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THIS WEEK'S RAR
TUNES:
Listen by clicking on the links or covers below.
Yours truly is offering up a little
Jazz-Pop confection, with all admiration for the ancient Greeks, who
knew a thing or two about winging it philosophically.
Use this link or click on
poor Democritus below to hear "A Simple Explanation".
Oh perversity at the county fair! I'm
sure involvement with the Future Farmers of America has ruined more than
a few young boys, what with all the glamour and all, and the exposure to
breeding stock...
Use this
link or click on the good people below to hear another in a nauseating
string of RAR originals - "(You Do) That Thing That Sets Me Free".
Yours truly has been all about myself of
late, which is why I am behind on record reviews and most everything
else, but I do have a new batch of recordings, starting with
"Betty from Memphis", a tribute to stable types such as
my actual Aunt Betty (Olita) in Memphis (not shown here), as well as to
all those weary road warriors out there playing the soundtracks to
everybody else's movies.
Call it
"creative destruction", like Mitt Romney does.
"Until Sam
Walty's Dead" is a cowboy yarn about a villain -
personified by the late and wonderful Warren Oates (below) - who
has left an unfortunate legacy for himself (see chorus...). Walty is my
metaphor for early 21st Century predatory capitalism, a force that must
be dealt with so that honest souls can carry on.
Glory be unto Angie Omaha, whoever
she is, pictured below on the cover to my next- generation version of
"The Glow
of Your Dark Eyes", introduced several years back
as a tune about "the dark side of loving a dark soul". Our girl Angie
may not let me exploit her in this way for long, but as long as she does
isn't she perfect? I mean, for this song?
"Just Eleven
Minutes" comes from a few years back, and from the same
box as "The Glow of Your Dark Eyes", but the versions provided below
come much closer to my ambitions for this story of a booze-fueled
cuckold speeding toward a crime of passion and revenge. The song is
almost entirely played around the single chord of E, with occasional
transitions through A-B, for those keeping score. The "psycho" version
was the original inspiration, but the Nashville chicken-pickin' version
has some nice qualities. Unfortunately it also shows that as a guitar
player I am no Randy Barker, though I hope to be when I grow up.
(Randy Barker played with Michael Woody and
the Too High Band, which in the end gave him way too little
exposure, but those who heard him play remember it even 30 years later
as something special.)
__________
IN THIS EDITION
RARADIO
(Click here)
New Releases on
RARadio:
"Darkness" by
Leonard Cohen; "Sweetbread"
by Simian
Mobile Disco and "Keep You"
from Actress
off the Chronicle movie
soundtrack;
"Goodbye to Love" from
October Dawn; Trouble in Mind 2011
label sampler;
Black Box Revelation Live on
Minnesota Public Radio;
Apteka "Striking Violet";
Mikal Cronin's "Apathy" and "Get
Along"; Dana deChaby's
progressive rock
___________ |
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MUSIC
LINKS |
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ANGELES |
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FRANCISCO |
| NEW YORK
CITY |
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NASHVILLE |
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CHICAGO |
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AUSTIN |
|
DENVER-BOULDER |
|
MINNESOTA |
|
SEATTLE |
| NEW
ORLEANS
PHILADELPHIA
PORTLAND |
|
MEMPHIS |
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PACIFIC
NORTHWEST |
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FLORIDA |
|
INTERNATIONAL LINKS |
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KINGDOM |
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►Original Musical
Compositions and Select Covers
►Fiction and Non-Fiction
►Special Projects
►Essays
| |
LA.Archives:
Click here to read archived pieces
on the L.A. music scene.
|
www.janedoes.com
 THE
JANE DOE'S, who
refer to themselves as a “red-eyed soul” band, occupy a place on the music dial that is visited
by few others of their musical capacity, which is great. There is something
casually non-commercial about their sound, as if they just don’t care to
recognize the conventions of popular trends. Or maybe it’s that they don’t
aspire to anything “usual.” Instead they offer a strange acid drip of
Prince-like funk and soul in some songs (“Junkie”), a smooth Sunday soul
(“California”), sleazy Rhodes funk (“All”), and wasted wistfulness in
the song that put them on uber-Producer
Brian Eno’s radar screen (“Quiet Inside”).
In
fact, maybe the Doe’s are meant to be a motion picture soundtrack. Certainly
Eno thinks so. He was commissioned by British
Director John Maybury to compose a score for his film The Jacket, which stars Keira
Knightley and Adrien Brody in a
yarn set in a psychiatric hospital. Eno was so taken by the spacey, morose song
that he used it as a recurring theme in the film, including over the end
credits.
In
fact, Doe’s front man Andy Tubman
was a natural for the moody piece. A former “music therapist,” Andy had
worked in “psychiatric hospitals and rehab centers,” and he has retained his
unusual perspective on the power of song. As the Doe’s website says –
“Tubman uses music to communicate in new ways with people living in pain and
at the very edges of the human experience.” Geez, doesn’t sound much like
pop radio, does it?
In fact, The Jane Doe’s are doing pretty well with Internet
Radio stations. PULSE NOW RADIO: PulseNow
Rated, whose website receives 4.9 million hits a month and whose
Sky Digital channel attracts 2.5 million listeners worldwide each month, has
begun to feature The Jane Doe’s 2005 LP The
Jane Doe’s in heavy rotation. (You can go to the website at www.pulsenow.com
to vote for the band and encourage airplay, plus you can see the band’s
profile on The
Jane Doe's page on Pulse Now.)
