OBJETS D'ARTS

 I love ad hoc art. Photo on top: this installation was hanging above the house paint section of Orchards yesterday, obviously the inspired work of their talented house paint section employees.

Photo below, someone at 3M/Scotch(R)Brand with an arty sense of Surrealism designed this stiletto high-heeled tape dispenser...

KIBITZING WITH LITTLE CAESAR

 Singer Ron Young shrugs an apropos "Oy vey!" over a brief technical glitch during Little Caesar's 7.19.13 gig at The Kibitz Room, Canter's Deli in the Fairfax/West Hollywood sector of L.A., home to much of L.A.'s Orthodox Jewry.

 The sole survivor of a triumvirate of rock and roll-related restaurants open 24 hours daily (the fallen establishments: Ben Frank's on the Sunset Strip and Ship's in Westwood Village,) Canter's has been a popular eatery with noshing night owl rockers since the heydaze of the 1960s. Rodney Bingenheimer, Mayor of selfsame Sunset Strip alternates Canter's and Denny's to this day. And according to unverified rumor via another well-known band, Mick Jagger himself had been in there but 24 hours before. The esteemed meshugener came on the wrong night!  

 

Adding to the lighthearted ambience were song introductions along the order of "This is a song we wrote by AC/DC...This is a song we wrote by Keith Richards... This is a song we wrote by Bad Company! The Who! " etc. Don't be fooled again: the band remains a highly original aggregate of soul/r&b-flavored hardest rock with 4/5 of its initial line up. Furthermore, Little Caesar played the massive 2013 Download Festival in Donnington, England just prior to this amusingly petite (but highly popular) venue gig. Hence the kibitzing...

Little Caesar dug deep into their repertoire to offer ballad "In Your Arms" from their 1989 Geffen Records debut plus from same era, this photojournalist's personal favorite "Tastes Good To Me" with the filthiest (but humorous) analogies possible on cunnilingus without using a single X-rated word, counterbalanced by the excellent material on 2012's self-released "American Dream" including its powerful, trenchant title song (see video below):


Little Caesar are: Ron Young-lead vocals; Joey Brasler, Loren Molinare-guitars, vocals; Fidel Paniagua-bass, vocals; Tom Morris drums, vocals
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MODERN DAGUERREOTYPE?

Guest photographer: Kurt Ingham. Yours truly circa the late 1970s. Not actually a Daguerreotype, but Polaroid Type 42 roll film (discontinued in 1992) taken with a Polaroid 95 camera, brown degradation due to having remained unfixed and stuck in a magazine he excavated only today. He always knows the tech specs of every photo he's ever taken unlike...some of us...

R.I.P. MICK FARREN

 Rest in peace Mick Farren, prolific writer, singer, intelligentsia, Social Deviant, gadfly of rock and roll from the 1960s onward. The music biz became more formulaic today with his loss. In his native Britain, onstage with his original band The Deviants. Read "Give the Anarchist A Cigarette!" in his honor.

BIRDS FEEDING IN OUR BACK YARD X2 with earthquakes as coda

 
This is our own mashup design of a bird feeder that indeed is completely squirrel-proof. Poles, chains, and part of horse's bit did the trick. We don't mind squirrels, it's just that they want to break feeders and grab all the gusto at one sitting. The multiples a la Warhol might bore some...

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GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER: KURT INGHAM

Guest photographer: Kurt Ingham. Camera, Polaroid/Cambo. Film: Fuji FP 100C. Date taken: July 9, 2013. Subjects: Karis, Sarahbelle, yours truly. Yes Virginia, there is a Polaroid-type film still extant, made by Fuji.

BLUE-EYED DEVILS, GLAM SKANKS live at PET ORPHANS BENEFIT

Above, Ron Young, lead singer of the Blue-Eyed Devils (and Little Caesar) interfacing (hah!) with one of the puppies offered for adoption at Pet Orphans, Van Nuys, Calif. where the aforementioned bands played a benefit 7.6.13, a July 4th-themed Pet Orphans Pet-riotic Celebration. 

And tarnation, you should have been there! Devils, Skanks, lemons, doggies galore, red, white & blue Americana, dunk tanks, loads of impeccably performed retro music in the improbably great-sounding concrete warehouse of the kennel complex. Great music for a great cause, finding homes for abandoned dogs.

Firstly, let's note this selfsame friendly little Chihuahua puppy exuding cuteness to Ron and assorted female fans above did find a permanent home that day. As is the Pet Orphans mission.

Above, all 5 Devils, superior musicians all, fully worthy of Funk Bros/Motown/Stax/Chess legacies. Below, in the "Can't Get Next To You/Cloud Nine" all band percussion break, Ron Young improvises with a citrus substitute for maracas.

Fire extinguisher at the ready for incendiary soul/funk classics, inclusive of the Ohio Players' "Fire."

