MODEST MOUSE RATTLES GRAVES AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
It was a perfect day to be in a cemetery to watch a bad ass concert by a bad ass band: Modest Mouse at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
It was a perfect day to be in a cemetery to watch a bad ass concert by a bad ass band: Modest Mouse at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Lead singer, Isaac Brock was a madman on stage, listening to the radio plays of Modest Mouse doesn’t really give you the full scope of what Modest Mouse IS all about. I was thinking of a much more mellow show. I always thought Modest Mouse were great, but Brock really makes the music come to life. He is a one-of-a-kind showman, with very animated facial features and body language. Brock really puts himself completely out there and there are no proverbial walls surrounding him. Exposing all embodies him, Brock lets you in to see his passion for the music he creates. He truly comes out on stage, whereas hearing Modest Mouse on the radio gives no justice compared to their live set. The first few songs were definitely warm up songs, and then shit just really came to life.
The amount of talent on stage was pretty awesome. There were so many instruments on stage ranging from upright bass, violin, and trumpets and most members played multiple instruments which was pretty inspiring to see.
Fans were thrilled. A small mosh pit broke out during a couple songs which I would not have expected but why not, the crowd members had permanent smiles on their faces throughout the show. I am sure that had to do with the sheer excellence of the band’s performance, AND the weed that was circulating through the air.
Modest mouse put on an exceptional performance that ran for about two hours, very much worth seeing.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Written for GrimyGoods.com, August 27, 2015
MARILYN MANSON DELIVERS THEATRICS AND SHOCK-ROCK; SMASHING PUMPKINS NOT MUCH FOR TALK, BUT PERFORM MASTERFULLY AT IRVINE MEADOWS
The End Times were happening at Irvine Meadows last Thursday night. I would have never really expected that Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson would tour together. With their past historyand the fact that their shows are very different, it was most definitely an odd pairing.
The first headliner was Manson. It was still light out. The sun, unfortunately, had not set for Manson. He came out as expected, with his face painted goth pale and morbid-looking. The stage was decorated with faux Christian iconography but instead of the image of Jesus Christ painted into the fake stained glass it was Manson, the Anti-Christ Superstar. The music was loud, hard and fast, and Marilyn was mesmerizing. Of course along side of him was long-time bassist Twiggy Ramirez who was absolutely stunning as well. Manson played music spanning his career from his first album Portrait of an American Family to his most recent, The Pale Emperor. I stood below him in awe of his performance as I snapped photos continuously and he at one point reached down and grabbed my lens, I thought he was going to take it out of my hands but instead he moved his hand and put his face directly into my lens and looked dead into my lens as I shot. That was pretty exciting. We only had one song to shoot which was unfortunate because his theatrics proved to be 100 percent photo worthy for the entirety of the show. For example, when he did his cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)“ he came out in stilts and crutches which gave him somewhat of a demonic-haunted-psycho-ward kinda feel. I was in the stands when I saw this and I was wishing I could have been shooting, but that’s just how it goes.
At the end of Manson’s set he did an encore. A podium was set as if he looked like the Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. He rose high on the podium and lit the Holy Bible on fire and then went into the song “Anti-Christ Superstar.” He then ended his set introducing “Beautiful People” by singing Beatles lyrics “how does it feel to be one of the beautiful people.” Manson put on a spectacular show and my only complaint would be that it would have been nice to see him do his act with the sun completely set.
Smashing Pumpkins was up next. They started the set with “Cherub Rock” and after that it was pretty much one hit after another. Unfortunately there was a douche bag behind me complaining that there was nothing but hits being played. He was loud and obnoxious yelling out “just play hits all night long Billy!” He did not just say this one time, he may have said it about five or six times. Man shut the fuck up bro, and enjoy the show and maybe let the people around you enjoy the show instead of listening to your ignorant ass. Who in the hell complains about that?
The Pumpkins’ set, as expected, was a much different set form opening headliner, Marily Manson. Corgan did not interact much with the crowd. He even said “the more I talk, the worse it gets, so we are just going to play music all the way through”. That was cool and all, but I think people would like to hear the artist, especially one as iconic as Corgan. I hate to say it, since I am huge fan of the Pumpkins, but I do feel a little like Corgan was out there just doing a job and making that money. He and the band played fantastically, but at the same time there was a sense of ambivalence from Corgan. I could be wrong but that’s what I felt.
When the Pumpkins left the stage, I watched Corgan as he as he walked off and he made a facial gesture as though he was a bit disappointed, which I think he was. When they came back out for their encore he made note that he noticed all the people who left after “1979,” which I definitely noticed too. Too bad for those people because the Pumpkins ended the show with “Geek U.S.A,” which was unexpected.
I am not sure what was going on with Corgan, I think he may be jaded on the state of music these days, he has been vocal about it lately and I agree with him.
Regardless, Smashing Pumpkins played fantastically, and Jimmy Chamberlain is a mad man on the drum kit. This is definitely a show to see. If you can see the show in another area, you should definitely do it.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Written for GrimyGoods.com, July 13, 2015
BODIES FLY THROUGH THE AIR AT LOS CRUDOS’ UKRAINIAN CULTURE CENTER SHOW; ALICE BAG MAKES GUEST APPEARANCE
I went into last night’s Los Crudos show at the Ukrainian Culture Center knowing what to expect. I knew that if I placed myself at the front of the pit that I would most likely get kicked in the head numerous times; however, I didn’t fucking care. I knew that there would be some pretty bad ass moments to capture and indeed there were. I would say that this article is more for the fans of Los Crudos, Blazing Eye, Ausencia and Strangers.
