Never Understand

KRS-One admires 50's aggression? Let's stop stroking egos here, fellas.

OnSmash has more, if you can stomach it.

Previously On

No Age doin' what they do best with "Boy Void." Vinyl's hit the streets, (with releases on Deleted Art, Teenage Teardrops, Youth Attack, and PPM), album in stores August 28th on Fat Cat. Spread that jam on yer toast!

New Life

Wondering what's the latest and greatest in blogosphere USA?

Tick Dent
Inspired by a seemingly tense fiasco involving an Australian Death Tick (look it up) and an innocent dog, public enemy #2 (second to me, of course), Michelle Miko started a blog, called Tick Dent. The premise? Tour stories (including an epic recount of bicoastal unification of American junkfood), Friendly Neighbors on Joyce's Ulysses, and Nasa Space Universe on Die Kreuzen. Best of all, homegirl is two posts in, so get on it.

Nature Trumps
In his most recent incarnation, Nature Trumps, Arthur Mag boss Jay Babcock discusses the Los Angeles River's fragile existence. The blog's focus proves somewhat refreshing to those exhausted by the amount of pollution and urban decay we witness in Los Angeles every day.

Enjoy.

These Days

Hang On To Yourself

The forementioned title regrettably seems to have escaped the Reid brothers. Their band, Jesus & Mary Chain, recently performed a new song, "All Things Must Pass," on Letterman, for those of you that missed their Glasshouse and Coachella performances. Like I said, "All Things Must Pass" is fragile and unimaginative, loosely held together by little creativity or invention. In all, the ultimate bummer is witnessing the Reid brothers' seeming departure from their former selves (and all the creativity that came with it.)

Compare to their last Letterman performance.

Some Summer Day

Look around, summer is nearing. That said, Saturday night marked the triumphant return of Cinespia, the LA equivalent to Screen on the Green. Though I wasn't able to attend the film (missing Robert Altman's "The Player," at that), I'm excited by the prospect of spending my Saturday night in good company watching a classic in the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Don't worry, the dead won't rise up.

A taste of Cinespia 2007:

Saturday, May 26th
Vertigo

Saturday, June 2nd
Gilda

Saturday, June 9th
Harold and Maude

Major Label Chicken Feed

Clipse are now free from the legal grasp of Jive Records.

Who's it going to be? Def Jam or Interscope?

Original Nothing People

The forces at LA Record and Dublab have joined together to present an event worth mention:

"LA's Indie Record Labels, Stores, DJs & Independent Collectors will offer new and used Vinyl, CDs, DVD's, cassettes and collectible rarities. An awesome array of awe-inspiring visual artists & clothing designers will present their creative gems at special prices. Buy unique gifts for yourself, your pals and pleasant strangers. dublab djs and drink specials will spice up your shopping spree."

Sunday, May 20th @ Echoplex
(beneath the Echo)
1154 Glendale Blvd
Main Entrance is through Alley
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Get yer fun on.

Regret

The cars lean better than the rappers do (isn't anyone in the Mike Jones camp embarrassed by this?) Lil' Eazy E (the name says it all) proves, once again, that we should expect nothing more of him than a poor imitation of his father.

Enter the self desctruction of rap.

Sound of Confusion

Whose brilliant idea was it to choose Elijah Wood to play Iggy Pop in the new Stooges biopic, The Passenger?

I'm scratchin' my head here; I doubt Wood is able to present James Osterberg for his eccentricities, flaws, and everything in between - a man scarred by drug and alcohol abuse, lost relationships, and otherwise unmentionable insanity.

Just sayin' - If this movie turns out to be an Elijah Wood sing-a-long to "Fun House," the film will only perpetuate Hollywood's seeming failure to present rock 'n' roll as nothing more than a glamorous circus. Nevermind Pop's supposed blessings over the project; may I painfully remind you of "Skull Ring" and the Stooges 'comeback' record, the Steve Albini produced dissapointment that is, "The Wierdness." Let's face it - change comes with age. Had Sum 41 approached the Stooges thirty years ago about a collaboration, Iggy would've told the Canadian popsters to fuck themselves (assuming the Asheton brothers didn't already beat him to it.) Would a major movie studio be treated any differently?

What I'm asking is, is a major motion picture recreation of Pop's life with the Stooges more likely to glamorize the band's turmoil, with the expected inattention to detail and disregard for substance; or, would the film be more likely to remember the Stooges for who they were and what they did (and nothing more?) The latter rings unlikely to me, but I'm curious what you think.

Do It All Over Again

LA's weirdest rippers, No Age, perform 3 songs live.

Rise In The Springtime

Word on the mean streets of blogosphere is, Arthur Magazine is back in business!

Only bummer is, shortly before the decline of the magazine, I'd heard Jay Babcock moved his operation to NYC. The ramifications of Babcock's bicoastal migration affects Los Angeles, in that Arthur Mag events will be NYC based here on out. No more ArthurNights?! No more ArthurBall?!

Why can't I have my cake and eat it too?

Breakdown

Cilla Black broke up The Smiths, claims Johnny Marr.

That's news to me.

Flashbacks

Rumors are a' swarmin' about the possible return of Oxford shoegazers, Ride. The band's management subsequently denied the rumor, but didn't rule out the possibility of a reunion. Manager Dave Newton says:

"This point in time would be the least likely for this kind of thing to happen - they're all very busy at the moment with individual commitments and very full schedules. Having said that, if the organisers of NXNW want to get in touch with an offer, I'd have to put it to the boys."

