Than Jesus" -- both below.  Also below is one of two video versions of their song "Sex On Wheelz" (off their 1991 album Sexplosion!). This version is directed by Ralph Bakshi and features parts from his semi-animated movie Cool World, which featured the group's music.

The current tour by the group, which stopped last night in Hollywood (Bar Sinister) and will be in San Diego (Beauty Bar) on Tuesday, is being billed as a 20th Anniversary Tour and "reminiscent of their 1989 Inferno Xpress Tour," so expect to hear all the old classics including the ones below and such others as "The Devil Does Drugs" and "The Days of Swine & Roses." My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, who played the Folsom Street Fair two years ago, play the DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street in San Francisco tonight (June 1st).  9PM doors. Tix $13. More info.
 

I thought that Maria Daniela would be the first Fresa to go mainstream with her blend of Electro-Cumbia. I guess she got trumped by Amandititita --the daughter of infamous Mexican rockero Rockdrigo Gonzalez has a hit with "Metrosexual," a song about a too-cute boyfriend that is obsessed with his looks. The lyrics are both catchy and kitchy. For instance:

Tengo un novio metrosexual, usa extensiones, no se deja de peinar,
en todos los espejos se tiene que mirar.Va al gimnasio hasta en navidad.

which roughly translates to:

My boyfriend is metrosexual, He uses extensions and never stops combing his hair. He always has to look in mirror and he works out until Christmas.

and of course, my favorite line:

una vez estuvo en prisión, lo arrestaron por robar productos de avon.
one time he went to prison, they arrested him for stealing Avon Products

Like my mom used to tell me, "It sounds much better is Spanish."



I love the music behind her, it bumps! It sounds like Sonidero Nacional produced the track but I do not have the info to back that up. Mix it all together with that retro 80's cheerleader chorus and you got another big Fresa hit. Maria Daniela might have been just a little too late.
 
Amandititita's album, La Reina De La Anarcumbia (The Queen Of Cumbia Anarchy), hits stores June 10th.