Amoeba Hollywood is holding a sale on recordings released by Bear Family Records, which specializes in re-releasing recordings by such rock ‘n’ roll pioneers as Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, Bob Wills, Bill Haley, Bill Monroe, Webb Pierce, Leslie Gore and Carl Perkins. Now through Friday May 25, Bear Family boxed sets are marked up to 60% off.
 

The German label was founded in 1975 and has come to be known for specializing in Americana, releasing extravagant boxed sets complete with books and rare recordings. Come in to the store and look for the display to check out some sweet Bear Family sets like Tex Ritter’s High Noon, Hank Snow’s The Singing Ranger Vol. 3 and The Osborne Brothers’ 1968-1974!

            

Amoeba Music Berkeley Hip-Hop Top Five Week Ending 05:18:12

1) I Self Devine The Sound of Low Class America (Rhymesayers)

2) Big K.R.I.T. Return of 4Eva (Greenstreet Ent)

3) ) Death Grips The Money Store (Epic)

4) B.O.B. Strange Clouds (Atlantic)

5) KA Grief Pedigree (Iron works)

Good to catch up with my man E-Lit again over at the Berkeley Amoeba Music store where the tireless ambassador of underground, indie hip-hop brings his vast knowledge and shared a run down (in video above) of all the new releases available at Amoeba - with the new chart topper being from Rhymesayers crew veteran member I Self Devine and his brand new album The Sound of Low Class America which includes a great track with Brother Ali. Other new chart entries include ones from the ever popular B.O.B. (Strange Clouds), Big K.R.I.T. who is readying for his official major label release next month, and the beautifully twisted rap/rock hybrid  Death Grips' The Money Store - the Sacramento crew's lo-fi major label masterpiece on Epic.

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From here we embark upon a new adventure in film.


I've spent countless, happy hours fantasizing the paradisiacal ideal while imbibing perilous quantities of rum disguised as exotic cocktails courtesy of my favorite local tiki temple --- an activity that always serves to spur my desire to explore the visions of other folks who, like me, possess a natural inclination for romanticizing the genre Exotica in all it's mythic and delightfully bogus configurations. Specifically, a designated fantasy realm as glamorized almost as much as it is spoofed by the so-called civilized world, or tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania and other enticing ports of call.



Until now I've kept these mental meanderings mostly to myself, only occasionally sharing my ruminations with whomever occupies a bar stool nearby and all the while becalmed beneath the warming fog of grog. From this day forward, however, I seek to nourish my untiring preoccupation with genre by delving into a more conceptual, considerate means of satisfying these vivid tropical itches I keep having. The time has come to put some sober thought into this journey beyond the music in favor of a more lively, animated intoxication I like to call Cinema Exotica (not to be confused with that mid-nineties Canadian film about a Toronto strip club).

But where do we begin? Perhaps with a question: if Exotica, the musical genre, provides the adventure-seeking listener an array of quasi-tropical aural impressions with which to induce a mini mental holiday, then how would these cerebral spells manifest if they could be fully realized? That is to say scripted, financed, and committed to film for the ages. Mulling this query has inspired a sort of personal silver-screen safari: my quest to find films that I feel qualify for classification into a logical Cinema Exotica film genre -- a genre that doesn't really exist as far as I can surmise. I mean, research suggests that the words have more to do with adult entertainment than anything else (google it any way you can and see what I mean).

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Mariachi El Bronx stopped by Amoeba Hollywood to play their uniquely American take on traditional Mariachi music. Bedecked in black mariachi garb and with horns in tow, the band played a set of tracks from their 2011 album Mariachi El Bronx II.

Mariachi El Bronx started as post-hardcore band The Bronx before incorporating mariachi elements for this side project, which began when the band was asked to do an acoustic version of the song “Dirty Leaves” from The Bronx’s self-titled second album for a television show and they turned it into a mariachi dirge.

“We never wanted The Bronx to be a soft, quiet band,” says frontman Matt Caughthran, “but this freed up a whole new realm. Sometimes you don’t realize the barriers around yourself until you step outside them. It was a big moment in our career, breathing new life into the band.”



