I was surprised and touched by the number of men scattered amongst the still predominately female crowd at Ground Zero, silenced and awed as they stared up at the stage where the lovely speaker gestured at the screen as cheery, colorful slides sped by. Dressed chic in all black, with black lustrous fur and incomparable thick, black rubber skin. She was a Guerilla Girl, appearing at USC in her full badass regalia of head to toe black and the iconic rubber gorilla mask. As she turned her head to address the audience, we could see flashes of glittering red from behind the cut out eyeholes; either wicked glasses frames, or the flames of her ardor for activism burning in her eyes. Whichever, just seeing one of the founding Guerilla Girls on the stage was one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do at USC, or, y’know, ever.
The Guerrilla Girls are a band of female activists who work through art and anonymity to protest the under representation of women and/or minorities in the art world, Hollywood and politics. Through posters, billboards and biting wit they’ve been working since 1985 to redress wrongs and be “the conscience of the art world.” The anonymity is key; all members assume the name of dead female artists, and never appear without their masks. When asked how they settled on this particular persona, she answered: “We decided to be anonymous from the beginning… you couldn’t hate what we were doing because you hated us. Then we realized we needed an identity. One of our early members was a terrible speller, and during one of our meetings she was doodling GO-rilla girls the animal as opposed to GUE-rilla girls the freedom fighters… it confounds expectations and pushes people’s buttons.”
She entered the room after the lights were turned off and the bar closed the curtain to business, and broke the ice by handing out bananas on the way to the stage. The presentation then started with a PowerPoint talk covering the history of the Guerilla Girls activism, a sort of lite intro into what they were all about. It covered them from the beginning, when they were a small band of outsiders and renegades in New York, going out late at night to plaster the city with posters and stickers to the present, with their posters hanging in the TATE permanent collection, and shows at contemporary galleries around the world from Shanghai back to New York again.
Not that the recent somewhat ironic embrace from the art world has dulled their acerbic commentary any. At the recent opening of the Eli Broad gallery at LACMA, the Guerilla Girls protested the under-representation of women artists and artists of color at a tax supported museum, whose mission is purportedly to “educate a culturally diverse population.” When the curator of the Broad collection claimed that Cindy Sherman has forty-nine pieces on display, the Guerrilla Girls responded with another letter, pointing out that there were only four female artists out of thirty, and one black artist out of thirty. These numbers don’t coordinate with the number of women artists, and of artists in minority groups just in the Los Angeles area. It runs into the problem of museums, as elucidated in the Guerilla Girls activity book, as “places where rich people put their stuff.”
Not that they are limited to the art world; they have pointed out similar failings in the Hollywood system, and especially recently in the problems of government. My favorite is the “estrogen bomb” a poster and billboard campaign to bomb the various houses of government with estrogen pills to chill them out. They approach everything with a sense of humor; “communication is really important to us… if you don’t have a sense of humor we cannot speak to you.”
It was in that swinging sense of humor that she ended the presentation by getting a guy into skirt. There’s a cool story behind it, of course: the New York Times published an article and accompanying photo entitled “Arnold Glimcher and his Art World All Stars;” all of which were white men. The Guerrilla Girls did a responding poster entitle Hormone Imbalance Melanin Deficiency, catching the attention of Village Voice art critic Betsy Hass. Hass called Glimcher to ask him about his collection, and the skit was a re-enactment of the transcript of that telephone conversation. The guy from the audience was called up to play Hass; the Guerrilla Girl took on the role of Glimcher. It was both funny and disturbing, especially Glimcher’s lines—“we only represent artists who fit into our program,” and the suggestion that they continue the conversation “maybe over lunch.”
For the Guerilla Girls, it’s not a matter of men versus women, but of enlightened human rights and equality for all, and for not settling for tokenism. Their verve and jocularity were refreshing and inspiring, especially in the recent political and social climate, which considers the battle for equal rights basically won, and demonizes feminism. And their attraction isn’t an isolated phenomenon. They apparently receive tons of mail, especially in response to one of their earlier posters “Advantages of Being a Woman Artist” from female artists, most of which tend to be musicians, saying that this is the story of their lives.
By the end of the talk, the general excitement was such that the news that the Guerilla Girls weren’t looking for any new members, that in fact they preferred to stay small, and so didn’t solicit members in any way cast a tangible pall of disappointment over much of the room. She advised us to “find your own crazy way to be an activist… Speak out against what you think is wrong. The art world is a very f*cked up place.” She ended with this call for more activism, with undertones of addressing the type who make up the USC community especially–young people with all the advantages of education. The most important thing is to be active; after all “you wouldn’t be paying attention to a woman wandering around in a gorilla mask if it wasn’t attached to a body of work.”
Rumor has it that during Sigur Ros performances, the sheer overwhelming beauty of their pieces cause grown men to shed all traits of masculinity and suddenly break down and cry. I wasn’t sure how valid this statement was or where it originated from, but I can assure you that when I bought my ticket, I was expecting a good cry to be a part of the experience. With this knowledge in the back of my mind I went into this concert with a box of Kleenex and extremely high expectations.
