www.myspace.com/newbeverlycinema

NEW BEVERLY CINEMA
7165 West Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

one block west of La Brea
(323) 938-4038

All Shows are Double Features - cash only:
General $7.00
Student w/card $6.00
Seniors & Kids $4.00

______________________________________________________________
Sun: 3:35 & 7:30; Mon/Tue: 7:30



Sun: 5:30 & 9:25; Mon/Tue: 9:25


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Lightning Video LA9028

Check out this moving speech recently made by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, at which he is joined by his wife Rana at his side, and in which he explains why he changed his mind on the issue of signing the resolution in support of gay marriage. This brave civic leader and former Chief of Police, who is clearly emotional throughout this  September 19th speech, says that in coming to his decision had to, "Reflect and search my soul for the right thing to do.....to take a stand on the behalf of equality and social justice.."  And he notes the fact that some of his friends, colleagues, and family members are gay and lesbian - citing his eldest of two daughters, Lisa, as well as some of his staff members. Already critics of Sanders, who is Republican, have bashed him saying that he only made the decision because of his daughter being gay and that he doesn't deserve kudos for being brave or for having integrity. But I disagree. I say he is truly practicing "family values" and I commend this man a 100% and just wish we had more civic leaders and politicians who would even admit that they had made a wrong decision. YouknowwhatI'masyin? But what do you think? Add COMMENTS below. Thanks!
 

September 30th, 2007:   Had he lived musician Marc Bolan would have celebrated his 60th birthday today.  The UK artist who fronted T-Rex (originally known as  as Tyrannosaurus Rex in their pre glam days) scored a ton of hits including the brilliant 20th Century Boy (see video above). collaborated with David Bowie (he played guitar with Bowie and also shared the same producer -Tony Visconti), and was arguably responsible for glam rock (thanks to T-Rex's  Visconti producted sound coupled with his unique & smart fashion sensibility including an affinity for wearing boas & sporting glitter onstage - long before any other artists did), tragically died in a car crash at age 29 on September 16th, 1977.  He was just two weeks shy of his 30th birthday. Today in the UK several low-key events are planned by fans of the late great artist, and in New York a concert event was scheduled to celebrate his 60th birthday anniversary - to be  attended by Tony Visconti, Patti Smith, Robert Gordan, his son Rolan Bolan and others.

But even before I realized that today would have marked Bolan's 60the birthday he had been on my mind a bit this past week. The reason being that  every time  I hear Devendra Banhart's voice I can't help but think of Marc Bolan who he is more than a little reminiscent of.   And in the past week on the radio I've been hearing a lot of Devendra Banhart because his recommended new album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon  (XL Recordings) dropped. Pick it up at Amoeba Music and while you are there pick up a T-Rex release if you don't already own one or more.   Meantime for more background reading on Marc Bolan check out this website  or his fan club website. Or do a YouTube search for such videos as "Jeepster" or "Get it On (bang a gong)" or better still, as I said,  hit up the Rock isles of your nearest Amoeba Music.

Virgin Vision #70009

This boggles my mind. The art of George Vlosich III is something astounding, something baffling; I don’t understand why he’s chosen this medium! The artist Paul Klee was once asked about how he draws. He said he simply takes a line for a walk. The line George Vlosich takes for a walk goes on one insanely long nutty jaunt. And when you consider that all it takes is a single inadvertent bump for his art to be toast …

Vlosich uses an Etch-A-Sketch, and yes, it’s the same exact rectangular, red plastic framed model toy many of us had as kids. Each Vlosich Etch-A-Sketch piece takes considerable pre-planning and will typically take between 40 to 60 hours of patience, focus and attention-to-detail to complete. Remember, to draw with an Etch-A-Sketch, there is one line and only one line all the time. There’s little room for error, you can’t erase a mistake.

Probably the best thing I ever drew on one of those things was some pathetically lopsided cat. Vlosich produces refined images and precise portraiture and has since he was a kid. He started drawing when he was about ten years old. By the age of 18 he was being commissioned by the Topps Trading Card Company to produce a series of Etch-A-Sketch drawings as special inserts for their 1998 Topps Baseball trading card collection. He continues working today, still using the Etch-A-Sketch and it’s 5 x 7 screen, but Vlosich has also expanded his art to include painting and illustration, and has set up a design company specializing in advertising and logo design, sports memorabilia and apparel. Plus, he has a line of greeting cards. So next year for Christmas … someone send me one. I’d be damned pleased!

I love when artists or activists, or a combination of both, take creative strides to transform common everyday urban areas into something unexpected,: something  new and useful or entertaining such as this time last year when fifteen related organizations across San Francisco including REBAR  transformed parking spaces all over the city into mini-parks for one day (Sept 21 2006) named "PARK(ing) DAY".

You may remember seeing this series of public space installations around San Francisco last year either in person or in the news. Either way take a few minutes to check the video above for a firsthand look at this citywide form of peaceful protest that delighted surprised San Franciscans.  Important to note was that this powerful civic statement was done without breaking any laws. Apparently once you pay for your parking space in SF County you can do with it as you please.  You gotta love it!

      


AMOEBLOG: I know you have your new solo album, Wanderlust,  which is available at Amoeba just out. But can you tell me how long have you been in the hip-hop game and can you break down your overall hip-hop history for those who don't know about you?

