[Neptunas] More, more, more!
DKslam
SCROLL ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY DOWN and prepare to be amazed!
Has ALL of LA lost their collective musical taste?
- Pamita
FRIDAYSATURDAY
SUNDAYMONDAY
TUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAY
PICKS OF THE WEEK
June 21 - 27, 2002
June 20
The Rezillos at the Garage.
While other early British punks railed about the queen and class strife,
Scotland's Rezillos were singing madcap ditties like "(My Baby Does) Good
Sculptures" and "Flying Saucer Attack." Co-lead singers Eugene Reynolds and the
Mary Quant-bedecked, miniskirted and gogo-booted Faye Fife - the face that
launched a thousand pogo pits - were living Day-Glo cartoon characters,
predating the dance-party vibe of the B-52's. Yet the Rezillos were more than
merely goofy on the hit "Top of the Pops," which conveyed an almost rueful
sense of celebration. And they were never merely wimpy, thanks to fuzz-saw
guitarist Jo Callis, who rocked up the band's definitive version of Jeremy
Spencer's oft-covered "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight."
Arrive early, not only to catch the Excessories' similarly sweet-hearted
pop-punk, but to make sure you get in: This marks the first-ever local
appearance by the Rezillos, who formed back in 1976. (Falling James)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
THIRD WORLD at House of Blues.
SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM, LODUSPHERE, AUTOMATON at the Knitting Factory.
DEATHRAY, HIGH SPEED SCENE, MAN OF THE YEAR at the Silverlake Lounge.
SHARP-EASE, GLASS CANDY & THE SHATTERED THEATER at the Smell.
BIBLICAL PROOF OF UFOs, DAGONS, 400 BLOWS, SILVER, FOREMOST at Spaceland
(L.A. Weekly Kaleidoscope event).
J. MASCIS, SUPREME DICKS at the Troubadour.
CHÉ ZURO at Hallenbeck's General Store & Café.
back to top
June 21
Mike Watt, Mary Timony at the Troubadour.
There's confusion between the print ads for tonight's show and Mike
Watt's own Web site as to whether the Minutemen/Firehose bassist will be
fronting the Secondmen (a bass-drums-organ trio convened for Watt's upcoming
studio album) or the Jom & Terry Show (which switches in Slovenly/Red Krayola
guitarist Tom Watson). Either way, you win: Watt's "thud staff" is one of
rock's most reliable rumbles, and his bands' command of power-trio pacing is
becoming a lost art. As for opener Mary Timony, the ex-Helium front woman's
lyrics cannily mix dungeonmistress imagery ("The woolly horse of space and
time") with personal score-settling ("You showed me a picture of your
girlfriend/On the beach without any clothes on/It made me sick"). Supporting
The Golden Dove (Matador), Timony's assembled a five-piece band, including
pedal steel and cello, to frame her spooky contralto and precise,
prog-inflected guitar and electric piano. The whole bill is an oddly balanced
pairing: Salt of the Earth meets Queen of the Aether. (Franklin Bruno)
Acid King, Dixie Witch at the Derby.
Not only does Acid King harness the most evil, lowest-end riffage outside
the eighth ring of Hell during a set, their bass player Guy Pinhas
(ex-Goatsnake) pummels and picks on a mammoth, not 10 or 11 but 12-string bass,
which sounds like a wall of lawn mowers. Seems these S.F.-based dark mongers
run on dirty denim, sweat and booze and, like fellow Bay Area stoner rock
pounders Men of Porn, Acid King distance themselves from the roar and clamor of
popular black-metal thrash and dig up hard rock's roots (Sabbath, UFO, Rush)
for inspiration. A perfect complement to Acid King's pentagram-ic seriousness
are Dixie Witch, Houston's fun heavy-rock trio, featuring a singing drummer,
who do Joe Walsh covers ("The Bomber") and have original songs with titles like
"Freewheel Rollin'." Dixie Witch look like they love playing and combine expert
six-string noodling, crunchy power chords and a hefty bottom in the way you'd
expect a Southern Texas hard-rock band to deliver. (Wendy Gilmartin)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
LAMUSIC:02 with LIQUOR & POKER at the Coconut Teaszer.
