Another year, another Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. I’ve attended such fests in the past as a member of the press, as a presenter, as a judge, and as a contributor. This was my first time it was a committee member who helped select the movies that were shown, write synopses for the program, and then introduce movies and conduct post-screening interviews. Honestly, it was a little more work than I expected but how could I say no when I was recruited by my friend/Visual Communications Creative Director Anderson Le? And the festival duties have turned out to be a lot of fun.

Last night I was assigned to The Sound of Crickets at Night. I chose to write the program’s essay about the movie because I Ioved its honesty, rawness, and creativity when I saw the screener. So it was a real treat to introduce the Marshall Islands indie flick, see it on a big screen, and then have a brief chat with co-producer/co-director/writer/gofer Jack Niedenthal. Jack is a really personable and outgoing guy with a fascinating story (visiting with the Peace Corps, staying and entering local politics, becoming a self-taught filmmaker to represent the culture after his young son asked him why there were no movies about the Marshallese) so, really, I just had to hand him the mic and get out of the way. Almost too easy, but more of him and less of me is what the audience came for.

Tonight is the fest’s closing screening of the Japanese dark comedy Key of Life, which will be followed by encore presentations of some of the its most popular movies (none of my pics, oh well) over the weekend. Support indie film! Support film festivals!  Who knows when you’ll get to see these films at the movies, meet the filmmakers again, or surround yourself with like-minded cultural connoisseurs and  patrons of the arts again?

AUDIO REVIEWS

The Three O’Clock – Live at the Old Waldorf
Sadly, I missed the Paisley Underground band’s reunion shows at Coachella, The Glass House, and The Troubadour. But I couldn’t pass up this limited-edition live album, which captures The Three O’Clock at their arguable peak in 1983 with all of the swirling, ripping songs off their perfect Baroque Hoedown EP (one of the first records I ever bought back in junior high) as well as selections from their more psychedelic Salvation Army era (Befour Three O’Clock) and previews of their yet-to-be-released pop opus, Sixteen Tambourines (alas no “Jet Fighter”). The fact that the wafer-thin audio sounds like a bootleg taped off a Walkman will alienate lesser fans and the merely curious–who should pre-order the 20-track anthology with outtakes and demos from Omnivore Records instead–but this is a real artifact and a must-have for fans and survivors of the mod revival like me. [Burger Records]

King Tuff – King Tuff Was Dead
While I don’t have one friend who isn’t addicted to King Tuff’s self-titled perfect garage pop album on Sub Pop, I haven’t known anyone who has possessed or even heard his first album. Until now. The folks at Burger have resurrected their pressing of his impossible-to-find debut LP on Colonel Records and the grooves didn’t even require any dusting. It’s practically fuzz-free compared to his universally loved follow-up but has all of the hooks and melodies. Songs like “Just Strut” and “Animal” come across like an unholy mix of T-Rex and Bob Dylan–or just plain old great, stripped-down King Tuff. If you don’t have the budget to spend 15 bucks on the vinyl you can buy the $6 cassette version like I did since you’ll want to listen to it in your car al the time anyway. [Burger Records]

JT Habersaat & The Altercation Punk Comedy Tour – Hostile Corporate Takeover
I am totally out of the comedy scene and haven’t owned a comedy LP since Dr. Demento’s Dementia Royale. But I can connect to this sampler because of its connections to punk. Beyond having cover art by Raymond Pettibon, M.O.D. and S.O.D.’s Billy Milano has an extended and hilarious gag about being a single guy on tour masturbating into all the black T-shirts that bands would gave him as a bouncer for C.B.G.B.’s  and Riverboat Gamblers’ Mike Wiebe recounts his encounter with The Boss. As for ringleader Habersaat, he is totally aware of his place in punk as well as comedy; when a comedian pal talks about performing alongside The Melvins, Slayer, and Skeleton Witch, he reluctantly recalls hitting the road with emo bands with ridiculous names like Cute Is What We Aim For on the Warped Tour. Meanwhile, his Clash of the Titans story is necessarily listening with the recent passing of Ray Harryhausen. Also features thoughts on lazy protesters, hipster chicks, and Panopticon’s Pet Money Shot by  Mack Lindsay and Joe Staats. [Stand Up! Records]

Still can’t believe my friend Cate invited me to watch The Rolling Stones kick off their current tour at Staples Center last Friday. Still can’t believe how great they are live. Like the blues musicians they grew up idolizing, The Stones have become not only timeless but ageless masters… Yes, to kick off the evening they had the UCLA marching band play “Satisfaction” following a video montage of musicians, filmmakers, and fans sharing their devotion to Their Satanic Majesties; there were guest appearances by Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban; and the CSULB choir sang a chillingly beautiful intro “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” to make it a special night. But really it’s all about their enormously heavy catalog of songs. Everyone from The New York Dolls to Aerosmith has tried in their own way to channel The Stones’ primal, evil grooves but The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band remains just that. Everyone talks about how Mick and Keef have survived with style but Ronnie and Charlie are effortlessly on point and cool…

Set list: Get Off My Cloud, This Could Be The Last Time, It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It), Paint It Black, Gimme Shelter, Wild Horses (w/Gwen Stefani), Factory Girl, Emotional Rescue, Respectable (w/ Keith Urban), Doom and Gloom, One More Shot, Honky Tonk Woman, Before They Make Me Run, Happy, Midnight Rambler (w/ Mick Taylor), Miss You, Tumbling Dice, Brown Sugar, Sympathy for the Devil. Encore: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction.

Was that really the first time The Stones have ever played “Emotional Rescue” in concert? Were they really asked to play Staples just so The Lakers wouldn’t seem so old? If 85 dollar tickets are made available for their return to Staples on the 20th, snag them. It’s totally worth it. And if you already threw down 150-600 bucks on tickets, you already know what I’m ranting about. The 2 hours and 15 minutes was loaded with classics but there are so many even more I wanted to hear: Citadel, Bitch, Angie, She’s So Cold, Let It Bleed, Waiting on a Friend, Street Fighting Man… I totally want to see them again because this really could be the last time.

LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL 2013, DAY 3

The next day, I was pleased to not only spend all day at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival but get to introduce movies and conduct post-screening interviews with filmmakers there. Since I witnessed my friend and master interviewer Joe Escalante in action just a week or so ago, I was extra inspired to not only have decent questions for my interviewees but have fun with the event as well.

First, I got to introduce Kalyanee Mam, who directed the understated, beautiful, and courageous documentary about the economic and environmental challenges faced by modern Cambodia, A River Changes Course. As a guy who likes to screw around a little in Q&As, I was a little intimidated by her serious subject matter and distanced style of filmmaking but she is lively, funny, and an excellent interview. What an intelligent, driven, and humble person she is.

