All I needed was my tape player, which my friend had borrowed to do an interview that inevitably was postponed. So, last night, I drove to my friend's place of work to pick up said tape player before heading out to King King to chill with the Usual Suspects.
My friend's place of work is Secret Desires, which is an adult shop in Van Nuys. It's a fairly easy spot to miss somewhere along Sherman Way by the airport, as that neon pink sign is so high up off the street that you have to cock your head back and to the left to see it and the windows are all blacked out. The only reason that I was able to find it was because I know it's next to Denny's. Well, the boatload of protestors outside was probably an additional signifier.
At first, I thought of the protestors as nothing more than people with too much time on their hands. After all, it's Friday night and these people are parked in front of a store that is benign in comparison to the slew of strip clubs and sex shops that surround the Van Nuys Airport with signs saying things about their children, even though their children couldn't possibly be under-30, let alone minors. I turned the corner and attempted to pull into a parking lot when an old man with a camera stood up and pointed his lens at me. I thrust my head out of the window and shouted, "What do you think you're doing? You can't take my picture!" I then backed out of the parking lot and pulled under a tree across the street. I read the guy's sign, which said something to the effect of "Your picture will be taken. It's legal." Either on his sign or the sign next to it, I saw the word pervert.
How this jackass gets off saying this is legal is beyond me. This isn't surveillance, it's harrassment. Plus, if those pictures appear *anywhere* with the implication that those in the photos are perverts, it's libel. I think one of my attorney friends and relations, could explain libel better than I can (I did J-school, not law school), but let's just say for now that libel equates to more legal fees than you probably want to imagine.
Needless to say, I was pissed and perhaps a bit intimidated as well (after all, I presume that was the goal of the Junie Harpers). Here I was, innocently going to pick up my tape player and this guy accosts me like I'm some sort of sick freak. Even if I had visited the shop for purposes of purchasing lingerie or penis-shaped pasta, what business is it of his?
I called my friend from the car and he instructed that I turn around and enter the parking lot from opposite entrance. He then met me outside and snuck me in through the back door. I asked for him to show me around the store. Still, I couldn't see why people were complaining. The videos are in a back room, set apart from the main portion of the store, as is the case with your typical non-Blockbuster/Hollywood Video rental shop. Most of the large space is dedicated to lingerie, club wear, bath products and the sort of toys that I believe the ladies bestow upon each other for bachelorette parties and birthday celebrations.
As my friend and I walked around the store, we peered out the window, catching the glare of a few older women. They looked at us like we were, as my mom says, "kukh" (that's either real Armenian or some sort of Armenian slang for icky). My friend told me that these people protest the store often and that they usually only stay until ten. I wondered if they were even from the neighborhood, or if it was some sort of odd vigilante group trying to make a statement. Something doesn't make sense here. Starting any sort of business, let alone one that is adult-oriented, is no easy feat in Los Angeles as even operating a hot dog cart requires mountains of red tape. In a situation such as this, I would imagine that there had to have been hearings for zoning and various community meetings. I would think that any sort of potential neighborhood problem would have been addressed before the store got its City Hall stamp of approval.
I soon left the store with my tape recorder and adapter in hand and headed over to King King for this month's Compression party. I haven't been to Compression since The Roofie Incident that closed out 2005. Inside the club, Kelvin Larkin played a killer set of Chicago house-meets-Detroit techno as a gaggle of women engaged in the secretarial stomp. Sometime well after midnight, Kenny Larkin introduced his set with a deep drumbeat that eventually morphed into ESG's classic "Moody." He followed "Moody" with a Chip E. track that made my trainspotter boyfriend giddy.
After last call, I was going to take off, but Carlos and I ended up chatting about how the track Kenny was playing kind of sounded like it could be Nitzer Ebb and kind of sounded like it could be Front 242, but we knew it wasn't either. Kenny dropped the bass and brought it back full force, prompting me to jump out of my seat and start dancing. A few tracks later, he worked in Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," all pumped up with a thick, unidentifiable techno bass underneath. Carlos joined me on the dancefloor, leaving me stunned. I think I can count the number of times I have danced with my boyfriend on one hand and we have been together for seven years! Usually, I end up sandwiched between gay men. Oh, but "I Feel Love" is that much of a jam that it can compel my head-bobbing boyfriend to actually join me on the floor. After "I Feel Love," I had to leave, if only so I could depart on a high note.

My friend just sent me this link from a newspaper in the Inland Empire, Riverside Count to be exact: http://www.pe.com/entertainment/stories/PE_Fea_Ent_D_music.darksongs.79f33d.html

I thought it might be cool/bitchin'/gnarly to start a thread. I'll start!