CELSIUS:  I have been freestyling since '89. Around that time, and before we had real production, we used to make tape splice beats and rap over them on a Karaoke machine. I would hand out some of those tapes.  Made my first real tape/Psychokinetics song in 1995 ("Losta Glue"  Strength in Numbers). Since then,  two tapes, three vinyl releases, various compilations, two Psychokinetics CDs, and now my first solo CD (Wanderlust).  I grew up in Alameda and have lived all over the Bay since.  East Lake in Oakland is my home now.



AMOEBLOG:  How much - in your eyes -has hip-hop changed? And how exactly has it changed- especially from your perspective as a Bay Area artist.

CELSIUS: I guess the biggest thing I notice is that its become a business, and more of a pop sensation now.  A money maker rather than pervasive voice of the streets. The heart and soul that was so evident when I fell in love with the music is now very much subversive. Also, now, with the advent of the internet and home studios, its changed because everyone is an eff'in rapper !  It used to be an accomplishment to have a CD.  Now everyone does and they all think they're dope. I guess its just way more saturated now. Also, dudes can never have done a live show and have tons of fans because of the internet.  I think that in a lot of ways, the quality has gone down, even though there is still greatness out there. You just have to look harder these days.

I don't even really know how to describe the feeling one gets after seeing a Morrissey show. You really have to be there to really understand it. It is a weird mix of feelings. After liking and listening to someone for 20 years or so you start to feel like you almost know them better than you know yourself. Morrissey is one of those artists that gets deep into his fans hearts and minds and stays there forever. He is like your best friend that never lets you down and is always there to get you through the rougher bits of life. All you needed was a Morrissey or Smiths album and you would be OK. I have seen him play many times over the years. But never in anywhere as small as the Fillmore. The Fillmore is a rather large venue. But for the Morrissey sized crowd, it is sort of small. It was perfect.

We actually got to the show early hoping we could get some of those seats up in the balcony. There is really only room for about 16 people up in the side balcony. So we were counting on the 100 or so people in front of us rushing to the stage downstairs. I ran up the stairs only to find the 2 people in front of me grabbing the last 2 seats. But then I noticed 2 large security types sitting in one of the sections. I asked them if they were going to stay there and they told me they were just checking out the crowd and would be leaving in a couple minutes. There are some crazy fanatical Morrissey fans and I think they were just trying to figure out the crowd for the night. They were probably counting the flowers and gifts in the audience and trying to figure out who would be the ones to try and jump on stage. So we got our seats and were actually going to eat at the show. I usually hate those people that eat at shows but in order to get there so early we sort of had to. But the amazing thing was that the whole menu was all vegetarian! Amazing! We vegetarians often have to search menus for the one garden burger or salad. Or maybe we can get the nachos with no meat. But there were like 10 things on the menu and they were all vegetarian. I was trying to figure out if Morrissey had requested some of the items or not. I got some potato latkes and they were delicious. I was just so excited I had to take the menu home with me. We hurried to finish our food before the show started though. I really didn't want to be one of those people that eats during a show. Even if it was just the opener who we had already seen two times before this.

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Audra
4 Months Employment
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Hi Audra!  So you are new here-- let's get to it.  What was going on at your parents' house when you were a kid in Fresno?

Thanks---now everyone will know I'm from Fresno! Ha ha. My parents' house was and still is a treasure trove of antiques and general garbage. Under their influence, I became a collector at an early age -- mostly in order to fit in. When my parents took me "garage sailing," I'd always pick up old Mad Magazines from the 50's and 60's. I had a pretty huge collection. I'd mostly stay inside and try to laugh at the jokes about Eisenhower. 

Did your sister have any influence on your musical taste?

Absolutely! She's eight years older than me and very musical, so she was all about playing her records. My first 7 or 8 years, it was Beatles non-stop, and then it was Bauhaus and Nina Hagen. I stole all of her records when she moved out. I was about 13 then and I started playing Bauhaus' In a Flat Field endlessly. It was also right around then that I discovered my grandmother's old '78s of jazz and klezmer recordings. Some how punk, death-rock, Judaica, and the 20's and 30's all got smooshed together in my world view.
 
I love it.  That makes total sense.  What was the first concert you ever went to?

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes will probably always be remembered as the band Ringo Starr left, jumping ship to join that other Liverpoolian band; The Beatles. Wise move on Mr. Starkey’s part! But at one time Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were one of the most popular bands in the region, once placing fourth in Mersey Beat’s (a weekly magazine documenting the Liverpool scene) poll of favorite bands. The Hurricane’s recorded output was small, three tracks on two compilations:  “This Is Mersey Beat Vol. 1 and Vol. 2,” and a couple of singles: Dr. Feelgood b/w I Can Tell on Oriole Records in 1963 and America b/w Since You Broke My Heart released in November of 1964 on Parlophone.

Oddly enough, America was produced by Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles, in his one and only crack at playing record producer. By 1967 the Hurricanes were breaking up, due in part to an ever changing line-up and their decision not to go with the eternally shifting musical plat du jour. Storm later became a disc jockey, a peculiar occupational choice since he spoke with a stutter.

Unfortunately, Rory Storm’s other claim to fame is a dark and murky tale. It concerns the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death on September 28th 1972 and the speculation that he and his mother died in a suicide pact together.

