The Kiss or Kill Briefs

The Curtain Call...

2007-12-19T16:41:00.001-08:00

Footage from the end of the night of our Final Kiss or Kill...

Thank you...

2007-12-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE IT OUT TO THE FINAL KISS OR KILL SHOW!!!!

photo by Jessy Plume 12/12/07 @ approx. 2:00am

What a great way to pay tribute to something that became and will remain a part of us for the rest of our lives!

Thank you everyone for the last five years.

We have uploaded some of the pictures from Wednesday to our myspace page at www.myspace.com/kissorkillclub We will also add them to our blog when time allows. Thank you to Jessy Plume for being the nights official “photographist” and to Kerri Bruce for sharing her personal pix as well. If anyone else would like to share pix from the evening (and we hope you will) please feel free to send them to kissorkillnews@yahoo.com along with how you’d like to be credited.

Thank you to 405East for capturing the night’s ending which is a great example of the past five years enjoy the video they put together

I think Mike TV’s posting yesterday sums up all of our feelings from the Wednesday night show!!!

Now, I know that there are a bunch of you that are at least familiar with Kiss or Kill. It's not so much a club as it is a scene of bands, a family of sorts, that have congregated at various nightclubs over the past five years making music, hanging out, and supporting each other. Kiss or Kill had their final show last night. And it was magic. There's no other word. Every now and again, something happens in your life that you know is elevated beyond normal human experience. Which I think of as magic. And this night was exactly that. There was so much love in the room that I had to step outside and breath cigarette smoke for a while, just to catch my breath.

So, to all my fellow Kissers and Killers, thank you so much for allowing me to share the stage, floor, bars, bathrooms, and beds with you. I know it's not goodbye. I know we'll all be playing with each other in other venues and at other shows. But the fact that Kiss or Kill, the club itself, has taken it's final bow reminds me that all beautiful things live on forever, if only in our hearts. And when it is time for my heart to stop beating and the final chapter on my life comes to an end, and that final page is turned, I will perhaps rest a little easier knowing that I was part of something unique and singular in all of human history. That I got to witness and be a part of something extraordinary. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, you magnificent bastards!

With great, steaming piles of love and affection,

Mike TV

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill:Robert Dean

2007-12-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill

by Robert Dean

One word: Midway

It was towards the end of 2003 and Corey, Cortney and myself were stalking this band Midway all summer and they were booked at some place called Kiss or Kill at the Garage. The line up: She, Midway, Ballentine, Bang Sugar Bang and the Dollyrots - I'd checked online and listened to some mp3s and liked what I heard.

The door chick asked for the two bucks and which band we were here to see. Midway...oh and Bang Sugar Bang. Oh I kind of want to see the Dollyrots too.

Over the years my answer was usually "Um, all of them."

In this way Kiss or Kill co-existed with the much hipsterized Silver Lake-centric music scene but without regard to what was hip, to what might be Pitchforked so you could say you were there first.

We didn't give too much of a shit about that. It was about a great set. It was about great conversations and if you didn't know the band being discussed no one looked down at you for that. That first night people smiled at you, the bartender was nice, there was great music of course and completely zero bullshit attitude that Los Angeles has a reputation for.

For me trying to put myself together after a long disintegration of a marriage Kiss or Kill allowed me to be that weird guy in the back, that new face thrown around to Bang Sugar Bang sets only to be picked up by a stranger and only after they made sure I was alright. I was learning to be social again after being isolated from creative stimulation. I've been on the far, far edge of scenes before (the Op Ivy, Green Day, Mr T Exp. Skankin' Pickle, Berkeley Square, Gilman of the late 80s Bay Area - knowing people, seeing a few shows here and there) so when I walked into the Zen week after week seeing bands that supported each other, the fans and the always quality sets, I now understood the old adage You Know it When You See It. There was something special going on week after week and there was no way I was not going to be part of it.

It was worth to show up early. It was worth to staying late. Amazing bands, cheap beer, tequila gun shots, drunken conversations, and crazy crushes made it interesting. Favorite moments: pogo jumping to Midway, looking over to see Zen packed with every head in motion to King Cheetah, sobering up late at The Echo with The Letter Openers blowing my mind, starting the Holy Shit chant for Automatic Music Explosion the first time I saw them at Safari Sam's. The Dollyrots. The Randies. DG. ha.

I want to thank Cooper, Matt, Johnny, Andre, and Siria for their must see you play first booking policy. A couple points which should be noted: The Atomic Missiles and the NYC Street Wave crowd really upped the ante during the Echo period. More importantly, Cooper's letter in the first half of the Zen Sushi period had to be the turning point for Kiss Or Kill. It was heartfelt call to arms that solidified Kiss or Kill the community. It made a difference to many of us by realizing this special thing should be supported and not taken for granted.

It wasn't perfect - it was a scene after all with all the gossip and drama worthy of Melrose Place - but it was special for many of us. We all had busy lives and with what little money I had I commuted a hour each way to work, took a nap showered and drove in 35 miles almost every week for two years. This is how special Kiss Or Kill was to me. And sometimes it was the little things that reminded me why: If someone stepped on your foot or elbowed you they always apologized. Strangers bought me free drinks. I'd bought drinks for people I didn't even like but in the crowd we were all part of this fucked up, creative family - And hell, we all needed a drink in hand for the Beer Song, right?

God I'm sappy.

-Robert Dean De Jesus
(aka Pissy Smurf to Matt Southwell)
(hey my last name isn't Dean)

Tonight the Final Kiss or Kill!!!!

2007-12-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

The time has come.

As it was announced in October (see the original announcement here ) and in the LA Weekly here (thank you Falling James for the support)...

TONIGHT Wednesday December 12th, 2007 marks the date of the Final Kiss or Kill.

The last five years have been amazing. The people we’ve met and friendships found have been some of the most genuine this town has to offer. The same can be said of the bands and talent that have graced the stage under the Kiss or Kill banner the last five years.

We hope that all of you will join us in one final celebration of the community that you all helped to build.

We want to be surrounded by all of our friends on this final evening that we congregate as Kiss or Kill and don’t want any of you excluded, however due to capacity issues and added security measures that will be taken on this final evening we urge you to arrive early (and stay late of course) and please if you are not in a band that is playing this final evening enter through the front entrance of El Cid. There will be a Security Guard monitoring the back throughout the evening. None of us (John, Cooper, Matt, Siria, Rob, Andre, Amanda) will be able to help anyone get in if the venue reaches capacity.

There will be performances from the founders of Kiss or Kill Silver Needle and Bang Sugar Bang as well as Underwater City People, The Randies, and Midway. They’ve all been working on surprises for you so it’s guaranteed this bittersweet evening may be filled with some once in a lifetime special surprises.

It will go down at El Cid (4212 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA) doors will open at 9:00 pm and the cover will be $5 All Night.

As always our Favorite HOST Rob Z will act as our Masterbator of Ceremonies one final time.

Dave Palamaro is also obliging us with a sneak peek at the Kiss or Kill Documentary that he has been working on. Having watched this special trailer he put together for the occasion we can guarantee that if you’ve been around at any point in the last five years you won’t want to miss it…the memories…

We will have also have a free photobooth for all of you to get pictures taken with each other all night.

Urban Construction Designs and friends www.myspace.com/urbanconstructiondesigns will also be on hand displaying their accessories which will be available for you to purchase.

Also, a reminder that we do still have a limited amount of T-Shirts, Stickers, and Comps I and II are still available and if you would like to purchase anything you should do so before we are completely out as we will NOT be ordering any more merch after these are gone.

Thank you to Monica for designing our Final Poster.

See you all Tonight!

GO! Pick of the Week LA Weekly

2007-12-12T02:59:00.000-08:00

GO! Pick of the Week
from LA Weekly
original article at:
http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lsd&task=default&id=140694&tab=calendar&Itemid=571

Kiss or Kill

When Bang Sugar Bang and Silver Needle first put on their own shows under the "Kiss or Kill" tag five years ago, they made a collective decision to avoid ruthless pay-to-pay promoters and nightclubs with high door prices and unfriendly bouncers. They kept their covers low (usually $5), even as their miniscene of friends quickly expanded, ultimately encompassing more than 100 bands, necessitating a move from small bars to bigger venues. They even saved enough money to release two vital compilation CDs that introduced the world to such inventive punk and power-pop combos as the Letter Openers, The Randies, Zeitgeist Auto Parts, Midway, Bobot Adrenaline and the King Cheetah. The musicians named their weekly shows Kiss or Kill after a lyric in the X classic “We’re Desperate,” as Bang Sugar Bang guitarist Matt Southwell explains, “because we were all completely desperate for a music scene in Hollywood where our style and attitude about music fit in.” Apparently the little DIY scene’s success was enough to threaten the complacency of corporate-rock dinosaurs KissT, who have threatened bank-busting legal action under the dubious premise that the “Kiss or Kill” moniker somehow infringes on their mighty empire. Tonight’s the final kiss-off: Roll over, Goliath, and tell Gene Simmons the news. Kiss or Kill presents its final night of rising local pop-punk bands, including Bang Sugar Bang, Underwater City People, Silver Needle, Midway, the Randies and surprise guests. (Falling James)

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Joe Dana

2007-12-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

How I came across Kiss or Kill.

by Joe Dana

"the most photographed person in Kiss or Kill history"

A long time ago I was floating from stupid job to stupid job to no job at all to stupid job again. I filled the down time drinking at a bar called Max’s. It is gone now. My friend, Glen, and I would go there quite often but we especially enjoyed Sunday nights.

Sunday was the slowest night for the bar so they tried to get more people to show up by making the beer extra cheap. They also brought in a DJ named Lori who would play all our favorite songs. She would mostly play punk rock and all the “alternative” rock that KROQ had long forgotten about.

Once in a while, Lori would play a few tracks from this local band. Glen and I would always forget what the band was called since we were drinking heavily at the time. On one particular night we asked Lori who the band was again.

She replied, “They are called Bang Sugar Bang and they are sitting right there”

Glen ended up buying their EP which included the song, “Posh Kids” and a few others. I talked to Cooper most the night about local bands. She passed me a flier for a kiss or kill show that I wouldn’t be able to attend. I thought she was a way cool though. She was one of the first people I ever met who knew who Sex with Lurch were. We discussed the recent Sex Pistols reunion show and we discussed just shows in general.

I remember saying, “Yeah. I’d love to be the type of guy who sees a show like once a week.”

I finally saw Bang Sugar Bang at a crap bar on the west side called Joxer Dailies. It was a Halloween show so I dressed like a priest with a hard on. Also playing that night were the Shapes. I think the only other people there were Nancy Jean and her brother. The venue only had one mike so Cooper and Matt had to share. They didn’t even turn down the sports on the TV.

Despite all of this, Bang Sugar Bang blew me away. They were pop punk in the best sense of the word. They made me think of X and the Pixies and so many others. They ended covering suspicious minds.

After the show, we all went to Nancy Jean’s place in Venice . Everyone went to bed and Matt and I stayed up until sunrise drinking corona, eating cold pizza and discussing World War II and punk rock.

After that, Bang Sugar Bang, their friend and Glen and I became sort of a Sunday night drinking club. I told everyone I knew about Bang Sugar Bang. I knew we’d all be going to their next show at Goldfingers.

My first Kiss or Kill show was here. The line up was The Shapes, Silver Needle, Deadbeat Sinatra, Bang Sugar Bang. I was blown away by all the bands that played. The Shapes had the quintessential “Fuck you” front man, Silver Needle had this raw energy that couldn’t be touched, Deadbeat Sinatra made you think of knife fights in classic movies, and Bang Sugar Bang just plain owned the stage.

Before Bang went on, someone with Goldfingers pushed their slot later and some crap country band played before them. Matt was pissed. Cooper cried and Chris (Poulos aka DJ CPod) tried to comfort her. Then they took the stage and played a blistering set. I banged by head on Matt’s guitar which became my signature move until my head couldn’t take it anymore. Chris used to have the poster from this show on his wall.

The next Kiss or Kill was at the Garage. I don’t remember who played that. What I do remember is how the Sunday night drinking club started re convening at the Garage on Tuesday nights. The booze was cheap and you didn’t have to pay a cover if you were planning to stay in the bar and drink. DJ Annathena played great music too. The bartender Tony made sure we’d be drunk and happy. Tobin, the owner of the garage was always fantastic to us. Suddenly our Tuesday night drinking nights became Kiss or Kill nights.

Then a bunch of other shit happened.

I was there for most of it. Some parts I remember and some parts I don’t. A lot of great bands, venues, people, some drama, and wonderfulness.

Thanks to Johnny 99, Cooper, Matt, Siria, Rob Z, Andre and Amanda.

“Front Row” Joe
“Gorby Bang”

Final Kiss or Kill Show: Preview

2007-12-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Below find some videos from the bands performing at the Final Kiss or Kill this Wednesday December 12th @ El Cid

Underwater City People's Hynotized Video

The Thriller Performance from Halloween 2007
UCP Thriller Video at Kiss or Kill Halloween Show!!

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Add to My Profile More Videos

Silver Needle

Zen Sushi 2004

Savior Skin Video featuring 04/05 Footage

@ Key Club Kiss or Kill First Fridays 2006

@ Safari Sams

Midway

Zen Sushi 2004

Music Video to Space Station

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The Randies

@ Zen Sushi 2004

@ Safari Sam's 2006

I Thought I Could Change Music Video

Bang Sugar Bang

@ Zen Sushi 2004

Posh Kids Video

Kis or Kill 2006 @ Safari Sams

2007 @ Safari Sams

That's Okay Video

A Note from Mike Schnee...

2007-12-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

I think Kate Hudson is boring. I don’t know why I think that. . I’m
sure that if I met her, I would find her charming and beautiful. Pretty
girls have that effect on me. But, since I don’t think I’ll ever meet
her, I only have my gut feeling to go by, so Kate Hudson is boring.

And so will Wednesday nights be, after next week.
Kiss or Kill will be no more.

Sure, I’ve stopped going to Kiss or Kill recently (for the most part). I
can’t quite put a finger on WHY I’ve stopped, though. It certainly isn’t personal.

I owe a WHOLE lot to Kiss or Kill. It really did change my life.

Back in the early days of KorK ( the Garage era), Matt Southwell and I
were AIM buddies (FUITA). We’d chat daily about everything from
celebrity nudity to the latest awesome band that Matt saw at KorK
(Dollyrots, Waking Hours, OAOT’S, Letter Openers, etc).

I never left the house back then. I’d threaten to come out to KorK,
but never did. Instead I wrote and recorded tons of Wormstew songs that no one would ever hear. It didn’t bother me at all.

Anyway, Matt and I used to chat a whole lot on AIM. One day, he
suggested that I make a documentary on Kiss or Kill. It seemed like a crazy idea to me, based on the fact that I had only made a few short
videos at the time...but what the heck. Why not?

This idea went back and forth for a few weeks and almost died until one
night in early 2004. My friend Veneta and I went to check out the
Breeders at the Troubador. It ended early, so we jammed on down to Zen
Sushi, where we caught Bang Sugar Bang’s last song at KorK.

Finally, I was at Kiss or Kill! There was only one band left called Midway, and I figured I’d stick it out and hang around and see them.

I was blown away! The songs were so CATCHY. I was hooked.

So, I came around the next week. I brought my video camcorder. I was
gonna make a documentary! Matt introduced me to all his friends as
“the guy that’s gonna make the doc”.

I was treated like royalty- GIRLS would come up to me and talk. You
gotta understand, I’m the guy that hides in the corner if I go to a
party AT ALL.

I met many of the people I wanted to meet and be friends with….people
I had seen in pictures and videos…Joe, Danny, Simon, Sir Ian, Eric, The
Randies, Flaco, Johnny 99, Andre, etc….SO MANY people…and they were
ALL COOL.

After that, I met another ton of people that I hadn’t seen in
pictures and videos: Jon Rustad, Kevin from Midway, Celeste, forget it…too many.

If I go on, I’ll forget to mention some major people that mean a
whole to me.

And, of course, there is Rob Z. I sort of knew him (through Matt)
before Kiss or Kill. The man is amazing. To me, he symbolizes Kiss or Kill.

As for the documentary, this is how it worked: Each week, I’d get
there early and set up. I’d get a half way decent sound from 2 mics and to
board inputs…not the greatest, but better then “camcorder” sound.

Then I’d get myself and 2 other camera operators and film a selected
band’s entire set. I’ve got boxes of tapes.

The camera operators? Glen, Sir Ian, Jerdog, Nate, and a few others. Their work was INCREDIBLE. I’d go home, pick a song, and start editing…. They gave me SO much to work with. Many times, people would offer to pay me to film their band at a non-KorK event, but I’d
decline.

I couldn’t get my regulars to work with me, so it would end uplooking
like shit.

(Fuck..this blog is getting LONG. I didn’t expect it to be long. And
it’s getting to be boring. Kate Hudson boring. Sorry. If you’ve gotten this far, I’ll try to wrap it up.)

I was limited in free time to work on the documentary. I seemed to only
have time on Tuesday nights…KorK nights. I never got anything other
than performance clips. That’s okay though…the clips I got were pretty
good (thanks to my fellow camera operators and THE BANDS).

Let me talk about WHY I love KorK. Each of the bands (in the heyday) wrote SONGS. They were songs that stuck in my brain. I couldn’t get
enough of them. All the members were really nice, which was surprising
to me.

All the people on the “other side of the stage” were just as
important. We all felt like we were in an exclusive club (that anybody could
join).

The documentary (for ME) came to a close once KorK moved to the Echo
and my spare time was taken up with Pu$$y-Cow. It really WAS a dream come true to be able to play Kiss Or Kill. It was an honor.

It still is.

Instead of a documentary, I pledged that I would still use my talents
to help out KorK by making “video flyers”. Check them out if you’ve
never seen them…I have tons of them on my YouTube site. In fact, KorK promos take up probably 75% of my videos.

(To view a sampling click here or visit: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9021A78F47CE42B8)

Here are a couple of examples of the genius that are the KorK Video Flyers created by Mike Schnee

The Echo days were also very special. Many more people were met
(Ashley, the New Fidelity, etc), including one of the coolest and funniest
people around- Johnny Pumpkin. Did you know that it was SHE that invented the
term Creepy Cool? She’s pretty neat, but you all know that.

Here is that Chissum Worthington video for Creepy Cool:

Oh, that’s right. It was at the Echo where I met Chissum Worthington.

View more Chissum Worthington videos here

Nice guy.

After the Echo, Kork moved to Safari Sam’s. There were more cool
people to meet (Carina, David, Kjell etc).

It was around this time that I stopped going every week, and eventually
crawled back into my shell at home…writing tons of Wormstew songs that
no one will ever hear.

I’d go once in a while, but it always seemed to be when my band (or
Chissum) was playing. I felt pretty awful, to tell you the truth. I
feel that I should have EARNED the right to play KorK by showing up every
week.

Now Kiss or Kill is ending it’s long ride at El Cid. Great place.

It’s gonna be weird this coming Wednesday. Sure, I don’t go that
often, but it was always there…if I decided to come out of my shell once in
a while.

I’ve got a few hundred people to thank, but I will only mention a few
right here: Matt, Cooper, Johnny 99, Siria, Andre, Amanda and Rob Z.

You all should be proud of yourselves for making many people happy.

See you all Wednesday.

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Jason Pancake

2007-12-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

by Jason Pancake

“Wow, how can you go out every Tuesday (or Wednesday) night?” someone asks me at the coffeemaker. With my dark, sunken eyes, ringing ears, and crooked tie, I say, “It’s Kiss or Kill night!” My older co-workers give me puzzled looks, but somehow, they eventually grow to understand. It sort of reminds me of my favorite scene in the movie “Fight Club” where the fighters go about their ordinary 9-5 jobs in their suits and ties, but they all look noticeably haggard with random injuries. Luckily for me, Kiss or Kill usually doesn’t leave me with black eyes or crutches.

