Additional Bloomfest Photo: Hello Vegas

Hello Vegas

Additional Bloomfest Photo: Eastern Conference Champions

Eastern Conference Champions

Additional Bloomfest Photo: Chicano Batman

Chicano Batman

Additional Bloomfest Photo: Love Grenades

Love Grenades

Additional Bloomfest Photo: Bullet and Snowfox

Bullet and Snowfox

Up On Intraffik.com: Bloomfest 2011

Up on Intraffik with some photos from Bloomfest 2011.

Andy Clockwise and The Street & Babe Shadow at The Satellite

It was off to a good night of music at The Satellite where I caught The Street and Babe Shadow and
Andy Clockwise. The Street and Babe Shadow gave us a country tinged show that brought along with it a band name that made you mentally repeat it so that you could look them up in the future.  Andy Clockwise had us all feeling like we were part of the band.

Comment of the night via Andy Clockwise:  Can you turn up the bass monitor and the drum monitor?  I can't hear, I'm deaf.  

Time.  The theme of the night was time.  The Street and Babe Shadow kept mentioning how they had two songs left.  They kept going for awhile, but who cared that they gave us some anti-climatic moments because they gave us a solid set.  Andy Clockwise got cut off by the sound guy.  Andy Clockwise, "We have one last song for you."  Sound guy, "Sorry, I was told to cut you off."  Andy Clockwise, "Why?"  Sound guy, "There is another band after you and you've gone on for an hour and twenty minutes."  Andy Clockwise, and just to note that he was being totally cooperative and understanding of the situation, "Oh . . . okay guys [his band mates], we're done, let's take our bow."  Oh well, like I said, time was the theme of the night . . . the lack of it.  No matter, we had two great sets played at Satellite on a Monday night.

The Street and Babe Shadow










Andy Clockwise

Mere Mortals end their run

From Buzz Bands LA (20 July 2011), Mere Mortals: Bidding farewell, with ‘Love X’. I only caught Mere Mortals a couple times; however, I do distinctly remember my first time seeing them a little over two years ago at Cinespace.  They were on the same bill as The Mulhollands.  I loved them.  It is sad to hear they're calling it quits.

A Movie Review: Kiss Me Know Kiss Me Later

I was privileged to catch a screening of the documentary Kiss Me Know Kiss Me Later.  It tells the story of the Kiss or Kill Club scene in Los Angeles that reached a peak in 2005 before ending in 2007.  The more well known bands that came out of that scene included The Dollyrots, Bang Sugar Bang and The Randies.

The underlying theme of the movie is family.  Families have fun together, but unfortunately there are serious breakups.  One of the open wounds for the Kiss or Kill Club scene is the rift that developed between The Dollyrots and Bang Sugar Bang.  Jealously, hurt feelings, ex-communication.  It is there for all to see.

I will say that I wish a coda was added on to this movie in regards to this family rift.  I distinctly remember seeing in 2007-ish, The Dollyrots showing up at The Scene in Glendale to support Bang Sugar Bang.  Also, those of us who were part of the Kiss or Kill Club scene know that The Dollyrots came back to play one of the last shows.  It would have been nice to show that families fight, but they do mend their ways.

Over-all, a nice walk down memory lane.

A Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris. I really loved this movie. Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) are in Paris.  In a few months, they'll be married.  You can immediately tell that their relationship isn't the best.  Gil is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who wants to become an author.  Inez loves living the life that comes from being the significant other of a successful Hollywood-type.  Dreams vs. Money.  And dreams do come into the picture as Gil finds himself swept into a time machine car that at midnight takes him to the past. 

Some classic scenes from the movie.  Gil runs into Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison Pill) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) at a party.  He hasn't yet realized that he's taken a time machine car back into the 1920s.  Gil is surprised to learn that his new friends have the same names as the famous Fitzgerald couple.  Owen Wilson's facial expression and tone of voice are classic.  Another classic scene is when Gil is back in real time Paris.  He is looking around an open air shop and runs into a store clerk, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux).  As he leaves, there is a split second shot of Gabrielle.  It might seem insignificant, but to me that split second shot of Gabrielle as she looks down is filled with meaning and foretelling.

A Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. This is the final battle where Harry Potter and his allies take on Lord Voldemort and his cohorts. It is a brilliant apocalyptic ending to the series.  Suggestion:  Though I did not do this, it would be helpful to watch the previous Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie as this one starts off where the last one ended. I was a touch disoriented for the first five minutes of this movie. After that it kicks if off as the gang of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) rob a bank, join their allies at Hogsworth and then fight the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. The battle scenes are magical and are sprinkled with various cliché moments, which lend a sense of humor to this largely dark storyline.  Punches aren't skipped as characters we've grown up with are killed off.  This lends itself to gloom, but in the end one can't help but find themselves at the edge of their seat throughout the movie.

