The Bulls and Gothic Tropic/Kerrigan at The Satellite

The Bulls

The month of August is The Bulls' residency at The Satellite. An added benefit is that the month is dedicated to female fronted bands. Kerrigan opened up the night with some powerful poetry. Her music is like listening to the singing of poetry. I didn't know what to expect from Gothic Tropic. Their original drummer has shifted over to French Style Furs. I'd say they're a touch more Tropic now versus Gothic. That doesn't make them any less enjoyable to listen to, just a tweak to their sound. The Bulls closed the night out for me. This band has catchy tunes song by a front woman who must have one of the sweetest voices in Los Angeles.






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A Movie Review: Spy

Spy. Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a CIA desk analyst. Her main job is providing support for Bradley Fine (Jude Law), a top CIA field agent. In search of a nuclear weapon, Bradley Fine goes after Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). He is killed in the field by Rayna. Rayna reveals that she knows the identity of other top CIA agents. This means they can't be sent to find her and the nuclear weapon she holds. Having had a soft spot for Bradley, Susan Cooper volunteers to go into the field to locate Rayna.

So yes, there is a spy plot, but who care. This movie is about laughs. Though some of the laughs fell flat for me -- bats flying around the CIA offices while Susan is attempting to help Bradley -- I think this movie is filled with character laughs. By that I mean the characters are hysterical by default. Jason Statham's as Agent Rick Ford is hysterical as an over-confident field agent delusional about his skill sets. Susan Cooper is amusing as a low-esteem yet highly skilled agent.

If one needs a solid laugh, this is a movie to see.

A Movie Review. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. This movie starts off with a bang as IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) prevents the transportation of nerve gas via an airplane. The movie then dives into a complex, but well laid out intrigue regarding the Syndicate, a non-nation entity similar to the IMF but out for no good. Uncovering the Syndicate has to be done via rogue means as CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) is able to get a Senate committee to disband the IMF and place it under CIA control. We get to see Ethan Hunt ultimately fail to save the Austrian Chancellor, deal with some water challenges in Morocco and uncover secrets in the UK.

What I really loved about this movie was the simplicity of the complex plot. To me, a big problem with some action movies is that they make the plot complex and yet spend no time trying to make sure that the movie goer can follow the plot. I think this movie accomplishes the feat of allowing the audience to follow along just perfectly.

A couple of my minor problems with this movie:

I know Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) likes his leather jacket, but who wears a jacket in the humid climate of Malaysia?

Seriously, you have trained operatives of the Syndicate with machine guns unable to kill Ethan Hunt as he's running through a narrow corridor? Somehow their bullets hit the two walls. Can't shoot straight?

Another 2015 Weekend: 8/21 - 8/23

After last weekend when I didn't even want to walk outside due to the Los Angeles heatwave, this weekend had great weather though I'm not sure I totally utilized it.

Saturday was spent with friends. A group of us went out for lunch at Mexico City in Los Feliz. Now I'm a vegetarian and so my food selections are limited. The last time I headed off to Mexico City I got a vegetarian burrito, which I thought was awful so I was very hesitant to head out to Mexico City again. My friends, though, argued I should come with them. This time I got the vegetarian tostada, which was better than the burrito but nothing great. A ton of salt and pepper made it eatable.

Then later that night it was outdoor movie night in Glendale. A slightly smaller group, though largely the same individuals, headed off to catch Weird Science. Hmm, I think most of us concluded that the test of time is not kind to this '80s movie.

Sunday. Ugh. A quick run to the Farmers Market and then it was just downhill from there. It was off to work. I figured I'd be there for about 5 hours. Instead, it ended up being a 9 hour day. Ouch.