After his father’s death, Rory Storm returned home suffering from a chest infection. Reportedly he had trouble sleeping and wound up combining alcohol with sleeping pills. The next morning he was found dead in the house along with his mother. However, autopsy reports show that Storm hadn’t taken enough sleeping pills to kill himself.

Trans World Entertainment #0618

One of the fun parts about working at Amoeba is the occasional celebrity sighting.  I thought I should tell y'all that yesterday around 6ish we had an extra special shopper in the store:  none other than Morrissey!  He's playing a bunch of shows at the Fillmore so it makes sense that he would pop into Amoeba for a tic with his manager in tow. 

There are certain musicians (like Robert Plant or PJ Harvey or Bjork) who have the uncanny ability to bring every last employee out of the woodwork and out on the floor.  Morrissey was one of these. It seemed like all of us employees emerged to take a gander at the Moz. 

Morrissey was wearing a plaid tweed cap.  He's a little shorter than I expected him to be, but that doesn't mean he was short!  He just always seems to be towering when I see him on TV.  He's still maybe just under 6 ft, but I always thought he was more like 6'4.   He was definitely spending time in the Celtic section!  And I wonder if it is revealing too much to say that he checked out his own section of the store too! 

From what other employees have been telling me, the Fillmore shows this week have been beyond stellar.  He's coming for you next, Los Angeles!  Check out his upcoming tour dates here.

      

This is the second half of the two-part series of photos taken in Oakland, CA (aka "the O") shot over the past few months. Like the previous set most of these are simply shots of random objects and things that grabbed my attention at the moment I snapped them. One of the reasons I love taking photos is that it offers me fresh new insights into everyday objects and things.  Whenever I look back at a photograph of some scene or image, no matter how commonplace or how many countless times I might have walked by and noticed it  with the naked eye, I always manage to view it in a whole fresh new light after capturing it on camera. And so for me taking pictures is not just a fun hobby but it also enables me to start looking at life's little objects, and hence life itself,  in a whole new light.

These photos were taken in and around downtown Oakland and near the lake (Merritt) including the above shot of the beautiful outdoor ceiling near the ticket booth of the Grand Lake Theater.  Not only is the Grand Lake an absolutely beautiful structure both inside and out, complete with its own mighty Wurlitzer organ, but its politically aware owners regularly post some topical and relevant message on the marquee outside in letters large enough to see as you drive by on 580.  Meanwhile below among the dozen more photos is another one of the Grand Lake's outside sign. Also in the pictures below is a shot of the sign above the nearby legendary Oakalnd greasy burger spot - just down the block a bit from the Grand Lake Theater, Kwik Way which some longtime music fans might remember was also the name of a short-lived Bay Area mid-eighties punk band Kwik Way who jacked not just the name but also the logo of the take-out only eatery as the cover art for their sole album back in the day. 

Feature Films For Families

Little did I know that the amazing 12" by Sorcerer that I had picked up earlier this year was by an artist living in my backyard! I had been initially attracted to "Surfing At Midnight" due to its fantastic Prins Thomas remix and the fact that it was on white-hot UK label Tirk (aka the folks behind the highly revered Nuphonic imprint), but I was further intrigued - who is/are Sorcerer? Well, it didn't take too long to find out.



Sorcerer's debut full-length White Magic was released in August and the SF Electronica section has been singing its praises ever since. The album is chock-full of sun-drenched beach vibes, slow tempos, wistful guitar melodies and gentle, rolling beats - basically everything I'm feeling in 2007. I finally met Daniel Judd - Mr. Sorcerer himself - recently, at Prins Thomas' SF debut earlier this month and got to tell him how great I thought his music was. He's a chill, friendly guy, not unlike his music unsurprisingly, and he introduced me to his partner Sam Grawe aka Hatchback, who recently released a fantastic 12" on SoCal boutique label Sentrall Records, and who Daniel collaborates with as Windsurf. Not long after we exchanged pleasantries, Thomas played a tune that was so great I *had* to find out what it was. Lo and behold - it was Windsurf's remix of "Us vs Them" by LCD Soundsystem, coming out soon on the Bunch of Stuff EP on DFA. Awestruck, I walked over to Sam and Daniel. "This is your tune?!", I gushed. They confirmed it, and it was then I knew I had a new favorite artist. I invited the duo to play a DJ set for Mandala, Amoeba SF's weekly DJ series, which they will be doing this Friday at 7pm. In the meantime, I asked them some questions via email; here are their responses:

             


Since I (finally) got a new scanner I am now able to go back into my Bay Area Hip-Hop Archives and start scanning and posting all of this wonderful slice of music history from the last 20+ years in Yay Area rap. Ranging from 1984 to 1996 these are some show fliers plus a ticket stub (above) which is from the first time I went to check out  the Egyptian Lover and Uncle Jamm's Army * - the LA turntable army (who were really hot at the time - especailly the Egyptian Lover whose single "Egypt Egypt"/"What is A DJ if he Can't Scratch" ruled at the time) when they came north to the Bay Area to do a show at the cavernous Richmond Auditorium. Rap shows, especially large scale ones, were still a relatively new phenomenon in the Bay Area in '84.  It would still be a couple of years before the Fresh Fest (Whodini, Kuritis Blow, Fat Boys, etc)  happened and rolled through Oakland (and that was an a totally exciting new experience to check out a large scale hip-hop festival with all of these major acts in the one place!). But in the few years before '84 I only remember going to the very very occasional rap show, such as Grand Master Flash & Furious Five at the Berkeley Square which was in '82 I believe, But I do clearly remember some very vocally disgruntled club goers at the long defunct University Ave venue complaining that they had forked over their money but there was no band - just a DJ and bunch of rappers on mics. (twas early days for sure),