Band members Caughthran, Joby J. Ford (guitar), Jorma Vik (drums) Brad Magers (trumpet), Ken Horne (jarana/guitar), and Vincent Hidalgo (guitarrón) then studied up on YouTube, no less, while touring with The Bronx to make Mariachi El Bronx happen. Learning all the mariachi styles, such as norteno, jorocho, juasteka, bolero, and corridos was essential.

“Mariachi has rules,” Caughthran says. “We learned everything we could out of respect, especially as we’re a bunch of white guys — well, except for Ken, who’s Japanese.”

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Mix Mup
Drive-By 12”
Mikrodisko

With his latest release “drive-by” mix mup suspends the principle of causal relation. Together we travel down a road that has lost its destination. the road becomes the actual reason for our motion. Past connecting elements we cruise from one possible interpretation to the next: a view from a car. Mix Mup offers us a plot on the way from A to B, which could be a piece of a secret, perhaps even a great story. in order to decide on this, we must lose ourselves first. lose ourselves in disorder and early sorrow.

Purchase Drive By here:




Special Request
Deflowered 12”
Special Request

Second in a series of releases based on capturing the energy and culture of UK pirate radio but going way beyond that as the project unwinds. Limited press. The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted which celebrated producer is behind this excellent, killer two-tracker - he has had releases out on Planet E, Hot Flush and Phonica too! From the first highly coverted 12", "Lolita" makes a return here, but in 'Warehouse Dub' form (rather than the Warehouse Mix off the first EP - very mysterious). Luckily its a complete re-hash of the track, adding layer upon layer of jungle percussion, half-tempo breaks and twisting the original riff around a mulitude of filters and distortion units. A ridiculously long arrangement unfolds slowly and with purpose, totally sucking the dancefloor into its buzzing plasma ball of electricity. Like a super nova bursting into a black hole right before our ears. New track, "Deflowered" is tweaked here by the in-demand Kassem Mosse and joined by Mix Mup. Mosse is fast becoming synonymous with the slo-mo-techno sound along with Vakula and Juju & Jordash. Sinking the BPMs below the 125 minimum standard of yesterday, These new smacked-out techno cuts will find favour amongst hardened cosmic heads and Detroit beatdown lovers alike and this particular offering is no exception. Unique drum sounds and machine-code rhythms converge on clattering sonic bursts and a rabid energy.

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Donna Summer "I Feel Love"
Donna Summer, who was the reigning "Queen Of Disco" during that dance genre's pop era, died earlier today following a long battle with cancer according to a just published report from the Associated Press. She was 63 years of age. During her incredibly successful career (mostly the 70's but into the 80's too) the Boston, MA born singer scored Grammy awards and ruled the radio and dance floors with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Love To Love You Baby," "Bad Girls," "On The Radio," "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," and the "She Works Hard For The Money" - that latter 1983 hit been one of her few non 70's chartbusters.

Arguably her most best and successful work was with producer Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Among the disco diva's followers was a large segment of gay fans who took offense when rumors circulated that she had made negative statements about gays. See article I wrote an article (The "Gay Myth" that Still Haiunts Donna Summer)  on the Amoeblog on this topic four years ago right before Summer was about to play in San Francisco. Of the numerous albums and collections of Donna Summer's music released over the years ones available from Amoeba in-store and online include the Bad Girls CD (and Bad Girls LP on Casablanca - the label she is best associated with), The Wanderer LP, the Once Upon A Time.... CD collection, and the Disco Queen DVD collection released four years ago. But if you head into one of the three Amoeba stores and dig in the vinyl and CD crates you will find many more including tons of Various Artists disco and dance compilations featuring hits by the artist who was only 63 - too young to go.  Rest in peace Donna Summer!

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Donna Summer "I Feel Love"
Donna Summer, who was the reigning "Queen of Disco" during that dance genre's pop era, died earlier today following a long battle with cancer according to a recent report from the Associated Press. She was 63 years of age. During her incredibly successful career (mostly in the '70s but into the '80s too), the Boston-born singer scored Grammy awards, and ruled the radio and dance floors with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Love To Love You Baby," "Bad Girls," "On The Radio," "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," and the "She Works Hard For The Money." That latter 1983 hit been one of her few '80s chartbusters.

Arguably her best and most successful work was with producer Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Among the disco diva's followers was a large segment of gay fans who took offense when rumors circulated that she had made negative statements about gays. See my article (The "Gay Myth" that Still Haunts Donna Summer)  on the Amoeblog on this topic, posted four years ago before Summer was about to play in San Francisco. Of the numerous albums and collections of Donna Summer's music released over the years, ones available from Amoeba online include the Bad Girls CD (and Bad Girls LP on Casablanca - the label she is best associated with), The Wanderer LP, the Once Upon A Time.... CD collection, and the Disco Queen DVD collection released four years ago. But if you head into one of the three Amoeba stores and dig in the vinyl and CD crates, you will find many more including tons of Various Artists disco and dance compilations featuring hits by the artist who was only 63...too young to go.  Rest in peace Donna Summer!

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Join Amoeba and the Library Foundation for the sixth installment of This is Your Library, a series of late-night talk show-style events occurring after-hours at the historic Central Library downtown. June 2nd's event will feature actor, comedian, and art collector Cheech Marin; founding member of The Cure Lol Tolhurst; Taschen's Sexy Book editor Dian Hanson; and poet and UCLA Professor of English Harryette Mullen. 

There will be DJs, live bands, a bar, food, and librarians too! Special musical guests: Wildcat! Wildcat! and Boys School (aka Brett Farkas and the Library All Star Band).

More info HERE!

“Fuck Pitchfork!” was the clearest message Light Asylum’s Shannon Funchess got across in her stage banter while playing the Echoplex on May 15th with Tearist, Chelsea Wolfe, and Violet Tremors. She was referring to the so-so review of Light Asylum’s self-titled debut full-length, with which she (and many, like myself) disagreed.

That she would address the review in such a public setting with such abandon speaks largely to what is great about Funchess and Light Asylum, and why reviews of the band, either glowing or mediocre, are sort of irrelevant. The DGAF nature of her outburst or gruff addressing of the sound guy to lay off the “fucking” effects (immediately followed by a sort of apology) matches the no bullshit appeal of her delivery, whether she’s giving it all in emotional techno-ballads (“Shallow Tears,” which boldly opened the show, or their modern classic “A Certain Person,” which came next to last) or pulverizing audiences with an all-engaging persona of aggressive dancing and an awesome, sometimes terrifying growl in songs like personal fave “Pope Will Roll.”

The show was a huge improvement over the last time I saw them at the Echoplex with Salem, during which the room’s sonics washed out the sound a bit, while Funchess and cohort Bruno Caviello’s stage presence is even stronger than before. Funchess absolutely commands, singing powerfully with some combination of self-choreographed or ad libbed militaristic moves, inching toward the edge of stage and singing in people’s faces without coming off as antagonistic. The feeling gotten by listening to Light Asylum on record and watching them perform is a “bigger picture” thing that can’t be distilled into track-by-track album breakdowns — that’s what some reviewers missed.
 
Chelsea Wolfe performed her brand of brand of gothic noise-folk admirably, though her inclusion was slightly misplaced compared with the other three acts. Violet Tremors provided Minimal Wave Tapes-esque robotic pop that nicely whetted the appetite for Light Asylum’s more humanistic take later on. L.A.’s Tearist’s performance proved the closest in kinship, with singer Yasmine Kittles headbanging and lending her smoky drawl to industrial dance soundscreens, though the band still calls for clearer songs (like the skittery “Headless,” one of its best thus far, which sounded amazing Tuesday) to match their impressively theatrical performances.

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Word's been circulating on the Internets this afternoon that famed film director / friend of Amoeba Music John Waters was hitch-hiking in Ohio earlier today and that, coincidentally, indie rock band Here We Go Magic picked him up, as reported on the DCist website this afternoon. Van passenger Jen Turner has been posting updates via her Twitter account. In one post from a little over an hour ago she wrote, "He's the real deal. He just wanted an adventure! Imagine! A true artist." In a later post after dropping off Waters, she tweeted, "What an utter gentleman, as natural and observant of people as one might imagine. A total joy, full of stories. Thanks JW, be safe out there."

Meanwhile, earlier today band member Michael Bloch recalled first noticing the director of such cult classics as the 1972 film Pink Flamingos starring Divine. "Getting back on the highway this morning, there was a man at the side of the on-ramp with a sign that read 'to the end of Rte 70.' Jen wanted to pick him up, but we drove past him. As we passed by, our sound guy said 'John Waters!' Luke said, 'Yep, definitely John Waters.' We got off at the next exit and circled back. He was still there. We pulled up, opened the door and asked where he was coming from. 'Baltimore,' he said. And we said 'Get in, sir.' "

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My introduction to old time radio was listening to a 1957 Decca 12” The Adventures of the Lone Ranger that my dad presumably procured as a child. As a kid growing up in the 1980s, I don’t think I ever made the connection that the album’s tracks were old radio episodes… I don’t think I even knew about radio dramas until I think I became vaguely aware of – but not interested in -- The Shadow sometime later.

It must’ve been around 2000 when I was hanging out with my friend Josh Beckman one night and he excitedly turned his radio on and dialed in to AM 1260 KNX to catch The Whistler. I’d never heard ofThe Whistler before but Josh was obviously a fan and whistled the Whistler’s theme as the program began. I listened and was entertained and surprised at how much more mature the story was – having previously assumed that all old time radio consisted of nothing but adolescent serials.

*****

The Whistler debuted on CBS on 16 May, 1942. For most its run it was sponsored by Signal Oil Company, an oil company founded in The Harbor’s Signal Hill community. Regular fans from any era feel their ears prick up when they hear the sound of clicking shoes, the haunting, whistled theme and the announcement, "That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler.”

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Anticipation has been high for the new albums from Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House and Cali-cool pop-rock duo Best Coast, and luckily neither disappoints. Beach House continues the upward trajectory set by their previous three album — the haunting, murky lo-fi of their self-titled debut, the more grandiose Devotion and its modern classic follow-up, Teen Dream —with an even fuller, more confident statement on Bloom. The album jumps from the springboard set by Teen Dream’s “Norway” into more definitively pop territory, albeit the sort of cerebral goth-pop pioneered by Kate Bush and Cocteau Twins. Like that song, “Lazuli” emits a sky-searing chorus of Victoria Legrand’s cloudy vocals that is simply glorious, the kind of thing directors dream about hearing in their film’s opening sequences, eliciting sudden and unspeakable emotion. The band combines this with verses that are more mysterious and harder to recall — it’s a perfect example of the band’s strength in fusing archness and pop structure, retaining their intrigue while delivering hooks. Every song on Bloom is a highlight, as the album moves from the cascading keys and chiming guitars of opener “Myth” to propulsive “The Hours” and “New Year,” perhaps their clearest stabs yet at radio-ready pop-rock, through closer “Irene,” which stretches its music-box arrangement to epic proportions, boosted by Alex Scally’s hauntingly spare yet melodically uplifting guitar lines. Every song on Bloom somehow sounds strange and new, yet somehow feels intimately familiar upon first listen. Listening is like unearthing someone else’s memories, each song like a glittering diamond that has just been waiting to be found.
 
