Martin Wong

Meet Michael Nhat (not Naht)

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:03:00 +0000

I met up with Michael Nhat last night. I'm no rap expert, but I find his songs to have uncommonly interesting content and I appreciate how his nonstop delivery is not shouted like a boast or threat. He's a cool and thoughtful dude. There's actually documentary being made about the Vietnam-born, Iowa-raised, and L.A.-based rapper, musician, and collaborator, and the crew is real cool, too.

Angelenos can catch him at the Echo Curio on Thursday or the Tribal Cafe on Monday, and everyone else can check out the video off his new-ish, self-titled album, below.

He was also on KXLU's Demolisten!

Patchwork, Minimum, Maximum

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Went to the Patchwork group show at GR2 on Saturday night. Almost immediately, we ran into contributing artist Philip Lumbang. The painter of bears just ended a sold-out solo stint at GRSF and is about to do the same at GR2... But first things first. Patchwork featured familiar artists (Lumbang, Ghahremani, Reyes) as well as new blood that attracted a standing-room-only crowd (not that we have chairs, below).

Michelle was the architect of the show consisting of works on square-shaped fabric. She was inspired by the Praxis quilt made by her friends Jenny and Diana in honor of the late, great canine. I don't know how many times Michelle explained the wall hanging throughout the evening.

Below, Wendy and Eloise admire the Lowly Worm-inspired pieces. Who made them?

The Double Date Collective of Jeaux Janovsky and Cristina Paulos. But who were they on a double date with?

Former GR proofreader, current GR artist: Louise Chen.

Say hi to newest addition to the GR crew, James.

Eloise vs. To-Fu Robots.

More pics and links to the artwork will be posted soon at gr2.net by our web dude, Brandon.

On Sunday afternoon I was invited by my friend Gina Osterloh, whose incredible conceptual photography was featured in GR59, to see Minimum Yields Maximum, a humble yet ambitious group show at Monte Vista Projects featuring artists from the Philippines, Vietnam, and the U.S. The group show that she curated is in large part inspired by her mentor, friend, and Philippines art giant Roberto Chabet.

Gina spent a year in Manila on the Fulbright's dime and met many of the featured artists there. In the background, you can see "Two Rings" by Gary-Ross Pastrana, a set of photos that show jewelry that was melted into a sword, which he used to cut himself, and then melted back into rings again. Conceptual, painful, personal.

Two pieces by our mutual friend (and friend of GR) Louie Cordero, who seems to be shifting from the pantheon of metal to the Indian iconography. I love seeing his eye-popping colors and precise brushwork in person. He has a big show coming up in New York City, and these pieces are being sent there.

Reanne Estrad's "One Thousand, One Hundred Eight" is carefully placed strands of hair on bars of soap. Mounted in a box under glass on a pillar, the effect is beautiful and disturbing.

Hong-An Truong's video piece "Explosions in the Sky (Dien Bien Phu 1954)" juxtaposes not only pop music and war footage but classic rock and karaoke for an extra twist. Watch for just a few minutes and you'll see.

There's more and you can check it out for another week. If you're lucky, you'll see my friend Shizu Saldamando. I discovered that she's part of the Mt. Washington-based collective, too. Last time I saw here was a My Bloody Valentine concert. One of the many things I like about Shizu is that not only does she have artistic skill beyond her years but her taste in music is that way, too. She was under the weather with the Ebola virus but I took her picture anyway! So cool and talented...

Quasi at Spaceland

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:47:00 +0000

Quasi has always been a great live band, but on Friday at Spaceland they were unusually ripping and especially amazing. Maybe it was the rocking new material off the Portland, OR group's latest and hardest album yet, American Gong, which tilts the balance from principal singer Sam (Heatmiser, with Eliott Smith) on keyboard to Sam on guitar. As always, Janet (of Sleater-Kinney fame) is steady and heavy behind the drumkit with cool backing vocals. New to the crew is Joanna (from Stephen Malkmus's Jicks) on bass, who went beyond merely providing rhythm and did some crazy knob tweaking during the jam outs.

The band has always been masterful at playing perfect pop, lyric-based songs that are impossibly verbose yet catchy and bordering on becoming monologues without crossing into theatrics. Imagine the ornate melodies of Wings tempered by the workmanship of Built To Spill. The new album is the straightest rock yet, with at least one tip to rockabilly and sometimes even classic rock with huge, fun riffs. But the band hasn't sacrificed any of its trademark smarts or nuances; "Everything and Nothing at All" can be the most depressing or uplifting song ever, depending on your view.