Anyway Uncle Jamm's Army would return to the East Bay within a month that summer of '84 when they performed  with Run DMC at the  Oakland Convention Center (see flyer below and note it's very basic layout - this was pre-photoshop days). Also note the low ticket  price of only $6.50 for each show.  The other Bay Area rap concert fliers  below include one or two that actually never happened. Like the 1994 Music People / In-A-Minute showcase, scheduled for during the annual music convention that always attracted a lot of hip-hop acts from all over the country, the Gavin Seminar in San Francisco,. That show fell through at the last minute due to the club not being able to get insurance. (a common problem with rap shows then and now).  And with some the venue is long gone such as the Omni ("the Bay Area's largest showcase nightclub" on Shattuck at 48th near Telegraph) in North Oakland where in September 1989 Young MC headlined, with Bay Area artists Paris, APG Crew, Captial Tax, and Step G with MC Sirgeo all opening for him. Another time within about a year of this show Too $hort headlined at the Omni - doing his typical no-frills, straight up rap concert. (this was a time when another Oakland rapper MC Hammer's stage shows were huge choreographed events - Too $hort was the proud antitheses of that).

Out today is the beautiful new album from Jose Gonzalez. Mute reissued his first album "Veneer" about 2 years ago. So this is his second album. But his first real album for Mute. It is called "In Our Nature." I will admit that Jose Gonzalez is not for everybody. I was not even sure if he was for me for a long time. It took me a little while to give in to Mr. Gonzalez. Most of his popularity initially came from his brilliant little cover of "Heartbeats" by the Knife. It was used in a commercial that everybody seemed to watch on the internet.  I am not sure if the commercial sold more Sony Bravia LCD TVs. But it for sure sold thousands more copies of his debut album "Veneer." I think I actually heard his version of this song before I even heard The Knife. I would eventually become obsessed with their version as well which was on their album "Deep Cuts." Jose and The Knife share more than just this great song. They both come from the land of Sweden.

 Jose Gonzalez was born in Sweden but his parents are from Argentina. His music doesn't really sound like the mix of ABBA and Astor Piazzolla that you might expect from a Swedish Argentine. It has more of a minimal Nick Drake sound. Beautiful little minimal indie rock with just mostly guitar and vocals. He is sort of known for his covers and performs many of them live. His version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is almost as magical as the original. He also has a cover on the new album which he has already been playing live for the last couple of years. The song is "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. It took me a while to actually even recognize it. Which is very impressive since it happens to be one the most overplayed songs of all time. The Massive Attack version with vocals from the wonderful Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins is fantastic. But I have heard that song so many times over the years that I had pretty much decided that I never needed to hear it again. And I also love Cocteau Twins more than anything. So it is a hard original to compete with. But his version is just as brilliant but completely different.  The whole album is  absolutely beautiful. It is simple and uncomplicated. Just a great album. Jose Gonzalez is actually one of those people that deserves any fame that he has acquired over the last couple of years. I just hope all those fans he got from that commercial don't forget about him. He has managed to create a second album that is just as good as the first. I am going to go listen to it again right now. And unlike that original Massive Attack song that he covers, I am not even close to being over Jose Gonzalez.

RCA / Columbia Pictures Home Video 60644

This was in the L.A. Times on September 8th. Another severely underrated Los Angeles band is gone, at least for now… I was fortunate to catch their last show at Macarthur Park before they left. It was a good little fix until their eventual return. If you haven’t bought a copy of their last album, “Die Cowboy Die”, you are missing out on a East L.A. classic and one of the best albums that came out in 2006.

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Quetzal breaks for a busy sabbatical


Quetzal, the ground-breaking Chicano fusion band from East L.A., is on sabbatical. Bandleader Quetzal Flores and his wife, lead singer Martha González, left last week for a nine-month sojourn in Veracruz to study the work of women in son jarocho, the fabulous, Afro-folkloric music that has long inspired them. This is primarily Martha's mission. She received a Fulbright fellowship for the trip, which could yield a CD of original works by the women of the fandango scene. Afterward, she and Quetzal, with their toddler Sandino, are headed to Seattle where she plans to enroll in the doctoral program for women's studies at the University of Washington.

 Quetzal will be busy too. He plans to form an acoustic quartet with fellow guitarist Ramon Gutierrez-Hernandez of Son de Madera, one of Mexico's best new son jarocho groups. And he continues to produce for other bands, including the recently released CD by San Diego's B-Side Players and the upcoming album by L.A.'s Monte Carlo 76, with new vocalist Marisa Ronstadt.

 "Sometimes when organizers or artists are in the trenches, you need a moment to reflect and reassess," said Quetzal, taking a break from packing at his Highland Park home. "But we're going to come back even harder."

