I don't think there was any doubt that Spaceland was the place to be in March. With all the hoopla surrounding the club's 10 year anniversary, The Lovemakers residency, and the return of the almighty Lutefisk, we basically camped out every night on Silver Lake Blvd... The Lovemakers 4-week tenure was one of the best the club has ever had. There aren't many bands that work half as hard onstage, nor sound a third as good. Apparently, the new album is in the can and expected to be released this summer. We can hardly wait... Along with The Lovemakers came a slew of top billing bands that helped round out each night, most of whom were in town for a quick stop to and from SXSW. One of the more memorable ones was The Mint Chicks from New Zealand, who completely pummeled through a 14-song set in less than 45 minutes. Two songs in particular, "F.T.G.U. (F*ck the Golden Youth)" and "Fat C*nt" were perfectly tortuous hardcore statements if I ever did hear one... Another band I was anxious to see was NYC's Grizzly Bear whose epic plainsong makes you feel like you've leaped off an earthen celestial throne into a liquid state. If you know what I mean...
To everyone who loved Spaceland in the 90's, the must-see event of the entire month was Lutefisk, Longstocking, Buck, and Sissybar on week one. Really a shame that Sissybar cancelled at the last minute but no matter, the rest of the bands would suffice. I hadn't see Lutefisk or Longstocking since the Al's Bar days and my goodness... what a show. This Lutefisk performance will probably go down in rock history somewhere. It might have been one of the biggest performances Silver Lake has ever witnessed. The response was so good that the band booked another show at The Echo. You'd be crazy to miss it. Equally loved were Longstocking and Buck, the latter of whom might be playing again soon. We can only hope.
I've seen two movies this year. Two more than last year. There was nothing else to do the other night before heading out to the Hotel Cafe. Plus, Will Ferrell is a genius so if you love him as much as you should go see "Melinda and Melinda" when you get a chance. It's typical neurotic Woody Allen fair, but there are some pretty good moments, especially with Ferrell and Rahda Mitchell... So after killing a few hours at Century City (which used to much livelier back in its heyday, no?), as promised, we went to the Hotel Cafe for Australia's Sarah Blasko who we've been tracking for way too long. She recorded her new album with Wally Gagel in Los Angeles a ways back but didn't do one show while in town. Good of her to make it this time around. Jangle pop reminiscent of The Cranberries or Frente! but with darker melodies. Her album, "The Overture and the Underscore," should find its way to American shores possibly this summer with a possible tour to support it... Ms. Dina Waxman of Space Mtn followed her with a solo set accompanied on a few songs by Shana Levy of Let's Go Sailing. Waxman's got this lovely spoiled brat sensibility about her when she plays. It might bother some, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's ridiculous, silly, and dumb and yet High School Record is probably one of the best films I've ever seen about indie rock youth, especially in Los Angeles. Fader Magazine sponsored a screening at L.A. Center Studios on Monday, finally giving locals a chance to see what outsiders have been berating recently. People that didn't get this movie at its recent premiere at Sundance probably never sat in the back alley in between bands at The Smell. This may sound like the film is a bit too narrowly focused for wider appeal but I don't think so. Awkwardness, insecurities, and belonging are all universally common feelings for everyone although perhaps these emotions are magnified when living in a city where everyone has their psychotherapist, minister, and plastic surgeon on speed dial.
I laughed, maybe not as loud as the friends and family of the cast and crew, but I laughed. And there are some nice introspective moments as well. Although hardly flawless (the chalkboard discussion on vaginal pleasure goes 30 seconds too long), it feels flawless at times (especially the first half of the movie) because of its clever movie-in-a-movie "flawed" technique and for the fact that its documentary-style narrative flows pretty seamlessly. What's probably most surprising about the film is that the cast is really, really good. Made up of pretty much everyone that hangs out at The Smell (still the best all-ages club in town), including the Clavins and Thornhill from Mika Miko and Spunt from The Wives, the film is filled with performances that are subtle, nuanced, and perfect. Well, except maybe for Becky Stark who plays the celestial theatre teacher Ms. Farewell. She's not acting. That's really her. As one of the few "adults" in the movie, she serves as the movie's moral conscience but with a nice modernist flair (she has an affair with a student.) Still, she does have one of the best lines of the movie at the end, which tidies up everything pretty nicely. All in all, it's a great little teenager movie told like a fanciful tale... Clavin's bike ride down Glendale Blvd. is dreamy...
After the screening, there were performances by members of the cast at the Smell. Before that, I took a detour to the Echo. Without even walking in, my ears were already gravitating to a violin that only could be played by Petra Haden. I'm not sure what project this was (she's in so many), but it was pretty damn great. If you don't have her new stuff with Bill Frisell or her new utterly brilliant Who Sell Out redux release you need to not eat this month and go buy them.