One funny moment: during the encore, Janet asked for requests and a few guys kept yelling "Seven Years Gone!" She rolled her eyes and said something like, "Are you sure? That's a hard one for me." Of course, the perfect-postured drummer pulled it off with a smile and without a hitch before the band dug into a totally unironic and inspired cover of "I Can See for Miles." So... the previous song was difficult but she had no qualms about channeling Keith Moon? Okay.

Afterward, Sam and Janet went straight to the merch table, where I thanked them for carving out a spot for me on the tight guest list, gave them a copy of the new issue to read in the van (I wish I saw the new songs live before writing the review), and got a vinyl copy of the new album to replace my lame CD-R promo that keeps getting rejected by my car stereo. One cool touch is that each of the LPs was unwrapped and signed by all three band members. Why don't all touring groups take time to do that? Such an easy, small gesture is really cool to fans. The band has loads of polish and supreme chops, but is punk rock and super down-to-earth like that.

Above: Live, a couple years ago. From the third installment of Christoph Green and Brendan Canty's excellent Burn to Shine series. (It also featuring Sleater-Kinney, The Gossip, The Shins, and more.) Below: Gratuitous tree photo taken on the way back home. Yes, The Echo gets more cool shows these days but I still like Spaceland, which isn't much more than a mile walk from home.

Metal Mark Gilsonic/GRNY x HD

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:25:00 +0000

The new CD by the hyper-melodic pop thrash band Hayaino Daisuki comes packaged in a DVD case with a small, glossy zine. As with most projects that involve vocalist Jon Chang, it obsessively and painstakingly touches on hardcore videogames, Asian cinema, comics, and other cool stuff. I was stoked to see a familiar name listed as a contributor, manager Mark Gilson of the GRNY shop, and had to ask him more about his role in the project.

GR: When I got a review copy of Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Fire Hell, it didn't come with the zine. Now that I see the complete package, I think I got ripped off. As a contributor to the zine, how do you see the relationship between the music and the reading?
MG: Well, I can't really blame Hydra Head, those booklets aren't cheap. On one hand, Jon Chang is a guy who's known in metal circles for being a creator as well as a performer. There are definitely folks who look forward to everything that he brings to his projects--stuff like really stylized packaging, slick T-shirts, and a general sense of design. Then there are folks who just want to hear the music. I suppose the rationale is that a reviewer should be focusing on the music, but I would probably have felt ripped off, too. It definitely adds to the record as a total package.

GR: We run a pretty tight ship at GR, and everyone seems to work overtime. When did you find time to contribute to it?
MG: Actually, all my contributions to the zine were done while I was still working for GR part-time. I wrote my tribute to suitmation in about an hour, and Scratch Trigger Era is a project we've been working on for years, so we know those characters inside and out.

GR: Your ode to suitmation and Gamera 2 is quite spirited. How long has that rant been bottled up in you? Did you recite it? Type it standing up?
MG: Anybody who knows me knows it's really not so hard to get me to rant about anything. I think I banged that out in a single sitting. It definitely benefited from Jon's type treatment, which makes it a lot more energetic. I remember kind of dashing it off and sending it to Jon, and then when I saw it again in the booklet for the first time in months it was a much better read. I've always loved Godzilla. Still do. He's probably my favorite pop-culture icon of all time. Guys like you and Eric who grew up on the West Coast got exposed to a broader range of sentai and kaiju stuff, like Ultraman and Giant Robot, but in NYC we had the 4 O'Clock Movie on Channel 7 and their monster movie weeks. Gamera 2 is so good precisely because Gamera was so bad in the '70s. It's one of those great examples of when somebody is allowed to approach a project with love and care and wonderful things happen. That movie is fantastic. It's the exact opposite of the American remake of Godzilla where Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich approached Godzilla as a huge joke and thought anything they put on screen would be better than the classics. And they failed miserably. (See what I mean about how easy it is to get me to rant?)

GR: Out of all the indie comic artists out there, how did you wind up having Stan Sakai illustrate the strip that you and Jon wrote? Usagi Yojimbo is old school!
MG: Isn't that nuts? Stan Sakai drew a comic I wrote; I still can't wrap my head around that. When we originally talked about having an STE comic in the new zine, Jon told me he didn't think I should draw it. I took it hard at first because I'd always been the primary character designer for the whole Scratch Trigger Era universe, but the idea was really to boost the profile of STE. I'm at best an amateur illustrator, so I realized it would be better if I didn't do it. I thought about dream artists that I'd like to have involved, and came up with Adam Warren and Stan Sakai. Aim high, right? We contacted Adam first, and he had other commitments. By this, time the story focused on I/O and Voranga and I thought that Stan's art would really resonate with those particular characters–"a boy and his 'bot," we were calling it. When Jon contacted Stan, he was willing to do it. It came out great, and Stan deserves credit for supporting indie creators.

