World Famous In San Francisco

Hard Place - Get Your Hopes Up (World Famous In San Francisco)
This album is awesome. And I don't say that just because Elton Tom and Jeremy Smears are the ones releasing it on their label named after this blog. This is really strange, crunchy, bad-80s nostalgia music that you can't get anywhere else. It's very colorful and unique for something so ironic. All the songs are good - they actually seem to be about something - and they all sound like singles. My favorite song at the moment is Last Goodbye. I highly recommend buying the physical copy of this record.


Hey Willpower - P.D.A. (Tomlab)
This is a really cohesive collection of mid-tempo modern sounding r&b-dance songs. I think it's a really pretty record. I like it.


Woman of Color - Are You a Woman of Color? (Man Dagger)
After listening to this album I realized I am not a woman of color. This album lives up to its name in a way: it doesn't sound at all black, but it does sound dark. It has this Native American sounding pow-wow rock song at the end I like.


Fierce Perm - Fierce Perm (Man Dagger)
Cesar from Man Dagger gave me this CD a couple weeks ago at one of my shows in LA. I first played it in my middle aged Cuban ex-boyfriend's Lincoln Aviator. He and his SUV totally hated it. If it doesn't sound like Celia Cruz, a Broadway musical or a CD you can buy at Restoration Hardware or Crate and Barrel, he and his SUV totally hate it. So I guess that's a good thing right? This band has plenty of great optimistic guitar riffs. But it is very easy to pinpoint who Nadia, their singer, is influenced by. I will keep my faith in this band as long as the next album sounds different and they do a reinvention tour.

Which bassist for a hot young band is rumored to have the largest penis in San Francisco? We had to hear about it in LA so it must be huge. Here's a clue, he fronts a cover band side project. Rumor has it that he's quite proud and has been known to whip it out at parties. Hmm, we haven't had a party in awhile....(just kidding, we're interested in his music more than his package.)

Which notoriously heterosexual half of a darling SF pop duo expressed his interest in same sex hanky panky during a cocaine fueled rampage? Well, it might have been just a harmless same sex crush but we have to marvel at the mind altering effects of the booger suger.

Which LA blogger blabbed about all of the above (and more!) while simultaneously telling us not to tell specific people things because they were known to have a big mouth! (This is why we love this person.)

Its so easy to forget that 'punk rock' and 'hippie' are pretty much the same thing, but then John Benson rolls into town with the bus and its all clear again. For those of you not hip to the scene, the bus is pretty much a giant traveling stage, powered by biodiesel, and can turn any old corner into the most awesome show you didn't mean to go to. This clip below is from the the too cool to be true circle show:



Pretty neat. Except, apparently, some people don't think so; it was recently vandalized:

As many of you know the amazing traveling stage bio-diesel bus was vandalized...some
jerks broke the windows... big expensive windows. We are having a benefit to replace
them.

Monday Jan 28
El Rio
$5 at the door gets you the sweet noise psychedelic sounds of

Tank Attack
Kreamy 'Lectric Santa
Wiggwaum

plus cheap drinks...$1 PBR and $2 Wells...

Bands start at 9 sharp and end at midnight. Drinking fun and dj Jenny Hoyston start
earlier. aww yeah

Did you see my article in this week's San Francisco Bay Guardian? Didjah didjah? In it I talk about my YouTube videos, Chris Crocker, my mother, Chucky, Alien and a bunch of other cool stuff. Pick up a copy, or you can read the article online.

Patrik from Cobain In a Coma decides to throw a 'monthly' every eight months or so. From what I can remember, there was first 4EVER, and then Stoned Age . This one, Spaced, seems to be the same deal as the others. The bands are his friends and if you go you'll probably not feel invited even though it's in a public place. I'm gonna go. I'm kind of masochistic if you haven't already noticed. Jealousy and Bridez are playing. There will be a custom photobooth by Daniel Minnick.

Photo: Carletta Sue Kay spotted at the Hard Place show....Photo by Jeremy Smears


The Clarences, The Passionistas, Carletta Sue Kay, Gran Via.

January, 25 2008 at Ghost Town Gallery
2519 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland,
Cost : 5 bucks

18+ Do Not Leave Valuables in Your Car!

One side of Nate Dogg's body is now paralyzed. I really hope he doesn't stop making music. I love hearing Nate Dogg on a chorus. He has an incredibly strong sense of melody that is so unique and identifiable. I can't imagine him singing any other song then his own.

