THE DEADLY SYNDROME, POLLS, PITY PARTY, SIGNALS, AND RABBITS RABBITS RABBITS ON SATURDAY DEC. 11TH AT THE ECHOPLEX, 1154 GLENDALE BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES. 7:30PM/ $15/ ALL AGES.

At 5 Star Bar, as part of Spirit Vine’s month long residency, Heisenflei and M were drenched in sweat and nightmare psychedelia video projection, sequestered beneath a balcony, primitive warriors emerging from a cave, in the midst of hallucinatory, plant-fueled cosmic understandings.  M hunched over his guitar as suburban housewives giving birth were projected over his shoulder into the darkness behind.  Heisenflei’s singing, when it becomes frenzied, seems increasingly atonal and chant-like.  When it all ends and they regain composure, the scariness dissipated, they somehow become adorable, like Gremlins if you watch it in reverse.

They were soon followed by the residents of the month, Spirit Vine, who were there to remind everyone that Jefferson Airplane is also a thing.  Somehow, suddenly, San Francisco ’68 (right before the hard drugs really fucked everyone’s shit up and before Altamont was all, like, bloody, man) was dripping from the ceiling.  Jacqueline Cingolani, all with acid-wracked moaning and uncontrollable stomping foot, converged on the surrounding crowd, pulling them towards her, perhaps in hopes that the epically tall and mulleted bassist would turn into some hallucinatory lizard grandfather monster and feed, while the guitars fuzzed flowers into the cosmic universe brain.

—Gerard Olson

Download: The Pity Party – Bottom of the Hole

(off Orgy Porgy EP self released by The Pity Party)

and go behind the scenes with the making of “Wanting Want”

Heisenflei writes hot-blooded rock with bandmate M, aka Marc, also a handsome feller on guitar + muchisimo pedals.  Barefoot in an oversized t-shirt/dress barely contained by a belt, she displayed her split brain musical abilities, playing drums and keyboard at the same time.

They began with a long song so we could adjust to M’s guitar science experiment. His many pedals provided him a chemistry set for churning tones and rusty machine gear sounds. Sometimes bubbling note to note; sometimes crushing the life from butterflies with heavy torture devices then tossing them over to his band mate so she could sew them into new flying frankensteins.

During the fourth or fifth song, I watched a guy who had been bobbing to the music turn to his friend and say, “This is a good one!” Reality became heavy for him and he stopped moving, closed his eyes, his hands stayed where they were for almost two minutes. He came back to life long enough to mouth the words, “They remind me of Helmet. You remember Helmet?” He blacked out again in slow motion, not drunk, but zoned in. I wondered if he was imagining Heisenflei’s bra.

—Daiana Feuer

THEDEADLYSYNDROME.COM

Kim Grant alerts us: Redwood bartender Laura Ann Masura was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in September and is facing thousands of dollars worth of medical bills, so Josiah from Light FM has put together a benefit including performances by Billy Corgan with members of the Electric Prunes and Ancient Chinese Secret plus Syd Straw, the Pity Party, the Happy Stars (Posies + Fountains of Wayne) and tons more—even fortune-telling by the Grammy-nominated Madame Pamita! Corgan will also be auctioning off the drum set used on Gish and the bass used at the first Smashing Pumpkins show. Show is at 4:30 PM on Sun., Nov. 8, at the Echoplex and tickets are $12. More info below and best wishes to Laura!

LOS ANGELES, CA—Dozens of musicians will perform a benefit concert Sunday November 8 at the Echoplex in Echo Park for fellow musician Laura Ann Masura. Masura, a former member of Evil Beaver, Motorhome, the Prescriptions and Dime Box Band, suffered a motorcycle accident in September that almost resulted in the amputation of her foot. As she heals at her Echo Park home, friends and fellow musicians have banded together to raise money for costs that Masura’s health insurance doesn’t cover.