GOSSIP, RADIO VAGO at the Echo. See Music feature.
VOODOO GLOWSKULLS at El Rey.
U.S. BOMBS, DRAGONS, TEXAS TERRI & THE STIFF ONES at the Garage.
DJ BABA G & LILI HAYDN at House of Blues. See Music feature.
POINTY KITTY, THIRD GRADE TEACHER, PISTOL WHIPPED, GOTH JONES at Mr. T's
Bowl.
Scutterfest 2002 with CHUNKY'S, SQUAB, RIZZO, BRIAN GRILLO, many others
at the Smell.
PRESTON SCHOOL OF INDUSTRY, DAVID DONDERO, FILM SCHOOL at Spaceland.
LAMUSIC:02 with CRITICAL BRASS BAND, TODD WASHINGTON at the Temple Bar.
MUMMERS, KRANKENCABINET, TARANTISM, AARON ROSENBLUM at Cole's PE Buffet
(see Other Rock & Pop).
TITO PUENTE JR. at the Century Supper Club (see Other Latin Music).
back to top
June 22
The Walkmen at Spaceland.
For a band whose first album (Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone)
sustained the sounds of malaise/mourning/regret so skillfully, the Walkmen's
March show at Spaceland was disturbingly lighthearted. After each immaculately
executed song, singer Hamilton Leithauser would gaily tell the mildly
appreciative crowd, "Hey, guys! Thanks, guys!" with preppy Ivy League
enthusiasm. At the time, the band was lacking their organ, the off-kilter
instrument that is the eye of the Walkmen's stormy soul, and perhaps without it
Leithauser couldn't resurrect his somber sentiment. Of course that was the
Walkmen's first tour together, and maybe the heady thrill of hitting the road
had taken off their angstful edge. Now the band returns to Silver Lake, with
organ in tow, we hope, and Leithauser will get a second chance to create some
atmosphere with his tempestuous tunes. (Nathan Ihara)
The Neptunas at Orsini's.
Is Beverly Hills really prepared for an invasion by the Neptunas? These
rad guitar-slinging gals are ready to stir the stink - and some severe hijinks
are certain to occur. Bandleader Pamita ranks as one of Los Angeles' most
relentless rock provocateurs, a longtime local noisemaker who founded mid-'90s
surf combo the Bomboras, only to bail out
when the other members' machito got too annoying; she promptly resurfaced
with her strictly instrumental Neptunas, which submerged again and last year
washed up on the nightclub shore as a scalding, shouting garage-rock
sisterhood. The Neptunas have a fiendish knack for hit-and-thrill,
drink-and-run big-beat sprees, and tonight's bill, topped with a coupla boy
bands Pamita characterizes as "arch nemeses," is bound to feature plenty of the
group's "three-chord rock & roll and saucy girl lyrics" and, she promises, more
than a few extracurricular shockers. Turbulence ahead. 9575 W. Pico Blvd.,
Beverly Hills; 9 p.m.; $10; over 18. (310) 277-6050. (Jonny Whiteside)
Golden Boy & Miss Kittin at the Echo.
If electro is a global phenomenon, then Golden Boy (Stefan Altenburg) is
the scene's Swiss ambassador. This retro-lover's casual gallows humor is on
when he teams up with that other neo-new wave kook, Miss Kittin. Ecoutez:
"Mommy, can I go out and kill tonight/I feel like taking a life," from "Rippin
Kittin," a Misfits nod also featured on the indispensable This Is Tech Pop
(Ministry of Sound) compilation. But Kittin gets off her best lines in the
intro to Or, declaring the album "can be used for friendly barbecuing, Route 66
car drives . . . or Kama Sutra training," and in "1, 2, 3, 4," where she
robotically chimes, "I should tell you about my shoes collection, even if you
just don't care." (Love that accent.) Humor's not the reason for being, though,
since the instrumental and highly addictive "Nix" oughta be the next club
anthem - no remix required. (Andrew Lentz)
Roy Davis Jr. at Spundae at Circus.