I Know It's Over by the Smiths
This song starts off with "Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head." Not to mention it's preceeded by "Had No One Ever" on The Queen Is Dead.

All Cats Are Grey by the Cure
Robert Smith and company released this on the album Faith which is known for it's darker tones. "All Cats are Grey" is rather short, but it's images of loneliness, being crushed to death, and impending death can last a life time.

GIANT, the techno/house/electronic/boom-boom bass club is moving from the Avalon to the Vanguard about a half mile down the street on Hollywood Boulevard. They are hosting two DJ sets that you need to know about:

Thursday, September 14, 2006 – LOS ANGELES (Hollywood)
2 MANY DJs @ Vanguard, Hollywood

Saturday, September 23 @ Vanguard, 9.30pm to 4am
KASKADE (Main Stage)
DFA presents in the Lower Lounge:
JAMES MURPHY (LCD SOUND SYSTEM)
JUAN MACLEAN

WHOAOAOAOAOOOO!!!!!!!

Excuse me while I clean my pants...

Sometimes things just happen. Like, you're working on this pile of crap that has to been done, like, three days ago and you get an email from someone about a last minute chance to interview some band. Normally, you would be like, "Um, not so sure about that," or maybe you would say yes but you would try to coerce someone like your friend Ivan into doing it. In this instance, though, there are two things that are certain. First, you really want to cover this band. Second, you already stuck Ivan with an assignment for the following night.
That's how I ended up seeing The Grates last night. Despite being dead tired and still one story shy of completion of the next issue of The Rockit, I drove out to Silver Lake to meet up with the band for a 7:30 p.m., post-soundcheck/pre-performance interview.
I called the tour manager as soon as I parked and immediately learned The Grates are surrounded by some of the nicest folks I've met. Within a few minutes, I was linked with John Patterson, who plays guitar. We walked into the smoking area at Spaceland, which is separated from the rest of the club by a glass wall that blocks a good deal of sound, sat down and started talking. A few minutes later, Alana and Patience walked into the room with their interviewers and The Blood Arm soundchecked. Something tells me this tape is going to be a real pain to transcribe, although it should be worth it.
During the course of my interview with John, I learned some really important, potentially life-altering facts. For example, did you know that Foster's isn't Australian for beer? I'm shocked. Apparently, Foster's is considered crap there. I guess this is sort of like Ireland's apparent love affair with Budweiser. Ugh, Budweiser. They have Guiness!
The interview did go pretty well. You'll read it later.
After we finished our chat, I went outside, lit up a cigarette and hung out for the hour-and-a-half that would pass before Carlos arrived. Met a girl who just moved out here from Denver and we hung around together in front of the club until the doors opened and she went inside. Apparently, I saved her ass when I mentioned the $40 tickets that fall on top of cars parked on the street behind Spaceland. She was able to move hers just in time.
If The Grates aren't the cutest band playing around right now, they are at least tied with The Subways. The three members are all under-25, but look to be under-18 and they have crazy old school Jolt Cola style energy.
This is John.

He has a scruffy, teddy bear look to him and likes to thrash about while he's playing guitar.
This is Patience.

Well, it's supposed to be Patience. She sings, jumps and goes on long rants about gross guys trying to dance with her at shows. Grind, I think was the term she used. In case you can't tell from this *stellar* piece of cell phone photography, she's wearing a royal blue flapper dress. It looked disturbingly similar to a pink number I had to wear in one of those dance recitals I did years ago. She was also wearing thick silver glitter tights.
This is Alana.

Alana is very fair and has dark hair worn in a Louise Brooks cut. She wore a pastel-colored striped t-shirt dress and leggings.
"She looks like one of those dolls with the eyes that close when you roll them back," said Carlos.
I was thinking the same thing.
I love the way Alana drums. She slouches and just starts banging away with this look on her face of intense concentration. It's as if she's afraid that if she looks up, she might start cracking up at the way Patience is bouncing across the stage and lose the beat.
By the end of the set, Patience was inside the crowd. I couldn't see well from my side of the stage, but I think she was wriggling around on the floor of the Silver Lake rock club. People were hudled around her and the vocals started to sound a little muffled at this point. By the time the show ended, the whole crowd looked exhausted. Carlos and I left within minutes of the band's last song, basically because we have both seen The Blood Arm already and, you know, work.