 HARLEY

Harley  - a Black Labrador Retriever is almost four years old. She is best pals with Lori who works as manager at the Berkeley Amoeba Music store.  The two start everyday by going up to Lake Chabot for an invigorating morning walk/run.  "My other dog Cody passed away and someone who worked at Amoeba put me in touch with someone whose dog had just had a litter. All seven of the litter were girls" recalled Lori.  "Organic dairy farmers out in Cloverdale  - so we went out there and saw her at 4 weeks and then at again at  7 weeks old when we picked her up."  Lori notes that Harley has a good "dog friend" in a fellow AmoebaDog. "I share an office with Naomi and Harley and Liebchen (scroll down to see her profile) get along really well together," she smiled. 





KAHLESS

Kahless (rhymes with Payless) is an Australian Cattle dog breed and is the best friend of Paul Vasquez who works in the world music section of Amoeba Music Hollywood. Recently Paul recalled that fateful day three years ago when he and Kahless first crossed paths. "It was one afternoon  in April 2004, I was looking for a dog at the animal shelter in Pomona. I looked at plenty of animals, but none of them really caught my eye.  On the way out, I saw a picture on a bulletin board of a dog with beautiful eyes and super crazy spots. I looked to my left, and there he was in his little cell. I went to him and knelt down to see his reaction. No barking, no weirdness, just eye contact and a wagging tail. All of a sudden he put one of his paws through the bars onto my knee. That was it. I chose him and he chose me. We've been best friends ever since."

Gil Cerezo, lead singer from the band Kinky was the guest DJ at Nativo last Wednesday. After another great set from Mexican Dubweiser, Gil went on in front of a somewhat pensive crowd of Kinky fans and just tore it up. It was a straight-up Hollywood style party set, complete with mash-ups, classic party rock songs, Latin pop and techno-house blended with such ease. Soon people lost their inhibitions and filled dance floor. I’m not a fan of 80’s music at all, but when Gil mixed the 80's Latin pop group Flans into Quiet Riot, he had me both shaking my head in disgust yet still dancing. That’s a sign of great DJ. Someone who can get you up to dance to music you don't really like. Gil (pronounced Hill) had fun and plans do another set in the future at Nativo, so stay tuned! Nativo happens every Wednesday @ Zanzibar in Santa Monica, with resident DJ's Sloe Poke, Mando Fever, Mexican Dubweiser and yours truly, Gomez Come Alive!

Embassy Home Entertainment 4017

This short European television commercial with music by the Outthere Brothers (which, be forewarned, just may be offensive to some sensitive ears) was made to advertise a course in learning English as a second language.

 

Only in the middle of Hollywood would you ever find a 7 inch record like this. Yeah it’s a theme song from a soundtrack, but not from your typical movie, this 45 pop record is from the soundtrack of a soft-core pornography hit called "Diary of a Stewardess." Imagine the treasures we could have unearthed if only Amoeba hadn’t opened its doors on Sunset Blvd, but instead, opened for business deep in the heart of the America’s well lit, scantily clad, steady-cam ready, zoom in, action, work-it-a-little-slower-honey, bedroom community known as the San Fernando Valley.

Released in 1972 and sung by Bob Grabeau, Diary of a Stewardess b/w Fasten Your Set Belts (released on Segue Records and based in Canoga Park!) is an actual artifact of the valley’s 1970’s pop-porn culture, a culture that resurfaced with the 1997 film “Boogie Nights.”  I bet many of our Dads saw “Stewardess” in a triple bill with “Deep Throat” and “Behind the Green Door.” Okay … maybe not your Dad …

The song Diary of a Stewardess was co-written by the legendary Buddy Feyne, celebrated for his swinging hep-cat lyrics and penning some of the biggest hits of the '30s and '40s, including Tuxedo Junction, Jersey Bounce and After Hours. During his career he wrote more than 400 songs collaborating with legends like Raymond Scott, Al Sherman, Avery Parrish, Louis Jordan, Erskine Hawkins, Lester Young, and even Milton Berle. Feyne’s compositions might even be considered essential to the hipsters of that era, actually any era, as a matter of fact: Bee Bop On the Range, After School Swing Session, Aristocrat of Harlem, Cream Cheese and Jelly, She Works In Men's Pajamas - the list goes on and on.  Feyne also wrote the original lyrics to something called Dolomite that a certain bon vivant named Rudy Ray Moore re-navigated into his own signature song.

Imperial Entertainment Corp 1106

This might be exciting news for others beyond myself, my grandmother and Brad:

It's now being reported that The Love Boat will be released on DVD next year, possibly in the spring!! Now through the winter we'll have thoughts of those gorgeous warmer climes of the Love Boat's destinations to keep our brains toasty with anticipation! 

I have so many fond memories of watching The Love Boat!  It really is one of the greatest ideas for a TV show ever.  Only a genius like Aaron Spelling could essentially give us a floating and neatly packaged visual romance novel every week.  There's so much to see-- Skin! Beaches! Glitz! Glamour! Scandals and mishaps galore!  Gopher making a fool of himself!  Isaac giving "The Point" at the beginning of each episode!  It makes me happy just to think of it all, and to own an entire season and have it at arm's reach at any given moment, it's almost too much for me!  The concept works particularly well because there are your favorite crew characters who appear each week and then there's the constantly revolving cast of vacationers who can interact with the regular cast or have their own storylines....and then there's all that scenery!  And room for celebrity guest appearances!  Oh I love it so!