Fakers with Dawn of Sequins and Vicious Cousins (Kissing Cousins) at The Echo

Fakers

A fun August night at The Echo. Starting off the night was the entertaining Dawn of Sequins. Their music is quirky. Their stage show is filled with nutty interactions. During the show, one member tripped while running down the stage steps. She lost one of her high heals, but kept on going with barely a missed beat. Up next was a duo of Vicious Scully and Kissing Cousins going as Vicious Cousins. It seemed like most of the songs were Kissing Cousins tunes. I didn't have a problem with that. I love the Kissing Cousins. I love their heavy beats. It was also the birthday of one of the members. During the Fakers sets, birthday sweets were passed around for all to enjoy. A call was made asking if the brownies had weed. I think this is a constant question these days when there are brownies. As for Fakers, this was their 2nd August residency night. High energy. The drummer of the Fakers did double duty, also playing for Kissing Cousins.
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Music for 18 Musicians and Filardo at Pehrspace

One of the 18

Looking at the Pehrspace calendar, I noticed that they were putting on something called Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich. I honestly had no clue who Steve Reich was so that didn't necessarily capture my attention. What really enticed me was the following: "How it works: each of the 18 musicians will have a set of headphones connected to the same sound source as each other. The sound source . . . will be playing Steve Reich's original ECM recording of Music for 18 Musicians; The audience will not hear this music, only the performers will. The performers will then, on their instruments, attempt to figure out and play any part of the music they are hearing in their headphones."

For some reason, this reminded me of my brief time in San Francisco and the couple of times I hung out at The Lab. So off I went. Now I'm assuming that a.) the musicians took the time to listen to Music for 18 Musicians ahead of time and b.) even though they were all wearing headphones they could still hear what their fellow musicians were doing.

Filardo

As the musicians starts playing Music for 18 Musicians, I couldn't help but think that the music was very repetitive and minimalist. The same measures seemed to be played over and over again. And yet, as the musicians proceeded through this nearly 1 hour composition, I found it calming. This was a well worth adventure to take.

Playing before the Steve Reich composition was Filardo. In many ways, they were the perfect band to play right beforehand. Their music has that minimalist sound.

Comment of the set: Filardo's drummer was sitting on a regular chair versus a drummers' chair. He was therefore much close to the floor than his standing band mates. "I feel like the kid brother here," he said.

A Movie Review: Alice Adams

Alice Adams. Alice Adams (Katharine Hepburn) and her mother (Ann Shoemaker) wish they were wealthier. Alice wants to marry up. Her mother is upset that her husband (Fred Stone) has not achieved at the same level as others in the small town. She also has a brother (Frank Albertson) who is satisfied with his life. She is invited to a party of a wealthy friend. She runs into Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray). He is wealthy and an obvious target.

I didn't find this to be one of Katharine Hepburn's better movies. To me, Arthur Russell's character just didn't feel real. I felt sorry for him as he was being manipulated badly by Alice. He was even told about the situation by others and experienced it himself and yet he couldn't help but fall for Alice. I just wonder what would happen after marriage when he realized he didn't marry the person he thought he was marrying.

One should feel even more sorry for Alice's father. He was manipulated into doing his boss (Charles Grapewin) wrong. His boss was not a heartless person. Alice's father had not worked for a very long time and yet his boss still paid him a salary. For anyone to encourage Alice's father to back stab his boss is essentially an evil person.

Of note: there is an actress in the movie named Evelyn Venable. One can't help but think of a certain actress named Jennifer Lawrence. The two have to be distant relatives.

Los Angelics at Silverlake Lounge

Los Angelics. They're a bundle of energy. Sara Coda and Sara Collins never stop moving. Their set has to be their own personal workout video. Their band practices and live sets have to be all the exercise they need to do. As for their sound? It is electronic. Along with the two Saras are two keyboardists, bouncing along with the beat.

I was asked by one of the Saras if I had a pen so that they could write down their set. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Folks should catch this band. If they let the music take them over, they'll have their exercise for the night covered for sure.
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Barb Wire Dolls and Others at Whisky a Go Go

Barb Wire Dolls

Barb Wire Dolls is doing a July/August residency at Whisky a Go Go. This is a return for them after just recently doing a March residency. Who could ask for more? This band leaves it all out there. And I love it. And photographers love it, as well. The place was packed with photographers. But who can blame us. This is a fun band to photograph and the Whisky a Go Go has great lights that make for some awesome outcomes.