I had been to shows at the Garage once or twice before, but it was at Zen Sushi on Hyperion that I became a regular. One night after seeing the Dollyrots at Mr. T’s Bowl, I struck up a conversation with the band and they told me to come and see them at this sushi restaurant that has rock bands playing. It sounded cool so I went that next week, and then again the next week, and soon it became a regular occurrence. The padded walls, the swinging light fixtures, $2 shots and PBR, kickball, togas, POW-camp style patio. Yes, this was the place to be! The unifying theme that brought everyone together for Kiss or Kill was the music and that was really what helped it work out. People appreciated the music and camaraderie rather than the “scene” and just about everyone associated with Kiss or Kill was either in a band, played an instrument, worked a music related job, was reliving the glory days of being in a band (like me), or was used to hanging around musicians. Most importantly though, it worked because the people involved with and who attended Kiss or Kill were among the nicest, friendliest people I know in LA. What made it so cool was that people weren’t worried about BS, hipster elitist “coolness”, yet also weren’t zombies to the masses.

My first real bonding with the bands and the awesome trio of Johnny 99, Cooper, and Matt came in 2004 when I was a svengali out to find bands to play my Rock Against Bush show. Thanks to them and some Kiss or Kill bands, it turned out to be an incredible show at the Echo featuring a killer lineup of the Bell Rays, Bang Sugar Bang, the Dollyrots, the Randies, and Los Abandoned—all united as one against the Dark Side. We might have lost that year’s battle, but during my time at Kiss or Kill, I discovered that in addition to the expected Left Coasters, New Englanders, and real Englishmen who would share my views, I also found so many great, like-minded Midwesterners, Southerners, and yes, even Texans. When I get on my soapbox to rail against injustices and hypocrisy, it’s wonderful to find people that actually get it. But, you can’t be an angry hippie all the time, so then it’s nice to be able to switch the conversation to geek talk about guitar bridges or reminisce about getting frostbite during the Boston winters.

Special thanks to Johnny 99, Cooper, Matt, Siria, Andre, Amanda, Rob Z, and everyone else who helped keep the train on tracks and running. Thank you Midway, Dollyrots, Randies, Bang Sugar Bang, Silver Needle, She’s Your Sister, UCP, Waking Hours, classic Sounds of Asteroth, Cakecutter, Power Cords, Rainman Suite, Bobot, Pcow, and many more I’m totally blanking out on, for getting your songs stuck in my head while I was negotiating budget items the next day with the Governator’s staffers. Thank you Johnny Pumpkin for being pretty much one of the coolest persons in history.

And there are so many more awesome bands and great people that it would take forever to try to list cool memories of them all now. I’m pretty sure I would leave some important names off my list and feel guilty about it. So as they say, “you all know who you are.”

xoxo,
Jason Pancake

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Automatique

2007-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Automatique

www.myspace.com/automatiqueband

Playing in a new band in LA, or any city, the one thing I always wanted but couldn't find was that legendary "music scene" that existed somewhere, but somehow nobody knew where it was.

My friend Jon Hershfield hosted a radio show on Killradio.org called "...is good" and Automatique played his show. After, he mentioned meeting Siria, and learning about Kiss or Kill. When he described it to me it sounded like the closest thing to that music scene I had been looking for but never located. He said "It's amazing, it's about 40 or so bands that rotate throughout the month, they do a show every wednesday (it might have been a different night at the time) and it moves around. And they have their own draw, so as a new band it's the best way to make new friends and fans."

Siria came down to see us at the Scene in Glendale (I think it was our fourth show ever) and she seemed to like what we were up to.

A month later we played our first KOK at Safari Sam's and we were freaked out because we were like "there's the most people we've ever seen in front of the stage". Since then we've played KOK half a dozen times and every time it's been better than the last.

We're going to be really sad to see it go. But it was a good run.

Holy Shit!

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Kelly

2007-12-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

By Kelly:

When I moved out to California to start graduate school, I was desperate to make some money. Those who know me realize that prostitution wasn't an option for me, so I opted for the next best thing: a work-study job at my university. I started working for the music school, answering phones with my fellow musicians in a church basement that housed some of the scariest crypt-like hallways that I've ever seen. My coworkers and I became fast friends, trading band names and favorite show memories like currency. One of these coworkers would always come in bleary-eyed (and often twenty minutes late) on Wednesday mornings, and proceed to tell me about her escapades the night before at this "awesome club," Kiss or Kill.

At first I was skeptical. Certainly I was intrigued by Emma's stories about the social interactions among members of this tight-knit community, but mostly I was interested in the music. She swore that some of these local bands were the best she'd heard, but this still wasn't enough to get me out of my cozy house on a Tuesday night to mingle with a group of folks I was sure would shun me for not being cool enough to run with their crowd.

I resisted Emma's invitations to come to Kiss or Kill for months, even after Laura Red was hired as our boss at work. Every Wednesday, I would listen to the two of them rehash the previous night's events over coffee, stifling yawns but never fully able to conceal grins about the great time they'd had hopping onstage to sing "Sunday Night" with Bang. This went on for about eight months until I finally sucked it up and agreed to come out with them to the second comp release party at the Knitting Factory.

From the instant I walked in, I felt at home. People I had never met before were hugging me hello and telling me their personal histories, all to the backdrop of some of the most infectious, honest local music I'd heard in LA. A frequenter of several indie shows, I was used to the stand-back-with-arms-folded-and-glare-appraisingly-at-the-band stance that so many of LA's concert-goers adopt; here, there was a feeling of community, excitement, and energy between crowd and band that I hadn't seen in years. Not once did I feel out of place for not knowing lyrics to a UCP song, or hand motions to go along with Midway tunes--I knew I'd learn.

The past few years have been incredible. I've discovered so many talented bands who have revitalized my interest in a local music scene that I'd all but written off. I've made lasting friendships with folks whose last names I still don't know. I've gone through countless pairs of earplugs, lost hours and hours of sleep, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thank you, Kiss or Kill!

Wednesday December 5th - Two to Go...

2007-12-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday December 5th

The Second to last final Kiss or Kill show...

Taking place at El Cid (4212 Sunset Blvd)
$5 Cover

line-up:

9:45 pm - The New Fidelity
10:30 pm - The Dollyrots
11:15 pm - The Automatic Music Explosion
12:00 am - The Letter Openers

9:45 pm - The New Fidelity
Kiss or Kill @ The Echo 2005

Kiss or Kill Playa's Picnics The Old Towne Pub 2006

Kiss or Kill @ Safari Sams 2007

10:30 pm - The Dollyrots
Kiss or Kill @ Zen Sushi 2004
<

Because I'm Awesome Video -2007

11:15 pm - The Automatic Music Explosion
at Kiss or Kill @ Safari Sam's January 2007

Kiss or Kill Presents Metal Skool @ Key Club August 2007

Metal Skool November 2007

Midnight - The Letter Openers
You Won't Remember My Name - 2006

Highland Grounds during the Rob Z Acoustic Nights - 2006

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: The O.A.O.T's

2007-12-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

The O.A.O.T's

www.myspace.com/theoaots

As told by Eddie:

I was definitely underage and just an alcoholic college kid playing in a shitty band who stumbled on mr ts. then we soon met mike tv and he booked us at some show at the echo with billion stars who we had met before and the letter openers who we had not. i was blacked out for some reason or another when i met nancy jean and cooper there. they say we danced, but to me its like it never happened. i lost my amp head that night and poked matt in the eye so i had to find a ride home with someone else.

A few weeks later mike tv booked some show at the alterknit and matt and i were there. from across the room i heard nancy say, its the oaots. she even pronounced it right. i had no idea who this girl was, but i'm sure matt covered for me somehow.

The sequence of events gets blurrier and blurrier as i moved to silverlake and became perpetually wasted. i remember one night at the echo talking to matt bang. i had my recorder and have the minidisc somewhere in my moms house of him talking about exactly what kiss or kill was supposed to be. not having to call up every one of your friends and beg them to come see you do what you love because they love it too. i guess we all just wanted cooler friends. found them.

We played a show at the garage a little bit before kiss or kill started playing there. all the coolest kids were there. i think it was just random justice and bang, maybe silver needle and false alliance. i think we then played two KOK nights a few months after that and the second night the place was fucking packed to the back. were we residents that month? i think it was pretty early on. i dont remember. i was underage and abusing my body during a still developmental period in my life. i;m sur ei have slight brain damage from it.

im sure i had fun. sleeping behind bangs drum kit, breaking my bass constantly, wasted in vegas, recording with matt southwell, international noise conspiracy, breaking other peoples belongings continually, busted hand cast rock show on all a bunch of codeine with a guest bassist, too drunk to sing at the knitting factory in front of the biggest crowd we ever played to, our drummer quitting (again) over it.

all in all a spectacular part of my life.

Here are two OAOT's videos:

The OAOT's in New York

Their Video for Guided by Choices

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Carrie Rapaport

2007-12-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

From Carrie Rapaport :

I was introduced to the whole Kiss or Kill scene by my then-drummer, Mista John Montgomery. John would come back into the studio on Wednesdays, reeling from nights at the Echo. He'd marvel at the great bands that were there, the cool vibe and the fact that it wasn't the "typical" LA scenesters. After weeks of hearing him describe the goings-on, I decided to accompany him. To Punk Rock Prom, no less. Vahe played acoustically that night...The Randies...and I was introduced during that show to the musical awesomeness that is the one-and-only Porterville.

As I stood there and watched for the first time, unable to keep still for more than a few seconds at most, I looked around to see everyone else dancing crazily, as well. "WOW! No one is self-conscious here!" I thought. "No one is putting up a front of being 'too cool'!"

And what was this?!?!? An entire crowd of people shoving and pushing and dancing onstage with Bang Sugar Bang??? "In Heaven, there is no beeeeer...." No pretention. No "I'm afraid I'll look dumb"...I lost myself to the music, met some great people, and made it a point to start coming back.

OK. No more Echo.

Time for Safari Sam's. WOW! What a kickass venue THAT was! Many evenings I could be found at KoK, rocking out to great bands, and having the time of my life as I shared the stage with so many other fantastic acts.

Here is the most CLASSIC example of what Kiss or Kill was about. And I don't mean the whole "come early/stay late" thing, although that's wonderful.

I'm talking about the INTEGRITY of musicians and music lovers...I remember playing the Sunset Junction show at El Cid. Gaby Godhead had his guitars stolen by some jerkoff who decided to sneak in through the back door. We were in a panic, as Cakecutter was going to be onstage in about an hour. Matt Southwell of Bang Sugar Bang PROMPTLY, without a moment's hesitation, offered use of his Telecaster to Gaby, knowing FULLY WELL that, within a period of the 40-minute set, drool, sweat, face makeup, and God-knows-what-else would be SMEARED across that thing. The show went off without a hitch, I remember rocking out on Joe Dana's very capable shoulders, singing and screaming and yelling as he carted me through the El Cid dining room...everyone smacking my ass as I passed by. Good times, indeed. It turned catastrophe into something SPECIAL.

About 2 weeks later, everyone came together, and Johnny and Siria organized a fundraiser to attempt to replace Gaby's stolen guitars. You know, the money wasn't even the thing. It, again, was about musicians (and, more importantly, FRIENDS) coming together in tough times. Come on, we're all MUSICIANS. Who hasn't been through issues in the past? Just showed, again, that musicians, though we may be dirty, poor, sometimes unemployed, tired and embittered, can also be the embodiment of TRUE CLASS.

Awesome-ist moments:

1. Watching the Chicago-based She's Your Sister was amazingly pivotal for me, because they appeared to do everything so EFFORTLESSLY and were STILL smiling and singing along to their own lyrics.

2. Pu$$yCow? ALWAYS a fantabulous time. Seeing the back of Colin Dana's head bouncing around always made me smile...and Mike Schnee's (oops...I mean Chissum Worthington) videos on MySpace were some of the best examples of fantastic band promotion I could ever think of.

3. Jason Pancake giving his solemn 2 cents about some of the better bands...

4. Siria ALWAYS smiling and willing to engage in some "girl talk"

5. Andy making the thinnest Santa ever, but STILL giving great Ho-Ho-Hugs.

6. Standing outside between bands, laughing, smiling, and hugging everyone.

All-in-all, it was a scene to be remembered.

Thank you Kiss or Kill. You made me smile.

Carrie Rapaport
singer, Cakecutter

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: NU-TRA

2007-12-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

NU-TRA

www.myspace.com/nutra

All Photos of NU-TRA at Kiss or Kill @ The Echo by Flaco

From Vahe of NU-TRA:

I used to hang out at this music store called Future Music on Sunset Blvd.

Future Music was a well respected store owned by gear guru Jack Waterson. Jack is like the musicians Yoda and his store was like a haven for bands and friends. Jack was friends with Matt and Cooper so Jack being a NU-TRA fan he suggested I meet them.

One day I had randomly met Matt at Future Music and we hit it off. We were residency at the Echo in the winter of 2004 and Jack had told Matt to come out so Matt showed up with Cooper and they saw us live.

This is the first time I had met Cooper. Next thing I know Matt called and asked us to play KORK and let me tell you something... I have never heard anyone so enthusiastic about us. We were doing well as a band in LA but booking agents made us miserable by not caring like we did. We worked hard promoting shows and we filled up venues but we still got treated like shit. Matt made us feel important so we were happy to come aboard. I was told the last KORK show at Zen was coming up so I decided to check it out. FAMILY FUN TIME!

Everyone was having a great time like one great big family. NU-TRA's first show was at KORK when they had just moved to the Echo and boy was that successful! We were asked to have a residency right away.

I had not met Johnny 99 till we played KORK. Johnny was always good to us... I loved the fact that he would play the "Truth About De-Evolution" DVD on the projector... It made me feel right at home.

My relationship with Matt and Cooper grew and we have become great friends over the last few years. I am glad this was all a part of my life. I have read a few KORK stories and one thing it fails to mention is how much work Matt did. This not knocking Johnny 99 or Cooper or even Siria because they all worked hard but I think Matt did a lot of the scouting and bringing all of you the fine entertainment that was KORK.

I want to thank Matt, Cooper, Johnny 99, Siria and all the fans that made us feel important.

Thank you for accepting us in your world.

Thank you for believing in our vision in any way.

NU-TRA loves you.

Vahe

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Present Tense

2007-12-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

Present Tense

www.myspace.com/presenttense

From Singer Amanda Rowse:

you may also remember Amanda from this Chissum Worthington Promo:

For myself and Present Tense, Kiss or Kill has truly been a family. It has been a constant and positive reminder of that which we all seek in our musical endeavors; a place where player and spectator alike can appreciate a community of supportive, driven, fun individuals who come together each week (and often times more frequently than that) to create something bigger than any one band or fan or promoter, no matter how successful, could experience alone. Call it a "scene". Call it a group of friends. To me it was always more than these words can sum up.

I first came to Kiss or Kill during it's time at The Echo, when the Echoplex downstairs was new. I had heard about it from various acquaintances, but after several years of Present Tense gigs and nights out as an onlooker at countless clubs, phrases like "a really fun club" and "great music" and "cool people" began to lose much of their substance. I had played and seen some great shows, but the Amanda that first walked into The Echo that night years ago was becoming a rapid convert to the much touted belief that Los Angeles' live local music scene had become too disjointed, and that too often people DID just come out to see a specific band, have a drink, then hop back in their cars to make the drive home without a second thought as to the night as a whole. So often I had seen or been put on bills that just didn't make sense musically, each band having nothing to do with the next, with the exception of a possible "hello" or a "is your drum kit clear of the stage yet?” Although we live in a town with countless musical possibilities occurring every night of the week, people had been overwhelmed by this disconnected, pay-to-play standard which saturated so many great venues, audiences left not knowing what to think of these musical arranged marriages of sorts. There were exceptions to this, of course, there always are, and we were fortunate enough to find some of these, but I was definitely starting to see this problem as a reality of time and place.

So, as I say, I first attended Kiss or Kill not really knowing what to expect, but having heard enough good things to warrant a drive out from Hollywood to see what the night was all about. I remember liking all of the sets that I saw that night, but I remember more than anything being struck by the force and energy of the crowd in the club. This was not the self conscious, detached, hipster crowd that seemed to have taken over so much of the East Side of Los Angeles. These people knew each other, LIKED each other, and didn’t bat an eye before rushing up to the front, singing along, showing their enthusiasm for each band to take the stage. The crowd was the same for the entire evening, only growing as the night rolled on. I felt a rush of enthusiasm and appreciation for what I saw, for whatever this was, it was different than anything I had seen around town in a while. It was so intimate, my enthusiasm was somewhat countered by a tremendous awareness that I was an outsider, which only served to heighten my curiosity - one can only be an outsider in a situation where there are established bonds strong enough to be visible to someone new. Our friend Gint had come to the club with me that night, and I remember our excited conversation with Tom later, describing what we had seen, deciding we would go back the next week to see if it happened again.

And it did. We went back, and have been going back ever since. Throughout the years since I first found Kiss or Kill, some things have changed: some faces, venues, days of the week, but the constancy of its community and spirit have remained strong. We have played and partied with all of you, from squirt gun filled summer bbqs at the Old Towne Pub to late night camaraderie outside Little Pedro's, basking in the glow of Safari Sam's sounds system as Rob Z's eloquent introduction mingles with a driving fender and the audience's shouts and applause, the all day and night sun and tequila infused mayhem of Sunset Junction at El Cid. Proms, toga parties, record releases, reunions, birthdays, graduations, the list could go on. But you know that, because you were all there experiencing and participating in it too.

I know that in this world change is arguably the only constant, and that at this juncture Kiss or Kill too shall come to pass. And although I understand why it is ending, I won't forget what it did for me, what it did for all of us these past years. But really, all of the bands, promoters and supporters are what made Kiss or Kill more than just a random club night, more than just another gig; we made it a true musical and social community that brimmed with talent, drive, and friendship, so I should really say that I won't forget what we did. I was not there from the first days of the club, but I am very happy in knowing that for some time now Present Tense and I have been a piece of the "we" - it has been such a major part my life these past several years in large part because that "we" gave me a new appreciation for what can happen when people come together with a common vision and a positive outlook. And because it fucking rocked.

To all of you I say thanks. You don’t have to go home, but you can't stay here - well, maybe for just a few more shows.

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Get Set Go

2007-12-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

Get Set Go

www.myspace.com/getsetgo

As told by Mike TV in an earlier interview that can also be found here on the Kiss or Kill Blog:

On their first Kiss or Kill show...

Hmm...you know, I don't know. I remember Matt and Cooper from Bang Sugar Bang coming out the Tuesday nights at Mr. T's, and I remember them telling me that they were starting something up at the Garage (now known as the Little Temple) on Sunday nights. And I remember going to a few shows out there, which were always loads of fun. I mean, this was at a particularly hard-boozing period in my life, and if there's one thing beside make music that the Kiss or Killers do well, it's putting back the alcohol. So, it was always glorious fun. Insofar as our first show, I really don't know. I think it was at Zen (Sushi). Although, we played the Garage a bunch of times, and one of those might have been a Kiss or Kill show. My brain doesn't work so well, anymore.

On what made Kiss or Kill different...

Well, basically, Kiss or Kill is about community. It's about bands who love music supporting other bands who love music. And, for whatever reason, that's a pretty rare breed of band. And I live for those nights when I'm seeing bands that I love, surrounded by people that I love, and all of us are sharing an experience that is singularly ours. It doesn't belong to strangers. It's not about getting rich or being famous. It's about music, and each other, and love. And man, if that's not PR I don't know what is.

And, what was Launchpad's influence on Kiss or Kill? I don't know. Maybe, just maybe it inspired Cooper and Johnny and all of the architects of Kiss or Kill to realize that you don't have to wait around for someone else to make a place for your music to belong. You can do it yourself. But that might be assuming way too much. I really don't know.

But I do know that I'm happy that Kiss or Kill exists. Without it, the Los Angeles music scene would be a dramatically bleaker environment.

How We Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Mulhollands

2007-12-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Mulhollands

www.myspace.com/themulhollands

The Mulhollands @ Kiss or Kill - Safari Sams 2006

The Mulhollands @ Kiss or Kill Presents...Metal Skool @ Key Club 2007

As told by Sarah Jeanette and Jeremy James in an interview that you can view here on the Kiss or Kill blog:

Well, we started hanging out at Kiss or Kill and really loved the scene. So Johnny decided to book us an opening slot and it went really well, so we continued to play pretty regularly.(Our first show was) April 21, 2006

We loved playing Kiss or Kill the best because it has a family type vibe. There are so many regulars and everyone is so supportive

Kiss or Kill is different because as mentioned above, it has an awesome vibe...it is its own little community, like a big family of musicians and genuine music lovers. Thats hard to find in LA.