Next up were Duc Nguyen and Mai-Phuong Nguyen, who made Stateless, a gripping documentary about Boat People living illegally in the Philippines with a final chance to move to the United States. I compared it to Spellbound and First Position and Duc was okay with that. Also on the bill was Haitao Guo, whose “Lao Tang” short presents the surly view of a Chinese immigrant who toils in a Philly restaurant. It turned out to be a really interesting balance between the experienced filmmaking couple and up-and-coming guy armed with a camera and their contrasting styles and overlapping subject matter.

My final assignment was Abigail Harm. The gorgeous and open-ended yet powerful indie feature mixes aspects of fables and sci-fi to study the fragile needs of damaged humankind as played by Amanda Plummer. Producer Eugene Suen, director Lee Isaac Chung, and actor Tetsuo Kuramochi were present for the Q&A as well as the unannounced presence of cameo actor Ayako Fujitani. I’ve known Ayako for a while, and perhaps that helped make it such an enjoyable, personable chat that ranged from the conceptual to the profane. So much fun.

Did I mention that two of my picks were also among the L.A. Weekly’s four picks? I haven’t had many chances to do stuff like this since Giant Robot mag bit the dust a couple of years ago, and I look forward to doing it again in Koreatown on Wednesday, May 8 for The Sound of Crickets at Night. Support independent cinema! Support film festivals! See you there!

I love seeing bands start from scratch, evolve, and get over. But it ain’t so bad to catch them when they’re ripe and ready for world domination, either. Such was the case at the Troubadour on Monday night when METZ and White Lung took the stage, coming all the way from the Great White North.

But first up was San Diego’s Mrs. Magician. The Swami Records band plays garage rock that is so melodic that it’s more like carport rock. So many super-catchy-yet-subversive songs, including “There Is No God,” and they just get better each time I see them. Stoked that they rounded off the bill.

White Lung totally blew me away with their relentless brand of post-hardcore jams… Completely aggro vocals by frontperson Mish Way matched by the laser beam like guitars of  Kenny William with Poison Ivy-esque bass coolness from Grady Mackintosh and pounding drums from Anne-Marie Vassilou add up to the real deal. This band has been toiling in Vancouver skate shops and basements for years and is ready to explode.

The Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Hot Snakes–go ahead and add METZ to the list of bands that can joyfully and purposefully destroy eardrums through riffs. The noisy Toronto trio’s sound is as raw as their hardware store-purchased stage lighting and the blue collar work ethic matches it. I was lame and missed the band when it made the rounds at The Echo and Spaceland, but at least I caught them at The Troubadour before they move up to the Fonda or El Rey or the next-level rock palace. The LP rocks but you gotta see them live.

PUBLICATION REVIEWS

80/90 by J. Grant Brittain
This 48-page black-and-white zine puts JGB’s world-class photography in a new, raw light. Shadow, texture, and composition that are overshadowed in the color pages of TransWorld or The Skateboard Mag emerge and so do the personalities of Hosoi, Gator, Cab, Blender, Natas… The who’s who list of skaters goes on and on and the locations are just as iconic: Del Mar, Upland, Baldy, Encinitas… Zero filler, extremely well printed, and limited to only 200 from Arkitip. Order one here.

Long Beach: Work in Progress by Martin Wong
Disclaimer: I conducted the Q&As, took most of the pictures, and handled layout of this program/zine for last week’s Imprint conference. That being said, where else will you find Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold; members of T.S.O.L., The Vandals, and Dengue Fever; skaters/advocates Chad Tim Tim, Justin Reynolds, Ricki The Dude Bedenbaugh, and Paul Kwon; and John Jay from W+K Garage and jeffstaple from Staple Design? I grabbed a couple of extra copies if you want one. And if you like the Q&A with authors Jennifer M. Volland and Cara Mullio about Case Study House architect Edward A. Killingsworth, read on…

Edward A. Killingsworth: An Architect’s Life by Jennifer M. Volland and Cara Mullio
This brand-new, over-sized, lovingly-made hardbound book from the authors of Long Beach Architecture: The Unexpected Metropolis details the life of the Long Beach-based Case Study House architect and surveys his work from the Frank House (Case Study House 23) and Opdahl Residence in Long Beach to the Kahala Hilton and Halekulani hotels in Honolulu. I’ve gawked at his houses in Southern California and spent time with family in his stellar Hawaiian projects and didn’t even know who made them. Now I know and I highly recommend you look him up, too. Volland and Mullio actually spent time with the architect and share uncommon insight into the person as well as his works in this essential Hennessey+Ingalls book.

This Sunday, May 5, Jennifer and Cara Mullio will be signing copies of their new book, Edward A. Killingsworth: An Architect’s Life, at Apostrophe Books on 2nd Street in Long Beach (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.).

Holy crap! Long Beach: Work in Progress really happened. The scenario seemed too good to be true: Come up with panels to illustrate and demonstrate the underrated heritage and upside of a city that I’ve been digging since I was a teenager. Crashing culture, colliding communities, and the power of subcultures–I’m all over that. Above you can see Long Beach skaters/activists Chad Tim Tim, Justin Reynolds, Paul Kwon, Dallas Rockvam, and Levi Brown with Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold.

The event took place in the historic Edison Theatre, which was built in 1917 as the Nippon Pool Room and went through phases as a sporting goods store, foot clinic, and beauty salon. Most recently it was home to CSULB’s theatre troupe but has been shuttered for five years until it was opened by the city just for Friday’s event. Keynote speaker John Jay (W+K Garage) spoke on the the creative crisis–how the need for creativity is at an all-time high in business, the arts, and society in general. His manifesto was followed by authors Cara Mullio and Jennifer Volland’s very cool study on local Case Study House architect Edward Killingsworth. (Yes, I bought a copy of their brand-new Hennessey+Ingalls book on Killingsworth and had them sign it.)

Jonathan Gold’s seemingly stream-of-consciousness-yet-completely-in-control ruminations on things he likes to eat in Long Beach (framed by recollections of sailors at The Pike, a roller-coaster decapitation, and bad metal shows at Fender’s) was so good it almost made me cry, and was followed by an otherworldly panel on Long Beach music moderated by my friend and member of The Vandals Joe Escalante. Somehow, he was able to balance the early hardcore punk stories of his longtime colleague Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L. with peeks into Little Cambodia via Dengue Fever’s Zac Holtzman and Chhom Nimol (who played an acoustic preview of a brand new song). Is that a mash-up of subcultures or what. The final panel was about the importance of skateboarding to Long Beach culture and its future with Justin, Chad, Ricki The Dude Bedenbaugh, and Paul. Of course, it ripped and generated a ton of responses.

The long day was capped by a round table discussion handled by jeffstaple and words from District 2 Councilperson Suja Lowenthal. Very legit to get seals of approval from a king of street culture and a city respresentative. And so awesome to witness my worlds colliding right in front of my eyes, with Jack and Joe (above, left) from years of going to punk shows to Tanya, Julia, and Renzei (above, right) from my current efforts to help the team build Long Beach (and everywhere else) through culture labs and backers in business.