Opening up for Barb Wire Dolls was Others. I quickly realized I was in for a great back-to-back set of bands. How could I tell? I was smiling throughout their set. I just couldn't help it. Long hair. Heavy metal. And yet approachable.
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A Movie Review: Heaven Can Wait (1943)

Heaven Can Wait. Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche) has died. In the afterlife, he assumes based on his life that he's heading to Hell. At the Gates of Hell he meets with His Excellency (Laird Cregar). The two review his life story. Henry was one playboy. He even had a boyhood affair with the family French maid Mademoiselle (Signe Hasso). He settles down; however, when he falls for Martha (Gene Tierney). Even this life long love was clouded in scandal. His cousin Albert (Allyn Joslyn) was meant to marry Martha, but during a family gathering Henry convinces Martha to run away with him.

Perhaps the basic message of this movie is: you don't need to be perfect life. For me, I found the movie just ever so depressing. Here's a man who wasn't perfect, but definitely not a horrible person, looking back at his life and seeing it as a failure. Also, the love of his life dies way too soon and he is left with an empty feeling in his heart for the rest of his years. For me, it was all so depressing, because as you watch the movie you have to say he has totally misjudged his life.

One thing about the movie I found really interesting was how intent the Van Cleve family was to have their young adults marry others who were of their monetary status. Falling for showgirls or even young women from middle class backgrounds was totally unacceptable. Martha's family owned the largest meat packing company in America, which made her socially acceptable. As for the Van Cleve family, I'm  not sure what they did. I'm assuming they were bankers, but I don't believe it is directly referenced in the movie.

Yes, I found this movie depressing. Of course, the question is: did I enjoy it? I can't give it a thumbs up. My problem is that Don Ameche narrates the movie and I just found his voice rather monotone. Maybe that's a silly reason to dislike a movie and maybe he spoke that way as a sign of his resignation to his afterlife destiny. I just wanted more jazz there.  

Randomly Running into People

So the last month was spent randomly running into people I know or recognize.

First up: I was having lunch at Home (a restaurant). Now it just so happened that this was the 4th choice by my friends and me. It so happened that other restaurants were closed. We were near the end of our meal. I looked through a window, into the restaurant's patio. And there was a friend I hadn't seen in 2 years. I rushed out to say hello and congratulate her on her engagement.

Second up: I mentioned this in a previous blog. I was off to see a friend who was doing some storytelling. I was early so I stopped in at a record store. And there was a friend. Wow.

Third up: At the storytelling, there were perhaps 20 folks in the audience. I immediately recognized someone. I don't know her, but I definitely knew who she was and I'm pretty sure she recognized me.

Finally: I was out doing some photography for Pasadena. I asked a couple if I could take their picture. The lady said, "Sure, but I have to ask you a question first. Where have I seen you?" Well, we both did photography at Make Music Pasadena and Brokechella.

Now what are the chances of all that happening in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Probably pretty high. A big city and yet so small. Admittedly, the negative part of me has to ask: are we just all creatures of habit and those of us with similar interests are just bound to run into each other on a regular basis? Maybe that's not negative at all, but a sign that we are all tied together somehow.

A Television Review: Wayward Pines

Wayward Pines. Ethan Burke is a secret service agent. He is sent off to look for two missing agents, Kate Hewson (Carla Gugino) and Bill Evans. The car he is in gets rammed by a truck. The car is largely destroyed and there is no evidence what so ever that Ethan Burke was ever in the car. His wife Theresa Burke (Shannyn Sossamon) and son Ben Burke (Charlie Tahan) are not convinced that he is dead. They head off to his last known location, Wayward Pines.

Meanwhile, Ethan Burke wakes up in a forest and manages to stumble into Wayward Pines where he makes some discoveries. First, he finds Kate Hewson, who has aged since just a few days prior. Second, via the help of a waitress, Beverly Brown (Juliette Lewis), he finds the burned up body of Bill Evans. Third, while Kate Hewson is much older, he finds out that Beverly Brown believes she's living in the past. Fourth, he discovers that he is unable to drive out of Wayward Pines. Then there is the rather sinister Nurse Pam (Melissa Leo) and not so on-the-level Dr. Jenkins (Toby Jones).