Moreover, the tune "Quiet
Inside," which was a collaboration between Tubman and artist/producer
Keith Gattis, has just been named a 2007
Independent Music Awards Finalist. (Independent Music Awards finalists list
can be found at http://www.musiciansatlas.com/
finalists.asp.)
|
 THE
JANE DOE'S ARE: Andy Tubman
(vocals, guitar), Daniel Thomas (bass), Brad Colton (percussion),
Dennis Hamm (keyboards) and Ian Grom (drums).
________________
One
good movie tune deserves another, apparently. Andy Tubman has also scored
a new psychological thriller, Rodeo
Girl, starring Rachel Hunter
and legendary actresses Tippi
Hedren and Louise Fletcher. Rodeo Girl,
which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2007, features three original
songs by The Jane Doe’s.
The
Jane Doe’s were recently featured in the world press, including the L.A.
Times, Prefix Magazine, and Max Magazine in Germany. The Doe’s have also
been featured on the popular LONELYGIRL15 video blog, with their video
receiving over 960,000 views in its first month online.
From
their website – “The Jane Doe’s are currently supporting The
John Popper Project and playing select dates on the West Coast in
support of their debut LP while working on a follow up EP with legendary
producer Mike Post at his
studios in Los Angeles, CA that captures the energy and essence of their
live show. In early 2007, The Jane Doe’s will embark upon their first
national tour.
|
| RAR
Note: The
Doe’s website makes what, to me, is an odd claim, i.e., “With The Jane
Doe's on stage, Tubman & Co. take you on a journey into the soul's
core with a presence reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and Jamiroquai.”
Reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and Jamiroquai? Okay, Jeff Buckley has
a legion of fans who still mourn the loss of the late singer/songwriter,
but do people reminisce about Jamiroquai? And have Jeff Buckley and
Jamiroquai ever made it into the same sentence? Maybe something there
sheds light on the Doe’s most unusual approach.
RAR
Rethink: I don't know, the more I
listen...maybe Buckley and Jamiroquai?
Whatever they are doing, I love it. Andy has a voice like someone I know,
but clearer, and this is a really cool band of players - cool in the
McLuhanesque sense. No sitting passively here, though the rhythms may
suggest it. Give yourself to these guys and you'll be rewarded.
|
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THE
JANE DOE MP3s:
 Junkie
All
Sad
Again
You
Got It Goin' On
You
Bring the Devil
Quiet
Inside (acoustic)
*Copyright © 2006-2007 The
Jane Does,
all rights reserved
The
Jane Doe’s MP3s can also be heard on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thejanedoes |
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|
www.alestardigby.com
Alestar
Digby flat out rocks in that old school way, with power chords,
accessible hooks, clear song structure, and rock attitude. This is Bad
Company and a hundred other bands that have sounded that way, but it
remains refreshing when done well and Alestar does it great. He sometimes
sounds like Jim Morrison and The Doors, which is not a comparison you find
associated with a lot of acts. Alestar has got that certain sexuality
thing happening, a sort of full-throated animal appeal. He pushes the
boundaries with his lyrics, and his music has a ring of familiarity that
supports his rebel purr.
Alestar
polled the most votes in Outstanding
Songwriting and competed strongly in the Outstanding Solo Artist category in the 2006 Rock City News Awards. This guy is a hit songwriter all the
way, really apparent and impressive.
The
Austin transplant was big in Texas with his band Gentleman
Jake and the Beat Elite. In L.A. he is performing in a power trio,
holding down lead guitar/lead vocal duties and blending with Austin
Nicholsen (bass, backup vocals) and David
Jordan (drums).
There
is an interesting All Access Magazine interview with Alestar at http://allaccessmagazine.com/vol4/issue09/alestar_digby.html.
A New Jersey native, Alestar was a
child prodigy on the piano and then proceeded to the drums. He attended
the Manhattan School of Music where he studied classical composition.
Since moving to Hollywood, Alestar has played such top venues as The Roxy,
the Key Club, the House of Blues, Troubadour, and at The Gig.
|
|
ALESTAR
DIGBY MP3s:
Jackie
Looked
Around the World
The
Best
Copyright
© 2006-2007 Alestar Digby, All rights reserved
*
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|
www.angiemattson.com
 It
wouldn't be overstating anything to note that ANGIE
MATTSON is
one of the more striking figures on the Links. Nor would it be an
overstatement to say that she is not exactly your standard issue folk-rock
singer/songwriter.
Angie
landed her song "All Right" in So Goes the Nation, a 2006
documentary about the efforts of Bush and Kerry campaign workers in the
bellweather state of Ohio. She has a seven-song EP, Monarch,
available. These are pretty good credits for a girl who only learned to
play the guitar and write songs a handful of years ago.
There
is an interesting "Music Street Journal" interview with Angie at
www.musicstreetjournal.com/angiemattsoninterview.htm,
which yields the following nuggets:
Favorite
Movie: David
Lynch's head
scratcher Fire Walk With Me
Favorite
TV Show: HBO's twisty
"Carnival"
Favorite
Book: Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead,
or maybe Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
Favorite
Song Themes: "...love, lust, loss, following dreams, murder, and strippers in Japan."