We played a Kiss or Kill show opening for Winger and Metal Skool which was probably the craziest show to date. The crowd was amazing and yeah, its Winger...enough said.

Outside of the Kiss or Kill Community, we have a group of LA bands we have formed a community with...Automatic Music Explosion, Ok Stranger, Spycamera, The Scene, The Ringers, American Eyes etc.

The Mulhollands at Kiss or Kill @ Safari Sam's 2007

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Letter Openers

2007-12-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

The Letter Openers

www.myspace.com/theletteropeners

The Letter Openers @ El Cid 2007

So, here's how I remember it:

Mac with the Letter Openers at the Echo 2005

The Letter Openers started as The Lamed Vovniks, and the first club that would have us was Launchpad. Launchpad was put together and run by the one & only Mike TV. We played our first show at Launchpad West, which was held at the Billiard Inn (now the Good Hurt). We also played at Launchpad East (held @ Mr. Ts Bowl). These Launchpad bills were populated by many future Kiss or Kill bands, including Vermicious K (who morphed into Get Set Go), Billion Stars, The Dollyrots and The Friendship Motor Inn (who became The Randies), to name a few.

When Launchpad moved to The Echo, we met Matt & Cooper of Bang Sugar Bang. We knew them from the year before, when we shared a bill with BSB at Duggan's Pub in Culver City. There was another band on the Duggan's bill called The Shapes. Their vocalist was the drummer for Martin's & my first band together, The Super Glorious Fucking Assholes. His name is Kevin Murphy and he was instrumental in starting the scene that turned into Kiss or Kill. And now back to BSB...

We met Matt & Cooper at The Echo and they asked us to come and play Kiss or Kill, which was then being held at The Garage. It was at The Garage shows that we got to know bands like Silver Needle, The OAOTs and Zeitgeist Auto Parts. The club then moved to Zen Sushi and the rest is history...

The Letter Openers at El Cid 2007

Sincerely,

Mac

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Automatic Music Explosion

2007-12-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Automatic Music Explosion

www.myspace.com/theautomaticmusicexplosion

The AME Live at Kiss or Kill - Safari Sam's 2007 - photos by Ashley Ford

By Matt:

“A few years back I went to The Echo & saw my first Kiss or Kill night. I had never been to a night of live bands that had such a supportive & friendly vibe. I had moved from New York City where things were definitely NOT like that. I couldn’t wait to get a band together & be part of the scene.

We got a last minute offer to play @ 7pm on a mostly DJ oriented night at Safari Sam’s. We had been playing out for a couple months & we were looking to play anywhere & were definitely excited to be playing Safari Sam’s regardless of the time slot.

Cooper was working at the bar that night, she saw us & that was that.

Our first KorK was (I think) Jan 29, 2007. After that we were asked to be the resident band for April. It was a huge thrill & we made lots n’ lots of new fans & friends. After that we played every couple months including a show with Metal Skool @ The Key Club.

"We definitely owe a HUGE “Thank You” to Cooper, Siria & Johnny for all of the opportunities we’ve been given!

We’ll miss Kiss or Kill!

XOXO,

Matt, Jodie, Chris, Jeff & Max!

THE AUTOMATIC MUSIC EXPLOSION

message from Mike TV of Get Set Go

2007-11-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

From Mike TV of Get Set Go

We're playing at Kiss or Kill tonight.

For those of you who don't know it, Kiss or Kill is a weekly event where lots of bands, all of which are incredible, congregate to celebrate each other's music, singalong, drink, and be merry. You can look out on any crowd and see numerous musicians from other bands in the scene just hanging out, digging the music, and fraternizing with each other. It really has been and honor and a privilege to be a part of this community. So, tonight's show is the last Kiss or Kill we're ever going to play. Because, as they say, all good things must end. And Kiss or Kill was a good, nay, a great thing. And for a brief while, it was a shining example of what can happen when a bunch of great bands and good people decide to congregate on a weekly basis.

So, I'd like to invite you guys out to the show tonight. We're going on early. Well, early for Kiss or Kill. We're starting the night out at 9:45. This is deference to all of our fans that have to go to work or school in the morning. So, if you are planning on coming out, and you show up at 10:30, and you've missed us, don't tell me about it. Because, as I said before, we're playing this show for you. I hear my music all the time. I love it. It's great music. But the reason we play out, is so that you guys can share and be a part of it. So, I hope you do.

This is the end of an era. The Kiss or Kill era. And I'm lucky to have had a chance to experience it. There were some Kiss or Kill shows that rank amongst the finest rock shows I've ever been to. And for those of you who know me, you know that I'm talking about a thousand shows. No joke. 100 to 200 shows a year for almost ten years. That's not including touring and other people's shows. And there are a handful of Kiss or Kill shows that I will always, always, always remember.

So, come out tonight and help us say farewell to an old friend. Even if, for you, it's a new friend.

With great, big, steaming piles of love and respect,

Mike TV

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Bobot Adrenaline

2007-11-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

BOBOT ADRENALINE

www.myspace.com/bobotadrenaline

"How We Came Across Kiss or Kill"

Bobot Adrenaline on the final (rainy) night of their Kiss or Kill Residency of March 2005 at the Echoplex

"Bobot like many bands was struggling along in the dead Los Angeles music scene that was around prior to 2004. The 90's had been nice, and when those bands went away starting around 2000-2001 well, you had to be there to know just how vacant it was. Bobot Adrenaline was playing oddball places like one off clubs in studios and the CIA, benefit shows and way the hell out in Pomona or churches in Pasadena.

Crap!

Then one night in 2003, me and my friend Tommy happened to be at Spaceland when we caught a set by Ze Auto Parts or as I affectionately refer to them as - the ZAP girls. We instantly saw a band that was all about fun and rock and I quickly exchanged info with Ilse so we could play shows together and she invited me to see ZAP play at the Garage another night. I ended up going to the show and what I walked into is I believe one of the last Kiss or Kill shows at the Garage. I saw Bang Sugar Bang for the first time there, talked to Matt, he gave me a CD and told me that they were moving this club they had started to Zen Sushi soon.

When KorK started up at Zen I went down to check it out and within minutes knew I had just walked into a piece of Los Angeles history in the making. I called my bandmates the next day and told them we had found what we were looking for. This club - Kiss or Kill - was the homebase Bobot Adrenaline was in desperate need of and from that moment on my only goal was to get us into Kiss or Kill.

I went every week. I think I gave Cooper a demo maybe I can't remember. I told them we were playing a show at the Scene Bar and surprisingly enough her and Matt showed up! How bizarre was that?! If you've been in a band for only a brief time in Los Angeles, you know that no booker is going to go to another club to see if they want to book a band or not. That's just nuts. I knew that either these people were completely unique or they had no idea what they were doing. Either way was fine with me!

We played our first show February 10th of 2004 on the bill with The OAOTs. We were back the next month with Midway and Bang Sugar Bang. We started playing it regularly watching other bands slowly wander in from the desolate LA music scene like Rainman Suite and Blockage to find refuge in the little red and white room. I still remember the first night the Rainman Suite guys loaded in. Any band that came in the door knew right away they were about to play a club that had something very special going on. It was a giant family.

As the crowds grew bigger at the shows the more apparent it became that the local journalists - some of who I knew - were giving us the cold shoulder. The club was packed every week and the LA Weekly wouldn't so much as give us an "also recommend". We were completely ignored. I was elated! I could go see the latest incarnation of the latest garage band sounding garage band play to 15 people and they were the next big thing, but the Kiss or Kill bands with the crowds, the mosh pits, the surfing, the beer showers and amazing bands packing in this little room every week didn't warrant such a spotlight. I knew then we were all doing something right at that point.

By the time KorK moved to the Echo, Bobot did their residency in March of 2005. Some of the best shows we've ever played and our biggest shows to date. I couldn't believe the rainy night they bumped us down to the Echoplex and the place was still packed! That's the photo you see on our website or MySpace, looking over our shoulders on stage at this crowd.

No matter how many times the club moved we went with it, because as I told my bandmates after walking into Zen Sushi for the first time, "we have to be a part of this thing, because it will not last." Good things never last forever - that's what makes them special. Kiss or Kill lasted way past what I thought it would do. Hell I think the Masque in the 80s only lasted 2 years maybe a little more and I'm sure people who were there would tell you only 6 months of that was any good.

Collectively as musicians we mapped out a very large niche in LA music history. Turn all your Kiss or Kill photos black and white and put them up against all those photos of the Masque or CBGBS or Gilman Street. There's no difference. We were all in it for the same reasons - to play music.

Thanks Cooper, Matt, 99 and all the punters at Kiss or Kill"

Pepper, Corey Mac, and Bryan

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Mista John

2007-11-26T23:28:00.000-08:00

Mista John has been a part of bands including Bottom 12 and can currently be caught with The Virginia City Revival

Here is his Kiss or Kill Story

"Just to add my two cents:

I began going to Kiss or Kill as an escape from my sometimes hectic word. This was when it was being held back at the Garage.

I would go there, grab a beer and hide in the corner. I didn't know anyone, and none of my friends knew about the club...yet.

One night, Band Sugar Bang was playing, and having far more fun than I though a band playing the Garage on a Tuesday night should be having. It was like LA didn't exist for them, they were simply having a good time.

That was refreshing for me, especially as that time frame held a lot of work and life pressure for me.

And then, as I sat in the corner, a guy came over with a flyer for one of his band's next gigs.

I looked at the flyer and thought the band name was cool...The King Cheetah...

Years later, seeking more refuge from a crazy world, I began checking out Kiss or Kill when it was at Zen Sushi. Something was different. The club had grown, and the good time attitude had definately spread to the crowd. I grabbed my $3 PBR and had a seat. All the bands were having fun, and the crowd was like a family. I actually began enjoying being there, but also had my "LA Shell" set to "on." It was like being an outsider, watching a bunch of friends have a party...and then it happened. A smile here, a hello there...hmmm...people were friendly...

I'm not a guy who upholds the LA attitude of an "impress me" scowl, and folded arms, but I knew that there was really something different about the club. It reminded me of how the Club Lingerie used to be when my old band, Bottom 12, used to play there with the likes of Dead White & Blue, Weezer, Tool, RATM, and many others. That was a special time...and now there was something new.

Kork then moved to the ECHO, I had moved too, and live a few blocks away. I began telling my bandmates and roomates Jonah and Veronica) that they too, should check out the club. What was better than getting completely obliterated on a Tuesday night? Even my co-workers responded favorably to my telling them that I was partying on Tuesday nights like it was a Friday night...

It was while Kork was at the Echo, that many of the attendees began recognizing my being there each week. Unbelievably to me, people began saying "hello" and "hi, my name is....what's your's?"

I was amazed.and the music was good...really good.

This was something new, and it felt right. So right, that I hoped on a bus and headed out to Las Vegas with a bunch of people I had just met. Kork was having a road trip to LV, for KORK at the Double Down...I was drunk before we hit the Interstate 15 incline...I was having my second wind of the night by Barstow...I had several episodes of nearly passing out, but the reviving throughout the night...

The rest is history. I've found the people I met at the club to be among the best people I know in this town..and I was born here. The attitude of the bands and club goers restored my faith in the LA scene...

My thanks to Siria, Johnny 99, Cooper, Matt, Rob Z, Andre, Amanda . Tobin and Sam (Safari Sam's) and everyone who I've met through the club...all the people....all the bands...too numerous to mention!

I'll miss my midweek refuge from the world's insanity, I look strangely forward to playing our last Kork gig on Nov 28...understanding that even great things must come to an end..."

John

Joe Dana on The End of Kiss or Kill...

2007-11-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

Joe Dana is the lead singer for Pu$$y Cow, although you may also know him as Front Row Joe.

Here is his reaction to the announcement of the end of Kiss or Kill

"but fucking wow.

kiss or kill is apparently ending at the end of December. I have a flood of emotions over this. I know I haven't attended for the last month. That may have rubbed some the wrong way, but be assured I still have a great love for this weekly club

It has introduced me to some of the best bands in Los Angeles including my own. I've said in almost every interview that P-cow owes so much to the club.

I remember the first one I went to was at the now defunct Goldfingers where Bang Sugar Bang, The Shapes, Silver Needle and Deadbeat Sinatra played. Some country crap band closed the night which made Cooper cry. Chris P. and Glen were there. I banged my head against Matt's guitar. History was made.

I don't remember if there were more between then and the Garage but wow...

the Garage was the best venue for Kork for my money. Not to say the other incarnations sucked but it is just hard to top those original evenings. The booze was the cheapest. the Oaots were underage. Chris Poulos would hurt me. Robin did sound. I remember being introduced to the Dollyrots, the Randies, the King Cheetah, Random Justice (R.I.P. what a great band) and many others. Johnny 99 smashed a bass here. Bang Sugar Bang had their first album release here. I remember the Hello my name is cards. I remember puking on the side of my car the last night it was open.

Zen Sushi was fantastic too. The Waking Hours, The Cloves, The Knives, Underwater City People. I remember thinking that Celeste and Jon must be going out like so many other Kork Male/Female bands. I remember the first time hearing Stupid Job. I remember the Midway dodge ball game. The kiss or kill compilation party with two stages! The waking hours bleeding on shit. Zeitgeist Auto Parts bringing the buzz....colin's first kork shows were here. was it here or the echo that the missiles played? were the letter openers at zen or the garage? i'm not going to remember.

I liked the Echo. some didn't but I did. the bartenders were slow. the security was controversal but it was close to my house. it was probably the height of kork's success. we played the echo. the muffs did too. so did international noise conspiracy. I remember not being able to get to the front of the stage after the LA weekly article came out.

so many drunken nights. So much drama. So many venue changes. So many make out sessions. So many nights I shouldn't have driven home. there is so much more. vegas. vegas bus trips. taking over the knitting factory. THE FUCKING TEQUILA GUN. filling in for robz. fuck. how could I forget rob z himself.I loved it all.

Even at Safari Sam's and El Cid when it started to sort of...well...not be as great as it's previous incarnations...i still enjoyed it. I still attended.

i could write more but i am at work.

Let it be known that we had a great run and my life would sorely be different had I not started getting drunk with these rat bastards.

I've told the story a million times but Cooper and I were at Max's and I was saying, "I wish I could be the type of guy who goes to shows once a week"...a few months later and I was going to 3 a week.

thanks kiss or kill. "

As the Curtain Call Approaches...

2007-11-04T11:55:00.001-08:00

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has shared their "How I came across Kiss or Kill" stories with me! I will start posting them over the weekend on our blog that you can view by visiting www.kissorkillclub.blogspot.com

From our previous announcements...

Kiss or Kill's Final Curtain Call

Now that I finally have a few moments I wanted to take the time to say thank you to everyone who has been involved with the club at all points of its existence. I know I will fail in my attempt to make this short and sweet so be forewarned.

As most of you know we announced earlier last month that we would be ending Kiss or Kill this year as it celebrates it's five year anniversary. In the midst of the Kiss or Kill goes Pink in October frenzy, I hadn't had a chance to write my own parting email.

This was a long thought out and extremely hard decision to make, but we feel it is the right one for us to make at this time.

Never in Los Angeles (or really anywhere else for that matter) have I come across so many people so unpretentious (and doubt very highly that I ever will again with another group of people). Kiss or Kill and the people that came to it honestly couldn't care less about what shoes/jeans you were wearing, what your day job was, what car you drove. As the Randies ode to Kiss or Kill, "Socialite," states "Who you know, where you go at the show we don't care..." Words that couldn't ring truer, in fact because the Kiss or Kill crowd just didn't care about any of these things the initially monthly now weekly night at times attracted celebrities (although thankfullly not your heiress' and "trust fund kid" type of wannabe celebrity ) and musicians and other artists who the Kiss or Kill bands often name check as inspirations to them as musicians and artists as well as A&R who would come out to check out the nights line-ups. The intent however, was not to bring the celebrity factor into it, as we had our own pseudo celebrities such as Rob Z the Wonder Emcee, the genius Chissum Worthington, Front Row Joe, Mr.Matt "Bang" Southwell (aka Southy) etc.

Kiss or Kill was a place where you could listen to great music, drink a beer or two (or 7 or 8), have some great conversations with other kindred spirits and never feel like you got ripped off. The infamously low cover of $2 then $3 (which remains 5 years later if you can make it to the show before 10pm) for 5 bands, should go to show that it was not just another night being put together by promoters (I still refuse to be called a promoter) looking for ways to pay their rent (or perhaps their next line of blow) and although we have nothing but respect for some of the local promoters, Kiss or Kill was started by musicians and the audience was comprised of friends and friends of friends. If you wandered into a Kiss or Kill night and didnt start off knowing anyone there at the beginning of the night, it was very likely that by the end of the night after initially speaking to just one person you would know half the people there. Heck most of us didn't even know each other's last names for most of the last few years preferring first names or better yet nicknames (i.e. Mike TV, Pawley Filth, Laura Red, Jason Pancake, etc.,etc.) but that never stopped us from exchanging friendly smiles and hugs and inquiries of our latest significant others/projects/films/recordings/pets/breakups/crushes etc, as part of our weekly greetings. Pretty soon, we were all making it to each other's birthdays, afterparties, etc. There have been times when we've had some crazy packed shows and I stop and think wow, I know every single person in here, but what's even more amazing is I genuinely like these people!

In fact at this point I can't even begin to imagine my life without some of you in it and can barely remember the days when I didn't know you. Kiss or Kill has been compared to high school, which I don't entirely disspell as my high school experience was a positive one, my first thought though is this high school has a better soundtrack.

As it was put in the M+ Mag Kiss or Kill possesses a "Creative Spirit, free spirit, the spirit of rock n roll ever present;it is the very breath that gives life to the club." Kiss or Kill did in fact become a "refuge for bands and fans that" had "grown frustrated by LA club politics" as they professed back in 2005. That same year, the year often referred to as the year of "Drinking Whiskey and Making Out" ( lyrics immortalized by Zeitgeist Auto Parts),The LA Weekly story on Kiss or Kill broke just five months before the infamous Kiss or Kill Volume II CD Release Party (where approx. 1000 people showed up to the Knitting Factory to watch the 14 local indie bands featured on the CD) where long time supporter and friend Paul Rogers first identified the sound pushing forth from the weekly nights as the "Kiss or Kill sound" describing it as "significant, as not since Sunset Strips late - '80's cock rock convulsion has L.A. produced a clutch of bands with an identifiable, binding sonic signature."

Comp II CD Release Party @ Knitting Factory

We have had many bands play under the Kiss or Kill banner but only a few got asked back to keep gracing the line-ups, not due to the desire of exclusivity nor trying to hide behind velvet ropes but because the bands that played had to understand what Kiss or Kill is, and they had to make an attempt to get to know our friends before we had them keep playing for them. Egos have almost been non-existent throughout the life of KorK. Of course their have been a few problems along the way but isnt that the case with all families? Looking at it as a whole though, we are lucky to have had as little drama as we have had. Yes there were band breakups, yes some band members left and joined other Kiss or Kill bands, yes people went out with each other and then they broke up...but all of that was inevitable in such a tight knit community.

When it came to booking yes, we were bombarded with bands that wanted to play (practically every band in LA)...yes, there were some that would almost not take no for an answer...and yes there were some managers who will remain nameless who had me thinking "restraining order" or practically hitting "panic" on my car keys but it came with the territory I guess. Then there were those that tried to capitalize on the Kiss or Kill audience that went the way of the covered wagon fairly quickly. On the business side most of you know the ups and downs we went through last year, I won't go into details but I definitely learned more than I wanted to and am glad to have come away with the knowledge I now possess.

I wouldn't trade those lessons and the hard work that was put into this for anything as just seeing all of the regulars come out each week to support the bands playing on the nights bills and equally important seeing the bands come out and support each other even if they weren't playing that night was worth it. In fact, one of the main observations that has been shared with me repeatedly in an almost awestruck manner is the rarity of seeing musicians helping each other, as it is commonplace at a Kiss or Kill night that if someone were to break a string another guitarist might offer their own guitar and then restring the momentarily out of commission one or should a mic stand/amp/you name it be presenting problems there are a few people ready to jump on stage and help out. It's almost been like having a musician crew of paramedics on stand by!