I went into last night’s Los Crudos show at the Ukrainian Culture Center knowing what to expect. I knew that if I placed myself at the front of the pit that I would most likely get kicked in the head numerous times; however, I didn’t fucking care. I knew that there would be some pretty bad ass moments to capture and indeed there were. I would say that this article is more for the fans of Los Crudos, Blazing Eye, Ausencia and Strangers. Man these people never let up once Blazing Eyebegan their performance. The pit was circling large and bodies were flying overhead. It was incredible.
Needless to say, the action really started when the headlining act came on: Los Crudos. Not only was the pit going off with bodies surfing the crowd, but fans rushed the stage and superman-ed over the crowd creating a constant motion of stage dives. It was a truly remarkable site. It was total anarchy, but at the same time, as weird as it may sound, it was respectful. Not one fight broke out. And the awesome thing was, I don’t even think there was security present. Everyone seemed to managed themselves fine, lifting their brothers up if they fell. If only this could be the metaphor for how life and society should be.
Los Crudos put on a very positive show. Frontman Martin Sorrondeguy came out before the show started wanting to calm people down a bit and start the show off with a positive message. He introduced Los Angeles Chicana-Punk Icon Alice Bag who then read a poem from her book “Violence Girl”. The iconic woman kicked off there reading with a scream. After she finished the poem Sorrondeguy came back out and the rage was let loose.
Between songs he had some positive words and messages to say, the one that stuck out to me most was his discussion about women’s rights and defending the woman instead of abusing the woman. I think his message worked at least for this show. There were plenty of women there and very small women who were probably some of the toughest girls I have ever seen. They got just as crazy as most of the guys and not a single one got hurt, at least not to my knowledge.
Blazing Eye got the party started. Lead singer, Austin Delgadillo was a maniac on stage. For an opening act they held back no punches. He knew what it was to put on a punk show and get the crowd moving and involved. I’ve never seen or heard of them before, but I will definitely be down to check them out again for sure.
Opening the show was Strangers and Ausencia. Ausencia half way through their set wanted to send a message, especially to Donald Trump and I figure that I may as well help them spread their message since I do have access to a publication that does have a healthy viewership and that message was: “Fuck You! Fuck you Donald Trump for saying that the Mexican people are nothing but drug dealers and rapist and that there are just a few good ones.” I’ll second the words of Ausencia (and so does our editor).
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Written for GrimyGoods.com, June 25, 2015
MISFITS GIVE NEW AND OLD FANS AT THE OBSERVATORY A MOST MEMORABLE “STATIC AGE”
It was a high-energy show last Thursday at The Observatory. Misfits have been scheduled to play three days and play three classic albums in their entirety. Thursday night was Static Age. It was an all ages show and I would say that it was cool to see all ages actually there. There were some very young teens to people in their 40s and 50s, but there were probably more teens there which was awesome to see that this music still gets to the younger crowd when today, the market is completely saturated with a lot of bad pop/safe music.
It was a high-energy show last Thursday at The Observatory. Misfits have been scheduled to play three days and play three classic albums in their entirety. Thursday night was Static Age. It was an all ages show and I would say that it was cool to see all ages actually there. There were some very young teens to people in their 40s and 50s, but there were probably more teens there which was awesome to see that this music still gets to the younger crowd when today, the market is completely saturated with a lot of bad pop/safe music.
There was definitely a lot of youth there and it seemed as though there were some first time show-goers there. At least first time in what could potentially turn into a massive pit. I heard one kid behind me say that he was worried about getting crushed up against the barricade, while his friend soothed him and just told him to brace himself by putting his knee into the barricade so that he did not get squished. I found the moment sweet, yet comical.
The crew was setting up and then the only remaining original member of the band, Jerry Only, was helping the crew set up microphones. He had the iconic devil lock hair and he took the time to shake a couple hands of his fans and ask how they were doing. He seemed very gracious which was nice. Then showtime was about to begin and the smile from his face was gone, and it became focused and intense. Misfits kicked off the show with the first song off the album Static Age. The pit erupted and kept going until the last song was played. Of course when he played songs such as “Last Caress,” “Bullet,” and “138” the crowd got a little more crazy. Jerry and the rest of the Misfits put on one hell of a show that did not let up until the last note was played.
Getting the evening started was a group of female rockers called She Demons. They were pretty fun and played hard. They did a couple hard-rock versions of some classic bubble-gum oldies such as The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Crystals’ “He’s a Rebel.” She Demons put on a very entertaining show that got the crowd nicely primed for the Misfits.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Written for GrimyGoods.com, June 23, 2015
ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, THE BRONX AND DEAD HEAVENS DELIVER KNOCK-OUT PERFORMANCES AT THE OBSERVATORY
It was a night of pure rock n’ roll at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California last night. Three bands would play, Rocket From The Crypt, Los Angeles punk rockers, The Bronx and Dead Heavens. All three bands brought their own style of rock and each kept the crowd engaged.
It was a night of pure rock n’ roll at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California last night. Three bands would play, Rocket From The Crypt, Los Angeles punk rockers, The Bronx and Dead Heavens. All three bands brought their own style of rock and each kept the crowd engaged.
Rocket From The Crypt was the headliner of the night and they came out at about 10:30 or so in there navy blue floral Elvis-esque jumpsuits and lead singer John Reis (aka Speedo) came out and rambled on a bit explaining and apologizing for their banner being so small, especially in comparison to The Bronx’s banner. He kept going on about how The Bronx’s was so much bigger than their’s. Anyway, they started out with “Dick On A Dog” and that got the crowd going and the moshing ensued.
The Bronx came on before Rocket, and man did they get everyone involved in the show. After the second or third song singer, ferocious front-man, Matt Caughthran jumped off stage and grabbed a male audience member and started pushing people along to get the pit going. He said “I want to see all you pussies moving,” and everyone happily complied. He also put his money where his mouth was and got the pit started himself. He hopped back on stage and fell to the ground and when he got up you saw blood running down his cheek just below his eye. I don’t think he realized he cut himself till much later in the show. His white t-shirt was blood stained all over by the end of their set. This would not be the last time that Caughthran would enter the pit. Towards the end he stood in the center of the pit and sang his heart out while people moshed around him. He then climbed the back barricade and finally did a dive into the crowd where he would then get back on stage. The Bronx were pure untamed energy from start-to-finish; stunning performance.