Having arrived to the show about a bit late, I missed most of the opening act, Parachutes, another Icelandic band that played that kind of dreamy ambiance pop very similar to Sigur Ros. There were several occasions however, when they sounded a little too similar (not that sounding like Sigur Ros is ever a bad thing). Unfortunately, I can’t really say much about this band, but everything I heard for those ten or so minutes sounded very promising. I’d say to definitely give them a shot on recording. After this brief taste of Icelandic magic, my anticipation had only grown. I held my box of Kleenex closely, ready for Sigur Ros. (more…)
The L.A. native rapper known as “Bambu” describes himself as “a dad, a comrade, an organizer, an artist, a worker, a fan, a soldier, a thinker, a do-er and a fighter until death.”
In a world where the hip hop chart-toppers continue to sell a superficial story of ”riches and bitches,” it really can be a struggle for artists of politically conscious hip hop like Bambu to get their voices heard. But on Saturday night at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, he rocked the stage reflecting on all of these aspects of his life while still maintaining a groove that kept the audience jumping.
His latest album, The Exchange, dropped on Sept. 11, and is available online through his Myspace - (see bottom).
This is Bambu’s “I Scream,” off of I Scream Bars for the Children:
The show also included performances by a local duo called U-N-I, featuring one MC from Los Angeles, and one from Seattle. They were recently nominated by MTV as an L.A. Breakout Artist. They gave an enthusiastic and goofy performance, with the highlight being their song “Beautiful Day,” off of Fried Chicken and Watermelon, which is great to see live, but also has an awesome music video:
The show also featured a Seattle MC-DJ duo called Common Market. Unfortunately, they were unable to perform due to an equipment malfunction. This group is also well worth checking out for those interested in music that promotes a well-crafted and empowering message.
This is “Trouble Is,” off their new album, Tobacco Road, released in January:
Overall, the show was well worth its cost ($10), in spite of the equipment malfunctions. The Knitting Factory is a cool little venue to check out for future shows, featuring lots of local up-and-coming artists. Their schedule is available online.
For a band whose name describes their striving to reach beyond the bounds of the local Bay Area music scene, Facing New York has done pretty well for themselves.In addition to numerous support slots throughout the country for bands like Cursive and Coheed and Cambria, their unique brand of progressive and post-rock has brought them as far as Japan to tour with Eastern Youth in 2006 and across all of Europe with RX Bandits in 2007.
On April 18th, the Bay Area boys were a little closer to home (376.9 miles from home, give or take) as they played at the Troubadour in Hollywood along with Los Angeles brethren The Outline and veterans of the KSCR concert series, Division Day. This was guitarist (also on Rhodes and vox) Matt Fazzi’s last Southern California show as a member of Facing New York.
The band, also comprised of lead vocalist Eric Frederic on keys and guitar, bassist Brandon Canchola and drummer Omar Cuellar, announced just weeks ago that Fazzi was leaving Facing New York and would be playing his last shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco. His reasons for leaving, though not fully disclosed, relate to an opportunity that recently presented itself to Fazzi, which “he’d be a damn fool to pass up.” FNY has assured fans that they are parting ways cordially and these shows would not be Fazzi’s last time on stage with them. This is not the first time fans or members of Facing New York have seen a founding member leave. Just two years ago, Rene Carranza went back to school at UC Berkeley, leaving Fazzi and Frederic to fill in on keys, and leaving Facing New York as a four-piece. Carranza joined his former band mates for the encore of Fazzi’s last show, in San Francisco the night following their Hollywood show.
Now as a three-piece, the band plans to begin recording in May, for their upcoming album – the first since their self-titled full-length release in 2005.As the band’s lineup and influences have fluctuated through the years, the next album promises to reflect the evolution of Facing New York and present new sounds and structures which they’ve been eager to share with their fans - and did so that night at the Troubadour.
Facing New York opened the show humbly with Frederic explaining, “We usually don’t do big intros.” Instead, they let the music speak for itself, beginning with syncopated hand-clapping and their signature duet of dueling drum kits as they introduced their fans to “All a This,” a song which they’d not yet played live and just recently debuted the demo of on their Myspace page. Similarly, I won’t say much more about the song or their performance of it and let the live footage speak for itself. I should warn you, however, that the video has the slight potential to cause nausea as well as seizures. You have YouTube user mojoerose and the fine lighting technicians at the Troubadour to thank for that. But for those not particularly sensitive to light or motion, click play and enjoy.
Another highlight was fan (yours truly included) favorite, “Full Turn,” which had the audience hanging on every beat, note, and riff. For much of the song the audience stood still, wide-eyed and open-jawed, anticipating parts of the song they knew so well, yet sounded and felt like a new experience live. And the rest of the time? Well, they rocked the hell out, of course.
Facing New York returns to Los Angeles on May 20th opening for Subtle at the Knitting Factory, before their US tour with RX Bandits and Portugal the Man.