Yes, I too heard those very minor train wrecks. Possibly there was
overkill on the low-kill. But I don't care. I'm still dancing my heart out,
because Roy Davis Jr. is the guy who wrote "Gabriel," "Watch Them Come" and
"Don't You Dare Stop Loving." The man who beautifully remixed Chezere's "Where
Does Your Mind Go?," taking you to some roomy corner on the house floor of your
dreams, where the good, honest soul of the rhythm is practically wringing your
heart. At the height of Davis' set, there's always blood, sweat and tears, and
when you're knee-deep in it, don't be shocked to learn that there are still
records by Stevie Wonder, Paul Johnson, Bob Sinclar and Earth, Wind & Fire left
to go. With his most recent productions, Davis still seems to be haunted by
Christ since being inspired by "Gabriel" - perhaps an annoying
situation for many dancers, especially if you find stigmata on the bottom
of your feet. 6655 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd. (323) 462-5508. (Tommy Nguyen)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
LAMPSHADES at the Improv Olympic.
SANDY WEST at the Cat Club.
INCIDENTALS at CIA.
ANDY PRIEBOY at the Knitting Factory.
XIU XIU, GODZIK PINK at the Smell.
LAMUSIC:02 with KIM HILL at the Temple Bar.
LO-BALL at the Troubadour.
CONTROLLERS, UNDERTAKERS, SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS at Rudolpho's (see Other
Rock & Pop).
DIE MY DARLING at Boardner's (see Other Rock & Pop).
LALO GUERRERO at Espresso Mi Cultura (see Other Coffeehouses).
back to top
June 23
Scutterfest 2002 with The Blood Arm, Gravy Train, Radio Vago, many others
at Fais Do-Do.
Scutterfest 2002, the music-festival offshoot of Rudy Bleu's Scutter
fanzine, returns for its third year: a gnarly, campy, queer blend of punk rock,
post-punk, rock-rock, hip-hop, new-new-wave, turntablism and the indefinable.
With more than 30 bands and live acts scattered at venues around the Los
Angeles area, the event mixes bands you've never heard of (Los Chunky's; see
the Smell on Fri.) with others you'll be hearing more of (the Blood Arm) and
some that you might already know and possibly love (Radio Vago). It's a rare
beast, the completely underground music festival, a rawer and more organic
animal than corporate creatures like Coachella or This Ain't No Picnic. There's
more room for experimentation and craziness at this kind of event, and the
creative chaos should reach a fever pitch at Fais Do-Do, with a dozen bands in
the rowdy lineup. Many are still in a larvae state, like the raunchy
Peachesesque beats and X-rated raps of Gravy Train, or the spasming histrionics
of the Blood Arm's front man Nathaniel Fregoso. It's not all music in the
rough: Radio Vago's dark and heavy post-punk sound has proved its mettle many
times in L.A.'s funkier clubs, and they will most likely steal the show again.
(Nathan Ihara)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
JOHN GOLD, UNIVAC, GOLDSPOT at the Derby.
CE'CILE at House of Blues.
BAG THEORY, CINEMA, MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS at Mr. T's Bowl.
LAMUSIC:02 with BOUJOUBUMBASTIK at the Temple Bar.
MORIS TEPPER, TIM BURLINGAME, TRACY THIELEN at Beyond Baroque (see Other
Rock & Pop).
back to top
June 24
Totó la Momposina at the Conga Room.
