watt’s picture of the week – monday, march 18, 2024

two new murals in my pedro town, west side of pacific avenue just south of second street.

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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Beat Recommends: Rozz Williams Tribute at Hollywood Forever Cemetery This Friday

Fans of Christian Death, Shadow Project and all manner of dark, pounding music are referred to this rare performance at the most appropriate venue of all time for a Rozz Williams tribute. Those fortunate souls in attendance at this event will get to see a screening of Williams and Nico B’s rarely seen film “PIG” while raising funds for a documentary about Williams which is currently in production. The live music performances promise to be truly hair-raising, with appearances by Only Theater Of Pain veteran members Rikk Agnew and James McGearty in their new band Symbolism; CD singer and Williams collaborator Gitane Demone presenting the live premiere of her new work with keyboardist Paul Roessler, The New Young Kings Of Midnight; and Shadow Project’s Eva O., who rarely performs the songs she made with Williams but will do so for this performance. VIP ticket holders can get a guided tour of the Rozz Memorial area at the cemetery from Nico B himself, and meet the band members at soundcheck…if they dare.

Get up and get your grandma outta here? That could take some doing if this is where she ended up. You may need to sit and make love to yourself instead.

The Rozz Williams Tribute takes place at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday, March 15. Tickets, $40, available at the venue website. 

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Beat Recommends – Voivod, Prong, Hirax at the Fonda This Sunday

Montreal’s Voivod are one of the most singular creations under the banner of metal. Born during the early 80s thrash explosion, they quickly evolved into a frighteningly capable outfit with blatant progressive rock tendencies and a lead singer who didn’t rely on banshee screams nor guttural grumbling. How prog are they? They write concept albums about psychic entities. The drummer, Away, is the primary conceptualist and visual artist, and the guitarist who developed their distinctive sound, RIP dear Piggy, developed his approach to chording by attempting to learn Keith Emerson’s insane keyboard parts. Last time I saw them, with newer members Chewy and Rocky on board, they shook the foundations. They have new music that lives up to the old stuff, as well as a towering repertoire from which to select their set list. It’s been some years since they did a proper headlining show at a good venue here, it’s not to be missed. Continue reading

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Otoboke Beaver at the Observatory

All photos by Bob Lee for the Los Angeles Beat.

Even if they don’t claim to be fully punk, the existence and widespread popularity of Kyoto band Otoboke Beaver is proof that punk’s not dead. Although theirs is an extreme expression of it which incorporates a lot of other stimulus that is not necessarily common in American punk, the sheer brashness and good time high-energy of it registers in the American brain as “very punk” despite those other influences. We have no built in detector for the influence of Japanese comedy or pop music if we don’t consume that stuff, so “punk” in America they shall be, and they seem to be OK with that. It sure doesn’t seem they are at any risk of being mistaken for the Offspring here in the heart of OC, to an audience young enough not to necessarily be referencing famous bands of the nineties – let alone seventies and eighties – as their punk rock starting point. (Minutes after I wrote that line, the lead singer posted a photo of herself with the guitarist from the Offspring, backstage at this show, on Instagram.-Ed.) In front of a packed Observatory, they were resolutely themselves and gave us an hour of that thing they do, which after fifteen years, shows no sign of going out of style.

This band are a lot of fun to watch, each in their own colorful corner. Hirochan, on bass, is blue, like the sea and the sky, the environment which defines the shape for their strange forms. Kahokiss, the drummer, wears green like the meadows and the fields and the mountains. She forms the rhythmic floor upon which the stories can be told, the complex yet naturalistic structures that make them interesting. Guitarist Yoyoyoshie is orange, the spark, the fire under the feet of the band that makes them play with such incredible speed and urgency. And Accorinrin is pink, the reddened face and beating heart of the human being that pushes out thoughts such as “I Won’t Dish Out Salad”, “Take Me To Meet Your Family” and “I Don’t Want To Die Alone” as song topics, with terrific intensity. Not since Kiss in 1978 have a band been so thoughtfully and effectively color coordinated.

