Acid rock, pre-mohawk punk, pre-shoegazer post-punk, pre-war jazz, Hoagy Carmichael, Venuti & Lang, Django & Steph, The Who, early Quicksilver, Skip Spence, early Ellington, Gershwin, Jefferson Airplane (NOT Starship!), Mission of Burma, Television, Spirit, Skip James, The Beatles, the second Dead album, Frankie Trumbauer, Mildred Bailey, the Small Faces, Steppenwolf, the Lovin' Spoonful, Annette Hanshaw, David Sedaris singing commercial jingles in Billy Holiday's voice, the classic American tunes I play on my Conn Strummer organ.
A whole lotta indie films that I don't have the energy to list, Busby Berkeley musicals from the early '30s--particularly Footlight Parade, screwball comedies from the late '30s, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd silents, music documentaries from the '60s, most Billy Wilder films, and a whole lotta other stuff in between.
Television
I saw Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd about a year apart, and Fred Smith was in both of their bands. And once I saw the Waitresses with Billy Ficca playing drums. Does that count?
Books
I prefer nonfiction so that I can stuff more information into my brain than it can possibly hold, effecting a mental breakdown that will force me to go on disability and allow me time to read the classics.
Heroes
Jack Casady, Jimmy Carter, Bobby Kennedy, Joseph Nye Welch, Arianna Huffington, the person who invented floss, Epi Stathopolou, Buster Keaton, Carl Ballantine, Señor Wences, R. Budd Dwyer.
"Ticklin' The Strings" by Sweet Hollywaiians
Amazing Japanese hot string band playing 1920's, 30's, 40's style hawaiian, swing, calypso, blues, italian music and originals,featuring vintage instruments.3 songs with Robert Armstrong and Tony Marcus(from Robert Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders)
"The Sweet Hollywaiians have probably the best feel for this 20's music of any string band working today. They manage the rare feat of sounding relaxed even when their playing is hot, are top notch musicians with tasteful arrangements and a full, rich, warm sound.Plus, they have a nice gamut of tunes, from King Nawahi to Giovanni Vicari to Bobby Leecan. See them live, if you can, for an unforgettable experience. If you can't, buy their Cds!" ~ Terry Zwigoff
I'm playing with The Surrenders. We go on at 10:30, which means you should probably show up around 9:30 'cause I think there's a band on before us, and they might be good. Our set is only a half-hour long so if you get there a half-hour late you'll miss it.
PLUS: we're playing another show on THURSDAY night, the 15th, if you can't make the first one.
It's at Taix French Restaurant in Echo Park. We're actually playing in the 321 Lounge, which is inside the restaurant complex. Showtime is the same as the other one: we go on at about 10:30, and there might be someone on before us, definitely someone afterward.