Although I was not a part of Kiss or Kill from it's inception, I don't feel I missed out on the experience nor underlying theme that for so long we were able to bring to the LA music scene on a weekly basis. When I first came to Kiss or Kill I never planned on becoming an integral part of the tight-knit community of musicians,artists, and music aficionados. In fact before Kiss or Kill I couldn't even fathom committing to attending anything once a week (I laugh now as I think about the weeks when Kiss or Kill would take up not one night of my week but three with Metal Skool Mondays and The Playa's Picnic's at The Old Towne Pub).

I missed the days of the Garage (now known as Little Temple on Santa Monica Blvd.), barely remember the Zen Sushi days, not sure how I survived the Echo days, learned some invaluable lessons at Safari Sam's, woke up with hangovers from the last two years of monthlies at the Key Club, been drunk by noon at the Old Towne Pub caught in the middle of water gun fights on hot summer days, and have with the rest of you come full circle by yelling SHOTS!!! at least once every half hour at El Cid (owned by Tobin Shea who was the owner of the Garage). I am however glad to have gotten the opportunity to work with the owners and staff at these venues and really appreciate their understanding and sharing of the vision of Kiss or Kill.

Zen Sushi

The Echo

Old Towne Pub
..

Safari Sams

El Cid

Since the initial announcement, I've been getting addressed with concerns of "where will we all see each other now?" Well you are talking to the girl who can't seem to go out to dinner without a 20 person entourage at times so I'm sure we'll think of many somethings ;). Although I know my response for the last year when asked how I am doing is that "I am well" followed by "super busy", but I hope you know I will always try to make time to hang out with you regardless of what more I continue to take on. I will still come watch your bands as many of you are my favorites in this town, and albeit I have grown accustomed to you coming to me it might be nice to do the reverse for a change. Plus I am sure I will be working on some sort of annual reunion show...including our East Coast Division (led by the O.A.O.Ts and the Atomic Missiles Crew)...the minute the last show is upon us.

We appreciate all of the support given throughout the duration of the club by people who didn't have to acknowledge and much less embrace the community but did, I will stick with members of the media for now that include: Kevin Bronson of the LA Times, Paul Rogers and Falling James of the LA Weekly, Sam Kramer and those still at KXLU (particularly Neuz Pollution), Mark Sovel,TK, and Joe Sib at Indie 103.1, the crew at LA Record, Swindle Magazine, Dennis Tzeng and the Gang at MusicPlusTV, Ali Maclean of Little Radio and Music Plus TV, Jon Hershfield of Killradio.org, Thom White at Citizine, Share and Bam at Rock 'n' Roll TV, Jeff "Pesci" of MTV, Kulture Mutt, Steve Bartolone of Hollywood Music TV, Vania Alonso and SiTV, Andie LaBarge of Filter Magazine, Robert Rowsey of Reviewer Magazine, Scott Dudleson of Music Connection, Jonathan Slowik and Aisah Gemora,and the wonderful people of KSCR, Victoria of Sugarbuzz, plus many many more that I am sure I am forgetting but promise to thank personally before the actual end occurs.

Kiss or Kill inspired songs ("Socialite" aka Kiss or Kill by The Randies, "Watch Me Go" aka Kissed Me Killed Me by the Dollyrots, "Take Me" aka Kiss Me or Kill Me by the OAOT's to name a few), friendships, romances, and heck even brought about a wedding,a baby (not to the same couple), and a documentary that we may someday get to see. We've had Toga Parties, a Punk Rock Prom, a Homecoming Dance, plus as far as I know Kiss or Kill has been the only local music night with a commercial on MTV as well as it's own billboard on Sunset Blvd.

Kiss or Kill Billboard on Sunset Blvd. May 2005

Punk Rock Prom

We thank you all for the great music and live performances you provided, your support, and most importantly your friendship. We hope the last five years will include some memories that will stay with you a lifetime and hope you will always be proud of the community you helped to build. I myself walk away with some great memories, many "what are the chances" and "are you kidding me" stories, the Vegas road trips, some great friends, and a legion of older brothers who I have seen intervene on my behalf and can confidently say they would do anything for me just as I hope they know I would for them.

At this time I would like to thank the inner circle of Kiss or Kill the always up for some mischief co-founder Cooper Gillespie, the full of stories and crazy antics Matt Southwell, the dynamic creative duo Andre Tusques and Amanda Jones (aka the co-president of the event committee) and my favorite big brother and one of the hardest working most selfless people I know,co-founder Johnny 99 for all of the great times and for all of the work that was put into this community that so many people, as I've been constantly told throughout the last few years, have come to respect and admire. Rob Z thank you for being the face and voice of Kiss or Kill. All of you are amazing people and I am honored to have worked alongside you.

Johnny 99

Cooper

To the rest of the KorK Community I will thank you by getting drunk alongside you at the weekly shows, you have much to be proud of and I hope to see you at the final five shows, not to show your support for us and the club but to support and sing along with the bands that helped build this community because although this probably won't be the last time they share bills with each other, it may be the last time you see them play under the Kiss or Kill banner.

I promise to bring the champagne on our final night if you promise to raise your glass in your own honor.

xoxo,

Siria

Curtain Call for Kiss or Kill - The Final Daze

2007-11-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Curtain Call for Kiss or Kill - The Final Daze

originally sent 10/03/07

We have collectively decided to end Kiss or Kill this year on Weds.
Dec. 12th.

This was a difficult decision to end a project that has so many
memories & that had such great impact on my creative & personal life.

Kiss or Kill is now closing on it's 5th year of existance.

A home to a collective group of artist's with like minded
influences. Kiss or Kill started with 2 bands with common goals that
helped build a community of over a 100 great bands that was a
driving force in the regional club scene. Out of that initial
energy, Kiss or Kill gained national & international recognition.

When I started Kiss or Kill, LA had the worst big city reputation as
far as the pay to play issues that plagued the creative minds of the
city, the bookers & clubs feeded off young hungry musicians that
wanted their voices heard. LA also had the reputation of a jaded
city that is plastic in aesthetic & personality. Even though this
was not the driving force behind our efforts. We proved this was
farthest from the truth to create an envirornment for a positive
shared experience between the artist & the listener. People said it
couldn't happen in LA & it did.

At our peak, we as a collective drew close to 1,000 people to the
Knitting Factory for the Compilation 2 release party. That for me
was the highlight as a musician. Hundreds of people singing your
song back to you. This was done organically. No major label backing
or commerical radio air play. Sincere word of mouth & a community of
open minded individuals searching out & experiencing good Rock &
Roll.

As I write this note, I started revisting the compilations we put
together & I am revisting all the great music that has come through
the Kiss or Kill banner. We were able to bring together over the top
personas that together created a vibrant scene. The music was too
good, the personatlies were seductive, & the style was great.

I know that I helped create something special to a lot of people &
also create a stage where great bands were accepted & heard.

We have November & the first 2 weeks of December open. That is 28
slots for 5 years worth of bands for one last goodbye.

This is an open invitation to great bands to reunite one last time.
So, if the Faders, Zeitgiest Auto Parts, Midway, Billion Stars want
to get back together. You have first dibs. Also I would love to have
the Dollyrots back if they were interested in coming back one last
time.

I would like to thank Cooper for her shared vision & creation of
this experience. Andre Tusques (who without none of you would have
the updated listings)and Amanda "Jones" Castillo the team behind the
Kiss or Kill Posters and Website and always willing to help without
fail when needed & Matt Southwell for the support & creative input.
Siria who has been been the backbone of Kiss or Kill these past few
years, & Rob Z who has remained the face & signature voice of Kiss
or Kill for 5 years. Without the Masterbator of Ceremonies - it just
wouldn't have been the same.

There are 11 Kiss or Kills left before the Final Curtain Call.

Hope to see you there.

Carpe Diem,
Johnny 99

At Home He's A Tourist - Presidential Candidates Notes

2007-08-08T00:46:00.000-07:00

Presidential Candidates Notes – Six months to the primaries
By Jason Pancake

With one year to go until the official nominations, the Presidential race for 2008 is in full swing. With so much news already being made about this election, it is easy to see how important raising money is in the election process. It’s still too early to be making bold predictions but here are some of my observations along with some interesting articles. For an excellent view of where candidate’s money comes from and who donates to them, check out Opensecrets.org.

The dollar amounts below refer to how much the candidate has raised and spent as of 6/30/07. Full reports can be found here.

Democrats

Hillary Clinton
$63 million raised /$18 million spent

Hillary has been rolling and has the current lead in the polls thanks to: brand recognition and slick political experience. Everyone knows who Bill and Hillary are and that has helped immensely with the name recognition. By not having to put out ads saying who she is, they can save a huge chunk of cash to be used for things like traveling and hiring more consultants. The Clintons also have ties to the big campaign contributors, so money won’t be an issue. Hillary is a seasoned politician and has been more polished so far. She doesn’t get in the news for saying what the media calls “controversial” things the way Barack Obama does. However, all of these make it difficult to not think of her as part of the political system. Her voting record isn’t horrible, but her speeches and moves give the impression of being calculated and that she wouldn’t risk political power to create large scale changes to help the people who aren’t important politically. Hillary has said that big campaign contributions from lobbyists won’t influence her, but can that really be the case? In this cycle, she has received more from lobbyists than even the Republican candidates. If she is the Democratic nominee, she will be a huge target, but her savvy and the fact that things are going so wrong with the Republicans should help her and doesn’t necessarily hurt her electibility.

Barack Obama
$59 million raised/$23 million spent

Ultimately the Democratic nomination should come down to Hillary vs. Barack. Political Machine vs. Rising Star. The only way that his opponents can try to attack Barack is by calling him naïve or inexperienced, because he is solid otherwise. If the national election comes down to Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania again, I really like his chances. One key to his success though will be with the youth. He has incredible support among young voters, but that group is also the least likely to vote or be active about politics. It also kind of tells you something when the daughter of the Republican front-runner, Caroline Giuliani, supported Barack Obama. At least she did on Facebook.

John Edwards
$23 million raised/$10 million spent

Of the major candidates, John probably has the best platform and message, which is to fight poverty and inequality. However, he still has manner of communicating like a trial lawyer, which might work on juries in a specific court case, but is harder to pull off in a Presidential election. John used to be a trial lawyer who worked on class-action and personal injury cases and earned millions of dollars. Since then, he has had a change of heart, but he is finding out that helping the poor and fighting for financial equality isn’t exactly a popular platform for raising corporate contributions or for reaching out to the average middle and upper class citizens who aren’t stuck in poverty.

Dennis Kucinich
$1.1 million raised /$902,000 spent

Based on the issues, Dennis remains one of my favorite candidates. Look him up. He knows what he’s talking about. Here is an interview he did on the environment . Yes he will never have a chance, but anyone with the campaign slogan “Strength through Peace” receives my respect.

Republicans

Rudy Giuliani
$36 million raised/$17 million spent

The fact that Rudy is the front-runner of the Republicans is a joke. He is a pro-choice, twice divorced Republican candidate whose only claim to fame is being in New York during 9/11. He’s also famous for dumping his second wife during a news press conference. While firefighters and workers who worked at Ground Zero got strange illnesses and now oppose him, Rudy got incredibly wealthy thanks to cashing in on 9/11. Keep in mind he left the Mayor’s office only a few months after 9/11 on 12/31/01. At that point, he had assets of between $1.16 million and $1.83 million. Then he formed a corporation and in the last five years has earned over $100 million by speaking and consulting about 9/11! And there’s a lot more. Here is an article about his misleading crime statistics and article with all kinds of info on Rudy’s friendship with ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who had free renovations from a construction company with ties to the mafia and who cheated on his mistress with another woman, all while being married to a third woman in an apartment donated rent-free to assist in the 9/11 Ground Zero efforts. Wow, that is some leading candidate the Republicans have.

John McCain
$25 million raised/$22 million spent

It is amazing how far McCain has fallen. He continues to be screwed over by Bush and by the “Republican base.” In 2000, Bush’s campaign spread rumors that McCain’s adopted daughter (who is black) was actually an illegitimate child, and he lost South Carolina and the momentum. Then in the last few years, John decided to become Bush’s best friend and one of the few remaining supporters in Senate of the Iraq war, and that has further destroyed his chances in 2008. The old maverick in Washington DC gradually became the corporate and pandering politician that what he was supposed to different from.

Mitt Romney
$44 million raised/$32 million spent

He has the most money but he is still having trouble trying to explain his Mormon faith. It’s pretty sad that according to a poll in July, 32 percent of those who said they leaned Republican described themselves as "uncomfortable" with the idea of a Mormon president. See my column a few months back for more on Mitt.

Fred Thompson
Though he hasn’t officially filed for the race, this Law & Order actor has the GOP base stirred up. Unfortunately not enough to raise any money .

Ron Paul
$3 million raised/$655,000 spent

Not too bad for a Republican. He has run as a Libertarian candidate in the past and actually voted against the Iraq War, but don’t get too excited. He votes against pretty much ANYTHING at all that involves government spending. He’s also still an old school Texas Republican who is anti-choice, very conservative, and who has published personal newsletters (that he apparently didn’t look over) that had interesting things to say about black people, including that “we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in [Washington DC] are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.” Maybe he wouldn’t really like being President after all, since he would have to live in DC.

Tonight! Tonight!

2007-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Kiss or Kill @

El Cid

4212 Sunset Blvd. (between Santa Monica and Fountain @ Sunset Junction)

Silverlake, Ca

$3 before 10pm $5 after

line-up:

9:45 pm -The New Fidelity

10:30 pm - The Black Market Revival

11:15 pm - The King Cheetah

12:00 am - The Rainman Suite

9:45 pm - The New Fidelity

10:30 pm - Black Market Revival

11:15pm - The King Cheetah

12:00 am - The Rainman Suite

Kiss or Kill Gets Intimate

2007-07-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Return of The King Cheetah

www.myspace.com/thekingcheetah

1. Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Los Angeles (if you are not originally from LA)?

Robert Paul Maune: East London. Robin Holden: West London. Simon Hancock: Aldbourne, a small village about 75 miles west of London. We came to the USA because England is finished.

2. How did the current line-up meet? How long have you been together?

Robert and Simon met in London when they played together in a Camden Town band called STEN. They released three records under this name, then formed CHEETAHS which made one record with MAXIM from THE PRODIGY before eventually crossing the Atlantic, meeting Robin on their first day of rehearsals in Hollywood and finally becoming THE KING CHEETAH.

3. We originally met you as a four-piece. Is the plan to remain a three piece?

We were never a four piece, you're confusing us with Nirvana.
*(interviewer apologizes, I was briefly on crack...PSA:don't do drugs...you ask stupid questions)

4. What instruments do you each play?

Simon plays: Drums, Guitar, Bass, and sings. Robin plays: Drums, Guitar, and Bass, and sings. Robert Paul can't play Drums at all but does play Guitar, Bass, Cello and Keyboards.

5. What made each of you get involved with music?

Nothing could keep us away.

6. You guys have had the opportunity to tour with Morrissey. How was that experience?

It proved to us that if the people get exposed to it, then the people will get it. Every show was amazing, and since we'd been kind of starving to death in a Hollywood crackhouse up until that point it was a welcome change.

7. Do you actually enjoy touring? Are there any plans for a tour in the near future?

Touring can be pretty amazing if you're playing to a great audience. Driving to Phoenix to play to ten people doesn't do it.

8. What has been your favorite venue or town/city to play while out on tour?

Probably El Paso.

9. When did you play your first Kiss or Kill show?

Robin used to do live sound back when Kiss or Kill started at The Garage, it was immediately obvious that it was very different from the horrible Hollywood glam scene hangover nights we'd got used to.

10. You have taken a sort of hiatus from playing shows this past year. What was this due to?

Robert spent a chunk of time in Paris, when he got back we wanted to rip everything apart and then build it up again fresh from the ground up.

11. In your own words how would you describe The King Cheetah sound?

Adventurous, Bold, Challenging, Diverse, Exciting, Fresh, Grinding, High energy, Intense, Jaw Dropping, Killing, Loud, Mighty, Natural, Overpowering, Potent, Quasi-religious, Righteous, Stunning, Tight as fuck, Urgent, Virtuous, Warlike, Xacting, Your freedom constructed in Sound, Zealously pushing for perfection.

Here is the video for "Six Inch Killaz" by The King Cheetah

12. How do you feel your sound has evolved over the last few years?

See above.

13. What do you hope everyone will come away with from your performances each week throughout your August Residency?

Damp clothes and hearts on fire.

14.What advice would you give to bands that are just starting out?

Go your own way.

15. What would be your dream bill to play on?

Power trio night in Heaven: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, supported by Nirvana, Cream, and The Police.

Here is a Cream performance of "Sunshine of Your Love"

AT HOME HE’S A TOURIST :" Snakes on a Plane"

2007-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

“Snakes on a Plane”
By Jason Pancake

The next time you fly from Europe, you might be surprised by how much the government will be able to learn about you. In a deal, signed July 26 by the United States and approved in Europe, all airlines flying from Europe to the United States can be required to provide personal data of passengers to U.S. authorities if it exists in their reservation systems. Even if you are a US citizen!

The Washington Post reports that “according to the deal, the information that can be used in such exceptional circumstances includes ‘racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership’ and data about an individual's health, traveling partners and sexual orientation.” The United States claims that personal data can only be used "where the life of a data subject or of others could be imperiled or seriously impaired," such as in tracking a terrorist plot.

However, whether this restraint will actually be followed is another matter. Especially with the track record of the current Bush administration and of an Attorney General who “does not recall” a number of events and who went as far as to try to get a hospitalized and drugged John Ashcroft to sign off on his domestic eavesdropping program. Yes, according to testimony by a Justice Department official, Alberto Gonzales and Bush’s Chief of Staff Andrew Card actually visited the bedside of Ashcroft, who was recovering from gall bladder surgery and who was in pain and under sedation, to seek his signature on the reauthorization.

Anything you put down when buying an airplane ticket and making travel plans may reveal a lot more information about you than you think. The Washington Post article, says that “airlines do not usually gather [personal] data, but officials say it could wind up in passenger files as a result of requests for special services such as wheelchairs, or through routine questioning by airline personnel and travel agents about contacts, lodging, next of kin and traveling companions. Even a request for a king-size bed at a hotel could be noted in the database.”

This is a tricky issue because I support precautions that would make flying safer and keep me from catching tuberculosis or the plague from the person sneezing in the seat next to me, but sometimes what people don’t realize how abuse of this type of program, or even a simple clerical error, can screw up your life. In the best-case scenario you might miss your flight and be inconvenienced, but in the worst-case scenario, you might end up in a secret prison somewhere for a few years. I wish I could be kidding, but it has happened!

It is easy to dismiss this kind of profiling when you don’t expect it to happen to you, but what if you are of Middle Eastern descent? Or speak with a funny accent? Or share the name with the wrong person?

Next time: Catch my 2.5 cents on the 2008 Presidential hopefuls as we approach only a half a year to go until the California Primary elections.

On a completely unrelated note for your viewing pleasure here is the video for Final Countdown - by rock(?) group Europe:

TONIGHT!!!! THE PRIX CD RELEASE!!!!!

2007-07-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight!!!! The Prix release their EP "ST. Domino"

check out Kevin Bronson's write-up on them in his LA Times Buzz Bands Blog here

he also happens to have a free limited time mp3 up for download of their song "The Chevelier"

They are joined on this special night by: The Service Group, The Power Cords, and Star No Star

all goes down at EL Cid (4212 Sunset Blvd. - between Santa Monica and Fountain at Sunset Junction)

18 + $3 before 10pm $5 after $3 Tecate

Line-up:

9:45 pm - The Service Group

10:30 pm - The Power Cords

11:15 pm - ThePrix

12:00 am - Star No Star

Kiss or Kill Newsletter

2007-07-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

If you aren't receiving the Kiss or Kill newsletter and would like to please send an email to kissorkillnews@yahoo.com with "subscribe me" in the subject line!

Most of the content ends up here on the blog but not always ;)

At Home He's a Tourist

2007-07-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

AT HOME HE’S A TOURIST (7/8/07) – By Jason Pancake
“The Business of Free Newspapers”

Almost everyone that has lived in LA has read the LA Weekly, just as anyone in New York has read the Village Voice, in Boston the Phoenix, and so on. These weekly newspapers are packed with extensive information on restaurants, music, art, and local events and best of all, they are free. If you think about it though, you have to wonder how such a publication can be free yet, somehow get printed each week and end up in piles on every other block and in all the stores and venues that you or I go to. These aren’t some little DIY zines that you press in your basement and hand out at backyard punk shows. I guess it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that as with any product that reaches so many people, these “alternative weekly” papers are also a big business.