Meanwhile, you can catch Eric Frederic’s solo side project, Wallpaper. fresh from Coachella and playing gigs EVERY night this week all over Los Angeles, at hipster faves Check Yo’ Ponytail and Club Moscow among others.
At first glance, MTV’s celebrity-offspring singing competition Rock the Cradle doesn’t seem like much more than a third-rate American Idol knock off. The dueling karaoke numbers of these celebrities-by-default isn’t helped much by the ludicrous over-hosting, the asinine judging panel, and the contestants’ syrupy vows that they have what it takes to “make it” on their own (except, you know, for being the child of someone famous and getting on the show in the first place).
This glorious train wreck of a television show does have one saving grace–the parents. Some of them have a bizarre synergistic relationship with their kids, as if it’s another way to extend mom or dad’s fame just a bit longer. Witness: the Dee and Jesse “Blaze” Snider tag team…
Many of the parents appear at the live show taping to appraise their progeny’s talents after they have been harshly judged by a blue-ribbon panel that includes Avril Lavigne’s choreographer and the lead singer of the Go-Gos. And nearly all of them star in completely natural and fluid staged video packages, dispensing essential rock-star parental advice with varying degrees of verisimilitude.
But at least everyone seems to genuinely care about each other amidst the wackiest jet set talent show ever conceived. It’s nice to see Bobby Brown on TV again outside the context of an E! True Hollywood Story. Particularly sympathetic is Crosby “Son of Kenny” Loggins, who possesses a disarming humility (on silver spoons: “I used to get a lot of crap for what my dad did. I didn’t care. ‘Danger Zone’ put food on my table.”) that is incredibly out of place in RtC’s world of whiz-bang presentation and contrived verbal sparring. Surely MTV knows this too and has prescribed some of the least convincing cockiness and the most unexpected bleep in TV history to give the family Loggins more “edge”:
Soft rockers don’t swear! But at least they’re setting a better example than Lil B. Sure! (son of obscure R&B veteran Al B. Sure!):
Whether you’ve just heard “Knife” or had the “Yellow House” album on repeat for all of ‘06 and ‘07, it’s undeniable that Grizzly Bear have established themselves as beloved musicians of the indie world, receiving props from some guy named Paul Simon and having their most well-known song covered by a gazillion bands like Cansei de Ser Sexy and Band of Horses. Looks like those kids had a pretty good year.
Now it can be said that if Grizzly Bear’s music is known for anything, it’s all in the feeling. It’s warm, it’s fuzzy, and it just feels so damn good. Their magic is in the personal connection made between musician and listener and every sleepless night or beautiful morning could be soundtracked with this band’s songs. So now, imagine yourself late at night, drifting off to the soft sound of Dan Rossen’s voice and guitar piping through your headphones. Now ditch those headphones and imagine you’re in a giant wooden box with the LA Philharmonic and the best acoustics you’ve ever heard in your life. That’s the best way I can describe Grizzly Bear and the LA Phil’s show on Saturday, March 1 at Disney Hall. It’s a large venue and the band somehow filled the space while keeping things feeling intimate.
Vampire Weekend came to the Echo last night and they killed. These witty preps from NY played a great live set, effectively translating their unique sound onto a live stage with a ton of energy. Long live danceable bass lines, airy island guitars, and diverse rhythms. Oh! and that keyboard! The boys got some chops. Did I mention the wonderful lyrics? Hold on, I think I’m drooling.
Indeed, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding this band of four Columbia grads - so much that even MTV got an interview with Ezra, Rostam, Christopher, and Chris. The best part about all of this? Vampire Weekend doesn’t even release their debut self-titled until January 29th. Granted, their notorious “Blue-CDR” of recorded full length promos was leaked and has been floating around the internet for awhile. But, that’s a lot of hype for a band with no official LP. So, why all the buzz?
Answer: Gloriously catchy tunes, excellent live shows, and a fresh sound.
Say all you want about Paul Simon’s Graceland, early Talking Heads, and African tribal music/drums. These kids can play fantastically well, and desearve the attention. Here’s a video of “Mansard Roof”:
Pick of the set: “Oxford Comma.” Vampire Weekend is out 1/29/08 on XL.
Some of my favorite concerts are those by new bands who are still truly humble and grateful to their audiences, Los Campesinos!’s show at the Echoplex on Nov. 27 was just that. Their set was short (but not too short), energetic, and…well as fun as you’d expect a band named Los Campesinos! to be. It was really refreshing to see how truly excited they were to play on the West Coast “in Hollywood” as they kept repeating to the audience in between their songs, and it showed in the energy they put into each of their songs. Some songs I’d recommend would be “We throw parties, you throw knives”, “Don’t tell me to do the math(s)”, and “You!Me!Dancing!”.
Their opening band was The Most Serene Republic who were excellent despite their slightly creepy lead singer…
The L.A. native rapper known as “Bambu” describes himself as “a dad, a comrade, an organizer, an artist, a worker, a fan, a soldier, a thinker, a do-er and a fighter until death.”