Tag: Los Angeles

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Day Of The Doors, January 4th, 2017

50 years to the day of the release of their début album, January 4, 2017 will be proclaimed “Day Of The Doors” in the city of Los Angeles. The proclamation will be made Los Angeles City Council member Mike Bonin during a public event at the intersection of Pacific and Windward Avenues, the location of the iconic “Venice” sign.

Founding Doors members John Densmore and Robby Krieger will be on hand at the event as will family members of the late Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison.

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The special Day of the Doors sign made by local Venice artist Alberto BevacquaI.

I recommend a couple of Doors publications to enhance the celebration.

First, try to find the Music Icons magazine on your local newsstand, The Doors, 50 Year Salute to the Dark Poets of Rock, The Story Behind Every Album. 

It is  well-organized. I took my time with the magazine, listening each day to a Doors album and reading the related pages. I found the content comprehensive and an entertaining read.

Second, I suggest acquiring the coffee table sized book, The Doors by The Doors with Ben Fong-Torres. It is a structured reference of The Doors history, told directly by Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore. It is illustrated with lots of their private archive Doors photographs which I have never seen before.

The book  is available from amazon third-party sellers.

Finally play some Doors music to take part fully in the “Day Of The Doors”.

 

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Feast of Friends – The Doors

I find myself more in synch with The Doors these past two weeks. Recently I purchased the Doors tour documentary, Feast of Friends as a Blu-Ray movie option. It is a 40 minute film that centers around The Doors 1968 tour. I watched on my MacBook Pro. I was captivated by the footage of the band members. I especially love “The End” performed live at The Hollywood Bowl.

Funded by the band and directed by Paul Ferrara, one of Morrison’s film-school friends, ‘Feast of Friends’ doesn’t stick to typical rock documentary territory, expanding to focus on interactions with fans, friends and bystanders. The climate of American politics and fashion, circa 1968, is also captured along the way, as ‘Feast of Friends’ veers off the beaten path to tell its story.

Read More: The Doors, ‘A Feast Of Friends’ – DVD Review

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Red Beans and Weiss – Bohemia Blues

Maybe you’re like me (or maybe you’re not, lucky you haha!). Perhaps you have searched around this weekend for some music that will stick to your ribs. My yen started yesterday at Barnes & Noble‘s magazine rack. I had picked out a pile of music and technical magazines to leaf through when I stumbled upon an article about Chuck E. Weiss. It turned out to be an Exclusive article for Mojo The World’s Best Music Magazine, “Johnny Depp Interviews His Hero”.

Watch Chuck E. Weiss’s reaction when he sees Johnny Depp step onstage to play with the G-d Liars on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.

Los Angeles-based bluesman Chuck E. Weiss left the production of Red Beans and Weiss, his first album since 2006, in very capable hands: Tom Waits and Johnny Depp teamed up to serve as  the album’s executive producers, and both say it’s Weiss’ best work yet.

 

Explain the album cover of “Red Beans and Weiss,” please, with all the faces. . .I could only name about seven, I guess.

Nate Merritt did it. The concept was mine. It took a couple of months to go over the whole thing with him. Wanted to do a mock Sgt. Pepper but with my own guys. There are almost sixty. Rimsky-Korsakov: cause I love everything he’s ever done. He’s one of my heroes, man. Scheherazade, It’s like Don Ray. Don Ray. He wrote “This is My Country,” but he also wrote “Down the Road Apiece” and “Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar,” and the “Icabod Crane Song,” and the Jabberwock song for the Cheshire Cat. I loved all these songs as a kid, and then found out he wrote them all. Lord Buckley. Harry the Hipster Gibson. Lester Young. Jimmy Durante Sandy Koufax, Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart, Lee Allen (lot of the solos in the Fats Domino and Little Richard songs and Dr. John—tenor sax.) Marshall McLuhan’s on there, of course. Just somebody that has been overlooked. Every time somebody says “fifteen minutes of fame,” they attribute to Andy Warhol, but that was McLuhan’s quote, and it was five minutes. Hank Williams, Anita O’ Day, Bessie Smith. – Copyright 20i4 American Songwriter Magazine http://www.americansongwriter.com/2014/04/stream-chuck-e-weisss-red-beans-weiss/

Zany, unrepentantly retro, and drenched in an era that revivalists can’t touch, Red Beans and Weiss is a greasy, gritty report from one of L.A.’s last original rock & roll street denizens. It has a grimy charm all its own.

Nate Merritt also hand drew this cartoon for the “Boston Blackie” track.

