Martin's Posts

One of the things I really miss about editing Giant Robot magazine is assembling the reviews. Did you know that I actually purchased most of the movies that were listed in the TV Party section? I can’t really justify doing that any more, so I was stoked to receive a couple of interesting screeners from WellgoUSA. Back-to-back viewings of Tai Chi Zero and The Assassins doesn’t quite replace double features at the Kuo Hwa–which got me into Asian movies to begin with–but it’s as close as I get these days. (more…)

The only other time I put together a show was a San Diego Comic-Con party with Flattbush, Upsilon Acrux, and The Binges with DJ sets by Free The Robots way back in 2009. Looking back, that was a pretty rad lineup! So it makes sense that Bradley from Flattbush would facilitate my second-ever gig. He serves drunks at Alex’s Bar but also books shows now and then. This one came together at the last minute and I am very grateful to my friends who put themselves out there during the deadest part of the holidays to take part. (more…)

I’ve been seeing Fredo Ortiz play amazing arena shows (Beastie Boys at the Velodrome) and special, smaller jams (w/ Tommy Guerrero, Ray Barbee, and Money Mark at HUF) but finally met him at Giant Robot Biennale 3 (above). We’ve kept in touch and bumped into each other here and there, and I was stoked when he jumped at playing Alex’s Bar on December 27. Here’s some scoop on his solo material, his successful Kickstarter campaign, and the gig. (more…)

After my pal Bradley (Flattbush) asked me if I’d be interested in setting up a show at Alex’s Bar, it’s fitting that It’s Casual would headline. I first saw the band earlier this year when they played with DYS and Negative Approach. Man, they were great and I became not only a fan but a friend of singer/guitarist Eddie Solis. How could I not like a guy who channels the work ethic of SST and modern heaviness of Southern Lord (he’s worked for both labels) and sings exclusively about our hometown of Los Angeles both critically and caringly while never forgetting to deliver genuine punk power and head-banging metal riffs.

That the duo would agree to play a small show with little promotion or planning for a buddy says a lot about It’s Casual being cool dudes but also how much they live to rip it up and share their brutal yet positive message. Hope to see you in front on Thursday, December 27. (more…)

I’ve had a chance to do some pretty rad things in 2012. In addition to getting to share awesome stuff that my friends do via this Giant Robot blog, I was able to have my filmmaker friends show their skate shorts in Chicago, Honolulu, and Hawaii. That was really cool. Now my friend Brad (from Flattbush) has asked me to  help to put together a show at Alex’s Bar. And why not get some of my friends’ awesome bands to play one of my favorite venues?

It’s coming together at the last minute but it’s also a very cool lineup, and I hope that a lot you will make it. Here’s what the lineup looks like:

IT’S CASUAL – The SST-informed metal duo has been on a huge roll in 2012, first releasing the ripping  split 7″ with Early Man and then a bitchin’ new LP, The New Los Angeles II. They recently packed The Troubadour, so I am really honored that Eddie would take his ear-crushing act back to the dive bar where I first saw him opening for Negative Approach. You’ve seen Rick Kosick’s amazing video for “The Red Line,” right?

BONGOLOIDZ – I’ve seen Fredo Ortiz play in a variety of combos with the likes of Money Mark, Tommy Guerrero, and Ray Barbee at places likethe HUF warehouse and the Giant Robot Biennale 3. I’ve also seen him at the Beastie Boys, Los Lobos, and The Bronx shows, and he’s probably played in a bunch of other bands that you love. I’m stoked to hear him play his own songs, perhaps giving a preview of the album successfully funded by a recent Kickstarter campaign that I backed.

SANDY YANG – Hardcore Giant Robot readers will know that Sandy Yang and I  go way back, and that she has actually appeared in the pages of Giant Robot magazine 10 and 12. But she has also contributed to a number of arty and noisy groups, the biggest being The Red Krayola. Although she has written solo material all along, she has just begun to start playing it out and getting a recording together. Her show at The Smell was great, and I’m stoked that the guys in HowardAmb will be backing her up once more.

See you in front!

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine informed me that he was booking shows at Alex’s Bar and asked if I wanted to help set up a night. I said, sure, and now it’s actually to happen on Thursday, December 27. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who reads this blog that I’m filling one of my favorite venues with friends.