The opener was Dead Heavens, and all I can say is that they will soon be headlining their own show.s They were pretty fantastic. When they first went on, the place was not packed and people were standing in the back seated areas. Nobody was in the pit except for a couple photographers and maybe about six others. After their first song everyone came down into the pit and people applauded and cheered after each song. It was a real fun night at the Observatory. The spectators really did get their money’s worth for a Saturday evening.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, June 1, 2015
NOEL GALLAGHER DELIVERS ENDLESSLY WITTY AND ENTHRALLING PERFORMANCE AT THE ORPHEUM
Wednesday was a crazy day, Noel Gallagher and His High Flying Birds were in town but another band was in town as well that had the whole city in an uproar. I will not name the band, but they are huge, they come out of the UK, they are old, they are doing a “zip code” tour, and they were playing in a small venue for just five bucks.
Wednesday was a crazy day, Noel Gallagher and His High Flying Birds were in town but another band was in town as well that had the whole city in an uproar. I will not name the band, but they are huge, they come out of the UK, they are old, they are doing a “zip code” tour, and they were playing in a small venue for just five bucks. I spent most of my day trying to get tickets for this show and lost sight of the fact that I was going to see fucking Noel Gallagher, a member of my generations “Brittish Invasion.” Once I was able to accept the fact that I was not going to get tickets to this other show I got in my car and drove downtown to The Orpheum and heard some great music by the former member of Oasis.
The show was filled with mostly his music from his solo project, he gave us a little bit of Oasis with songs such “The Masterplan,” “Champagne Supernova” and my personal favorite “Don’t Look back in Anger”. Hearing those songs live was awesome to me since I never had the chance to see Oasis live. But enough about Oasis, this was Noel’s show now and his new music is just as good if not better. He still holds the attention of his audience with his post-Oasis tunes. I looked around the audience and most people were singing throughout the entirety of the show. Not a single person sat in their seat ever. It made me wonder why they played the show at The Orpheum and not some place that is more suited for a standing audience like The Fonda, oh wait, that other “band” was playing there last night.
Gallagher is one witty bloke as well. He interacted with audience members during the show. One person yelled out “where is Liam” and Gallagher looked at him and just shook his head no and waved his finger as if to say “don’t do that.” Later in the show someone said “Rock on Brother!” to which Gallagher, putting on his acoustic guitar and hollered back, “Are we back in the fucking 70s, well I got this in my hand, I’m going to folk out like a bastard now”. Gallagher seemed to be having a lot of fun on stage and was quite gracious to be playing for this Los Angeles crowd.
Noel Gallagher and His High Flying Birds, were great last night, it was a beautiful show in a beautiful venue. There was no need to see that “other band” last night because Gallagher gave me everything I needed last night.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, May 22, 2015
LENNY KRAVITZ DELIVERS SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE AT FONDA THEATRE, JOINED BY AUDIENCE MEMBER BRUNO MARS
When I was about ten years old I stumbled upon this rocker who seemed a bit odd for the times. He had long dreadlocks and dressed funny. At the time you probably would have only seen reggae artists with this look, but this was Lenny Kravitz (the guy that stole my childhood crush Lisa Bonet), but after hearing his music as a child it was okay with me, I forgave him.
When I was about ten years old I stumbled upon this rocker who seemed a bit odd for the times. He had long dreadlocks and dressed funny. At the time you probably would have only seen reggae artists with this look, but this was Lenny Kravitz (the guy that stole my childhood crush Lisa Bonet), but after hearing his music as a child it was okay with me, I forgave him. I would sit in my top bunk and look down upon my 12-inch black and white television (I swear this was like 1991 and not 1960) and the video was “Are You Gonna Go My Way” with Cindy Blackman on Drums and Craig Ross on guitar.
Last Friday at the Fonda Theatre, I was truly in the presence of excellence. For some ungodly reason I underestimated Kravitz, I figured he was just going to come in play a set of songs get paid and leave; but it was quite the contrary. Instead Kravitz, Blackman, Ross, and the rest of the band made love to each and every member of the audience last night. You know when you go to a show there is a natural progression and then you get to a climax and sometimes you are left with wanting more, and sometimes you are satisfied and sometimes you are ready to get the hell out of there. Well, this show was a little different.
The evening started with doors opening at 7:30pm and there was a two-hour set of anticipation, allowing people to get a little liquored up before the main event. The show started at about 9:30pm and he enticed us a bit with “Dirty White Boots” (his rendition), The Guess Who’s classic “American Woman” and then song number three, my personal favorite, “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”. That is when we were all flustered and tickled inside. There was no more foreplay it was nothing but pure sex on stage and the crowd was in ecstasy. During “Mama Said” the band went into this phenomenal jam session that eventually made you forget that we were still listening to “Mama Said.” Nearing the end of the jam session this girl looked at me and said, “Is this the last song? It can’t be over yet” It was only song five or six of the set. There was no way the show could be over.
Before we knew it, Kravitz got back to the mic and belts out, “and my mama said…” and you were like “holy shit we are still in ‘Mama Said!'”. It felt like we were at the end of the set, clearly we were not.