      

I love Oakland, CA and I have always enjoyed taking random pictures around and about "the Town" as it is fondly known by locals. These photos, the first in a two-part series, (shot over the past few months)  were all taken within about a mile radius of downtown Oakland.  Thematically disconnected they are merely shots of various images that appealed to my personal sensibilities such as the above shot in Chinatown Oakland one Sunday morning when that area of downtown Oakland is a bustle with folks grabbing dim sum from the numerous eateries dotted throughout the area (well worth a visit if you've never been - Meanwhile just down the street on Broadway, at Jack London Sq is the farmer's market - Although the Saturday-only farmers market over near Grand Lake Theater is a much more fun market in my opinion). The above shot is about the only one of a  person I took as I gravitate more towards inanimate objects. Plus I don't like to invade peoples' personal space. And if I ever do take pics of people I always ask their permission first - as with the gentleman above.

The shot below is by Lake Merritt and while art-cars might be a common sight around the Bay Area it is only when you travel outside to other states/places you realize that it is not quit so commonplace to see such intricately decorated vehicles.  I have spent many hours just stopping to admire and study the countless art-cars I have seen around Oakland and Berkeley.  They're amazing.   I love  the detail and the creative use of various found and recycled objects (including lots of toys) that people put into  decorating these cars and I admire their makers for not wanting to adhere to the strict  bland uniformity of  merely leaving their cars exactly as they rolled off the assembly line. These are truly unique vehicles.  The picture below with the koala bear is the roof of this particular art car while (scroll down to) the second  last picture is of the hood of this same auto which is just so creatively and lovingly decorated with keys, beads, and cocktail drink stirrers - all cemented into a perfect form and design. 

All right Lynch fans, its time for 

BLUE VELVET & MULHOLLAND DRIVE

Tonight, Friday the 21st and Tomorrow Saturday the 22nd at 7:30 both nights (with an 
additional double feature on Saturday at 2:30)

All the cool kids will be there!! :)

7165 Beverly Blvd
between la brea and fairfax

$7 general admission
$6 students (with ID)
$4 seniors

Cheap concessions and friendly employees!!


coming up this week at the new bev we have 

WHATS UP DOC & PAPER MOON on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30, with an 
additional double feature on Sunday at 3:40

MALA NOCHE & MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 with an additional 
double feature on Saturday at 3:50

www.newbevcinema.com
www.myspace.com/newbeverlycinema

As recently reported by the BBC the remaining members of the Sex Pistols (John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, Steve Jones, and Paul Cook) will reunite for a concert in London, England on November 8th this year to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their punk rock classic and modern music history-changing 1977 album "Never Mind The Bollocks....Here's the Sex Pistols."   This will not be the first time the band has reformed since the band abruptly broke up in January 1978 in San Francisco at the end of their one and only US tour, or since Sid Vicious died of a drug overdose in 1979.

Eleven years ago the Sex Pistols reformed for the 1996 Filthy Lucre Tour, which included dates in the States, Europe, Australia, Japan, and other countries, They also reformed and performed in 2002 which coincidentally was the year of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The makers of "God Save The Queen" performed that year at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London.  And most recently the Sex Pistols performed in 2003 when they did a brief 3-week tour of the US which they fondly titled the 'Piss Off Tour.'

There are numerous books and chapters in books written about the Pistols. In terms of video footage the best full-length piece is "The Filth and the Fury" -the Julien Temple 2000 documentary which you should find on DVD at Amoeba Music.  It's really amazingly engaging and educational and well worth owning.  Of the  countless controversial interviews that the Sex Pistols, and in particular the brilliant John Lydon, have conducted two are included below. These are the infamous British Thames TV interview with Bill Grundy back in  Januray 1976 (that includes a very young Siouxse Sioux) and the more recent John Lydon interview from last year with Jimmy Kimmel in which he tells it like it is in reaction to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which Lydon and,the other two surviving members promptly turned down,  vocally dismissing it as  an "obscene gesture."  Check out both video clips. They're great!

Stryker Productions

I just went to go see the wonderful Sinead O'Connor this last Sunday at the fantastic Davies Symphony Hall. I absolutely love this venue. Not only is it a wonderful little venue with great architecture and sound but it is so close to my house. The only other time that I had been there was for the Margaret Cho show a couple of years ago. We had seats in the balcony this time, so it gave us a different perspective on the whole venue. It is nice seeing someone like Sinead in a venue where people usually see classical music and symphonies. The Margaret Cho show was great expect for the fact that we had a loud dude sitting behind us. He really felt a connection with Margaret and felt the need to yell out "true" after every single joke that she told. I can literally still hear the sound of his voice in my head.  Now it makes me laugh, but not so much at the time. Lucky for us, I don't think he was at this show. But we did have one of those dudes who likes to sing along sitting behind us. I am not sure if he wanted to show us how cool he was because he knew what the songs were before they even started. Or maybe he was just such a super fan that he could not hold in his excitement. There were many others that felt the need to clap during the first 30 seconds of most songs. It had Curt and I wondering why this always happens. I understand that they want to show the artist how much they love them. However, it seems that what they really want to do is show the rest of the fans what a bigger fan they are. These types especially like to clap for the more obscure songs as soon as they recognize them. I totally understand clapping after a song is over and I usually participate in this activity. But clapping and cheering at the beginning of the song just sort of ruins the beginning of the song. But then again, maybe people like Sinead would start crying and refuse to play the song if nobody clapped at the beginning. But I seriously doubt it.