I’m really excited that my friend Sandy Yang will be on the bill. She’s played with the famously conceptual band, The Red Krayola, and various noise combos. But only recently has she been playing as a solo artist. I caught her deconstructed take on rock as a solo artist not too long ago at The Smell, accompanied by the guys in HowardAmb.

Here’s your chance to get to know Sandy a little better before she hits a slightly bigger stage next week.

MW: I’ve seen you play with a few combos, but have only recently seen you play a solo set. Have you always been writing and playing more individual work?
SY: I have always been writing, but before now I only played one solo show in L.A. and that was in the ’90s! Before meeting Mayo Thompson, I was multi-tracking on my 4-track cassette recorder. I approached him to do an independent study at Art Center and that’s how we met and that’s how I got to play in The Red Krayola. The only thing I’ve released solo is a 5-song instrumental EP put out by Sun An on his label CD-Rt.

MW: I know you grew up with O.C. punk, but your solo work seems more East Coast to me, with noise and No Wave elements. Where did these come from? And if I’m totally wrong, let me know where I left the tracks.
SY: Hmm… I’m not sure. The shows I saw in my youth were post punk and well into the hardcore scene by then, I guess. As for growing up with punk in a historical sense I think that was before my time. But if we’re talking about it in terms of a “punk” sound, I don’t think I embraced O.C. punk or was influenced by it except by certain friends in local bands as individuals. I do remember growing up listening to Black Flag, Descendents, Minutemen, Laughing Hyenas, Bad Brains, Government Issue, Public Enemy…

MW: What’s your musical relationship with the HowardAmb guys? How much of their accompaniment is written out or just jams?
SY: James Hamblin and Stefan Scott Nelson are the two members in HowardAmb and I’m lucky they are willing to accompany me. What they usually do is very complicated–and highly recommended, by the way–so it’s fun to play something straightforward with them. We played together recently when I opened for their show at The Smell. They’ve been a great help to me adapting my recorded songs into a live set. Much of what’s on the recordings has been omitted to the bare bones of the songs. There hasn’t been much improvising. The bass is played straightforward and exactly as I recorded them and the drums are very close to the recordings as well. Last year, Tom Watson and I played a few shows together with this similar set of songs but we were two guitars.

MW: How close are you to releasing a new collection of songs?
SY: I have 13 songs I’ve finished recording and mixing. I’d like to release it soon so I can move onto new songs. The next collection I hope will not sound anything like this group, but who knows.

MW: Finally, do you remember being in Giant Robot magazine?
SY: Of course I do! Do you mean the fruit carving article or when we did the Chinatown article? That was before any of the galleries moved in, and those were early issues. What an interesting time in L.A. that was.

Dude! My ears are still ringing from just 10 minutes or so of Sun O))) last night. I was pretty beat after seeing Black Breath, C.O.C., and High on Fire, but just had to stay to catch at least some of the headliner’s set. And now my ears and brain are paying the price. But first things first. I finally got to see King Tuff last week. (more…)

I had lunch with my good friend and artist Stella Lai (above) this afternoon. You might recall her cover art for Giant Robot 58, her contributions to Giant Robot Biennale 2, or her Mr. Chiizu app. She informed me that the software for embellishing photos, which recently began offering a theme by Junko Mizuno, launched a feline Christmas package today. (more…)

Fans of mainstream romantic comedies and arty head-scratchers will wish that Save The Date was either funnier or weirder. But fans of indie comics will feel right at home with its understated storytelling, awkward-but-honest banter, and minutest of details. Right away, I was stoked to see a couple of titles by first-time scriptwriter Jeffrey Brown going into an IKEA bookshelf and a cat getting out of a box–inside jokes for Brown’s followers checking out his first screenplay. And there are other references that were made for subculture dwellers like me: The Blue Hearts’ garage hit from Japan, “Linda Linda,” many shots of The Smell, and a cameo by Brown that you’ll miss if you blink. The One A.M. Radio‘s soundtrack is rad, too. (more…)

