The fashion world has lost it’s most beloved misfit.
I woke up to a text from a friend, letting me know Alexander McQueen was found dead in his house. He was 40 years old. I’m not putting a fucking bio up here, go to Wikipedia for that. Instead, I’ve put together some of my favorite McQueen looks/moments.
Testing my iPhones ability to build a decent mobile post. Like it? Expect more!
I’ve categorized this as “You Should Know:” but really, if you haven’t heard of Montreal fireball Melissa Auf der Maur then you need a serious lesson in Alt Rock history. After Kristen Pfaff’s overdose, Melissa became her replacement as bassist of Hole and in 2000 MAdM would replace D’Arcy Wretzky in Smashing Pumpkins until it’s initial dissolution. Her 2004 solo album titled simply Auf der Maur would go on to sell over 180,000 copies worldwide.
Now that you know who she is you should know that her latest SELF-RELEASED solo album Out Of Our Minds is a vibrant, layered work with touches of Kate Bush with newer hints of artists like A Perfect Circle, Azure Ray and Blonde Redhead. Her electro-rock orchestrations have a very epic swing and play into the delicate blasts of her voice. And it could be my stubbornly approaching 30 yrs-old ears but in songs like “Meet Me On The Dark Side” I still hear a bit of that 20th century “alternative rock” sound remaining in the songs structure which might actually be a welcome appeal to people of my generation and the Gen X’ers just before us. Of the 5 tracks I have been given to preview the standout is still the title track but a close 2nd is “The Key” which almost has a Queens of the Stone Age vibe, not so coincidentally. MAdM has also worked with them in the past. Album guests include Jordon Zadorozny (Sam Roberts), Chris Goss (QOTSA, UNKLE), Alan Molder (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins), Mike Frazer (Franz Ferdinand, ACDC) with a special duet with Glenn Danzig.
Out Of Our Minds is following the modern trend to remonitize music by appealing to hardcore fans by offering the solo record along with various other media in cost escalating tiers. Along with the solo record there is also an accompanying Graphic Novel by Brooklyn artist Jack Forbes as well as a 28-minute HD film, directed by Tony Stone which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and a vinyl picture disc (among other standard merch). All of this is set for release this March 23rd.
A free MP3 of the title track is available at xmadmx.com when you sign up for updates. Warning for sensitive listeners: In title track Out Of Our Minds, “Fire” and “Desire” lyrically interchange. But because she is a redhead, I think we can make an exception.
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Luca Brasi sleeps wit the fishes…but you can sleep with the horses! Or your prize racehorse’s head at least! It sells here for $45 stuffed…$35 without fiberfill or FREE if you ask Don Corleoné on his daughter’s wedding day.
Brings new meaning to the phrase “going to the mattresses”.
I consider myself a pretty big Butch Walker fan. After meeting him after a festival with The Marvelous 3 in 1999 I’ve followed his career intensely. All the while mystified because for the life of me I just can’t understand how this guy isn’t bigger than all of the artists he writes & produces for?
Butch is in the midst of a series of shows in LA, NYC, Chicago and hometown Atlanta where he’s dedicated each night to one of his specific solo records. During his November residency at The Hotel Cafe in LA I caught the first night where he played the 2004’s Letters (still my favorite BW solo effort) with his entire biker gang in tow.
February 2, Butch will release his 5th solo album, Groundhog Day: The Album I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart on VINYL! With a regular CD/Download dropping Feb 23…but you should probably get a record player anyway.
He’s calling his new band The Black Widows which seems a bit forced in an Is-Ryan-Adams-Starting-A-Death-Metal-band? kind of way. But I’d imagine it opens up a lot of possibilities for his graphic designer. Butch can do no wrong by me, bring it!
I can tell you about the band 100 Monkeys but chances are you won’t read anything I’m saying because you’re probably too busy screaming. Why? Because 100 Monkeys features Jackson Rathbone, better known as dreamboat Jasper Cullen from the Twilight Saga. And that’s fine.