Here are the songs on the “Red Beans and Weiss” album that Johnny Depp plays and/or sings on:

Boston Blackie
Drums:  Johnny Depp, Bill “Beano” Hanti
Guitar: J. J. Holiday, Johnny Depp
Bass: Bruce Witkin
Background Vocals: Johnny Depp, Jack Depp, Bruce Witkin, Joey Malone, Bill “Beano” Hanti, Starling Jenkins

Bomb the Tracks
Background Vocals: Johnny Depp, Bruce Witkin

Kokomo (Boy Bruce)
Guitar: Tony Gilkyson, J. J. Holiday, Johnny Depp

The Hink-A-Dink
Drums: Johnny Depp
Percussion: Don Heffington
Guitar: Tony Gilkyson
Bass:  Johnny Depp, Will MacGregor

Willy’s in the Pee Pee House
Background Vocals:  Johnny Depp, Don Heffington, Nathan Holmes, Rachel Hathaway, Boo, Bruce Witkin

 

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Staying in League With The Doors

A challenge I especially enjoy as a music enthusiast is staying in league with artists I admire. The Doors hold a sacred place in the music of our heart.

This past week provided exciting moments for Doors fans. Robby Krieger and John Densmore, the surviving Doors members made an appearance together on December 5th at the Los Angeles screening of Mr. Mojo Risin’ : The Story of L.A. Woman at the Bing Theatre, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

The multi-tiered event “An Evening With the Doors” provided a warm atmosphere for Krieger and Densmore to reflect upon The Doors, Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek.

The special surprise was that Robby Krieger and John Densmore performed four Doors songs together, “People Are Strange”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Spanish Caravan,” and “Riders On The Storm” (with a little “Ghost Riders In The Sky”).

Here is a YouTube video of their performance that was leaked onto the Web.

I also refer you to the Rolling Stone Magazine article listed in the Related Articles section below. You will find an interview conducted after the event with Robby Krieger and John Densmore.

The Doors iPad App Version 2.0

Earlier that same day The Doors iPad app was updated to include a new section, “Ray Remembered” which features drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger’s first interview together in more than a decade, held to commemorate keyboardist Ray Manzarek. “Ray Remembered” also includes a new slide show of rare and unseen images and an essay about Ray Manzarek by Adam Holzman, son of Elektra Records’ Jac Holzman, the architect behind The Doors iPad app.

Mule Tracks

I had reported in October that Gov’t. Mule would host Robby Krieger of The Doors for their annual Halloween concert, Mule-O-Ween.

I downloaded the Mule Tracks from the 10/30 show in LA in ALAC-HD. Man are they sweet, Where’s My Mule?

The event went so well (it was a two night gig, with a 10/31 show in Oakland) that Gov’t. Mule and Robby Krieger are repeating the event for East Coast fans on New Years Eve 12/31 at where else but The Beacon 😉

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Exciting Mule-O-Ween 2013 Development!

I posted a “speculative” blog post on September 27th, Mule-O-Ween 2013 – A Doors Tribute?. My personal thanks to Ida Miller Doors Super Fan who has been responsible for publishing an authoritative Doors Fan Site for many years. Ida substantiated that my door of perception about the Gov’t. Mule 2013 Mule-O-Ween shows would be about The Doors and more exciting than that Robby Krieger will be playing along with Gov’t. Mule in Los Angeles, 10/30 and Oakland 10/31.

I know deep inside the music of our heart that these shows will pay loving tribute and honor to Ray Manzarek’s memory, which is ever-present like Jim Morrison.

Robby Krieger posted the substantiation of his participation in Mule-O-Ween 2013 on his Facebook page on 10/12:

Every Halloween, Gov’t Mule does a show featuring the music of another band. This year it’s The Doors with special guest, Robby Krieger! On the 30th they will do a show in LA at the Fonda Theater, and then on the 31st in Oakland at the Fox Theater. Check it out of you can!

I sure do wish I could get out to LA for the 10/30 show. At the very least I plan to order the 10/30 & 10/31 shows from MuleTracks when they become available. 🙂

Where’s My Mule? 😉 Rocking real soon with Robby Krieger!

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Mule-O-Ween 2013 – A Doors Tribute?

The past few years Gov’t. Mule has performed a special Halloween concert in various U.S. cities as part of their fall tour.  They select a famous rock group and pay tribute to their legacy. Past Mule-O-Ween shows have featured Gov’t. Mule playing the music of Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. The Mule will choose a favorite album by these artists and play that album in its entirety.

