August 2010 Archives

In case you haven't heard yet, the Sunset Strip Music Festival is starting tomorrow and will feature dozens of bands playing in the Sunset Strip clubs some nights (tomorrow and Friday) and then in the streets on Saturday.

Some of the acts tomorrow include:

The Beth Hart Band at the Whisky
The David George Band, Rick Cornette at The Cat Club
Filter at The Roxy
Purple Melon at the Viper Room
The Slash Tribute Event
The Head Cat
Y&T at the Key Club.

Other artists scheduled to appear are:
Friday night
Kix at the House of Blues
Nico Vega at the Key Club
P.O.D. at The Whisky
The Expendables at The Roxy
Unwritten Law at the Key Club

and on Saturday night in the streets

Common, Kid Cudi, Neon Trees, Semi Precious Weapons, Slash featuring Kennedy and Fergie; Steel Panther, The Smashing Pumpkins and Travie McCoy

For more information, go to the festival's website here and you can follow the goings-on on their facebook page here.

You're in for a treat if you go to the Hotel Cafe Friday night. There is a triple bill you can't miss with Beth Thornley (9pm), Jesse Cole and his CD release party (10) and the reunion of the Denim Family Band (11pm), which features five of the six members of Truth & Salvage Co. and George Stanford - who plays bass for them, but himself is a great singer/songwriter. (The Denim Family Band also counted Lissie as a casual member, but she is on tour in England and won't be a part of the reunion.)

All of the participants (along with Emily Greene at 7 and Arrica Rose at 8), have played the Hotel frequently, in particular Cole and the members of the Denim Family Band.

Beth Thornley has a new record called 'Wash U Clean' that is available on her website and iTunes (among other places) and Jesse Cole has a new one called 'Same As the Sun,' which will be available at the show on Friday.

The Denim Family Band played around town for several years until Stanford left to pursue a solo career and Lissie did the same. The remaining members, Tim Jones, Scott Kinnebrew, Adam Grace, Walker Young and Bill 'Smitty' Smith added bassist Joe Edel and formed Truth and Salvage Co. who were then signed to Chris Robinson's (of Black Crowes fame) label and have toured the country for the last year in support of their self-titled debut record.

Go hear all of them in one night starting at 9. The Denim Family Band - and many audience members - will undoubtedly take the the festivities late into the night.

You can also pick up Stanford's full length record 'Big Drop' on his site or iTunes and his EP 'Roll Away,' which features a duet with Lissie, who also has a new record called 'Catching a Tiger '- available her site and iTunes.

The original lineup of the ska/reggae band Bad Brains will be playing at the Sunset Junction Festival Saturday night - right after Fishbone, for the two-fer of hyper ska energy. Bad Brains will take the stage at 9:30 on the Sanborn Stage (after Fishbone at 8).

The band formed in 1977 in Washington D.C. and immediately gained notoriety for their kinetic energy and antics as well as their music. The group started as fusion jazz, then quickly turned to punk - influenced by The Dickies, The Dead Boys and The Sex Pistols. Their music took the form of fast and angry punk while simultaneously they also adopted a mellow reggae style - which made them a Jekyll and Hyde-type group. Angry and mellow.

Because of their loud and crazy shows, they were banned from playing clubs in Washington D.C. (later referenced in their record called 'Banned in D.C.') and they relocated to New York City and gained a new following.

Their first two albums of punk and reggae 'Bad Brains' (1982) and 'Rock for Light' (1983) supremely influenced a laundry list of groups after them, in opposing directions - Living Colour, 311, The Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, Sublime and The Deftones count Bad Brains as an influence - either their with their punk side or the reggae/ska side.

In 1984, the group started fighting with original lead singer H.R. (yep, that's his name) and the band split up, then returned to playing - with moderate success - with multiple lineup changes while H. R. made solo albums until 2000.

The original lineup of H.R., Dr. Know (guitar), Daryl Jenifer (bass) and Earl Hudson (drummer and H.R.'s brother) regrouped, have been playing together since the early 2000's and now find themselves at Sunset Junction playing back-to-back with a band that was directly influenced by them.

The combination of Fishbone followed by Bad Brains is a duo not to be missed - period - or in particular, if you are a ska/punk rock fan. In all likelihood, if you're a fan of one, you're a fan of both.

You can hear some Bad Brains tunes here and see some video below. (The first one is noisy punk and the second is calm reggae - which epitomizes the group)

To see an Andy Clockwise show is something else. The hard-driving Australian stalks around the stage with boundless energy.and sings with his bellowey, deep voice. He's a mix of Nick Cave and Joe Cocker with crazy energy - and he looks a little like Elvis Costello.