Keep an eye out for more photos and even a video to be leaked in the near future… But until then I think the message of Long Beach: Work in Progress can be applied to anyone’s hometown. Look for what’s cool about it, and then seek to understand, grow, mix, and share it for the benefit of all.

Last week’s Evens gig at The Vex was great. As the progressively heavier sound of their albums implies, the live show has become more rocking as Ian Mackaye and Amy Farina’s musical partnership rolls along. What once may have been called “stripped down” or “simpler” in comparison to the members’ previous, more “punk” bands is now just plain raw with all the energy of the aforementioned, more plugged-in projects. Yes, the married duo from D.C. encourages singalongs these days but their vibe is fully charged and anything but folky. With as much anger and insight as ever, now tempered by humor and parenthood, Ian sits but just barely as he plays his baritone guitar. A substitute for Fugazi? Not exactly but they’re playing vital songs that are honest, meaningful, powerful, and sometimes even lovely.

NEW MUSIC REVIEWS (RECORD STORE DAY/KICKSTARTER EDITION)

Bad Religion – Covering the Hits E.P.
This is a bootleg of a bootleg labeled with a bootleg “Record Store Day” logo. Nice. With ragged takes on Led Zep, Chuck Berry, and the like from The Starlight and The Olympic in the early ’80s, the plain gray vinyl more of a time capsule than a necessity. As a fan of the band and early L.A. punk in general, it’s a hoot to hear the young band having innocent fun on infamous stages from back in the day, and one or two of the songs might provide an interesting tangent on a mixtape. But outside of hardcore collectors, it’s pretty disposable.

T.S.O.L. – You Don’t Have to Die E.P.
The title track of TKO Records’ RSD release is an unreleased demo from 1980. A different version was released on a Nitro compilation in the ’90s, but this take is loaded with genuine Reagan Era gloom, doom, and dysfunction. It rocks lurchingly and menacingly. You won’t want to get too close to the bile-dripping speakers but you’ll want to crank them up. On the b-side the live versions of choice cuts “Property Is Theft” and “Dance with Me” are muddled and squealing with feedback, and capture a hopped-up, unhinged band that is on the verge of imploding. Awesome stuff.

Best Coast – “Fear of My Identity” b/w “Who Have I Become”
Even as the pieces of singer Beth Cosentino’s sanity seem to keep cracking further and further apart in her lyrics, the melodies become more tightly wound and powerfully produced. Mixing the exuberance of the band’s first album and heavy themes of the second, both songs are insanely catchy heavy hitters with Bobb playing slightly tastier licks on the b-side. Bummer I missed the accompanying RSD show at Fingerprints, but this is a satisfying, solid effort hinting at another excellent album to come.

Bob Mould – See a Little Light
Maybe you weren’t as lucky as me and didn’t get to attend the Hüsker Dü and Sugar leader’s star-studded tribute at the Walt Disney Hall least year. You know the one where the author/DJ/musician jammed with No Age and Dave Grohl after inviting members of Spoon and The Hold Steady as well as Ryan Adams to cover his songs. Not bad! There are times when this DVD gets a little too showbiz and gratuitous with behind-the-scenes stuff but the final, joyous, ripping segment of “New Day Rising” (with Grohl), “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” “Celebrated Summer,” and “Makes No Sense at All” (with his current band) absolves everything. This single-track, no-menus edition was a Kickstarter incentive to document the night. Will there be a commercial version with chapters, more bonus stuff, etc., now that the guts have been made?

I don’t talk about my day job here very often, but I think that a lot of you will appreciate this. Imprint Culture Lab is a company that showcases up-and-coming, under-the-radar, and imported ideas. Eric Nakamura actually helped kickstart the earliest ones, bringing in high-powered friends from the worlds of streetwear, tech, otaku, and craft. I’ve been helping out with the newest one, which takes place in the home base of Imprint and its sister company interTrend.

The topic was born when the founder of Imprint/CEO of interTrend Julia Huang (above, right) told me that her companies were moving from a high rise to the second oldest building in Downtown Long Beach. I created a job for myself documenting its renovation, digging into the building’s sordid past as a psychic temple, researching the local history, and showcasing the community’s energy and upside in a blog. While sitting in on a meeting to choose a direction for the next Imprint, Long Beach seemed like a perfect choice to me. With the company investing and placing roots in the neighborhood, it was time to give back and grow it.

Long Beach: Work in Progress, which takes place next Friday, will have four panels. Authors Cara Mullio and Jennifer M. Volland will talk about their new book for Hennesy+Ingalls on Case Study House architect Edward A. Killingsworth. On the subject of music, Joe Escalante from The Vandals (above, left) and Jack from T.S.O.L. will represent Long Beach’s first generation hardcore punk subculture and Chhom Nimol and Zac Holtzman will talk about their relationship Long Beach’s Little Cambodia.

To talk about food, I recruited the Pulitzer Prize winning writer Jonathan Gold (above, left). It turns out his uncommon knowledge of local eateries is equaled by his LBC stories about Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, who were coming up from when he was a music writer. To represent Long Beach’s longtime involvement with skateboarding, I selected pro Chad Tim Tim, O.G. skater Justin Reynolds, cinematographer Ricki “The Dude” Bedenbaugh, and shoe designer Paul Kwon–all homies as well as rippers (top right: Justin, Chad, Paul).

To complement my old friends and new ones, the Imprint crew has asked longtime supporters John Jay (W+K Garage) and jeffstaple (Staple Design, Imprint) to present the keynote speech and handle the closing discussion, respectively. I can’t even list all that the team has done in terms of planning, preparing, and funding. How lucky am I that my job has been simply to round up and work with creative people that I really respect and push culture in the process? (I also got to make a program/zine and will be introducing the panels, talks, and speakers…)

For more information and a link to ticketing, check out the Long Beach: Work in Progress site. (Or hit me up directly…) Hope to see you at the historic and long-shuttered Edison Theatre, opened by the City of Long Beach just for this event, on Friday, April 26.

After following Milk Music for a while but never getting a chance to see them, I had mixed feelings about finally getting to catch them at a big place like the The Echoplex. But then I found out that the headliner was pretty interesting (Iceage) and the cover was still fair (15 bucks). If you stand right in front, it doesn’t matter how big the venue is, right?

Of course, Milk Music were great. Doubly fuzzed rock ‘n’ roll with the stony riffs of Dinosaur Jr. and unedited power of Hüsker Dü, they sounded amazing live. Then they took it down a notch for a song that was “half written by someone else” that happened to be Johnny Thunders. Wow. Their first LP is impossible to find these days (being repressed as I type by Perennial Death) but they had a box of the new one which I snatched up. I’ve only listened to it a hundred times. The band said they came from Joshua Tree, which I thought was a joke, but I heard that they are indeed moving there from Olympia. Hopefully they’ll play Los Angeles more often as a result. See them when you can.

