AFG Must Rock! is dedicated to punk rock and the otherwise fragmented Los Angeles indie music scene. I’ll try to be as “uncool” as Lester Bangs in bringing you some kick ass music reviews so that you can you discover some great new L.A. bands while hopefully creating a sense of community with the bands themselves in the process.
I’ll also cover my D.I.Y. punk band, The Swagger Sticks. Our EP came out in August ’09 and our video will be out in November. The lead track, “Worldwide Pop Star,” features co-producer Jeff Lewis. Jeff played trumpet with The Jackson 5 and toured with Michael and family back in the late 70s. ‘The Sticks’ influences include The Ramones, White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Pixies, David Bowie, The Cars, The Who, Social Distortion, Poison and Green Day.
The Swagger Sticks Kick Out The Jams This Saturday!
We are unbelievably excited to be playing our first Fold show at The Bootleg Theater in Echo Park this Saturday, November 14th (thank you Scott). When I say ‘we’ I mean the most rockin’ punk band ever to come out of the Whitley Heights neighborhood in Hollywood. That’s right, I’m talking about The Swagger Sticks!
The doors open at 8pm and we go on at 9:30. Print out our handy-dandy flyer and it’s only 5 bucks at the door ($10 without). With Matt Morales on bass and Simon Hancock on drums this show promises to be almost as good as Wham’s now legendary sixth gig back in early 1979.
We’re Opening For Pearl Jam! (well, sorta)
I recommend coming early, getting a good parking spot and checking out the incredibly talented Kenn Flagg as well as Hotel St. James. Also on the bill are Toy Robot, which features drummer Dave Krusen, a founding member of Pearl Jam. The Swagger Sticks are the third on the bill supporting Toy Robot.
Directions From the 101 exit Alvarado and head 3 blocks south to Beverly Blvd. Turn right on Beverly. The Bootleg is about a 1 block down on the south side of the street at 2220 Beverly Blvd.
Parking Due to a City Sewer Reconstruction plan, there is no street parking on Beverly Blvd. There is FREE Parking available to Bootleg customers behind the Praise Christian Fellowship Church across the street from Bootleg at 2235 Beverly Blvd. Heading west on BeverlyTurn right onto Roselake Ave. The parking lot entrance will be on your left.
The Pixies had an incredible week last week. After three consecutive sold-out shows at the Palladium, they also appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Friday, November 6th, the same night I saw their final show at the Palladium. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia or if I simply love this band, but I can’t stop listening to them and writing about them. They seem to have influenced everyone, including myself, so I guess it’s true – Pixies, I “La La Love You.”
Here’s “Here Comes Your Man” from their appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien on Friday, 11/6/09.
While we’re at it, here’s their performance of “Monkey Gone To Heaven” on David Letterman in 2004, the year they got back together after a 12-year break.
The Pixies @ The Hollywood Palladium (photo credit: Wired.com)
The Pixies finished their up their third of three shows Saturday night at The Hollywood Palladium celebrating twenty years since the release of their 1989 classic album Doolittle. The Pixies Doolittle shuffle will take them through nine U.S. cities over the course of the next month where I doubt a single frothing fan will be left disapointed.
By the third encore they ran out of B-sides and songs from Doolittle so they threw in a few other favorites like “Bone Machine” and “Where is My Mind.” Joey Santiago’s lead guitar is like nothing in music and sounds more innovative than ever. Black Francis, looking perhaps a little more hefty usual, had so much power in his voice that I think the use of a microphone was optional. Kim Deal was, well, Kim Deal. Melodic background vocals along with her sardonic wit is always fun. Drummer David Lovering added to the group dynamic with his lead vocal on the cheeky “La La Love You.”
I had seen the tour for Doolittle back in the day but last night they amazing. Better than in ‘89 when tensions between Francis and Deal were starting to cause some rifts in the band. (Way) better than the 2004 reunion show at Coachella and better than the two shows I saw at The Wiltern in 2005 and in 2006.
The Pixies, whose influence on Nirvana was unmistakable, are still the best band in alternative music. Here’s a list of tour dates and opening bands.