Having just posted interviews with singer/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach and drummer Adam Pfahler about Blackball Records‘ 20^th anniversary reissues of Jawbreaker’s Bivouac and Chesterfield King, you probably could have guessed that bass player Chris Bauermeister would be next. Read on, and then order the thick, pristine vinyl or beautifully remastered CD for your listening pleasure. They come out TODAY, so you can pick them up at your favorite local record shop as well. I love all of Jawbreaker’s albums, but these two releases are my favorites. The guys were playing out of their minds, mixing post punk craft, literary but raw lyrics, and noisy-but-beautiful sadness at its roughest. Here’s what Chris has to say about them… (more…)

"This is circa 1991 at our Sycamore Street apartment. Note Zen Arcade and old-school tape recorder for sampling off TV." - Adam Pfahler

The 20^th anniversary reissues of Jawbreaker’s Bivouac LP and Chesterfield King EP come out tomorrow. On the heels of our previous dialogue about the remastered vinyl, Jawbreaker’s drummer and Blackball Records honcho Adam Pfahler set me up with singer/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach, who was kind enough to discuss the albums, revisit the time period, and hash over old cover songs. And once again, Adam provided vintage Polaroids. (more…)

If you even skim my blog, you know how I feel about Thy Mai (Pity Corp.) and Tad Suzuki (The Working Man). They’re super creative, supportive, and caring friends, who were recently involved in my skate film program that played in Chicago, Honolulu, and San Diego. Recently, they’ve been dedicating their energies toward a friend in need.

MW: What is Pity Corp. and The Working Man’s connection to Chhunly Hach Slater?
Thy: She is one of my dearest friends in the world. I was 17 when I met Chhun working at Outback Steakhouse in Seattle. I had just moved there. She was so nice, and since we were from neighboring countries, I asked her if she liked pho and if she knew where to get a bowl. It had been months and I missed my comfort food. When she said it was her favorite, too, I asked her to take me because I had no car and I’d treat. She called it kha tieu, though, and she rarely let me pay.

Although sad that I was moving, she was totally supportive when I decided to move from Seattle to L.A. and go for it. She knew I loved hair and gave me a ride to the airport. That’s how my SoCal journey started.

Tad: And for that TWM is indebted to her kindness. Whenever Thy spoke about Chhunly, I always felt as if she was one of her sisters. She’s family.

MW: Chhunly has a connection with the suit seen in “The Working Man” video?
Tad: Yeah, it was definitely my transition into suits. It’s the first suit I bought and it was our first wedding that we attended as a couple .

Thy: We got Tad’s suit on the fly because we wanted him to look his best at her wedding–especially because I was wearing a beautiful-but-super-tight traditional Cambodian wedding attire. I think they had to safety pin it on me because it was so teeny. She was marrying the love of her life so we wanted to do it up.

MW: When and how did you find out about her stroke? What were your first thoughts?
Tad: I was meeting Thy at a restaurant for a quick visit. As I was walking up, Thy had tears and told me.

Thy: Found out on Saturday, which is a workday for me. Was waiting on some food and saw I had missed a call from Chhun’s cell. I called back and heard the fateful news from her husband Matt. My stomach hurt and my heart fell when I heard his voice.

I asked what happened. Chhun suffered a stroke when they were out on a date, collapsed, and was in a coma. The situation kept running through my head but I couldn’t process it. My first thoughts were, “Oh my God! Her girls, they’re so young. They love her so much.” What were they going to do? And what was Matt going to do? I felt bad that I had no magical words. I felt bad that I had to call him back because I had to get back to work.

MW: You’ve started a site to help her surviving family?
Tad: It’s a great way to allow all people to come together, honor Chhun and pay their respects. It’s the Holiday Season when we are supposed to be spending time with our loved ones and help our fellow
neighbor. Chhun’s the most giving person and it’s amazing to see everyone banding together to do the same for her husband and precious girls.

Thy: It’s just the worst living in a different city and being so far away that you feel helpless because you can’t do anything. Once I got my wits together, I remembered how Reggie Destin’s best friend had made a site for him. It was the best way to keep everyone posted and allow other friends to help through their prayers, passing it along, or contributing.