When Iceage asked all the photographers to leave the space between the barrier and stage, I told my friend Ben that they are either totally punk rock or they’re assholes. Maybe it’s both? The young Copenhagen band’s first release mixed the angular sounds of Joy Division with the fay vocals of The Church, which they ditched for hardcore on their second (and superior) album. They ripped through their short set like well-dressed animals and walked off after less than 40 minutes. It was a statement more than a show, and they nailed it.

INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES PREVIEW

Next week the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles opens. I’m a big fan of the film fest, which is in its eleventh year, because they always come up with an interesting mix of arty blockbusters, lo-fi indies, and cool oddball documentaries. I was lucky enough to watch some screeners…

Eega is doubly, maybe even threefold weird. The big-budget and unabashedly commercial flick starts off as a straight-up love triangle movie between a pretty girl (Samantha), a nice but poor guy (Nani), and a ruthless and rich man (Sudeep). Following a sweet courtship complete with sappy songs and dancing, the story takes a serious left turn when the businessmen offs his rival who is reincarnated as a housefly. That’s when director S S Rajamouli turns it up as the fly defends the naive love interest by creating spa accidents, causing sleep deprivation, and pestering the villain as he drives a motorcycle. The cg insect writes on the dirty windshield of a crashed car: “I will kill you.” It’s darkly funny and oddly sweet, and it wouldn’t work as well as it does if the escalating reactions of Sudeep weren’t at least as good as the special effects.

Miss Lovely is an arty indie flick about India’s pre-Internet exploitation cinema scene. The recreated softcore horror and smut scenes look great–almost as if reimagined by Wong Kar Wai–and the atmospheric scenes of alleys, factories, and slums are simply gorgeous. In the middle of this are two brothers (Niharika Singh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who are trapped in the crime-infested low-budget movie scene. Can the younger one break out of the grindhouse circuit to make a legit movie with his sweetheart? Director Ashim Ahluwalia paints a straightforward and bleak picture complete with double-crossing and extortion that doesn’t have the whimsy of Ed Wood or energy of Boogie Nights. It’s completely sordid but also unique and absorbing (and started off as a documentary but none of Ahluwalia’s interviewees wanted to be involved) and I was more than a little sad to see it end like a Jack Chick tract.

See these and other incredible films on the big screen at the amazing ArcLight in Hollywood from April 9-14, 2013. Check out the IFFLA site HERE.

I remember one of the first times I corresponded with McHank. He responded to an Instagram picture I posted of the Dum Dum Girls in concert by saying , “Dude, give Kristin, I mean Dee Dee, my love. Old pal!” He did a similar thing with a photo I posted of Mrs. Magician. Later on, John Reis said hi to him from the stage at a Night Marchers/Hot Snakes show at Alex’s Bar. I wondered, Who is this guy and how does he know everyone?

Sometime in between, I met McHank in his hometown of San Diego at Comic-Con. He gave me some copies of his stapled-and-folded zine and I was instantly hooked. It’s like a mixture of  Cometbus, CARtoons, and Tiger Beat with tons of honest introspection and observation, cool and random art, and unabashedly loving band interviews–often written by hand or even brushed.

The ninth and most recent issue of the digest-sized publication has cool art (Tim Kerr, Travis Millard, Skinner, Bwana Spoons, McHank himself…), killer interviews (Brandon Welchez from Crocodiles, Mary Animaux from White Murder…) and all-star contributions (John Reis writing about discovering the Ramones, Joey Cape in memoriam of Tony Sly…). Even so, my favorite piece of all time is still McHank’s essay about growing up in the Bay Area and not knowing how to drive when he moved to San Diego and how he had to ride bikes or take the bus to get to shows. Can you get more personal or street level than that?

But the zine is not why he has so many friends. It’s because not only does he goes to every show possible but he is shamelessly unedited in his fandom. He bleeds the PMA and reminds everyone how it feels to be excited about music, art, and life. No wonder I’m a fan of his and am proud to consider him a friend as well.

MW: How long have you been making Perpetually Twelve?
MH: Well, I started it around 2002 and made the first four issues by 2004, but I paused making the magazine until about 2010. I had all kinds of plans, like making a DVD with every issue, but then YouTube happened so I made a show online. I did 29 episodes from 2007-2008 and called That Perpetually Twelve Internet Show, but the magazine was always in the back of my head. I have to say, the first person I texted about contributing when I started it back up was Danny from the band Menomena. Had he not been absolutely enthusiastic, I might not have brought it back.

MW: When you were 12, were you really into cool music and art at that age? For me it wasn’t until 15 or 16 maybe…
MH: The truth is I have always been attracted to all kinds of art and music, even if it hasn’t all aged well, I was into it. I’m trying to remember 1987. Specifically, I know I was way into comics around that age, I really loved Arthur Adams and Rick Leonardi’s art. Of course I loved Pushead and VCJ’s stuff for Powell Peralta. I for sure was way into Duran Duran, INXS, and Depeche Mode around that age, but also The Beatles, Beastie Boys, Iron Maiden, Bad Brains, and Dead Kennedys. I think I was still in that mode where I got one album every three months and it was your main jam for that entire three months. That doesn’t happen quite as much in this day and age.

MW: I like how you just put art in between articles. Do you ever want to run a Q&A with an artist or is it more like a break in the layout/rest for your eyeballs, like in The New Yorker or Harpers maybe?
MH: Well, I think it’s to let you know one article is over and another is starting. I also try to give each art piece a full (half-size) page. I have only ever sent one interview to a visual artist and he hasn’t gotten back to me yet, but that’s kind of the neat thing about sending stuff out in the mail. Maybe they’ll respond, maybe they won’t.

MW: You have some pretty impressive contributors and subjects. Has anyone ever said “no” or been uncool?
MH: Nobody has ever been flat out uncool. Ever. People have said no. I mean, I understand, people are busy and I really don’t have money to offer them. I have sent out maybe seven interviews that haven’t come back yet, but I feel like at least three of those will show up someday. If they don’t, you know, it’s cool that they were engaged enough to let me send it. I see every interaction with someone that I respect enough to try to bug them to be in my zine as a positive.

MW: Is distribution strictly you mailing to readers or do you give them on consignment to stores, etc.?
MH: I have had issues in a few stores. M-Theory Records, Thirsty Moon Records, Double Break Art/Museum (RIP), 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, Igloo Shop (RIP), Needles and Pens, A Shop Called Quest, and Powell’s Books  have all carried it at one point or another. But I kind of feel bad if they sit there and don’t sell. Can you tell I over think that?

MW: How many do you print? Do you have stacks of back issues laying around the house?
MH: I typically start by printing two per contributor. The most recent, there were 30 people involved, I think, so that was 60 off the bat. Then I try to guess how many more people might want. The newest issue is #9 and I’m at about 200 already. Kind of a shock. I don’t have any back issues at home, rather, I usually print them up if people express an interest.

