Music Review: Chaotic Reasoning, Vol. 2

And now we return  to present-day L.A. for a few year-end music reviews....

Chaotic Reasoning ,Volume Two (Kaos Records), a compilation of Southern California punk and hardcore tracks, features a slew of lesser-known bands peculiar to venues  like the Cathay de Grande, Chain Reaction  and  Cuckoo’s Nest.

Older hardcore fans will recognize Love Canal and White Flag, two bands that played the Cathay and other crusty clubs, in the ‘80s. Both bands are still together, in various incarnations, today. The delightfully-named Vagina Den Tata (another Cathay band. I actually saw them in ’83), featuring Michelle Gerber Bell and Pat Smear, contributes Creep Street. Ron Emory (TSOL), False Alarm (featuring Cheetah Chrome) and Peligro are other familiar old-school names on this compilation.

New punk bands aren’t neglected on this collection. Barb Wire Dolls, fronted by dynamic singer Isis Queen, are included with their rallying cry, Street Generation. Other featured bands include The Detours, False Alarm, Section 242 and Corrupted Youth, who win the best song title award with Beer for Breakfast.

Chaotic Reasoning is non-stop hardcore/punk with no breather. It’s not for the faint of heart. A release party for the CD will take place Jan. 19^th at the Vex in East L.A , with live performances by Shattered Faith, the Detours and others. Ex-Germ Don Bolles is slated to emcee.

Barb Wire Dolls: Greek Punk Rockers Take L.A. By Storm

                                                           Photo by Matt Wessen

Attitude is important in rock ‘n’ roll; ultimately it’s more important than fashion or technical playing ability. It’s what endears fans to their favorite bands. Barb Wire Dolls, a female-fronted punk band from Greece, have caused quite a buzz in L.A. since moving here in 2010. They've played the Punk Rock Picnic and opened for the Bouncing Souls. They've appeared on the cover of Punk Globe, and Rodney Bingenheimer has played their music on his show. That's not bad for a band that was living in a commune in Greece a year ago. The band’s ballsy performances and in-your-face marketing campaign may be a bit much for people used to mopey indie bands, but true rockers will appreciate it.

Sure, there are lots of punk females in bands now. It’s not an oddity anymore. But you’ve got to have the  energy  and originality to back it up if you wanna be more than a flash-in-the pan.  Lead singer Isis Queen is one half Wendy O. Williams, one half Brody Dalle and all attitude.  She hasn’t brought a chainsaw on stage yet, but I wouldn’t put it past her.. She’s married to the band’s guitarist, Pyn Doll, whose screeching blast of sound propels the songs forward. But it's not all bombast. There's a sense of melody underneath it, and Queen's voice is tuneful underneath the bravado.The Barb Wire Dolls are resurrected street punk meets new-wave style. They’re fun to watch and put on quite a show. You’d have to be really out of it to nod off by the bar while this band is playing.

The Barb Wire Dolls  have a early 1980s punk rock look. They remind me of the time where punk had a little fashion tune up, with girls wearing hot pink zebra-striped tops instead of ripped t-shirts, but still maintained that nasty edge. On songs like So Hot, Black and Blue and California, the band blasts no-nonsense street noise that keeps even jaded L.A. crowds hollering their approval. The Dolls played a residency at the Viper Room to enthusiastic audiences in July, bringing a bit of attitude back to the Sunset Strip. Their forthcoming 14-track CD Fuck the Pussies contains six songs  produced by Bryan Carlstrom (Alice in Chains, Offspring, Social Distortion). 

Barb Wire Dolls-Facebook

Club Romper Stomper Brings Wild Rock 'N' Roll Back to the L.A. Club Scene

 From the Masque and other punk rock clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s to the hair metal Sunset Strip scene , L.A. has always been home to many lively and influential music clubs. Some, like the Masque and Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco, have made it into rock history books while others are highlighted only in former patrons’ memories (and on their Facebook pages). The Los Angeles club scene circa 2011 may not have the flash and finesse of years past, but a handful of local musicians and promoters are striving to recharge the current L.A. club scene. Asia Muka, the creator of Hollywood’s Club Romper Stomper, is one of them.

A monthly celebration of the crème de la crème of the L.A. rock scene, Romper Stomper features true rock and roll bands that carry on the tradition of garage, mod, punk and glitter bands from the past. Romper Stomper performers have included the Ruby Friedman Orchestra, Vicky and the Vengents and the Woolly Bandits. Asia is devoted to introducing nitty-gritty rock and roll to a wider audience. “I want to do my part in spreading the message of inspiration through the power of music. I know that may sound a ‘lil hippie hippie shake,but it is something I feel strongly about… A few times when I was working with some 20 year olds, I made them a compilation CD. A wild mix of stuff from the 1920's up until the 70's punk era, including soul, mod, etc.  Anyway, these kids had no idea this music existed and were completely blown away.  It was truly a musical mind opener for them...and me!"

Romper Stomper made its debut in May 2010 at the Sunset Bar and Grill in Hollywood with headliners the Hitz out of West Covina. Says Asia, “I really liked their energy and wanted other people to know about them. I kind of took a huge gamble and did not book any other bands! I gave the whole night to The Hitz!  And promoted the hell out of the show (as i do every show).  I was really surprised that for a Friday night we had a great crowd!”

 

Legendary KROQ  DJ Rodney Bingenheimer  has co-hosted several Romper Stomper events, including a recent show with local glam faves Prima Donna and the female-fronted punk of Barb Wire Dolls (a band that recently relocated to L.A. from Greece.) Asia elaborates on her association with Rodney. ” I met Rodney when I was working on the Runaways movie. (Asia was a costumer for the film.)  I have always admired Rodney for taking a stand in the RNR world.  Once we became good friends, I talked him into letting me organize a night in honor of him,, including bands the he is currently playing on his show.  He does his show every Sunday at Midnight until 3am on KROQ. And that is a hard hour! But I think if more kids took Mondays off from school then they could be injected with some serious musical knowledge , something they may need as they are searching for direction in this chaotic world.”

 Romper Stomper shows have lots of visual and auditory stimulation above and beyond live bands. The club’s walls serve as a screen for clips of T-Rex and other glam and punk bands. There’s a dance floor full of 20something kids imitating the original Rodney’s English Disco vibe and a DJ spinning a mixture of garage, glam and punk tunes. “I try to create an "experience" when doing these shows, Asia notes, “and make it well known that it's perfectly okay to live the life you believe in.  There are a lot of things happening in L.A., you just have to search for them.  But when I can't find them I create them!

The next Club Romper Stomper is Friday April 8^th at the Sunset Bar and Grill with the Crazy Squeeze, Vicky and The Vengents and the Black Mambas.