Ava (2) and Miley (5) are so young. They need all the support they can get. My mom passed away when I was 2 and I know it’s not going to be easy. Chhun took such great care of me when I was a latch-key kid. It’s the least we can do to help Matt look after their babies.

Please support however you can by visiting http://www.gofundme.com/ChhunlyHachSlater.

Outside of San Diego, is there a better place to see Hot Snakes (above) and Night Marchers (below) than Alex’s Bar in Long Beach? Two world-class rippers in one world-class dive bar. We arrived at the unusual, awesome, and sold-out matinee on Sunday just in time to see Night Marchers (1/2 or 3/4 of Hot Snakes, depending on who’s drumming for the latter) finish setting up their gear and start their set at the ungodly hour of 4:37. Lots of simmering new stuff from the upcoming album and some fave older roots-garage rockers (“I wanna deadbeat you!“). Everyone’s obsessing over the RFTC reunion happening around Easter, but don’t sleep on the January release featuring the hard-rocking pipes of Swami John Reis. (more…)

Old friends, new bands! I closed out Thanksgiving weekend by seeing Mayuko and Tsuzumi Okai from The Binges in their new group (above) but first things first. I finally got around to catching Dum Dum Girls drummer Sandy in the outfit that she fronts, SISU, on Friday at The Satellite.

Along with fellow Dum Dum Jules and friends Ryan, Nathanael, and Chris, Sandy’s “other” band is psychedelic, dark, and gorgeous. It’s way heavier than DDG and also more Goth and complex with its swirling textures and sounds. There are five people in the band for a reason, and the heavy instrumentation supports the ethereal vocals of Sandy insanely well. I bought a hand-stenciled and spray-painted EP to go with my splattered 7″ single and can’t wait to give it a spin. Check ‘em out at the Casbah tonight or Constellation Room tomorrow night if you can.

The headliner was Colleen Green, who was practically the opposite of SISU with her ultra stripped-down sound of natural vocals, raw bass, and drum machine. Combine the sincerity of Beat Happening with the lo-fi experimental sound of Blackbird (post Rank & File, Dils) and put sunglasses on it, and you’re getting close to Colleen’s sound. She showed a great sense of humor about her icy cool demeanor by closing her set with a Corey Hart cover.

The Okai sisters’ previous band, The Binges, recalled the rock ‘n’ roll spirit of the Cathouse scene of the ’80s. Their newer group, Boost is as ripping as ever but heavier and more influenced by ’70s hessian grooves like Sabbath or Deep Purple. All new songs and all new riffs but there’s still nothing like seeing Mayuko and Tsuzumi dueling on their axes. I don’t know anything about the new singer or drummer (yet) but the band rules and you gotta check them out when you can. More details to come in this blog, for sure.

Sunday night’s show at King King was part of the New Years World Rock Festival, which is being shot in five countries and will be shown in Japan. The headlining band showcased finger-tapping bass master Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, UFO, MSG, David Lee Roth, Steve Vai) in a jam band with Mayuko, Eric Dover (Jellyfish, Slash’s Snakepit), and Ray Luzier (9.0, David Lee Roth, Korn). They played masterful, ripping covers from Led Zep to Deep Purple, with Tsuzumi jumping in for the final song. This top-shelf rock ‘n’ roll was intended to help tsunami victims in Japan but felt pretty excellent for us in the crowd, too.

Bivouac photo shoot Polaroid by Lance Hahn

On December 11, Jawbreaker‘s Chesterfield King EP and Bivouac LP are being re-released on vinyl and in digital formats. I’ve been lucky enough to preview the remastered tracks and they’re extra heavy and sound incredible–totally taking me back 20 years to when the band was connecting the hooks of Hüsker Dü with the jams of Sonic Youth and adding a dash of Steel Pole Bath Tub to keep listeners from getting too comfortable. Jawbreaker could have taken over the world if their guitars would have stayed in tune during shows…

I asked Blackball Records label honcho and Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler about revisiting his old band with singer/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach and bass player Chris Bauermeister. He responded with detailed and revealing answers, as well as an awesome behind-the-scenes Polaroid shot by our mutually loved and missed friend Lance Hahn. The picture was taken on the same rooftop as the “official” portrait was being shot for the LP. The flyers are from my stash. (more…)

© Erin Leigh / thebowerygirl.com

Susie Ghahremani is busy preparing a solo exhibition that starts this Saturday at GR2. Everyone already knows what an amazing painter, illustrator, crafter, and person she is, but I went ahead and asked her some questions to get a sneak peek and get everyone amped up about hanging out with a rad artist and my good friend on Sawtelle.