Another great band that I learned of thanks to Amoeba Music, where they've long had their music for sale and where they've also performed at, is the super- talented San Francisco group Deerhoof who in my opinion defy categorization. Anyway Deerhoof  have just posted an entire album free for downloading on the Kill Rock Stars website. Now (as of Thursday late afternoon PST) available by clicking on this link the thirteen songs come with this suggestion from the band members: "I don't know how long we can keep these up here, I might recommend downloading now and asking questions later."  So in other words Deerhoof fans: get busy ye'all.   Also on that same Deerhoof ChooChooChooChooBeepBeep page of the Kill Rock Stars website are some great photos, videos, and lots of recommended reading about such things as their firsthand experience of opening for Radiohead (diehard fans of Deerhoof) including at the Berkeley Greek Theater show (see excpert on video footage below). 

I am admittedly a creature of habit, and I've gotta say I have been to 'most every Cat Power show in San Francisco over the last 10 years.  10 years!  I feel old.  I feel like I've seen Chan Marshall through a lot, and unlike most others, I never gave up on her.  The main thing that brought me back to see her time and time again was simple: her voice.

Despite her mini breakdowns, despite her half finishing songs, despite her spotting ghosts mid set at the Great American and her whispered apologies, despite that one time she had a broken finger and still tried to play a solo show, I have always shown up, cause I just don't think you can beat her smoky voice.  It's just unbeatable.

Last night at the Fillmore, it was in full effect, and this time she was fully fronting a rock band, cordless mic included.  While I was slightly disappointed she wasn't playing guitar or piano herself, I was delighted to see her smiling onstage, and often.  She seemed secure in her place at last.

The show was packed with soul covers; as always she twisted and shook the tunes until they became something almost unrecognizable and felt like her own.  I loved her sad version of "Tracks of My Tears", and I always have enjoyed hearing her sing "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" -- that one will never die.  I love how she always references her Southern roots in her choices-- last night with Otis Redding.  She also sang "Dark Side of the Street" to fantastic, sultry effect.  Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" even was slipped in (She must be obsessed with that song, cause I've heard her do it before, over a year ago.) before she was off to Patsy Cline.  She even covered Joni Mitchell's "Blue", a personal favorite of mine.  Oh, and her version of "Satisfaction" was the opposite of anything I've heard her do: an almost dead on copy of the original-- she even sang the choruses of the song for the first time, despite the fact that she included the song on her album The Covers Record.

A couple of days ago I read this story in the paper about a Bosnian couple who are going through divorce proceedings as a direct result of each getting caught cheating on each other -but, here's the twist, with each other.  In a scenario that seemed almost identical to that  portrayed in Rupert Holmes' sappy but engaging 1979 number one pop hit single "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" in which a guy, bored with his relationship, answers a newspaper personals ad to find that he has a lot in  common with this blind date (pina coladas, walks in the rain,  and a dislike of yoga and health food etc.). He finally meets up with this mystery  woman only to discover it  was in fact his own "old lady" that he thought he had little in common with.  This unusual and unlikely situation brings the two formerly drifting lovers back together again and they all live happily  ever after.  But not so in the recent  real life similar scenario with the couple in Bosnia where the disgruntled pair (Adnan Klaric 32 and his wife Sana, 27) go online in search of new love.. There under the pseudonyms "Sweetie" and "Prince of Joy" each meets some seemingly new soul in whom they can confide and find solace complaining about how awful their marriages have become. Finally they've found someone who understands. They've found their soulmates (they think). So they arrange to meet up in person.  And when they do:  Shocker!   Each accuses the other of being unfaithful and they start divorce proceedings pronto.

    
                                               If you like Piña Coladas
                                               And getting caught in the rain
                                               If you're not into yoga
                                               If you have half a brain
                                               If you'd like making love at midnight
                                               In the dunes on the Cape
                                               Then I'm the love that you've looked for
                                               Write to me and escape.

A couple of weeks ago in San Francisco at the big Apple computer "special event" titled "The Beat Goes On" - to unveil all the new Apple iPod models the innovative company's mainman Steve Jobs gave Cali emcee P.E.A.C.E. of Freestyle Fellowship a major plug by featuring the artist on the giant screen at the Moscone Center during his September 5th keynote speech in which, as an example of a video-podcast, he played a short G4 segment featuring the Freestyle Fellowship emcee off a new Nano model.





 Meantime a couple of days ago I visited the Apple Store  in Manhattan and even though it was near 11PM (the box-shaped Fifth Avenue store is open 24 hours) the place was packed to the rafters with salivating consumers in a long line desperate to part with their money in exchange for some shiny new iProduct.  "This is nothing compared to earlier today," noted one iEmployee whjile eyeballing the line of about 40 customers all patiently queuing up for an average of twenty minutes to buy iPhones and iPods and other stuff.  

 iMazing!                                                             

I have been wanting to talk about this new album from Gravenhurst for over a month now. It seems like it has taken forever for this album to come out. The album is brilliant and I have been obsessed with it ever since I first heard it. I really liked their last album "Fires in Distant Buildings" from 2005. But this new one is so much better. It is called "Western Lands" and it comes out today. I don't even know where to begin. I just want everyone to go out and buy it and love it. Gravenhurst comes from that great country that I love so much. They are from Bristol, England and have been putting out albums since 2001. But it seems they have been a bit secretive about it. I didn't really hear about them until 2005 when they released an album on Warp Records. The album is really easy to get addicted to. So I would just like to warn you to be ready for that.