Reading
this I turn into Barney Fife - You're scaring me, Ange! There is a
fascination here with the dark and the perverse. In fact, the more you
learn about Angie, the more you start to read in that face in her
disarming photos; a kind of a steely substance that may only be available
to those gifted with hybrid beauty and brains. (Angie has a degree in that
most perverse of all scientific  pursuits
- biology. Yikes!)
Angie's
story only becomes more intriguing when you get around to listening to her
music, which blindsides me with the authenticity of her resonating Southern
soul - largely because she's from Michigan. But don't miss what it is,
which is powerful acoustic-based folk-rock, "white girl soul" as
Angie calls it, and it's great. Angie has a seriously rich voice to go
along with her seriously dark themes. This is used to good effect on her
Monarch EP, produced by Rudy Haeusermann
(Lisa Marie Presley, En Vogue, many others) who Angie found
through his website. His big sound is right for Angie's voice and
songwriterly depth.
RAR
Note: Angie is
such a tough nut to crack. I was listening to her song "Drive,"
from her MySpace site, and thinking what an enigmatic soul she comes
across as being. She has a really arresting voice that is hard to
reconcile with her chameleon charms, and a collision of vulnerability and
over-the-top worldly understanding that is somehow heartbreaking. Angie
wrote that she thinks I "get" her. I'd like to think I do, but I
may flatter myself. The only thing that is really clear to me is that
Angie is cool. I dig her. In a way, she inhabits a bluish space on this
site where drinks may be shared with The Jane Doe's. It's a hipster
bar where they don't serve anything the average schmuck might imbibe, only
tequila and absinthe.
|
Looks
like a still from a Quentin Tarentino picture, doesn't it? Must be a
Reservoir Dog around here somewhere. Angie, who grew up singing in
theatrical productions, had an acting part in the 2003 Chris Rock vehicle Head
of State.
Side
Note: Angie sang a Beatles cover on a CD for children
with autism. You can find out about it at www.teamvico.com.
|
|
ANGIE
MATTSON MP3s:
 Sabine
Angie
has two MP3s available for listening on her MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/angiemattson and
clips from her release Monarch can be heard at her main site.
"Drive" seems to be her definitive pop-rock number to this
point.
Copyright
© 2006-2007 Angie Mattson, all rights reserved
*
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|
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|
There
is a profile, photographs and links for Angie at music.brainlock.org/
singers1.htm. It includes a reference to her experience as a
dancer.
ABOVE:
The photo above, from Angie's MySpace site, prompted some photographer
fella to comment - "sweeeeet geeezus. Angie, you are, without a
doubt, one of the purest natural beauties I have ever seen. There. I've
said it..." She is pretty awe inspiring as an object of art.
What do you bet these comment pebbles don't even leave a pinging sound at
this point. |
|
|
www.bangtango.com
Bang
Tango,
in the form of last-original-member-left-standing Joe Leste plus
guitarist Mark Simpson, bassist Lance Eric, and drummer Timmy
Russell, has found new life with the mid-2006 release of From the
Hip. From the hip indeed, this is some pretty mature, deep-groove rock
from a band that began life as a follower during the
"hair band" revolution of the 1980s. Joe and his San Diego
mates - originally guitarists Kyle Stevens
and Mark Knight, bassist Kyle Kyle, and drummer Tigg
Ketler - garnered attention in 1987 with the release of Live
Injection, a live-in-concert LP. That got them signed to Mechanic/MCA.
They landed "I'm A Stranger" on the movie soundtrack of Black
Roses and placed "Love Injection" on a compilation LP titled
Street Survivors (Metal Blade). Psycho Cafe was Bang Tango's debut release with Mechanic Records. That was in 1989 and a video
for "Someone Like You" from the LP got rotation on MTV,
particularly during the "Headbanger's Ball" program. Bang Tango
worked in the "glam/sleeze" genre. The LP didn't take off though.
Bang Tango released Dancin' On Coals in 1991, Ain't No Jive
in 1992, and Love After Death in 1994, but the band wasn't
destined to survive the Seattle grunge period. They dropped from sight and
the members went their separate ways, though Bang Tango remained dear in
the hearts of metal enthusiasts of the period.
Bang
Tango founders Joe Leste and Kyle Kyle "reunited" in 1998 when
another live concert LP, Live, was released, then in 1999 a
compilation called Greatest Tricks was released as was a new LP United.
That was the last that was heard of Bang Tango until 2006, when Joe Leste
brought back this new unit.
True
metal heads have not warmly embraced From the Hip, songs for which
were written by Joe Leste and various collaborators and not the original
writing team. It is odd, in a way, that Bang Tango is dogged by their own
early innovations, which, somewhat predating the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
blended funk with their metal. The funk is gone from the new Bang Tango
and all that is left is a straight ahead sleazy street rock, which the new
unit does really well. On the strength of the 2006 release, I would say
Bang Tango is re-visioned and sounding better than ever, but I'm not tied
to their original sound. The new stuff sounds like Guns n'Roses to me,
really strong if in a really familiar vein.
|
Joe
Leste Photo by diana gualda www.colordrock.com |
|
FROM THE
HIP CREDITS
The
lineup of players for the From the Hip studio work included: Joe
Leste – lead vocals, Alex Grossi –
lead guitar, Anthony Focx – guitar, b-vox, Chris
“Curtis” Roach – bass, and Matt Starr
- drums |
BANG
TANGO MP3s:
It's
All Okay
Mother
Mary
I'm
The One
Copyright
© 2006-2007 Bang Tango, All rights reserved
*
|
|
|
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www.sinsofadivinemother.com
SINS
OF A DIVINE MOTHER is
the band in which you will find former Bang Tango bassist Kyle Kyle.