Eventually he played “Let Love Rule” and it was about a 20-25 min version of the song and he got everyone involved, even Miguel and Bruno Mars. He got the crowd singing the chorus in unison and then decided to hop off stage and sing while managing his way through the crowd. Eventually you saw him on the balcony getting involved with the people he came acroos two people who happened to be Miguel and a guy in a Chicago White Sox jersey. Looking closely you realized it was Bruno Mars. Kravitz embraced both artists. Kravitz gave the mic to Miguel and he serenaded the crowd. Kravitz was going back to floor level and then he reappeared on the balcony and went to Mars and said “Bruno, can you bring us to church?” Mars was being a bit coy at first but took the mic and asked the band to give him “that note” and Mars took over vocals for a minute or two and took us to church with gospel like vocals. Kravitz was extremely elated and embraced Mars and made it back to stage. Lenny finished up the show with “Fly Away” but he had a little more in him and came back to stage and finished us off with “Are you gonna go my way” the song that introduced me to him when I was a kid.
It was quite a spectacular show. The whole night was a series of getting us close to completion and then taking it back a notch only to build it back up. Kravitz doesn’t play often, but if ever given the chance it is not just a show but an experience to be had. I highly recommend getting fucked by Kravitz, I mean this in the figurative sense of course, but i’m sure if you have the opportunity for the literal that will probably be just as good.
Words: Wes Marsala
Photography: Mathieu Bitton
Originally written for GrimyGoods.Com, May 20, 2015
JAMES BAY MAKES IT RAIN “CHAOS AND THE CALM” AT SOLD-OUT FONDA THEATRE SHOW
It was a surprisingly stormy night in Los Angeles this past Thursday, but that did not stop James Bayfrom having a packed house at the Fonda Theatre. Bay’s fans wrapped around Hollywood and Gower last night in the rain just waiting to get into the venue for an up-close-and-personal performance with the artist.
It was a surprisingly stormy night in Los Angeles this past Thursday, but that did not stop James Bayfrom having a packed house at the Fonda Theatre. Bay’s fans wrapped around Hollywood and Gower last night in the rain just waiting to get into the venue for an up-close-and-personal performance with the artist.
The night started off with Elle King. She played her acoustic guitar and banjo, and in between sets would discuss with the crowd what her songs were about in a comical fashion. She is quite funny and a good solo artist. She was very honored that Bay had asked her to go on tour with him and very gracious towards all the fans that came to see him. I overheard from the crowd that some people were there specifically to see her. Elle can definitely hold her own as a headlining act. The extremely talented musician whips out a can of sass while performing, which makes her performances all the more engaging.
After King, the crowd was getting antsy for Bay. The house music played and as one song would finish people would cheer thinking that the show was aout to begin. However, the show never starts until the lights are dimmed. And so the house would play another song and you would hear the disappointment from the crowd as they would say in unison “awwwww”. Alas, the lights dimmed and the curtain rolled up and Bay was there with his red hollow-bodied Epiphone guitar and, what is now becoming his iconic look: a wide brimmed hat ready to rock. I went in thinking that I was going to see a mostly acoustic and soft set, but he came out with a fierce energy and passion for his craft that carried on through the night. Naturally, the ladies screamed with glee as they stared adoringly at James Bay. The man has serious knack for getting the ladies weak in the knees.
It’s no wonder there has been so much buzz around James Bay and the release of his debut album Chaos and the Calm. The 24-year old singer-songwriter is immensely talented and is only going to skyrocket from here.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Written originally for GrimyGoods.com, May 16, 2015
MOS DEF AND INSPECTAH DECK FIRE UP THE MAYAN FOR RHYTHM FEST LOS ANGELES
This past Sunday at the Mayan, Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) was the headlining act of Rhythm Fest along with Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan. It was a show not like any I have covered. Hip hop shows from what I have experienced, do not have a lot of order. The stage tends to be covered with videographers, photographers and other entourage members. Which while crowded and at times uncomfortable, it sure does add to the excitement.
This past Sunday at the Mayan, Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) was the headlining act of Rhythm Fest along with Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan. It was a show not like any I have covered. Hip hop shows from what I have experienced, do not have a lot of order. The stage tends to be covered with videographers, photographers and other entourage members. Which while crowded and at times uncomfortable, it sure does add to the excitement.
During the opening acts photographers rushed the stage, especially during Inspectah Deck. I kind of got tired of having photographers always in my shots, so I said “what the hell?” and took the opportunity to get on stage and take some photos. It was a good experience to have sharing the stage with a member of Wu-tang Clan for a minute or two.
Deck ended his set around 11:15PM and then another artist came up. I had thought that Mos Def would have followed Deck but that was not the case. The guy (sorry I have no idea what his name is, he did talk about Nas a lot though) played till about Midnight and then Mos Def finally came out. He scattered rose petals all over the stage and had the lighting guy put on the red lights (which is a nightmare for a photographer), and the poet finally began.
The fans were really into every performer of the night. They waved their Wu-Tang hands up and rapped along with the artists. It was truly an evening of peace, and good hip hop.
Check out the photos below.
Photography & Words: Wes Marsala
Originally Written for GrimyGoods.com, April 28, 2015
FAITH NO MORE AT THE OBSERVATORY: AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE (REGARDLESS IF MIKE PATTON WAS RUDE AND POMPOUS)
When I was a kid I moved around a lot. I lived in different cities and always had to sever friendships and get new ones. Things were not as well connected as they are now with smartphones and Facebook. So as you can imagine, this could make an eleven to thirteen year old quite angry. Well, in 1989 the album The Real Thing was released by Faith No More and this would become the soundtrack of my youth and pave the way to my teenage angst.
When I was a kid I moved around a lot. I lived in different cities and always had to sever friendships and get new ones. Things were not as well connected as they are now with smartphones and Facebook. So as you can imagine, this could make an eleven to thirteen year old quite angry. Well, in 1989 the album The Real Thing was released by Faith No More and this would become the soundtrack of my youth and pave the way to my teenage angst.