MW: Do you lose a lot of dough per issue? Do you ever get free records or gear?
MH: Typically, yes, I have lost a lot. Especially because of mailing–these things are fat. I am happy to say I have just about broken even on this one, thanks to the responses I’ve gotten on Instagram.

I don’t really do reviews in Perpetually Twelve, because I kind of want to keep the magazine a little more timeless, kind of because I change my mind on what I think of a record after three months sometimes.But I usually get free records because I am lucky enough to know bands and I support them in every capacity that I can when I believe in them. They usually will give me a free album because they know I won’t shut up about it.

MW: Do you have goals like getting to issue 20, having a bound collection, or making a Broadway musical out of it?
MH: I don’t see why I wouldn’t get to #20. I don’t have advertisers, so I can print anything I see fit.  I have thought about doing a bound collection, but I worry about how bad it will look in the future, I mean, I believe in the contributors’ stuff but I look at the first four issues and cringe at how bad I was.

Honestly, one of my biggest regrets was that I was trying to make it a humor magazine and I feel like it got too mean because I was trying too hard to be funny. That never works. Now it’s much more confessional. We grow and change, even those of us that are perpetually twelve (that was bad). I don’t want to be remembered as mean. I don’t think of myself as a mean dude.

Follow McHank on Instagram, check out the Perpetually Twelve page on Facebook, and dig his art and music videos at mchank.com.

“Hi, I’m Terry and I’m manic depressive,” smiled the famously deadpan lead singer for The Specials during the spoken part of “Enjoy Yourself” at the end of Monday night’s return to Club Nokia. It was their second show there in 26 years–showing that the band didn’t just get heal up and get back together a few years ago but continue to actually enjoy themselves. Since the reformed band’s first stop in L.A. in 2010, the heavy parts during “International Jet Set,” “Stereotypes,” and “Man at C&A” got heavier and the light parts in between were just as light, with Terry Hall giving away tea bags and ginger from backstage (and making fun of American half & half) and Terry and guitarist Lynval Golding giving very conflicting reviews of Argo before playing “Concrete Jungle” (whether or not Ben Affleck is a “cunt”).

All the songs came from the band’s legendary first two albums (“Dawning of a New Era,” “Monkey Man,”  “Nite Klub,” “You’re Wondering Now“), except for “Ghost Town,” of course. The band was tighter than tight, and the sweaty, packed venue venue danced so hard that you can actually see the floor bounce in the videos I just linked. There was one somber moment when Lynval dedicated “Poor Little Rich Girl” to Amy Winehouse. More often, it was just plain fun, like when Terry and Lynval joked around with Neville’s spoken part of “Enjoy Yourself” because he is taking a break from touring. What a legendary band, what an amazingly fun show.

Take advantage of this rare appearance in the U.S. by the Two-Tone pioneers if you can. They’re currently moving up the West Coast with gigs in Pomona (tonight), Ventura, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. All the shows will be great, but I doubt the horn player will wear a Sharks or Canucks T-shirt. He was sporting L.A. Kings gear at Club Nokia while the Stanley Cup champs were playing right across the street at Staples.

NEW MUSIC

Sometimes I listen to newer bands, too…

RAD – Loud & Fast
Naturally, the Sacto thrash band’s first full-length LP delivers the goods as advertised, loud and fast. And how. But more than simply referencing an ass-kicking-but-overlooked style of music that rules, it actually improves on the circle pit-tested formula with decent musicianship and recording (inspired by Doug Moody bands but not chained to the lo-fi mentality), smart humor (“Geekonomics” or go home), and no filler (“We’ve been playing 15 minutes/Time to shut up and get with it”). This LP just plain rips. In its short existence, this hard-working crew has gone from being a musical coelacanth to becoming a mainstay in the fragmented scene that fills gaps between crusty political punks at basement shows and DRI reunion shows in Reno. [Sacramento Records/Phono Select]

Thorcraft Cobra – Count It In
With members of Redd Kross and Sparks pitching in, you just know that Thorcraft Cobra’s brand of ultra tight, irony free classic rock will be as smart as it is perfect with bulletproof riffs and hooks that last for days in your head. It’s interesting how it ends with a second version/radio edit of “Party Clock” (the song that features Russell Mael) because there’s just no place for music like this on the airwaves any more. Too classic for college radio and too new for classic rock stations, Thorcraft Cobra’s brand of meticulously crafted music and absolutely infectious songs are simply too good for the masses. It makes me wonder if it is better for the band to be completely respected yet unheard in the tradition of Big Star or Silver Sun or have a breakthrough hit like The Knack or Chumbawamba and be labeled a one-hit wonder? [Plaza Bowl Records]

Act Rights – Sweat Equity
The Austin, TX-based Act Rights plays soul-infused garage rock in the spirit of The Fleshtones, King Khan & The Shrines, or any of Greg Cartwright’s bands. Although the tunes are never super long, more often than not they dissolve into psychedelic jams where the crowd’s moving contributes to the vibe as the instruments–kinda like how a hardcore band breaks it down for the pit–and I swear I heard the chatter of voices and clatter of beer bottles in more than one song. Topics can be pretty funny (“Jamestown Jheri Curl,” “Sausage Mountain,” “Opossum’s Head”) but the songs are not jokes when it comes to sweaty grooving. This is good stuff that’s probably even better live. [Tonequake Records]

Wan Joon Kim sold some of the earliest works by Easy E at the Compton Swap Meet. He just passed away at 79. Listen to the NPR story. He started by trying to make a buck on the music since “long lines” formed for it elsewhere. Perhaps it really grew on him and it sounds like the musicians really liked him. So cool and he’s a GR Underdog. (NPR – Wan Joon Kim)

On Sunday night, the Maybe Mars crew from Beijing made a stop in Downtown L.A.’s Redwood Bar with their flagship band Carsick Cars. I got there just in time to catch White + (featuring Carsick’s guitarist and singer Shouwang Zhang with drummer Wang Xu from The Gar). Their last song had a cool Krautrock-style drone that I’d like to hear more of. Carsick Cars has a new bass player and drummer but played the great, melodic, Sonic Youth-informed old stuff and snuck in some new, more rocking sounds as well. Shouwang is still an axe master, mixing the minimal technique of Steve Reich with the hooks of Pavement and making Carsick Cars the best gateway band to the Chinese indie scene. Rounding out the show was The Gar, whose most jangly song kinda reminded me of Libertines. What do you think?

It was good to see Charles Saliba, one of the guys behind Beijing’s Maybe Mars record label. He facilitated the coverage of Carsick Cars, PK14, and other great bands from Beijing in Giant Robot mag as well as an in-store at GR2 years ago. Charles said that this year’s tour was scaled back some, with just a handful of shows in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, and New York City. If you get a chance to catch the tour in the Big Apple, don’t miss it. Who knows when they’ll return?