Sins does an ultra hip techno rock, and for my money if you want to hear
current grooves from old members of Bang Tango, listen to the MP3s
of Sins Of A Divine Mother on their MySpace site: http://MySpace.com/sins.
|
WILES |
JOHN |
KYLE |
ODYSSEY |
|
www.myspace.com/blaxmythonline
You
got to love BLAXMYTH
- "ghetto
metal" warriors for the oppressed.
They received a nomination in the 2006 Rock
City News Awards. They didn't come away with a Rocky, but you might
have thought they would have won in the political awareness category. To
wit, singer Brimstone sent the following, which very nicely states the
philosophy behind the group:
There’s so much negative shi* going
on in our world at the moment that it’s very hard to know just where to
begin. Let me see here, there is the hoax of the Federal Reserve and IRS
perpetrating one of the biggest frauds in history against the citizens of
the United States. www.americafromfreedomtofascism.com.
There is a criminal rogue element that
has operated as a shadow government against the will of the people of this
country in the cover of darkness and lies. Overturning the precious
freedoms and principals of the citizenry that have stood since the
foundation of this nation. Legalizing (illegally) things such as mass
surveillance, torture, the suspension of habeas corpus (our rights to
legal counsel and a trial), the mass building of detention centers in this
country, national identification cards, compiling of files of legal
dissenters and peaceful protesters, the erosion of this nations
sovereignty etc. www.infowars.com
Let’s not forget the biggest mass
murder that has taken place on U.S soil this century with evidence of
involvement pointing to the highest levels of this government. Can we say
September 11, 2001 Ladies and Gents? I knew that most of you could!! Can
we say false pretense for war, young soldiers blood for corporate gain and
power? How deep does this rabbit hole go?? www.loosechange.com
and www.prisonplanet.com
Well BLAXMYTH has looked into
that not so mythical rabbit hole and seen how far it goes down. Take it
from us it goes all the way into the inner sanctum of the bowels of hell,
right into Satan’s den. That’s why BLAXMYTH has chosen to stand
tall in the face of all the corruption and adversity that exist at this
moment in our history. We understand the risk that is involved in taking
such a stand but it’s well worth it to us. The threat of imprisonment or
death is something that we all have considered but we know that there is
such a thing as an honorable death.
As many great men and women have gone
before us as an example of extreme courage. We have incorporated those
values of the heroes and she-roes throughout history and have attempted to
live up to the fearlessness that they exhibited.
Music is our weapon of choice in this
battle of truth against disinformation. Our music is called Ghetto Metal
to be precise, which is a fusion of metal, funk, blues and hip-hop. The
lyrical content of what we speak, addresses the things that I have
mentioned above and exhorts people to be revolutionary in thought and
combat the evil that is being shoved down our collective throats. We have
used this platform to win over countless fans as well as high honors on
the national level with our unrivaled live stage show. Stay on the lookout
for BLAXMYTH as we continue or mission of edu-taining the masses
around the world.
We all need to stand up for our
freedoms while we still have the chance. Remember that silence is
complicity. Speak now or forever be silenced!
Long Live Ghetto Metal, Long Live BLAXMYTH!!!!!!
Brimstone
aka The Watch Man
|
Lead singer Sackraphyce
|
|
BLAXMYTH IS:
SACKRAPHYCE
(Lead Vocals)
BRIMSTONE (Second Vocals)
JOHNNY B (Bass Guitar)
FREAK (Lead Guitar 1)
WILL (Drums) |
BLAXMYTH
MP3s:
Dice
Set
Off the Bomb
Nightmare
Beautiful
Lie
Copyright
© 2006-2007 Blaxmyth, All Rights Reserved
 Brimstone
*
|
ABOVE:
Throwing it down at the Rock'n Roll Hall of
Fame in Cleveland 2006. BELOW LEFT: Brimstone on vocals and bassist Johnny
B. BELOW RIGHT: Will. |
 |
 |
|
www.calahanrocks.com
 Here
is a charming quote from an L.A. club owner regarding rock band CALAHAN:
"If G&R fucked AC/DC and had a kid who
banged Oasis, Calahan would be the love child."
With
ringing endorsements of that type, Calahan has been riding high on the L.A. club
scene since 2003. With help from former Bow Wow Wow Producer Leigh Gorman
and guitarist Billy Duffy of The Cult, Calahan released an EP titled Rock
N' Roll Helmet in 2004, then followed in 2005 with their third full length
LP On The Rocks, featuring GNR keyboardist Dizzy Reed. (Calahan
had previously released an EP titled Calahan and an LP titled Ten Feet
Tall and Bulletproof.) This adds up to 30 Calahan originals released over
the past three years.