“I CAN’T PAY MY RENT BUT I’M FUCKING GORGEOUS!”
Recently signed to Perez Hilton’s label and even more recently signed to a huge deal with Interscope, New York glam punks SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS are a quartet of handsome gents burning high energy Rock N’ Roll that will sting your ears and tease your nethers. It’s danceably infectious AC/DC-meets-Rocky Horror swagger has been lighting up clubs for the past 3 years with fabulously filthy/gorgeous frontman Justin Tranter tearing up stages and after parties like a platinum-blond transvestite GODZILLA!
“I GOT A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET AND A GUN IN MY PURSE SCREAM SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS OR YOU MIGHT GET HURT!”
Rounding out the group is the unstoppable trio of Dynamite Drummer Dan Crean, Wig-Afficianato Guitarist Stevy Pyne and Bass Beast Cole Whittle using every inch of every stage at every show. As an exception to the rule, typically you would find an act that rocks this hard and dirty and looks this good to be light on real musical talent but SPW actually met at the prestigious Berklee College of music in Boston.
“STICKY WITH CHAMPAGNE, THAT’S OK IT’S HER BIRTHDAY!”
SPW will be doing 2 shows at The Viper Room in November: Friday the 13th & Wed the 25th. An excellent review of a trio of shows at The Viper Room last July can be found on their blog. A recent interview by Sunset Strip Ambassador and Buzzfinder Brent X. Mendoza with Lead Singer and Daytime Jewlery Designer Justin Tranter (Fetty) can be found @ TheSunsetStrip.com.
“HER HAIR, HER HAIR, HER HAIR IS ON FIRE! SHE DON’T NO WATER LET HER FUCKING HEAD BURN!”
Semi Precious Weapons are currently recording their follow up to 2008’s We Love You with Jack Joseph Puig in Los Angeles and will be opening for Lady Gaga on The Monster Ball Tour (LA Shows @ Nokia Dec 21-23).
“PUT A DIAMOND IN IT AND BITE DOWN!”
“ROCK AND ROLL NEVER LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL!”
The theme of the party was controversy. Of course there was a guy there with a bloody rubber glove and a coat hanger but the costume that impressed me was this boxy airplane flying into both flaming towers of the World Trade Center. These girls have balls as well as skills to wear these costumes. This party was on Devil’s Night; they told me they had a different costume for Halloween, one a bit less offensive. But they didn’t tell me what. Not much really offends me anyway…besides Kirk Cameron.
Do you think those girls feel bombed? I think PBR was an inside job.
Oh, All Hallows Eve, our favorite holiday! We hope you all have a happy and relatively unsafe Halloween. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do. That is a very short list. At least send us pics and video if you do!
Off of the upcoming Feral Harmonic, here is a track from Old Canes entitled “Little Bird Courage” out October 20th from Saddle Creek Records (Omaha).
Limited edition CDs and LPs of Feral Harmonic are now available in the Saddle Creek online store. Hand-assembled at the Saddle Creek office by Grammy* award-winning artist Zack Nipper, each CD and LP is wrapped with a black ribbon and features hand ink-stamped impressions on the cover label and inner/outer packaging, and a booklet of black and white photographs. The vinyl run is a hand-numbered edition of 1,000 and includes a code to download the album in high quality MP3 format.
Old Canes is the brainchild of Chris Crisci (The Appleseed Cast), who wrote and recorded Feral Harmonic in his basement studio. On tour, he is joined by Kelly Hangauer (4th of July), Taylor Hollenbeck, Lucas Oswald (Minus Story), John Momberg (Appleseed Cast/Dactyls; drums on the West coast leg of the tour), and Jeff Stoltz (Drakkar Sauna; drums on the East coast leg of the tour).
I posted about this event this time last year and a lot of people have been searching for it lately (at least 63 of you today alone!). So I figured I would repost with the new information so you are privy to the new shit.