Unlike standard newspapers that rely more on subscriptions and sales from machines and newsstands, these free alternative weekly magazines make their money from the sale of advertisements. This is why at least a third of the LA Weekly consists of ads for things like plastic surgeons, “escorts”, and female “college” students offering massages.

In 2005, like with other big businesses, there was a corporate takeover/merger involving the LA Weekly as the New Times Media bought the LA Weekly (along with five other alternative papers including the Village Voice) from the Village Voice Media. Even though the New Times was run by a conservative businessman from Phoenix, Arizona, at the time, it looked like just another merger and didn’t make big waves. Here is an article on it describing how it was viewed at the time. Like all shrewd businesses, the New Times Media eventually took the name Village Voice Media so that it would sound more respectable even though it had bought it out.

From general appearances, the Weekly still looks pretty much like the Weekly. I could still count on the basics like being able to find an awesome cartoon by Tom Tomorrow, food reviews from Jonathan Gold, Weekly Rock Picks, and recently, the funny/informative syndicated columns “Ask a Mexican” and “Savage Love.”

However, there does seem to be something different. Here is an interesting article by a Weekly contributor Jon Wiener about how the newspaper is changing and things like reporting and national coverage on issues like the war in Iraq have pretty much disappeared from the Weekly. According to the author, the LA Weekly “has been truly great among alternative weeklies, with news coverage and political writing that towered above its counterparts--including the Village Voice and the eleven metro weeklies owned by the Phoenix-based New Times chain.” However, “the changes at the LA Weekly in the past six months have been dramatic: virtually no more writing about the war in Iraq or other international or national news topics, no more endorsements of candidates in elections and no more stories about the forces trying to make LA a more egalitarian and less polarized city.”

Sadly, the new style of the Weekly appears to be shifting from hard-hitting journalism to sensationalist tabloid-like pieces or pop entertainment-related stories. The article describes how: "There was a time not all that long ago," said Tim Rutten of the LA Times, "when we felt like we had to read the Weekly as soon as it came out, because they were competing with us. I don't think people at the Times feel that way any more. That's a loss to the city." The Weekly's star writers are increasingly turning out New Times-style hit pieces. In February [noted writer David] Zahniser blasted away at a school-board member whose offense consisted of remodeling his house without a building permit.” Next thing you know, they will start doing a story on some councilmember who doesn’t leave a tip at a restaurant.

Indeed, if you look at this week’s LA Weekly and consider all of the news that’s happening in the world (um, Scooter Libby anyone?), why is the main story about Christian Bale and the Art of Extreme Acting ? He’s a good actor and all, but when should an article about his new movie be a cover story of the LA Weekly?

The Weekly is still more respectable than cable or TV news, but it is still a major loss if it moves on to mainly only covering things like bad-behaving entertainment celebrities or local politicians. These free alternative papers are among the few places where reporters can report on important, investigative stories yet still actually make a living. That type of journalism just isn’t tolerated at large corporate news companies that need to protect their business/political interests. It is sad that pretty much the only hard-hitting mainstream investigative journalism source is “60 Minutes” or “Dateline” (when it isn’t spending all its time doing “to catch a predator”). If papers like the Weekly and Village Voice go down the path of your local TV news, it will be a sad day.

Kiss or Kill Wednesday July 18th!!!!!

2007-07-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday July 18th!!!

Kiss or Kill

at El Cid

4212 Sunset Blvd (between Santa Monica and Fountain)

Silverlake/Los Angeles, Ca 90027

$3 before 10 pm $5 after

18 and over

Line-up:

9:45 pm - The Service Group

10:30 pm - The Power Cords

11:15 pm - The Prix (July's Resident Band)

12:00 am - Star No Star

Meet Eject...

2007-05-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/ejecttheband

Paul Rogers from L.A. based band Eject takes some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions before their return to the Kiss or Kill stage tonight at Safari Sam's. Eject takes the stage at 10:15 pm.

1. Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Los Angeles (if you are not originally from LA)?

I'm from England; Gary and Tim (our drummer and guitarist) are from Ireland; and Andy, our singer/guitarist, is a native Californian. Music brought us all here.

2. Some of the longtime fans and supporters knew you as The Slow Lorries what called for the band name to be changed to Eject?

There was another band called Slow Lorries in Northern California. We'd rather not worry about names at all - it's all just time and energy that could be used making great music.

3. How did the current line-up meet? Were any of you involved in other bands previously?

I met Andy after he placed an ad on Craig's List for "Peter Hook Wanted". Gary and Tim go way back and have played together on and off for years. Gary had briefly played in a band with Andy too.

4. What instruments do you each play?

I (Paul) play bass; Andy sings, plays guitar (and keys on the recordings) and writes all the songs; Gary plays drums and sings backing vocals; and Tim plays guitar.

5. What made you get involved with music?

Is there anything else?

6. Are there any plans to tour anytime soon?

Absolutely - as soon as it's viable.

7. Eject is currently in the studio recording, will the end product be a full length? Has a release date been scheduled?

We're permanently in the studio - Tim is also a world-class engineer. We just released our debut EP - the stuff we're currently recording will probably also appear as an EP, in the fall.

8. How did Eject's involvement with Kiss or Kill come about? When did you play your first Kiss or Kill show?

We first played KorK, at the Echo, in August '05 I think. A friend introduced me to the club in 2004 and we've had a relationship with them ever since.

9 What do you feel makes Kiss or Kill different from other nights in Los Angeles/Hollywood?

They're consistent with the bands they book. If you like melodic, punkish pop music, you can go to KorK on any given night and - even if you're not familiar with any of the bands - you'll almost certainly enjoy at least one of them.

10. In your own words how would you describe the Eject sound?

It's melodic, atmospheric and evocative, but has energy and angst too.

Eject in Action - photo by Brian Callaway

11. What do you feel sets Eject apart from other bands?

Hopefully great songs and quality arrangements. All I know is that our absolute priority is the songs - not fashion, being part of a "scene" or what the fuck ever.

12. Where does the inspiration for your songs stem from?

Andy's head. Musically? The Cure, Doves, early U2, New Order, Talk Talk, Pale Saints, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Swervedriver, Andy's classical training, Buzzcocks, the Charlatans ...

Video The Charlatans - "The Only One I Know"

13. How has the sound evolved over the last few years?

We're gradually crystalizing our own sound/personality, and Andy's songs are getting better and better. I've no idea where our sound will go from here, but I'm excited about wherever it takes us.

14. What bands have influenced you personally?

Me? The Cure, Talk Talk, The Streets, David Sylvian, Magneta Lane, Immortal Technique, The Jam, Eisley, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Catherine Wheel, Coheed & Cambria, Glassjaw ...

15. What advice would you give to bands that are just starting out?

Just do what you do and, if you're lucky, fashion and fate will line-up with your sound. Don't start chasing fashion - that's a recipe for misery and fake music. Remember why you got into this: to express yourself and have fun (presumably)

16. Do you feel band's have more of an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to taking their band to the next level in today's day in age considering the state of the music industry?

Nothing's changed - the cream still rises. If your music is great and you work hard, you'll succeed on some level. We're doing our thing without compromise and thoroughly enjoying it - we're already succeeding.

17. What would be your dream bill to play on?

On tour with The Cure, forever.

Video The Cure "Friday, I'm In Love" -

18. If you didnt reside in the Los Angeles area where would you live?

Austria.

Tonight At Kiss or Kill!!!

2007-05-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Kiss or Kill Club
5214 Sunset Blvd. (between Western and Kingsley)
Los Angeles, Ca

$3 before 10 pm $5 After
$3.50 PBR
Free Parking

Line-up
9:30 pm - The Procession (myspace.com/wearetheprocession)
10:15 pm - Eject (myspace.com/ejecttheband)
11:00 pm - Automatique - (myspace.com/automatique)
11:45 pm - Clark 8 (myspace.com/clarkeight)
12:30 am - Hazelden (myspace.com/hazelden)

9:30 pm - The Procession

here is The Procession's video for "Major and Minor"

10:15 pm - Eject

11:00 pm - Automatique

get to know the band through this video:

11:45 pm - Clark 8 (Rich from Sounds of Asteroth's side project)

12:30 am - Hazelden

DJ Pepper on the ones and twos!

Also don't forget to get to Safari Sam's early for the dinner and drink specials!

AT HOME HE'S A TOURIST

2007-05-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

"Unhappy Meal"
by Jason Pancake

A common theme in government is that politicians have thrived thanks to the general political apathy of the American public. It’s natural for people to be concerned with their day to day lives and with their entertainment. For example, unless an average person or someone close to them is actually in a desert in Iraq, he or she doesn’t have a direct connection with the war. Even though the earth is warming at a dangerous rate, since it doesn’t affect us on a day to day basis, we just turn up the A/C and sit in our idling cars during rush hours. After all, we’ll be in bigger trouble today if we don’t show up for work. There are things that make people take action when they directly affect them such as illnesses, credit card interest rates, or easy access to firearms, but what about something that affects pretty much everybody?

Do you eat food? Do you like food? I sure do. Well according to news reports this past week, it looks like many

shipments of tainted food have been coming into the US from places such as China on a regular basis. According to the news report, “Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical. Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics. Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria. Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides. These were among the 107 food imports from China that the Food and Drug Administration detained at U.S. ports just last month.” If you add up the facts, it is pretty clear: Large volume of food imported cheaply from China + Low safety standards in China + Not enough FDA inspectors to check imports = Tainted food possibly ending up on your plate.

There is no need to panic and avoid all food products or switch over to the Britney Diet of Cheetos and Pepsi. However, this is a part of a larger trend. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Susan Dudley who would like to do away with all government regulations (including FDA food safety issues) yet who was appointed under the radar to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Paul Krugman of the New York Times has an interesting article about how food safety regulation has gone downhill in the last six years. Not coincidentally, the Bush Administration has been unwilling to step up food and drug safety regulations/inspection standards because in general, their policy is against the government regulation of other businesses or industries.

The argument of free market supporters, such as in the Bush Administration, is that corporations would check themselves because it’s bad for business when your customers get sick. In theory, that sounds very logical, but then again, in theory communism also sounds pretty good. The business world is tough. If there is an option where your company can cheaply import food products but a few people could possibly get sick, in a business sense, it is much more profitable to take the cheap imports.

An article written by a former FDA Deputy Commissioner describes how the increase in imports and new technology makes inspecting such a difficult job. These days, it is so easy to get products distributed and supplied to stores that there are a lot of new risks. According to the article, “FDA processed 15 million shipments of goods in 2006, up 60% since 2003. Products from more than 230 countries and more than 300,000 manufacturers…Against this, the FDA has about 625 inspectors for food and 260 for pill-type drugs.” So if you do the math (15 million shipments divided by (625 food inspectors + 260 pill inspectors), then that means that each inspector would have to check 16,950 shipments a year. Good luck with that.

There’s not exactly an easy solution to this, but it is clear that not much has been done in the last several years despite the massive increase in products (especially food) that have been imported. So far, the food issue is unfortunately looking like another public case of “I’ll wait until something happens to me.” As with everything that is going poorly right now, that is exactly what the Administration is counting on.

Meet Pu$$y Cow...

2007-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

1. Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Los Angeles (if you are not originally from LA)?
Joe: I was born at the Kaiser Permanente on Sunset. I lived on Wilton, in Park LaBrea and well, all over Los Angeles really. I now make my home in gorgeous Echo Park.
Flaco: Camarillo. Music, and the escape from ultra-conservatism brought me here.
Chissum Worthington : orange county.

2. How did the name Pu$$y Cow come about (for those that don't know the story)?
Flaco: Who is this Pu$$y-Cow, anyway?
Joe: Pu$$y-Cow is a common heard mondegreen among Los Angeles residents. Sort of like hearing "excuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of "the sky" in Purple Haze. There was a car salesman who would sell cars with an infectious jingle to the tune of, "If you're happy and you know it". It went, "If you wanna car or truck, go see cal!". Many kids heard, "If you wanna car or truck, pussy cow!" The thing is they would start every commercial by announcing, "Here is Cal Worthington and his dog, Spot" and it was never a dog! So the idea wasn't even dirty as much as we just thought Cal was confused about animals.

3. How did the current line-up meet? Why did you decide to form a band?
Joe: Danny and I have known each other since high school. Mike Schnee (Chissum Worthington) was hanging around Kiss or Kill taking shots for his documentary. Flaco had just ended his time in his band, No Way Jose. I knew back then that Flaco was one of the most amazing bass players I had ever seen. So I asked if he'd like to start a project with me. Dannybecame our drummer. Flaco suggested Schnee as guitarist as they had played in Wormstew together for a bit. I don't know why as much as I always wanted to be in a band. I'm sure the other guys have other ideas as to why. They are all seasoned veterans. I'm the newbie.
Flaco: Joe met me as a performer with NWJ. Danny and Mike, I met going to shows

4. What has been the craziest show you have played to date?
Joe: hmmm. Crazy how? It was crazy to open for the Muffs and the Adicts. It was crazy to have our first residency at KorK over a year ago and do a lounge medley of some of our fave KorK bands' songs. I think one of the craziest shows we ever had was this show at the lava lounge when every member of Pu$$y-Cow was horribly trashed. People loved it but it was honestly the worst we had all been on stage. Usually you get a Joe got too drunk night or a Chissum had too much booze night.This particular night we were all just horribly drunk but yet very entertaining. We knocked them dead!
Flaco: 1st time at Key Club, with cracked rib, schnookered outta me dome Joe: I think that was the show he threw a bottle at Mike.

5. What instruments do you each play?
Joe: Voice and Kazoo and Baby Piano
Flaco: Bass(fretless,Fender,upright again when I own a house), guitar, mandolin. My favorite of late is musical typing, with MIDI patches, vs. using a regular synth controller. Like a video game jock, that prefers the keyboard, and snubs the joystick. I compose a lot, so the instruments do what I tell them, like there are my minions.
Chissum Worthington: guitar in pussy cow....but i also play bass, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, and soul.

6. What made you get involved with music?

Joe: I've been a music nut forever just never thought I was talented enough to actually persue anything with it.
Flaco: Chicks
Chissum Worthington: john, paul, george, and ringo

7. Were any of you involved in other bands prior to this one?

Joe: several fake bands and bands that didn't get off the ground: FFD, Shermy
Flaco: Since I was a youngster. Many. Bassists are sluts too, and have more opportunities thatn other instruments, because basically, who the fuck wants to play bass anyway? I still don't.
Chissum Worthington: Wormstew, I Am Rag, Incense Graveyard, The Leeks, The Popstars, and The Volkwood Ghost

8. Where does the inspiration for the songs come from?

Joe: Mostly from pop culture icons and food. We have songs about Jello Biafra, the Muffs, Ice T, Sean Combs, Jack Stephan, Tacos. Other ones are usually about being a jerk when it comes to relationships.
Flaco: Takin a shit in the morning

9. What has been your favorite venue or town/city to play?

Joe: Hmm. We haven't been out of Los Angeles often so I've loved all the places we've played outside of LA. the Double Down in Vegas, The Mint in Bakersfield, Thee Parkside in SF. When it comes to Los Angeles, I love playing Safari Sam's, Mr. T's, the Key Club (because then the parents show up), the Echo, Old Towne Pub and Spaceland. Pretty much anywhere that will let us play.
Flaco: Canterbury, UK

10. How did P-Cows's involvement with Kiss or Kill come about? When did you play your first Kiss or Kill show?

Flaco: Joe can tell it better. I'm on Vicodin, and in a neck brace. Talk to the singer
Joe: Well we were all fans of Kork before we were a band. One of my main goals with the band was to one day play KorK. We played our first Kork show on June 14th of 2005. I believe we said it was our farewell show.

11. What do you feel makes Kiss or Kill different from other nights in Los Angeles/Hollywood?

Joe: The bands are cooler. Always.
Flaco: Good people, absence of competetive bullshit.

12. You guys are now booking your own night,Club Yoostuh BeCool, in Pasadena. What type of bands do you try to book and what is the vibe you strive to give?

Joe: well, i guess the vibe is sort of like the one created by Kork.We would like to create a close knit family of bands. We book lots of the bands that play KorK but we also book slower quieter acts and acts that are less aggressive than punk. The idea is that just because you're in a punk band doesn't mean you don't like the occasional country or roots or blues act. The trick is to book those quieter acts that still have enough attitude that will make the punks shake their ass or raise their fist or sit back and listen. It is also so we can create a scene in Pasadena. Most the live music I read about around pasadena is jazz (nothing wrong with that) and tribute bands. We'd like to create something that the kids of pasadena look forward to monthly.
Flaco: If it were up to me, it would be all Polka, and sometime Reggaeton

13. You have been working on a new CD how has that process been compared to the first one? You've also been featured on a compilation what is it and how did that come about?

Joe: Ha! the first cd was us being recorded live at kxlu. This an actual in studio recording. It has been lots of fun. Schnee could answer this better than I can. The compilation is for Crimescene Records which is a new record company run by Sam Of Broke 'Til Thursday and Doug from three or four different bands (Margate, Costello, Sweet Sensations). I saw their ad in a magazine I wrote for and saw that a lot of friends' bands were going to be on this comp. I found out it was them putting together the comp and just asked if we could participate. It was that easy. We already had "Taco Chariot" reocorded so we let them use it.
Flaco: The recording process has allowed me to channel my inner-Phil Spector. Fuck the Wall of Sound. Production through fear. Set the air conditioner to 47 degrees, and tell the 14 year old boy, to make it snappy, with my chalice of brandy.

14. During your first year of playing out there was an honor of PCOW Fan #1 given out, who got that title and how did they get it?
Joe:There were about 15 people or so who had attended every p-cow show. As we kept playing, more and more people would miss a show here and there. Some people were incredibly competitive about it. It became the Pu$$y-Cow 10, then the 7 etc. Jeff Penalty of Black Fag and the Dead Kennedys finally won out and continued attending shows until we played about 30 in a row i think. We screwed him up one day by agreeing to a last minute show while he was out of town.

15. In your own words how would you describe your sound?
Joe: This is what I tell people: "Rock n' Roll. All the songs are short and fast"
Flaco: Rock

16. How has the sound evolved since you first became a band?
Joe: Some of our songs got longer. They have more intricate parts. My lyrics have progressed. I can tell an old P-cow song by how many times I throw in a "really" or a "fucking" for timing issues. I think we've all improved with the exception of Flaco who was already at God like status.
Flaco: It hasn't. It has devolved.

17. What bands have influenced you personally?
Joe: the Dwarves and the Cramps is probably where you can find most of my part in the band. Besides that I'm a music nut. I listen to lots of Hip Hop and Soul as well as Punk Rock. I have this weird notion that the more hip hop I listen to, the better my lyrics will get.
Flaco: Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden

18. What advice would you give to bands that are just starting out?
Joe: I think bands need to move more on stage. Shoegazing bores the fuck out of me. I just worked 8-10 hours, went home, got dressed for the night, went to your show, paid 5-10 dollars to watch you drone about your ex girlfriend and stare at your feet and pretend you don't want to be there. Fuck you! If you didn't want to be there, you wouldn't be making the music. whoa! where did that come from? Sorry.
Flaco: Have fun

19. What would be your dream bill to play on?
Joe: the Dwarves or the Cramps or Iggy or the Dillinger 4 or Tom Jones or Jerry Lee Lewis hahahaha
Flaco: Iron Maiden and The Police

20. If you didnt reside in the Los Angeles area where would you live?
Joe: Paris...but right now, I'm looking at the Crenshaw area.
Flaco: Somewhere by the ocean, but in California.

Tonight!!! The Pu$$y Cow 2 Year Anniversary!!!

2007-05-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, it's a birthday Extravaganza!!!! Come celebrate as Pu$$y Cow enters their Terrible Two's!!! They've got a great line-up full of friends helping them out!