Dudes, if the Reid brothers can get it together (Loz, you know what I'm talkin' about here), why can't you? What's it gon' take to hear The Creation's "How Does It Feel To Feel" live, let alone 90's neo psych jams like "Chelsea Girl," "I Don't Know Where It Comes From," and "Seagull."

As of now, Loz Colbert is in Jesus & Mary Chain, Andy Bell is in Oasis, Mark Gardener is a solo artist, and the musical whereabouts of Steve Queralt remain uncertain. Come back, Ride!

Easy Listening

If you couldn't already tell from the video above, my hearing took a serious blow Saturday night, thanks to the excellent guitarwork of J. Mascis. Nevertheless, I left the Troubadour with a smile from ear to ear, having enjoyed a fine set (my first, at that!) from indie behemoths, Dinosaur Jr. It was totally worth it.

There's No Fucking Rules, Dude

After Lavender Diamond's set at Amoeba, the old lady and I headed to 6th St. Warehouse for the New Ship's Friday night event - Darker My Love, Abe Vigoda, and special guests, Awesome Color!



Darker My Love covering "Minor Threat." First, "Mother Sky" by Can. Now, "Minor Threat" by Minor Threat? Untouchable.


"Hat Energy (Clip)"


Allison Color


Michael Color

Then, Awesome Color. They played until 3am, amidst scattered degenerates, exhausted by heavy alcohol consumption and smoke inhalation (from the cigarettes and pot, mind you.)

Thanks to Mallory for the photos.

Fight War, Not Wars

Lavender Diamond, performing their protest anthem, "Garden Rose," at Amoeba in Hollywood.

On to 6th St!

Club Action

2001's "Ass n Titties" = 1989's "Me So Horny?"

Discuss.

The Funeral

Yup, that's Griffith Park burning bright behind the Observatory. What an apocalyptic bummer.

Documenting the destruction, Los Anjealous and LA Metroblog posted pictures taken by LA residents.

RIP Griffith Park.

In The Street

Restrained by work obligations (someone's got to pay the bills around here), I was unable to attend Lavender Diamond's first video shoot ever a few weeks ago (history in the making, I'm sure) in East LA, directed by Astralwerks' Sia, of all people. Quick turnaround!

Best of all, Lavender Diamond's "Imagine Our Love" is in stores today! You know what to do.

Riddle Me This

Who's totally "awesome," on tour with Dinosaur Jr, and performing late friday night at 6th St. with Darker My Love, Burning Brides, Horses, and Abe Vigoda?

Take yer wildest guess.

Is This Real?

Dinosaur Jr. on Letterman.

Prefix remarks "Dudes haven't lost a step." I think I'm going to have to disagree.

Last week, I received a promo copy of Dinosaur Jr's latest record, "Beyond." Upon first listen, I wasn't nearly impressed as I thought I would be. The album doesn't carry itself with the same swagger of "Bug," "Where You Been," or "You're Living All Over Me." Make no mistake, this is far better than the lonely days of J. Mascis as Dinosaur Jr, circa "Hand It Over" - dudes are as true to form to their salad days as can be. Arguably, with time comes change, with change comes new ideas and with new ideas, new songs (there lies the problem.) The '90s are in hindsight (weird, huh?) and with that said, maybe the regrouping of the band coupled with their step into the new millenium made for an ill fated combination? Well, not quite ill fated, just unsatisfying.

Save for "Lightning Bulb" (my favorite jam on the record by far), "Beyond" underdelivers. Thanks J, Murph, and Lou for the triumphant return (my favorite kind, at that) but I think I'll stick to yer classics. Agree or disagree, dig this for nostalgia's sake:


"Freak Scene"


"No Bones"

Please, don't mistake my dissapointment in "Beyond" as indifference to the band's return - first step Dinosaur Jr. set on LA soil (with So Fresh faves Awesome Color in tow), I'm there.

Everywhere I Go

A good time for a good cause. Makes sense, no?

Long Time Coming

Yes! A preview of things to come for your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, Saigon (Q-Tip went so far as to list Saigon in his top 5 greatest MCs alive on Hot97, alongside Jadakiss, Nas, Ghostface Killah, and Jay-Z. ) After the delay of Saigon's debut, "The Greatest Story Never Told," for several years now, the sudden announcement of it's impending release comes as a breath of fresh air to those exhausted by the mediocre stylings of major label rap artists. Way to finally get yer business in order, Atlantic!

The JustBlazeTV exclusive also weighs in on the Just Blaze vs. Gene Nelson penis measuring contest (to be deteremind by a bout of Fightnight 2007.) That, I could do without.

One Way To Remind

Johnathan Hawkins (better known to most as Big Hawk) was murdered one year ago today. If anything, Big Hawk's passing should be embraced as a lesson to us all instead of another casualty in a neverending string of violent deaths, music related or otherwise. Considering the amount of senseless violence we witness everyday, especially that caused by guns, why aren't the demands for change stronger? How much longer can we numb our senses to the atrocities we experience daily? I'm well aware that it's easier to think than act, but lately the amount of violence I see on the news alone is weighing me down.

Admittedly, my ties to Big Hawk are non existent other than my appreciation of his music, both solo and collaborative. But for Matt at Houston So Real, the reality of Johnathan Hawkins' death is far more lasting.

Like Becky Stark always says, "Here's to world peace in the coming year."