ZINE REVIEWS

Moshpit (52 pages, 4 or 5 bucks)

This isn’t new, but I picked it up from the Hamburger Eyes table at the Los Angeles Art Book Fair a last month. Ray Potes’s zine of SF Giants riot pictures was sold out, so I got this instead. In Moshpit, photographer Josie Raymondetta collects nothing but hyper contrasting images of hardcore punk and metal shows, directing her lens at the crowd as often as the stage. Who are the bands? Where are the venues? Who cares! The energy and images totally rip, and convey the power of heavy music silently and brutally. [www.hamburgereyes.com]

Perpetually 12 9 (68 pages, 5 bucks)

I’m a big fan of this San Diego based-zine, which boasts an adolescent name and format but is fully informed when it comes to indie punk, art, and life. I dig how McHank loves the old bands (RFTC’s John Reis contributes an essay about The Ramones) but celebrates newer ones as well (Q&As with Mary Animoux from White Murder and Brandon Welchez from Crocodiles). The interviews, which are often hand-written, are separated by art contributed by the likes of Bwana Spoons, Skinner, Tim Kerr, Travis Millard, and McHank himself. Very cool and totally unfiltered, with a touching essay on the passing of Tony Sly (NUFAN) by Joey Cape (Lagwagon). [heymchank[at]gmail.com]

Cometbus 55 (72 pages, 3 bucks)

Two decades (and then some) is a long time to read about a guy’s relationship with the scene and his crushes, girlfriends, and bands that pass through it. But Aaron Cometbus’s view of radical politics in Berkeley goes well beyond the indie punk scene of the ’80s and early ’90s, just as his women aren’t just piffling crushes. The newest issue pairs the communist paper Iskra, a no-frills Communist paper with a wooden vending machine, with Yula, a head-turning anarchist from the Unkraine. The plots regarding the disappearance of the crusty publication and a long-distance relationship with the foul-mouthed beauty weave in and out of each other poetically and maddeningly. Longtime readers like me, who project politics in their punk and their personal lives, will eat it up as sad people do Woody Allen movies. [lastgasp.com]

Radon (44 pages, 4 bucks)

45 RPM appears to a series in which writers give serious thought to music that most people blow off. In the seventh edition, authors Travis Fristoe and Aaron Cometbus share their opinions about a Florida band that I’ve never heard called Radon. So for me, the effect was more like reading Don Quixote by Cervantes than Hammer of the Gods. Two views provided by gifted punk writers about a group of individuals that played with more conviction and love than smarts, and not just expanded liner notes or Behind the Music. Sure, actual members of the band could have been contacted for quotes and anecdotes but that would have just made the book more specific, less universal, and not as inspiring in the end. [Libros Interactiv/Salad Master]

The Muffs are such a great band with incredible hooks, ace musicianship, and pure energy. And Saturday night’s show at the Satellite ranks up there with so many amazing hometown gigs at Raji’s and other local dives over the last 20+ years. Why they still pack relatively small venues with stinky bathrooms and aren’t huge stars is beyond me. I would say there’s no justice in this world if just the night before Morrissey had not only sold out Staples Center but also mandated that its McDonald’s eateries be closed and that the other vendors swap in meatless dishes.

Following Morrissey’s carved-in-stone opener Kristeen Young on Friday night was Patti Smith and Her Band. A packed setlist of heavy songs like like “Dancing Barefoot,” “April Fool,” “People Have The Power,” and “Rock N Roll Nigger” showed off Smith’s unfiltered and raw yet poetic take on rock that has made her an icon to original punks, riot grrrls, and anyone who actually listens to lyrics. The entire set was intense but peaked during “Because The Night,” which she matter-of-factly dedicated to her deceased husband, bandmate, and MC5 member Fred “Sonic” Smith on the anniversary of their wedding. She ended the set with her version of “Gloria,” famously modified with the line “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.” Unabashedly intellectual, oddly spiritual, and awesome.

These days, Morrissey plays more Smiths songs than ever. From the kick-ass opener “Shoplifters of The World Unite” to the slow take on “Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” to the ripping version of “How Soon Is Now?” none of the army of Smiths T-shirt wearing fans left disappointed. Even so, Moz visibly bummed most of the section I was in by playing “Meat Is Murder,” complete with grainy footage of factory farms, veal calves, and diseased poultry and blood red stage lighting. Nearly everyone in our row sat down and the dad in front of us covered his son’s eyes. For the record, I don’t eat meat and love that song. Of course, Morrissey’s solo material has become as beloved as his work with The Smiths, and it’s always a love fest when he plays “First of the Gang” in the city that it’s about. No place on Earth adores Moz like Los Angeles, and he never fails to return the sentiment. I don’t go to many arena shows, but seeing Morrissey masterfully handle the sold-out Staples Center full of young goths, old new wavers, sensitive hardcore guys, homeboys, and cholas made me proud to live in L.A.

Which brings us back to The Muffs–a Los Angeles institution even when they lived in Fullerton. There are shows where the fan who sings the words of every song is annoying, but in certain cases like The Ramones, 7 Seconds, and The Muffs, you’re the oddball if you don’t shout along as you bop to old favorites like  “Tragedy” and newer classics like “Nothing.” (And it’s okay because Kim sings louder.) So. Much. Fun. They boasted about having godhead drummer Roy McDonald play with them instead of the band they share him with, Redd Kross, that night and traded typically bratty banter about granny underwear and the same old toilets at the club formerly known as Spaceland. They always play the best covers, too. Much to Ronnie’s throat’s dismay, Saturday night’s set included their ripping version of The Zeros’ “Beat Your Heart Out” and there was also a Pixies song that they just learned in honor of the band’s upcoming stint opening for Frank Black. The already excellent set lasted an hour, but they kept adding song after song to the encore adding up to 90 minutes of girl-group inspired, punk-powered, seamless and timeless pop perfection. So when is the new LP that they keep talking about coming out?

You know those Facebook contests that everyone enters but no one wins? Well, I actually won one via Goldenvoice and got tickets to see Youth Brigade at the El Rey last week. Yes, the same band that got in the school bus with Social Distortion and Minor Threat in  the 1984 documentary Another State of Mind is still at it and still ruling. And their BYO record label, which boasts key releases by 7 Seconds, SNFU, Bouncing Souls, Leatherface, and their own band, is going strong as attested by their somewhat recent box set…

I caught just the end of the set by The Warlords, a local band that wears their heart on the backs of their football kits: American 01. Their sense of humor was matched by their energy, celebrated when they closed their set with AC/DC’s “TNT” and the “Oi! Oi!” refrain. Next up was East L.A.’s mighty Union 13 (above), boasting a ripping new drummer and busting out rad new tunes in Spanish and English that took them beyond hardcore and into pure darkness and heaviness. It couldn’t have been easy for the younger bands to open for storied headliners with late-arriving fans but they totally brought it.