I have to post a Black Flag video since I saw Mike Watt recently at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. Watt was married to one-time Black Flag bassist, Kira Roessler. Though she’s not in this video she played on five of Black Flag’s studio albums after replacing founding member and one time owner of SST Records, Check Dukowski, who had become the band’s manager.
Here’s “Rise Above” and “American Waste” from Black Flag:
Art rock is nothing new. The pioneering sounds of John Cale and The Velvet Underground challenged the conventions of rock as early as 1965. In the early 70s Punk bands like Television, Suicide, The Stooges and MC5 used elements of free-form jazz, direct confrontation and performance art to challenge the listener and question staid musical conventions. The New York Dolls took British glam to a whole new level by dressing in drag and, as a result, their sexual androgyny was seen as a threat by many. (though a decade later this convention was embraced by the mainstream in the form of 80s hair metal).
In the last few years indie ”art rock” has either been (a) a steady constant in the alternative music scene or (b) has become all the rage. Personally, I think it’s more of (b) and frankly, I don’t think it’s either a good or bad thing. As the late Jim Ellison once said, “There are only so many chords on a guitar neck, sir.”
What I mean is that it’s an understandable part of musical cycle: A sound or style gets popular, people get sick of it and then new bands come along with a sometimes radically new approach. Though this is true (and necessary) don’t expect me to pretend to like Rain Machine when they open for The Pixiesthis friday just because all the critics are jizzing in their pants about Kyp Malone as a musical “force.” Give me a break.
I’m still feeling burnt after buying TV on The Radio’s 2006 releaseReturn to Cookie Mountain . It had like one good song, “Wolf Like Me,” and then the rest was a bunch of studio noodling done by a bunch of visual artists from Brooklyn. Don’t let your snobby artsy friends fool you or tell you that you just “don’t get it.” If it sounds like self-indulgent rubish, then it’s probably self-indulgent rubish. Either that or your artsy friends are right: I just don’t get it. See you at the show on Friday.
The Silversun Pickups rocked the Gibson Amphitheatre last night at The L.A. Weekly 101 Music Festival. The hometown heroes were stoked to be playing in front of about 8,000 fans. “Hello Los Angeles…we’ve always wanted to say that…can we turn the house lights up so we can see all the people here,” gushed lead singer Brian Aubert.
They deserve every bit of success that’s come their way. Their latest release, Swoon, is right up there with their 2006 debut, Carnavas, and their live show was absolutely amazing. Drummer Christopher Guanlao ranks up their with some of the best drummers in rock even though he owes a more than a passing nod to Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins (Incidentally, Chamberlin is my one of my all-time favorite drumers).
I was a little disapointed with The Dandy Warhols but I’m still a fan and I’ve seen their documentary Dig like ten times. I’m willing to give them another shot…I hope they’ll lay off the 420 weed the next time they’re in town.
It’s the Dandy Warhols & Silversun Pickups tonight at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. For once in my life I have great tickets right up front in the orchestra section. Oh yeah, Matt & Kim have the opening slot.
By the way, I love this song from The Dandys, “We used to be friends.” The below is from an iFilm contest, which I think is way better than their “offical” video.
The Dead Weather (featuring Jack White on drums) released an EP from a live in-store performance in Los Angeles. Live From Third Man West and is available on iTunes.
The video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother” (below) is pretty intense.
Live From Third Man West – The Dead Weather
1. Forever My Queen (Pentagram Cover)
2. Hang You From The Heavens
3. I Cut Like A Buffalo
4. So Far From Your Weapon
5. Treat Me Like Your Mother
Last Saturday one of the cashiers at Amoeba Records on Sunset told me about this new movie called It Might Get Loud featuring Jack White (The White Stripes, Raconteurs), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and The Edge (U2)
Supposedly it’s about them sitting around together talking about guitars and how they developed their unique sound/styles. I can’t wait to see this. Here’s the trailer:
AFG Must Rock!
Check out: www.TheSwaggerSticks.com
Happy Halloween! Here’s a rough cut (v1.2) from The Swagger Sticks sweaty punk rock video for “She Wants Everything.” It still needs some work but here’s a sneak peak!
Aron Gibson
