Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Too big, too pop, not DIY anymore–punker-than-thou purists are entitled to their harsh opinions about FYF, not to mention long lines, crummy food trucks, and overextended lineups. I happen to think this year’s Los Angeles music festival really is the best weekend of summer (not counting Comic-Con) and don’t have to point any further than the long-awaited appearance of FLAG. Ever since their friends-and-family debut at the Elk’s Lodge, the ex-members of Black Flag had yet to play Los Angeles until this show. I was all over that, and a bunch of other great bands, too, for the bargain price of 99 bucks and a convenient location just 15 minutes away…
Too big, too pop, not DIY anymore–punker-than-thou purists are entitled to their harsh opinions about FYF, not to mention long lines, crummy food trucks, and overextended lineups. I happen to think this year’s Los Angeles music festival really is the best weekend of summer (not counting Comic-Con) and don’t have to point any further than the long-awaited appearance of FLAG. Ever since their friends-and-family debut at the Elk’s Lodge, the ex-members of Black Flag had yet to play Los Angeles until this show. I was all over that, and a bunch of other great bands, too, for the bargain price of 99 bucks and a convenient location just 15 minutes away…
TVOTR at the Hollywood Bowl
Last Friday may have been the first day of autumn, but the last day of summer was a couple of days later on Sunday. That’s when TV on The Radio and Arctic Monkeys co-headlined a killer show at the Hollywood Bowl. The historic venue was built on classical and jazz, and typically only books rock shows on special occasions. People still talk about The Beatles, Stones, and Doors gigs there back in the ’60s. Nowadays it’s Radiohead and Pavement, so it was a big deal when a gang of mostly younger bands took the stage to close out the season.
Smith Westerns, Warpaint, and Panda Bear/Sonic Boom at the Hollywood Bowl
Smith Westerns kicked off the show at the super early hour of six. A tough slot since most fans were probably picking up picnic food at Trader Joe’s on the way to the venue, but the Chicago band powered through a 20-minute sampler of their short-but-solid catalog of proto-glam lo-fi. Pretty cool, but I need to see them at a smaller venue for a real take. Warpaint was next and jammed from the moment the Batcave-like stage spun them to face the crowd until it spun them back. The hometown band was great in it’s trademark folk-meets-goth manner with heavy drums that are as spectacular as the Siouxsie-esque vocals. (I hope the drummer gets a little extra love on the next release…) I caught some of Panda Bear’s set at FYF last year, and this set was way, way better. Two guys behind a table is at least twice as interesting than one to watch, but what if the extra guy is Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3? It was like a passing of the torch from one indietronica/stoner music god from the past to the present. The gorgeous sunset, trippy lights, and post-Beach Boys, dub-infused, analog-tronica made every stoners’ night.
Interviewing Jon Moritsugu is an adventure. Since Giant Robot 1 until now, this man and wife Amy Davis continue to be interesting. As strange and odd that their films are, so are their interviews. It’s energy many times over and the text nearly conveys the sounds of their voices. Jon will sea, “yeah man!” fast. Amy Davis will say “woohoo, and some retort that’s either from 2020 or 1985. Yes they could be from the future. Making films since the early 90s, Jon has fought the indie fight and years later, there’s still no ballads. A romantic comedy? Sure, almost all of his films have that, but pigs, blood, engines, and experimental energy? Yes, that goes with it too. A champion in the underground film communities world wide, 2011, video and faster filmmaking has finally caught up. Maybe now people will understand his movies.
GR: Tell me about your relationship with the TV on the Radio dude?
JM: Kyp Malone is our old bud. Amy and I met him in 2000 in Frisco and cast him as a lead in our flick, SCUMROCK. A few days after we wrapped, he split for NYC and yadda yadda the rest is rock n’ roll BRKLYN history.
He got in touch with us for this project and wanted to tap into our duo-creative-team-vision… (we now co-run APATHY PRODUCTIONS). Project totally rocked – HARD. Kyp came up with the concept and then we ran with it. He wanted “Conservative American Bandstand” morphs into “Daggering Day Glo Feathered Sequined Sweating Glitter Ressurection” He wanted a sex- laced, confetti-dusted catharsis… dance while guru Michael Musto) sweeping up all the pop cultural messiness… like he does every day. Ahhh semiotics… delicious.
(see the video here)
GR: What’s it like making a music video for a band that’s gigantic?
JM:Really no different than shooting anything else, right?! I mean, you gots some people, some equipment, you shoot and then you edit. Only amateurs get wigged out by concerns like, “oh this band it gigantic.” It’s all just people… and Amy and I, as directors of the project, are really just trying to create a “safe space” for actors and crew so that the KUNST can be created… Ya gotta be there for the kids.