He has been playing in town for a long time - The Hotel Cafe, The Piano Bar, The Troubadour among other recent places - and now he'll be playing at 4:05 at Sunset Junction on the Locals Only Stage (aka The Folds Stage) Saturday night between Sweaters (3pm) and Pollyn (5:05). It's one of those shows that you'll need to stop by and see - and he might involve you in it while you're there.

His music is hard to define, but he's described it as something like this.

"I describe my music as schizo pop, because it's all over the place and always changing," said Clockwise - whose name comes from the Australian way of saying counterclockwise as 'anticlockwise'. . "I don't listen to one type of music. I don't write in one particular genre or idiom. I like lots of different things and my music reflects that. I'm a big pop culture, pop music, pop art, pop everything person. I'm a fan of going right for the jugular and making things that are very normal incredibly unreal"

He has an EP called "Are You Well?" and a full record "Classic FM" both available on iTunes and his own website and his newest record called "The Socialite" (with the title track being a duet with singer Lissie) will be out shortly in the US.

Here are some video examples of his show and music.

Here he is at SXSW in Austin a few months ago.

In case you missed it, the L.A.-based Americana band Truth & Salvage Co. made its first national TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night.

The band got its start at The Hotel Cafe (among others) and has now elevated to a national level after touring with The Black Crowes and The Avett Brothers.

Their self-titled album is available in stores and on iTunes now.

Here are the videos of their appearances.

If you're heading to the Sunset Junction Festival to see Fishbone and Bad Brains, then why don't you start the weekend with a visit with another great ska band - Hepcat - who is playing Friday night at the Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood. The legendary L.A. band will take the stage at 8pm.

Hepcat formed in 1989 and has, over the years, attracted a large cult following, particularly in Los Angeles, with their brand of easy-going, ska /reggae tropical sound. The band released the records 'Out of Nowhere' (1993), Scientific (1996) and Right on Time (1997) fairly close together and achieved success with those, never getting huge, but still being able to tour the world and gain a following.

They were planning on releasing "Push N' Shove in 2000, but suddenly, they broke up before the album was released and one of the two singers - Greg Lee moved to Costa Rica. The band was silent after that - with no explanation - and everyone went their separate ways. The other singer Alex Desert was still visible though, acting in the CBS sitcom Becker, but no one else was. Hepcat disappeared.

Then in 2003, again without explanation or warning, the band reappeared at its first show in many years, just out of the blue, at the House of Blues in Hollywood. They came back with a vengeance and have been playing consistently since, now with a show at the Music Box after one at the House of Blues in Anaheim on November 7th of last year.

Since they usually tour in short stints, be sure to catch them at the Music Box. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster and at the Music Box site here.

You visit the band's website and hear/see what they're doing or see them on youtube before you go.

Pennsylvania-now-L.A.based indie band Eastern Conference Champions are another act playing at the Sunset Junction Festival - appearing at the Locals Only stage (called The Fold Stage) at 6:15 on Saturday night before Chief at 7:25.

The band - also known as ECC - has been in LA for about four years and is finally hitting their stride. They had a deal with Geffen Records in 2007, but amicably split with them and started releasing their music themselves. As a result, they got a few of their songs in the television shows Friday Night Lights, Melrose Place (the new version) and Gossip Girl - all while maintaining their indie roots and attitude.

However, their biggest break just happened. On June 8th, their song "A Million Miles An Hour" appeared as part of the The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack (as well as in movie itself), which propelled them to a completely different level. The soundtrack debuted at #2 in the first week of release - selling over 140,000 copies - and has attracted a large group of younger fans to the band (to adapt, ECC started booking more and more under-21 shows to accommodate). Because of the attention the song garnered, the band is in the enviable position of an unsigned band having leverage.

"It's worked out really well," said singer Joshua Ostrander of their surging popularity after appearing on the soundtrack. "We just proved that we don't need (a label). It's a good spot to be in."

That position will come in handy when they release their next album called "Speak-Ahh" which is tentatively scheduled for a March release and may or may not have a label's presence behind it.

"We were going to put it out ourselves, but now we're fielding offers," said Ostrander. "We're just going to keep doing what we're doing."

Along with their debut at Sunset Junction, ECC will have a three-week residency starting on Labor Day (Sept 6th) at Spaceland in Echo Park after playing in Santa Cruz and San Francisco at the end of August.

Stop by the Locals Only stage Saturday night and seen them live and you can visit them at their website here or their facebook page here beforehand.