It's hard enough keeping traditional culture afloat in the torrent of
globalization, but imagine the difficulties of such work in a country decimated
by civil war. That's the daunting task facing Sonia Bazanta de Oyaga, better
known as Totó la Momposina, Colombia's earth-mother diva. Yet she doesn't let
her people's troubles deflect from her life's mission. "These days we're really
suffering, but in time we're going to resolve those problems," she told Clave
magazine. "If you don't have any problems, if you don't fall down, you'll never
pick yourself up." She continues her lifelong research into - and performance
of - Colombia's fecund tricultural blend of Amerindian, African and European
musical roots. Pacantó, her exuberant carnival-on-a-disc, has just been issued
Stateside on Harmonia Mundi's World Village imprint. Bringing together big-band
cumbia, tambores hembras and other Afro-drums, and delicately melodic gaita
flutes, she serves up la musica antigua with irrepressible gusto. Whether you
know bullerengue from mapale won't matter once Toto and her nine-piece band
kick-start their polyrhythmic celebration. (Tom Cheyney)
Skinlab, Superjoint Ritual, Speeddealer at House of Blues.
You know that thing called nu-metal? Skinlab invented it, sort of.
Down-tuned tribal groove has always been the backbone of their sound, but with
reVolting Room these Frisco thugs stepped everything up a notch: percussive
complexity, melody and, most noticeably, Steev Esquivel's scalding voice,
volleying at you like a swarm of knives. Skinlab even set up a fan hot line to
gather rants, diatribes and barbaric yawps, which they made into an album track
(now that's love). Speeddealer used to be part of that bogus rock revival
(Hellacopters, Nashville Pussy) playing straight-ahead riffs but doing it with
such passion you didn't care how unoriginal it was. Getting high off their own
supply, Second Sight rocks way hard, but these Texans now bring it with more
texture, looseness and Southern soul. With Superjoint Ritual, protean hesher
Phil Anselmo has found yet another reason to put Pantera on the back burner.
(Andrew Lentz)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
JACK TEMPCHIN at the Joint.
BLUE SHADOWS at the King King.
ASHTRAY HEARTS, TEMPORARY THING at Spaceland.
DAME DARCY, VICTOR CRETELLA, DARCEY LEONARD at Zen Sushi.
back to top
June 25
Wayne Kramer, Mother Superior at the Troubadour.
It's been five years since his last solo studio album, but Brother Wayne
Kramer's Adult World (MuscleTone Records), hitting the stores in July, is a
masterpiece worth waiting for. Kramer will be debuting the new stuff live
tonight, no doubt exhilarating those whose relationship to rock & roll is akin
to true love. The man's decades of literate yet raging, sledgehammer guitar
music exemplifies hard rock in the hands of an artist. The new disc name-checks
the native Detroiter's fellow Midwestern hipsters Nelson Algren and Black
Panther Fred Hampton and proclaims the ability to realize life's goals armed
simply with a "Great Big Amp." Known as the Rollins Band during their day gig,
Mother Superior are described as "the missing link between Little Richard and a
100-watt Marshall" by no less an authority than Brother Wayne. (Michael
Simmons)
The Jim Rose Circus at House of Blues.
It's got a timely, Moulin Rouge-ish velveteen varnish, but the Jim Rose
Circus still unites no-brow, Jerry Springer-esque tackiness with over-the-top
theatrics. The Circus got its big break on the first Lollapalooza tour in 1992,
when acts included Rubberboy, who contorts in nauseating ways, and the famous
"Lifto," who lifts extremely heavy objects with his nipples, tongue and penis.
Rose himself plays ringleader and contributes to the tomfoolery by drinking
bile, eating lightbulbs and juggling chain saws, but Jim Rose is not your
average Venice Beach freak who made it thanks to happenstance or dumb luck.
He's a carny by birth, and he continually changes and updates the show for
optimum offensiveness and depravity. Some new acts include (in addition to the
aforementioned standbys) a chain-saw football game, a Mexican transvestite
wrestling match and Cappy the Babyfaced (a 450-pound dude who claims to be,
ahem, "the world's best yo-yo man"). Like it or not, this is popular culture,
and you can thank (or blame) Jim Rose in part for the lowest-common-denominator
shtick you see on reality TV game shows and on MTV's Jackass. (Wendy Gilmartin)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
MOROCCAN at the Bigfoot Lodge.
