The world is now a DEVO song, and so Warner has just reissued two vital early DEVO albums barely containing some of the most annihilating reality ever twined into vinyl. And so L.A. RECORD’s Dan Collins reissues this vintage interview with Mark Mothersbaugh from the archives of the defunct Ostrich Ink. DEVO will perform Freedom Of Choice at the Fonda tonight.
david bowie
DEVO: GONNA BE A MAN FROM THE MOON
November 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment
ROCK AND ROLL SUMMER CIRCUS @ THE ECHOPLEX
August 20th, 2009 · 1 Comment
One of the best parts of the Circus was the success of the side stages, with some of Henry Clay People’s favorite bands playing stripped down acoustic sets between main stage acts. By the end of the night, side stages were appearing out of thin air. I think I saw Eli Monolator (the night’s emcee) start playing songs on a bench in the smoker’s patio, but I was sharing a joint with a blogger and a singer from one of my fave local bands, and blogger weed is a lot stronger than mine, so I may have imagined that.
NINO MOSCHELLA: SORRY, THIS HAS GOTTEN HEAVY
July 31st, 2009 · 1 Comment
Nino Moschella started out four-tracking funk-soul that sounded like Sly and Shuggie and Stevie in a mountain shack at midnight and exploded into fidelity once he visited the wider world. His newest Boomshadow is out now on Ubiquity. This interview by Daiana Feuer.
SUNSET RUBDOWN: THAT’S HIS DOMAIN, FOR SURE
June 23rd, 2009 · No Comments
Sunset Rubdown began as a solo project for Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug but quickly evolved into a full band . The music veers from carnival-esque grandeur to pin-drop-quiet beauty. They are currently touring in support of their newest album, Dragonslayer. Tom Child interviews multi-instrumentalist Michael Doerksen.
SHELLAC: INFINITELY TOUGHER THAN THE ORIGINAL MIND
June 18th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Shellac of North America record when they want and tour when they want and defuse all hecklers with the confidence and acumen of thirty-year bomb squad vets. Guitarist/vocalist (and engineer) Steve Albini speaks now 36 hours after returning to America. This interview by Chris Ziegler.
JASON LYTLE: I JUST WANT TO BE THAT SIX-YEAR-OLD KID
June 9th, 2009 · No Comments
Fans of Grandaddy probably sensed they would one day hear again from Jason Lytle, the band’s former singer/songrwriter/reluctant leader, for despite its well-documented struggles, Grandaddy proved to be resilient. Now Jason Lytle is back. Though he’s relocated from Modesto, Calif. to Bozeman, the fifth-largest city in Montana, his distinctive sound is unchanged. This interview by Nina Gregory.
DESTROYER @ THE ECHOPLEX
May 18th, 2009 · No Comments
The Echoplex tends to play up its murkiness well—generally, it’s too dark to tell what color your drink is, or if your date is male, or human. Tonight’s show was so dark that Dan Bejar, a.k.a. Destroyer, appeared to be candlelit. It fit. I can’t say for certain what the primary objective was in seating the mostly crazy-eyed and adoring audience in rows right up against the stage. The result was a wonderful, docile sort of intimacy, which was exponentially multiplied by Bejar’s solo performance—he played acoustic versions of songs that on record are often as densely orchestral as this sort of (indie rock? hooky Bowie-esque Spanish guitar balladry? “European Blues,” as he calls it?) music gets.
THE POLY AMOROUS AFFAIR: LIVING IN A STATE OF DECAY
May 14th, 2009 · 8 Comments
The Polyamorous Affair make bolshevik disco-pop in a mossy compound in Los Feliz and emerge only to teach kindergarten, play shows or get snowed on. They have an album due on Manimal and co-founder Eddie Chacon used to be in a band with Cliff Burton. This interview by Dan Collins.
THE SHINS: PAPA, CHANGE MY POO POO DIAPER
May 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment
The Shins right now are no longer the Shins they used to be—founder James Mercer debuted a new line-up (with members of Modest Mouse and Fruit Bats) last week and will be taking the band from Sub Pop to their own label Aural Apothecary for their next releases. He speaks now about this and Bob Dylan, Heath Ledger and Kermit the Frog, too. This interview by Daiana Feuer.