GR: I like how the zine covers cute, old, and geeky stuff, and not just the trendier things involving gore or hot women, which metal more typically celebrates. Can you talk about that in relation to HD?
MG: Well for one thing, Jon hates that trendy metal stuff with a passion. I tend to embrace metal warts and all; it's amazing and at times completely ridiculous. HD is really all about Chang and Matsubara wanting to play together. It's like a mutual respect society. GridLink is kind of the serious manifestation of that and HD is the lighter side. I mean, the band's name translates as "We Love Speed." When GridLink played their first show in Osaka in 2006 Jon, Michelle (now his wife), and I all camped out in Matsubara's home in Kyoto with his wife and cat. We all had such an amazing time, and I think that sense of fun and metal-tinged good times really bonded us all, and I feel like HD is kind of a extension of that.

GR: Can you talk about the role of metal in your life? Its relation to your taste in art, music, and culture in general...
MG: Metal has been a good friend who's always there for me. I do listen to other kinds of music--and I've even drifted away from metal from time to time over the years--but I always come back to it. It's kind of a male thing, but not exclusively. It's been like my gateway drug to all sorts of things. When the guys on Earache records started doing electronic projects and working with John Zorn, it made me interested in those styles of music. Great album cover artwork made me want to know about the artists who did them and what kind of stuff they were into. I always read the thank-you lists to see what bands guys in bands I liked listened to.

When any of the bigger bands come around and I can catch their shows, I see guys that I've known from our little East Coast scene for years. I call them "The Old Men of Metal." It's been a common bond between us, between all metalheads really, but I don't feel like it defines ANY of us, if that makes any sense. There are guys who will never cut their hair or wear anything but band T-shirts--I know lots of them. I may look more nerdy than metal, but I saw Metallica with Cliff. Metal has made me friends across the world and allowed me to have some really unforgettable times. It's the soundtrack to the imaginary movie about my life.

GR: Is it true that you're going to leave Giant Robot and join DragonForce?
MG: Personally, I have zero vocal chops. When I used to go to wrestling events and yell all night, I'd be totally hoarse the next day. I was tempted to send that (link) to Chang, though.

Kamchruoch the bells

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:24:00 +0000

My pal (and DJ Jester's homie) Prince Klassen sent me a link and a note letting me know about his latest effort: a mix collaboration with Mike 2600 (of Burlesque Design) putting a spotlight on '60s and '70s psychedelic rock, heavy pop, and straight-up funk from Southeast Asia (mostly Cambodia and Thailand). It's full of sweaty, groovy songs with familiar-but-tweaked melodies, vocals with crazy range, and plenty of fuzz and soul--and just a little bit of scratching. The mix is a benefit for Tiny Toones, a center in Phnom Penh for at-risk Cambodian youth, and all fans of Dengue Fever, Neung Phak, and doing something good need to check it out here.

Popcorn and kimchi: GR advance screening of Mother

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:08:00 +0000

Thanks to Magnolia, MPRM, and the Laemmle Music Hall for helping Giant Robot present an advance screening of Bong Joon-Ho's new movie, Mother. On a chilly Tuesday night, we had a big enough turnout to get promoted to the larger screen and filled it out comfortably. Two guests walked away with posters signed by the director. One had to answer a trivia question provided by MPRM regarding actress Kim Hye-Ja. The other was the first GR subscriber to hold up her hand!

Lots of faces in the crowd. Above, director Reggie Hudlin, who has impeachable taste in film and comic books. I can count always count on seeing him at the San Diego Comic-Con and GR screenings.

Cate with actors Perrey Reeves (Entourage) and Johann Urb (2012).

Lana Kim of The Directors Bureau, The Lana Show, and J.Lep. In addition to bringing a boxful of GR47 (which featured an interview with Bong) to distribute to early arrivals, I brought new one and wound up giving it to her because she's featured in our mutual friend Saelee Oh's article about Kona coffee and so is her brother Ely.

Inside, GR's own Minister of Color, Pryor Praczukowsski. He makes the photography in our magazine look great. Look for a new, improved Cine House site to go up soon, as well as the movie he served as DP for, Strangers, which screens at FAAIM's Asian American Showcase next month.

Ken Wong (a.k.a. Monkmus) contributes the excellent "'Tween the Cracks" comic to the back page of every GR but is best-known for his music videos and his cool wife Linda, who gave me some popcorn when I was starving.

GR's longtime friend/lawyer/enforcer Mitch Mitchell and his better half, Emiko.

Oscar is one of los bros, who I can always count on to see at GR events. But were was Luis?

Graham was part of the crew at GR's table at Comic-Con last year. Says he can't wait for this year...

Alexi helps out with proofreading when she can. Excellent spelling and command of grammar, as well as taste in movies.

Filmmaker Wing Ko probably worked on some of your favorite skate videos and provided "the voice" of ON Video. Only recently have I learned about his astounding jello-making skills (GR58) and mastery of Italian cuisine (two weeks ago).

This is what the crowd looked like. You should have been there. I'm serious. Sign up to be on our mailing list at the Filmmatters site. We don't have events every week, but when we do something it's always cool.

Above: the trailer. Mother opens on Friday, March 12. Below: my review which appears in GR64.

Mother (South Korea, 2009)
Director Bong Joon-ho has told the story of a dumb guy, the corrupt world that takes advantage of him, and the female family members who save him before. Last time, it was the protagonist’s smarter and stronger sisters that saved his ass from a sea monster. This time, it’s the protagonist’s mom who fights for him after he is framed for murder by the local, lazy, small-town cops. The lengths to which she goes to protect her dull son are astounding, and so are the twists to the dark plot that Bong masterfully weaves. Can a mother’s love go too far? The only thing that could possibly make the movie better would be to have Danzig’s “Mother” play over its closing credits. [Magnolia] mw

Free Leonard Peltier/free Leonard Peltier benefit album

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Way back in 1994, there was a benefit compilation in the works for Leonard Peltier, the American Indian movement activist who was unjustly imprisoned by the FBI's COINTELPRO program. (Check out my friend Lee Lew-Lee's All Power to the People documentary for more information on that... As seen in GR10's Yellow Power articles.) The CD never came out and Peltier is still in the hole, but now the tracks are available online.

Lots of great stuff on the playlist, including Rage against the Machine, Bad Religion, Quicksand, and Superchunk, as well as unreleased tracks by the Beastie Boys and Helmet, not to mentions Zack de la Rocha with Corrosion of Conformity covering the Minutemen. Download the songs and find out more about Peltier at the Exiled in the Land of the Free site. Free Leonard Peltier!

The fire, the flames, and YOU

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Remember DragonForce? We featured guitar maestro Herman Li's heroic metal band way back in GR48. Here's your chance to put down the Guitar Hero controller, grab the mic, and join the actual band. Herman and the guys need a new singer, so try out now!

Nike SB China: It's a Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Thanks to King Wo for the link. Saves us all a trip to the Night Market, not to mention the hassle of haggling for a bootleg DVD. No Chinky music but plenty of solid and smooth tech as well as some decent-sized hammer dropping. Wow, Chinese people skating in China--interesting concept.

Flight of the (500) Days of Precious Anvil & Order

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon, Cate invited me to be her +1 at the Independent Spirit Awards. Hell, why not? This year, the location was moved from a tent on the beach in Santa Monica to a tent on the parking lot for L.A. Live. Not long after getting our wristbands, we started seeing some of the evening's "real" guests, including Lips from Anvil. If The Cove wasn't nominated and Food, Inc. didn't win Best Documentary, I'm glad Anvil did because the metal band from Canada is as much of an underdog as dolphins or cows. (They also provided two musical performances, which was cool.)

It turns out Cate knew (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb. Super nice guy. His movie won Best Screenplay and was nominated for Best Feature. It's lame that comedies, even smart ones, don't have a chance to win Oscars. Even a small, rad movie like Precious will get overshadowed on at the Academy Awards on Sunday, so it was cool that practically all of the Precious crew was there to collect the Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead, and Best Supporting Female awards. Their excitement was genuine and well earned.

There was an ocean of tables inside, but somehow we tracked down another one of Cate's friends, Mother director Bong Soo-Han, who was nominated for Best Foreign Film. He didn't win, but, again, at least his movie was nominated. He said he appreciated the free drinks, too.

When we finally settled down, it turned out we were next to S. Epatha Merkerson of Law & Order and Pee-Wee's Playhouse fame. What was she doing way back there with us scrubs? Super nice. When Cate and I awkwardly approached and complemented her, she said, "I see you holding that camera" and made it really easy for us.

You can tell how far back we were from this shot of Dave Grohl introducing Anvil. (The real Dave--and not one onscreen--is onstage on the right in the fake bar area.) His short spiel was really nice, saying how he was in the right place, right time to make it in music and that he was in the right place, right time again to get to introduce the subjects of the excellent documentary. Jeff Bridges also played alongside T-Bone Burnett, and won an award, too! Kind of cool that those particular award winners also performed. No lame music allowed and plenty of gratuitous cussing (mostly by host Eddie Izzard and sometimes even funny), not to mention bona fide porn stars during Ben Stiller's intro to Best Feature (yes, they were "indie" porn stars).