213 - I'm Fly (live)

The Passionistas give Shayde a Germs burn


Shayde plays bass for Giant Skyflower Band, Kelley Stoltz, Flying Canyon, The Skygreen Leopards and probably a lot of other bands too. I don't know what else to say about this video.

Some older photos. All The Young Children On Crack are a Television Personalities cover band featuring current and ex members of the Passionistas and they were super fun. Fake accents and all:







Tea Elles were next and they took a million years to set up. Its two guitars and drums, which I think were shared with the other bands, come on! Put the drink down, tell your friend you'll talk to them after the show. If you think they won't be there after, well...





Nah. Actually, I was sick and cranky so every little thing was annoying me. The band was ok -- definitely better than their myspace. I had the tonsillitis though, so after a few songs I just couldn't keep up with all the acrobatic guitar and had to go home and stare at my disfigured tonsils in the mirror.

The Passionistas - Fucking Cold


Thanks Jeremy Smears and Elton Tom for running the blog while I was away. I was in a creative coma for a couple weeks. Expect fun new stuff. I can't tell you all the exciting news just yet - for now here is a new video I directed for my band, The Passionistas, starring Christopher Owens from Girls.

Aunt Charlie is finally dragging her sorry ass a few blocks down to the city clinic, so tonight may be your last night to catch The Clap! In addition to the nicest door guy in town, your favorite djs Gary Fembot and Der Blaue Reiter, and cheap cheap strong strong drinks, there might be a special DJ set by one of your favorite world famous authors. I said favorite, so obviously its not me!



But, you know, word on the street is that Aunt Charlie is a bit slutty, so don't be surprised if the clap pops up somewhere else...

This is one of my favorite articles by Dennis Conklin from the Bay Area Reporter, I don't know what I like best about it. This actually happened in December of 1995. I thought I should just scan in the article because if I just retyped it nobody would have believed it was true. In all seriousness I'm sure for the victims this was horrifying, but the details in the article; from the can of Coke to the rather detailed description of the assailant, are hilarious. Enjoy!

http://www.worldfamousinsf.com

stay tuned...

Ok, this is turning into some kind of Passionistas PR blog... I've gotta find some new stuff to post about. Like, maybe, make up some new years resolutions, do a way belated best of list, figure out a new myspace of the week, work on the World Famous Super Club I keep talking about, make those "To Catch a Predator" outtake videos we've been talking about, or maybe even get the Mexican Party Bus back on the road and go to the next Gravy Train show -- they seem to be ever popular but I just don't get their ironic gay party underwear rap jams.

Anyway, I do love the The Passionistas. So, even though I'm, like, ninety percent sure all of our LA readers know this already because they're friends with Myles, lets talk about their LA mini tour this weekend. Just in case! From New And Used Records:

Hey Passionistas fans, your favorite quartet will be in the region of Southern California this weekend for four shows that promise to be varying levels of amazing. They are as follows.

Friday, January 11
In-Store @ Buffalo Records / 6PM / Free
105 S. Oak Street., Ventura, California 93001
(Highly recommend attending this one if you can. You can see them live, shop for records, and even get an autographed copy of God's Boat).

Friday, January 11
Club Good Hurt / 8PM / $5 / 21+
12249 Venice Blvd, West Los Angeles, California 90066
(The Passionistas will be opening for Sweetness and Lonely Mattress Salesman, so get there early. You can also stick around after for DJ Brazilian Booty Butt Jamz).

Saturday, January 12
Pool Party in Venice Beach / 2PM
(If you were invited to this one, then you know where to go)

Saturday, January 12
Mr. T's Bowl / 9PM / $10 / 21+
5621 1/2 Figueroa St. @ Ave. 57 in Highland Park
Los Angeles, California 90042
(The Passionistas headline, along with The Boars, The Guilty Hearts, The Jinxes, The Thingz. It looks totally punk rock and should be awesome).

TransAM was super fun! Lots of people came out in the crappy weather, the beard party was in full swing, and there were even some cute guys. The downstairs DJ, DJ Jef Leopard, played some seriously choice records -- that is, if you like that British DIY kind of thing, trashy seventies rock, tropicalia, and 'good' punk like the Dead Boys, and Iggy.

If you couldn't make it, here's a bunch of videos Myles took (continuing his reign of awesomeness with that camera):

Miss Nix:


Hard Place:




Rentecca:


As usual, I took too many photos:


see the rest here

Using the power of their sexuality, the passionistas have made a commercial for Sonic Living (a bay area based upcoming.org kinda deal, except dedicated to music and with artist profiles and links to iTunes so that you can buy from apple instead of the artist.). Really, its not surprising. It's been their goal since before the dawn of time. And now that Myles has a video camera total pop success can't be that far off for them.

