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Exodus
House of Blues Sunset
By Ward Porrill
Attending an Exodus concert is not unlike watching a high-rise building being demolished - it's loud, unbelievably fast, and at some point you can't help but wonder if standing too close might not be such a great idea.
Though the band is second-billed on The Hordes of Chaos tour, which also features acts such as Warbringer, Belphegor, and the headliners Kreator, their recent - and exhausting- set at the House of Blues Sunset proved that the band is very much a tough act to follow.
Having persevered in the metal arena for nearly 30 years, Exodus' current line-up, which features founding guitarist Gary Holt, showed no sign of weariness onstage as they pounded the audience into near-submission with songs highlighting their most recent albums, "Let There Be Blood" (a re-recording of their seminal LP "Bonded By Blood") and "The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit A" ("Exhibit B" is due sometime this summer.)
"Osama bin Laden is a (unprintable expletive)" current lead singer Rob Dukes bellowed into the microphone.
"And all he wants you to do is die!" he shouted to the fist-pounding
masses..
After denouncing all followers of Islam, Dukes and the band launched into "Children of a Worthless God."
Keep in mind this is a thrash metal show. There's no room for subtlety.
Not that there isn't room for humor, however, as Dukes referenced the current swine flu epidemic by suggesting that the virus is caused by copulating with pork-bearing animals.
He then joked that he had, in fact, copulated with human swine at some point.
Who says you can't laugh and headbang at the same time?
After guitarists Holt and Lee Altus and bassist Jack Gibson shredded through the crowd-favorite "Deathamphetamine," Dukes asked the devil horn-brandishing audience if they wanted the band to slow things down.
The black t-shirt clad mob (yes, there is a dress code) responded heartily in the negative to which Dukes replied," Good, because we don't have any slow (expletive!)"
The band then played the explosive "War is My Shepherd," which Dukes dedicated to our troops.
For those of you who have never attended a thrash/death/speed metal show before - you might want to look at your first show the same way you learned how to swim; ease into it or else you might find yourself at the bottom of the pool, which in this case, might involve becoming one with the concert venue's floor.
I'm talking about the mosh pit - the area near the front of the stage where the most ardent fans get their aggressions out in a collective swirl of chaotic rage. A seasoned band like Exodus knows full well that this is the area where their core audience cohabitates and they know just how to keep the pit raging.
Dropping more f-bombs than Al Pacino in "Scarface," Dukes alternated between shouting song lyrics and barking instructions to the front-row crowd on how to keep the mosh pit flowing.
"San Francisco rocks harder than you," the singer teased, sending the Hollywood moshers into a blood-thirsty frenzy.
Dukes then divided the front of the house into two sides, and after giving the expletive-laden signal, the dual factions marauded at one another in a manner reminiscent of the climactic battle in "Braveheart."
After finishing their pulse-pounding set with the thunderous "Strike Like a Beast," drummer Tom Hunting pulled his black t-shirt over his face, assuming the manner of an executioner. It was a fitting image for a band that, as the industry parlance goes, killed.
Next time, however, I might just have to give that mosh pit a try. I just wonder if they allow hard hats and body armor.
49th ANNUAL TOPANGA BANJO FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL
By Staff Writer
Top bands Whiskey Chimp (Bluegrass), Fur Dixon & Steve Werner (Western-folksingers) and Susie Glaze (Appalachian-bluegrass) will headline, square dancers will dosey-doe, singers, banjo players, mandolin pickers and guitarists of all ages will compete for $7,500 in prizes and gifts, jamming musicians will play on Western movie sets, children will enjoy crafts, songs and storytelling as an expected crowd of 4-5,000 pickin' and grinnin' fans will be a-stompin' to a vast array of bluegrass, old-time and folk music at the 49th Annual Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival to be held on Sunday, May 17, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Paramount Ranch near Agoura, California. For details, visit Topanga's web site at www.topangabanjofiddle.org.
The family-oriented event, held on outdoor film sets and mountain locations used for many Western movies including the popular television show, "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," features four stages:
Visitors may also find a bounty of folk arts booths featuring weaving, ceramics, woodcarving, inlaying, leather craft, metal work, jewelry, needlework, painting, clothing, glass and more. National Park Service environmental booths will provide exhibits and information about activities in our national, state and local parks.
Beginning, intermediate and advanced musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and participate in informal jam sessions on the Western streets. Food and drinks are available and picnickers are welcome to throw a blanket on the grass and eat. Low-backed beach chairs are encouraged (to avoid blocking someone's view) and dogs are not welcome.
The 2009 Music Legend Award will be given to a person, group or organization which has distinguished itself over the years in the preservation and advancement of old time, folk and bluegrass music in the Southern California area. This year the award goes to fiddler Richard Greene.
The prize consists of a trophy and cash award of $1000. Past winners include Dorian and Dalia Keyser who guided the Topanga Festival for its early 36 years, renowned fiddler Mel Durham, the California Traditional Music Society, Roz & Howard Larman of KPFK's "FolkScene," folksinger Bess Lomax Hawes and last year's winner, Peter Feldmann. Look for Peter this year on the Railroad Stage.