After about 2 hours and 15 minutes of nonstop award action, everyone spilled out. We ran into yet another one of Cate's friends, director Mora Stephens, who had won the ISA's Cassavetes Award for Conventioneers in 2006, and Joshua Leonard, one of the principal actors in Humpday, which won the award last night.

On the way to the parking lot, we saw Jemaine Clement from Flight of The Conchords. He was probably the most easygoing guy there, but it was the most awkward approach for us because we were such big fans. Totally blew our confidence to ask for more pics when making smalltalk with Best Supporting Actor winner Woody Harrelson ("Wasn't this a cool night?") and walking right by Adam Yaugh on the way to back to my car.

GR64 is on the loose

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:23:00 +0000

GR64 is available at the GR shops in LA, SF, and NYC and creeping out onto newsstands at this very moment. Here's what's in it:

* Huke, creator of indie character Black Rock Shooter
* Wonder Con and Comic Market scene reports, including tons of cosplay and some perversion, too
* Director of The Cove, Louie Psyhoyos
* Daniel Wu vs. HK star/SFX makeup artist Andrew Lin
* Art rock from Beijing's Carsick Cars
* Contemporary Chinese Art mutant Hung Liu
* Black Asians
* White women who dig Asian dudes
* Aska on The Moonrats, The Sads, LA Ladies Choir, and solo work
* +/- {Plus/Minus} go to Manilla
* David Choe does Vegas
* Saelee Oh goes to the cradle of Kona coffee
* Jason Wakuzawa, Mikendo, Markisa, and P-Rod
* Flipbook featuring Ely Kim of Boombox fame
* Tons of reviews, tidbits, comics, Eric's bruised face, and more

FREE advance screening of Bong Joon-Ho's Mother

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:02:00 +0000

Too dark? Not uplifting enough? The lead actress was female and Asian but not young or hot? I don't know why Korea's entry for Best Foreign Language Picture, Mother, got the shaft from the Academy. It's incredibly well-told and almost frustratingly well-acted, is guaranteed to start conversations, and will surprise the most seasoned cinephiles with how it unfolds. And what could be more universal than a parent's instincts to protect a child?

GR/Filmmatters is excited to offer our readers a free, advance screening of this amazing movie by the director of The Host. Yes, the plot of a mother protecting her grown son sounds like it could be a special episode of Murder, She Wrote, but the lengths to which she goes to protect him are shocking, and so are the twists to the dark plot that Bong masterfully weaves. Can a mother’s love go too far? The only thing that could possibly make the movie badder would be to have Danzig’s “Mother” play over its closing credits.

The screening will take place on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the Laemmle Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 274-6869

To attend, all you have to do is send an email with your name to rsvp@filmmatters.com and specify how many guests you will be bringing. Those who respond in time will receive a confirmation email. Spaces are limited, so arrive early. First come, first serve.

See you there!

Oscar party for The Cove

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:09:00 +0000

Tonight I went to my first, last, and only Oscar party (at least until one of Dan's movies gets nominated). Honestly, standing around a dark, loud, and crowded room with free meat and booze just isn't my thing. But the gathering at the Hyatt's Andaz on the Sunset Strip was a celebration of The Cove, so how could I pass it up when my friend Cate invited me? I interviewed the director Louis Psihoyos (above) a couple of months ago and put up a Q&A right before the DVD came out. Now the magazine with the full-on six-page article is finally coming out as the movie is up for an Academy Award. If I turn on just a few readers to the cause during these critical times for the movie, I'll be very pleased.

Oh, yeah--the party. Yes, there were some star sightings: Ben Stiller (who has been behind the movie since the beginning), Russell Simmons (an outspoken vegan and animal rights supporter), and the bald guy from Sex in the City. I'm sure there were others who I just didn't recognize, too, and hopefully their celebrity status will the public to rally behind The Cove as well.

On the way out, Cate and I accidentally took the VIP elevator and as a result crossed paths with Ric O'Barry while we exited and he entered. I was too slow to take a picture with him, but I quickly told him that I am a big supporter of the movie, and truly appreciated his work, which is documented in it. Word on the street is that the Best Doc will go to Food Inc. or The Cove. Either way, I'd be happy because I see them more as complements then competitors.

C-c-c-colors

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:57:00 +0000

My friend Philip Lumbang came by Sawtelle to drop off some art for the Patchwork show at GR2, and I told the artist to swing by the mag office because I had something for him. I saved a bunch of printouts that we made with various colors of the cover of GR61, which featured one of his bears. Maybe he can make a collage with them or use them in an installation one day... Perhaps at his upcoming solo stint at GR2?

Phil's dog Kiwi approved, and so did Phil's buddy and sometimes collaborator Ernesto.

