Art and performance
Opening Saturday, January 5th,
from 8-12:30AM
$7 at the door

The Hive Gallery and Studios is having a big group show to bring in the new year. Featured artists include Max Grundy, Erick Rodriquez, Brendan Sharke, Ryan Gannon and Peter Romberg..On top of that there are resident artists, so you will be seeing work from over 80 people. There will be DJs, Bands and Burlesque as well.

Event website

Address: The Hive Gallery and Studios
729 S. Spring St.
LA, CA 90014
show runs till January 26th

During what would become one of the must tumultuous years in American history since the days of the Civil War, 1968 played host to many astonishing and terrible events but also was blessed by some of the greatest music ever unleashed onto the public. On January 22 the reigning queen of soul music, Aretha Franklin, released Lady Soul, and the world hasn’t been the same since.

Lady Soul is Aretha’s third album and contains some of her most well-known and beloved hits. Although relatively short in length, considering the significance, coming in at a cool 28 minutes and 44 seconds, Lady Soul is a powerhouse record and is listed at 84^th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all time, you can go to Rollingstones.com and see the whole list.

The first song on the album “Chain of Fools,” was #2 on the American pop charts and stands today as a signature song from that decade as well as an outstanding representation of Aretha’s ongoing message of woman empowerment. “Money Won’t Change You,” the second track from Lady Soul is an upbeat, and fun R&B number.

It’s the third song on the album which is a cover of Curtis Mayfield & The Impression’s, “People Get Ready,” that will tear out your heart and leave you felling weak at the knees. Holy Moses this song is a monster, your ears just need to hear more, her voice surpasses any noise you’ve ever heard. It’s just difficult to express if you’ve never heard it. “You Don’t Need No Baggage, You Just Get On Board” that is the message of Lady Soul. If you think you know music put on this album and play the third song, you’ll crap your pants.

“Niki Hoeky” is the forth number from Soul, and is a wonderfully soulful and hip track. The sound of Maracas is constant over the jazzy drum arrangements and just makes you want to dance. The fifth song is the classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and I think this one speaks for itself. Everyone on earth must have experienced the pleasure of hearing Natural Woman, I have memories of it from the womb, so I can’t be alone.

The sixth and seventh songs are “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)” and “Good To Me As I Am To You” and are both are classically forgotten musical gems. Especially “Good To Me,” a blazing, slowed down blues jam with a very slick horn section and sexy guitar riffs makes all who listen want to slow dance and squeeze someones ass, hard and tight. The eighth track is another cover, this time it’s Ray Charles’s “Come Back Baby,” and Aretha puts her special flavor on an already great song. A bit deeper than Ray’s and certainly funkier, I prefer Aretha’s rendition. “Groovin,” the ninth song is yet another cover, not my favorite on Lady Soul but it’s better than most, I wouldn’t call it filler, but for Lady Soul, it doesn’t quite hold up against the other tracks on the album.

The final song on the album is “Ain’t No Way “and I have to say next to “People Get Ready” is the best song on Lady Soul. An amazingly sad song about a relationship that has tons of passion but is destined for failure, it rings true now and then. “Ain’t No Way” is a shattering statement about woman and how they should be treated, no longer will women be sacrificing what they want out of fear of being alone. Lady Soul is a testimonial by Aretha to women and men everywhere about relationships, love, and communication between people. It’s crazy that less than a half hour of music can mean so much to so many, and for an astonishing variety of reasons. Lady Soul is a must own for all 60’s music fans but also for all those who are enthusiastic about new jams and great albums.




Friday December 21st

• Back to the Future at Midnight! – Insomniac Cinema will be playing this one night only at Fairfax Regency!
• Bob’s Holiday Office Party! Comedy performance for the Holiday season.
• Krs ONE Christmas- Hip-Hop Holiday event featuring JC Fandano, Aceyalone and Myka 9

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I had planned on suggesting the Plimsouls (now approaching their 30th anniversary) at Safari Sam’s. How could one resist hearing that 80s pop classic “A Million Miles Away” performed by Peter Case and crew? Unfortunately, the club reports that the show has been postponed. But instead of suggesting another rock and roll show as a replacement, I thought that perhaps a jazz performance would be a worthwhile alternative, especially one presented as part of the Rocco series. Since 1998, Rocco Somazzi has made it a mission to introduce otherwise unnoticed musicians to the L.A. scene.

Now presenting groups at the art district’s Café Metropol, Rocco brings us the Ben Wendel Group (featuring Wendel on saxophone, Darek Oles on bass, Mark Ferber on drums, and Anothony Wilson on guitar) this Friday evening at 8 pm. Wendel, born in Canada and raised in Los Angeles, has enjoyed success as a composer, bandleader, and performer since graduating from the Eastman School of Music. And he’s worked with a range of other musicians, from Cuban drumming legend Ignacio Berroa to hip-hop heavyweight Snoop Dog.

Cafe Metropol
923 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA90013
(213) 613 1537
www.cafemetropol.com
All shows are 8pm to 10pm.
In addition to the cover, there is a $10 minimum purchase per person




Christmas music isn’t for everyone, but it should be. Just pretend to suspend your commercialized disbelief and revel in the merriment and mirth of the season. At one time or another a Christmas song probably meant something to you. At the very least it’s fossilized nostalgia. Maybe your parents played the shit out of their old Christmas records for every youthful December you can remember. Maybe that’s the reason you hate Christmas music. For me, it’s the reason I still love it.