Another band performing at Sunset Junction this weekend is Fishbone, the wild ska/funk/punk blend band from L.A. They play at 8pm on the Sanborn Stage, wedged between Big Daddy Kane Feat. Connie Price & The Keystones (at 6:30) and Bad Brains (9:30) - another ska/punk/reggae band who has been a heavy influence on the L.A. group.

(it's probable you've seen this logo dozens of times - in TV shows or movies or on t-shirts or slapped on a stop light post on a 405 on-ramp. They are everywhere)

Fishbone was formed in 1979 in South Central Los Angeles by Phillip 'Fish' Fisher (drums) and brother John Norwood Fisher (bass), Angelo Moore aka Dr. Madd Vibe (vocals and several kinds of saxophones); Walter Kibby II (vocals, trumpet), Kendall Jones (guitar) and Christopher Dowd (keyboards, trombone, vocals).

The early incarnation of the band was mainly horn-heavy ska, with their first EP called 'Fishbone' coming out in 1985 and their first full-length record "In Your Face" the following year. The EP generated one of their most popular songs, "Party at Ground Zero," and unleashed their weirdness onto the world. The record has on it, among other things, a song about how the government is trying to convince the public that Hiroshima was actually caused by Godzilla's out-of-control gas and a track that consists almost entirely of radio station call letters as its lyrics.

The group gained immediate attention for not only their music - a hybrid blend of funk, ska, reggae and punk - but also for their highly energetic shows and funky looks, clothes and demeanor.

The following full-length "Truth and Soul" (1988) expanded their musical landscape even more with blending of ska, funk, metal, hard rock, soul and reggae and had a cover of Curtis Mayfield's hit "Freddie's Dead."

Only after a few records, they had already established a large fan base that reached into television and movies with several characters on TV ('A Different World') and movies (a teenage John Cusack in several movies) wearing the band's shirts on screen. The band also appeared in the movies "Back to the Beach" (1987) ,"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988) and "Tapeheads" (1988). Incidentally, the scene in "Say Anything" (with Cusack) with the boombox that plays Peter Gabriel's 'in Your Eyes' was actually blasting Fishbone originally...the producers changed the song in post production.

The band released several more records with the majority of their original lineup during the 90's including "The Reality of My Surroundings" (1991) and the wordy "Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Think He's the Center of the Universe" (1993), both of which solidified their place in the alternative ska/rock scene and they played everywhere, including at the early incarnation of the Lollapalooza music festival.

At the same time of their highest visibility, the band encountered internal strife and conflict with members leaving and being replaced (or returning after a break) and one member had a mental breakdown. Yet they continued recording and playing in spite of the lineup changes.

At present, only two original members have remained in the group the entire time - singer Moore/Dr. Madd Vibe and bassist Fisher - but the band still maintains their image and wacky energy and plays frequently - including a recent tour in South America. Even in his 40s, the bald Moore still stage dives into the crowd at big shows and jumps all over the stage at all times while Fisher still maintains his single-fat-dreadlock-and-nothing-else hairstyle that he has claimed is his 'sacred antenna' that can communicate with people around the world.

"We are still very fortunate," says bassist Fisher. "We've done a lot of good livin' in our lives. We just do what we do."

The history and trials and tribulations of the band are now chronicled in the recently-released documentary film called "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone," which is produced and directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler.

For the Sunset Junction, the band will try to include as much of their material as they can.

"We'll try and do a set that encompasses the entire history of the band and try to do something from every album," said Fisher. "Its tough to do that in an hour, so we're playing for an hour and a half."

Park yourself at the Sanborn Stage for the show. In the meantime, you can hear the music and see the sights of Fishbone on their website.

Also, here are several videos that capture the band's kinetic energy and their antics.

Longtime R&B band The Ohio Players will be one of the many bands that will be playing at the Sunset Junction Festival in Hollywood this week. The group will anchor the Hoover Stage on Saturday night (playing at 8:30) and will follow another R&B legend, Evelyn 'Champagne' King at 7.

The Ohio Players started in, get this -1959 - in Dayton, Ohio by Robert Ward (vocals/guitar), Marshall 'Rock' Jones (bass), Clarence 'Satch' Satchell (sax/guitar), Cornelius Johnson (drums) and Ralph 'Pee Wee' Middlebrooks (brass) and were originally called 'The Ohio Untouchables.' The band played in the Midwest for several years until 1963, when Ward left, but they reformed a year later with additional players Gregory Webster (drums) and Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner (guitar) then Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson.

The group disbanded again in 1970, but yet again reformed shortly after with Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster; trumpeter Bruce Napier, Charles Dale, trombonist Marvin Pierce and keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison (and vocalist Dale Allen, but infrequently).