I was introduced to the album by the classic song “Epic” and I would listen to the album over and over. Songs like “Surprise You’re Dead” would just make me happy and I literally would put the tape in my Sony Walkman, put my headphones on, set the volume to ten and just go to sleep listening to this album. Luckily I had auto reverse so that I did not have to wake up and flip the tape.
This past Saturday I was able to see Faith No More at The Observatory in Santa Ana. It was the first time in my life that I had seen them perform. It brought me right back to my childhood. They played all the songs that you’d expect them to play such as “Epic”, “Surprise You’re dead”, and “Midlife Crisis”. However, they started the show with playing almost the entirety of their newest album Sol Invictus. I am never too pleased when bands do this, because, well shit, they have not put anything out since 1997 and it would be nice to hear more of the classics. It is also hard to expect much out of a band that has not done anything in so long and are reaching “midlife crisis” status. However, surprisingly enough, Faith No More still has it, their new music still has the Faith No More feel to it, and they did not change their sound much. They stayed true to their style to match the music that is being produced today. It still hits you across your face, and it still has that youthful angst that I love to hear in music.
The show started off hard, the stage juxtaposed their music with its floral and all white decor. Not something you’d have expected to see from a band like Faith No More. Given Mike Patton is close to fifty years old now, I was expecting the energy of someone closer to fifty but he came out like a twenty-five year old. He can still blow out those vocals and he still has all the energy that you could remember him having in his youth.
As the night went on things got kinda weird and you could tell that Patton was getting a little irritated. He was constantly telling his sound mixer to bring his monitors up and the mixer was just not getting right for him (you could sense his frustration). People had their phones out recording the show and he made the comment of “nice phone” and mimicked people people on their phones. Eventually he looked dead into someone’s camera and then spit on audience members, and called someone an idiot, he then took a water bottle and doused that area of people with water as to wash them off and then went back and threw a towel out into the crowd. At the end of their main set Patton said thank you to everyone, then looked directly at a girl and said “Do you want to fuck me tonight? I’ll do it all night long”.
Faith No More left the stage for a bit and did a few more songs, ending with “King For a Day,” and their anthem “We Care A Lot”. After that keyboardist Roddy Bottum said “let’s end this show on a good note, please put all your phones away and just listen to the song.” It seemed as though people cooperated and they ended with what I thought was going to be the Commodores cover of “Easy” but they did the classic melancholy song of the Bee Gees’, “I Started a Joke” with a Faith No More Twist.
The show really did kick ass, and despite the rudeness, the crowd was really into it. I saw some guy crowd surf and he was just getting thrown all over the place. Mind you, this guy was not small by any means so you can imagine the music had to be intense in order for the crowd to get that motivated to throw a man of probably six foot all over the place. I hope this will not be the last tour of Faith No More, I think they still got something in them.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, April 27, 2015
BAD RELIGION, OFF! AND THE INTERRUPTERS ANNIHILATE FONDA THEATRE
Man it has been nearly 20 years since I saw Bad Religion. The last show I saw them was when they opened for Blink 182, which I really thought was weird given that it was mother fuckin’ Bad Religion. Anyway that is beside the point. They were the headliners this past Friday at the Fonda Theatre and they played over 30 songs from their extensive punk library.
Man it has been nearly 20 years since I saw Bad Religion. The last show I saw them was when they opened for Blink 182, which I really thought was weird given that it was mother fuckin’ Bad Religion. Anyway that is beside the point. They were the headliners this past Friday at the Fonda Theatre and they played over 30 songs from their extensive punk library. The show never felt like it was going to end, not that anyone wanted it to. Greg Gurewitz said “We are going to stay here all night and play another 255 songs,” the crowd roared and fists flew into the air with excitement. They ended their show with an encore of “Fuck Armageddon” and “Fields of Mars”.
The fans were some of the best that I have seen at a show. Full of energy and excitement, and not too cool to show it. Not to mention, the dude controlling the light show was totally into the show. Man, I have never seen a lighting guy rock out to a band ever. That guy was dancing, raising his fist into the air, and singing at the top of his lungs. It was pretty damn awesome to see someone truly loving their job. Give it up for that guy!
OFF! came on before Bad Religion and it was my first time seeing them live which was rad. Those guys have a ton of energy. Keith Morris got the crowd going with his screams, insane facial expressions and constant interaction with the crowd. OFF! put out some serious energy and really got the audience primed for Bad Religion to close it out.
The evening started with The Interrupters. I saw these guys just a few weeks ago at Musink opening up for Rancid. They out on a great show then , but did better set at the Fonda. The Interrupters had far more energy, and guitarist Kevin Bivona seems to really be getting comfortable on stage as he did his best to get the crowd involved. Special guest Elvis Cortez of Left Alone joined them on stage to do their cover of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System,” which really got the crowd and pit moving.
Overall it was an amazing night of punk rock.
Words and Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, April 20, 2015
ALL THE RAGE (SERIOUSLY, FIGHTS BROKE OUT) WITH INTERPOL AT THE SHRINE
I have been an on-and-off fan of Interpol ever since “Turn on The Bright Lights”. To no fault of their own, Interpol play the style of music that I love. They remind me so much of Joy Division but obviously with their own unique sound, however, I am traditionalist and I have a hard time listening to new styles of what I already like which can be troublesome. I will get on an Interpol kick and then I will say okay that is enough and go back to the old-school post-punk bands.
I have been an on-and-off fan of Interpol ever since “Turn on The Bright Lights”. To no fault of their own, Interpol play the style of music that I love. They remind me so much of Joy Division but obviously with their own unique sound, however, I am traditionalist and I have a hard time listening to new styles of what I already like which can be troublesome. I will get on an Interpol kick and then I will say okay that is enough and go back to the old-school post-punk bands.
Last Thursday at the Shrine Auditorium was the first time that I have seen Interpol live and I was quite excited to see them and also shoot them, but I was also apprehensive that I may have that feeling of not being completely satisfied in the music and possibly want to leave early.
