But this is no love letter, no indictment, but a cinematic diary putting into verse the panic America shared in our last great collective cry: “WAAAAALL STREEEEEET” he wails (surely nodding to the Song Cycle opener of the “Vine” variety), adding “And in the confetti is human desire. Love-letters lost in space, now smoking.”

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cover by ward robinson This wild little guy has been out for a second but we were so busy with shows, shows and shows that we didn’t get a chance to make a huge deal about it! So behold—L.A. RECORD 104! First issue of our sixth year of printing with busting-through-the-mold L.A. transplant KING TUFF [...]

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John Cale beat Jason Voorhees to both hockey masks and striking terror into the heart of American suburbia. He recently performed his classic Paris 1919 at UCLA’s Royce Hall without the old headgear but with all the old energy. He speaks now from his manager’s office near the Blue Line downtown. This interview by Kevin Ferguson.

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The girls in the Raincoats have covered the Monks, but didn’t originally know the Monks possibly because they were so much like the Monks—formed perfectly from nothing and destined to disappear too quickly and leave anyone who discovered them later wondering how they’d ever happened in the first place. They play their first-ever Los Angeles show on October 11 at the Part Time Punks fest. This interview by Kevin Ferguson.

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The Bootleg Theatre—a self-described “speakeasy”—reeks of inauthenticity. Actually it doesn’t reek, it breathes: artificially cold air exhales out of beautiful state-of-the-art vent systems while life-punishing CFCs pour into our poor planet’s atmosphere. Which makes refreshing the $6 Stella you just bought and makes bearable the awkward, jittery house music we could have all lived without. Not that authenticity was to be expected—this is a Fold show after all—no matter how much you want to stick to principles, Bootleg’s creature comforts prove to you we’re just animals: give us cold beer and a cool room and we’ll happily oblige.

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The Longmont reputation has finally preceded itself: a respondent working at a record store hears LPC’s delay pedal antics and instantly recognizes it, one-upping the call by throwing back an LPC reference. I guess it had to happen sometime? Another sign that Longmont Potion Castle is asserting his place in the American cultural landscape!

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Extra Golden started when a graduate-studies project grew into a part-American-part-African benga band in Kenya and recently won notice for their particularly timely song “Obama,” which is about the president and not the beer. Their Thank You Very Quickly is out now on Thrill Jockey. This interview by Kevin Ferguson.

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Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s first job was a rodeo hand after he ran away from his childhood home in Brooklyn. Not long after, he apprenticed under Woody Guthrie. Not long after that, Bob Dylan apprenticed under Jack. His newest album A Stranger Here (out now on Anti) is made up of blues standards and features Van Dyke Parks on piano. He had his hip replaced just last week. This interview by Kevin Ferguson.

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Thanks to L.A. RECORD writer Kevin Ferguson, KPCC will be broadcasting an interview with Roky Erickson on Sat., Oct. 25, at noon that will include excerpts of his brand-new recordings with the Black Angels! Tune in at KPCC.org or listen at 89.3 FM! And don’t forget—we are co-presenting Roky’s Halloween show next week at El [...]

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