Band Spotlight: Los Dharma Bums

Southeast LA's very own Los Dharma Bums are July's Band Spotlight for good reason. If you have a taste for eclectic eccentricity, then this group of dudes comes highly recommended. The bums were formed in 2007 by Mike and Joe Dharma as a two piece (Joe on vox and guitar and mike on drums) just for funsies to play in bars and get free drinks.

The pair quickly realized the response was much more than what was expected and began looking for a bassist. Gabriel and Bryan would join the fold later after running into Mike at the In-n-Out Burger in Downey. Having known the Maldonado brothers (as well as Bryan Ponce) from the Bell High wrestling team, Mike invited them to come jam out at Joe's pad, the house that would become a commune of sorts, doubling as both headquarters and a practice space that they all would spend most of their time a lot of time to just hangout playing video games. Ponce Later took a stab at recording the band on a digital 8 track machine and though the recording proved unsuccessful, he would go on the join them on guitar as their fifth member toward the end of the summer of 2008 having learned the songs all by ear while giving recording a shot.

Mike went on hiatus in October of 2010 prompting a series of drummers beginning with Jesse, then Chris and finally Carlos (the youngest of the Bums) on skins. Mike would return as hype man in 2012 causing ruckus and talking shit on the microphone between songs and inciting dancing and other movement in the crowd.

       Video of The Dharma Bums - Bruce Wayne

Truly a spectacle to behold. In a world of copy cats, Los Dharma Bums stick out like a sore thumb and give hope for anyone worried over the state of independent music. The Bums take different musical cultures and genres and blend everything seamlessly creating a timeless sound, both classic and fresh, familiar and new. Live sets are navigated flawlessly at times starting with anything from a blues classic, 'Goin' up the Country', moving on to Ska tunes like 'Pour Out A Little Liquor', then an Indie song like 'the Telephone Song' and before you know it, you're in a full out Cumbia jam sesh, dancing your butt off next to Mike switching from tambourine over to guiro (percussion).

The band shares enthusiasm and love for vintage and current video games as you may be able to tell by the cover of their self titled EP, or the video for 'The Bruce Wayne' that includes their rendition of 'Streets of Desolation' (from Batman the Video Game for the original NES).

All around the guys take a light-hearted approach to life and it definitely shows if you've ever seen them keep a party going. They came to ROCK and bring FUN to the crowd. These Bums are Southeast LA through and through and plan to keep it that way "until they move to Japan to find wives."

If you're in the LA area, catch Los Dharma Bums next gig on Tuesday Aug. 12th at Harvard & Stone with HOBART W FINK for the low price of FREE.  21+  5221 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

You can listen to some tunes HERE

Or Keep up with them on Facebook HERE

 

Big Wheel Magazine

 

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Band Spot Light: The Mormons

If you are active in the Los Angeles music scene, there is a huge chance you have seen The Mormons perform. They have been a staple Punk band in the underground scene since their inception in August of '98. They are most well known for their "Mobile Unit", where like real Mormons, they take to the street to spread their word.

This is their Mission Statement

"We don the image of Mormon missionaries symbolizing the dedication, the sacrifice, and the obsession common in most artists. the musician is as fanatical as any religious zealot bent on achieving his or her own individual purpose. while some have chosen to dedicate their lives to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc., THIS is the path WE have chosen and it is indeed a "religious" experience in itself. our generic uniforms- helmets, white shirts, ties and backpacks- act as a fashion-neutralizer and a 'fuck-you' to the fashion show that conceals the mediocrity that is most mainstream music today. Our mission is simple- to rock out correctly. and if you leave with a feeling of excitement and enjoyment, then our purpose is validated. We are the band known as- The Mormons."

They got the idea for the Mobil Unit when they couldn't get on the bill for big music festivals. The Mormons have crashed many fests including SXSW, FYF, Warped Tour, and Punk Rock Bowling as well as other gatherings like the farmers market (where they weren't received as well). As you can imagine, they always cause a scene and have built up a considerable following of fans with their tactics and talent.

