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.

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.  

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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