May 17, 2016 New noise, old friends: Spokenest, California, Bleached, LPIII & The Tragedy, John Doe
A bunch of pals have just released records that you should know about. Pics at recent shows by me…
Spokenest – Gone, Gone, Gone (Drunken Sailor Records)
My friends Daryl and Adrian not only comprise the garage punk duo Spokenest, but they also contribute to RazorCake magazine. It can’t be easy to review and write about music all the time and then make records, too. If Roger Ebert’s script for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls wasn’t genius then his negative reviews would have no teeth, right? Good thing Gone, Gone, Gone totally rules, dropping riffs and drums onto your head like logs out of a chute. But it’s a nuanced din with soaring guitars occasionally breaking up the rumbling and smart lyrics throughout: “How bad will it get if we don’t run faster/How bad will it get if we don’t love louder/How bad will it get if we don’t take over?” We’ll never know because they are definitely taking over.
Photo: Save Music in Chinatown 9 at the Grand Star (May 8, 2016)
California – S/T (Blackball Records)
Adam, Dustin, and Justin are a somewhat new trio with a lot of history: Pinhead Gunpowder, Monsula, Jawbreaker, J Church, Green Day… Because they have played our Save Music in Chinatown Shows three times over two years, I’ve had a chance to hear their songs as live versions, demos, and finally fully produced cuts complete with guest vocals and percussion by my other buddies, Rachel Haden and Fredo Ortiz. I’m happy to report that their perfect power pop melodies sound just as powerful cleaned up as they did when they were raw. When Adam first handed me a tape of demos, he told me they sounded more like Big Star than Big Drill Car, but he also could have mentioned The Plimsouls, Tom Petty… Impossibly perfect on vinyl and your favorite dive.
Photo: Perhspace (May 7, 2016)
Bleached – Welcome The Worms (Sub Pop)
I don’t know Bleached but they were cordial when my wife, daughter, and I met them at their record release show. Also, my brother-in-law Carlos produced and engineered the LP, which totally rips. Like Redd Kross, King Tuff, and The Oh Sees, they are making Freedom Rock filtered through punk as well as classic rock. The dueling guitars, handclaps, and backing vocals are made to be cranked up and played through huge speakers. Songs like “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “Sleepwalking,” and “Wednesday Night Melody” could totally be put on a mix tape right between Cheap Trick and the Runaways and they are even better live.
Photo: Amoeba Music (April 1, 2016)
LPIII & The Tragedy – Southland Hum (Maplewood Records)
I met Louie and Eric when they played a Save Music in Chinatown show as two-thirds of Evil Hearted You. The updated lineup expands on the Americana angles, spreading out to the dark and swampy sounds of Gun Club and working-class roots of Los Lobos (Louie and Ruby’s dads are in that legendary band). There are so many great songs that carry out and build on the great East Los Angeles musical tradition but my favorite is “Heart Locked in a Cell,” which features monstrous slide guitar parts and comes across like a heartfelt but heavy cholo’s love letter from jail.
Photo: Alex’s Bar (May 5, 2016)
John Doe – The Westerner (Cool Rock Records)
Sadly, I don’t know John Doe and I haven’t seen him play his new solo stuff live. But I recently caught X on back to back nights, attended a book signing event for Under The Big Black Sun, and can’t stop listening to his new LP. The Westerner is Doe’s tribute to an old friend, and features simple but not stupid, straight but original, and raw folk songs with dark edges and a heavy soul. It’s lonely but he’s not alone with all-star vocals by Chan Marshall and Debbie Harry and a song by Exene Cervenka. Get on board, indeed.
Photo: The Observatory OC (May 6, 2016)
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