The band finally had their first minor hit record with the song "Pain" in 1971 and a bigger hit in 1973, with the song "The Funky Worm," which reached #1 on the Billboard R&B charts and sold over a million copies. A year after that, the band signed with Mercury Records but had more lineup changes including Billy Beck replacing Morrison on keyboards, James 'Diamond' Williams taking over the drums from Webster and adding two more people including Clarence 'Chet' Willis (vocals) and conga player Robert 'Rumba' Jones.

Between 1973 and 1976, the band had its biggest success, scoring hits with a smaller hit, "Skin Tight," "Fire" (#1 in 1975), "Love Rollercoaster" (#1 in January of 1976). They meshed their sound with disco in the late 1970's and adapted to the 80's sound thereafter and continued playing and recording. The current lineup has been a cohesive unit for the last 20 years.

After the biggest hits in the mid 70's, the band continued to perform all around the world, playing its blend of jazz, R&B, soul and funk music.

The group has had a resurgence recently - along with many other bands of that genre and era - thanks to sampling of their grooves on contemporary songs; remakes and royalties from TV. Many rap artists sample 70's funk and R&B songs - from P. Diddy, Will Smith and a variety of others - and The Red Hot Chili Peppers re-popularized 'Love Rollercoaster' with their remake of the song in the 90's. The band also benefits from exposure on TV when bandleaders of late-night talk shows play their tunes in and out of the commercial breaks.

"Thanks to Paul Shaffer (the leader of the Late Show with David Letterman show band), I get royalty checks sent to my house all the time," said drummer James 'Diamond' Williams, who is been in the band since 1972. "Our music is used in slot machines in casinos, in advertisements, in movies and airlines..in all kinds of places. We're very blessed that the band's material is in rotation in as many ways as it being used today."

Check out the 10-piece band on Saturday of the festival starting at 8:30. You can see them perform on The Midnight Special in 1975 in this clip in the meantime.

In observance of the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, three singer/songwriters will get together and celebrate Presley's life with a night of country and rock - complete with giveaways of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Larry Bagby - who has appeared in several TV shows and movies including Walk the Line - Clive Kennedy - an English country singer who has won several songwriter awards - and Shannon Engemann will join forces and start playing at 10:30. Their burgeoning act includes covers (of Elvis and others) as well as originals with comic banter in between. The chemistry among of the three of them is evident and it comes across to the audience for a fun night.

Go on over to Club Lubitsch at 7702 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood and they'll be playing - alternately and together - for about 90 minutes

To here a preview of some of the tunes you might hear, go to Larry's site, Clive's and this one.

They are also on youtube

Lindsey Haun - an actress who has appeared in such movies as 'The Color of Friendship' and 'Village of the Damned' as well as had several appearances in the HBO series 'True Blood,' is also an accomplished singer. Saturday night at the Hotel Cafe, she'll have a CD-release party at 8pm and then play with her band - which has the best name in recent memory - 'The Haun Solo Project'.

Haun has been acting since she was a child and then started branching out to singing - including doing a song on the soundtrack of her movie with singer Toby Keith called 'Broken Bridges'. She also sang a tune in the film 'Shrooms' in 2007.

Her father Jimmy Haun is also an accomplished musician, playing guitar in the band Air Supply and he also contributes on Lindsey's record - which is called 'Neon Gods' and will be released on August 17th.

So, make it a point to head to the Hotel Cafe today at 8pm (doors open at 7) to see her and her band play live. Get there early and get a copy of the CD and stay after for the remaining acts of the evening Radius (9pm), Goldenstate (10), Big Moves (11) and The Belle Game (midnight).

Haun's music can be found on her myspace and her facebook pages.

If you're in the Studio City area tonight, go see the groove/funk/jazz band WONK!who is playing at 9:30 at the famed Baked Potato club.

The hybrid band features the dexterous players Joel Alpers (drums), Dan Boissy (sax), Derek Frank (bass), Anthony King (guitar) and Justin Reinhardt (keys) and they play a jazz/funk blend that sounds a lot like a 1970's cop show theme. Jazz fusion is probably the best description. Cool and funky.

They play their own stuff and also fusion tunes by people like drummer Billy Cobham did in the 70's. Sometimes they even throw out a 70's cop show theme (CHiPS anyone?)

Its a treat to see them play, so head on over to The Baked Potato at 9:30. The club is located at 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City, CA.

You can hear excerpts of Wonk on Alper's webpage here.

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The Farmer's Market has a Summer Family Fun Series that includes music and tomorrow starting at noon, there will be a show by The Masanga Marimba Ensemble.

