Only one self-alleged seer in the 70s was a reformed bank robber and repentant judo-chopping killer who fronted a legendary cult psych band, played restaurateur to the stars, led white-garbed acolytes through magic rituals in the Hollywood Hills, and finally launched himself off a Hawaiian cliff: Father Yod, head of the Source Family, subject of a new documentary. This interview by Rin Kelly.
Live reviews
ZIG ZAG WANDERER: THE ROLLING STONES AT THE MGM GRAND ARENA, LAS VEGAS
The crowd went apeshit as Mick Jagger strutted and bawled through “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Paint It Black,” his ancient hellfire snarl fully intact as cameras zoomed in on Keith Richard’s knobby hands, elegant Ron Wood carrying the brunt of guitar chores and the great Charlie Watts blandly ticking away on the riser, the drummer’s chalky skull-like face looking in repose like some senior vice president in charge of soul acquisition.
ADAM GREEN + BINKI SHAPIRO @ THE ECHO
“I want to do my best Adam Green impression,” he announces, launching into a lanky and shambolic kind of rap that is by far the best-received song so far. Solo material is worked into the set—’Cigarette Burns Forever,’ ‘Friends of Mine,’ ‘Dance with Me’—and sometimes it’s not the inherent thrilling chill of a song that brings you pleasure but instead how you associate it with another person. The love another person imbues with the music has a tendency to rub off on you, making you love it for reasons that are not entirely your own and this is why, as with being in love, you see everything in a new light.
SISTER NANCY @ DUB CLUB
One of the things I love about Dub Club—besides the amazing acts they’re able to book—is that it gets such a diverse mix people from different scenes across the social spectrum. You’ll see dreadlocked hippies, liberty-spiked punks, mods, traditional skins, hipsters, club kids and hip-hop heads all mixing it up, and everyone gets along with each other. It speaks to the caliber of performers that people of taste come out from every corner of L.A. to dig the vibes and party.
THE DAY AFTER SXSW: BELIEFS, BON BON, CRIMINAL HYGIENE, FURCAST, JACK LITTMAN
It was St. Patty’s Day, ya dig, over a month ago, and I’m only sobering up enough now to talk about it.
METZ @ THE TROUBADOUR
Seeking a night full of blistering white noise for my ears to hemorrhage, I ventured to the METZ show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.
Album reviews
BLEACHED: RIDE YOUR HEART
Ride Your Heart is about the post-traumatic stresses that can paralyze you after a break-up: the emptiness, the overanalysis, the longing.
CHANGE THE BEAT: THE CELLULOID RECORDS STORY
Jean Karakos formed Celluloid Records in the waning hours of disco but the label took off internationally once the label chief tied with the likes of Bill Laswell, Fab Five Freddie, Manu Dibango, Richard Hell, and the Last Poets, all of whom lend a shiv to this cacophonous two-disc rumble.
SONNYSKYES: THE IMAGINARY FRIEND SHIP
With its flurry of jubilantly jangly guitars, fuzzily opaque vocals and funky art-rock experimentalism, Sonnyskyes’ self-released debut, The Imaginary Friend Ship, could easily be the latest HoZac Records release. Sonnyskyes revels in a fresh presentation that eschews predictable and traditionally packaged rock music for a more untutored, irreverent palate.
THE HURRICANES: “BUT YOU LET ME GO” 7″
With the Neumans and the Black Mambas, the Hurricanes are part of Wild’s new new breed—respectively, that’s 60s garage, 70s Dolls-punk, and the unrelentingly hard-ass mod/ R&B/garage sound of the Hurricanes.
GANGI: GESTURE IS
Sometimes getting there is half the fun, and this CD is a road trip the likes of which we’ve rarely seen since the Pink Floyd or Zappa albums of old.
