CHEETAH CHROME/JOHNNY BLITZ THE DEAD BOYS with kindred STREET WALKIN' CHEETAHS IGNITE HOLLYWOOD: Passion Part 2

2017's most memorable gig, 11.11.17 at Hollywood's the Viper Room-- the 40th Anniversary of The Dead Boys featuring original members their own bad selves, guitarist Cheetah Chrome and drummer Johnny Blitz. The audience went apeshit berserk, with singer Jake Hout coaxing and cajoling them into the palm of his hand a la Stiv Bators, whom he frequently praised.  

For further details, I am passing the virtual microphone over to the headliner's genial road technician, Ames Flames, as his perspective and enthusiasm are uniquely palpable:

"Last nights Dead Boys show was off the hook! WOW! I literally had to fight my way through the crowd just to get the guitars on stage. Once the show started the crowd went nuts and stayed that way through the entire set. The stage monitors were being pushed, thrashed, and unplugged. I was cornered on the stage steps and couldn't move. It was hot and I was drenched. The sound was thunderous. It was like the old days. It was the 3rd time in LA this year, and it was the charm. This is the show we all hope to see when we go out to see a band. The kind of show where you have to pinch yourself to make sure you are actually awake and seeing it. It was a pleasure helping these guys out, I see them as family. J Blitz was totally killing it on drums. He was amazing to watch. He did some stuff so fast I couldn't see the sticks. As they continue (to tour) I doubt you will be seeing them in clubs. I see festivals in their future."

 

and openers: The Street Walkin' Cheetahs--

  Cheetah's onetime almost eponymous backing band The Street Walkin' Cheetahs opened for The Dead Boys with their usual hi-speed, hi-energy clever punk rock. Angelo Moore of Fishbone jammed sax on a cover of the Stooges' "Fun House," dexterous singer Frank Meyer got fresh with bassist Dino Everett and guitarist Bruce Duff debuted his Errol Flynn/Captain Hook look.

 

 

THE DOGS, GILT LILY, GLITTERTRASH live, Benefit for Carrie Hamilton Foundation, Molly Malone's 12.5.17

 

 

THE DOGS, great legendary Detroit band that began in 1968 with singer/songwriter/guitarist Loren Molinare, bassist Mary Kay and continuing with drummer Tony Mattueucci (see LINK*) played a rare gig for a benefit for The Carrie Hamilton Foundation** 12.5.17.   

The significance of Loren's participation proved as poignant as his duties were multifold: he also played in two other bands that evening, GLITTERTRASH and GILT LILY. This was a special one-off reunion of GILT LILY minus its late, highly charismatic singer, Carole Burnett's daughter Carrie Hamilton (in pic herein with Leslie Knauer [center] who also performed at this gig, and Mary Kay [right] of THE DOGS)  who died of lung cancer in 2002. However, Carrie's sister Jody Hamilton helmed the band this time around, with a her own special insouciance, mood-wrangling and strip teasing. She even invited drag queens and GLITTERTRASH' singer Jenna Talia (blonde below in Gilt Lily shot, not the pink- bewigged one) onstage to join in Gilt Lily anthem "I Am A Boy." Also in Gilt Lily with Jody and Loren were original members Danny "de Muff" Isaacs and Paul Ill, with the addition of Ken Mundy.

Above, beautiful and spirited in both looks and manner, Leslie Knauer offered a great acoustic set with Al Teman on stand up bass showcasing her catchy songwriting as well as gymnastic vocals. Family-wise, Leslie once played in the band Kanary with Mary and Tony of THE DOGS for 12 years as well as her current reunion incarnation of 1990s and beyond favorites PRECIOUS METAL. Paul Ill's Disreputable Few fusion band also shared the bill.

Then we get to GLITTERTRASH... another Loren band with fellow Detroit to L.A. transplant, singer/provocateur Jenna Talia, seen below, plus Cuch Rauda on bass and a temporary Tony Dog. Motor City seasoned and tough belying the image one encounters, Jenna is a great frontperson who, as with many fun soirees one has attended, ended up on the floor wrestling a chair. And this a fun act but with some serious undertones, as with her songs like "Something To Believe In..." co-written with Loren Molinare.

*http://fastfilm1.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-dogs-their-history-from-1960s.html

** The Carrie Louise Hamilton Foundation, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., ste. 2300, Los Angeles CA 90036

SIGHTHOUND PLAYDATES APR.1,8, 2018

Playdates on Apr.1 + 8, 2018 with Scottish Deerhounds Gia, Eroica, Fain and Borzois Livia, Diego, Quinn,  Dixie and Mila with Golden Retriever Sarabelle supervising, plus humans Mr. Twister, Sherry, Ian, Paul and Mary, Katrina and yours truly. Beautiful spring weather still cool enough for running hounds to enjoy going their 35mph top speed with every run. Above, Ian risks life and limb photographing charging sighthounds, as do we all. Below, sighthounds running every which way in different pursuits, then representative pics, the two bottom shots with yours truly in them by guest photographer © 2018 Kurt Ingham ...

                                                            

~~FLASH~~

 An impromptu portrait of all the critters: equine Indy, canines Gia, Sarabelle and Livia

then... a few more addenda from April 15th playdate,

 

 with the last two photos of iguana tag betwixt Livia and Fain © 2018 Kurt Ingham.

STARCRAWLER LIVE AND "INSANELY GOOD" at the Lodge Room 3.31.18

You want the best young band currently hailing from Los Angeles? Go no further  than STARCRAWLER. You've read the hype, now grok the reality.  Strange teenagers from another planet come to entertain and enthrall us all...STARCRAWLER perform like seasoned rockers, don't imitate anyone (these days a rarity within itself,) and despite most of the attention falling on their unusual lead singer, they have an up and coming major guitarist in their ranks. Fun, loud, memorable punkesque whatnot replete with humorous ironies.

  The band has been alive as such for only one year, with seventeen-year old hardcore adept guitarist Henri Cash, 19-year-old lead vocalist Arrow de Wilde whose 6 ft.plus svelte frame brings to mind Classic depictions of famine, drummer Austin Smith and bassist Tim Franco. Claimed FOXES Magazine editor Tina de la Celle, one who is always in the know, "I have seen them many times, but they were insanely good at this show..."

...this show being March 31, 2018 at (Northeast L.A.) Highland Park's packed the Lodge Room. Too bad there was NO light on the performers. My pics were taken when the revolving spotlights shone on them indirectly a bit. (And double too bad, because it's a cool Art Deco ballroom venue with good sound in a neighborhood with copious free nighttime parking...)

 

(Above and below): in her theatrical blood-spattered "Carrie" ballgown trussed with vintage girdle, singer Arrow de Wilde invited a somewhat puzzled fan (who was nonetheless sufficiently hip to wear a t-shirt with one their song titles on it) onstage to "participate" in their song "Pussy Tower" with it's rousing chorus of "...she gives me head." The devilish smirk on Arrow's face below betrays whether it was or whether it was not all in good fun. You be the judge. Guitarist Henri Cash responded by playfully handing his still plugged in guitar to a stage invader, presumably to serenade in his place. Private, unintentional humor came when at least two concert-goers separately asked if I were the singer's mother. We both are music photographers, but the latter is a good twenty years younger and blessed with obvious genetics capable of spawning the beauteous if weird young Arrow.

PHOTO OPS:

 Colleague, photographer Michael Eivaz, far right, cavorts with gig promoter of Sid the Cat Presents Brandon Gonzalez and Christina Gonzalez