Gravenhurst are great because they are one of those bands that sort of combines lots of different genres and styles into one brilliant style that is all their own. It is like they have taken bits and pieces of all my favorite bands and put them into one brilliant album. They are very dreamy and ethereal but also very accessible. They really combine a lot of shoegaze style music with a more folky musical style. Imagine Elliott Smith combined with My Bloody Valentine. Nick Drake with Joy Division. Flying Saucer Attack with Piano Magic. Pale Saints with Pentangle. It really is something magical. They released "Trust" as the first single from the new album. But I am not really sure why. The second single will be "Hollow Men," which is so much better. It reminds me of some song from My Bloody Valentine's album "Isn't Anything." It really is that good. It is virtually impossible for anybody to not like this song. It is very catchy. But not in any normal pop song kind of way. It's also a nice little video.

This is the third and final part in the Yokohama, Japan graffiti series. These photos were taken recently by Amoeba Music and graffiti/hip-hop fan ACCO.







                         






                             

The other night I went with Em and Bao (and my co-worker Hiland) to see the filming of the pilot for a Chris Elliot vehicle called "Chrissy Plain & Simple". I like the name and concept. Just pure, unadulterated Chris Elliot without any bells and whistles and jangles and bangles and be-bops and re-rops and  flee-flops... or something to that effect. If you're a fan, you know how he just stupidly starts rambling to that effect.
On the downside- it's sketch comedy with pre-filmed satirical segments that we had to watch a couple of times and force some laughter for the second time around. At one point I looked up at a monitor and the entire frame was filled with my chin and some teeth laughing at nothing but the instructions of the episode's director, Bobcat Goldthwait.
The show takes place on a stage cluttered with Chris Elliot cut-outs of Chris in different poses, always wearing socks regardless of the character being portrayed and, I have to say, his stupid expressions forced me to smile over and over before filming whilst Jimmy Kimmel cracked jokes- and talked about the fact that he, I and some other guys were all coincidentally wearing maroon shirts.
The show started with an introduction and the first skit was a parody of My Super Sweet 16 which gave Chris a chance to do his annoying, entitled brat shtick which is one of my favorites but, of the MTVs, I only have MTV trés which seems to be mostly videos and not reality programming so some of it might've gone over my head.
The second skit was a parody of Most Dangerous Catch. Do I need cable? I don't think so. This time Chris and crew fished for eels in a la s behest, to love himself resulting in him having an affair with himself and subsequently shooting himself in jealousy that I found extremely funny.
So, there's pretty much no chance that the show's getting picked up which is a shame but I really would rather see Chris in a sitcom than sketch comedy anyway and I'm glad I saw a vastly under-appreciated comedic genius perform live.
Although one of my favorite characters of his is the Canadian hitchhiker on Letterman who foretold bad things happening before passing on; I've never been able to find any of those clips so I leave you with other highlights.

In 1965 when rest of the world was doing the Frug, the Swim or the Monkey ... the Pony, the Watusi, the Jerk or even the Clam to James Brown’s Papas Got a Brand New Bag, discothèques in Scotland and Northern England were dancing till the wee hours of the morn to a great single on Hi Records from Tommy Jay called Tender Love b/w Tomorrow.

Now Tender Love isn’t exactly your endearingly romantic piece that such a title might suggest. The song is a bit dark, but with a hypnotically grooving riff. Tender Love is the name of a girl the singer has fallen for, and she has “eyes that seem to shine like gold.” Needless to say, romance isn’t going to work out here, and if you’ve been around the block at least once, you know at least one character by songs end is going to be dead. Now that’s a track I can sink my teeth into, or at least, after a few pints, dance to till the sun comes up … and I`ll be on top, you`ll be right down there, looking up … Anyway, is this the Holy Grail of Northern Soul? It has my vote!

Atlas Entertainment Corporation 5039

I had a dream in which the modern world was invaded by a formerly secretive race of small, very pale people with curly red hair. They set up shanty towns in abandoned lots and parking lots and started little weed gardens amidst the cracks in the asphalt. With the encroachment of development, they felt the need to go public. I thought to myself, "These people must've inspired the belief in Leprechauns." These folk were not the mischievous, gold-hording, dog-rustling, cobblers we've heard about. They were poor farmers struggling to survive and they were generally quiet as the breeze blew through their ginger hair...

Embassy Home Entertainment 2001

From the 'A-list' of rare British psych singles, on Immediate Records: Black Sheep R.I.P. b/w Sad by the Australian Playboys, featuring Normie Rowe, one of the biggest stars in 1960’s Australia and a perennially figure on the music scene down under.

The 'A' side is a trippy version of the classic nursery rhyme and is pretty good on its own, but it’s the flip side here that is the nugget. Sad is drenched in a wall of sound, distorted and jagged guitars shiver through the unpredictable tempo changes as the lead vocals of Normie Rowe seem coated by the oddly disembodied harmonies, it’s a helluva piece of psychedelic pop. Unfortunately this Australian Playboys single didn’t sell well, something that was strangely typical of many of Immediate Records great releases back then. Today though, for freakbeat and psychedelic record collectors, it is a highly desirable piece and goes for a very pretty penny! Is this the Holy Grail of British freakbeat collectors? Well, maybe one of the Holy Grails.