Free The Robots - Old pics, new album, free MP3, and Lamar freaking Odom

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:38:00 +0000

Chris Alfaro is easily one of the coolest dudes you'll ever meet. He's extremely knowledgeable about and connected with all sorts of scenes from music to food to art, but so down-to-earth you'd never know it. Foodwise, the always-changing pizza at The Crosby can't be beat. In music, I loved the mixes he did with Roam for OBEY (Bad Brains, Portishead, Dead Keennedys, Paul Weller...) and the sample-based music on his first Free The Robots EP (including "Jazzhole"), but the full-length debut is something else.

Built from the ground up, Ctrl Alt Delete is way dirtier, harder, and heavier than his debut. But a guy like Chris just isn't wired to mad dog all day long. His sense of humor and love of fun percolates through in the most unexpected times, breaking up the tension and making for some seriously gripping and interesting listening.

GR: The song titles on the new LP ("Orion's Belt Buckle," "Sci-Fidelity," "Mental Universe"...) seem a lot more cosmic than the ones on your EP. Do you think about a lot of stuff when you're mopping and wiping bar counters at The Crosby?
CA: I’d say so. Who would’ve thought that cleaning could be so inspirational.  

GR: In some ways, the opening The Crosby with your buddies probably delayed the release of this album. But do you think it also grew your music since now you've got world-class music makers coming through every week?
CA: Night after night, I’m constantly exposed to great stuff: beats, psych rock, punk, dub, world music, jazz, salsa/cumbia, etc. Between the different resident DJs and promoters we chose and the people we personally book, there's plenty of inspiration and energy in heavy rotation. Diversity is key to keeping my mind flowing.

 GR: What are some ways your approach to music has changed in the three years or so since the EP came out?
CA: As a musician, I’m always learning. Over the years I’ve developed my own sense of melody and song structure, focusing more on original composition. I took a step back from my original approach and decided to focus more on synthesizers and live instrumentation. This record is about 90 percent sample free, whereas the EP was the opposite.

GR: Aren't you just a little afraid that you might lose some female listeners with the somewhat harsher, darker, and drippier sound?
CA: Actually, it seems like times have changed. At first, this type of bedroom nerd music pretty much only attracted dudes. These days, the female audience is representing in a big way! Lovin’ the diversity right now. I think for the first time in history, crowds are going nuts to music they’ve never heard. It's grimey and dark as death, but its still danceable.

GR: Tell me about the track with Ikey Owens. Some of the songs have the feeling of being thought out note by note, with almost a Philip Glass or Brian Eno atmosphere, but did you jam that one out live?
CA: That track was a trip to record! I met up with Owens at his pad in Long Beach with nothing more than a laptop, Garage Band, and a rough version of the track. We set up and hunched over in the middle of the living room with a couple organs and two 3” computer speakers on the coffee table. The sound of his fingers hitting the keys was louder than what we were hearing while we recorded! That's ghetto rig challenge number one, but we got it done. He knocked it out in two sessions after listening to the track only once. The man’s got skills!

GR: OBEY, Low-End Theory, and Alpha Pup Records--I understand. But how the heck did you get mixed up with Lamar Odom's T-shirt company?
CA: Odom’s art direction for his company is a little unorthodox--at least for the average athlete. Marc Yamaoka (The Crosby) was actually hired on as the lead cut-and-sew designer for the company. My partners and I always work together on whatever projects that come up and, random as this one is, I got hit up to be part of their first artist/musician pairing with the amazing Joe King!

The Candy Man is a Free The Robots fan (wearing the shirt) and you should be one, too. Check out the new album on Alpha Pup now.

Chain and the Gang, Strange Boys at The Echo

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:58:00 +0000

On Friday night, I caught Chain and the Gang and Strange Boys at The Echo. I went solo, but wasn't totally alone. I had a chance to catch up with Brian (one of The Gang, who used to stay at my house with Dub Narcotic Sound System way back when) and Ian (the Chain, who did the same when he was in The Make-Up). But you don't care about that trivia. The show was packed and the the show was great--an engaging and volatile mix of garage rock of all kinds.

I hadn't heard the openers Neverever before, and really dug their deconstructed take on the girl-group aesthetic. They used to be called Champagne Socialists, and the set was short, sweet, and a great teaser. While the singer channels a ton of female singers in Spandex and hairspray, it was hard not to think of the New York Dolls as well.

Chain and the Gang headlined the night before at The Casbah, but played second on Friday. I had seen them at The Smell a few months ago, but think this show was superior. The sound was better and Ian really knows how to take a stage or club and transform it into a forum for his ideas. His newest band (following Weird War, Scene Creamers, The Make-Up, Cupid Car Club, Nation of Ulysses...) has a real unique, conversational tone that's equal parts poetry and stump with a seriously raw and heavy beat and delivery.