The night started out kind of rough, I got there a little later than I wanted, traffic was a bitch, a fight broke out right next to me before Interpol took the stage, beer and fists were thrown — luckily I did not catch any of it — fists or beer. After that I decided to go into the photo pit. At that moment all photogs were escorted out by some Interpol staff member. It made no sense. He said Interpol was not allowing photogs in the pit. Luckily things got sorted out. Thank you Brian Orloff (Tour Manager), for clearing things up.
So we were back in the pit and Interpol took the stage. First song was “Say Hello To Angels” which immediately made me smile, then it was one great song after another. I had not heard the new album yet, El Pintor, because I was on a no Interpol kick, but those songs were amazing. Interpol ended their main set with “Slow Hands”. Before they did their encore another fight broke out right next to me again. This time a little closer, but still came out unscathed. Interpol then came out for their encore. People settled and they played “PDA,” “Untitled,” and “All the Rage Back Home”. They walked off stage again and I was getting ready to leave, but the lights had not come on yet and I thought “they are not doing another encore”, but they did. I was quite surprised when they ended the night with “NYC”, the song they had recently played at their New York gig and that myself and many fans were waiting to hear live.
I’ll never doubt Interpol again. They are one of the great bands of the oughts and if you don’t know them well, get to know them.
Words & Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, April 20. 2015
RANCID, SICK OF IT ALL AND THE INTERRUPTERS KICK OFF THE TATTOOED MADNESS AT MUSINK DAY ONE
It was night one of a weekend music and ink festival. Musink went off without a hitch and the bands of night one really knew how to get the festival started.
I walked around the grounds for awhile while waiting for the music to start. There were two warehouses full of tattoo artists giving tattoos to all who wanted them. The place was filled with people inked from head to toe and many donning beautiful mohawks and hair colors. The best thing I saw, however, were parents who brought their children out to enjoy the punk rock sounds of Rancid, Sick of it All, and the Interrupters.
It was night one of a weekend music and ink festival. Musink went off without a hitch and the bands of night one really knew how to get the festival started.
I walked around the grounds for awhile while waiting for the music to start. There were two warehouses full of tattoo artists giving tattoos to all who wanted them. The place was filled with people inked from head to toe and many donning beautiful mohawks and hair colors. The best thing I saw, however, were parents who brought their children out to enjoy the punk rock sounds of Rancid, Sick of it All, and the Interrupters.
Rancid went on at about 8:45 PM, and played till 10 PM. It was an early night for a punk rock show, but leave it to Orange County to put such curfew on a rad event. The show took place in an airplane hangar on the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds. Rancid played all their hits at the end of the show, but the crowd didn’t come to see the hits. These were true fans of Rancid and upon hearing the first chords of just about every song the crowd erupted in cheer and the mosh pit moved fast and moved violently. People crowd surfed and fell on their heads, but it was all in good fun, I did not see anyone get hurt. However there is always that one asshole in the pit who takes things a little too far. Nothing got too outta control though.
Before Rancid hit the stage, punk rock veterans. Sick of it All came on and really got things moving. These guys out of New York came in wanting to show LA and OC what New York hard core was all about. Pete Koller was on stage like a mad man with his blue bandana and his swollen arms. He ran all over the stage jumping and never letting up.
The Interrupters started the night off, and they did it well. The band is produced by Tim Armstrong of Rancid and they got the early comers nicely primed for the show that was to come. People wasted no time at all getting the pit moving. It was a real nice surprise to hear them cover Tim Armstrong’s former project Operation Ivy by doing Sound System.
Check out our photos below of MUSINK Day 1 featuring Rancid, Sick Of It All, The Interrupters and tons of fans enjoying the madness.
Photography & Words: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.Com, March 23, 2015
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS ENTER THE VOID AT ECHOPLEX
So I have seen A Place to Bury Strangers multiple times, in fact, the last time I saw them I was not doing concert photography but I decided to play around on the iPhone and see what I could do with it. That was the night I said, “I gotta do this shit!”. So it was quite a special night for me last Sunday at The Echoplex to photographer APTBS with an actual camera. It was a photographers dream to get this kind of energy from a band, oh wait not just a band, but all bands that were on the bill for the night.
So I have seen A Place to Bury Strangers multiple times, in fact, the last time I saw them I was not doing concert photography but I decided to play around on the iPhone and see what I could do with it. That was the night I said, “I gotta do this shit!”. So it was quite a special night for me last Sunday at The Echoplex to photographer APTBS with an actual camera. It was a photographers dream to get this kind of energy from a band, oh wait not just a band, but all bands that were on the bill for the night. My dream as a rock photographer has always been to get someone like Kurt Cobain, or get that beautiful moment where Clash bassist, Paul Simonon smashed his guitar on stage on the cover London Calling. And last night, I finally had that opportunity to capture such energy.
Before going to the show I kept saying to myself, “bring ear plugs, bring ear plugs, don’t forget the fucking ear plugs,” and like an absolute idiot I forgot my damn ear plugs. I’m not complaining about this one bit, however, because regardless if my ears got a little damaged from APTBS’s tremendous performance, it was worth it.
A Place to Bury Strangers are probably the loudest band I have ever witnessed live. They really do bring the genre of post-punk, or as I like to call it neo-post punk to life. They bring energy, darkness, and mayhem to their albums and to the stage and if anyone is a fan of the genre, then you must see this band.