Josiah Mazzaschi of the band Light FM has organized an impressive line up for the concert, which starts at 5 PM and costs a mere $12 per ticket. (ALL proceeds go to Laura Ann. This ain’t UNICEF. The Echoplex’s Liz Garo has generously donated use of the venue.) To appear: The Happy Stars (Brian Young from Fountains of Wayne and Joe Skyward from The Posies), The Pulsars (Dave and Harry Trumfio), Tim Rutili (Red Red Meat, Califone), Syd Straw (Golden Palominos) Pity Party, Light FM, and The Backward Clock Society, featuring Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, Kerry Brown of Ancient Chinese Secrets and Mark Tulin of the Electric Prunes. Rotary Rachel (Rachel Lichtman of luxuriamusic.com) will emcee and DJ between band sets.

JAM FOR LAURA ANN is more than a concert. There will be items raffled all evening long; a fortune teller (none other than Madame Pamita from cult all-girl surf band the Neptunas); and a BBQ in back of the venue. Jars of Laura Ann’s Jams, made artisanally by Laura Ann this past summer, will be for sale. (In fact Laura Ann was on her motorcycle, en route to a farm for strawberries for the jams, when a car hit her.)

Laura Ann Masura, a respected drummer and founding member of the bands Evil Beaver, the Prescriptions and Motorhome was a major presence on the Chicago music scene. Moving to Los Angeles several years ago, she quickly became a favorite personality on the East Side. A lifelong gourmet, she began making artisanal jams from local ingredients for friends and a few local restaurants. Word got out, and customers at the Redwood, the downtown bar where she worked, would ask to buy jars. The hobby was growing into a business (see lauraannsjams.com) until the accident put a hold on everything.

Leading up to the November 8 event, two very special items from the early days of the Smashing Pumpkins will be auctioned off starting this Wednesday without reserve via Ebay to help defray Laura’s medical bills from her accident. The first item up for auction is the drum kit that Jimmy Chamberlin used on the Smashing Pumpkins’ influential and platinum Gish album in 1991 and subsequent tour. The kit will be signed by both Jimmy and Billy. Billy will also be auctioning off the original Smashing Pumpkins bass guitar that he played at the band’s very first show (it is also the bass that he used for the early demos). Both items will be available for bidding via the official Smashing Pumpkins memorabilia ebay site: http://shop.ebay.com/officialspmemorabilia/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686.

Despite surgery scheduled for October 29th, Laura Ann will attend the benefit show—“Even if we have to wheel a bed in!” she says. People unable to attend the event may donate to Laura Ann’s recovery fund (no amount too small!) at lauraannsjams.com.

PLEASE NOTE: JAM FOR LAURA ANN IS AN EARLY SHOW!
Sunday, November 8th
Doors: 4:30 Showtime 5:00 Tickets: $12
purchase in advance: http://www.ticketweb.com
The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 90026

The Happy Hollows don’t devastate to amuse. They are pure, stamina, and enthusiasm, changing time, working fingers, and in Sarah Negahdari’s case, several counts of whiplash. Negahdari embodied a homecoming queen—her chest resplendent with glitter. She’d choke up on the mic thanking the audience with I love YOU ALL’s. She flailed and screeched while Charlie Mahoney’s fingers wove spider webs around his bass strings. Before the rhythm and before the melody came the sound’s impact. Like a bully’s push it was. The Happy Hollows’ first crunch made my skin shake. The songs loudly proceeded, carving a funnel of love and slipping along its smooth slope to fun house heaven.

Everyone craned their necks when Negahdari finally indulged some finger-tapping neck-work. The second best moment was Mahoney’s singing “Labyrinth.” Specifically, the way his head moves to the sides of his microphone as he sings, “Left turn, right turn, left turn, right turn…” Another fine moment came when three sorceresses appeared on stage to howl (sorceresses, because the new album is called Spells; a curvy stick leaned against the wall). They were joined by a drunk friend who kept trying to grab the mic and say something like: “Wait ah minute(hiccup)—Let me tell yoo sumfthin—I—love yoo(flashes boobs).” They wouldn’t let her get that far. They were good witches.

—Daiana Feuer