From
their website - "In the mist of all of this recording, the band still
manages to tour all over the California coastline and in some parts of the east
coast, including a slot headlining New York's annual NikStock festival in 2005.
Calahan is well known for selling out and putting on great live shows.
"Some
note worthy clubs to have hosted the band range from San Francisco's Slims and
The Great American Music Hall, to Hollywood's Viper Room, House of Blues,
Whiskey A Go Go, and Key Club. The band is also no stranger to more cozy rooms,
having set up residencies at The Kibitz Room, The Cat Club, and The Lava
Lounge."
Calahan
landed their tune "Rock'n Roll Helmet" on the soundtrack of Showtime's
series "Weeds," and two others for the independent film Alligator
Run. They were awarded Best Hard Rock band at the 2005 Rock City
News awards.
|
ABOVE: Contemplations in an
L.A. restroom. BELOW: On stage at The Vine Street Lounge in September
2006. On their website, Calahan proclaims themselves "The Best Rock'n
Roll Band on Earth."
|
|
CALLAHAN
MP3s:
Calahan
as four tunes from their 2005 release On The Rocks available for
listening on their MySpace site at www.myspace.com/calahan.
|
 Calahan
released On The Rocks in 2005, which has aired on Live 105, Indie 103.1,
and Internet stations like BNRX Radio, Club Fiend Radio, Electric Effect
Radio.
Calahan is:
|
|
www.tracedevai.com
 TRACE DEVAI
tells a story, on his website, of growing up in L.A. across the street from Ray
Charles’ house. “I would hide in the bushes and overhear the most amazing
rhythms and melodies coming from his keyboard out the windows, I’ll never
forget.” The inspiration apparently took. Just after graduating from high
school, Trace got a gig as a backup singer to no less than Alice Cooper, with whom he did two world tours and 150 shows. Then,
at a very young age, he found himself living in Paris, working the rock clubs,
and writing songs, until after two years he determined to return home to L.A. to
start “the quintessential rock band.”
The
quintessential band apparently consists of Johnnie
Rockets (John Gerard) on one guitar, Hollywood
Phil on another, new bassist Neil,
and drummer ZigZag. Johnnie serves as
Trace’s songwriting collaborator – Trace refers to him as the “heart” of
their group, himself as “the brains.”
“The
Brains” is more than a big picture man – Trace says “My rock is for arenas
and stadiums” – he is also a physical guy. “I’m more about sex,
vitamins, and rock n’ roll,” he says, citing Mick Jagger, Axl Rose and Tina
Turner as front person role models. “I’m not into geek rock, I’m
bringing sex back to rock music,” says Trace.
RAR Note
– So Trace is bringing sex back, and Justin Timberlake is bringing “sexy
back.” These may be the only two guys on the planet who were under the
impression that people had lost interest in sex. Impossible as it may seem, I
begin to wonder if I, unaware of the sex deficit, have by sheer accident been
having a better time than either of these two young studs! And just for the
record, I haven’t been having that much fun.
|
Trace Devai at the
Key Club in L.A.
An
advocate of “health and fitness,” the sex-sure Trace is currently
starring in a “HypnoYoga.com” DVD that is now available in stores.
Apparently
the libido-oriented rocker caught the attention of another well-known sex
pot, Jenny McCarthy, who hired Trace and the boys to appear in her
short-lived television series “The Bad Girls Guide.” They appeared in
Episode 6 – The Guide to In and Out, but their musical performance was
unfortunately cut from the show, leaving them in the roles of “rock
models” (just standing around looking pretty).
In
fact, pretty is working! Trace Devai took home the Rocky at the 2006 Rock City News Awards for Outstanding
Hollywood Band, an honor that had been awarded the previous year to
another beautiful band, Otto’s Daughter. Trace took home the Rocky for “Sexiest
Front Person” at the 2005 awards.
|
|
TRACE
DEVAI MP3s:
Hot
Rod
Sexiest
Thing Alive
Not
Without You
*Copyright © 2006-2007
Trace Devai. All rights reserved
Trace
Devai has three songs for download from his MySpace site at www.myspace.com/tracedevai
|
As this poster points out, Trace Devai
is becoming a staple at the winner's table of the Rock City News Awards -
the Rocky. Trace Devai won in the "Best Modern Rock Band"
category in 2004, according to this poster. (Have these categories been
changed to reference "Outstanding" rather than
"Best?") Trace was selected "Sexiest Front Person of
2005," and in the recent 2006 awards won "Outstanding Hollywood
Band." |
From September 2008 Edition:
To
Boycott or Not
 Pay-to-Play
Los Angeles, California - "Pay-to-Play is
a terrible disease that has been happening in the Hollywood and
Los Angeles area since the time I lived in Hollywood Hills in
the early 80's and continues to this very day whereby clubs and
promoters are ripping bands off by not paying or by even
charging them to perform. This is the main reason why I have
refused to perform In the LA area for so many years."
So says L.A. expatriate
Nikki Ferrari, from
his new digs in Slovenia. "It's just so very wrong and affects
everyone in the music industry, and I mean everyone right down
to the clothing retailers who sell the clothes we wear on stage
to the studios, producers and engineers that record the bands to
the music stores that sell the equipment and their employees to
the manufacturers of musical gear and equipment and so many many
others."
