FOR MEMORIAL DAY, 1916...

For Memorial Day, a sincere ballad by Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister, collector of military memoribilia who didn't forget the broken hearts and lives behind it all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqFoqtpUFY8

ARWEN LEWIS and PETER LEWIS at CAFE NELA 5.7.17

 

Arwen Lewis and her father Peter Lewis (of Moby Grape) keep presenting a stronger and stronger presence performing with their new band. No fancy light show this time, but May 7th's Cafe NELA appearance found a far more refined repertoire of respective Lewis originals and classic Grape fare. It looks like their side trip to this year's South by Southwest for assorted gigs paid off!

ASSORTED DOG PLAYDATES, SPRING 2017

Assorted playdate configurations of Gia, Eroica and Fain the Scottish Deerhounds, Diego, Quinn, Dixie and Breeze the Borzois, and Sarabelle the Golden Retriever... Humans are my better half Mr. Twister, Sherry, Ian, Paul, Mary, Katrina and self...while it's still sufficiently cool in the Spring for daytime/afternoon playdates...

 

 
Below, tiring of ball toys, puppy Fain shows Quinn just where to dig, much to Mr. Twister's consternation and concern for his garden!

...so Sherry offers lessons in manners via cheese for good dogs...

 

Dogs: "Cheese, please!" Sherry: "Sit! Now...lie down!"

 'looks easy, so Katrina and Mary give it a go...

Gia may have posed for the glamour portrait, but Quinn only has eyes for Dixie, cooing "Come wiz me to ze Casbah..."

 

...to the extent that Ian had to physically separate these teen lovers by pulling Quinn out from trying to climb in the car window to get to Ms. Dixie...

Finally done running...

DR. BOOGIE and THE BLESSINGS, LIVE dream double bill at El Cid 4.8.17

Here we had a dream double bill at El Cid club April 8th, 2017 with two of the best acts currently playing Los Angeles and points beyond --DR. BOOGIE and THE BLESSINGS-- then what happens? Well, as the lead singer of The Blessings said of his mic stand twirling in the second photo above, "I was aiming for the so-called soundman's head."

Yes, both bands predictably spun their respective hard rock magic as always to the infinite delight of appreciative crowds packing the club despite what purportedly seemed like sabotage by the club's new management. Let's put it this way, Dr. Boogie, nor the Blessings, two bands who have gigged there many times in the last two years, nor I as a photo pro whose prior experiences at the club yielded many great looking shots, one even gracing Dr. Boogie's debut album, will be recommending this venue as a well lit, great sounding one any more. 

Jeremy White, lead vocals, harmonica + guitar did his finest, even without benefit of a live microphone on for the first two songs. (I goosed the lighting to make up for lack thereof in these two variants.)

      

 Inevitably, tensions

percolated. Singer Lavone

Barnett-Seetal said of the photo at left with guitarist Mike Gavigan, "I look like Aunt Esther

from Sanford & Son! Hah! 'You ol' heathen!' "

Bassist Lights Out Levine off camera, but

below we find drummer Jason Upright and keyboard player Jeffrey Howell rounding out the full, Exile on Main Street-y sound of The Blessings who compare in cool songwriting as well.

 

Dr. Boogie benefitted from staff's tinkering with ironing out the sound of the prior acts, and delivered their usual solid set of originals led by Chris's raspy authority in their pre-East Coast tour warmup.

 

Pictured: Chris P. lead vocals, guitar; Dustin James, guitar, vocals; Pat Salway, bass, vocals, Luis Herrera, drums, vocals.

"Oi Vey!"

PHOTO OPS:

 Who's that hiding behind the cloud of smoke (and a mighty "Hi yo, Silver!?") Answer: singer/guitarist/producer Richard Duguay, seen with Mike Spent, rock and roll couturier Evita Corby and Lisa Lee.

Also on hand to see this great bill, Loren Molinare of The Dogs and Little Caesar (behind a cloud of spectacles glare,) Shelley Mitchell and California Rocker Editor Donna Balancia.

R.I.P. EMI CANYN

 Rest in peace Emi Canyn, A.K.A. Emi Jo Schmidt Canyn Mars Pierson, gone far too soon at age 62.  What little is known is that she passed away at her home in Lacey, Washington on Feb. 25, 2017 but the announcement wasn't made until some two months later.

Her main notoriety followed her stint as one of the Nasty Habits, the backup singer/dancers who wiggled around in nurses' outfits and custom metal maiden haute couture for Motley Crue at the height of their worldwide touring success, plus Emi's marriage to Crue's Mick Mars. She later fronted a band named Alice N' Thunderland with Chet Thompson of Hellion and WWIII, with its sole eponymous cd release in Japan.

However, Emi genuinely had a strong, wailing multi-octave voice, and my photos are from her lead vocals performances in She Rok, who also included Mary Kay of The Dogs on bass, Lisa Lichtenstein on drums and the late Gerri Edinger on guitar. 

 These hail from my stills taken for She Rok's appearance in Thunder 'n' Mud, director Penelope Spheeris' last film before her breakout success with Wayne's World, plus from gigs in Hollywood and some forgotten metal venue in Long Beach, Calif., hotbed of South Bay Metal after South Bay Punk receded. 

 Emi (pronounced "Amy" by Emi herself) was a stunning looker with a "Seven of Nine" (the Star Trek:Voyager Borg with the reconstituted, perfect human female physique) figure who could really sing full on. She was quite actively dynamic onstage.  She knew what boys liked.  And She Rok kicked bigtime metal ass. All the right commercial ingredients at the right time and right place for a change, sigh, but... for naught. Like many of the best, it just didn't happen.

This proof sheet dates from the She Rok gig 8.2.89 at Club Lingerie, Hollywood CA