In homage to one of our favorite blogs that never updates... who wore it best, and who should put it to rest?

aaron



jeremy

Chris Crocker's Comeback


Chris Crocker is back from his three month hiatus after the fame of "leave Britney alone" with a music video! It's shot in some sad LA studio apartment that's not even his. I can't tell if I totally hate it, or totally love it. Totally.

Did we mention this:



One of the neat things about San Francisco is we end up with club nights that try to mix and match scenes. TransAm tries to brings the gays out of their Castro shell by luring them to SOMA with drag queens, cheap drinks, and guys looking to get laid but they mix it up by having a local band headline the evening and the DJs spin the rock musics. Actually, I don't know if they're luring anybody who wouldn't already be heading to SOMA, but its a nice change of pace from the Donuts crowd. And the guys seem to like it because TransAm is usually pretty busy.

Tomorrow should be fun, Hard Place will have their trail of costumes, confetti, and whipped cream behind them and the drag queens look good too! I don't know anyhting about Miss Nix but Rentecca put on one of the filthiest performances I've seen, like, ever. I'm kind of surprised its not on youtube as it was a film piece done for Midnight Mass a few years ago. I won't go into details, but it involved an unorthodox enema and ice cream. This was followed up by a routine to "Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gale. This is also not on youtube, but you can watch Crystal's version here if you're like that. It seems Drag Queens didn't start putting their shit (literally) up on youtube until last year. However, I guess Rentecca did a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl" which is basically the same thing:



I liked "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" better, it was more restrained. But let me tell you, I've never seen people scatter like that when something was tossed into the audience. And we were in theater seating, so people were climbing over each other to get out of the way. Priceless!

So come out tomorrow night! Who knows what you'll get on you!

If you like The Television Personalities and the local noise weirdo scene, and you don't like the idea of going to Oakland on Friday to see Brian Glaze as you'll have to leave before he goes on anyway because you turn into a pumpkin around midnight, come check this out:



What, you can't read that flyer? Its tomorrow:
Jan 4th
Edinburgh Castle
$5

This show is kinda neat because its a little all over the map. All The Young Children On Crack is a Television Personalities cover band featuring Andrew from The Passionistas. Also playing are Forever, whose bar room rock 'n roll we've mentioned a few times, as well as High Castle, Tea Elles, and Kool Teen which I don't know much about. Actually, I'm excited about Kool Teen, I keep meaning to see them and keep missing them. Kinda like how I keep missing Brian Glaze with his new band. Oh well, yay!

You know, in case the myspace bulletins aren't catching your attention or you aren't one of the thousands of hits on these songs, Girls have a new song. I bring the breaking news -- or I need to find somebody new to write about. The new song is pretty good -- "God Damned" is more in line with the last three songs they put up and less to do with that little pop gem they dropped right out of the gate. Get the kids hooked on something sweet and then switch it. Actually, I didn't love the song they posted before this one, so I didn't post it here, but its grown on me so check out "Hellhole Ratrace" too. Quality!

Word on the street is these dudes might be playing a show soon, which would be cool. Hopefully it won't be some super secret apartment party!

I remember Brian Glaze being forced to stand outside of the Purple Onion because he wasn't 21 and was only allowed in to play drums for the Brian Jonestown Massacre by music empresario Tom Guido moments before the band took the stage. Now he's old and can get into any club he wants! Brian Glaze and the Nightshift headline an awesome line up in the East Bay! Don't miss the first band, a veritable Bay Area Super Group, the Trade (feat members of Sugar & Gold, Boyjazz, Cars Get Crushed), I hope they like their Trade rough!

Details:
Brian Glaze and the Nightshift (feat members of the Cuts and Gris Gris)

Bart Davenport (solo acoustic)

The Trade (feat members of Sugar & Gold, Boyjazz, and, ahem... Cars Get Crushed)

It all starts around 10.

Ghost Town Gallery: 2519 San Pablo Ave, Oakland. Leave no valuables in yr car, friends.

Hope you can make it out!

I mean music video, but its easy to see how I could get it confused. I mean, what with all the hot tubs, steam, parents, and skin shots. These guys are totally following the Britney arc. The innocent phase is over and the slutty one has begun! Quick, somebody get them some undies before the paps catch on.

Um, yeah. Anyway, this video is choice. At first I was sad that they weren't singing over a boombox, but then I realized getting electrocuted in your parent's hot tub, while great publicity, might ruin the video. And possibly the new year too. Check: