The Babies graced us with their presence on 5/18/10 in Sacramento, CA at The Hub. The tunes were fast and catchy and some of us were even singing along! I was so pleased that they played such a small venue for half the price of what they were charging elsewhere.
They played the four songs from the two 7" releases, as well as "Breakin' the Law" and a few more originals I hadn't heard before. This show was a lot of fun and the two opening bands did a
great job of getting us amped up (World Wide and The Four Eyes).
I will post some video footage a bit later. Stay tuned...
Sunday May 23rd marks the ninth Operation Restore Maximum Freedom music festival put on by the UC Davis freeform radio station KDVS 90.3 fm. This is an all day event from 2 to 10 pm taking place at the Plainfield Station in Woodland, CA. Plainfield Station is located at 23944 County Road 98, just across the bridge at the intersection of road 98 & 29. From Davis, take 5th street/Russell blvd West, then turn right on Road 98 and travel North. From I-80, take 113 North, then Road 29 West. Turn right at the 2nd stop sign and find plentiful parking across the street or along the road.
The following bands will be playing:
you can click the band names to be directed to their website or myspace page
Tickets are $8 presale from myspace.com/maximumfreedom or $10 at Armadillo Music in Davis or at the door.
There will be a bike caravan to and from the festival from the Delta of Venus cafe in Davis. For more info you can visit myspace.com/maximumfreedom. There will be a special treat for the bikers after the show ends.
Le Merde is an artist from Seattle named Mike Kelly. He is best known for his hand-made resin figures and the slogan "Let's get Turdical". May 15th marked the release of his new collaboration with Super 7 for his "Le Turd" figure as well as a new figure he created for the show "Matter Cruncher". This was his fourth solo exhibition with Super 7. photo courtesy of Fiends Ain't Family more photos listed here -that's me on the left hanging out while Gabe was interviewing Le Merde for his upcoming designer toy documentary
Contact Super 7 for more info on the Le Merde figures & artwork as well as other custom figures and Kaiju toys
Check out these awesome customized Iron Man helmets
pictures taken in the alley of White Walls Gallery courtesy of Anne Halo
Blek Le Rat is sometimes referred to as the godfather of stencil graffiti art and has been heavily influential on the guerrilla street art scene. This French based artist started his artwork in Paris in the early 80’s. His socially conscious and sometimes provocative work has influenced other great stencil artists, such as Shepard Fairey (US) and * Banksy (UK). Banksy’s style is so heavily influenced by Blek that sometimes it’s hard to tell at a glance whose work it may be. The Faces in the Mirror exhibition showcases his trademark work of rats, sheep, beggars, and the never before seen image of Mona Lisa.
ABOVE - Transitions
Installation photo provided courtesy of Anne Halo
This is the debut indoor exhibition of the street artist ABOVE. This show would not have happened if Blek Le Rat had not insisted on having a duo exhibition with the young artist, who keeps his identity concealed. ABOVE has been creating art since 1995 and has left his mark on streets in over 45 countries around the world. Transitions consists of his widely known style of “arrow” mobiles, wordplay murals, and socio-political stencil work. The artist has been quoted as saying that the images he creates are to inspire people to “rise above”.
Blek Le Rat and ABOVE are showing their art from May 1 - June 5, 2010 at the White Walls Gallery San Francisco. For more information, click here.
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Banksy’s new film Exit Through the Gift Shop will be opening May 28th 2010 at the Tower Theater in Sacramento. For show times and more info about showings in other cities, click here.
Heaps of Nothing is the sophomore effort from the Australian band Naked on the Vague. Lucy Phelan and Matthew Hopkins recently added a bassist and a live drummer to round out the group. If compared their first record The Blood Pressure Sessions, this album is just as good if not better. They have taken some other elements of the post-punk, goth, industrial, no wave genre and created a different animal. There are countless moments enveloped in the tell-tale guitar sounds of The Cure (Pornography era), Joy Division beats, and the conjured spirit of Throbbing Gristle. I think I even heard some sound effects from The Matrix, which gave me goose bumps. This record reminds me of listening to Clan of Xymox or X-Mal Deutschland in my room as a kid. Track 8 Blank Minds inspired a daydream of Robert Smith jamming with Justin K. Broadrick of Godflesh, but with Justin as a chick. Yum! I can’t seem to listen to this record enough.
Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls
Kevin Morby, bassist for Woods
Justin Sullivan, drummer for Brooklyn band Bossy
Nathanael Stark from Bent Outta Shape
Their debut single, All Things Come to Pass came out in March on Wild World Records
All Things Come to Pass seems to be the sum of two great bands not quite melting together. It’s good, but not great. The song is solid, what you would expect a Vivian Girls song to sound like with some Woods shavings. It seems catchy enough on the outside and I always like hearing the slightly distant vocal sound that trademarks a Vivian Girls song, but it doesn’t seem to really go anywhere. However, see the clip of this song live, I think it sounds more fun and upbeat.
On the B side, Caroline is pretty much a Woods sounding endeavor garnished with a Vivian Girl. It starts out with beautiful indie pop guitar playing that seems to swell and build until Cassie comes in swooning “Caroline”. I expected greatness, but I felt the song ended while it was just reaching its peak. I expect this song will really come to life when played live.
The second 7" release, Meet Me in the City is currently out on Make a Mess Records:
Meet Me in the City is what I was hoping The Babies would sound like! This tune is catchy, indie pop with a slight edge. I kept imagining Frank Black/Black Francis singing this song. Cassie’s haunting backing vocals add just the perfect touch to this Pixies inspired tune. It sounds as though they finally started cooking in the same kitchen. You can download the song for free, click here.
Somebody Else is Woods + Vivian Girls + Pixies + a splash of Slippery Slopes = Fantastic! I cannot wait to hear more from this band. I’ve heard they have enough songs for an entire album and if they keep the songwriting in this vein, they will be one of my favorite bands.
You can catch them on tour May 18th in Sacramento, check undietacos.org for more information. For dates in other cities visit their myspace page.
This is the London trio’s debut album. Nothing Hurts has just the right combination of all the influences I love. Male Bonding delivers Jesus & Mary Chain feedback, but it’s not so drenched in it that you lose the pop-punk hooks and the Andy Bell (of Ride) tinged vocals on some songs. The bass lines and guitar hooks remind me of the CBGB scene of the late 70’s. This is NOT a dreamy album. Each song has its own sound, yet blends into a deliciously coherent indulgence that clocks in at about a half an hour. These songs are fast and catchy; you may find yourself dancing while singing along! This record gets better and better each time I listen to it. This is highly recommended.
Photos courtesy of Anne Halo