Toward the end of just about every APTBS show, noise and stage presence becomes totally psychedelic and abstract, almost like a dark theatrical performance, but with guitars. Oliver Ackerman usually beats the shit out of his guitar. Multiple times in a show he will throw it up into the air about twenty or thirty feet and it lands unscathed. On this night at the Echoplex, bassist Dion Lunadon started disconnecting wires from his amp, then all of the sudden, Drummer Robi Gonzalez took a high hat and snare, jumped off stage, then came back where Gonzalez and Lunadon, grabbed the amp and took it off stage. And just like that, they disappeared into the void. Ackerman still on stage, lifted his guitar up above holding a note, tossed it into the air before climbing off stage. Now the entire band all headed near the sound booth where they continued to jam. Members of the opening act, Creepoid had joined them. Soon Gonzalez and the drummer of Creepoid (Pat Troxell) commence into a drum solo. They are facing each other as laser lights surround them and it was unreal. Total mayhem had ensued.
Before A Place To Bury Stranger blew our minds, Tennis System and Creepoid kicked of th night as the opening acts. The fairly new band to the post-punk genre Tennis System sounded great and they were not that “stand in one spot bobbing their heads” kinda band. They brought the energy full circle and when I looked around the room to see how fans were taking them in, people’s eyes were glued to them. They were quite impressive and I knew the show would only get better from there.
The show did get even better from there, Creepoid was another group that just came out ready to thrash. I was standing right in front of bassist Anna Troxell and she was so animated with her expressions and body language. You can see that their music just fuels her fire. This is the kind of energy just love to eat up.
Photography and Words: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com
PATTI SMITH, THE GODMOTHER OF PUNK ROCKS THE ACE
Patti Smith came out for two shows at the Theater at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Being a photographer they only gave us two songs to shoot, but from what little I did see, it was a great show, and I knew the fans were going to be in for a treat. Smith was gracious to be there, she waved at the crowd when she first came out and said “it’s good to be back” with a smile.
Patti Smith came out for two shows at the Theater at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Being a photographer they only gave us two songs to shoot, but from what little I did see, it was a great show, and I knew the fans were going to be in for a treat. Smith was gracious to be there, she waved at the crowd when she first came out and said “it’s good to be back” with a smile. It was a true honor to shoot such a legend in rock. She also paid tribute to another musical great Kurt Cobain and Nirvana by doing her cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I heard this while sitting in the lobby listening for a bit and buying some merch.
She has a second show at the Ace tonight and an upcoming show at the Roxy on February 2nd. If you love music you should definitely see this legendary hall-of-famer live.
Photography & Words: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, January 31, 2015
THE MUFFS, INGER LORRE AND SUMMER TWINS PACK THE SATELLITE WITH THREE DIFFERENT STYLES OF ROCK
It was a rockin’ Friday night at The Satellite for The Muffs‘ headlining performance along with supporting acts Inger Lorre and the Summer Twins.
It was a rockin’ Friday night at The Satellite for The Muffs‘ headlining performance along with supporting acts Inger Lorre and the Summer Twins.
The Muffs came out and had some small technical difficulty. We saw frontwoman Kim Shattuck grow a bit nervous that her amp wasn’t working, but like a pro, she got that settled real quick. As she started playing guitar, Roy McDonald began pounding away on the drums and Ronnie Barnett blasted his bass and jumped around the stage getting the crowd excited.
Shattuck played with the Pixies a couple years ago (replacing Kim Deal on bass), which I was lucky enough to catch at the El Rey. It was rad, but it was awesome to see her now back with The Muffs, screaming into her mic. The crowd really enjoyed it, especially the guy with the pink mohawk. The dude was jumping around the whole time with no signs of stopping. Way to show your appreciation man! The crowd was really into the show, but unfortunately (like at most L.A. shows) it seemed that more people were focused on recording the performance with their smartphones rather than following the guy with the pink mohawk who was truly living in the rock ‘n’ roll moment.
Starting off the night off was Inger Lorre, which could have been a headliner. They came out strong and did not let up. The band started their set with “Rumble” a cover by Link Wray, which was pretty bad ass. Lorre’s guitarist played like Jimi Hendrix, the guy transcended and played like a rock god. Lorre also sounded great, she came out with a feathered tiara and belted out lyrics with a fierce style. Their performance was vicious in all the best ways.
After Inger Lorre ravaged The Satellite, the Summer Twins from Riverside came out and toned things down a bit. Exuding a totally different vibe from the rock ‘n’ roll thrashing Inger Lorre gave us, Summer Twins relaxed us with their sweet indie pop. They were kind of sandwiched in between two harder bands, which seemed a bit odd at first, but it worked well as a refreshing break. Summer Twins reminded me a bit of Best Coast. Chelsea Brown sounded delightful on vocals and Justine, her sister on drums, played seamlessly. People around me had mentioned that Justine reminded them a lot like Karen Carpenter, in terms of style, skills and sound. The Summer Twins put on a fun set and were the perfect appetizer to main dish: The Muffs.
Words and Photography: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, January 18, 2015
THE ROOTS KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR RIGHT AT THE OBSERVATORY
The Roots wasted no time in getting 2015 started off on the right foot by having a show on the first day of the new year.
The Roots wasted no time in getting 2015 started off on the right foot by having a show on the first day of the new year.
To get the groove going last night, the show kicked off with Lion Babe opening for the Roots. Lead vocalist Jillian Harvey came out dressed all in white, with white platform boots, and her hair was the biggest hair I had ever seen. The backing band was good and Harvey was stunning and her voice, beautiful. She did miss a note twice (but who’s counting). It was okay though, she recovered well. They played a pretty short set, about 20 minutes, and it left me wanting to see more
Then things really got going as the crowd cheered when Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” came onto the stage and began to chant “tuba, tuba, tuba” as he suited up with his brass instrument. The crowd went from cheering to roaring as soon as Questlove took to his rightful spot on his drum throne, followed by Black Thought coming up from behind the stage and taking lyrical command of the show.