Kiss or Kill Presents...
The Pu$$y Cow 2 Year Anniversary and Flaco's Bday
@ Safari Sam's
5214 Sunset Blvd. (between Western and Kingsley)
All Ages! Free Parking! $3.50 PBR

9:30 pm - The Black Comets
10:15 pm - Beatmo
11:00 pm - Pu$$y Cow
11:45 pm - The Fuxedos
12:30 am - STEEL

Guest Emcee Jonathan
DJ Punk A$$ 20 Bucks

9:30 pm - The Black Comets

10:15 pm - Beatmo

11:00 pm - Pu$$y Cow

11:45 pm - The Fuxedos

12:30 am - Steel

Reviewing the Essential

2007-05-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Album Review (kinda):
Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen

By Eric, age 31 (of XUK and Get Set Go)

Remember the good old days when artistic periods used to last, I dunno, sixty or seventy years? Remember sitting on the porch with Aloysius one midsummer’s eve, listening to Mozart, drinking mai tais, and Aloysius says “Isn’t it nice to be in the Classical Period?” And then you say “Yeah, but that Romantic Period’s due in another ten or twelve years, so watch out for that new kid Beethoven. He’s really gonna shake things up.” And then Aloysius nods serenely and pees on a nearby peasant.

Well, maybe that wasn’t how it really happened. But here’s my problem: All bands are required by law to have myspace pages, and they get to pick three genre descriptors. And there are a lot of choices. So if you spend a few minutes looking around myspace, you’ll no doubt run across Hawaiian/Grindcore/Disco House bands, and Minimalist/Nu-Jazz/Post-Punk bands, and Crunk/Punk/Funk bands, and any of the tens of thousands of other possible combinations, none of which really mean anything. This is what reading the average music review is like for me.

It seems that every week or so, somebody somewhere throws out another few names for subgenres of popular (and unpopular) music. People who review music professionally are required to keep up with all these new names for things that aren’t really new. Some of ‘em, I think, really delight in throwing these terms around—there’s a kind of giddy elitism in talking about the emerging post-post-pre-hardcore neo-grunge glamcore movement with the almost absolute certainty that your audience won’t know what the hell you’re talking about. It’s probably equally satisfying to watch some of your audience scramble around pretending they know what you’re talking about.

But none of this is the tiniest bit informative. It’s designed to compartmentalize and sell records. People like what’s familiar, so if somebody who likes Fusion/Rastabilly/Breakbeat Band A is browsing itunes and happens upon an album by Fusion/Rastabilly/Breakbeat Band B, maybe they’ll buy it. I really hope I live to see somebody walk into Sam Goody in search of a Blues/Jazz/Trip-Hop album, only to be sent by the helpful staff to the Trip-Hop/Jazz/Blues section by mistake. Can you imagine the embarrassment? Can you imagine the TOTAL CHAOS that will result when people who think they’re listening to Screamo/Alt-Country suddenly realize they’re listening to Alt-Country/Screamo? Mass hysteria! By extension, a lot of music reviewers I’ve seen are only capable of describing things by referring to other musicians. I die a little every time I read about somebody’s “blistering Mick Ronsonesque leads,” or “organ-pulping Colin Moulding-style basslines,” or “projectile-vomit-inducing Geddy Lee vocals.” Hey, namedroppers! How ‘bout just thinking of an adjective or two and not trying to remind me how many bands you’re familiar with?

My point, if I’ve been a little too subtle, is that I’m not a big fan of music critics. But maybe that’s just because my viola has been called a “violin” or a “fiddle” in more reviews than I can count (four). You have no idea what kind of damage that can do to a guy.

Consequently, I’m gonna go about this album review a little differently. I’m just gonna tell you what I like, tell you I like this record, and let you listen to it or not listen to it at your own convenience. Deal? Deal. Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen is one of my favorite albums of all time. It has some great string writing (always a plus for me), some interesting guitar parts, and some nice dramatic singing with kind of obscure lyrics. And no love songs, really. I often refer to “The Killing Moon” as my favorite song of all time, and I think the title song (that’s “Ocean Rain,” for those of you not really paying attention) is the best example in the rock and roll genre of a constant build a la Ravel’s Bolero…

Oh, hell, now I’m doing it, aren’t I?

Anyway, some of my favorite musicians are the Beatles, David Bowie, Pulp, XTC, Elliott Smith, and Robynn Hitchcock. If you’re at all like me, and you haven’t ever heard Ocean Rain, you should listen to it. If you don’t like it, I’ll give you your money back.

Author’s note: I will absolutely not give you your money back. That’s the price you pay for listening to me. Fifteen dollars. Ten used.

At Home He's A Tourist

2007-05-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Can’t Be Surprised Anymore: Chevron Pays Fines in Iraqi Oil Scandal, Condi Rice Involved?
By Jason Pancake

The next time you go to the gas station to pay a ridiculous amount to fill your tank, here is something to think about.

This week it was reported that Chevron is preparing to acknowledge that it should have known kickbacks were being paid to Saddam Hussein on oil it bought from Iraq as part of a defunct United Nations program, according to investigators. In addition, Chevron is going to pay a settlement including fines estimated to total $25 million to $30 million. Of course, Chevron is claiming it was some kind of misunderstanding, but when you are paying millions of dollars in fines because your company paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein, it means someone screwed up! By coincidence, or maybe not, one person under scrutiny is Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice.

In case you thought she appeared out of nowhere, the President’s loyal sidekick, Condi, was actually on the board of Chevron for ten years (1991-2001) which included the time period of this scandal. While Rice was on the Chevron board, she led its public policy committee, which oversaw “areas of potential political concerns for the company.” [Doing my best John Stewart voice and hand motion impression] “So Condi was in charge of potential political concerns at Chevron? Hmm, couldn’t PAYING EXTRA SURCHARGES FOR IRAQI OIL TO THE ONE AND ONLY, SADDAM HUSSEIN, be considered a “POTENTIAL POLITICAL CONCERN?” In 2001, Rice left Chevron to become national security advisor for W, and the rest is history. We got rid of Saddam Hussein and destroyed Iraq, and Chevron went on to post among the highest earnings for a company in the history of the world. As a parting gift, Chevron named a gigantic oil tanker after her: “The Condoleezza Rice.” I kid you not. Here’s a scary article dated April 5, 2001 which discusses Rice’s ties to Chevron and the article wonders if there might be a potential that the Bush Administration is a little too cozy with a major oil company. It is one of those moments you wish you had a time machine. Here’s a quote from the article that is just priceless: “while some have written off the [tanker] ‘Condoleezza Rice’ as a small and humorous footnote to the Bush administration, the danger exists that it could turn into more.”

Now let’s put this in perspective. Condoleezza Rice, was named National Security Advisor (and later Secretary of State) after she had spent the previous 10 years on the executive board of a major American oil company. Since the above 4/5/01 article was written, the following things have happened: 9-11, Bush Administration claims Saddam Hussein and Iraq have WMDs and were involved with 9-11, These claims questioned, Gas is up to $2.50/gallon, Invasion of Iraq begins, Mission Accomplished!, Still in Iraq, Saddam Hussein captured, Gas is above $3/gallon, Bush re-elected, Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” documentary highlights some scary things about pollution, Gas still above $3/gallon, Claims for going to war against Iraq and Saddam found to be untrue, Chevron and Exxon Mobil earn the greatest profit in the history of the world, Still in Iraq, Gas is up to $3.50/gallon.

While it wasn’t like Chevron secretly snuck suitcases of cash over to Saddam’s palace, here’s what happened: A $64 billion program was set up in 1996 to help ease the effects of United Nations sanctions on Iraqi civilians after the first Gulf war. Until the American invasion in 2003, the program allowed Saddam's government to export oil to pay for food, medicine and humanitarian goods. Using an elaborate system of secret surcharges and extra fees, however, the Iraqi regime received at least $1.8 billion in kickbacks from companies in the program, according to an investigation completed in 2005. One of these companies who got oil from Iraq and paid kickbacks was Chevron. While Chevron is not expected to admit to violating the United Nations sanctions, it is expected to acknowledge that it should have been aware that illegal kickbacks were being paid to Iraq on the oil. There are always shadowy questions. One Italian businessman testified that he sold Iraqi oil to many companies, including Chevron, and all were aware of the Iraqi request for payment of a surcharge. Chevron and the other companies would just add this surcharge amount into the official price.

Is it just a simple coincidence that Rice was on the Board of Chevron during these unnoticed overpayments? Probably. But, hmm, is there a pattern throughout her career of warnings and hints being missed that something is going on? Of things not being done? Haven’t oil companies benefited enormously from this administration? It’s too bad the mainstream media and people of power just don’t ask enough tough questions about things like this. As a result, we may never know.

Here’s another article about this topic .

Today in Music History

2007-05-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

On May 7th,1978 - Bob Dylan sold 90,000 tickets in less than eight hours for upcoming concerts at London's Wembley Empire Pool

(how many of the 90k people do you think could actually see him?)

Here is one of the original 1975 hand bills for Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, intimate shows featuring Dylan and some of his friends.

The idea was that Bob Dylan wanted to "take the music to the people" and that is exactly what he did in 1975. Joined by Joan Baez, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Bob Neuwirth; he posted handbills only a couple of days before each show, letting folks know the "Rolling Thunder Revue" was playing in their town. The shows were held at small local venues and solely advertised via these handbills. Now you can own one!

Notes from Vivace...

2007-05-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

May 9th Preview.

For this write-up, I decided to do some myspace.com and google.com research on this week’s upcoming bands.

The Clash City Rockers.

Based on their myspace page, Clash City Rockers is a new band. According to their blog, their first show occurred in mid-April under the pen name, “Death or Glory.” The band members are Cash, Mark, Mike and Rob. And they’re, as by their band name, a tribute band to The Clash – and they dress like them, as well! Cash takes the role of Joe Strummer. Mike takes the part of Mick Jones. Mark is Paul Simonon and Rob bangs out the Topper Headon beat. Based on his myspace page, Cash considers his influences to be various British music; such as The Beatles, Clash, Costello. So what should you watch for: what else, but thirty minutes of Clash music.

Overnight Lows.

I believe this is the first time the Overnight Lows have played at Kiss or Kill since their residency back in the later half of 2006. This band includes Julesy, vocals; Jozzy on guitar; Mo Mo on bass; and Jeffrey on drums. This is a band that demands that you go out and rent the movie Pulse, which stars Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame. The movie features their song “Delay the Wait.” If you want a little background on the band, cdbaby.com has the following write-up, “Founded by singer Jules and guitarist/producer Joz, the duo seemed an unlikely pair at the start. Their backgrounds were as diverse as their musical influences; Joz growing up in Mexico and favoring the sounds of bands such as Blur, Queen, and Zeppelin, and Jules, and L.A. native, with a style as spirited as her love of early Motown. Add a rhythm section to the equation with Jeff on drums and Moses on bass, let the old blend with the new, and Overnight Lows is now poised to make their mark.” I personally favor their song “The Breaks,” which if you head over to youtube.com, you can watch the music video. Here’s the one thing I say to look for when watching their set: look for the megaphone.

here is that video:

The Rainman Suite.

This band includes Josh, Ethan and Jeff. Their top myspace friends include The Clash, Social Distortion, Green Day, The Living End and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. They’re a long-time Kiss or Kill band. According to their website, their first Kiss or Kill show was back in 2004. Perhaps further back since they don’t have all their shows listed. An interesting note can be found on their Internet site, “We’ve got shows dating back to Oct. 2001 when we went by the name ‘The Resistance’, but unfortunately ‘The Resistance’ is the name of a white power group so we had to change it. And as far as having no record of those shows, well, who really cares?” And if it seems that Jeff plays for multiple bands, you are correct. On occasion, he’s filled in as drummer for Bang Sugar Bang. What to watch for: as per a review on the myspace blog, the hair.

Here is a video for "Heavy Medication"

She’s Your Sister.

She’s Your Sister is another 2006 resident Kiss or Kill band making a return visit in 2007. The band includes Joel, Job, Theo and Jenn. They’re a rock band from Chicago that decided to move out to California. Their sophomore LP is called “onetwothreefour” and came out in March 2007. Music Connection Magazine gave the following write-up, “L.A. via Chicago outfit are award-winning rockers with Pixies and Sonic Youth influences whose CD sounds pro all the way. Singer Joe Whitley’s rich, appealing vocals are adeptly captured and the drums really pop. Most importantly, the band’s music is edgy yet thoroughly commercial. Major labels will want to check this act out.” If you do some research via google.com, you’ll come across an interesting article from the University of Chicago Law School. The article reveals the mystery of their band name, “And in case you were wondering, the band’s name is a quote from the Wes Anderson film, The Royal Tenenbaums, and refers to a seriously frustrated love.” What to watch for: focus in on the drummer once in awhile, because he can be incredible.

here is a live performance at an earlier Safari Sam's show

...Notes From Vivace

Special Note from Kiss or Kill News...

RockPaperScissors featuring huge Kiss or Kill supporter Kjell Helding based out of North Hollywood will be replacing the Press Fire in this weeks line-up closing out the night in the 12:30 slot!

At Home He's A Tourist

2007-05-07T00:59:00.000-07:00

"Disposable Heroes"

by Jason Pancake

The most effective forms of advertising are through personal testimonials or the recommendations of our personal heroes. Some testimonials use the average man or woman to appeal to the consumer. “I’m an average dude and I drink Soda Z because it rocks.” Better testimonials have celebrity endorsers! People use the logic that if someone they really adore and respect uses a certain product or feels a certain way, they must be right. In arguing your case to a large number of people, it’s easier to link an image or a face to a cause than it is to make a clear, sensible explanation. You can write an excellent 500 page argument of why civil rights are important, but it is more effective to mention and flash a photo of Martin Luther King giving a speech. You can describe to a ten year old, the musical and sociological significance of 1970s punk rock history, but to make him/her a fan, all you need is a photo of Sid Vicious or the cover photo of “London Calling.”

The same idea of a “hero” has been used throughout history to support military causes, including the current “War on Terror.” The image of a war hero is an incredibly effective form of propaganda that media outlets and citizens just can’t get enough of because people can easily feel inspired by fascinating stories of heroism and interesting individuals. Unfortunately, what happens if the stories being told were not real? What if the truth was being buried in favor of a cool Hollywood-style ending in order to raise some poll numbers?

The two most recognizable legends to grow out of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were those of Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch. Pat Tillman was the square-jawed football player who gave up millions of dollars to be an Army Ranger and was valiantly gunned down by the enemy while protecting his troops in battle. Jessica Lynch was the cute blond girl from West Virginia who was taken prisoner by Iraqi insurgents during a firefight and whose rescue from an Iraqi hospital was captured on videotape. These were great stories that inspired many in 2003, but turned out to be far from true. Last week, in Congressional hearings, Tillman’s family and Jessica Lynch herself, testified that the Pentagon lied to turn them into war heroes.

I felt especially sad when I heard Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan in 2003 even though I didn’t know him personally. He was just one of thousands of soldiers who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan, but something was different because he was a celebrity that I knew about. He was a hard-hitting safety on the Arizona Cardinals whose square-jaw and tough face looked sort of like Henry Rollins. I liked him because he was a long-haired rebel who was against the Bush administration’s policies and was an avid fan of Noam Chomsky. He was the perfect hero for the America war effort at a time when the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was fresh in the news. It wasn’t until months later, that it was revealed that he was actually shot by his own fellow soldiers. Even Tillman’s family was not told for weeks what had happened and were led to believe that he was killed while heroically saving his team. The soldier standing right there when Tillman was shot in the back of the head by his own men (!), was ordered by military officials not to tell Tillman’s brother, who was stationed nearby, what had really happened. More on this story can be found in this article at USA Today .

Meanwhile, Jessica Lynch was also a perfect hero for the war in Iraq. She already has a TV movie made about her exploits. She appeals to all the key demographics because she is a nineteen year old, small town West Virginia, blonde “Little Girl Rambo” who put up a good fight yet, had to be rescued by the big, strong manly US commandos. During the early stages of the war, the legend was that she was injured in a gunfight ambush while shooting down terrorists, was captured and abused by evildoers, and then dramatically rescued by American troops from a hospital. What actually happened? According to the testimony Lynch gave, her vehicle was indeed hit by a rocket in an ambush, but her gun had jammed so she didn’t actually fire a shot. She was taken to an Iraqi hospital where kind nurses and doctors treated her well, and the Iraqis had actually tried to return her to US forces. However, the military insisted on filming a dramatic rescue operation for a good photo op. At the Congressional hearings, she said “I'm still confused why they lied and tried to make me into a legend.” “American people don't need to be told elaborate tales” about US forces, she said. In the end, she ended up being a true hero by standing up to the government that tried to hide the truth and use lies about her to sell a badly mismanaged war.

Regardless of the lies told, there isn’t a question of the bravery of Tillman and Lynch. It is just really appalling how they were used as pawns and publicity and then casually disposed of and kept out of the public eye as the truth was revealed. Today, Tillman’s friendly fire case still hasn’t been fully investigated, and Lynch still suffers from medical problems from her injuries and needs a brace to stand.

Selling an unpopular war can’t be done with charts and academic papers. A country needs larger than life characters. There are thousands of tragic personal stories of dead and injured men and women from this war, but most of those stories aren’t widely circulated because they don’t involve teenage girls sensationally rescued on video, or NFL players who become Army Rangers. Until more celebrities start fighting in the war, the only stories you will hear about soldiers in the news will be largely accounts of anonymous, unknown soldiers killed by road side bombs. Their families and friends will suffer (and perhaps on PBS you might actually see a name, photo, and age), but for the most part, the casualties remain treated by TV news as flag-covered boxes with a number. 3000, 3500, 4000.

*photo of Jessica Lynch from www.jessica-lynch.com

*photo of Pat Tillman from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4815441

Kiss or Kill Venue Change in June...a Note from Johnny99

2007-05-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

May will be our last month at Safari Sam's, as we move our weekly Kiss or Kill night to El Cid starting Weds. June 6th. We hope to see everyone come out & support our final weekly shows at Sam's!

We have a great time at Safari Sam's & are leaving the door open to doing future one off events. They have been amazing host's & more importantly great friends.

We want to get back to our roots & reaffirm the communal aspect of the club. We are excited to work with Tobin Shea again who inspired the initial concept behind Kiss or Kill at the Garage. Cover will remain the same, & the night will be 18+.

We will be kicking off the night with a Kiss or Kill Homecoming Dance! With the Miss Kiss or Kill 07 pageant', the winner will win a bar tab & a guest starring role in the next Chissum Worthington Video!

Details will be coming out soon...Kiss or Kill/Metal Skool Monday at the Key Club will still be the first Monday of every month & the monthly at Alex's Bar in Long Beach is still on schedule.

Infused Tequila all around.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!
J99

Meet The Automatic Music Explosion

2007-04-26T13:34:00.002-07:00

After rockin' us out all month during their April Kiss or Kill Residency, the members of The Automatic Music Explosion take some time to give us a little bit of history on the band and on themselves.

*live photos by Ashley Ford and Flaco

1. Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Los Angeles (if you are not originally from LA)?

MATT: New York City. I was working hard but nothing was clicking so I just decided to make a change. Plus, I was sick of the snow!

JODIE: I grew up in Detroit. I moved to LA the day I graduated college to be an ACTRESS...Oscar or bust!
CHRIS: Cleveland baby! I moved here to be a Rockstar!
MAX: I was born in San Francisco and moved to L.A. when I was a young lad. I'm an L.A. kid!
JEFF: West Chester Rock City. Just outside Philly. I was in the middle of my third attempt at college when i said Fuck it, I wanna ROCK!

2. How did the name The Automatic Music Explosion come about?

MATT: The first time I ever played any of these songs was with Max. Just me & him in a room & it was obvious what was going on. I was describing it to someone & it just came out.
MAX: Very big and very exciting!!

3. How did the current line-up meet?

MATT: Ads, mutual friends, the usual stuff. Sarah from The Mulhollands found us & told us about Jeff!
MAX: Matt had ads out before I had even arrived home from our first meeting!

4. What has been the craziest show you have played to date?

MATT: The Doll Hut in Anaheim. I had just split my head open the nite before @ a show & I was up on the bar & got all dizzy cause I had a concussion & almost fell off, Jodie’s tambourine literally exploded in the 2nd song & Jeff tried to drink a whole pitcher of beer with no hands while playing & fell on his back & it spilled all over him! After the show I threw up rom the concussion.

MAX: Granada Hills High was pretty nuts. Tons of kids headbangin' with Chris, teachers peeking out of their bungalows scowling, signing anything and everything. A rockin' day was had by all!