A Movie Review: The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life.  Bored to death.

The film revolves around Jack (Sean Penn) as he looks back on his life.  The day we meet him is the anniversary of a younger brother's death.  His brother died at the age of 19 from unknown causes.  As he struggles through this specific day, we see him reflect on his younger years:  his relationship with his brothers (the assumption on my part is that it is his more artistic-leaning brother who dies way too young) and parents.

Nature vs. Grace is a theme of this movie.  To me, it looked like both are failures.  Mr O'Brien (Brad Pitt) is not well liked by his children because he is a very harsh father -- though I wouldn't call him abusive (nature).  Mrs O'Brien (Jessica Chastain) is loved by her children when they are young, but specifically Jack (played by Hunter McCracken as the youth) runs over her as he grows older (grace).  The movie also decides to spend ten minutes or so going through the history of evolution.  What is up with that?  Is that to show us that no matter what nature wins over grace or is it to show that we hardly matter in the grand scheme of life.

And as for Jack.  If anyone is the biggest jerk in the family, it is this kid.  Can one blame this on his father or mother?  Doubtful.  Nature has decided to make this kid the bad seed.

Yes, I am writing a lot about this movie, which sometimes indicates that it is a movie that makes one think.  In this case; however, I'm writing a lot because I felt like it was a movie that addressed significant issues in the most boring of manners.  Seriously, I didn't care one bit about the family.

A Movie Review: Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses. Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) are stuck with some horrible bosses in Dave (Kevin Spacey), Bobby (Colin Farrell) and Julia (Jennifer Aniston) respectively. So horrible are their bosses that the three devise a scheme to murder their bosses.

Does this movie make any sense what so ever? Are there situations that make no sense? Sure. But in this case, I put it all aside, because this is a fun comedy that also has the zeitgeist of our times in mind.

A Movie Review: Green Lantern

Green Lantern. Another comic book super hero. This movie wasn't awful, but it isn't Dark Knight or Iron Man either. Is it worth watching as a summer popcorn movie? Yes; however, don't expect much more than a pleasant thrill ride.  As I sometimes describe summer movies, it is a movie to see when you want to escape the summer heat.

Up On Intraffik: Behind Closed Doors

Up on Intraffik. So a cabaret called Behind Closed Doors is opening up tonight. Music is written/composed by Aaron Beaumont, who has been highlighted on this blog along with on intraffik.  Take a look.  See if you're interested. 

Queen Kwong and LA Font @ Silverlake Lounge

Queen Kwong delivered us a crazy night.  All one has to do is spend ten minutes watching this video and you'll understand what I'm saying. The video shows Queen Kwong's last song. About halfway through the video, Carré (lead singer) walks off stage, waving. I took this as a sign that their set was finished. Not so. They continued on, providing us with a five minute jam session that including pacing, yelling . . . and then the full on destruction of a bass guitar. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!  Okay, so the question is:  was that planned or inspired?  Whatever the answer via Queen Kwong, the question for many of you is:  why weren't you at Silverlake Lounge?    

Update 7/15:  So a friend sent me an e-mail asking why I didn't invite her to see a band called Godzilla or some band with a zilla in it.  What, I asked?  I went through a list of bands I'd seen over the last month or so, maybe she's thinking about Zola Jesus?  Zola, zilla, maybe?  No, she was talking about Queen Kwong.  I don't know how you get Godzilla from Queen Kwong, but I figure it is a funny little side story.   

My Mondays in Los Angeles are spent trying to circulate among the various Silverlake/Echo Park venues to catch the residency bands. LA Font is the July residency band at Silverlake.  I say this was particularly a night for the various bass players to shine.  The bass player for LA Font did not destroy his musical instrument at the end of their set, but he did shine in his own way.  On this night, he roamed the stage, enjoying some friendly riffs with the drummer, moving to the center of the stage to jam with the other band mates and swinging his bass guitar in all manner of directions. 

Queen Kwong






LA Font

A Movie Review. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  So this movie is viewed as much better than Transformers 2. I must disagree. During the first half of this movie, I was bored to death. How is it that Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is unable to find a job? And during the second half when the action starts, I could have cared less. Instead, during this action packed second half, I found the role of Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) totally irritating as her only lines seemed to be, "Sam! Sam! Sam!"

A Movie Review. X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class. I really enjoyed this movie. I’m no expert on X-Men so forgive me if I totally misstate things here, but the premise of this movie is to start back at the beginning when Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) started to notice their extraordinary powers. You can tell from the start why the two took different paths in life. Charles Xavier came from a family of wealth and therefore trusted the system. Erik Lehnsherr suffered through the holocaust and therefore did not trust the system. In many ways, as the movie indicates, Erik is correct (though obviously too vengeful) while Charles is too naive (he eventually realizes this as he creates a school that is hidden from all).