Last spring Big Wheel Magazine was able to capture The Mormons return to Amoeba where they were banned from in 2006 for playing music inside the store.  Here is the footage!

This band has survived 15 years and gone through many line-up changes (16 different members to be exact). Whether you catch the Mormons on stage, in the street, or just rock out to their music on your IPod, all platforms are entertaining. Aside from a unique image and stage performance, The Mormons play their own bitchin' brand of Punk Rock music!

If you would like to hear more or keep up with The Mormons, here are links to multiple social networking sites.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/themormonsrockband

Bandcamp - http://themormons.bandcamp.com

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMormonsTube

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheMormons

-J.Moncrief-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

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Buy Estazolam Without Prescription, The worlds best Punk/Ska festival is held at Blackpool Winter Gardens, this year on August 5th-8th. Indianapolis, Indiana, San Francisco, California, Thousands of Punks from all over the world converge on this seaside resort. All under one roof, buy Estazolam online cod, Estazolam in cats, dogs, children, the festival has 4 stages- the Empress ballroom which is the largest and 2 smaller stages; the arena and the pavilion. Also an acoustic stage which is like a chill out room featuring acoustic shows and burlesque acts, purchase Estazolam online no prescription. Japan, craiglist, ebay, hcl, There are lots of merchandise stalls and food and bands walking about speaking to fans, Punk heaven, Chicago, Illinois. Houston, Texas. There are so many bands to mention they come from all over, for example Choking Susan from Detroit to the Rabble from New Zealand



The Punk art show is where people go to have chill out and see drawings and painting by Charlie Harper (UK Subs) and Knoxy (The Vibrators) which are up for sale, Buy Estazolam Without Prescription. Buy Estazolam from canada, Also local artists have their items on display from teddy bears, puppets, purchase Estazolam online, San Diego, California. Dallas, Texas. San Antonio, Texas, a tent where you went in and took a pic of your self and posted it on Facebook.



This year we have John Robb's literary festival where he interview bands. The highlight was definitely the interview with Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud from Crass, Austin, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, Order Estazolam online overnight delivery no prescription, was a great insight into the bands history. It was the first time they had been on a stage together for about 13 years, 650mg, 800mg, 875mg, 900mg. Estazolam for sale, They covered topics from the very beginning of the band, to the current dispute over the re-release of the remastered albums.



Thursday



The Lurkers, buy cheap Estazolam, Köpa Estazolam online, Osta Estazolam online, Jotta Estazolam verkossa, a 70’s punk band who had a few top singles, play at the arena, 125mg, 150mg, 200mg, 250mg. Buy Estazolam Without Prescription, The Restarts – London’s DIY Punk rock outfit pull a good crowd for an early start. El Paso, Texas. Washington, D.C. Seattle, Washington, Pink Hearse put on their horror Punk show with Nikki cavorting all over the stage, jumping about wildy, Jacksonville, Florida, Columbus, Ohio. Detroit, Michigan, San Jose, California, King Blues finish of the evening with their ska/punk/reggae sound to a very sizeable crowd, and they are getting better each time I see them.

More photos from Thursday can be seen HERE





Friday



King Kurt the pyschobilly legends were one of my must sees and boy they didn’t disappoint, order Estazolam no prescription. Australia, uk, us, usa, As I entered the arena Smeg was in full vocals, soaking wet as the beer rained down on him, where can i buy Estazolam online, Comprar en línea Estazolam, comprar Estazolam baratos, he just laughed it off and pulled some great funny faces. The fast paced show flew by and the crowd went nuts as “Destination Zululand” was sung, buy Estazolam from mexico. King Kurt are pyschoblilly’s most successful band, who are renowned for their food fights with the fans, crazy performances and all round entertainers, Buy Estazolam Without Prescription. Reasons to buy Estazolam online, SLF, fronted by Jake Burns and still as popular as ever, 0.4mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 2.5mg, Buy Estazolam online no prescription, played to a jam packed Ballroom.