5. What instruments do you each play?

Matt – lead vocals/guitar
Jodie – lead vocals/tambourine
Chris – guitar
Jeff – bass
Max! - drums

6. What made you get involved with music?

MATT: When I was 6 a neighbor gave me a KISS album & I used to stare at the cover & just want to be inside that world with them.

MAX: Music got involved with me. Literally walked up to me, jammed itself in my ears and that was
that. Probably the Kinks or The Beatles. Been drumming since I was seven.

CHRIS: The day I heard Metallica's "Master of Puppets" I knew what i had to do...

JODIE: When I lost the role of The Black Dahlia to Mia Kirshner I never got over it. I met Matt and and Max thru a mutual friend and they told me I would get to sing, dance and play tambourine everyday if I joined the band. I quit my talent agent the next day.

Max thru a mutual friend and they told me I would get to sing, dance and play tambourine everyday if I joined the band. I quit my talent agent the next day.

JEFF: I Started playing cello in the third grade and from there moved on to bass. Once I played my first show in 6th or 7th grade I was in it all the way!

7. Were any of you involved in other bands prior to this one?

EVERYONE: Nah!

8. Whose idea was it to incorporate the audience directed signs during your live shows and where did that idea come from?

MATT: I think it was mine, but I say that about everything! I just wanted to able to connect & communicate with the audience in everyway possible.

MAX: If the signs were Matt's idea, I was right behind him sayin’ "YES YES YES "! We are the musical equivelant of a boxing match and each song is a round. When we become a 15 round Heavyweight gig, people are gonna get hurt! That includes the band of course.

9. What has been your favorite venue or town/city to play while out on tour?

MATT: No tour yet...so right now Safari Sam’s Hollywood, CA!

10. How did The AME's involvement with Kiss or Kill come about? When did you play your first Kiss or Kill show?

MATT: Jan 31. We had played a show a month or two earlier at like 7:30 for this private party & Cooper caught our set & dropped us a line. What a thrill!

11. What do you feel makes Kiss or Kill different from other nights in Los Angeles/Hollywood?

MATT: The non-Hollywood fake rock star bullshit attitude & the fact that most of KOK are actual working musicians & not some bitter prick in a booking office who “used to have a band”.

MAX: I love the community of KOK. We Have met loads of ultra kool people since we have been
welcomed into your fab scene! Proud to be a part.

12. You guys (and gal) like The Mulhollands and Ok Stranger are part of another group of supportive bands, how has being a part of that helped your band?

MATT: It’s been great to be part of a supportive scene. New York was definitely not like that…I really appreciate having all those guys as friends & getting play with them.

MAX: It's nice when you can look out into your audience, see your friends and give 'em a nod. Even better when we are all on the same bill. Lots of great nights so far!

13. You are having a record release this week. Is this your first release and is it a full length or an EP?

MATT: First release & it’s an EP. On May 20 we fly to New York to record with producer Mike Chapman(The Sweet, The Knack, Blondie, Suzi Quatro…allmusic.com that name if you don’t already know). He just flew out here to meet with & us catch a show. We’re very excited...so is he!

14. What was the process of putting that together?

MATT: Re: the EP - The usual stuff…demos recorded in our rehearsal space. We just felt it was time to have something with a barcode & also to top killing our cd burners! Re: Chapman, I found out where he lived & it was down the street from my Grandmother on the East Coast! So we sent him a cd & a month later I was home visiting & I went to his house & knocked on the door. We hung out, drank some Tequila & talked about the band. A month later he flew out here to see our show & that was that!

MAX: Mike Chapman was on the agenda from day one. Matt literally stalked him (in a good way . It's still unreal that he has seen the AME live and to have hung out with him. He has produced 3 of my favorite drummers of all time. Mick Tucker (Sweet) , Clem Burke (Blondie) and Bruce Gary (The Knack).

15. In your own words how would you describe your sound?

MATT: AC/DC meets The Archies…TOTAL Pop meets TOAL Rock. Not some wimpy band calling themselves “Rock” & not some Pop band with distorted guitars. Sexy & fun! (too many words??)

MAX: BIG!

CHRIS: Sweet!

16. How has the sound evolved since you first became a band?

MATT: It’s gotten bigger sounding & more aggressive. Also, once we realized what Jodie could do we were able to have a lot more of the co-lead vocal thing…and I’m always asking her to scream.

17. What bands have influenced you personally?

MATT: KISS, Ramones & AC/DC

JODIE: Marvelettes, Ronettes, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna & Aerosmith!

CHRIS: I live for the party bands ie. james brown, van halen, dr. dre, ludacris, andrew wk, etc, etc.

MAX: Beatles, Kinks, Janes Addiction and the first two Motley Crue records. HA!!

18. What advice would you give to bands that are just starting out?

MATT: Learn how to write songs & practice more than once a week

MAX: Communicate and listen to each other.

19. What would be your dream bill to play on?

MATT: Headlining MSG, I don’t care who opens.

MAX: Coachella. Sandwiched between Oasis and a " REAL " Guns N Roses reunion.

20. If you didn’t reside in the Los Angeles area where would you live?

MATT: NYC or hopefully soon in Space

JODIE: Somewhere with SEASONS - LA's sunny weather can be so boring sometimes

JEFF: In Wyoming or Vermont, somehwere way out the fuck out there in a log cabin that I built.

CHRIS: All I know is wherever I'd end up would need to have an equal or greater amount of hot ass biaaahs!

MAX: London

At Home He's a Tourist

2007-04-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Looking at Election 2008: Part One (of too many)
by Jason Pancake

Even though the 2008 Presidential Election is still 18 months away, politicians have been raising large amounts of money and making humorous claims earlier than ever. Take Republican candidate Mitt Romney for example. By pulling an Arnold and saying he was pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and pro-gun control, Romney (a Mormon Republican) was somehow able to get elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2003. These days however, in order to win over the Midwest, Deep South, and Methtown, USA, Romney has done a complete turnaround (or some would say, a flip-flop) and is against all those things.

Recently, Romney has even gotten cozy with the NRA and said “I purchased a gun when I was a young man. I've been a hunter pretty much all my life." Of course this is hilariously misleading. This piece in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Star-Telegram says it pretty well: “In Romneyland, "I've been a hunter pretty much all my life" means two outings: one as a 15-year-old to hunt rabbits and once last year when he joined major donors to the Republican Governors Association to shoot quail on a fenced game ranch in Georgia.” Last year's trip was an outing with major donors of the Republican Governors Association, which Romney headed at the time. These people were not exactly in the same income-level as the average gun owner. This CNN article has a full recap too and says, “An aide said Wednesday that Romney was not trying to mislead anyone, although he confirmed Romney had been hunting only on those occasions in his life.”

If I were a real hunter, I would be falling over laughing. By the way, Mitt “I’ve been a hunter pretty much all my life” Romney just joined the NRA last August. What about the old Romney who supported the Brady gun control law and a ban on assault rifles while running for Senate in 1994? "That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA," he told the Boston Herald at the time. "I don't line up with a lot of special interest groups." Even while running for Governor in 2002, he said “We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them. I believe they protect us and provide for our safety."

He’s an analysis of Romney’s statements regarding guns.

To be fair, he did say later that in his younger days, he used to shoot small rabbits and rodents in Utah that he didn’t need licenses to hunt, but even those claims barely qualify him as an “avid hunter.” According to an AP article, this “Lifelong hunter” Romney does not even own his own gun. It turns out the gun Romney claims to have is actually owned by his son and kept at the vacation house in the fancy resort town of Park City, Utah. He has been living in Massachusetts since 1971, he has a second home in New Hampshire, and he grew up in a wealth Michigan suburb, Bloomfield Hills. However, “officials from Michigan, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where a license is necessary to hunt such small game, said they could not immediately locate any license for Romney.”

I know he’s just doing what he has to do to be a good born-again Republican, but sometimes it’s easy to understand why people don’t trust the government and care more passionately about Sanjaya’s hair than they do about the state of the country. I’m not singling out Romney because he “flip-flopped,” but rather because this whole issue shows how sad it is that Romney has to gain the NRA’s favor for political funding, contributions, and support. The gun lobby in this country is huge money maker and that’s what it really is: a business. It just works out well that they can profit off of America’s love of things that go “boom!” and “pow!” Unfortunately, giving crazy and desperate people easy access to guns is like leaving sharp objects or chemicals in a room with an unattended toddler. A responsible, smart kid probably won’t get hurt with them, but the dumb, mischievous kid is in trouble. Too bad there are a lot of these “dumb kids” in the US.

Update:

When recounting his hunting experience, Romney said: "Shooting a rabbit with a single-shot .22 is pretty hard, and after watching me try for a couple of weeks, [my cousins] said, `We'll slip you the semiautomatic. You'll do better with that.' And I sure did."

A couple of weeks ago, I thought this quote was merely pathetic because using a semiautomatic to shoot rabbits should barely qualify as hunting. But reading the quote after the Virginia Tech shooting is scary and sad because the same concept (how well high powered weapons work), was key in the damage done on campus. Read the Romney quote again with a slight change: “Shooting a bunch of college students with a single-shot .22 is pretty hard, and after watching me try for a couple of weeks, [my cousins] said, `We'll slip you the semiautomatic. You'll do better with that.' And I sure did.”

The Virginia Tech shooter had a semiautomatic Glock 9mm and a Walther P22. Look up their capabilities. These are devastating weapons. They were designed to be used by people to shoot more than just rabbits. If you need these guns to hunt your rabbits/quails, or if you need these to defend your mobile home, then you must either be living in the middle of Baghdad or in a nuclear fallout area that produces giant bloodthirsty mutant rabbits.

Plugs of the week: “Armed Madhouse” by Greg Palast is out on paperback this week. It should be essential reading to anyone that wants to learn about what is happening in the world.

And also check out Bill Moyer’s new series on the PBS website or on your local PBS station. He is one of the most respected journalist out there and does incredible news stories.

At Home He's a Tourist

2007-04-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

AT HOME HE’S A TOURIST

By Jason Pancake

“Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.”
-Kurt Vonnegut’s Rule of Writing #2:

“Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.”
-Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

Last week, we lost an incredible author, Kurt Vonnegut. Among his most famous novels were Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and Cat's Cradle. He was also an editor/contributor for “In These Times” magazine and here is a good collection of some of his later essays. Vonnegut was definitiely an outspoken, entertaining character that you could root for.

Next week, I will present the first of a series of articles on Election 2008 which will include candidate profiles, absurdities, and how the role of president is out of touch with the average American. However, I think Vonnegut said it best: “There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.”

In tribute of Kurt, here is a typical article of his that was written in 2005.

Your Guess Is as Good as Mine
By Kurt Vonnegut
12/12/05

Most of you, if not all of you, like me, feel inadequately educated. That is an ordinary feeling for a member of our species. One of the most brilliant human beings of all times, George Bernard Shaw said on his 75th birthday or so that at last he knew enough to become a mediocre office boy. He died in 1950, by the way, when I was 28. He is the one who said, “Youth is wasted on the young.” I turned 83 a couple weeks ago, and I must say I agree.

Shaw, if he were alive today, would envy us the solid information that we have or can get about the nature of the universe, about time and space and matter, about our own bodies and brains, about the resources and vulnerabilities of our planet, about how all sorts of human beings actually talk and feel and live.

This is the information revolution. We have taken it very badly so far. Information seems to be getting in the way all the time. Human beings have had to guess about almost everything for the past million years or so. Our most enthralling and sometimes terrifying guessers are the leading characters in our history books. I will name two of them: Aristotle and Hitler. One good guesser and one bad one.

The masses of humanity, having no solid information to tell them otherwise, have had little choice but to believe this guesser or that one. Russians who didn’t think much of the guesses of Ivan the Terrible, for example, were likely to have their hats nailed to their heads.

We must acknowledge, though, that persuasive guessers—even Ivan the Terrible, now a hero in Russia—have given us courage to endure extraordinary ordeals that we had no way of understanding. Crop failures, wars, plagues, eruptions of volcanoes, babies being born dead—the guessers gave us the illusion that bad luck and good luck were understandable and could somehow be dealt with intelligently and effectively.

Without that illusion, we would all have surrendered long ago. But in fact, the guessers knew no more than the common people and sometimes less. The important thing was that they gave us the illusion that we’re in control of our destinies.

Persuasive guessing has been at the core of leadership for so long—for all of human experience so far—that it is wholly unsurprising that most of the leaders of this planet, in spite of all the information that is suddenly ours, want the guessing to go on, because now it is their turn to guess and be listened to.

Some of the loudest, most proudly ignorant guessing in the world is going on in Washington today. Our leaders are sick of all the solid information that has been dumped on humanity by research and scholarship and investigative reporting.

They think that the whole country is sick of it, and they want standards, and it isn’t the gold standard. They want to put us back on the snake-oil standard.

Loaded pistols are good for people unless they’re in prisons or lunatic asylums.
That’s correct.

Millions spent on public health are inflationary.
That’s correct.

Billions spent on weapons will bring inflation down.
That’s correct.

Industrial wastes, and especially those that are radioactive, hardly ever hurt anybody, so everybody should shut up about them.
That’s correct.

Industries should be allowed to do whatever they want to do: Bribe, wreck the environment just a little, fix prices, screw dumb customers, put a stop to competition and raid the Treasury in case they go broke.
That’s correct.

That’s free enterprise.
And that’s correct.

The poor have done something very wrong or they wouldn’t be poor, so their children should pay the consequences.
That’s correct.

The United States of America cannot be expected to look after its people.
That’s correct.

The free market will do that.
That’s correct.

The free market is an automatic system of justice.
That’s correct.

And so on.

If you actually are an educated, thinking person, you will not be welcome in Washington, D.C. I know a couple of bright seventh graders who would not be welcomed in Washington, D.C.

Do you remember those doctors a few years back who got together and announced that it was a simple, clear medical fact that we could not survive even a moderate attack by hydrogen bombs? They were not welcome in Washington, D.C.

Even if we fired the first salvo of hydrogen weapons and the enemy never fired back, the poisons released would probably kill the whole planet by and by.

What is the response in Washington? They guess otherwise. What good is an education? The boisterous guessers are still in charge—the haters of information. And the guessers are almost all highly educated people. Think of that. They have had to throw away their educations, even Harvard or Yale educations, to become guessers. If they didn’t do that, there is no way their uninhibited guessing could go on and on and on.

Please, don’t you do that. But let me warn you, if you make use of the vast fund of knowledge now available to educated persons, you are going to be lonesome as hell. The guessers outnumber you—and now I have to guess—about ten to one.

EddieOaot's East Coast Report...

2007-04-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

the Imperial Band Ban

Last night the Imperialists imperialized the basement of club midway in the lower east side. i was tired, not drunk, late to the show and was playing mikeeast's bass, which hates me and always makes crackling pops and snaps if i move even a little. and i move a lot. however, we had a good crowd and we have been practicing a lot and are tight like virgins.

mikey electric is part of an organization named hospitality club and regulary hosts foreigners on his luxurious couches and floors (and beds (!)) in a very clever effort to 1) hook up with easy foreign chicks, and 2) to get free accomodations while traveling europe with gorgeous joe borges this summer. this past week he had some fun mexican girls (four in all (two 19 year olds)) staying with him. they really wanted to see how awesome we are since all we ever do is talk about how awesome we are and mikey and joe (one or the other came up with it, i blame them both) came up with a genius ploy to get the two non drinking aged se~noritas into the show. They're back up singers in the band.

So we rocked it hard. I felt sloppy and smashed mike's bass on my head and drank his beer and fucked up here and there, but we had all the kids dancing (of highest importance) and drew our good share for another super night of streetwave. unfortunately, however, not as excellent as any streetwave night at the FREE ottos
. but thats another (better) deal.

I'm not sure who or how, but someone notfied the INS about the illegal aliens that the imperilaists had illegally imperilaized into midway, and not only were they asked to leave, but the imperialists were banned from playing that bar. its a shame because $5 is ok in new york for a rock show, and they have food and a nice sound girl, but fuck them. otto's is cheaper, freer, tikkier, and they don't card at the door. (shhhh) its the first time that my band has been banned from a bar, and it hasn't been my drunken faults (see: the scene circa 2002 and cbgb's circa 2004).

After us were the almost naked invincible gods who had a smaller crowd after la migra's raid, but it was a fun danceathon of rock and roll. after them the band of gold screamed at us about wanting lots of pretty flowers because christ man doesnt do the dishes and sang about california and kept the dance party going all the way until a fairly new (to new york city) band got on stage. camera head shark really impressed me when they played with the oaots at ottos in march (best show ever). they rock some quirky pop alla pavement and fountains of wayne (whose guitarist i met at some bar in the city last week). the first song on their myspace is in some language that i dont think they even understand, or its french. but watch the video!

Tonight! Tonight!

2007-04-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

It's the return of The Knives, and Front Row For The Meltdown who've got some new songs for you, plus the side splitting antics of the Fuxedos, and the debut of the Generators, plus the big Birthday Bonanza for Chris of Automatic Music Explosion!!!!

Kiss or Kill at

Safari Sam's

5214 W. Sunset Blvd.,

Los Angeles CA 90027

ALL AGES $3 before 10pm $5 After

Front Row For The Meltdown 12:30---
The Fuxedos 11:45-12:15
Automatic Music Explosion 11:00-11:30
The Generators 10:15-10:45
The Knives 9:30-10:00
hosted by MC Rob Z

9:30 pm - The Knives

10:15 pm - The Generators

11:00 pm - The Automatic Music Explosion

11:45 pm - The Fuxedos

12:30 am - Front Row for the Meltdown

Tonight!!!

2007-04-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT!!! at Kiss or Kill!!!!
@ Safari Sam's
5214 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
$3 Before 10pm $5 After
$3.50 PBR

ALL AGES

Inazuma 12:30---
Silver Needle 11:45-12:15
Automatic Music Explosion 11:00-11:30
The Prix 10:15-10:45
The Lieutenants 9:30-10:00

hosted by MC Rob Z

The Lieutenants - 9:30pm

The Prix - 10:15pm

Automatic Music Explosion - 11:00pm

Silver Needle - 11:45 pm

Inazuma - 12:30 am

Meet The Prix

2007-04-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have caught The Prix at last years Playa's Picnics and Kiss or Kill's Sunset Junction as well as our regular Safari Sam's nights, they have also shared numerous bills with one of our favorites The New Fidelity. If you haven't caught them yet, you have a chance to see them tonight at Kiss or Kill at Safari Sam's (5214 W. Sunset Blvd.). They hit the stage at 10:15pm

In the meantime you can get to know them a little bit better here, as Stephen "Stevie" Mills (drummer/background vocals - referred to in interview as SM) and Cashew Von Harding (guitarist/vocals referred in interview as CVH)took some time out to answer some of our questions before tonights show!

Stevie Mills and Cashew Von Harding

1. Where are you from originally, and what brought each of you to Los Angeles (if you are not originally from LA)?

CVH: Blake and I were born, raised, educated, and most likely got our first kisses in the City of Los Angeles

SM: Zacharius Ziegler & Stephen Mills hail from separate "nowheresvilles" on the East Coast: Nyack, NY & Old Forge, PA respectively. Both probably came here for the same 2 reasons: 1) have you heard the bands in Nyack or Old Forge!? 2) Have you had to shovel snow in L.A. between November & April? Case closed.

2. How did the name The Prix come about?

SM: Well it certainly wasn't intended to encourage the "Pree vs. Pricks" debate that we're constantly answering to. But in French it means both "prize" and "price"...hmmmm, interesting. Ya might wanna follow up w/Blake & Cashew on that one.

3. How did the current line-up meet?

CVH: Blake was playing in SUNSTORM, a local act signed on Rough Trade Records, and I was producing BURGUNDY JONES who had a small, local hit with “Gracias A La Vida”

SM: Blake & Cashew randomly met at Cacao Coffee House in West LA, & by the time the conversation brought them to the bottom of their cups, they had bonded over everything from music to politics, & even found one's cousin to be the other's close family friend! With the nucleus of a new band in place, along came Zach by way of another random meeting; with Cashew's (then) grilfriend, who happened to mention the boys were looking for a bassist. Stevie, an acquaintence of Cashew's via a close friendship with his cousin, joined the ranks about 6 months later.