Pay-to-Play has been an issue, particularly in
L.A., for the past two decades, as "promoters" have found ways
to exploit the phalanxes of young entertainers competing for
time on the area's stages.
The L.A. musician who, in his role as lead
vocalist for the punk tribute band Hollywood 77, goes by the
name "Freekshow" has been particularly high profile regarding
the issue of late. He has blogged, on the MySpace site he
created to encourage boycotting the practice of Pay-to-Play, of
his efforts to enlist Musicians Union Local 47 (Los Angeles) on
the subject.
"I SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO MEET WITH THE
OFFICERS AT THE LOCAL WHO DEAL WITH PERFORMANCE ISSUES. I MET
WITH ALFRED RUBALCAVA & ERIC DAWSON. WE DISCUSSED THE ISSUES AND
HOW THIS HAD BEEN PURSUED BEFORE BACK IN THE 80'S BUT FELL SHORT
BECAUSE PEOPLE GAVE UP THE FIGHT. WE ALL LEFT THE MEETING IN
AGREEMENT THAT IF WE CAN ALL COME TOGETHER AND GET EVERYONE
ORGANIZED TOWARD THE SAME GOAL, WE WILL HAVE THEIR 100% BACKING
ON ANY OF THE ISSUES AT HAND."
MUSICIANS PAY ALREADY:
Pay-to-Play highlights a variety of thorny aspects associated
with being a performing musician.
First and foremost, club musicians hardly get
paid in the best of circumstances. To make $50 to $100 per
player for a four-hour gig is about what one can expect. Even
mid-level auditorium attractions like Richard Thompson and Lyle
Lovett don't do better than break even after expenses, unless
they are playing solo or in duet. (Lovett was profiled in The
New Yorker a couple years back, while touring with his Big
Band, and told the writer he works six nights to pay the boys
and hopes to get a seventh night for him.)
Freekshow's guide on the right alludes to the
quality of the shows that Pay-to-Play promoters mount, which in
his experience are indicative of the level of commitment they
have to musical acts they "present."
That last part really goes to the heart of this
issue.
Musicians sort of accept that playing clubs isn't
really much of a paying proposition. They do it, at least in the
beginning, for the thrill. It is fun to pursue your image of
yourself and be rewarded for it by the chance to take in an
audiences response. It is, as the commercial says,
"priceless."
What galls about Pay-to-Play is who the money is
going to: the "show producer" equivalent of scalpers.
The practice of booking four or five acts on a
bill in an evening and turning over crowds for two or three
shows a night is common in the popular clubs. (Look at the
Whiskey Hollywood
schedule, for instance.) It also is common to get hired into a
club because you come with a drink-buying crowd, a guaranteed
cash business. And even great and experienced musicians aren't
surprised by postage stamp sized stages and crowds there to see
a later act.
When a person gets all that discomfort and
inconvenience after turning in pre-show ticket receipts in
advance it may feel a little abusive.
It is a razor's edge, trying to balance dream and
ego fulfillment with the cold realities of life.
"As someone who started at a young age, I can't
even tell you how many hours of hard work and time I put into
practice and money to purchase equipment," opines Nikki Ferrari.
"When I was performing in NY, thank god, I was getting paid,
unlike LA. Every night, for example, before a show...new bass
strings at a cost of $44 a set. My god, if I had to do that
performing in L.A. I would have to rob banks on top of working a
full time job just to do a show.
"A band has to pay for rehearsal studio rent, gas
to get there etcetera, etcetera. To think now a guitarist will
spend $3,500 for a Les Paul and another $6,500 for a Marshall
stack, and another $150 to $200 for strings and picks each month
is just mind boggling on top of all the time and expenses
involved in being a performing band or artist.
"For a long time I have known about pay to play
and steered clear of L.A. Clubs completely. I have heard all the
reasons and stories provided by the club
owners and the promoters and they have a great way of
legitimatizing their reasons, the number one excuse being that
they can just hire someone to spin some discs for $100 a night
and that they don't have to risk hiring bands and have no one
show up to their clubs.
"And secondly, the 'hey this is L.A. this is
where you get discovered' kind of attitude."
Photo of Nikki Ferrari: Carol Oliveto
______________________________________
Any thoughts on Pay-to-Play? Send comments to
Rick@RARWRITER.com
______________________________________
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www.myspace.com/nikkiferrari
 Welcome
to NIKKI FERRARI's rock life: licks, chops and babes, sort of an
MTV video come to life...
I
don't know if its really that way for Nikki, but the ease with which he
demonstrates his immense talent makes it hard to imagine otherwise. His is
a bigger than life character, Photo
by Carol Oliveto
the kind rock loves. Music from him feels
like it has to be governed like horsepower; you can feel that however
powerful the thing he is doing, it is made richer by a sense that there's
still more under the hood, which creates awe. Listening to the old Bill
Withers chestnut "Ain't No (Sunshine When She's Gone)," below,
you get the feeling that Nikki has done the definitive version. It opens
with an urge to shred the acoustic guitar, so every well- phrased chord
progression that follows feels on the edge of lift off, and then there is
the voice. Nikki has a deep vein of soul peculiar to rock singers who came
on the L.A. scene in the "modern era"; sound wise think Steven Tyler, David
Lee Roth. He has that intimate gravel that butters out into sweetness.