I don't want to give away too many spoilers as this is a really fun television series to watch without knowing a thing about what is about to unfold. What I would suggest if you did what I did and DVR'd the whole season to binge watch is to keep the first 2 episodes. While watching, I started to question if this show had some huge logic gaps. After re-watching the first 2 episodes, I came to the conclusion there weren't very many. At most, I think there are possibly 2 logic gaps that were used to misdirect the audience. One was potentially explained away when another person mentioned that she experienced something similar. The other I just don't think is realistic -- it relates to the car that Theresa Burke and Ben Burke drove. However, I think the bigger issues that make one wonder if there is a gap of logic is easily cleared up. I will say that the first episode has a lot of time shifting going on that is slowly explained in future episodes.

What I love about this is that I think the characters are all well defined (not like a similar town-in-crisis sci fi show called Under the Dome). What we learn -- since this is given away rather early it isn't so much of a spoiler unless one isn't paying attention -- is that the town is run by Dr. Jenkins (Toby Jones). I honestly think that the actions that he takes throughout the season makes perfect sense. I think even Nurse Pam's transformation can be seen via her interactions with Ethan Burke. The one character I think is a little ill-defined is the school teacher Megan Fisher (Hope Davis). Part of me wasn't sure if she was a supporter or a potential power usurper of Dr. Jenkins. Of course, this was most likely how the character was written to give some suspense, but I just felt like the character's decisions in the final episodes didn't seem to make total sense due to her subjective nature.

I highly recommend watching this television series. It was meant as a mini-series so if there is a potential second season, it might very well stink; however, this first season is a jewel and since it was mean as a mini-series you're not left on a cliffhanger.  

A Fun Weekend: July 25/26

Sometimes you just have a fun weekend -- or maybe call them a bit productive and fun weekend.

So a recent weekend went as follows:

Hanging out at Hotel Cafe to catch a friend in his new band. And at the same time, seeing another band where the drummer used to play in a band that I used to follow called The Child. Now that's cool.

Hanging out at Stories LA Books & Cafe to see my friend do some storytelling on traveling around Los Angeles without a car. Now my friend told a cool story, but what really stood out for me was Lauren Brown. I swear her storytelling was like watching an episode of Girls.

And here's what is very unique about the weekend. Back to Hotel Cafe and my friend. That was Saturday night. On Sunday I went to Stories LA Books & Cafe. I got there a little early so I decided to hang out at Origami Vinyl for a few minutes. I flip through some records. I decide it is time to head over to the bookstore. I turn around and who do I see? My band friend. Los Angeles is large and small at the same time.

In regards to Stories LA Books & Cafe. This bookstore is on Sunset Blvd, close to The Echo. I nearly always park on Glendale Blvd when I'm heading off to this part of Sunset Bvld. and then take a staircase up to Sunset. Why does this staircase always smell like piss? I swear I never see anyone lingering on this staircase. I just see folks heading up and down it. Is there a single person out there who has decided to make this staircase his/her urine stop?

My weekend wasn't all about going out to hang with friends.

I finished up a Michael Connelly book called The Black Box.

I started my binge watching of Wayward Pines.

I spend my normal Sunday morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

Spectacular Spectacular, Katie Burden and Anahita Skye at Hotel Cafe

After a long absence, I headed off to Hotel Cafe. The one significant reason for my heading out was to catch Spectacular Spectacular. A friend is one of the back-up musicians for this trio.

I showed up a little early and got to catch Anahita Skye and Katie Burden. Anahita Skye music is joyful and preppy. You can't help but feel cheerful throughout the set. Katie Burden's style differs. The music is sung as if every word might lead one over the cliff. It makes one cling to every moment. I did not know this in advance, but Norm Block is part of her band -- I've followed him in other bands such as The Child.

The final band of the night was Spectacular Spectacular. I didn't know exactly what to expect. They had a couple sounds up on Soundcloud so I took a listen. The first song was Saturday Night. It starts out like a typical Hotel Cafe sound before suddenly exploding into a punk rock rage. Then it quickly transitions back to the typical Hotel Cafe sound. I was at a total loss. What is up with this band? Well, it all works very well during their live set.


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