4. What has been the craziest show you have played to date?

SM: Well "crazy" is a relative term, but The Blue Moon Tavern in Seattle was pretty off the hook. A bit of a dive (& we say that affectionately) but it was PACKED with an extremely enthusastic bunch who there there soley to ROCK & shower us with love. Kiss or Kill's right up there too, mainly due to the lunacy of one Rob Z. ;)

The Prix in Seattle

5. What instruments do you each play?

Blake: Piano, Organ, Lead Vocals
Cashew: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Stevie: Drums, Backing vocals
Zach: Bass, backing Vocals

6. What made you each want to get involved with music?

SM: For me, I was brainwashed by KISS at a very young age. But in general, ya know, a kid gets into music, picks up an instrument & it's all over from that point on..OR, grows up & out of it by high school graduation. Thankfully, none of us have grown up yet.

CVH: Blake is a classically trained pianist who has been performing since he was a tiny boy and Cashew, as well had been raised in a classical music dominated home yet veered towards John and Paul.

7. Most bands seem to love going on tour, do you actually enjoy touring? Why or why not?

SM: Yes of course! Probably because we haven't had enough of a chance to grow tired of it yet. Seriously though, on the positive side, there's nothing better than turning new people in new cities on to our music.

8. What has been your favorite venue or town/city to play while out on tour?

SM: NYC! Crammed 4 shows in only 3 days & just basked in the energy of the Lower East Side. Dallas & Austin, right behind it.

9. How did The Prix's involvement with Kiss or Kill come about? When did you play your first Kiss or Kill show?

CVH: Siria, Siria, Siria!!

SM: Another chance encounter with YOU Ms. Siria! Remember, SXSW '05, I met Siria on (of all places) the Myspace bus! We had recently met & became fast friends w/one of yours, Joanne. You were on the bus with her, we met, had a beer & some laughs & that was it! our first KorK show was last summer, at Old Towne Pub in Pasadena, the week before the Sunset Junction bill you so graciously put us on at El Cid.

10. What do you feel makes Kiss or Kill different from other nights in Los Angeles/Hollywood?
SM: One word: "community" In L.A.!?!? A rarity! Bands, arists & patrons alike all gather on a regular basis at KorK, knock a few back w/new & old friends, share the stage, & occasionally swap spit when applicable. It's beautiful.

11. How would you describe the experience of putting together and releasing your first Cd?

SM: Both Excellent & frustrating. Excellent as far as recording & adding the studio spices & seasonings to the dozen tunes we'd been honing on stage for the better part of a year. The frustration set in about halfway through the mixing stage. Self-producing on a budget with an engineer that "never heard Sgt. Peppers." We're in a much better place now, recording our new material at Red Rockets Glare studio, with Raymond Richards as recording engineer & Dan Long (TV On the Radio / Yeah Yeah Yeah's) working his magic on mixing the shit out of em!

12. For those that don't know all of the band members are Scorpios, does that lead to any issues having some of the same personality traits or does it make working together easier?

SM:Probably both. Shit, who knows. But we do know that Cashew & I share Nov. 20th w/ Kork's own Johnny 99. "Salut, Johnny!"

13.You guys got to work with one of your musical heroes early on. Who was it and how did that come about?

SM: Emitt Rhodes! 60s L.A. pop prodigy. Many people may have to Google him, but many others consider him the "American Paul McCartney". By 1970, he became a 20 year old one-man-band, recording every instrument & vocal on his 3 solo LPs through '73. Blake & Cashew simply cracked open the phonebook, rang him up & recruited him to record the very first Prix demo. There was even a brief period where we were in rehearsal to be his backing band for a few RARE live shows in town. Emitt live on stage happens as frequently as Haley's Comet, & sadly this never came to be, but we're happy to claim one of our heroes as a friend now.

here is a video featuring Emitt Rhodes in the band The Merry-Go-Rounds

14. You have been a mainstay on KROQ's own Locals Only show hosted by Kat Corbett, how did Kat come across your music?

CVH: We were featured as Jed The Fish’s “Catch Of The Day” and since then Kat has championed us on her radio shows and local concerts.

15. In your own words how would you describe The Prix's sound?

SM: Raucous, rowdy, randy, rambunctious, garage/psych/mod noise-pop? All of those things, yet none of those things specifically. Readers, come on out on Wednesday & tell US!

16. How has the sound evolved over the last few years?

SM: Well, however we may have evolved, it's been more natural & organic than it has been a premeditated effort. So its hard to pinpoint really. Perhaps we're a bit more caution-to-the-wind these days & just being more comfortable at being ourselves.?

17. What bands have influenced you?

CVH: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Kasabian, The Smiths, Pulp, and Beck

SM: In no order, everything from Alice Cooper, T. Rex, Donovan, X, Bowie, Iggy, Beatles, Stones, KISS, Love, Leon Russell, Lee Hazlewood, to infinity. So, so many influences, whether audible in our music or not.

18. What advice would you give to bands that are just starting out?

SM:When you tour through the Southwest, & see the dozens of "Whataburger" locations & think "wow, we gotta try it," don't bother! We fell for it, & ended up renaming it "Whatabummer," "Whatacon," "Whatadisappointment," etc, etc.

19. What would be your dream bill to play on?

SM:Shit, we'll let ya know when we're on it

20. If you didnt reside in the Los Angeles area where would you live?

SM: Despite it's shortcomings & occasional cruelty to musicians, we do still love L.A. as home. But NYC or the U.K. might be nice for a spell too.

The Prix in LA

At Home He's a Tourist

2007-04-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Live and Let Die"
by Jason Pancake

In the latest act of saying “f- you” to the environment and credibility of American government, Pres. Bush used a recess appointment to name extreme anti-regulation supporter, Susan Dudley as his top appointee in charge of uh, government regulations. This has kind of slipped by the radar of the mainstream media, but it has major implications! The LA Times has a good story of what happened: “President Bush on Wednesday appointed as his top regulatory official a conservative academic who has written that markets do a better job of regulating than the government does and that it is more cost-effective for people who are sensitive to pollution to stay indoors on smoggy days than for government to order polluters to clean up their emissions. As director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Susan E. Dudley will have an opportunity to change or block all regulations proposed by government agencies.”

Dudley’s job is important because as mentioned, she can change or block all regulations proposed by government agencies that affect everything from health, safety, pollution, car airbags, clean air/water, and business practices. This is dangerous because her career is built around deregulating any safety or consumer protection that might interfere with companies earning the very top profit. She calls public health regulations a “hidden tax that hinders profits”. In her article, she actually criticizes the fact that people’s children have to wear “Consumer Product Safety Commission-approved pajamas” that might cost them 2 cents more to buy and hurts the pajama producer’s profits! Doesn’t she understand why people want consumer safety laws? Without laws, what would keep companies from producing dirt cheap pajamas that easily catch on fire or have harmful chemicals in them? There are always stories on the news about unsafe toys and other products.

This report by OMB Watch.org has comprehensive information about Susan Dudley and her think tank, the Mercatus Center. This group that Dudley leads is corporate-founded (and corporate-funded) and whose donors have included companies with long records of pushing for deregulations, such as BP Amoco, Exxon Mobil Corporation, General Motors, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, and State Farm Insurance. Their whole philosophy is that the free market/businesses should control all aspects of how things get done and that safety regulations get in the way of profits.

Here are some of the things Dudley has argued:

· She argued that air bags should not be required in cars, but just requested by consumers who are willing to pay extra for them. Her argument is that in a free market, if people really want air bags, they will pay for them or car manufacturers will put them in because it would make more people buy their cars. Of course, the reason laws requiring seat belts and air bags were created in the first place was because car manufacturers weren’t doing anything to keep people in crashes from unnecessarily dying. At that time (as well as now), it’s common sense that leaving the price of air bags to the car makers meant that many people who might have really needed the safety feature were not able to afford them. Car makers forced consumers to pay five times more for air bags as optional features than for air bags as standard equipment in a car. For example, let’s say the cost of air bags as a standard feature is $1000 (out of the total cost of a $21,000 car). Without this regulation, if you wanted the optional air bag, it would have cost you $5000 (making the car total $25,000). If you’re paying for a $20,000 car, you can probably afford the $1000 cost to save your life in an accident. However, if you had to pay $5000 for overpriced optional airbags, it would be a lot harder to afford, especially for poorer families.
· She opposed stricter limits on arsenic and other chemicals in drinking water, which even goes against what the Bush administration was saying. She has argued that the Environmental Protection Agency's calculations of the costs and benefits of clean water did not take into account that that the lives of some people should not be worth as much, particularly older people with shorter life expectancy. Seniors (who tend to vote the most) were outraged and politicians called this a stupid theory. Even though she values an older person’s life less on an economic level, it doesn’t make sense in this argument because you would be measuring the deaths caused by a polluter’s negligence. If someone killed ten people, it doesn’t matter if the victims were all 35 or 65 years old. The criminal still killed ten people.
· She wants to reject a rule designed to protect consumer privacy which limits financial institutions’ ability to share your private customer financial information without proper consent. Basically, she is saying that banks should be allowed to share your financial information with whoever they want, but that according to the “free market,” people who don’t like having their financial information shared with other companies should just work it out with their bank. People probably wouldn’t even know what was happening. Her solution would be to wait on hold for an hour on the bank’s “Customer Service” number if you have a problem.
· Her Mercatus Center think tank created reports opposing measures to curb global warming, stating that the "evidence regarding global warming and human contribution to it is mixed, and...if a slight warming does occur, historical evidence suggests it is likely to be beneficial, occurring at night, in the winter, and at the poles. Taking 'precautionary action' to protect human health based on a series of tenuous linkages would likely create a new set of risks." Basically, this says that global warming is good because it will keep the temperature warmer at night and in the winter. Yikes.
· And finally, she says that the government shouldn’t force polluters to try to prevent smog but that instead, we should just have a pollution warning system "so that sensitive individuals can take appropriate 'exposure avoidance' behavior" — mostly by remaining inside”! If you have asthma (or get asthma due to smog) stay inside because it hurts the profits of polluting companies.

With a Democratic majority, there was very little chance Dudley would have been confirmed. Even last year when the Republicans still ruled both houses, Bush couldn’t nominate her because many groups opposed her nomination. This year however, Bush used a recess appointment, which meant that he was able to appoint an official for that term of Congress without getting approval from the Senate. He has bypassed the Senate with this rule over 100 times, most notably with controversial UN Ambassador, John Bolton. When even Joe Lieberman is unhappy about Dudley’s appointment and calling it a misuse of power, that is pretty bad.

Notes from Vivace...

2007-04-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

Last Week in Review
April 4, 2007
Kiss or Kill at Safari Sam’s

The Randies

The Randies are back in town before returning to their “world domination tour.” I circled this date on my calendar awhile back, because I was missing Sienna’s green bass strap. (I can’t be the only one who notices it.) They played a couple new songs. I believe one new song was called, Waiting. Laurita took over the lead vocal duties. Very cool. I could be wrong, but no guitar strings were broken during their set. A bit of a disappointment, because both Laurita and Laura had extra guitars on hand for just such a situation. On a previous Kiss or Kill night (unfortunately, months ago, because we so seldom see them around now a days), Jon from Underwater City People was there to help Laurita with repairs. I didn’t see him around so I suspect that Laurita and Laura were taking it a bit easy on the strings. Their drum set was beaten and battered. Is that how New Yorkers treat Kiss or Kill’s hottest women of rock, smashing up The Randies drum set? It must be an East Coast

thing.

Jon from UCP photo by Flaco

Automatic Music Explosion

I read JoeDana’s blog on Automatic Music Explosion. After reading this, I’d suggest heading over to his blog if you haven’t already read it (or even consider going to his blog right now and returning back to this report afterwards.) JoeDana’s been hyping this band, writing up a blog and then sending out a myspace bulletin regarding Automatic Music Explosion’s upcoming gig at Kiss or Kill. So in the desire to increase the volume on this Explosion, here’s to repetition, because this is the most excited I’ve been about a Kiss or Kill band since hearing Bang Sugar Bang for the first time. This band knows how to put on a show. It is a 30 minute set where you dare not only listen to the music. You must participate. Matt and Jodie urge you to join in their fun; exhorting responses from the audience via either a well placed verbal call or held high black-lettering-on-yellow-background signs. You must observe. If you only listen and participate; you’ll miss all the nuances of this band. The hand held signs are obvious, but what about Matt’s outfit changes? Does the head banging ever stop long enough to catch a glimpse of the guitarist’s face? Will the bass player, Jeffrey, ever end up doing the splits on stage? And did anyone notice the drummer, Max, take out that mirror towards the end of their set to make sure that he’s the best looking Los Angeles drummer? I’m sure I missed something and I’m also sure that those of you who saw them are screaming at my words, because I’ve failed to add that one moment (balloons, candies, the look) that you found so intriguing. Please remember, to breathe and refocus your bearings, after their set. What other band will go out there and meet the energy level of Automatic Music Explosion? In JoeDana’s blog, I got the distinct impression that Pu$$y Cow will be taking it up another notch. They’ll be playing out in Pasadena’s Club Yoostuh Becool on Thursday, April 19. (Yes, a plug for another club.) If we’re talking Kiss or Kill, highlight in a big bright marker, April 25. Bang Sugar Bang is on the schedule with Automatic Music Explosion. Bang Sugar Bang will be bringing it, I’m sure. And what, may I ask, can be better than seeing Bang Sugar Bang giving it their all?

Bang Sugar Bang photo by Flaco

If you miss Kiss or Kill in April . . . . your excuse better be that you don’t have either a VCR, DVR, Tivo or high speed internet; therefore, requiring you to watch Lost at its regular scheduled 10 p.m. timeslot. Okay, enough with the hype. If you’ve never heard of Automate Music Explosion and need a bit more convincing to head out to Safari Sam’s on a Wednesday night, consider going to YouTube and typing in Automatic Music Explosion. A handful of videos will come up. I’d suggest starting with the video posted by Avebury. It is a video from an earlier Kiss or Kill show – March, I believe.

Here is that video:

Notes from Vivace is a special contributor to the Kiss or Kill Blog and will periodically give us a review of the nights happenings.

A New 007

2007-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have heard through the rumor mill and the pages of US Weekly one of our very own is up for the part of 007. Here is an open letter from the man himself...

Hi, I'm Chissum Worthington.

As many of you know, I'm a great lover.

You also know that they are casting for the next James Bond movie.

Well, I didn't need a calculator to put 2 and 2 together.

(The answer's 4, btw)

Yes. I auditioned for the new James Bond movie. Obviously I auditioned for the part of 007 himself. I'm still waiting for their reply, but I've got good feelings about it.

Wish me luck. I know I have to drop a few pounds and do a little working out, but once they wave that multi-thousand dollar contract in front of my face, I can do anything (including eating ass).

Come celebrate with me on Saturday, April 14th. I'll be doing a show at the Pike Restaraunt and Bar. It's in Long Beach.

Eight Managers?

2007-04-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of the Turtles take us down the path of working with managers in the music business

Thank you to Tess Taylor and the NARIP Newsletter for turning us onto this great video!

At Home He's a Tourist: Five Minutes of Your Time

2007-04-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Five Minutes of Your Time

By Jason Pancake

In school almost every student learns something about the American Revolutionary War and has probably heard the phrase “no taxation without representation.” For better or worse, thanks to the efforts of the colonists, we have a system of government where each area is represented by an elected representative. These representatives are your voice and are supposed to stand up for you! Does this always happen? No, but it is no excuse not to know who represents you. Your tax dollars go towards government and the your elected representatives determine how the money is spent and how laws affect your life. It’s sad when people care so deeply about who they think should be an american idol or a ballroom dancing minor celebrity, yet they pay thousands of dollars a year in taxes and don’t even know who runs their daily lives and is in charge of spending these tax dollars.

Each American has representatives in the Senate, Congress, and their state and local governments. Generally, people know who their President, Vice President, Governor, and maybe Senators are, but once you go beyond those people, the knowledge goes way down. There are all kinds of polls and surveys showing how pathetic the general public’s knowledge is of their representatives. I strongly believe that students should be able to name or at least find the name of their major representatives in order to graduate from high school. The decisions that these representatives make shape almost every aspect of the country and where you live.

There are racist, homophobic nutcases out there that want to carry concealed weapons, believe that being gay is morally wrong, and who don’t believe evolution should be taught in school, yet these people aren’t marginalized and laughed off because they tend to know who their representatives are and how to contact them.

Believe it or not, if you write a letter to your elected representative, you will get a response from his or her office. Your representative might not do much about the cause you want to support, but at least they know you are out there.

What you can do:

If you already know who all your representatives are, that is awesome. If not, you can easily find out. In the time it takes you to check your email or to read through your Myspace bulletins, you can find out who controls many aspects of the country and your daily life.

Here are the essentials:

1. Your Representative in Congress: Go to the House of Representatives website at www.house.gov and enter your zip code to find your representative. You need zip +4 to do a search. You can find your zip+4 at the USPS.com website.

The House.gov website is cool because you can also look up voting records and bills that are being heard.

2. Your State Representatives: In most states such as California, you have a State Senate and Assembly. These are the people that make state laws and approve the budget. Just like the national level where you have the President, Congress, and Senate, on a state level, things have to be worked out between the Senate, Assembly, and Governor. This website VoteSmart.org has a lot of resources and information on how to find your state representatives. You can also do a Google search for your state’s legislature. (For example, search for “California legislature”) The Official California Legislative Information website also has all kinds of good information about California laws and your representatives.

3. Your local city/county representatives: Finally, it is good to know what’s happening in your own neighborhood and city. They are the ones that decide whether or not a 300-unit apartment building with no additional parking is going to be built on your street. You can look up your local city and county’s webpage to find out who your representatives are.

Once you figure out your local representatives, it doesn’t hurt to do some research and see what’s happening in the rest of the country and feel fortunate that hopefully your representative is better than some of those hacks. Things don’t change unless enough people make it happen, but at least people should know who they have to convince.

Tonight! Kiss or Kill w/the Randies, AME, The Mulhollands

2007-04-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

We've got a great night planned for everyone tomorrow night!!!The Randies are back in town and this is your only chance to catch them in LA for a while! Plus we've got kindof a double Residency this week with The Mulhollands closing out their March Residency and releasing their CD plus it's April Residents Automatic Music Explosion's first week of their month long stay at Casa Kiss or Kill!

Kiss or Kill @
Safari Sam's
5214 W. Sunset Blvd.
$3 Before 10 pm/$5 After
$3.50 PBR
All Age Welcome!!!

Line-up:
The Mulhollands 12:30-
Wake Up Incinerate 11:45-12:15
Automatic Music Explosion 11:00-11:30
The Randies 10:15-10:45
Enid The Dowl 9:30-10:00

hosted by MC Rob Z

Enid the Dowl will be making their Kiss or Kill debut
followed by the Randies who are making a pit stop during their never ending World Domination tour
The Automatic Music Explosion gets kicked off with their high energy antics
then Wake-Up Incinerate hits the stage

with The Mulhollands closing out the night who are releasing their CD and have some awesome hand painted t-shirts (By Sarah Jeanette herself) available! This will also count as the final week of their residency.

In 2028 She'll be 21...

2007-04-04T03:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't aware there is a new member of the Kiss or Kill Family

Congratulations to Amanda "Jones" and Andre Tusques (Guitarist for Silver Needle) on the birth of their baby girl Luna Clementine Tusques who was born March 26th.

Free Stooges Mini Concert

2007-04-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday April 24th The Stooges will be putting on a mini-concert during the Jimmy Kimmel Live taping. There are still tickets available it appears but probably not for long.

Go here for more info and tickets or visit :
http://1iota.com/show.aspx?sid=1

Win an X Box 360

2007-04-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

This Monday April 2nd during our Kiss or Kill Presents: Metal Skool at Key Club, everyone interested will have a chance to win an X Box 360 and their own copy of Guitar Hero II during the Official Guitar Hero II (for X Box 360) Launch Party in the Plush Lounge.

In order to win you must enter a competition where you will compete against others for the highest score in Guitar Hero II.

Those interested in playing should email kissorkillnews@yahoo.com to get on the free before 10pm Kiss or Kill Guest List and once there head down to the Plush Lounge to sign up for the contest.

We've got a great line-up featuring:

9:00 pm - The Waking Hours

10:00 pm - Suicide Holiday

11:00 pm - Mother Tongue

12:oo am - Metal Skool

If you haven't seen any of these bands in a while you are in for a treat!!!! So don't forget to RSVP to kissorkillnews@yahoo.com to avoid the $15 cover!