Then there are the guitar exercises, which are virtuoso in their precision
speed dynamics; pretty extraordinary for anybody, and especially a guy who
has made his mark as a bassist.
Nikki
threw together his demos for the 2006 Rock City News Awards - he
was nominated in the Outstanding Solo Artist category - in three
days, against the advice of his handlers. He wasn't after all, able to
give them the "real stuff."
Says
Nikki - "The
real material I'm working on for the new album I could not put out there
yet as it will not be released for months and with the incredible vocal
work and musical ideas we did not want anyone to jump on the band wagon
and wipe me out before I get started on the marketing and PR
campaigns."
Incredible
vocal work and musical ideas? It ain't braggin' to state fact. Again,
listen to the MP3s below, which may not be the real thing but leave no
doubt about the truth to come. And by the way, Nikki won the Rocky for
Outstanding Solo Artist. "The competition was huge man, didn't even
get the votes, no album out and yeah still in shock!" Nikki said
after the awards show. He didn't top the on line vote in his category, but
vote totals in the Rockies only factor into the judges' decisions. Quality
of musicianship and artistic expression are listed as other qualifiers,
and Nikki clearly made up the difference with the acknowledgement
conferred upon him by the panelists. Nikki is sort of undeniable.
He
is under the watchful eye of an industry veteran. "I
am working with John Valenti as a collaborator and consultant vocal
coach, trend coach, etc." (A trend coach?) "He
had four albums out in the late 70's-early 80's as well as a #1 R&B hit
and Overall Billboard's #37 top 40 in 1976. Valenti is just a great guy
and so freekin' talented! Johns album's are on back order all the time and
he is huge in Japan. I am also working with several famous producers on
this one. Some other really exciting things have happened...just so much
right now its quite overwhelming."
|
Photo
by Carol Oliveto
From
his website - "Nikki
Ferrari's talent, recording, and performance skills have landed him in
world class recording studios and facilities from Boston to Tampa to New
York and Los Angeles. Working in state-of-the-art recording facilities
with the music industry's most successful, knowledgeable, proven producers
and recording engineers Nikki has gained invaluable knowledge and
experience from the industry's most sought after and respected masters. As
a multi-talented musician, instrumentalist and vocalist, Nikki is also
well known for his bass playing and has recorded with world renown
drummers and many famous record producers. Winner of several awards,
including the BMA Boston Music Awards as Bass Player of the
Year his latest achievement landed him a nomination at the Los
Angeles Rock City Music Awards where his previous band was awarded
2005 Outstanding Hard Rock Band of the Year."
|
|
NIKKI
FERRARI
MP3s:
She's
A Wizard
Please
Me
No
Looking Back
Ain't
No
Copyright
© 2006-2007 Nikki Ferrari, All Rights Reserved
*
Photo by Carol Oliveto
|
Photo
by Neslihan Ayakta
|
|
www.shemonster.net
 SHEMONSTER
is really Vikki
Panetti, who comes to the Links as one the most compelling of the new entries.
Her band made a good showing this year in the Rock
City News Awards, being nominated in the Outstanding
Solo Artist, Outstanding Female
Fronted band, and Outstanding All
Girl Band categories. These designations may seem contradictory, but the one
constant is Vikki, who fronts the post modern punk-metal collective. They are
noisy, defiant, in your face, political-activist thrashers, and Vikki gives them
voice.
Vikki
grabbed national attention this year for the work she has done to save the life
of her brother Scott Panetti, who is on Death Row in Texas for the murder of his former
in-laws. The case has garnered national attention because Scott
has a long history of mental illness, including twelve years in mental
institutions. He is a diagnosed schizophrenic and his case raises issues around
not only capital punishment itself, but the act of executing a person who
clearly falls short of meeting minimal standards for awareness of his own
actions. Vikki has fought ferociously on his behalf, launching an at least
temporarily successful web-based petition to have his execution stayed. In
October she was a featured panelist at an Amnesty International-sponsored
conference at the University of Wisconsin, held just before the mid-term
elections in which Wisconsin residents voted on an advisory resolution
considering establishment of the death penalty in the state. The student
newspaper The Badger reported on Vikki’s presentation, which included this
statement - “[My brother had] a lengthy history of 14 commitments for mental
illness … [and] was allowed to represent himself as a lawyer in a court in a
capital murder case.” The newspaper article continued – “Panetti said the
mentally ill should not be executed, adding that allowing people with histories
of mental illness to represent themselves in court ‘makes a mockery of our
whole criminal justice system.’ ”
|
 LEFT:
Singer Vikki Panetti at The Roxy. RIGHT: Vikki at an unnamed
venue.
Vikki’s
campaign has included the release of “Death by Texas,” which is provided
among the MP3s below, a searing condemnation of politics and attitudes in the
Longhorn state.