The great debut album has more than a dozen contributors, and outside of Brian on organ and git, I'm not sure of the current live lineup. I think he called the bass player Veronica, and she had an effortless cool presence, especially when she trades lyrical give and take with Ian in songs like "What's a Dollar" and "Trash Talk." What sounds cool on vinyl is really meant for a live setting. Would have loved to hear them do "An Interview," but there's always next time.

Got his book The Psychic Soviet and had him sign it. The Red Book-style collection of essays breaks down almost everything that matters in music (and more) from "Beatles vs. Stones" to "The Mix Master Race." In "Camp Exploitation," there's an interesting thought of NWA:Black Flag::Public Enemy:MC5 and Devo... (Also check out the Felt Letters 7" on M'Lady's Records, which reunites Svenonious with fellow NOU member Brenan Canty.)

The headliners were young but prolific and seriously hot Strange Boys, who play a real stripped down and bluesy style. You'd think the band's sound would be heavier with its expanded lineup featuring Jenna from Mika Miko (above) and Tim Presley from Darker My Love, but it's practically transparent on their amazing new album, Be Brave. Of course, it's much louder live, but the effect is still as fragile as can be, teetering on every syllable that creaks out of singer/guitar player Ryan Sambol's throat.

Sambol doesn't give up any of the provocative song introductions or spectra-sonic soul dance moves of Ian, but he proved to be similarly communicative and effective through his almost uncomfortably unguarded vocals. Worth checking out and worthy of the lines that stretched outside The Echo on a crisp Friday night...

Chain and the Gang and Strange Boys have a handful more dates together up the West Coast before they go their separate ways. A double-header worth checking out, for sure.

India, Italy, Mt. Washington

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:56:00 +0000

My longtime friend/old-school GR contributor/DJ/skate, music, and documentary video editor Wing Ko got back from a trip to India a few weeks ago, and invited us over for dinner. The menu, though, came from a trip to Italy. Wing's cousin from Hong Kong married an Italian, settled there, and taught him how to cook some local dishes. That's Yee on the left, waiting to scoop up some homemade tiramisu.

From left, Yee's sister Sue (sp?) with Eloise's favorites Tad and Thy. Thy taught Eloise a new trick: how to dunk cookies in milk.

Below: A souvenir from India. Wing says this is the most comfy T-shirt ever, and that after wearing it I will understand why old men wear this sort of thing all the time. I already dig the sorta mod packaging, and will let you know how that goes...

Chuck V vs. me

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:16:00 +0000

Thanks again to Mike and CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal, and Saturday's podcast of my appearance on Beats from the East is now available for download. To be honest, what I said on the program and off air is a blur to me, but DJ Mister Vee is a good guy and a supporter of GR. He even played J Church on his hip-hop heavy playlist. If you don't want to hear me blab, at least check out the impossibly fast and powerful Pinoy rapping of Regal Flow/Walang Kahalintulad (I think). Don't piss her off!

I gave really long answers--maybe too long--but he got me with one question about who's hot that we should watch out for. I totally blanked. But for music I could have mentioned The Binges, Michael Nhat, and Nosaj Thing. In film, Bae Doo Na is an actress who makes really interesting choices. And then there's this upstart magazine called Giant Robot that's hanging in there...

The weekend after

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:39:00 +0000

The magazine finally went to press on Friday... That means time to hang out with Wendy and Eloise. Yesterday, we took Eloise to the zoo, where we saw this gorilla bust was sculpted by Academy Award-winning makeup artist Rick Baker!

Okay, I did a little work, too. But after stopping by the GR office to do some last-minute fixes some files, we went to Jin Patisserie in Venice to see friends, visit Wendy's cousin Linda who works there, and eat some amazing sweets.

We went to Chinatown after that for a belated Chinese New Year dinner with family friends. We're in between rainstorms here in L.A., so the sky is super clear. Check out City Hall.

The ladies, the cousins...

But the best part is just spending time at home. The sky is really interesting now, so I took some pics from across the street.

Can't see the sky with the lights in the backyard, but it still looks pretty cool.

Back to normal tomorrow. So much stuff to do at the office it isn't even funny...

On my radio

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:28:00 +0000

Catching up on emails after finishing off GR64 and just confirmed a live on-air interview by Concordia University DJ/GR reader Mike V. on CJLO tomorrow (Saturday) night. If you happen to live in Montreal, tune into 1690AM around 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PT, or go to http://cjlo.com to stream live. He asked me for suggestions for songs to play during the talk, and I suggested J Church and Herman Chin-Loy! Forget me. How rad would it be to hear either of them on AM?

