The Fort LA in downtown Los Angeles will be opening as an All Ages multi purpose music space

Here in Los Angeles we have a lot to be thankful for, and we are all especially thankful that there is always a group of people that create places for the music scene to grow and flourish. Big Wheel Magazine was just given an exclusive look inside the a new place where music will grow in downtown Los Angeles. The place is call The LA Fort and it's a not-for-profit co-op and it is DIT (Do It Together) as opposed to DIY which they are hoping will encourage everyone who wants to be involved to get involved since there is no one asshole at the top dictating what will and won't happen in the space. All walks of life are welcome to participate as long as the goal is to keep the Fort alive. Their mission is to provide a safe and neutral space for positive expression in an all ages environment in an effort to help grow and nurture the arts and music community in Los Angeles.

The Fort will be the hub for different circles, clicks, groups, and ideologies to come together and create new, unexpected interactions and act as a home for artists and musicians traveling through. With creative collaboration as one of the top priorities, The Fort aims to get people out of their normal patterns and better connect Los Angeles. Besides an event space, there will be lock outs, shared artist space, and touring band bedroom.

Check out this video for more background on The Fort

Currently they have an IndieGoGo fundraiser right now www.indiegogo.com/theLAFort, the contributions will be going towards building out the lockouts, fixing up the shared artist space, finishing the soon to be 10,000 watt PA, and making sure we can pay rent while we do this. Right now there are between 5-10 people going to work at the Fort for free every day after they get off of their regular jobs. No one is making a cent; just working towards a common goal.

The upstairs is being built out for band lockouts, a touring band bedroom and other multi-use areas

The Fort will not be officially open to the public till January 2013 and each show's profits will be split 60/40 in favor of the bands -and The Fort will NOT be doing any "Pay to Play" type shows. However, there is an "Invite Only" event happening on Friday November 30th.

The show is a "Build the Fort Benefit" and the bands on the bill will be:

Nightmare Enterprises - Horror Punk band from LA, it's going to be their first show ever.
The Peeks / Facebook page - A power trio from Burbank - These guys played the Big Wheel anniversary party and if you like Rancid meets The Dils, you are gonna dig them.
Fallujah 71 / Facebook page - Blitz Rock power trio that have been a long time favorite of ours here at Big Wheel.
Sloppy Jane / Facebook page - Femme-Grunge Rock from LA that sound like L7 and Sharp Ease -A must see band.
M31 / Facebook page - Neo-Psychedelia from LA which mixes The Cramps with a 60's garage vibe.

Now if you want to go to this, hit up one of the bands that are playing this show on their Facebook and RSVP to get an invite.... More info on getting an invite can be found HERE.

All proceeds from the show will go directly to construction materials, water, power, getting the licenses necessary to stay open. The show is to support the efforts going on there so they can provide the services other than just throwing shows that will allow them to survive in the future.

Get involved today HERE:
www.indiegogo.com/theLAFort

Add yourself as a friend to The Fort Los Angeles Facebook page HERE

Perhaps you have been one of those people that has complained about the lack of All Ages venues or that there are too many places that disrespect bands by making them sell tickets in order to play, as well as a need for a place that celebrates the music -Then this is a place you need to support if you care about the music scene and it's future here in Los Angeles.

 

             More photos of this inside look at The Fort LA can be seen HERE

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Show Preview: Bad Brains – Year of the Dragon – and H2O – at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – December 1, 2012

Rastafarian hardcore Punks cum reggae artists cum heavy metal band Bad Brains will be rocking the shit out of the Henry Fonda Theater on December 1st in support of their newly released album, “Into the Future”. Opening for them will be Year of the Dragon (featuring Dirty Walt formerly of Fishbone) and New York’s hardcore H2O.  What a line-up!
Year of the Dragon features Rodcore and Dirty Walt on lyrics. A blend of Punk, funk, with some metal thrown in for flavor, YotD have a sound that makes you want to get up and move, especially their song “Just Don’t Know”. It’s catchy as hell, and fast. I know a lot of people forgo the opening bands and only come for the headliner, but Year of the Dragon is a group you should definitely get there early to see! If you want to get a taste of what you’re in store for, head over to their myspace and listen to some of the songs they have streaming. Click HERE

New York natives, H2O, have been around since the mid-90’s. Opening for some of the biggest names in hardcore during their years doing crazy tour schedules, H2O always put on a great show whether they are the openers or the headliners. Though their music is hard and fast, the lyrics are all about PMA (positive mental attitude). Bodies will be flying and slamming into each other as soon as Toby and crew take the stage, and I for one can’t fucking wait

If you want to get pumped about the H2O portion of the show show, here’s a link to their ten year anniversary show at Knitting Factory


Since 1977, Bad Brains has been bringing hardcore, funk, reggae, and a hint of metal to the masses. Rife with internal tensions, Bad Brains have been an on-again, off-again group, currently in the “on-again” phase, complete with a new album that dropped just a couple of days ago. As a teen, a friend of mine made me a mix-tape and included a ton of Bad Brains on the compilation. The first song of theirs I heard was “Banned in D.C.” and I was hooked! H.R.’s vocals go seamlessly from the more melodic reggae sounds to the driving scream of hardcore—I’m still amazed that one man can sound so different from song to song. Experiencing one of the most notable bands in the punk genre live is something I’ve been trying to do for years now. I’m super excited that I get to now do that.