Tickets are available in advance: $12.00 for ages 18-64, $8.50 for ages 10-17 and 65 and up. (Tickets may be purchased with contestant entry) At the gate, adults are $15.00 and teens/ seniors are $10.00. Children under 10 are admitted free of charge. Parking and shuttle bus are also free.
Directions from the Valley: Visitors may take the Ventura Freeway (101) to the Kanan Road off-ramp, go south (towards the beach) ¼ mile to Cornell Road, turn left and continue 2 ½ miles to the Paramount Ranch entrance. Signs are clearly posted along the route.
For more information including contest entry applications, vendor booths and volunteering please call (818) 382-4819. Or you may visit our recently updated web site for detailed information regarding the festival and forms at www.topangabanjofiddle.org .You can also e-mail the staff and volunteers of Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest at info@topangabanjofiddle.org.
The first Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest was held in 1961 at a private home in Topanga Canyon and attracted 26 five-string banjo pickers, five fiddlers, and more than 500 people. Last year, the Festival drew over 110 contestants plus their backup musicians and over 4,000 visitors.
Throughout the years, numerous folk and bluegrass music luminaries have graced the "Topanga" stages including Jackson Browne, David Lindley, Taj Mahal, John Hartford, Byron Berline, Dan Crary, Eric Darling, John Hickman, Bill Knopf, Howard Yearwood, and many more.
The event is sponsored by Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival, Inc. in cooperation with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service.
Spazio, A Touch of Class on the Boulevard
By Debra Graff
Spazio Restaurant, on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, brings high- quality live jazz to the Valley seven nights a week. They recently moved their stage to the front of the restaurant, opening up the sound and allowing more room for the high caliber musicians that appear nightly. No one is cramped here. The space allows the music to breathe and flow smoothly, reaching everyone in the room, whether they're eating a fine dinner cooked by award winning chefs, or having drinks. You can choose to sit up front and listen to the music or sit at the bar and talk without disturbing the audience. Because of this change, the state of the art sound system, beautiful stage lighting, and a perfectly tuned piano, musicians want to perform here more than ever. There is a $5.00 cover and two drink minimum for most shows, which is well worth the caliber of entertainment you receive.
Tuesday night is John Pisano's Guitar Night, where some of the best guitar playing in the world happens. Pisano, who's played with Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Peggy Lee, and Chico Hamilton, has a guest guitarist each week. Last week, he celebrated his eight year anniversary at Spazio with 29 guitar players including five jazz guitar ensembles from the USC Studio Jazz Department, who performed several original compositions. Professor Rolf Kristensen, here from Norway to teach a guitar master class at USC, played with other USC instructors and world renowned musicians including Tim Kobza, Richard Smith, Pat Kelley, and Frank Potenza. The guitar ensemble, Wire Choir, played many Charlie Christian arrangements while the ensemble, Super Acts, played more contemporary works. Guitarist Shea Welsh says Spazio's Guitar Night is a "hidden secret," and hopes more jazz fans and artists will find out about it and experience the incredible music and great atmosphere.
Pisano says he recorded the first guitar night eight years ago with George Van Epps, and will continue on because "It's a beautiful club and highly successful, so we're staying here."
Jazz lover, Richard Baron, has been coming to Guitar Night at Spazio since1998. He has made lifelong friends here. "We go to other jazz venues together, and I've become personal friends with John and his wife.
Last Saturday night, vocalist Melissa Morgan, guitarist Graham Dechter, bassist Hamilton Price, and drummer Kevin Kanner performed. Morgan's sultry renditions of standards and some of her own tunes from her new CD being released at the end of the month, fit right in with the ambience and new staging. The beautiful ballad, "The Very Thought of You," showed her musical range. She enjoys giving her talented band an opportunity to work it e.g. two up tempos back to back and allows them ample time for solos which was greatly appreciated. Guitarist, Dechter wowed us with his Latin inspired rhythms. His fingers move so fast, the notes seem to be playing themselves, even before he moves from fret to fret. The band was youthful and energetic and played like they were seasoned professionals and had been around for ages. "Save Your Love for Me," is the title track off Morgan's new CD. Her unique voice becomes an instrument onto itself as she holds the last note until you could feel it touch your core. Her passion for the songs was evident and the audience was captivated.
Marcel, Spazio's front man for the past eight months, used to be a jazz drummer in Paris. He exudes class as do all the waiters and waitresses. Even the tables are elegantly set, waiters impeccably dressed, and each meal served with the utmost care. Fine Italian/French cuisine is served weekly until 11pm and weekends until midnight. The crusted salmon, pasta with seafood, tuna tartare, onion soup, and escargot are customer favorites. Every Sunday, there is a special Champagne Brunch with live jazz from 10:30a-3p, which includes a carving station, sushi, and an omelet station. It's a great place to bring mom for this Mother's Day.
Spazio
14755 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-728-8400
www.spazio.la