(Photo gallery after the break.) Continue reading

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Movies Till Dawn: ’80s Artifacts

* indicates that the film is also available to rent, buy, or stream from various platforms. Please note that streaming version may different from these discs’ presentations.

Cutting Class” * (1989, MVD Rewind) Just who, wonders winsome Jill Schoelen, is dispatching the staff and students at her high school (played by Excelsior High in Norwalk) with ruthless efficiency and diabolical creativity? Is the culprit her athlete boyfriend (a pre-fame Brad Pitt)? The creepy principal (Roddy McDowall)? All fingers seem to point at new kid Donovan Leitch, freshly sprng from an asylum. The answer is, well, largely irrelevant in this curious late-entry slasher film, which lists heedlessly from straight-ahead body count thriller to weirdo comedy; the latter element is best summed up by a recurring bit involving Martin Mull as Schoelen’s father, whose struggles to get home after being skewered with an arrow hinge between slapstick and surreal. The tonal shifts in “Cutting Class” are, undoubtedly, one of the primary reasons for its enduring cult appeal (the others are, of course Pitt, who manfully shoulders his dopey role, and some absurdly gross murders), and in turn, MVD’s deluxe UHD/Blu-ray presentation. The two-disc set includes interviews with Schoelen and Leitch, who have kind things to say about the film’s eclectic helmers – frequent John Boorman scripter Rospo Pallenberg in his directorial debut and writer Steve Slavkin, who later penned lots of kid TV – and their castmates. Devotee will be pleased by the inclusion of the longer and gorier unrated version of the film, the bloody highlights of which are spotlighted in a short kill-count featurette.

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Nite of a 1,000 Slutty Bass Players – My Slutty Valentine at The Echo

A week ago Saturday, we celebrated the birth of one of the greatest men in the history of music – Cliff Burton. Like most, I usually spend the day in both quiet reflection of “what if” and in joyful bliss of listening to the master of bass. I didn’t get nearly enough time for my Cliff devotions and then the universe kindly presented me with a press release about the Morley Power Wah Fuzz Cliff Burton Tribute pedal. Even better the press release had a link to some Cliff live. Cliff Burton bass solo rabbit hole? YES, PLEASE!

So let’s just say that bass was on my mind when I headed over to My Slutty Valentine at the Echoplex on Saturday. Last year I went to Basic Cable Programming’s inaugural one-day music festival to check out Upchuck from Atlanta up close and personal and to spend some time adoring my Bestie on drums with GayC/DC. I ended up falling in love with the whole festival. Not just because it was my intro to Cancer Christ and for the incredible performance from Naked Aggression, everything about the festival had a welcoming vibe. I was definitely one of the older people there and I was so enchanted by the Gen Z music lovers and the overall acceptance that gender roles are bullshit. From the merch booths to the most pits, I had a truly lovely time. Continue reading

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“Marilyn, Mom and Me” Theater review

Alisha Soper and Laura Gardner
Photo by Paul Kennedy

Everyone loves a good showbiz story and the inaugural offering of ICT’s 2024 season leaves no one in the theater wanting.

The world premiere of “Marilyn, Mom and Me” by award winning playwright and director Luke Yankee delivers the goods in ways that you don’t see coming, surpassing all expectations and pre-conceived notions of what you think the show might be about.

Audiences can be forgiven for thinking that this might be one more example of a Hollywood tell-all biopic complete with celebrity impressions but it couldn’t be farther from that scenario in its explorations of insecurity, loneliness and closure that never comes, all under the unforgiving microscope of fame and glamour. The play details the friendship of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe and her co-star Eileen Heckart during the filming of the 1956 film “Bus Stop”, as related by Heckart to her son Luke Yankee.

The play never drags but moves deftly forward from the start, propelled by a stellar cast under the excellent and brisk direction of playwright Yankee in this fascinating auto-biographical work.