Singing along to hit after hit... The Cockney Rejects played the Olympia to a full crowd and as usual Jeff turner was doing his shadow boxing between songs, New York. Los Angeles, California. Acheter en ligne Estazolam, acheter Estazolam bon marché, Broken Bones came out of the ashes of Discharge and appeal to Punk and metal fans alike. Hoddy on guitar is a like a man possessed and even smashed his head on the neck of his instrument!

More photos from Friday can be seen HERE





Saturday



Civet, Estazolam snort, alcohol iteraction, Farmacia Estazolam baratos, Estazolam online kaufen, an all girl band  from LA on Hellcat records, play to an early crowd, Estazolam pharmacy. Buy Estazolam Without Prescription, They are a tight band, look nice and one to keep your eye on. 1000mg, 2000mg, Goldblade come on and do their usual 100 mile an hour show and John is straight into the crowd. Recent winners of the world Punk rock cup (a radio show quiz) UK Subs were playing to a maximum capacity at the Empress Ballroom with many fans being shut out so fail to see Charlie give his all as usual, Estazolam over the counter. Estazolam price, The New York Dolls played to a good crowd too, but the sound was not very good and from the feedback I got it left a lot of people disappointed. Peter and the Test Tube Babies were playing at the arena and the doors had to be closed as it was full for the second year in a row, much to the disappointment of the crowd queuing out side. Why they didn’t play in the larger venue is strange, Buy Estazolam Without Prescription. Having been considered part of the punk pathetique that involved humour and working class bands, songs belted out in interaction with the crowd were “Shit Stirrer” “Moped Lads” and “Up Yer Bum”. Despite their comedy appeal, make no mistake these guys can play.



Vice Squad played the arena to a big crowd. Beki came on in her trade mark leather short dress and leather boots, despite being around for 30 years Beki is still definitely the punk princess, no one can take her crown at the moment. Paul Rooney all in leathers on lead guitars pulls some great faces as he plays and comes up to the front of the stage to interact with the crowd, Wayne the bassist pulls some of the evilest faces I’ve seen. Buy Estazolam Without Prescription, Many people think they now play more like a generic heavy rock band, but this is harsh, they play good tight music that the crowd love. Beki’s vocals are still great too. When they play “Last Rockers” everyone is singing along. American band Star Fucking Hipsters had the busiest crowd with over 140 people coming over the barriers.

More photos from Saturday can be seen HERE





Sunday



Sunday had Rebellion’s first Punk wedding - a couple got married at lunch time. When the Dwarves came on the biggest shock was he who shall not be named wasn’t there. Blag Dahlia jumps all over the stage and pulls faces and the crowd really enjoy it.



The Gallows came on and played their fast hardcore Punk and did a good rendition of the Clash’s  “I fought  the Law”, Buy Estazolam Without Prescription. Having risen through the ranks in the last couple of years I was interested to see if it would be young or old audience to see them, I think it was bout 50/50.



Bad Religion closed the Empress ballroom on Sunday night, and played probably the best set of the festival. The sound was great (some other bands had bad sound problems) the kids were coming over the barriers in their droves and the security were earning their pay. “Fuck Armageddon” and “Los Angeles is burning” were the best two songs of the evening. The band were enjoying themselves and it is great to see them celebrate 30 years of music. Lead singer Gregg was having a ball speaking to the crowd and looked like he was really enjoying himself.



More photos from Sunday can be seen HERE



The weather was great, with over 8000 Punks arriving in Blackpool, it is one of the friendliest festivals around. With loads of different hair styles, vibrant colours, and lots of local residents always come out to have a look. Fans come from all over- Australia and America and many more countries it make it a multi national festival.

