Eddie and the Hot Rods – Prima Donna – The Re-Volts – Johnny Madcap and the Distractions – at The Knitting Factory – April 26, 2009

Do you love rock and roll? Do you love it like Joan Jett loves it? like Wendy O. loved it? If you do, then you were probably at Eddie and the Hotrods' return to the Knitting Factory this past Sunday. If you weren't you're about to feel bad. The show opened with Johnny Madcap and the Distractions, relative new-comers, and Los Angeles locals. Despite being a newer band, Johnny Madcap already has a decent following. They play a nice blend of power pop and garage rock. If a bit conventional, the songs themselves are catchy, and the band has good stage presence and are fun to watch. They do a handful of good covers, including a rousing version of the Vibrations' "Hang on Sloopy", so if you like to sing along, you won't be disappointed. They'll be on the road with this tour, but keep an eye out for them when they get back, these guys are reminiscent of the Briefs at times, and I definitely look forward to catching them again.

Next up were the Re-Volts down from San Francisco. The Re-Volts have great musical ability, but their frontman is perhaps a better guitarist than singer. Their songs have an excellent sense of urgency, driven by hard guitar riffs, and a hard-hitting drummer, but the vocal stylings leave something to be desired. Maybe thisis due to self-consciousness though, for when the band hit their Gary Glitter cover, the meekness dropped away from their singer, and they brought down the house. I would like to see this band again, as I'm betting with time they'll become more comfortable onstage, and be able to build on their obvious talent.

The final support act was Prima Donna. I'll go ahead and be diplomatic here and just say that this band left me cold. They did seem to have a couple dedicated fans in the crowd though.

At long last it was time for Eddie and the Hot Rods. I've been told time and again by tired "middle managers" who insist they used to be rockers that you slow down with age. You couldn't prove it by Eddie and the Hot Rods. With a career spanning over 30 years, they've lot none of their electric energy and charisma. The set was fast-paced and had a good mix of older and (relatively) newer songs, including "Quit This Town", "Why Should I Care", and "Teenage Depression". The crowd was super excited, singing along to the better known songs, and dancing for the entire set which lasted well over an hour. The band closed with the seminal anthem "Do Anything You Wanna Do" originally joined on stage by Angel City Outcasts' Alex Brugge, and almost immediately joined by anyone from the crowd who could make their way up on stage.

Not allowed to rest, the crowd called the band back for an encore. They returned to do their cover of "Born to be Wild" before inviting everyone to the Beauty Bar for the after party and retiring for the night. Most memorable moment? When singer Barrie Masters turned to bassist Dipster, and said "I fucking love this." So do we sir, so do we.


-Jo Problems-

 
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Music play list for the week ending April 26, 2009

Top 25  - In no particular order -

Depeche Mode - Strangelove
TSOL - Code Blue
The Applicators - Shove U Out
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
The Plimsouls - Zero Hour
Starsailor - Poor Misguided Fool
Channel 3 - I Didn't Know
Silversun Pickups - Kissing Families
Interpol - Evil
Anti-Pasti - Six Guns
She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart
The Replacements - I Hate Music
Lower Class Brats - I'm A Mess
Fallujah 71 - Waiting On World War III
Goldblade - Home Turf
Manic Hispanic - Code Brown
Agression  - Intense Energy
The Jam - Town Called Malice
Flesheaters - Pony Dress
MIA - Boredom is the reason
Huntingtons - Hooray For You
Jackson United - The Land Without Law
Eddie and The Subtitles - American Society
Dramarama - Anything, Anything
Lillian Furneaux - Beneath The Shadows

The above list are some of the top played songs amongst our staff this week.

 

This weeks playlist brought to you by: Various LA venues

 If you would like to sponsor our weekly playlist - Contact us

 

 

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Shows and events calendar for Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino, California and states all over the United States and the world. Complete and extended listing covering Punk, Indie, Rock, Psychobilly and more.

Fallujah 71 – Waiting On World War III

In looking at the overall package it is absent of a record label and the band just put this out themselves, Ohh my gawd… how did the record labels out there screw up and not sign this band? …what a mistake, yet maybe in the label’s defense they did not know about this release, so pay attention. One of the key things when you put out a record is sequencing, and from the get go this album opens up with the title track, “Waiting on World War III”, it throws you on the ground and kicks your teeth in. Plenty of early 80’s LA Punk vibes can be felt in the songs with some throwbacks to some of the early UK bands. The guitar work and overall production on this record is very good while still keeping the sound credible. The vocals are sung with a sneer without being overdone and are placed appropriately to give lift to the music. As this record plays you can’t help keep picking up the package the album came in to make sense of the incredible sound verses the package that has a chick laying on the beach sucking a cocktail on the cover. A lot of the songs are tongue and cheek satirical to an extent with the underlying message of how they are interpreting the issues of the day. A favorite on this album would be the song “Psycho Neighbor” mainly because we have all had the misfortune of living next to one. The album ends with an excellent rendition of “Praise the lord and pass the ammunition”. Those are just a couple of the 13 tracks you will find on this debut release. This is one of those albums that when it is playing you are glad that you own this album. Again, how did the record labels miss this one?

Some of the smarter record stores around will most likely be carrying this album or you can check out the band's MySpace.

Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/fallujah71

 

- Big Wheel Online Magazine -

 

 

 

 

Art Opening featuring – Away From The Things Of Man New works by Kathleen Lolley

Thinkspace is proud to present:
...Away From The Things Of Man
New works by Kathleen Lolley

Opening Reception: Friday, May 8th 7-11PM
On View: May 8th – Jun. 5th, 2009

(Los Angeles, CA) …Away From The Things Of Man is the first solo exhibition at our gallery from Lousville, Kentucky-based artist Kathleen Lolley. Her debut Los Angeles solo exhibition will feature an array of works on wood as well as several large die-cut figures that will help to make up a very special installation.

