Photo by David TitlowTHURSDAY, SEPT. 29
Just in case She Wants Revenge gets famous—as a mafia tax dodge, as some rich daddy's attempt to connect with his son—let's be some of the first to put out the alert: you couldn't make a joke this funny if you tried. In every city in America, there is a high school band that sounds like this because they just very first heard Joy Division, and after a little time, they'll all look back and laugh at how naive they were. If you get what that means. At CSUF for confused frat boys during lunch.
BUT: If I could make a band that sounded exactly like the Stooges in 1969, I guess I would, so you can't completely fault a couple of fan-dudes just for being human, can you?
AND: The Fabulous Thunderbirds (blooze-rock Billy Carters to Stevie Ray Vaughan) at Aldrich Park for UCI's 40th anniversary, after which their van will get a special 40th anniversary parking ticket.
FRIDAY
Mike Park (Asian Man Records and if you remember Skankin' Pickle, back when college kids liked ska and wore T-shirts that made them look wacky?) leads his Plea for Peace bicycle tour to its only two electrified shows in Southern California at Chain Reaction; Park and Co. have been bicycling from informal acoustic campsite show to informal acoustic campsite show down the California coast to raise money for—well, it was originally a teen center in the Bay Area, but now that America is enjoying its most appalling summer since 1905, proceeds might be going to a more hurricane-y organization. Anyway: Rx Bandits (with Park and MU330's Dan Potthast) tonight and again tomorrow (with Desa and Hopefield) at Chain, and then back on the bikes for a 40-mile ride to Doheny State Beach and another campfire set.
PLUS: The Adolescents and the Crowd reboot 1979 at Alex's; Bouncing Souls reboot 1999 at HOB; Brett Cain has 360 pounds of muscle and 220 pounds of guitar talent for the Gypsy Lounge; Dungen pink floyds Emitt Rhodes at the Glass House.
SATURDAY
Benefit for DJ Scotty Coats, injured during a roofing accident and further traumatized by America's lack of universal health care: but local communities step in where government fails (that's the real lesson of Hurricane Summer) to help Scotty pay his hospital bills. Detroit regulars Myka 9 and Emanon headline live hip-hop with between-set selections by Abstract Workshop's Cocoe and Josh One, plus more music and auction stuff from RVCA and Ubiquity records. Ten dollars from you helps get Scotty back to health at Detroit.
AND: Renowned restaurateur Kenny Rogers reaches back past the bucket of Roasters for his old guitar, which he evidently used to make a song called “The Gambler” (gliding toward “Freebird” ubiquity) and several hundred more too, before gently trading in a public profile as a country musician for a more public profile as a bearded guy on a paper place mat with a bunch of greasy thumbprints down the side. At the OCPAC with Ray Kroc-odile Rock.
AND: Re-drummered Geisha Girls (as heard on Inside OC) with local punk wrecks the FM Bats (as supposedly soon to be seen on MTV?) and the Matachine (as seen hanging out in Costa Mesa) and the Vice Versa (never seen 'em do nothing yet but maybe today!) for free at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana.
PLUS: DJ Quik drives his black Mercedes to the Vault; the RX Bandits again at Chain if you're skipping entries; will Tiffany be alone now at the HOB?
SUNDAY
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? Something called the Beach Boys (not to be confused with Brian Wilson, though they may share a song or two) plays the Newport Beach centennial celebration (not to be confused with the Newport 100s celebration, currently ongoing in the parking lot of El Don Liquor in Huntington Beach) at the Newport Dunes Resort during the afternoon, marking the start of a yearlong celebration of a century of Newport Beach life, from “swamp and overflow land” that once sold for $1 an acre to stucco and faux-Spanish tile that sells for more than $20 a square foot.
MONDAY
Swamp and overflow was the M.I.A. promo strategy, and she got everywhere in ways that bands who only play one kind of music at once wish would happen to them: Big Daddy Kane in Sri Lanka and Elastica at art school (plus Diplo in the USA) made for an almost-White-y Stripe-y breakout for Maya A., who at press time had not been sued for copyright violation. But now that Arular has cooled enough to work for a Honda commercial (and for coverage in poor OC Weekly), it's time to look six months ahead for the (actually) rumored Timbaland-to-produce second album. Says M.I.A.: Missy Elliot came to her show and Kanye and Nas and Kelis all called, so what's next? Besides tonight at the Glass House.
PLUS: If it wasn't for M.I.A., Coto Normal would get to keep Monday night all for themselves: Detroit residency makes perfect sense for Portishead/Stereolab/Stereo Total pop.
TUESDAY
Musiq is the e.e. cummings of neo-soul, a smoothie singer with the soothing style of quality air conditioning—wonder yourself if that's a dis or a compliment, especially this time of year. Upcoming collaborations with Sole, Kool G Rap, Pete Rock and the Rock currently only rumor. At HOB.
WEDNESDAY
Finally, a night the fuck off!
THURSDAY, OCT. 6
It said FUCK OFF!
PLUS: Argentine rock en esp band Enanitos Verde at the Vault; Ask a Mexican some good lines to loop on girls.
See Calendar listings for club locations. Also: be smart; call ahead.