Here’s a video (almost an hour long) of Bad Brain’s 1982 performance at CBGB’s. Though the band won’t be doing any crazy shit (dudes are in their 50’s now), the music will still be full of in-your-face Punk/Reggae/Metal.

Bad Brains will be playing in Orange County at The Observatory on November 29th and again at The Fonda on December 1st.

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist

 

 

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The Rezillos – The Stitches – Gestapo Khazi – at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA

The Rezillos made their way down to Los Angeles to play a highly anticipated show at The Echo. After hearing and reading how crazy and fun the last 4 New York shows were, you could pretty much guess that the show was going to go off. With a line-up including Gestapo Khazi, The Stitches, and The Rezillos, there's no way you could just stand still and not dance.Before doors were even open, the line to enter The Echo was already very long. There were some people, including myself, that were afraid not very many people were going to show up given that it was a Sunday night, but thankfully we were wrong.

Best described as if Wire, The Middle Class, and Dead Kennedys mixed together, Gestapo Khazi opened the show. Since they last played an unforgettable show with The Zounds, Gestapo Khazi fans were ready to hear a short but sweet set. About 2/3rds into the set, the drummer took a gnarly dive into the crowd. It looked like he landed pretty hard, but after a few seconds he sot right back up, got on stage and finished the rest of their set.

LA/OC Punk band The Stitches were next. Their edgy 77' style power pop ALWAYS make the crowd go crazy. They were very energetic, and the singer showed off his crazy dance moves for each and every song. Honestly, The Stitches have to be one of the best opening bands out there. No matter who they play with, their crowd never shows them a dull moment. The whole floor was packed and moving. Every few minutes the people would be dancing, then go straight into a pogo dance pit, but regardless of how anyone was dancing, everyone was having a good time.

8 years ago in Southern California, The Rezillos played a packed and memorable show at the Showcase Theater, so it was an honor to have them back. Around midnight, The Rezillos made their grand entrance, causing everyone to scream and cheer. For a lot of people there, they're one of those bands that we thought we would never see live, so there were a lot of first timers. Main singers Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds were extremely entertaining all night, and a few of the band members played their whole set in sun glasses, making them kind of mysterious.  The whole crowd new all of the words to classics such as "Top of the Pops", "Flying Saucer Attack", and majority of their 1978 "Cant Stand The Rezillos" album.

It was cool to see "Punks" of all types to go out of their comfort zone and actually dance instead of stand like a tough guy (or girl) or stay in the pit all night. Lot's of dancing, sweating, and heavy breathing as going down and it seemed as if people got more energetic every time they played another song. Fay was especially fun to watch that evening. She came out in a bright green vinyl dress with fishnets and she stood out. Her fun dance moves, interesting hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall appearance were just amazing. After about 45 minutes of playing, they said goodbye and left the stage.

   Enjoy the video overview of The Rezillos show that you missed



For a second people thought they weren't coming back out, but they did. They played a few last songs and ended with the famous cover of "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight". The hour long set was just too short, but people happily and sweatily left the venue, satisfied they they got to see a band that has a big part to do with the new wave Punk era. Hopefully this isn't the last time The Rezillos are in Southern California for a performance -come back soon!
Songs performed were: Out of This World - Flying Saucer Attack - Getting Me Down - Cold Wars - Tomorrow - Mystery Action - So Deep - It Gets Me - Tormentor - Destination Venus - Top of the Pops - Good Sculptures - River Deep, Mountain High - I Can't Stand My Baby - Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight

This show was brought to you by the folks over at Part Time Punks which is a total DIY type outfit that have put on some of the best shows here in Los Angeles and The Rezillos show is more evidence of that. Stay tuned to their website so that you can be on the ground floor of the shows they put on: www.parttimepunks.com

 

                             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Corrina P.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Vampires Rock – at The Music Hall – Aberdeen, UK

Vampires Rock is a flirtatious fantasy of rock anthems, comedy, sexiness and blood!

The Storyline is a musical comedy set in the year 2030 at the live and let die club in New York, where vampires and the un-dead roam freely,The lead role, of Baron Von Rockula, was played by Steve Steinman who also wrote, produced and directed the show.

He is in search of a bride, one day an innocent young female called Pandora wanders in looking for a job a singer at the club, little does she know that’s he will become Von Rockulas next bride.

What follows next for 2 hours is a sing along fest with music from Meatloaf, Bon Jovi, Billy Idol and Queen to name but a few, expertly played by the very Goth looking” Lost Boys “, with guitarist Jordan Bracewell playing like a man possessed (excuse the pun) Taking of his shirt for the ladies and dripping blood all over his chest, the audience were up on their feet in no time at all.