I
asked Vikki if it ever concerned her using the name “Shemonster” while
campaigning so publicly on behalf of a Death Row killer. Wasn’t she concerned
about playing into misperceptions? Being stigmatized? The answer is no she’s
not. In fact, she takes inspiration from another performer whose family was on
the other side of a family tragedy, actress Charlize Theron, whose mother killed
her abusive, alcoholic father in self defense. “Have you seen the recent movie Monster? Its based on a true story about a woman on death row in
FL.” Vikki admires Charlize’s courage and conviction. “Charlize produced
that movie and she knew if she did not create a role like that for herself she
would continue to be typecast in Hollywood. I can relate to it.” Vikki
took her band’s name from a comic book about a super heroine. “Their is also
an old comic book movie called Shemonster that is cool. I like the
premise, ‘hell hath no furry like a woman scorned.’ Even the most
gentle woman can turn into a mama bear! I am a very nice person but I have
street smarts and I have been on both sides of the tracks all my life. I
can be a terror if I’m pushed into it. Shemonster is just an alter ego
like Marilyn Manson or Kid Rock.”
|
| SAVE
SCOTT PANETTI: You can
read about Vicki's brother Scott, who is on death row in Texas, at
http://www.rapnrockthedeathclock.com.
It is a truly sad, poignant, and significant case with extraordinary
ramifications for the death penalty as practiced in America. Scott Panetti,
who has a long history of schizophrenia and hospitalization in mental
health facilities, was convicted of murdering the parents of his ex-wife.
He was allowed to act as his own lawyer in his trial and was subsequently sentenced to death. He is currently under a stay of execution pending
appeals.
|
|
SHEMONSTER
MP3s:
Shemonster
MP3s can be heard from the band's MySpace site at www.myspace.com/shemonster
|
"Music
is the great communicator" – Nelson Mandela
|
|
www.victormatell.tripod.com
MATELL gets around. His MySpace
site lists his locations as "Los Angeles, New York, Denver,
Washington, and New York" (in case you didn't get that the first
time).
Matell
was nominated in two Rock City News categories in 2006, in Outstanding New
Band and Outstanding Rhythm & Blues. He has gotten some traction from
his debut release, titled This Is, What's Been Goin On, which is a salute to Marvin
Gaye, Billie Holiday, TuPac and other
legendary performers. A single off the LP, "Eastern Trees," has
found some audience through the Internet. Matell says his MySpace webpage has been viewed by over
60,000 fans, and songs from the site were downloaded 55,000 times during
the first two months after the site was posted. Matell reports that Internet, Commercial and College Radio Stations are requesting
singles from the disc.
Matell
has scored some high profile gigs, including as a featured performer in a tribute at the BMA Music
Awards to
legendary Jazz singer Nancy Wilson.
He was a Special Guest singer for singer/actress Minnie Foxx on her Los
Angeles concert tour. Matell was honored by VH1's
Save The Music and nominated for "Song of the Year" as the
lyricist for nominated tune "We Will Survive." "Eastern Trees"
also garnered a nomination for a Best Editor's Choice Award for Outstanding writing for the American
Poetry Society.
The
tenor Matell was trained as a singer by singer/songwriter Cydney Davis.
Cydney Davis has written songs for Diana Ross ("You're Gonna Love
It"), performed as a gospel soloist, and sung background vocals for
all sorts of people, including Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder.
Matell is prolific songwriter, who recently signed with the Harry Fox
Agency to handle the Mechanical Licenses for his 500-song catalog.
Matell
is part of an L.A. acting company and he has appeared in Bottoms Up
starring
Paris Hilton, Jason Mewes and Director
Kevin Smith. He was also in the family film Just For Kicks staring actor
Tom Arnold. Matell can be seen in the Black Eye Peas' number-one music video
"Don't Funk With My Heart" and he appeared in Jay Z's Nokia Black
Phone commercial, as well as another in Japan for men's deodorant spray
Gatsby. Mattel also had a spot on MTV's Head & Body.
|
MR. HANDSOME: Matell
states on his website that his "vision is to write and
perform and be inspired by the legends that are no longer here with us.
And to leave a legacy of his own for generations to come." That
explains the Paris Hilton movie.
BELOW LEFT: Matell's
"I'm Ready to Fight" publicity shot. BELOW RIGHT: This
Is, What's Been Goin' On cover.
|
|
MATELL
MP3:
Matell
has MP3s available for listening at his MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/matell
|
|
 |
|
MATELL NEWS: Last year sometime
Matell happened to meet actor Jake Gyllenhaal,
who starred in the movie hit Brokeback Mountain. Matell enthused to
the actor how much he had enjoyed the movie, then wrote a song about the
encounter. "Love Brokeback Mountain," a techno dance number, is
turning out to be a huge "hit" for him. It was the top download
from MP3.com's Electronica and Dance section for the week Feb 3-7, 2007.
The numbers for "Love Brokeback Mountain" are significant. The
song debuted at #2 and has been averaging more than 2,800 downloads a day
since it hit and shot to #1. These numbers equal those for Rihanna's
tune "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)" on the R&B Charts and is tied with
Eminem's "Shake That f/ Nate Dogg" on the Hip Hop Charts.
Matell's tune is charting at #37 on the Top 40 Hit chart and has climbed
past Justin Timberlake on the Electronica Dance chart at Garageband.com.
Matell describes the song as being about "
love lost, love never going to be, love found, and i wish I could quit you
love." Reviewers are commenting on Matell's vocal performance and on
the guitar work on the track, which is available from MP3.com or from
Matell's site. |
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©Rick
Alan Rice (RAR),
March, 2012
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