V. Vale is a founding father of West Coast independent publishing—his ’77 Search and Destroy zine is one of the four secret parents of L.A. RECORD, and his Re/Search books are a decontamination manual for the human mind. He will be speaking with L.A. RECORD alum Henry Rollins at the L.A. Zine Fest on Sunday, which will be followed by a free afterparty with the Allah Las, Cold Showers and Neverever! This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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While a quarter of the same producers was brought on board for DISCO2, the second time around is a less electro and more chillwave/ambient endeavor (if I hear another electro remix!!!). While there are no tracks with the same immediacy as “Crimewave,” DISCO2 is a better album overall.

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W Lion are punk at its irreducible minimum. That’s tons of fun because these songs shoot right through you; they’re that close to pure white light.

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Sammy Davis Jr. once called Merle Haggard the greatest country singer since Hank Williams. Haggard was in the audience—as an inmate—during three of Johnny Cash’s performances at San Quentin. He recently released I Am What I Am, his 76th album. We spoke to him as he was driving to his cabin in far-northern California with his wife in the front seat telling him not to forget Jesus.

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The Slits came up in a man’s world, overshadowed by their guy peers—but nevertheless they’ve left an imprint on the minds of many. We tried to break down reality with Ari Up & Tessa Pollitt. We went for full-on girl talk about boys, love, the future, knitting, and girls pooping into each other’s mouths on the internet. This interview by Daiana Feuer.

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Rose Melberg found fierceness in Tiger Trap and even more fierceness in softness with the Softies before beginning a solo career early in this millennium. Her new album Homemade Ship is out now on K and she speaks on Sunday morning from her mother’s house. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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Mary Wilson was one of the founding members of the Supremes and the only member who stayed through all the group’s incarnations. Her book Dreamgirls inspired the Beyonce movie that made your mom cry. While Mary may no longer wear thirty pounds of bejeweled dresses at every performance, she continues singing and supporting worldly causes. This interview by Daiana Feuer.

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The Minutemen’s Double Nickels On The Dime is one of the several weathered foundations of L.A. RECORD. Exactly twenty-five years later, it still starts bands and makes friends. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt meets for pizza at San Pedro’s excellent Pavich’s Pizza for remembering D. Boon and George Hurley and that guy Mike Watt in the summer of 1984. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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Femi Kuti is the son of Fela and the righteous leader of his own Positive Force. He speaks now just days after the Nigerian government shut down the Shrine, the historic venue that was the birthplace of Afrobeat. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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The Flatlanders knew everything that was going to happen to them when they named their first album—available if at all in the U.S. only on 8-track—More A Legend Than A Band. Founders Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore all won significant fame on their own but they regroup on rare occasions just to see what happens. Their newest Hills and Valleys is out now on New West. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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