                Personal fave Devil offering in an overabundance of wondrous covers: Sly and the Family Stone's "(Sing A) Simple Song." These Devils were Ron Young, Joey Malone, Bruce Witkin, Kevin Laurence and Rob Kloner.

Below, the Glam Skanks give the same treatment to their personal faves, vintage 1970s covers of The Sweet, Gary Glitter, Iggy and The Stooges et al of the Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco repertoire daze. Eugene Rice of Banshee Bones joined talented Skanks guitarist Veronica Witkin (daughter of Blue-eyed Devil Bruce and Pet Orphans volunteer, fellow photog Suzanne Allison) and rousing Skanks lead singer Ali Torres with all three buoyantly yelping out a spirited "Ballroom Blitz."

"Blitz, blitz,ballroom blitz!"

Above, Shelley Mitchell and Virginia Morrill promote Pet Orphans, then ogle the personal ride of Devil Ron Young who restored/ customized same. Ron and wife Renee always arrive in style!

 

 
A dog with a frisbee enjoys the bands along with Kim Yee, Shelley Mitchell and Virginia Morrill seen at far right. Above right, a pedigreed Weimaraner came to wish his orphan pals well. Below left, a very lost visitor arrives late, and right: a dog gapes as a volunteer is dunked.

ALLOSAURUS OUTPOST

Technically the Allosaurus is not a reptile, but I applaud the marketing moxie seen last Sat. next door to the Blue-Eyed Devils/Glam Skanks gig (see next posted blog.) 

I'M A FEATURED ARTICLE in RECORD COLLECTOR NEWS

Wow, I'm a featured article in Record Collector News! See

LINK for my two cents on my onetime graphic art teacher, the redoubtable, visual arts icon-creator John Van Hamersveld.

Here's the missing first paragraph, which somehow slid between the pixels onto the floor and out of sight: 

The listing in one of those freebie further education-type syllabi read 'Night Classes, Commercial Art Design taught by John Van Hamersveld,' and I practically broke the sound barrier getting my paperwork and filthy lucre in to take this course. 

Above, John Van Hamersveld's design for the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street front and back LP covers; below, SurfingVillage.com collage of Hamersveld images.

LOVE & ROCKETS & COLOR XEROGRAPHY

David and Daniel never stood next to one another onstage by the time Love & Rockets were selling out arenas in the USA. Therefore I spliced together two separate shots from the same gig in my darkroom (in the pre-digital Pleistocene) for the assignment. Their onstage fog machines made conjoining rather easier than normal. I gave the best print of the several experiments to the magazine but made the above color xerox, tweaked from a black and white for my own archives.

The below video song may be their rocking-est. Remember, guitars were "out of vogue" when the band was coming up in their native Great Britain...

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VINTAGE CARS for film production

 One could research which current film or tv shoot is using this vintage Chevy, Packard and assorted 1940s/50s cars duded up as L.A. police cars, taxis etc. in its production as of July 4, 2013. But one would rather photograph them on the fly, car to car, where they were spotted-- on a crowded Los Angeles freeway.

4TH OF JULY a la Ramones

Happy red, white and blue 4th of July from the USA: my patriotic Ramones t-shirt photographed in our paisley rock and roll bathroom, with dinosaurs (and apropos X video below...)

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BLUE-EYED DEVILS, GLAM SKANKS for a great cause

Above, lead singers of The Blue-Eyed Devils and Glam Skanks, respectively, Ron Young and Ali Torres.

  
The Blue-Eyed Devils and the Glam Skanks will perform an afternoon benefit for Pet Orphans this Saturday July 6th in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles. Free, but with any and all donations going directly to the Pet Orphans Shelter, a great force for rehoming dogs and cats for the last 40 years. Click the two graphics below to enlarge and see details/time/directions.

 

 

The Blue-Eyed

Devils

 Glam Skanks in all their glittery glory

Last seen herein LINK, The Blue-Eyed Devils recently headlined at The Joint in West Hollywood with opening act Glam Skanks, young musicians offering worthy covers of 1970s glitter favorites, and soulster B Slade (below) and his own band supporting. Since both Blue-Eyed Devils and Glam Skanks perform excellent cover repertoires, the Devils with their funk/soul/r&b/Motown gems alongside the Skanks with their satin and tat, the emphasis for the Pet Orphans Pet-riotic benefit will be FUN!

 

  

PHOTO OPS: 

 

Above, Glam Skanks talented guitarist Veronica Witkin (daughter of Blue Devil Bruce Witkin, and with wild hair contained after the Skanks' performance) danced and posed with musician Eugene Rice in this cute candid, prompting fellow photog Suzanne Allison to comment on same, "As the mother, I'm terrified, as an innocent bystander it's adorable." My rejoinder: "They both can't help being good looking, now can they?"