JAMES WILLIAMSON and CAROLYN WONDERLAND rock RECORD STORE DAY 2014!

Record Store Day 2014 on Sat., Apr. 19th will feature one hellaciously great 45 single for sale, "Open Up And Bleed" b/w "Gimme Some Skin" by James Williamson, Raw Power guitarist of Iggy and The Stooges plus acclaimed Texas blues singer/guitarist Carolyn Wonderland. She nails both, torchy pain on the former, wildness incarnate on the latter.

It is a taste of Williamson's "Re-Licked" album to come with his Stooges' touring band on board alongside worthy modern singers like Mark Lanegan, Alison Mosshart, Jello Biafra and many more. They all cover the Iggy and The Stooges' songs beloved of bootlegs but that never made it to the studio, to have been the followup to 1973's immensely influential Raw Power.

Full frontal disclosure: those reading the fine print will note that Joel Pelletier and I designed this single replete with the Trina Merry bodypainted nudes cover, I drew the label's logo and photographed James with Carolyn below, (the latter with American Sign Language for "love," not a sudden conversion to heavy metal.) ‪ 

Whoa, a plaudit: quotes James Williamson on Facebook, "Heather ROCKs…just wait'll you see the next one!" Merci beaucoups!

Two passionate 
performers onstage,
Carolyn in 2014, 
James in 2013

CHEETAH CHROME and the STREET WALKIN' CHEETAHS live: all this and more!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity...we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..." With apologies for afore-abridged Charles Dickens, we indulge in a Tale of Two Cheetahs, legendary guitarist Cheetah Chrome backed by the recently reunited Street Walkin' Cheetahs, dubbed the Two-Headed Cheetah Tour 2014.

Chrome's reputation as fearsome guitarist for The Dead Boys and Rocket From The Tombs appears undiminished, belying his current duties as author ("Cheetah Chrome, A Dead Boy's Tale From The Front Lines Of Punk Rock," a transpicuously honest, readable and well received autobiography of his journey from junkie punk to clean and sober, happy family man/musician) and as A&R head of Plowboy Records in Nashville TN.

Whereas any potential tales of lucrative Dead Boys reunions sadly ended with the car accident death of its charismatic singer Stiv Bators in 1990, Chrome's style of distinctive punk songwriting (actual differentiation of tunes!) and rapidfire playing and/or melodic tunesmithy lives on his stint in The Batusis with NY Doll Sylvain Sylvain, new RFTT recordings and occasional, fantastic solo tours like this one. 

My photos emanate from his April 6, 2014 appearance at Spike's Bar and Grill, Rosemead, Calif., possibly an even better gig than the one at Hollywood's The Whisky due to innate dive (but jumbo-sized) bar ambience, immediacy of proactive forays into the audience and E-Z parking for the faithful, something impossible to claim by the Whisky. However, my friend Kim Yee noted of the Hollywood gig a few days before, "His voice sounded good. A treat to hear Dead Boys songs. I was limping yesterday cuz I danced so hard!" Note Cheetah's malevolent grin, gobs of sweat.

True to the 'all this and more' spirit of days gone by, Cheetah also invited his roadie of ten years, Ames Flames onstage to belt out the primo Dead Boys hit "Sonic Reducer," as Ames remains a very flash frontman. 

Below, The Street Walkin' Cheetahs rip through their own set before backing Mr. Chrome.

PHOTO OPS:

 They rhyme! Evita and Cheetah.

 

       Backstage (adorned with improbably cute, creative touch by club staff) with rock and roll couturier Evita Corby, Cheetah Chrome and former fellow Cleveland musician Bobby Richey.

Lastly, young love blossoms to the savage rhythms of hardcore rock...

 "Sonic Reducer" and cover of The Stooges' "Funhouse" video clips from this gig:    

           

 NOTE: link directly back to http://fastfilm1.blogspot.com if all elements such as photo layouts or videos aren't visible.

Retraction: Someone not identified by a full name disliked mention in an earlier edit. This has been removed.

DREAMSCAPE of a BUDDHIST TEMPLE

Dreamscape of a Buddhist temple in Rosemead, Calif.

 with traffic cones looking like celebratory firecrackers

 on the way to a Cheetah Chrome gig across the street...

(see next post.)

LITTLE CAESAR live at the House of Blues 4.1.14

 

With (top 

photograph) Ron 

his usual magnificent soul-singing self,

 LITTLE CAESAR

stormed a packed House of Blues, Hollywood on 4.1.14 

as warm up for their April 2014 tour of the U.K. and a return to the continent for a European tour this coming August and September.

 

New boy Joey (from Babybird and Johnny Depp's bands from the 1980s through today, also a member of singer Ron's other group the Blue-Eyed Devils (LINK and LINK) on guitar alongside Loren fit right into the camaraderie of this band which considers individuality of its players one of their primary strengths; i.e., this hardest rock/blues/soul band's drummer Tom sports Mott the Hoople and other glam icon t-shirts along with one that reads Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels Tour (!) while guitarist Loren remains a member of legendary Detroit/L.A. power trio THE DOGS (see LINK,) stylistically borne from the era of their contemporaries for whom they opened, The Stooges and MC5.

Little Caesar are: Ron Young, lead vocals; Tom Morris, drums; Fidel Paniaqua, bass, vocals; Loren Molinare, guitar, vocals; Joey Malone, guitar, vocals.

 

PHOTO OPS:

 

The House of Blues remains known for its outrageous outsider, primitive and third world art within its warren of rooms, and all eyes were on Lynn Carey, above left (see LINK .) Singer Lynn, formerly of notorious '70s blues rockers Mama Lion, then finds consolation with Renee Hill Young, spouse of singer Ron, in the band dressing room.

Backstage graffiti by a T-Rex fan...

FADED FAMILY

... a faded photograph of our 1966 family at a party in a tent at our house, the only time I ever wore any earrings (skin too sensitive for this accessory, like the Princess and the Pea. These were clip on.) Pater and Bro in velvet jackets, Mater is wearing Pucci, my frock, a ballgown slashed into a minidress was from Le Droguestore in Westwood Village CA.  Fashionable yes, but dysfunctional familial unit...

Due to the continual, contentious friction of this era I tended not to retain family photos as keepsakes, hence the above condition issues. However, my friend Blaire kept the one below and is seen at left, same soiree occasion. Note my ever-present camera, a cheapie bought from scarce teenage funds. Decrying blank space, I painted the posters ad hoc for the party decor. It was the mid-1960s...

THE PANDORAS, SHE ROK LIVE Aug. 2, 1989

 Recently excavated proof sheets* of The Pandoras live 8.2.89 at Club Lingerie, 

Hollywood. Members were: Paula Pierce, guitar, vocals; Melanie Vammen, keyboards,

percussion; Kim Shattuck, bass; Sheri Kaplan, drums. Sheri was known for Hardly Dangerous, Kim and Melanie later were in The Muffs, Paula sadly passed away at 

age 31 from an aneurysm. (see LINK)

Above, She Rok at same gig. Members were Emi Canyn, vocals; Mary Kay, bass; Gerri Edinger, guitar, Lisa Lichtenstein drums. Mary is best known for her dazzling bass fretwork in THE DOGS (see LINK), Emi went on to be a Nasty Habit in Motley Crue and wed its guitar player, Geri sadly is no longer with us. More info, see LINK.

*proof sheets showed every photo taken on color or black and white film in the pre-digital Pleistocene. They were developed in darkrooms from negatives. Yes, I used color negative film (Ektapress) because it was low-light faster and I could make infinite copies without surrendering transparencies to tight-deadlined periodicals, the major reason my contemporary colleagues are missing their own critical work.