JIGSAW SEEN and NEW YORK JUNK live at Silverlake Lounge 12.10.16

↑Jigsaw Seen↑         ↓New York Junk↓

 

Best show with which to end this year's blog: an incredibly cool double-bill of Jigsaw Seen (above) and New York Junk at the Silverlake Lounge 12.10.16.

Jonathan Lea with his electric sitar.

  

With Dennis singing, Jonathan uses and ebow hovering over the guitar like hands over a theremin, to suitably studio-FX sounding resolution. He is a master of this technique.

Many tunes from their seasonally themed Winterland release, plus a few holiday carols medleys inclusive of The Who's disturbing "Christmas" from Tommy!  It is advised you purchase their releases also to enjoy their whimsically complex packaging.

Set list titles hint at unusual topics of subversive but melodic (and yet still fun!) songs.

 Jigsaw Seen guitars without Jigsaw Seen...

Jigsaw Seen are Dennis Davison, vocals, guitar, Jonathan Lea, guitar, 
Tom Currier Bass, Teddy Freese, drums.
Website and merchandise info: LINK

New York Junk's first foray to the west coast found quite a receptive audience to their laconic tales of life in Manhattan, done beautifully in a sorta mid-tempo punk groove with occasional flurries of breakneck speed. The ouevre of their late pal Mr. Thunders comes to mind. All survived the original NYC punk era, with Ms. Ross' pedigree tracing to the much beloved B-Girls.  

New York Junk are Joe Sztabnik, guitar, vocals; Cynthia Ross, bass, vocals; Gary Barnett, drums (and at home and abroad they add Jeff Ward on additional guitar.)

 

Website: LINK / merchandise info: newyorkjunk77@gmail.com

PHOTO OPS:

Wrong setting on camera before the gig, right subjects: Andrea Frank, Jigsaw singer/guitarist Dennis Davison, Evita Corby, Betsy Rosenthal, Jigsaw drummer Teddy Freese, Mr. Twister.

Below,Rock and roll couturier Evita Corby, Cynthia Ross, bassist of NYJunk, Mr. Twister.

 Evita Corby, writer Kim Yee, your humble photojournalist, 

guest photographer © 2016 Kurt Ingham.

LOVE REVISITED, THE PANDORAS at the 50th Anniversary of the RIOTS ON SUNSET STRIP

Left,
Love 
Revisited. Right, Johnny
Echols
of Love
ReVisited

The night of Nov. 12, 2016 was dedicated to its 50th Anniversary of the Riots on Sunset Strip that sprang from Pandora's Box club in Hollywood, Calif., 1966, but this multi-artists' gig's highlights unquestionably were by two bands with more in common than first appears, Love Revisited and The Pandoras. Both Love and The Pandoras lost their guiding lights, singer/songwriter/guitarists Arthur Lee of Love in 2006, and Paula Pierce of the Pandoras in 1991 (both of natural causes.) Then, both bands decided that the canon of each was just too good to remain unperformed indefinitely. New fans far and wide now may hear these great songs performed with the gusto that only original players and close associates of those icons can bring.

The Pandoras, 2016: lead vocals/guitar Kim Shattuck (The Muffs, The Pixies, long ago Pandora,) keyboardist Melanie Vammen and bassist Karen Basset (Paula Pierce Pandoras 2.0,) and drummer Hilary Burton.

Kim Shattuck gets a hug after an onstage dancing bout by the show's promoter, author/1960s pop culture expert Dominic Priore joining the two Go Go dancers, also seen with Love Revisited below.

 

Left, Love Revisited singer/guitarist Rusty Squeezebox. Right, Love ReVisited guitarist Mike Randle. They made sure the classic songs rocked and that proto-speedmetal manifesto "7 And 7 Is" was played at Mach 10.

Love Revisited's pedigree hails from Arthur Lee's last backup band Baby Lemonade (including Squeezebox and Randle,) with assorted worthy musicians and highly distinctive Love guitarist Johnny Echols, Lee's BFF from not only the original Love psychedelic daze, but also from their mutual pre-Love, Memphis TN/L.A. roots playing in bands with Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix. 

A compelling "Signed D.C." was sung by Johnny Echols (pictured above and below) with the coda of this ballad's haunting chorus "...no one cares (pause) for me" changed to "... signed J.E." One should note that this appeared on Love's debut album in 1966, whereas another song with the same chords and tempo "Knights In White Satin" by the Moody Blues sprung forth in 1967...

PHOTO OPS:

  Above, Evita Corby, Tim and Terry Moreland Henderson, Shelley Mitchell.

 Below, beautiful couple Johnny Echols and Georgiana Steele-Waller.

 Below, multi-talented musician John Tyree (The Richmond Sluts, Cheap Tissue) and Ignacio Gonzalez of Creation Factory / Lolipop Records

 

 Above, Johnny Echols and Shelley Mitchell

Below, Betsy Tucker and fellow photographer Dianne Carter

 

 ↑ Happy all ages audience for 1960s thrills. Note David Arnson of The Insect Surfers and The Raw Power Rangers, curly-haired with glasses, in crowd. ↓

PRECIOUS METAL REUNION LIVE at Palladino's 12.3.16

Precious Metal, consisting of three founding members bassist Alex Peterson, singer Leslie Knauer and drummer Susette Andres augmented by Jeff Mattern on guitar and Aviva Maloney on sax/keyboards lit up Palladino's in Reseda CA Dec. 3, 2016 with an amazing set of PMetal classics and new originals. 

A Precious Metal reunion with 4/5ths of the band's members who had recorded 3 of their their 4 major label album releases together in the 1980s and 90s (Peterson, Knauer, guitarist Mara Fox, lead guitarist Janet Robin and drummer Carol Control Duckworth) convened for their first reunion in 25 years organized by Petersen for the charity Chemowize Foundation and hit West Hollywood's Mint's stage two years ago to wild acclaim (see LINK.) The impetus to continue the fun roped in their first drummer, Andres, later of Bombshell and The Wild Side with Mattern when Duckworth wasn't available. (The relocated Fox remains there in spirit and songwriting.) 

 

Leslie remains active in many musical projects including Naked Hand Dance with husband Al Teman, but full-on metal songstress vocals are her fortè of fortès. You have not LIVED in the modern music world until you've heard the power of Leslie igniting "Howl At The Moon"at full throttle. (See LINK for worldwide acclaim for Leslie's voice.)

 

Set list: Mr. Big Stuff, You Do Something Special, Anybody's Lover, Howl At The Moon, Baby It's You*, Let The Music Move You, Trouble, Listen To Your Heart, Chasing Rainbows, Thrilling Life, Right Here Right Now 

                                       

                                  *(Leslie's platinum-selling single in Australia from a prior band Promises)