Yes, the dude on drums is the star of Entourage. But the Honey Brothers are no Dogstar—they play genuinely lovely music (though no “Eleanor Rigby”) that incorporates ukulele and banjo into the mix without a drop of ‘aw shucks.’ They speak to Dan Collins in a backstage green room at the Bumbershoot’s Starbucks stage within spitting distance of the Space Needle.

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Songs like “Push Your Fashion To The Limit” and an inspired cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love” are perfect for the dance floor or for cozying up to sexy Russian double-agent babes while sipping 16 oz. vodkas. The production—as provided by Eddie Chacon—is meticulous and the shared vocals by Chacon and Sissy Sainte-Marie are campy fun without distracting from the party. Their live shows tend to rely on video backdrops but Bolshevik Disco definitely stands on its songs. I like it a lot better than last year’s electronic bubblegum poop by MGMT—which received so much airplay, it could almost be considered propaganda.

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The Dream Syndicate found whatever was in Sister Lovers and Tonight’s The Night still breathing in L.A. in 1984 and used it to make Medicine Show, still a nervous and wild local classic. Guitarist-singer Steve Wynn will perform the album in its entirety tonight with his band the Miracle 3. He speaks now from a quiet park in New York. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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On the surface, We Be Xuxa almost seems like a retread of old school American punk, but actually it evokes without constant copying—it’s fresh-faced punk, yet my heart hears Born Innocent-era Redd Kross in their sisterly choruses, and early early Black Flag or even Ramones in their strumming (minus Greg Ginn’s noodling) and Wipers downturns on the chords, and a Darby Crash-like insistence on writing lyrics too self-referential and profound to sing straight into the microphone. And there’s even a Urinals cover!?! And there’s a Beach Blvd-esque melodicism to Jessie Clavin’s bass lines, one that perfectly matches their Descendants-like love of making up pragmatic gerunds such as “Totion.” A lot of reviewers have said these gals (et dude) sound like X-Ray Spex, but that is a lazy lie!

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Sure, the dead band members outnumber the living ones at this point, and David Johansen seemed more than a little tired, and Sylvain Sylvain has nearly morphed into a combination of Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. But to their everlasting artistic credit, they insisted on playing half a set of newish material, and that new material was 100% damned good. A few songs sounded a bit like the sweet street-tough material from David Johansen’s solo career, but even tighter and poppier, a little more Lou Reed than Shadow Morton. And they even made sure to evoke their dead brethren by opening “Lonely Planet Boy” with a full chorus of Johnny Thunders’ “Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.”

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the screamers live at target video
The public demands and Cinefamily provides! A second showing of Joe Rees’ Target Video presentation (co-presented by L.A. RECORD and featuring never-before-seen-except-at-the-7:30-pm-showing clips of first-wave punk bands like the Plugz, the Suburban Lawns and many more!) has been added [...]

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Joe Rees’ Target Video filmed just about every punk band that pushed through San Francisco as the ’70s turned into the ’80s, including such ultimate artifacts as the Cramps live at the Napa State mental hospital and Crime live at San Quentin. He will present never-before-seen clips of punk bands from all over America tonight at Cinefamily. This interview by Chris Ziegler. UPDATE: Second showing added!

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