On Octobre 24th head over to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd) from 4 – 11pm for Dia De Los Muertos. It’s $10 and they make it a point to tell you No Dogs, No Coolers and…No Skateboards? Im sure there has been some axle grinding on Valentino’s Crypt or something to prompt this rule. It’s not like you can ride very smoothly on the cemetery’s driveway or anything.
Be sure to put a sugar skull on Johnny Ramone’s Statue.
More info @ LadyOfTheDead.com
“To weep too much for the dead is to affront the living.”
Old Saying
It was a very Perry Tuesday at the Viper Room last night as Aerosmith’s six-string slinger took the stage as The Joe Perry Project to mark the release of his new solo record, Have Guitar, Will Travel; his first since 1983*. It was like Guitar Hero:Viper Room as legends of rock began to stream in the Larrabee door for the show. Decked out in bales of hay and cow skulls, the downstairs lounge carried the album’s western theme and became the VIP area where an open bar of “Admiral Perry’s Mojitos**” flowed throughout the night. As guests lined the sidewalks waiting to get into the SOLD OUT show they were treated to the arrivals of rock royals Slash, Perry (Jane’s Addiction) & Etty Farrell, Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) & Kat Von D, Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, The Nightwatchman) and a slightly creepy Steven Tyler look-alike who gave the fans a quick cheer… and a disappointed “aaaaaawgh”. Read the rest of this entry »
“Weezer is playing a sorta secret show @ The Roxy, u in?” was the text message that woke me up Monday morning. What a glorious way to start the week!
With little prompting I was invited to check out the show which ended up being an 8 song session which goes up Yahoo! Originals (similar to Sessions @ AOL) for Guitar Hero 5 Fridays. Mixed into their 8 song set were 2 new tracks, the current single “If You Are Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)“ and “I’m Your Daddy” from the upcoming album produced by Butch Walker. For those unfamiliar, Butch Walker was the focal point of late-90’s breakouts The Marvelous 3 and in the decade since has been writing and producing albums for some of the biggest hit-makers in the world (P!nk, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne) while releasing brilliant solo albums revered by his rabidly dedicated fans…myself included.
As a fan of Weezer since 1994’s “Blue” Album (Released the Day before my 14th birthday …on Cassette!), and really, who wasn’t? I’ve been disappointed in most of what has been released after 2001’s “Green” (Released the day after my 21st Birthday). But fans of the old sound, take heart! If the 2 new songs from yesterday’s set are any indication of a paradigm shift in Weezer’s sound then I am happy to announce that Butch Walker may have finally cured Weezer of their bad case of queso that plagued most of their 2000’s singles. “Troublemaker” makes my stomach physically ache.
Living in LA provides the advantageous opportunity to see some pretty big stars jump onstage unexpectedly and play a couple songs with their friends. Last night’s show at The Viper Room (AliUptown’s Bday! 8-29-2009) was one of these occasions when not 1 but 2 of the original 5 members of Guns ‘N Roses joined the band Aces ‘N’ Eights to play “It’s So Easy” and “Mama Kin” at the end of their set. Slash appeared amiable but a bit withdrawn onstage. Of course he shredded ass like only he can. Adler seemed elated to be playing again with the guitar god and did a good job on the old songs.
My pic of the Marquee of The Viper Room (via Twitter taken on my iPhone) was reposted on the LA Times’ entertainment blog: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/06/sunset-strip-venues-pay-tribute-to-michael-jackson.html
I’ve seen Shep around L.A. a couple times but never said hi.
What do you say to someone that good?
He knows he’s good, his presidential portrait is hanging in the Smithsonian.
It’s like he took everything that Warhol ever said about Art but could never actually do and fucking did it.
From Arkitip via popwhore via Design You Trust
If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There’d Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats
This has been my favorite blog for a long time now. In fact, many of the recurring segments on Deadlantern.com were patterned from stuff I saw on this site. It’s chock full of everything that AvantTrash readers would find interesting: musicians, beautiful women, artists, fashion, etc.
I encourage all of you to make it a daily visit.
And yes, Joan Blondell is the goddess. Be cultured and watch Three on a Match.