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Otoboke Beaver Is Headed For LA

Otoboke Beaver, from Kyoto, Japan, titled their latest album Super Champon, after a Japanese dish that seems to involve throwing every single ingredient in the kitchen into a bowl with some noodles. It’s an appropriate metaphor for the band’s musical style, assuming the dish is served hot, confusing and ultimately satisfying. Given the frantic pace of the tuneage, it’s not too far of a leap to call them a punk band, though  to follow their interviews, the members would tell you they feel that’s not quite complete.

One of the non-punk rock influences they like to cite is the Japanese comedy known as Manzai. The clip below is what came up when I checked YouTube for guitarist Yoyoyoshie’s recommendation – “a Manzaishi called Westland” – to a participant in their Reddit AMA who had asked the group to suggest a good funny show to watch. I can’t help but notice some aspects reflected in the song “Pardon” almost immediately. Continue reading

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Valentine’s Day 2024: A Food & Drink Guide

Photo courtesy of Pinstripes.

Valentine’s Day is mere days away, and whether you’re craving a decadently luxurious meal or seeking more affordable price points, we’ve got you covered. 

1.  ALK (acronym for “About Last Knife”) is the chic, lobby-level restaurant at The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood with a kitchen manned by talented French Chef Olivier Rousselle. On Valentine’s Day, visit ALK for live jazz, a special Komos tequila cocktail, Komos chocolates to take home, and a special 4-course meal ($68 per person). Meal highlights include a shrimp ceviche amuse bouche and braised short ribs. More info

2. Savor an elevated Valentine’s dining experience at Morton’s The Steakhouse. This elegant dinner for two ($169) includes a 28 oz. New York Strip, two cold water lobster tails, shared salad, two signature steak toppers (such as black truffle hollandaise,  cognac au poivre sauce, or blue cheese butter), and two of Morton’s fantastic side dishes (choices include creamed spinach, jumbo grilled asparagus, smoked gouda au gratin potatoes, and more). Morton’s LA locations include DTLA, Woodland Hills, and Burbank. More info

3. Enjoy a drive to Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County and stop at Tensley Wine’s Tasting Room for the exclusive launch of their 2023 Rosé Grenache on February 14. Tensley Wine is growing in acclaim: it was hailed by Food & Wine for producing “The Best Syrah in America.” Priced at just $32 a bottle, this Rosé Grenache will make Valentine’s Day, or any day, very special. More info

4. Acclaimed izakaya-inspired restaurant n/soto is offering a very special, takeout-only Valentine’s Bento. Only 50 boxes, priced at $150 and serving two, are available. Each bento features 6 hand rolls per person, miso caesar salad, roasted beets, pork ribs, chicken kaarage, squid kaarage, hojicha panna cotta, and a black sesame brownie. Order via Resy.

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Movies Till Dawn: Return of the Like, Weird

*indicates that the film(s) are also available to view, rent, or purchase on various streaming platforms. Streaming presentations may differ from these home video releases.

Universal Classic Monsters Limited Collectors Edition” * (2024, Universal Home Video) You may ask yourself: do I need this deluxe repackaging of Universal’s best-known, best-loved horror titles like “Dracula” with Bela Lugosi and “Frankenstein” with Boris Karloff? Only you, dear reader, can answer that with total honesty, but I will say that this set compiles the aforementioned titles along with “The Bride of Frankenstein,” “The Wolf Man” (41), “The Mummy” (32), “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” the majority of which are foundational titles in horror history and essential owns for any genre fan. These alone, along with 12 hours of commentaries, featurettes, interviews and other supplemental material that accompany them, would warrant purchase alone, were it not for the fact that Uni has issued these films in various iterations on numerous occasions over the past few years. But: the Limited Edition does include the eight films in 4K and digital presentations, and the extras include material penned and hosted by the late David J. Skal, who was (for my money) one of the best horror film and culture historians of the last 25 years. And you get eye-popping cover art by artist Tristan Eaton, whose monster murals decorate the Universal back lot, where many of these films were lensed long, long ago. So: if you don’t have Dracula, et al, in your collection yet, here’s a visually striking package to fill that gap.

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