-Dod M.-

Big Wheel Overseas Correspondent

 

 

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The Adicts – West coast leg of the Life Goes On 2010 Tour

Extensive coverage that contains videos, photos and review

The Adicts – at Wasted Space inside the Hard Rock Casino – Las Vegas, NV

What else can I say but what a way to spend the 4th of July, than to be at an Adicts concert. For me the night started off by being able to sit in on their soundcheck. To me it was like my own private show, except for the Wasted Space employees who were there. After the soundcheck I sat and talked with Pete D. as he told some hilarious stories. It was a pleasure to see The Adicts again. Read more

The Adicts – The Dickies – Agent Orange – at The FOX Theater – Pomona, CA

A week of endless drama seemed to surround the presence of Punk In The Fox, which was set to take place at The Fox Theater, Pomona, and several factors were temporarily successful in hindering the possibility of the show’s arrival. Earlier in the week, Punk In The Fox was said to be officially canceled, and later, it was unveiled that the show would go on at an alternate venue. The Punk community conveyed frantic reactions Read more

The Adicts – at The Ventura Theater – Ventura, CA

The Adicts played at the Ventura Theater. First up is the video overview of the show. A complete show review and a massive photo gallery is being loaded up right now (Check back), so kick back and enjoy the video in the meantime. Read more




 

The Adicts – The Blanx – P.I.N.s – The Victims – Key Club – Los Angeles, CA

A few words could be used to describe Punk legends, the Adicts: whimsical, light, revolutionary. However, when it comes to their shows only one word seems to come to mind: theatricality; which is why hundreds of fans gathered to the Key Club to attend the sold out event. People of all ages came more than ready to experience the Adicts, whether they were proudly displaying their Punk attire by yelling at Read more

The Adicts – at Brixton South Bay – Redondo Beach, CA

The Adicts are back out west for 8 dates before heading off to Europe and South America Tonight’s show was the 2nd stop in Redondo Beach out at a club off the pier call Brixton South Bay. The set list included many songs that they had not played live in quite sometime along with many of the staples of The Adicts large catalog of songs. The video below will get you Read more

Record Store Day 2010 – Music fans turnout worldwide

Originally conceived in 2007, Record Store Day celebrates the culture of the independent record store, and over the years has spread internationally, getting a little better each time. It is a chance for music fans to meet artists, for artists to play DJ and share their favorite records, and for a whole lot of love and "thank yous" to get passed around. This year we were pressed for time, so we focused on Amoeba Records Hollywood. Anticipation was high, as the official RSD website had published a list of exclusive albums available for the holiday, and it was an end to end list of titles to covet. Would we get there in time? Would there be any Joe Strummer left? Was Amoeba even getting any of the 1000 RamonesMania re-issues on 2-coloured vinyl?

The store was set to open at 10:30, so we planned to get there as early as possible. As we approached the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Ivar, our hearts sank a little, as we saw a sheer mass of people stretching around the building and down the block in both directions. On approach though, we discovered one line was for pre-order of the new Smashing Pumpkins album, and the other, shorter line was for the store, not yet open. So we headed around the corner, and settled in to wait. 30 minutes to opening. People in line were friendly, but a little edgy. Let's face it, none of us are at our best early in the morning, and some of the people around us had driven in from the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San Bernardino to stand in line an hour earlier for the Smashing Pumpkins. Still, the chatting and joking made the time slip quickly by, and before we knew it, the line was moving.

Amoeba employees were at the doors shooing everyone inside, and others were standing on podiums shouting directions to the two bins of exclusive releases, one in front and one by the Jazz room in back. The bins were quickly and utterly mobbed. Despite the population density, and the certain knowledge that there weren't enough records to go around, people were surprisingly friendly. There was jostling, but no actual shoving (this wasn't WalMart after all), and people stuck at the back of the crowd who couldn't reach the front were yelling out titles, which those who could reach the bins then passed back. Once our arms were full, we dashed to the regular stacks to pick up odds and ends, and a few replacements for fallen records no longer in our collections.

The highlight of the day was probably snagging one of the limited presses of Tutu and the Pirates, possibly Chicago's first punk band, and one of the acts featured in the documentary "You Weren't There". If you're not familiar with the band, they have a G.G. Allin sort of humour to their lyrics, and the frenetic rock sound that popularized so many Chicago bands like Naked Raygun. Oh, and to my knowledge, they never had an official release when they were playing back in the late 70's, so this was your first chance to get your hands on the long-lost demos of this excellent band.

