Wednesday, July 27, 2016

ARWEN LEWIS AND PETER LEWIS REDUX at Skinny's 7.16.16

Above, before the gig in the parking lot.
Below, Arwen Lewis is all smiles at her birthday, shared with her father Peter Lewis at their Skinny's Lounge gig 7.17.16. They covered many great Moby Grape songs, plus there was an onstage birthday cake. Celebrated singer/guitarist Carla Olson, who's shared bands with The Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor and the late Gene Clark (of The Byrds) jammed with them on a poignant cover by Clark, "Set You Free This Time."







                                     birthday cake onstage!

Friday, July 22, 2016

ASHLAND OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL 2016 EXPEDITION

Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, July 5 - 11, 2016---
Along with their teacher and his wife plus a father of one of the students, my better half Mr. Twister and I chaperoned 36 bright, public and private elementary school 11-year-olds who are Shakespearean scholars. It would be unethical to depict the kids any closer up, so prepare for a panoply of uncharacteristic personal shots. Bonanza: along with beautiful countryside and a break from our desiccated SoCal drought landscape, we saw Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale, Hamlet, Richard II,  
plus Great Expectations, and had a blast!
Ashland's weather ranged from drizzly (in July!) to warm in the 90sF. 

guest photographer © 2016 Kurt Ingham for the above two shots 
and one below of yours truly.
Cubism for sashimi in Ashland OR. Later that evening, heavy metal Hamlet. Below, dramatic shot on cover of playbill, as photography was verboten.
Hamlet, Richard II, Twelfth Night, The Winter's Tale 
by William Shakespeare and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 
adapted by Penny Metropulos and Linda Alper.

Nature walk along trail beside Ashland Creek, Mr. Twister with his 

"Twin-Lens Reflex smartphone."  


Trees without people. 
  


visitors
 
The last three shots, above and below, guest photographer 
© 2016 Kurt Ingham: panorama of shortcut from the hotel down to Ashland Creek and up into town, avoiding crowded roadway; Crater Lake from the air; and yours truly dressing festively for the Festival at Sea-Tac airport connection back to Oregon.

Monday, July 4, 2016

DR. BOOGIE and THE BLESSINGS SAVE LOS ANGELES' ROCK AND ROLL

  Dr. Boogie (top photo) at El Cid Club 6.25.16; 
 The Blessings (next pic) at Cafe NELA 5.24.16

All the time, night after night, year after year you hear the yammering: why can't today's bands be as good as they were in (pick a year)? Wake UP!! They are! They're here and now and gigging, they're as good as any of your oldskool favorites and they rip through a set like they motherf--k--g MEAN IT, all cylinders firing.


Any time you see either of these bands listed for future shows, pick your complacent self up and get going. They've learned from the best (just like the best once learned from the best) and certainly are on their way there themselves, right on schedule. 

Dr. Boogie, fresh off their East Coast and Canada tour of festivals and club stormed El Cid Club on 6.25.16, with Patrick French jamming on harp and dancer Candace stage-invading to cavort and shimmy with her faves for the entire last half of their set. Lotsa new material, and always the high quality rock for a band who would describe their oeuvre as sleaze, because Record Collector magazine just did in its rave review of Dr. Boogie's new release Gotta Get Back to New York City, giving it 9 out of 10 stars. Yeah!




Dr. Boogie are: Chris P.- lead vocals, guitar; Dustin James- guitar, vocals; Jeff Turpin- bass, vocals; Luis Herrera, drums








  





The Blessings cut loose at Cafe NELA (of the cool lighting system) sharing the bill with Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders (Stones' reference, geddit?) But The Blessings were on fire, all six of 'em. Singer/guitarist/harmonica player Jeremy White wore his vintage North Beach Leather ensemble (Q: How can you wear that on one of the hottest days and nights of the year? A: I was dying to wear it!!) and the whole band rocked predictably magnificently in their Stones-y, hell raising original repertoire. 





 The Blessings are:
Jeremy White- lead vocals, guitar, harmonica 
Mike Gavigan- guitar
Jason Upright- drums 
Jeffrey Howell- keyboard
& organ 
Lavone Seetal- backing vocals, percussion 
and filling in for Duffy Snowhill on bass,
 Lights Out Levine.

 Both bands are chock full o' charisma, great tunes and gifted players. So go, already!
For more evidence, click LINK for previous Dr. Boogie photo essays and LINK for The Blessings photo essays. For more info, click their websites Dr. Boogie LINK 
and The Blessings LINK
 
PHOTO OPS:
 At El Cid: rock and roll couturier Evita Corby, Dr. Boogie's Chris P. 
and stage dancer Candace.
At El Cid: Evita and Lisa Somerset (Mrs. Chris P.)
 Below, at Cafe NELA, Jeremy White of The Blessings. When someone online noted that a few decades ago, that bottle of water would have been Jack Daniels, I countered, "who knows if we'd all still be here doing what we do were it a bottle of Jack..."

CAROLYN WONDERLAND at The Mint 6.19.16: SIMPLY THE BEST

 

She's the real deal, the total package-- vocal chops, amazing guitar work, great song crafting/writing-- and The Mint in Los Angeles was lucky enough to book Carolyn Wonderland and band on June 19, 2016 to the infinite pleasure of her avid fan base here. Carolyn remains an always engaging, energetic performer devoted to both her material and the audience at hand.

 Fellow Austin blues singer and award-winning vocalist Shelley King joined in for the last five numbers. The two sang their "Cumbia" selection in its original Spanish.
 


This set list 
of radically 
abbreviated 
titles is from 
Carolyn's own 
datebook, albeit 
with the wrong 
date (June, 
not May.)


 The band:  Carolyn Wonderland, guitars, trumpet and vocals; 
Cole El-Salah, keyboards and key-bass; Rob Hooper, drums.
For more info click LINK and the Carolyn Wonderland website LINK

PHOTO OPS:
 Backstage with Carolyn Wonderland and Donna Balancia, 
editor of California Rocker
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