The whole show had the feel of an intimate jam session – each musician had their own solo, and so forth. Guest electronic beat boxer, Jeremy Ellis, joined the group on stage which at first seemed kind of odd, as he was up there looking a bit out of place. He was not playing an instrument, he was just there kinda dancing to the beat, and he was kind of off beat in his dance. People standing around me, including myself, were asking, “who is the weird white guy doing nothing on stage?.” Well, we were about to find out. Black Thought reappeared, finally introducing Jeremy Ellis properly, and he began to reveal his talents. The rest of the band left the stage other than Questlove, building up to an Ellis and Questlove drum battle that was pretty bad ass. Eventually he had his own solo that went on for sometime, and I began to wonder if I was at a Roots show or a Jeremy Ellis show. However, it was quite entertaining. Ellis sampled sounds from James Brown to Super Mario Brothers. Remember how I said he could not keep a beat in his dance? Well all the rhythm was in his hands – and those mad skills got the crowd cheering loudly again.
The Roots came back on stage and the rest of the show belonged to them. Dice Raw made an appearance for a couple songs with the band and they jammed until about 9:30pm, followed by a rousing finale with a couple of unexpected covers. One being Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” which Captain Kirk Douglas sang and shredded on the guitar, and then “Apache“ by the Sugar Hill Gang. It was a great way to start off 2015, a Happy New Year indeed!
Photos and Words: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, January 2, 2015
BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA SERVE UP THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HOLIDAY SPIRIT AT NOKIA THEATRE
The Brian Setzer Orchestra put on a very festive show this past Sunday at the Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Boasting a variety of holiday, swing and classic covers, people of all ages came to see the spectacle. From the adorable toddler in the audience, (yes she had ear protection on) all the way to senior citizen (and everyone in between) — it was a spectacular night for all ages.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra put on a very festive show this past Sunday at the Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Boasting a variety of holiday, swing and classic covers, people of all ages came to see the spectacle. From the adorable toddler in the audience, (yes she had ear protection on) all the way to senior citizen (and everyone in between) — it was a spectacular night for all ages.
Setzer played the holiday hits such as “Jingle Bell Rock”, “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”, “Joy to the World”, “Jingle Bells” and others. He did not stop there, he did his cover of Louis Prima’s “Jump, Jive and Wail”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”, and Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”. “Sleepwalk” was especially great since he played his own version of the song, but man, every time I hear this song it reminds me of La Bamba, apparently I am not the only one. At the end of the song a person from the audience yelled out “Ritchiiieeee” it brought quite the smile to my face although I don’t think anyone got the reference or they just didn’t care. As a side note, Brian Setzer was also in La Bamba, he played Eddie Cochran and performed “Summertime Blues” in the film.
Of course Setzer had to bring out his true classics from the Stray Cats. He played “Sexy and Seventeen”, “Fish Net Stockings”, “Rock this Town” and “Stray Cat Strut”, which he said the Gretch Guitar that he wrote that song on was recently put into the Smithsonian. The rock-a-billy set he had while playing some of those songs were thrilling. The orchestra left the stage and it was just Setzer, bassist Johnny Hatton, and drummer Daniel Glass jamming out. Setzer really seemed to open up at this point of the show. He stood on the drum set and Hatton stood up on to his bass and they played hard and interacted with people in the pit.
It seemed to be a pretty special night for a lot of the people who attended the show, people were dressed in swing attire along with Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes. Not one person on this evening was shying away from dancing.
It was definitely a great show to get you into the spirit of the Holidays. Now all I want for Christmas is for the Stray Cats to reunite for just one tour, please.
Photography / Words: Wes Marsala
Originally written for GrimyGoods.com, Dec. 22, 2014
SKINNY PUPPY AND YOUTH CODE MESMERIZE FANS AT FOX THEATER POMONA
It was a night of darkness at the Skinny Puppy show at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Saturday December 20, 2014. People of all forms came to the show, dressed like your average Joe, all the way to full on costumes that could have competed with Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy.
It was a night of darkness at the Skinny Puppy show at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Saturday December 20, 2014. People of all forms came to the show, dressed like your average Joe, all the way to full on costumes that could have competed with Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy.
Skinny Puppy
Well the theatrics were on for Skinny Puppy, Nivek Ogre had many faces throughout the evening and put on quite a show. The show was loud and the crowd could not take their eyes off the stage as they wanted to see what was going to happen next. The show seemed to portray a science experiment gone wrong. At one point the created murdered the creator with a meat cleaver. It was mind-blowing to say the least.
First Line Assembly
The crowd roared when First Line Assembly hit the stage, they put on a fantastic rock show that had a crazy light spectacle that made it a photographer’s nightmare, but it worked out in the end. The strobe lights went crazy for about an hour and Bill Leeb, formerly of Skinny Puppy, kept the crowd engaged and pumped till the end of their set.
Haujobb
Veterans of industrial rock followed Youth Code. They played music that spanned twenty years and they played it well. The crowd stood and bobbed their heads while they played, except for one guy, the guy dressed as Bane who definitely had too much to drink, wobbled and danced all over the place while flipping the security guard off who told him to get off the stairs multiple times. Yeah, that guy was at the show.
Youth Code
Local Angelenos, Youth Code opened the show with something to prove and what they proved was that the industrial rock was not dead. Sara Taylor came out with a ferocity that I have not seen in an opening act. Taylor ran around the stage screaming out vocals and whipping her hair around and she never stopped. Taylor was very excited and appreciative to be playing with the bands that followed. She and Ryan George played a thirty minute set that never let up. Their performance was packed full of energy and I felt I was at a Youth Code show and not just watching an opening act. They definitely did prove their point that industrial music may have a new wave coming. Definitely check them out if you get the chance.
It was the last show of the tour and all bands were sad that it was over, but all were very appreciative that people came to see the shows along the way.
Words / Photography: Wes Marsala
Article Originally written for GrimyGoods.com December 22, 2014