What can be said about Youth Brigade except that the brothers Stern have been bringing not only the boomingest voice in punk but also the tightest, most melodic hardcore for more than 30 years. Union 13 called them personal heroes and mentors, citing their trail-blazing DIY business model, but that would mean nothing if they couldn’t deliver the punk rock goods. Last week, they played all the hits (from the first LP to the more recent splits) and ended it with the L.A. punk anthem “Sink with Kalifornija.” Raging pits, singalongs, and even a couple of decent stage dives, punctuated by Shawn Stern pontificating–righteous!

I have to admit that all I knew about the headlining Cockney Rejects was that I used to see their T-shirts on the wall at Zed back in the mid ’80s. They lived up to their legend status in the Oi! genre with boxing stances and fist-pumping fueling Soccer hooligan-style chanting singalongs. It wasn’t easy to discern the lyrics but one song was dedicated to the late, great Joe Strummer, who they deemed a gentleman and not a poseur. There are more than a few compilations of the band’s work out there, and I’m totally gonna check one out.

Now for some new music. I’ve been wanting to give Good For You‘s self-titled debut a serious listen since hearing singer Mike Vallely describe the new band with Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn on my friend Eddie Solis’s radio show, Los Angeles Nista. And then I got to hear a couple more songs when I was the guest the very next week. But now that it’s been in my hard drive for a while and the MP3s and vinyl officially drop today, I can safely say that it rips. While it will be noted that Vallely follows the hard groove dug out by Rollins, it’s impossible to hear the determined vocals and no-bullshit lyrics and not think of the pro skater’s own rocky history with the skateboarding industry, his violent tangents, and ultimately being independent. And while everyone is talking about Ginn hitting the road and playing Black Flag songs with “Jealous Again” singer Ron Reyes, his new guitar work is really interesting. While it mostly shreds, at times it’s washed out with gorgeous effects and space-age sounds that wouldn’t be out of place in a Paul Weller remix. But no one will mistake this for the new Portishead. After vox and git, the production is quite raw, with everything pushed way back in the mix to the point of it almost sounding like a demo. Interesting and engaging, and now I really wanna hear it live…

The greatest 12. Includes Chops!

(Gumship – Greatest Asian American rappers of all time)

I interviewed Thao Nguyen way back in Giant Robot 44, after she signed to Kill Rock Stars but before she released any albums on the fabled Olympia label. She had a cool story to tell, unabashedly citing the influence of the Lilith Fair movement to leave her family’s laundromat in Virginia, move to San Francisco, and make music to raise spirits, enlighten minds, and change the world–and maybe shake some asses in the process. Since then, she went on to form a band (The Get Down Stay Down), forge a fruitful partnership with Mirah, and tour with the Portland Cello Project. In the midst of all that, I somehow convinced her to contribute a series of articles to Giant Robot (issues 57-59 or so) and the coolness of that really hit me when I heard her on PRI this week.

So I was stoked to catch the record-release show for her newest release with The Get Down Stay Down at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach last week. We The Common seamlessly empowers her folkie roots with heavy production, at times with nearly hip-hop beats and keyboard flourishes, yet retains her natural and populist vibe perfectly. This was the first time for the group to play new songs such as “City” and “Age of Ice” and they sounded great. Even better was getting to introduce Eloise to Thao. I hope to catch up with her again when she hits the road for a proper string of shows in the spring. So should you.

Yesterday, I had coffee with another former contributor to Giant Robot mag. Some of you who supported on the business end will identify Kiyoshi Nakazawa as our ad guy and hardcore readers will fondly recall the “Fight Back!” series of self-defense articles that he and I collaborated on (not to mention various illustrations and written contributions on his own). Kiyoshi gave me a couple of  recent 7″ singles put out by Razorcake (the descendant of L.A.’s venerable punks and drunks rag Flipside) that feature his artwork on the packaging. In the Sister Series, two bands release singles with connected artwork and cover one of each others’ songs. Young Offenders are kinda like if Rick Fork sang for the Misfits, while Hex Dispensers sorta sound like if Leatherface were injected with scum from a Texas sewer. Yes, they’re that good and, yes, that’s some lazy-ass music journalism. Thanks, Kiyoshi!

Of course, I had something to give Kiyoshi in return. Some of you may be familiar with a mix tape that I have been alluding to. It all started when I found a sealed cassette in the shed. Since I mostly listen to vinyl at home, one thing let to another. My friend Nate The Man found out about my obsession to make a new mix tape via Facebook and gave me a box of SA60s. Now I’m passing around dupes to friends like Kiyoshi who can listen to it in when they drive around in older cars.

The labels read Side Posh and Side Slash, but the nomenclature is pretty loose. There’s nothing super rare or obscure, but it’s all off vinyl and it’s all stuff that sounds good to me when driving around in the van…

SIDE POSH
Agent Orange – Bloodstains (ROTR Vol. 1)
Adolescents – Amoeba (ROTR Vol. 1)
Circle Jerks – Wild in the Streets (ROTR Vol. 1)
Black Flag – Wasted (Everything Went Black)
The Weirdos – Life of Crime (Destroy All Music 7″)
The Dils – Sound of the Rain (Live) (Class War)
The Avengers – The American in Me (Live) (Two Black Eyes… And a Bloody Nose)
Channel 3 – I’ve Got a Gun (I’ve Got a Gun)
T.S.O.L. – Abolish Government/Silent Majority (The Future Looks Brighter)
The Vandals – Legend of Pat Brown (Live) (Suburbia: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Social Distortion – The Creeps (I Just Want To Give You) (Mommy’s Little Monster)
Bad Religion – We’re Only Gonna Die (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?)
Fear – I Love Living in the City/Anthem (The Decline of Western Civilization)

SIDE SLASH
The Zeros – Don’t Push Me Around (Don’t Push Me Around)
X – White Girl (Slash 7″)
The Blasters – Border Radio (The Blasters)
The Go-Go’s – How Much More (Stiff 7″)
The Plimsouls – Zero Hour (Zero Hour EP)
Redd Kross – Look Up at the Bottom (Born Innocent)
Descendents – Hope (Milo Goes To College)
The Dickies – Paranoid (Paranoid 10″ EP)
Big Boys – Red Green (Wreck Collection)
Minor Threat – Think Again (Out of Step)
7 Seconds – 99 Red Balloons (Walk Together, Rock Together)

Shoot me an email if you want a copy, make your own tape, or just listen to fairly close mutations via Spotify (minus vinyl popping and crackling, quick segues, rougher mixes, Fear’s take on the National Anthem, dialogue from Suburbia, the Brooke Shields intro, etc.) at these links: SIDE POSH, SIDE SLASH.