LATIN FROZ, EAST L.A. SABOR FACTORY at the Key Club.
STAN RIDGWAY at Largo.
RASH MODERNAIRE, DANCE DISASTER MOVEMENT, GRAND ELEGANCE at the
Silverlake Lounge.
PLEASE INFORM THE CAPTAIN THIS IS A HIJACK, BALANCE OF TERROR at the
Smell.
ORIGINAL SINNERS at Amoeba Music (see Concert Pick of the Week).
back to top
June 26
Clouddead, Radioinactive, Boom Bip at El Rey.
Backpackers, tonight's for you. Composed of MCs Why?, Odd Nosdam and
Doseone, and with lyrics as impenetrable as Finnegans Wake, Clouddead make just
about any crew look square on their hallucinatory, hilarious and beautiful
eponymous record. Favoring analog organs pitch-bendered and filtered behind
meandering slow-poke beats, Clouddead come at you subliminally with flows that
get staggered, tag-teamed or puréed into gorgeously unintelligible collages.
The technique not only works, it's transcendent when coupled with the
slow-burning horns two-thirds through the album (they don't bother naming their
tracks) as if pill-popping prophets stumbled into a spaghetti-Western opera.
Radioinactive are those rare MCs who can get bugged out and make heads bang.
Their latest release, Pyrimidi, is rife with rhymes wrapping themselves around
oboe, zither, church choir or a crackly vinyl sample slowed to 12 rpm. Check
for Boom Bip, a mad hatter who piles velvety waves and sensual slabs on top of
glitchy-hard skittery beats - oh, he's also the first signee at Lex, the new
imprint of Warp Records. (Andrew Lentz)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
VICE PRINCIPALS at the Bigfoot Lodge.
BIG TYMERS at House of Blues.
MEAT PURVEYORS at the Silverlake Lounge.
IMMEDIATELY, TRANSSUBSTANTIATION at the Smell.
LAMUSIC:02 with DWIGHT TRIBLE at the Temple Bar.
SLOAN, MINIBAR at the Troubadour.
PURPLE GANG at the Hot Wired Café.
back to top
June 27
Tommy Lee at House of Blues.
It's a kick how Tommy Lee has become such a sympathetic figure, and such
a multidimensional artist. Those who evaluated his post-Crue band Methods of
Mayhem as loud-flat-dumb will get a good shock from his new solo CD, Never a
Dull Moment, which pinpoints how much Lee's collaboration with producer Scott
Humphrey (on board here) contributed to making Motley Crue's 1997 Generation
Swine so fresh. Moment is a modern-pop album, full of heavy rhythms, dense
noise, studio effects and guest players (Incubus and Deftones members, various
DJs), yet it's got loads of melodic hooks, a canny cover of David Bowie's
"Fame" and even a couple of great acoustic ballads. As you hear Lee sing - he
sensitively commands the lead vox as well as drums and guitar - about being so
fuckin' lost and everybody trying to hold him down, you understand,
sympathizing or not, that the reason he's coming across so strong is that he
really feels it. Also Fri., June 28. (Greg Burk)
WE ALSO RECOMMEND:
CHECKERS at the Bigfoot Lodge.
JESUS JONES at El Rey.
VON STEINS, DEARLY BELOVED, SQUEAK TOY at the Garage.
FIDEL, EAST L.A. SABOR FACTORY at the Key Club.
MERRICK, MICHAEL WHITMORE, WAIFS at the Knitting Factory.
BUTCHER HOLLER, ROLLING BLACKOUTS, RATTLESNAKES, STARVATIONS at the
Silverlake Lounge.
WAXWINGS, MAYFLIES USA, ELECTROMAGNETIC at Spaceland.
TYDE at the 3 Clubs (see Other Rock & Pop).