The Smell: Liposuction and Pure Shit

I decided to head off to The Smell to catch a couple bands I'd never seen before. That's something I like to do every so often. I also have to admit that I decided to head off to The Smell to try a new photography technique. Yes, I've been doing photography for years, but I'd never tried double exposure photography. That is a strange thing to admit that I never tried that technique. (See photos for a couple examples of what resulted from the night.)

I got to see Liposuction and Pure Shit. Liposuction came out as doctors ready to perform liposuction. They also used an old-school elementary desk to hold their keyboards. The band's lead singer took advantage of the fact that the band played on the floor of The Smell versus the stage. He took command of the floor, roaming The Smell throughout the set.

Liposuction

Pure Shit started out the set by handing out overhead transparencies to everyone. Was there a theme going on between Liposuction and Pure Shit? Old school elementary desk and transparencies. The transparencies had some written words on them, "Only love is real. God doesn't believe in us. Forgetting is essential . . . ." I'm pretty sure these were the only words that were written or sung throughout the set. Their lead singer spent the set in a sonic mode.

Pure Shit

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Lizzy Land

Lizzy Land at Madame Siam

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

When did you know you wanted to be a musician? I've been singing in a hairbrush since I could talk. Safe to say I've always wanted to be a musician, but I didn't truly start until after high school.

What are some of your favorite spots, locations, areas in Los Angeles? What make them your favorites? I'm half introvert, half extrovert. I spend most of my time at home. If I'm out I love to karaoke in Little Tokyo, dance at Club Tee Gee, walk around Highland Park and EAT. Love pasta so I'm a sucker for all the Italian restaurants in the Arts District. I've lived in Hollywood and that was fun, but I like the pace of my neighborhood (Mount Washington) and the surrounding areas so I can write and relax.

Own unique info: I can recite most of The Birdcage.

High Tide DTLA: Disco Shrine with Kit Major

I've known Disco Shrine (Jessica) for over 5 years now. She used to work the music festival Brokechella/Broke LA for a number of years. She was always someone who would help me with my photo pass. So when I learned she was throwing a party to celebrate the release of her music video Alright, I didn't hesitate to show my support.

Disco Shrine

Of course, getting to High Tide to provide my support was a bit of an adventure. I parked my car a bit too far away and found myself walking through the darkened part of 4th Street. It was basically a lot of store fronts that had closed up for the night. It wasn't exactly a safe feeling walking towards High Tide, but I did make it. And I made sure to take a totally different path to my car after her release party.

The party featured a number of fun little booths/tables where one could get cotton candy and get your tarot cards read to just name a couple of the booths. There were also a couple individuals working in an enclosed protected area, creating decorative glass. It was fascinating how they were making their glass jars.

Kit Major

When it came to the live music, Kit Major opened things up with her pop-dance sounds. After a short set by Kit Major, Disco Shrine hit the stage. She was introduced as the Persian Barbie, which referenced her song Alight. When you see Disco Shrine doing a set, you know you're going to get a set of constant dance moves and cheer. You can't help but feel like bouncing with her dance tunes.

She ended the set with the video of Alright. It is probably best for her to explain what the takeaway should be from the video:

I just released my new music video for ‘Alright’! I'm so excited to share it with you and can't wait to hear what you think of this Barbie dream world we created. It features a bunch of badass babes reading magazines, playing nintendo, snapping polaroids, breaking into choreographed dance sequences, and skating through clouds in a y2k themed sleepover. It's proof that girls can appreciate a cliche without being one. 

The Hi Hat: Champs, Kid Eyes, Tiffany Stringer

Sometimes, you never know who you'll catch on a night out. I felt like heading out on a recent Wednesday night and so headed off to WFNM's night at The Hi Hat. Champs was the first band that I caught. They were doing their first official show in Los Angeles. I kind of felt like based on that statement that they'd played in Los Angeles before, but perhaps in an informal type of way. This band features two brothers. I was very impressed with their 80s inspired tunes. I could have listened to them all night though the sound guy needed to cut them off before they were able to get to their last song.