My parents had an old record player they used once a year…on Christmas. There was one album in particular that etched its old fashioned harmonies in my fertile mind and initiated a lifelong fondness for holiday tunes. Now I haven’t heard this since I was 9, but if pressed back in 1988, ‘The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas’ would have been my choice for the greatest Christmas album of all time. I’m not kidding. It might be awful now, but judging from the picture I’m optimistic.

This Christmas why not indulge in the best and or worst Christmas music has to offer…just let it all in. Grab a cup of cider or hot cocoa and sit down with my five favorite Christmas albums of all time. Or just ring your folks and ask what’s in their record player.

5. The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas (Remember, I’m endorsing this as an 8 year old who longed for Alf dolls and rayon shirts)

4. Chris Isaak Christmas (’Mele Kalikimaka’ makes you wanna…fill in the blank)

3. My Morning Jacket Does Xmas E.P. (‘I Just Wanted to Say’ is a warm and gorgeous tune to compliment your cocoa)

2. Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas (5 e.p.’s of original and cover Xmas tunes…check out ‘Sister Winter’)

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (If you can’t get down with Vince Guaraldi’s masterpiece then you’re permanently on the naughty list)

In 1969 Janis Joplin departed from the highly successful band Big Brother & the Holding Company and went solo. Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues Band was formed around the legendary blues-rock goddess, and she set her mind to changing up the sound a bit, from her classic blues influenced psychedelic, hippie-rock to a more traditional soul and R&B layered style. I Got Them Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama was the result of Janis’s new found freedom, and my goodness is it a powerful statement.

Kozmic Blues reached gold record status after only three months on the shelves, helped significantly by Janis’s performance at Woodstock in August. Her set on August 16^th at that wonderful 3-day festival included several new songs from the yet unreleased Kozmic Blues album.

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Wednesday, December 19, 8pm
The Derby
4500 Los Feliz Blvd.
323-663-8979
Map

Have you heard Crystal Stafford yet? Maybe? Maybe not?
Chances are you haven’t heard her phenomenal voice and her amazing band live because she just moved here from Florida. Now is your chance to find out what everyone in Florida already knows….this chic can wail.

I caught The Crystal Stafford Project at a small venue in Santa Monica a couple of months ago. The sound was bigger than the space. Fantastic, soulful lyrics, totally jamming music and Crystal’s voice held my friends and I captive for hours. And we’re coming back for more. They will be at The Derby this Wednesday (yes, it was featured in that Vince Vaughn movie but this place has more to offer than swing dancing). The Derby is one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles because it’s a great venue to see a band and it’s also a nice place to just go grab a drink and unwind.

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At the Nokia Theatre Wednesday night, there was music. A vocal-less rock trio opened for one of the great vocalists of all time, Bjork. It was a sell out audience and the fans were excited. I pulled into the parking lot 2 blocks away, $5 dollars. The lot next to the theatre was $20. We sat in the car until we could hardly see each other. I saw that others around us had the same idea, and when we all made our way to the show it looked as if the lot was on fire.

We took the fifteen dollar walk and stood in line. It was freezing, but I knew we’d soon be in the heated theatre amongst the freaks. It surprised me. The crowd looked a bit more hip than the last time I was there. Where were the season ticket holders? I thought she’d attract even more yuppies and seniors than the Queens of the Stone Age. It didn’t matter to me as long as Bjork showed.

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By Guest Writer Adam Yasmin

Close your eyes and picture yourself sitting in a sold out amphitheater with 7,700 uniquely individualistic screaming fans. Some of them have been waiting several years since her last performance at the Hollywood Bowl, while others are still buzzing from Coachella Festival earlier this year.

On stage, a vast array of colors to be seen, with wondrous electronics, and various flags hung. Regardless of race, ethnicity, or sexual preference, everyone knows that Bjork delivers a performance well worth the wait. She chose to start the evening off with some of her emotional ballads, surrounded by her 10-peice all girl Icelandic brass section and keyboardist, in a very intimate setting.

Soon to follow, the rest of her band (2 electronic wizards and a drummer) ran onstage to commence a very heartfelt version of “Joga”, which is off the album Homogenic. A few songs later, the b-side “Who Is It” was delightfully executed, along with songs off of her new record, Volta. “Earth Intruders” was blazing with pyrotechnics, followed by the darkly operatic, “Army of Me”. Closing the set, “Hyperballad” meshed in with “Pluto”, was powered by the secret weapon in her arsenal of gadgets, the reactable, which was just invented by a team of musicians/engineers in Barcelona, Spain in 2004 (check out more in the reactable here).

The encore was an intimate version of “Oceania”, off of Medulla, followed by the new anthem for 2008, “Declare Independence”, which was enough to make the entire venue transform into a spontaneous rave. Overall, the performance was incredibly dynamic, ranging from very somber and stripped down, to rigid and technical. It was held at the newly opened, Nokia Theatre in Downtown. Being that I am a recent fan, this show was only my second to date, but one of many to come.