MW: Among your piles of projects from products to commissions to group shows, I’d imagine solo art exhibitions are special. Can you talk about that?
SG: Solo shows are so special; they are also absolutely terrifying. It’s thrilling to bring paintings into one room as a body of work rather than disembodied studies, experiments, and commissions. There is an overarching theme and style and it’s important and rare to have the opportunity to merge it in a realm outside of my brain.

I also love meeting the people who come to my shows, especially a place like GR2 which has been my art home for so long. Most of my work is done in isolation in a small space, and opening it up to public reaction in a large, adaptable space is really nurturing for me. It kind of completes the whole art-making cycle. (more…)

Last week got off to a great start with Monday night’s Refused show at The Fonda. But Friday wasn’t bad, either. I got to attend a free matinee by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at a local radio station and then saw some friends at The Smell.

When this particular gig was posted by JSBX on FaceBook a couple of days before, I sent an email to the contact, and actually received an invite to attend the performance at a ClearChannel building in Burbank. Weird but cool, right? The performance took place in a black box of a small room with a cozy stage and a few rows of pillows to sit on, but a full-on mixing board and pro speakers. Russell Simins played drums on a flipped-over tall recycling bin. The trio only played a few songs but they were heavy, including “Black Mold” and “Black Thoughts,” with references to Sandy’s recent damage to their hometown of New York City and neighboring states. JSBX is national treasure of punk rock ‘n’ soul, and they seem like cool dudes, too. We dozen or so guests weren’t allowed to snap pictures of the performance but Judah and Jon were totally down for a quick photo afterward. Rad! Definitely catch them on tour with the mighty Quasi if you can. And if I ever go to another show at the station, I’m totally taking Eloise… (more…)

My curated program of skate shorts had its third and final showing at the San Diego Asian Film Festival on Saturday afternoon, and it still hasn’t gotten old. Having skateboarding-related or -inspired videos made by friends alongside indie flicks like Daylight Savings and old-school kung-fu classics like Five Fingers of Death is not only cool but important. It puts a niche genre into a larger context, and hopefully exposes skate video junkies to other forms of moving pictures while turning on film festival folks to the energy and aesthetics of skateboarding. (Above, left to right: Me, Wing Ko, Tad Suzuki, Eric Matthies, Ben Clark, Willy Santos.) (more…)

While the duo of Best Coast has been famously touting the excellence and energy of Southern California through its post pop, the hardcore duo It’s Casual has been focusing on the more aggro side with its SST-informed blend of stripped-down punk and metal. The New Los Angeles II drops out on November 20, and is full of rippers about everything from the joys and challenges of public transportation to feeding the poor crappy food via EBT cards. I paid a visit to the singer, guitarist, and It’s Casual main man Eddie Solis to chat about the brand-new album and its message. (more…)

Hong Kong movie freaks in the U.S. should be stoked that we’re finally seeing some Chinese movies that are fun, cool, and even anarchic–and not just overblown historical epics. On the heels of Tsui Hark’s Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (actually a China-HK coproduction) comes a crowd-pleasing, special effects feast starring Zhou Xun (Hollywood Hong Kong, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) and Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer, Red Cliff). Not since Green Snake have two A-list actresses fully embraced such fantastically pagan roles, slithering, sauntering, and sometimes even bathing together onscreen when they aren’t kicking ass. And while the production value, action, effects, and bad guys in Painted Skin 2: The Resurrection might resemble the biggest-budget videogame ever, the plot actually has a lot going for it. The two-hour sequel is surprisingly tight and packed with gender confusion, role reversing, a shockingly endearing subplot, and even some poetry to the outcome–not to mention juicy topics of conversation. Who did the leads play in the first movie again? Why are such supremely badass and powerful women so hung up on dudes? Maybe that’s the point? Let me know what you think after November 13, when you can buy, rent, or stream the movie legally. (more…)