In addition to Lolley’s solo exhibit in our main gallery, we will also be presenting the debut Los Angeles solo show from Virginia based artist Allison Sommers in our project room along with new works on our ‘Fresh Faces’ wall from Brazil based artist João Ruas.

…Away From The Things Of Man from Kathleen Lolley:
This show consists of oil paintings, drawings and wooden sculptures. Each painting is pure fantasy. They are vignettes of an alternate universe where beasts live harmoniously. The characters often find themselves in the woods performing secret rituals of transformation. For Kathleen, animals take center stage in her work, they represent the connection of the spirit world to the everyday world. Another inspiration is the place in which she lives, Louisville, which is a city surrounded by rugged woodlands.

Kathleen Lolley (born 1978 in Marshfield, Wisconsin) moved to Kentucky nine months after her birth. She spent her childhood split between Louisville, KY and Pittsburgh, PA. She attended California Institute of the Arts and received a BFA in experimental Animation. While at Calarts she experimented with hand-crafted stop motion puppets. This experience introduced her to the world of comics and sequential art. In addition to working on various commercial animations, including Nickelodeon’s Sponge Bob Squarepants and titles for the movie Willard, Kathleen has created a handful of short films.

Storytelling still plays a prominent role in her work. Kathleen's work explores themes of nature , fantasy & critters trying to break the spell of day to day heartbreak. She currently resides in Kentucky where she spends her time making crafts, comics and fine art.

Artist Website: http://www.lolleyland.com/
Sneak Peek of ‘…Away From The Things Of Man’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 442767303/

Also opening on Friday, May 8th in our project room:
‘A Brief History’ from Allison Sommers

Artist Statement:
A Brief History explores a culture of long-necked creatures. Fleshy and often nattily-dressed, they are prone to quarrel, consume, and bed each other with hedonistic abandon. Their footing with the creatures around them is ambiguous and often contentious; they are both predator and prey to the Rudi Cats, 'sweet' young humans, and other beasts around them.

Artist Bio:
Abandoning deference for playful irreverence, Allison Sommers draws on her interests in renaissance and baroque art, toying with staid motifs and trading solemnity for nose-thumbing whimsy. She delights in deconstructing the seriousness of historical tropes of art, and tempers sweetness with subtle touches of dark foreboding and sexual deviance.

Allison Sommers studied early modern history at the University of Virginia, where she was able to legitimize a lifelong love of the historical narratives and themes of the Old World, much of which continue to inform her work. She currently works as an art director for a newsweekly in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her partner Gerrit and their hedgehog, Ludwig. She has previously exhibited work at Thinkspace (Los Angeles), Ad Hoc (NYC), Gallery1988 (Los Angeles and San Francisco), Distinction Gallery (Escondido), DvA Gallery (Chicago), and at the Gen Art Vanguard New Contemporary Art Fair at Art Basel Miami.

Artist Website: http://allisonsommers.typepad.com/
Artist Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/on_a_boutade
Sneak Peek at ‘A Brief History’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 526358662/

PLUS on our 'Fresh Faces' wall this May:
‘Inner Myth Pt.
1' from João Ruas

Artist Statement:
Mythology has always been a subject for arts due to the fantastic yet real features they capture of the human psyche. With this series of works, I will explore the subject once more, trying to establish connections between actions or situations and mythological characters that represent the many faces necessary to construct one personality.

Artist Bio:
Born in Brazil, 28-year old artist João Paulo Alvares Ruas was still a young child when his interest for visual art started to grow. Comic books were his first bridge to lines and colors, during high school much of his time was devoted to creative thinking due to the almost alternative education institution he studied under. Later, he took Design as his choice in University.

After a three year stint in London, João went back to his home town, São Paulo, where he works and lives.

Artist Website: http://souvlaki.jp-ar.org/

Sneak Peek at ‘Inner Myth Pt. 1’:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace ... 233967481/

*ALL THREE ARTISTS WILL BE IN TOWN FOR THE OPENING*

Coming up this June:
Sarah Joncas “Beneath The Seams”
+ Kelly Vivanco “The Conservatory” in our project room
& “Portraits Of The Unknown” from Tran Nguyen as part of our ‘Fresh Faces’ series

_________________
Thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
#323.913.3375
contact@sourharvest.com
Thur-Sun 1-6PM
Web: www.thinkspacegallery.com
Blog: www.sourharvest.com

Wed- Apr 22, 2009 – The Devil Wears Prada w/
With A Day to Remember
Sky Eats Airplane & Emarosa – The Music Box at Fonda Theater – Hollywood, CA

The Imposters – The Time Has Come

Hermosa Beach's Imposters have come along way in the past few years, from their start as a band who could barely play on time with each other, to their present status as a Punk/surf/skate band who will give just about any local band a run for their money. With a guitar sound that takes cues equally from X, the Doors and the Chantays and vocals that sound like a cross between JFA and the Freeze, "The Time Has Come" is a solid record to say the least. The title is a referance to a Lewis Carroll poem from Through The Looking Glass and the record also shows a more mature approach to the bands lyrics, departing from simple songs about skateboarding, and taking on introspective topics about growing up and losing friends. The occasional bluesy riff or organ solo helps keep listeners on their feet and sets the record apart from the bands' more predictable and generic counterparts. Make sure to buy this record or ask the band's nomadic vocalist/guitarist, Nikolai Preiss, if he will trade you a copy for a ride home.

Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/theimposterspunk

 

 

-Ditch-
Big Wheel Magazine

 

 

 

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