Randall RobertsView more photos in Timothy Norris' day one and day two slideshows.
This weekend the LA Weekly celebrated its annual People issue with LA Weekend, a two-day cultural happening at the Nike Store at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre that offered music, art, food and drink (100-proof Belvedere vodka, which we didn't realize was that strong until after we were snookered) in downtown Hollywood. Since West Coast Sound is a music blog, we'll stick to the art we know — the hearing kind — and leave the taste and sight stuff for others.
KCRW DJ, musician and writer Henry Rollins and singer, writer and DJ Keith Morris (both of whom did time as lead singer for Black Flag) spun records and CDs during the party. Rollins, a walking encyclopedia of obscure and outre sounds, spun a set that moved from Kraftwerk to Early Man, from punk (Saccharine Trust, Devo, Buzzcocks) to prog (Hawkwind) to avant-whatnot (Half Japanese's “Going to the Zoo”!). He apparently planned this set nearly a week prior, and toiled over it for a few days before committing to the final order.
Geneva Jacuzzi of Human Ear; Credit: Timothy Norris
We don't know what to say about Geneva Jacuzzi except it was kinda punk rock what she did. Slow, syrupy disco on a beat box, a huge screen behind her showing images of herself running through the woods and vogueing for the camera, Jacuzzi half-walked, half-danced her way across the stage in a black unitard singing while her lyrics rolled across the screen. If it was a guerrilla art project, it was effective. If it was performance art, it certainly poked at the audience. If it was a stab at pop music stardom … well … then there's a problem. During the three-song performance, Jacuzzi prowled and flailed across the stage without much concern for any “choreography.” When the crowd giggled at a line in her lyrics, she told them to stop laughing. When someone hooted, she told them to shut up and pay attention. Was it part of the act? Not sure. Was it tough to watch? A little. Was it something we won't soon forget? Yes. Jacuzzi is part of Human Ear, a non-profit music organization merging art, film and video.
hllo; Credit: Timothy Norris
More together and practiced was the remarkable voice, and head of hair, of Lynda Kaye, whose smooth classic country sights and sounds conveyed a confident sense of someone used to being onstage and in the spotlight. Kaye, a singer and actress, has a new album coming out next month called Dream My Darling; she played selections from it onstage at the Montalban, conjured the ghosts of 1950s country crooners Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells, and had hair so amazingly sculpted that we're thinking of hiring her stylist to do the same thing to us.
Lynda Kaye, as shot by Gene Kirkland; Credit: Gene Kirkland
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