Meanwhile, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino documents the process of entering adulthood and looking for lasting love the way few singer-songwriters can on The Only Place. Her sophomore full-length album is a more grown-up affair than the anxiety-pinned sunshine pop of Crazy For You, aided by springy, shimmering production from Jon Brion, but luckily Cosentino hasn’t changed too much. The longing Cosentino communicated in songs like Crazy For You’s “Boyfriend” is still present in songs like the swaying countrified ballad “No One Like You,” asking “if I sleep on the floor, will it make you love me more?” The simplicity of her lyrics belies their cleverness, as she pleads with her subject by offering to leave in order to make him stay. Throughout The Only Place, Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno reference ’50s and ’60s country starlets and girl groups, creating Phil Spector-style melodrama with crystalline guitars and lyrics yearning for individualism within codependence in songs like “How They Want Me To Be.” Throughout, Bruno and Brian keep things chugging along nicely in order to allow Cosentino’s personality to shine and not wallow too much in sentimentality, giving the haunting, Julee Cruise-style ballad “Dreaming My Life Away” some nice propulsive drum work, an improvement from an earlier, sparer recording, while “The Only Place” and “Let’s Go Home” burn with college-rock energy to spare. And Cosentino has never sounded better, her voice now brimming with confidence and pulling the heartstrings directly rather than from behind a shield of reverb and lo-fi sonics. It’s impossible not to be affected as she sings simple lines like “I wanna see you, for ever and ever” in the show-stopping “Up All Night.” She makes us feel the simplest sentiments as deeply as the first time we felt them, a hallmark of a truly great songwriter and performer. (The LP comes with a free bonus 7" while supplies last.)
 
And I would be remiss not to mention the reissues of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, Isn’t Anything and EPs 1988-1991, including songs released between those two albums, plus previously unreleased songs from that era. I’m not the biggest reissue person — often seems like a money grab with few good unheard songs and tweaks only an audiophile can hear, but this is My Bloody Valentine we’re talking about. The band’s two shoegaze classics sound better than ever, as only the most delicate nob twiddling has taken place at the hands of Kevin Shields. Anyone who doesn’t own these two albums, two of the best ever in my humble opinion, should get these import CDs right now. Even if you don’t buy CDs anymore. It’s time. Meanwhile the EP collection is a no-brainer for any fan of the band, as My Bloody Valentine’s throwaways tend to be better than most bands’ entire catalogs. Superfans may have the material Tremolo and You Made Me Realise EPs already, all excellent of course, but not songs like “Good For You” and “How Do You Do It,” terrific jangly pop songs gnarled by shuddering noise that sound nearly as good as anything on Isn’t Anything.

Although considered an integral part of the Bay Area's hip-hop scene for the better part of the past two decades, emcee Azeem (aka Ismail Azeem) who the East Bay Express once crowned "Best of the Bay: Hip Hop Artist" and who built a rep for his string of solo releases, recently up and left the East Bay to relocate to the East Coast - Brooklyn, New York to be exact. And it is New York City where Azeem, who was actually born and raised in nearby New Jersey before migrating West to the Bay Area all those years ago, will likely stay for good, and for good reason too. Since his relocation there in February, things have been going extremely well for the acclaimed emcee/champion slam poet who has been busy recording and working with different producers, and who tonight will present his one man performance piece Rude at the Bowery Poetry Club.

"New York has been too good for me to return to the Bay permanently," Azeem said when I asked him if he would be returning to the Bay Area soon. "As the Rastas say: forward ever, back never. But Oakland will always be my home. And I do come home to party - often [laughs]," he added. For the past few weeks he has been focusing all his energies on tonight's performance of Rude which played at the Marsh Theater in the Bay Area some years back to rave reviews. The Bay Guardian for example praised the one hour, one man show for its,"combination of raw energy, deft delivery, beautifully honed characters, and inspired narrative flow was so transporting."

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Amoeba Music is proud to once again be part of the Berkeley World Music Festival, which offers a FREE full day of live concerts in Berkeley, starting from 12pm at People's Park and ending at 9pm at the Village. Performances are featured in Telegraph Avenue cafes and shops, near UC campus, and at People’s Park. This year, the Festival celebrates nine years of showcasing the Bay Area’s rich world music scene with an amazing line-up!

At Amoeba Music Berkeley:
Join us at Amoeba Berkeley at 6pm for a special Berkeley World Music Festival performance from Fely Tchaco! The Ivory Coast-born singer, who now resides in San Francisco, delivers the best music of both cultures, a bridge between where she comes from and where she lives now. More details HERE!

At People's Park:
Six-time Grammy nominee Maria Muldaur and Bay Area’s premier Cuban bandleader, Fito Reinoso, headline at the People’s Park dance party. Druid Sister’s Tree Party opens the party with a riveting display of Celtic and Gypsy tribal grooves. A colorful crafts bazaar (Noon to 6pm) adds to the festivities in the park.

And more!
The musical feast will be served throughout the day at various Telegraph venues featuring innovative artists rooted in ancient traditions. Award winning Patrick Landeza is a leading West Coast Hawaiian slack-key guitarist. The sublime Ultra World X- tet is a jazz fusion group that includes Yangqin Zhao, 
 China’s foremost player of the Yangqin, a hammered dulcimer that bears her name. True Life Trio, who weave vocal harmonies from the Balkans and beyond, first met as members of the internationally renowned Kitka Ensemble. Trio Garufa is distinguished as the only US Argentine Tango group who play in top “Milongas” dance halls of Buenos Aires. With Bouchaib Abdelhadi (North African, Middle Eastern and Sufi rifts), Duo Gadjo (French Gypsy Jazz), Baron Rubenbauer (Neo-classical guitar / Spain to India), and street performances by Sadza Marimba & Mbira (Zimbabwean Dance Music), Simcha (Klezmer), and world accordion artist Alex “the Kombrig” Yaskin there’s something for everyone!

To read more Behind The Grooves, go to http://behindthegrooves.tumblr.com

On this day in music history: May 14, 1969 - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, the second studio album by Neil Young is released. Produced by Neil Young and David Briggs, it is recorded at Wally Heider Studio 3 in Hollywood, CA, in January and March of 1969.  Recorded in just two weeks worth of studio time, it is the first to feature Young's backing band Crazy Horse. The album features some of Young's best known material including "Cinnamon Girl" (#55 Pop), "Down By The River," and "Cowgirl In The Sand." Young will write all three songs in one day while sick in bed with a 103 ° fever. "Nowhere" will peak at #34 on the Billboard Top 200 and will be certified platinum by the RIAA.


On this day in music history: May 14, 1971 - Carpenters, third studio album by The Carpenters is released. Produced by Jack Daughtery, it is recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, CA in late 1970/early 1971. Coming just nine months after their breakthrough album Close To You, it will firmly establish the duo's pop star status on a worldwide basis.  Carpenters will spin off three top five singles including "Rainy Days And Mondays" (#2 Pop), "Superstar" (#2 Pop), and "For All We Know" (#3 Pop). The original LP package is designed to look like a formal party invitation, opening from the top like an envelope with an overlapping flap. Carpenters will peak at #2 on the Billboard Top 200, and to date has sold over 4 million copies in the US.

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This past Saturday, I went to the 1650 Gallery in Echo Park to check out the opening of This Ain’t a Scene: The Vibrant Music Community of East LA which was co-presented by Radio Free Silver Lake and compiled by Jackie Lam. Radio Free Silver Lake is a website focused on Indie music in Los Angeles.
*****
    
Pendersleigh maps
Note: The “East LA” of the subtitle could be construed as a bit misleading.. East Los (whose vibrant music community produced performers like Black Eyed Peas, Cannibal & the Headhunters, Hope Sandoval, J-vibe, Kid Frost, Lalo Guerrero, Los Lobos, Los Illegals, Louie Perez, Luis Villegas, Quetzal, Suzanna Guzman, Taboo, The Bags, The Blazers, Thee Midniters and Tierra and  supported live venues like Club 469, Eastside Nightclub, El Club Baion, Kennedy Hall, The Lamp Lighter, The M Club, Rudy's Past House and Vex) is not represented here. The bands and venues depicted in this show are, if I’m not mistaken, all from Echo Park, P-Town and Silver Lake -- three neighborhoods in the eastern portion of Central LA that belong to a region that no one has named with a widely-accepted term.) Enough quibbling about geography and nomenclature from me… let's start the show. *****

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