Let's get this straight. I want the new Scissor Sisters album now, but I have to wait for the actual street date because, even if I were the sort of person who liked to obtain leaks (which, oddly enough, I'm not) my computer is still in a complete state of disarray. In the meantime, I have been listening to lots of music released on actual compact discs with artwork and stuff like that, as though it were still 2004! Here are some things you should seek.

The Bronx-- S/T

I've never been much of a hardcore sort of person. Hell, I'm not even quite sure if this technically is hardcore. For all I know, hardcore really did end sometime in 1986. I can tell you, though, that when you can understand the lyrics on this album, they will crack you up in the best way possible.

Faulter-- Darling Buds of May

Faulter worked with Jon St. James on this album. Now, people will mention that he has worked with Social D. and some other O.C. punk types and that's all fine and dandy, but let me tell you why this guy rocks the mixing board. First, he was part of SSQ, the seminal 1980s electronic pop group that helped launch the career of Stacey Q (I'm still looking for Q, the predecessor to SSQ, on vinyl). Second, he went on to produce Ms. Q in her heyday. Third, he produced what I humbly submit is the most underrated synthpop number ever recorded, "Living in Oblivion" by Anything Box. This song is simply spine-tingling, dare I say even groin-grabbingly, good. If I had a functioning computer and a copy that wasn't on vinyl, I would share it with you. Alas, you are on your own for the time being.

Ima Robot-- Monument to the Masses

I have this odd relationship with Ima Robot. I've never met the members or, at least, I've never met anyone who said he was in the band. But, when I did Transmission at the Parlour, someone kept on showing up at the club before I got there, leaving behind copies of singles, EPs and full-lengths on various formats with my name on the envelopes. I don't know who was doing that, but it worked because I ended up playing "Black Jetta" nearly every week. I think we did a record release party too, but I'm terrible at keeping track of stuff like that. Anyhow, when I heard the debut, it was really hit-or-miss. This new album is all hit.

The Futureheads-- News and Tributes

This has been out for about two months now. You might already have it. If you don't, you should probably go out and get a copy. Then go see The Futureheads play live. I heard they might be out west again in the fall.

That's it for now.

Will the person who A&Red The Kings of Techno as compiled by Laurent Garnier and Carl Craig please stand up? I would like to buy you a drink for creating this double-disc compilation that has been so enjoyable that I can actually handle sitting in L.A. traffic.
Readers, check out this tracklisting. When I tell you that this has been in my car CD player since I received it last week and it only exited said car CD player today so that I could listen to it while I worked, I mean it. Disc 1 features Laurent Garnier's selection of inspirational Made in Detroit numbers. From The Stooges to Aretha Franklin to Jeff Mills to Dabrye, every song on here is of the variety that might make you want to play music, even if you had never thought of it before. Disc 2 features Carl Craig's pick of tunes that influenced the sound of Detroit techno. Again, it's all gems, but my personal favorites are "Frequency 7" from Visage and "Join in the Chant" from Nitzer Ebb. The latter is one of the best damn dance songs I have ever heard, as its simultaneously aggressive and fluid in sound.
This comp isn't out until next month, but you should make sure you get it as soon as it arrives in stores.

I was at this party in my friend's backyard this evening drinking Diet Coke like the square that I am. I think this is the first Juansitive party I've attended where I managed to stay sober the whole night. Mostly that was because I had to get home so that I could edit a few more stories and prepare for an interview I have to do tomorrow. Partly, though, it's because I really just haven't felt like drinking lately. I've never been much of a drinker but, these days, it's just that I feel so exhausted and stressed out that I fear one beer will put me to sleep. Can't sleep.

I ended up hanging around the bar in this backyard listening to Carlos mix together the old school jams. Stuff like Newcleus and Egyptian Lover and Kraftwerk. Our friend Charlie was there wearing a Tool t-shirt. This, of course, reminded me of a conversation I had with Megan the day before where we were discussing how Tool is now ruined for us thanks to the jackass "fans" who went and made a mess out of the band's set at Street Scene. I then felt compelled to ask Charlie a question.

"Why are Tool fans such douchebags?"
"Dude, why are metal fans such douchebags?"
Point taken. Then I reiterated my comment from the Street Scene post about Tool writing the same album for ten years just as Juansitive walked in.
"Nobody is arguing," I said.
"Well, uh..." Juan started.
Charlie chuckled.
"They use the same progression in every song," I added.
Juan started to say something, but Charlie cut in.
"She's right," he said. "It's always 5 4...." his voice trailed off.
Yes, even Tool fans agree. Maynard's songs remain the same.