This is a movie that keeps your attention throughout. It is well-acted though I will say that the scenes that are fully focused on the “newbie” mutants are a bit awkward. The film does rely on James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Kevin Bacon to carry the movie. When I first saw that this movie was going to focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis my first thought was: wow, this is going to feel like a really dated movie, but they instead use it to great effect.

Now I have to give it up to Rose Bryne. Looking through her film history, I’ve seen a number of the films she stared in: 28 Weeks Later, Knowing, Get Him to the Greek; however, it wasn’t until Bridesmaids that she really stood out for me. And for this movie, she brought out a sweetness that would have gone missing otherwise.

A Movie Review: Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids. Perhaps the best movie that came out in the early part of the summer movie season. When I first saw a trailer of the movie, I thought it was going to be about Annie (Kristen Wiig) and her jealousy that her best friend Lillian (May Rudolph) was getting married. I guess I misinterpreted the trailer. It has nothing to do with that. It is a movie about the misadventures (caused by Annie) as Lillain prepares for her wedding. Yes, this is a female-centric movie, but I have to admit that as a non-female I loved it.

Best thing about this movie: in the end, no one is really portrayed as an evil person. They could have easily made Helen (Rose Byrne) into an evil witch, but they didn’t. Yes, she does play mean once with Annie, but even in that situation it isn’t something that one would consider horrible – almost like someone who is essentially a good person pushing things a touch too far.

A Movie Review. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Another Pirates movie where we get to follow Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) around. First half of the movie, horrid. Second half of the movie, it finds its footing.

Penelope Cruz (Angelica Malon) comes in to replace Keira Knightley, but let’s all admit it that Astrid Berges-Frisbey (Syrena) is the real replacement. Wow.

I think one really has to give it up to Pirates for treating Christians with a nice brush. In contrast to the movie Paul where Christianity is slammed, the Christian character in this movie, Philip (Sam Claflin) is treated as a person who is first persecuted for his belief, but is also shown as perhaps the only kind hearted person in the crew of pirates.

The Shakers, 8MM and Kidney Thieves at The Troubadour

It was off to The Troubadour to catch The Shakers, 8MM and Kidney Thieves.  What a truly great night of music.  The Shakers started it off.  Similar to like how Club Moscow is sometimes, no one was allowed inside the venue until the very last minute.  By the time I got in, The Shakers had already started their set.  This is one band that is in constant motion.  8MM came up next.  They slowed it down a tad and gave us some sexy red.  The final band of the night for me was Kidney Thieves.  Energizing rock that had The Troubadour rocking.  The band had 4 or 5 camera guys filming the whole set.  This had the band giving it their best.  One fan was so energized she jumped on stage and stole the set list in the middle of the set.

The Shakers



8MM





Kidney Thieves

The Child and Papercranes at Harvard & Stone

There will be more on this night on Intraffik.com (the annual summer blog post).  So for now just some photos of The Child and Papercranes.

The Child








Papercranes

Up On Intraffik: June Playlist

Up On Intraffik.com with the June Playlist.

This is a New Zealand-centric list.  The bands listed are:

Wasteland
Leeches
Oilbarrons
Rogernomix
April Fish
Jason Webley
Amanda Palmer
Frank Gibson
The Thomas Oliver Band
Black Sand Diva
Sacha Vee
Chloe Bartlett
Good Oil
Mojave
Miho Wada
The Recliner Rockers
Riverhead Slide

Click on the above link for just a little bit more music fun.

Andre Williams and Jail Weddings at The Satellite

It was off to see Andre Williams and Jail Weddings at The Satellite.  What a fun night.  Jail Weddings started the night off for us and closing out the night was Andre Williams (being backed up by many of the Jail Wedding band members).  Andre Williams gave us one solid show.  I did have concern midway through the set that he might need to slow down, but after getting a drink of water he finished off the set in wonderful style.  Noticed:  The young lady I mentioned who showed up to see Races, also showed up to catch Andre Williams.  Once again, she had the biggest smile on her face.

Jail Weddings





Andre Willaims

Happy 4th of July

Up On Intraffik: Movie Review of Super 8

Up on Intraffik: A movie review of Super 8.

Family of the Year, The Lonely Wild and Union Line at The Satellite

It was off to The Satellite to catch The Union Line, The Lonely Wild and Family of the Year. A write-up on this night will be part of my annual summer blog post on Intraffik so in September/October timeframe . . .


The Union Line



The Lonely Wild







Family of the Year

Diana Gone Wrong and The Mulhollands at On the Rox

It was off to On the Rox for a Bohemian Basement event to see Diana Gone Wrong and
The Mulhollands. There was also an acoustic set by (I believe) Donato McDermott and Everett Connors.  This night will be part of my annual summer blog post on Intraffik so there will be a little more detail on this come September/October.

Diana Gone Wrong



Everette Connors and Donato McDermott (w/ special guest from Celeste Kim)






The Mulhollands