The Lost Boys provided lots of eye candy for the females in the audience but the men and women were kept more than happy by the scantily clad Vampire, writhing dancers. A special mention should be given to Bossley, Von Rockula’s moronic, risqué janitor who had a very funny role, in whole a great sing along night with a  feel good factor show.

If you need cheering up, this could be the show for you, loads of old school rock anthems!

 

-Dod M.-
Big Wheel Overseas Correspondent

 
             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

 

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Show Preview: Public Enemy – X Clan – Schoolly D – and Monie Love – at Club Nokia – Los Angeles, CA – December 13, 2012

Typically, Big Wheel covers Punk and it's Sub-Genres, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like other musical genres as well. DIY-ers, Public Enemy, will be headlining the 1st (of what should be an annual show) HipHopGods tour. This is rumored to be a 3 hour show and, according to www.hiphopgods.com, “will move like a 1960s James Brown Revue or Dick Clark Star Caravan making the concert a true once in a lifetime event”. X Clan, Monie Love, Schoolly D and many others will share the stage with 25-year veterans Public Enemy.

 

In the late 80’s and early 90’s, rap was making its way into the mainstream of America’s airwaves. Collaborations between veteran rock groups and hip-hop artists cemented this rise (Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith, Chuck D & Sonic Youth, De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub are just a handful in this category). The cross-over continued with hip-hop artists sharing the bill at mainly rock festivals, such as Ice-T with Body Count opening at Lollapalooza in ’91. This tour gathers together some of the greats of this era which will be a fantastic trip down memory lane (for some of us) and is an introduction of “new” music for others.

Monie Love is someone I’m super excited to see! Monie, originally an English emcee, was thrust into the American spotlight thanks to Queen Latifah. Nominated for two Grammy’s off her debut album “Down to Earth”, Monie Love has talent. If you’ve never heard Monie, check out “Monie in the Middle” and that should give you an idea of her style which is reminiscent of early Latifah and Salt ‘n Peppa.

Schoolly D, Philly native, is considered one of the first gangsta rappers and was an influence on Ice-T and Eazy-E of N.W.A. fame. If you’ve ever seen the movie “King of New York”, you’ve heard Schoolly D. Remember that song that was playing during the shoot-out scene? That was Schoolly D’s “Am I Black Enough for You?” Though that song brought him some level of recognition in the main populous, his ’86 song “P.S.K., What Does it Mean” is the song that make the burgeoning West Coast Rap community sit up and take notice.

X Clan embodies the early ‘90’s Hip-Hop, or at least what I was exposed to. Combining conscious-raising lyrics laid over Jazz and funk musical tracks, Brother J’s smooth vocals hide some very cutting observations on the (then) state of affairs of inner-city life. Though X Clan split after their 2nd album, and the former members went on to other projects (or death), I’m stupidly excited that they’ve recently regrouped, with their most recent album being 2009’s “Mainstream Outlaws”. Chuck D is arguably one of the best lyricists in the Hip-Hop world, and the combination of his voice, words, and the antics of Flavor Flav is a recipe for a mind-blowing show. In 2011, I was lucky enough to catch them at the Sunset Strip Music Festival—I think their short set was one of the most energetic of the day, and one of the best. PE was one of the first hip-hop groups to integrate the use of instruments in their live shows, and they still do, with Flav jumping in on both bass and drums when the mood strikes him. As the December 13th show is the last stop on the tour, and it being PE’s now-home in Los Angeles, I can only imagine the energy that will be seen on stage that night! (And possibly guest appearances? My hope will be that Scott Ian stops by for “Bring the Noise”. Please?)

With 16 albums to choose from, two of which were released in 2012 (“Most of my Heroes Still Don’t Appear on no Stamp” and “The Evil Empire of Everything”), the set-list is sure to be a mix of old and new. Chuck D’s politically charged lyrics and asides are tempered by the shenanigans of Flavor Flav (and his ubiquitous neck-clock), with the ever-present S1W standing guard on stage.

Though this show falls outside the oeuvre of Punk Rock, the politically charged lyrics of the performers and “fuck the status-quo! Fight the power!” attitude is. This show is not to be missed!

 

For official tour dates click HERE

 

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist

 

 

 

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Holding Onto Sound – 7 inch EP

Las Vegas rockers, Holding Onto Sound’s “7 inch EP” is a wonderful little 3 song release from the Vegas four piece incorporating elements of hard rock energy Punk aggression and free music! That’s right not only is this EP solid in the music department its light on the wallet.

The EP can be found via the bands Facebook and accessed and gotten to in a fast and convenient way. The three song EP is admittedly a small sample size of what Holding Onto Sound seems capable of but does offer a glimpse as to the influence and range these guys have to offer.  Fans of hard rock should definitely give this EP a try with its infectious sing alongs to pit slamming hooks its sure to leave listeners wanting more. For the price of FREE and nearly no time involved to download you would be a fool not to give this a listen.

Band Facebook: www.facebook.com/holding.onto.sound

Band website: www.holdingontosound.com

 

 

-Gio Van Dam-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist
 

 

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