More brains

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:47:00 +0000

Yesterday from 2:00 to 9:00, we had a crew over at my house to help proofread the new issue. Clockwise from left: Hane, Stephanie, Zee, and Erika. (Not shown: Lawrence and Shelly.) Very cool of everyone to make time on a bank holiday to do this, especially since I spent most of the afternoon watching Eloise so Wendy could work on the layout. Just a couple more days...

The case for clutter

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:57:00 +0000

In addition to proofreading articles in the new GR, my cousin Anthony was in town from Sacramento for Chinese New Year with his in-laws, Eloise's birthday party, and scanning some flyers for a project with a college buddy. Guess which one I'm blogging about?

Ant amassed his collection from telephone poles when he was an undergrad at Berkeley, and it's a pretty cool record of Bay Area punk from the early '90s. It's somewhat organized into manila folders with band names on them. He had a ton of Samiam and Green Day, for example, although there is some overlap.

Above: How about that Cringer, Jawbreaker, and Green Day lineup? That was probably after Green Day stayed at my house but before I got to know Lance (Cringer/J Church) and Adam (Jawbreaker/J Church/Whysall Lane). Below: Jawbreaker, Rancid, and Monsula is a pretty hot gig, too. That must have been Rancid's second or third show. Monsula didn't last long enough, but I got to see them at a very early J Church show at Raji's.

Below: A mixed bag with some non-California bands like Fugazi (DC), Heavenly (UK), and Lois (Oly) entering the fray. Oh, man. Big Drill Car with the Chemical People at Spanky's in Riverside? That place kinda sucked but we all drove there anyway!

Ant's collection triggers so many good memories, but the next flyers might have hit me the hardest. First, the GR show at Beyond Baroque with Kicking Giant and Emily's Sassy Lime.

The Beyond Baroque show took place the night after our blowout at JANM with Money Mark, J Church, and Red Aunts. A bunch of the bands stayed at my house. Such a great weekend, and how about that Seam and J Church gig?

No one knew how good we had it back then... So glad there are flyers around as evidence.

In there, like swimwear

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:08:00 +0000

Every year when SI's swimsuit issue comes in the mail, I pass it along. Not that I have anything against scantily clad supermodels, but as a husband with a little girl, it's not okay to keep around the house. This time the recipient is interned Ken, who spent the day doing photo research, scanning, and proofreading our upcoming issue. Thanks, dude, and enjoy the mag.

www.blip.fm/martinwong

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:53:00 +0000

So a couple weeks ago, Wendy and I had dinner with my friend Sandy Yang (Red Krayola) and her friend Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth). They mentioned that they had started their own radio stations on the blip.fm website, and that I should check it out... After listening to their playlists for a while, I started my own just for fun. Until now, I've only told one or two people.

It's pretty fun because you can type in just about any song and find not only studio versions, but live versions, demos, covers, and televised bits. Because the songs are listened to in the order you add them, there's no random play or editing of the playlist--when you've played a song, you've played it. I think that's actually a good thing because it's more like real radio.

I started off just adding things that I thought should be staples on any station (New York Dolls, Clash, Cramps, Bowie, J Church), but started thinking about groupings (clusters of old L.A. punk, '90s indie rock, proto punk), transitions (Damon & Naomi to Boris, Weirdos to Laughing Hyenas) and themes (Big Audio Dynamite, 7 Seconds, Prince, and Ice T doing songs with "99"; Seaweed, Ramones, Sleater-Kinney, Dickies doing classic rock covers; Carbon/Silicon's "What the Fuck" to the Buzzcocks' "Oh Shit!"). Some old reggae and a little bit of funk, too. Sometimes, even some newer bands--especially ones I review or interview for GR.

The site is quite addictive, but super low maintenance. Great songs occur to me all the time every day, and I can add them in a couple minutes. Anyway, check it out at http://www.blip.fm/martinwong if you have a chance, and become a listener if you like it. Better yet, start your own station so I can check out your tunes...

***MORE*** Last night I added The Specials doing "Gangsters" on SNL circa 1980 to my playlist, and a pop-up ad came up for an upcoming show in L.A. Would have totally missed tickets going on sale this morning if not for that. A good thing, but kind of scary, too.

February 10

noreply@blogger.com (gr) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:02:00 +0000

Happy second birthday, Eloise! Contrary to what people say, this year won't be that terrible at all. There will be a lot of drawing pictures, playing with LEGOs, reading books, and dancing to albums. There's a trip to Hawaii in the works and hopefully another Mammoth excursion, as well. I don't want to get your hopes up, but this might even be the year you get a haircut.

xoxo, your dad

Above and below: inside and outside Vegetarian Wok in San Gabriel, where we had a birthday dinner with Eloise's cousin Lucia.