Nate gave me a box of SA90s, too, so there might be a follow-up…

I haven’t done any public speaking about Giant Robot magazine since it bit the dust in November 2010. So I was surprised and flattered when my friend Eddie Solis (from the band It’s Casual) asked me to be on his radio show which has featured the likes of Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag), Keith Morris (OFF!, Black Flag), Dimitri Coats (OFF!), pro skater and musician Mike Vallely (Elephant Skateboards, Good for You), and Rick Kosick (Big Brother magazine, Jackass).

My particular episode streamed live on Monday night, and I was indeed a good fit since the magazine that Eric and I started was definitely a product of Los Angeles, punk rock, and even skateboarding. Eddie and I talked about all of those things and how they factored into the stapled-and-folded zine that became a mini-art and culture empire. I’ve had a lot of thoughts and emotions bottled up since moving on, and it felt good to let some of it out. Hopefully that came through.

I also got to play some music: J Church, Cringer, Clive Chin, Santic, Dirty Beaches, Romanes, Guitar Wolf, Paranmaum. Eddie played some track from the upcoming Good for You LP, too, featuring Mike V and Greg Ginn. Cranking and sharing your favorite music is the best.

Driving home, I began thinking about how great it felt to talk about the work I did, especially since the magazines are basically out of circulation and its memory is fading like a fart in the wind. Yet Giant Robot’s impact and spirit are still being felt, not only through the work that Eric is still doing in the world of indie art but also through readers who have gone on to to rad things, like Eddie.

Check out the podcast HERE or on iTunes and let me know what you think.

youtubelink

you can click on their user name to hear more.

In the old print magazine, Eric and I used to give our Top 10s about everything that we had been checking out or into during the production of each issue. The lists could be random, ranging from what was on Eric’s thoughts on business to me being a new parent, with art, music, cinema, and other things in between. This was always done at the last minute, and it turned out to be one of the magazine’s most popular sections. It allowed readers to get to know our personal interests, habits, and happenings and, in turn, get to know us pretty well–even more than the articles which were pretty transparent anyway. On the same page, we’d ask friends and contributors to provide more highly edited Top 5s within a specific theme (favorite vegetarian restaurants, must-have art supplies, best starting five basketball players, etc.).

This is kind of in-between the self-indulgent Top 10s and the tighter Top 5s, mixed with music reviews.

1. New music. I’ve already reviewed last week’s record release shows for Bad Religion at The Echo (pic way above) and FIDLAR at Amoeba Hollywood, but didn’t talk much about the actual releases. FIDLAR’s debut totally rips with killer melodies that are always on the edge of being out of control. Themes of rehab and titles like “Wake Bake Skate” aren’t poetry but a way of life, and the energy and anarchy are tangible. Bad Religion’s sixteenth album shows that while being young and pissed can inspire great music so can being experienced and intelligent. Songs like “Robin Hood in Reverse” are as smart and awesome as ever, as inspiring and effective for the circle pit and the home office. And then there’s Vermouth. Being in punk mode, at first I thought that the male half of the duo was Redd Kross’ Steve McDonald. Nope. But the CD is still a sweet listen, three parts Combustible Edison and one part Pizzicato Five. I hear they have bird calls and cover a Shonen Knife tune in concert… Rad!

2. Mike Atta benefit efforts. Last week’s benefit concert for the guitarist of The Middle Class at The Echo had a killer lineup including Agent Orange, Channel 3, Urinals, Audacity, and Mike Watt and the Missingmen (who played The Clash’s entire first album!?). I couldn’t go but I sure as hell got the fund-raising cassette that Burger Records released for the occasion. It has 41 cuts from rad bands like Circle Jerks, Eddie & The Subtitles, Government Issue, Mudhoney, and OFF!; with B-sides and compilations tracks from 7 Seconds, Big Boys, Mike Watt and The Missingmen, and NOFX; demos by Scream and Nervous Gender; and live stuff by Germs, Necros, Redd Kross, The Dicks, and The F.U.s. Are Adolescents’ “Conquest of the Planet of the See Monkeys” and Channel 3′s “Another Day” new songs? They totally rule and so do you if you buy a tape for just 8 bucks. They’re limited and numbered to 1,000, and did I mention the cover art by Raymond Pettibon?

3. A mix tape for friends. One of the best things about working from home is getting to listen to a record player instead of your laptop, MUZAK, or MUZAK on your laptop. After recently unearthing a stash of blank cassettes in the shed, I made a mix tape, tested it out on a road trip to Mammoth, fine tuned the ending, and have been duping it for friends. I’ll probably blog about it later, so let’s just say it’s got a bunch of old L.A. punk on it and spines read “Posh vs. Slash.” More blanks have been located, so if you don’t get one of the first batch you might be next in line… Or email me.

4. Black Flag. It’s crazy that I finally got Scam #9 this week, hot on the heels of news about a reformed Black Flag with Greg Ginn, Ron Reyes, and Drummer; FLAG with Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, and Bill Stevenson with Stephen Egerton; and Good For You with Greg Ginn and Mike Vallely. The zine is an expanded version of the LA Weekly article in which writer Erick Lyle (a.k.a. Iggy Scam) interviewed the members of Black Flag to talk about the making of the Damaged album. Part oral history and part essay, and boasting David Foster Wallace-length footnotes, it’s a great read that I highly recommend. I bought mine at Vacation Vinyl in Silver Lake, but your local zine or record shop might have it, too.

5. Los Angeles Nista on Monday, February 4. Which brings us to Eddie Solis’s radio show podcast, in which the singer/guitarist behind It’s Casual (above, left) talks to guests about their creative endeavors, their favorite parts of Los Angeles, and the public transportation that one can take to get there. In the last couple of weeks it’s been a primary source for Black Flag news with Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, OFF!), Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag, CD6), and pro skater Mike Vallely (Mike V & The Rats, Good for You) in studio talking about their noisy pasts as well as their latest endeavors. Other shows have included heavy hitters Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides, OFF!) and Rick Kosick (Big Brother, Jackass) and future guests include Fredo Ortiz (Beastie Boys, Bongoloidz) and photographer Ed Colver.

Next Monday, February 4 from 9-11 PM PST, I will be the in-studio guest. I’ve got a ton of stories and thoughts about my experiences with Giant Robot that have been bottled up since two Novembers or so, and pulled a stack of music that ranges from classic L.A. punk (Channel 3, Alley Cats) to bitchin’ Japanese rock (BORIS, Guitar Wolf, Paranmaum) to Chinese Jamaican produced reggae (Byron Lee, Clive Chin, Santic) to the indie punk bands that were our peers (J Church, Kicking Giant, Emily’s Sassy Lime). Newer stuff and surprises, too!

Please listen to the stream on Monday night at skidrowstudios.com and call in at 800-893-9562. Give me stuff to talk about and, more importantly, make me feel worthy to be on such a radical show. And if you can’t make it, my next post will likely be pics with a link to the podcast…