But that wasn't the end of the fun. Check out came with the nice chat you always get at Amoeba, but today it also came with a goodie bag packed full of freebies, including Runaways posters, free CDs, pill boxes, pins, stickers, and even a reusable shoulder bag. Since we hadn't gotten tickets for the 2 pm Slash signing, we decided it was time to run across the road to down some hot chocolate and dig through the goodie bags to see how we made out. Answer? Like bandits.

If you missed Record Store Day, you don't necessarily have to wait for next year to get your mitts on some awesome music, Amoeba is also holding their first ever "garage sale" May 2-3 from 10 AM to 6 PM with 25 cent vinyl, and $1 LPs, as well as a load of books, VHS, magazines, and albums from the warehouse. If you miss that, then there's really not much I can do for you.
 

-Jo Problems-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter
 

         More photos from Record Store Day can be seen HERE

   Also check out the Record Store Day Report from the UK HERE

Other staffers stop in at Headline Records in Los Angeles and brought back this video message
    www.headlinerecords.com

International Pillow Fight Day 2010 – at Pershing Square – Los Angeles, CA

While part of the population was out Saturday at the Apple store to get their new iPad, the other half were on their way to downtown LA for some fun with friends and total strangers. This was the International Pillow Fight day that takes place every year all over the world where this loosely organized event is staged in cities all over the globe. The people at NewMindSpace who inspired this and other like event are all about using the urban landscape as a playground. Getting there early and scooping out things around downtown LA it was hard to tell that anything was about to go down at Pershing Square with the mix of people cruising around. After all, people walking around in a costume carrying a pillow or even a group of three people with pillows is not that abnormal for downtown.

Even with 15 minutes to go before the official start at 3pm there were not too many people there yet, but every 5 minutes more and more people started to fill Pershing Square. Now with 5 minutes to go, our photographer was fully embedded in the midst of the crowd that had seemingly swelled in just 10 minutes to what could be estimated at 600+ people.

From looking around it was pretty clear that there was no one really in charge, if there was no one could really tell. As the minutes clicked down to 3 o’clock sharp the anticipation could be felt in the air as people were stretching their arms, making sure that their glasses and other loose items were secured in their pockets and some were positioning themselves to beat the day lights out of certain people that only a pillow could deliver. This years event was certainly a lot larger than last years event and the pillow fight was moved to the grass instead of by the fountain as before.

Then at 3 a loud yell went out and the pillow fight was on!

After the first 10 minutes of relentless mayhem group pillow fighting like a scene out of the movie Braveheart, a bunch of one on one pillow fights broke out all over. Some of the pillow fighting also saw gangs of pillow fighters targeting certain people all in the name of fun.

Random people throughout the crowd were fighting with couch cushions that in all likelihood were liberated off couches along the streets of downtown. 30 minutes into the event the fighting was still continuing and the grassy area of Pershing Square was now full covered with pillow feathers. The feathers were flying everywhere all over the square, so much so that it looked snow.

Being right in the middle of this if was impossible to not inhale the feathers and stuffing that consumed the air. With many pillows now beaten to a pulp many of the participants started to refill their empty pillow cases with the feathers that covered the ground so they could get back into the fray.

Part of the fun was just seeing the reaction of passersbys that stumbled on to the hundreds of people pillow fighting that from a far may have look more ominous. On closer examination they could see that this was an old fashioned adolescent pillow fight that was taken out of the bedroom and put into a public space. During the event there really was no police presence to speak of, or really needed, only 2 cops could be seen at the far end of the park who very unconcerned about the overall event.

After about an hour things started to die down and the crowd that assembled for the 2010 Pillow Fight were slow dispersing to local bars, eaterys, the metro and the surrounding parking lots. A handful of participants stayed behind to help clean up all the feathers which is quite a big task, so props to them for being stand out people for helping return the space to it's former state.

Stay in touch with theses websites on going out to next years pillow fight no matter where you are in the world.  www.pillowfightday.com   www.newmindspace.com   www.pillowfightlosangeles.com


The over 90 photos in the gallery tell the story better than words, so go check them all out HERE

 

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