The group consists of 10 (sometimes more) players who perform Zimbabwe and Latin American music - seven Zimbabwean marimbas of various sizes along with vocals, drums, percussion, saxophone and trumpet. The word "Masanga" derives from an African word that means the coming together of rivers or roads - which represents the meeting of African, Latin and American traditions in the large group.

(photo is Stefani Thomas and Nick Schutz)

Masanga Marimba formed in the year 2000 and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Grand Performances, Skirball Cultural Center, Madrid Theater, and the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. The ensemble also played for the inauguration of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and was honored to be selected to perform for the World Festival of Sacred Music. The group is led by Dr. Ric Alviso, a Cal State Northridge ethnomusicologist, professor of World Music, and the director of the CSUN African Music Ensemble. Other members of the group include Monica Bowser, Deanna Hudgins, Andy Keller, Joel Mankey, Scott Murphy, Michelle Ogle, Nick Schutz, Alex Smith and Stefani Thomas with with special guests Julia Chigamba, Ronnie Daliyo and Ron Aggabao

Masanga is the only marimba ensemble in Southern California that combines Latin and African traditions. The music is upbeat, danceable, and family-oriented. and sight and sound of Masanga's giant marimbas is unlike anything you've ever seen or heard before.

They start playing at noon today. Their website is here and you can see them on youtube here, among other places.

if you're around Long Beach later today and want to hear some free funk, head to downtown for the daylong festival that has the slogan "Sustaining Our Future Through Funk"

Here is the schedule of performers today.

Dj's start at 11am
Orgone 12:15-1:10
The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown 1:15-2:25
...Lil Big Ups 2:35-2:50
Weapon of Choice 2:50-3:40
The Original Stone City Band 3:50-4:50
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band 5-6
Jimmy Castor and the Bunch 6:10-7:25
Bloco Nove feat. Delta Nove 7:35-8:40
Ladies of P Funk feat. Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet 8:50-10:15

Plus the official after-party all star jam session hosted by Delta Nove and The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown at the Rhythm Lounge (on the festival site)

Armadillo Stage
The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown 1:15-2:25
The Original Stone City Band 3:50-4:50
Jimmy Castor and the Bunch 6:10-7:25
Ladies of P Funk feat. Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet 8:50-10:15

Chico Stage
Orgone 12:15-1:10
Lil Big Ups (kid's group) 2:35-2:50
Weapon of Choice 2:50-3:40
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band 5-6
Bloco Nove feat. Delta Nove 7:35-8:40

This event is sponsored by: DLBA (Downtown Long Beach Associates) Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, and Arts Council for Long Beach.
This is part of the SAM (Summer and Music) series of exciting free concerts in and around downtown Long Beach all summer long.

CBS Studio Center will be rocking on Saturday, August 7 beginning at 1 pm with the sounds of cool jazz, electric blues, indie rock, eclectic fusion and rock classics. Join the scene for music, food, drinks and fun! BBQ, beer, wine and cocktails will all be available for sale at additional cost. This charity benefit event is presented by the Rotary Club of Studio City/Sherman Oaks. Proceeds will benefit Community Schools, Children's Services, Homeless Programs and Elder Services. Admission: $22.50 per person. Groups of 20 or more $15 each. For tickets sales and sponsorship info contact: Benjamin Lupu CFP 310.804.5592 or email Ben@KensingtonAMI.com. CBS Studio Center New York Street (4024 Radford Ave. Studio City, CA 91604).

Brother Sal - a frequent performer at The Hotel Cafe - is one of the scheduled players at the Festival as is Peter McGowan.

Tickets are still available.

You still have time to make plans to go to Spaceland tonight and see the brilliance that is Andy Clockwise. The Australian has quite the high-energy show which is best described by the bearded one himself.

(He's the guy in the middle)

"I describe my music as schizo pop, because it's all over the place and always changing. I don't listen to one type of music. I don't write in one particular genre or idiom. I like lots of different things and my music reflects that. I'm a big pop culture, pop music, pop art, pop everything person. I'm a fan of going right for the jugular and making things that are very normal incredibly unreal."

He has a new EP available in the United States on iTunes and on his website called 'Are You Well?" on which the song "The Socialite" appears - where he sings with Hotel Cafe-alum Lissie (who will have her own album out shortly.). He will also have copies of the very limited edition 'Casanova' EP at the show that you can get while there.

The evening starts at 8pm and will feature Clockwise as well as Sweaters, The Moors and Boyz Skule.

Clockwise will next play at The Sunset Junction fair on Aug. 21. More on that later.