Champs

Kid Eyes has a lead singer that can twist his body in any way he wishes. At times, one could imagine him in a straight jacket, attempting to release himself from the constraints during the set. I just got caught up trying to capture all those moments.

Kid Eyes

When I walked into the venue, one had to immediately notice Tiffany Stringer. During the music for the other acts, she was up front, dancing away. Talk about a person filled with energy. Her set was the same way. Her pop sounds were aligned with her bouncing stage show. It was a nice way to end the night. Doing a little Google research, I found out that she was a contender on American Idol a few years back.

Tiffany Stringer

Zebulon: Rain Phoenix, Kokomo and The Motion Motion

I was wanting to catch one of Rain Phoenix's residency nights. I headed off on the last night. The set was filled with wonderful folk sounds. She mentioned that a number of the songs were co-written with her brother River Pheonix. For the final song, she brought up her sister Liberty Phoenix for a duet. As she talked with the audience between songs, she discussed death. She mentioned that this is something we all have in common no matter our politics, religion or nationality. She also apologized for grinning while talking about death, but then it was due to her approach in how she was discussing the topic.

Rain Phoenix

Opening the night was Kokomo which featured Lauren Rocket and Holly Marilyn Solem. Both used to be in a band called The Child. The was a favorite of mine. The Child sped through music like no tomorrow with a electronic, goth feel to it. Kokomo turns that all upside down with chill sounds. This was their first set and so was short and sweet. It included a cover of The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen.

Kokomo

In between Kokomo and Rain Phoenix was The Motion Motion, an interpretive dance group. I ended up being part of their show so I figured I'd write-up my experience. (No link to a site of their's as I couldn't find one.)

The Motion Motion

To be honest, I’m not sure when their interpretive dance set started. The dancers moved some chairs to the center of the venue. Then they tried to get people to sit on those chairs. Everyone declined. One of dancers came up to me and I felt like declining, as well, but I also felt like someone should volunteer so I took a seat. A few moments later the same dancer came over and said, “You don’t need to sit here anymore. Sorry, I misunderstood what was happening.” I shrugged and left the chair. Less than a minute later, another dancer came over and rather forcefully took me by the arm and pulled me over to another chair. Was this all part of their act?

Well, they started to do their interpretive dance moves and a significant part of it took place on the Zebulon raised seats (as seen in photo). They threw themselves across those seats, which actually freaked me out. I was just waiting for them to throw themselves so aggressively that they’d bounce off the wall and end up tumbling to the floor. They also danced around those that were convinced to take a seat on the chairs.

Throughout the set, they kept yelling out, “Is this on? Is this on?” Who knows what they were talking about, but everyone yelled out, “YES! YES!” As their set came to a close, the first dancer who had asked me to take a seat came over and whispered, “Is this on?” I replied, “I’m uncertain.” That was the honest answer, because I didn’t get what they meant by their question. An audience member looked at me with an amused look. Sorry, I obviously fail at the liberal arts.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Austin Leonard Jones

Austin Leonard Jones at the Bootleg Theater

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? I hope it reminds you of a beach party.

You mentioned that you're from Austin, Texas. Why the move out to California? After some years as human yo-yo I decided to commit myself coastal.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Kat Myers

Kat Myers at Harvard & Stone

Interview with the artist. Hope you enjoy:

What is currently inspiring your music? Over the past year, I experienced a lot of very big changes in my life. Lately, a lot of my songs have been about navigating those changes and trying not to lose my mind :). I do try to use humor in my songs, even if the subject matter is dark. Finding humor in difficult situations has always helped me.

What’s a dream venue/festival you’d love to play at and what about it intrigues you? Oh man, that’s hard! There are so many, but one in particular that I‘d love to play would be Governors Ball in NYC. I lived in NYC for 7 years before moving to LA and a big piece of my heart is still there. I find something really magical about that festival and being surrounded by the city. The island also has a history of being used for asylums so it has an interesting energy. I dig :)