This year it looks like Gov’t. Mule will be honoring The Doors in Los Angeles 10/30 and Oakland 10/31. There has been no official announcement but the poster design seems to indicate this as that is the fonts and the color scheme of The Doors. It will be awesome if they invited Robbie Krieger and/or John Densmore to play with them. That is purely speculation on my part.

I love that they will be honoring the late Ray Manzarek who we greatly miss and The Doors that night.

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Uncle Charlie Wilson – BET Lifetime Achievement Award

I have loved the adulation shown to Uncle Charlie Wilson at last night’s BET Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Uncle Charlie Wilson received the Lifetime Achievement Award and rocked the house.

He was joined by Pharrell, Snoop Dog/Lion, and Justin Timberlake in a rousing medley that you must see to believe. It is one of the most exciting and riveting performances I have seen in some time. The audience is so into it. You’ll love and respect Uncle Charlie even more when you see this segment.

http://www.charliewilsonmusic.com/us/news/charlie-dominates-bet-awards

As Snoop said during the performance, “Knock Em Out The Box, Unc!”. Which he did to the happiness of everyone in attendance and watching the awards broadcast.

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MacArthur Park Turns 45

My wife and I love to listen to Jimmy Webb in concert. He is an engaging story-teller and songwriter.

Jimmy Webb wrote, arranged, and produced “MacArthur Park” made famous by actor Richard Harris. Jimmy Webb and Richard Harris became close friends after they recorded the album, A Tramp Shining which featured the single. “MacArthur Park”.

“MacArthur Park” turned 45 years old this year and Jimmy Webb finally got to do it in the real park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on Saturday June 15, 2013.

The inspiration for “MacArthur Park” was the relationship and breakup between Webb and Susan Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. At that time (mid-1965), Ronstadt worked for a life insurance company whose offices were located just across the street from the park

Webb says Beatles producer George Martin told him that “MacArthur Park” influenced the Beatles’ decision to let “Hey Jude” run beyond the 7-minute mark when they recorded it a couple of months after Harris’ record became a hit.

Now, half a century down the line, the composer believes the world is ready to hear it at least one more time.

“I have it on my new record coming out in September,” Webb said, noting that his recording for his new “Still Within the Sound of My Voice” album due Sept. 10 features a vocal arrangement by one of his musical heroes, Beach Boys creative leader Brian Wilson. – Courtesy of the LA Times

Jimmy Webb, writer of “MacArthur Park, ” opens the Levitt Pavilion season with his performance in MacArthur Park. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / June 15, 2013)
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Five Easy Pieces – EMP Pop Conference 2013

The Experience Music Project (EMP) Pop Conference in 2013 will be a five city live streaming event. The five easy pieces for Pop Conference 2013 will take place in Seattle (Central site), New York (the site of the 2012 Pop Conference that we attended), Los Angeles, New Orleans and Cleveland.  Please refer to the EMP Pop Conference page for more specifics, as the event is just unfolding.

Five different gatherings, in the East, West, South, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, will take place on the same weekend, with a goal of live streaming the content for those unable to travel and preserving it for posterity. At each location, there will be one panel at a given time, rather than concurrent sessions, to foster regional community.

Local organizers, all veteran conference participants, will steer the program for each Pop Conference city: Oliver Wang of Cal-State Long Beach in Los Angeles (working with the USC Dornsife Center for Feminist Research, directed by Karen Tongson); Tavia Nyong’o of NYU in New York (working with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music); Joel Dinerstein of Tulane in New Orleans (working with the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South); Lauren Onkey of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland; and Jasen Emmons of EMP Museum in Seattle.

My aim as an EMP/SFM Member(since 2009) is to increase my Pop Conference involvement in 2013 from the attendee level in 2012. I’m glad the NYU event is open-ended. I have contacted Tavia Nyong’o of NYU to learn more about where I can hopefully take part.

I learned that the Pop Conference 2012 event was published as a collection of papers by the Duke University Press soon after the event. Eric Weisbard served as Editor for Pop When the World Falls Apart, Music In The Shadow of Doubt. Eric is the EMP Pop Conference Organizer and is also Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University. This is the third collection of Pop Conference papers

I have a better idea now why Robert Christgau calls the Pop Conference,  “the best thing that’s ever happened to serious consideration of pop music.” I attended the session where he spoke last year (Refer to my blog post about Pop Conference 2012 here)

I look forward to the EMP Pop Conference 2013. I plan to update readers about this event moving forward. When I’m informed you will be informed, so stay tuned 🙂

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