“A bundle of happy, fabulous, magical, wonderful, sparkly people” was how host Jean Natalia labeled the crowd at last night’s Wig Out. Created in 2005 by Jean and inspired by a group of her performance artist friends, Wig Out is a monthly performance art wig cabaret home to the Bordello Bar in downtown Los Angeles.  Each month boasts a different theme, Thursday night it was: ‘Get Your Sci Fi On!’ Past themes have ranged from: ‘Get Your Evel Knieval On!’ to ‘Get Your Bubblegum On!’

The evening entertainment kicked off with a performance by Orange County based electro/pop/punk band: Romak and the Space Pirates, whose dark and energetic tunes conquered any resistance to dance by those in the audience.  The band poked fun at the state of the CD industry by offering wearable USB flash bracelets containing their album for sale after the show.  Free downloads of the disc, in exchange for fan reviews, are available here.

Afterwards, the cabaret took the stage featuring individual artist such as Penny Starr Jr. and Krys Fox.  The costumes were fabulous, the talent was unique, and everyone performed from the heart.  Wig Out definitely fosters an environment of freedom of expression – anything and everything goes.  I found myself applauding some of the strangest performance art that I have seen and each performer got better and better.  The creativity in the room was indescribable and flawlessly complimented the colorful ambience of the Bordello.

Where else in Los Angeles can you escape from the smog and the stuffy, overpriced clubs for an evening of costumes, wigs, dancing, and cabaret?  The next event takes place in June and the theme is: ‘Get Your Nerd On!’  Cover is $8 at the door with a wig and $10 without.  Grab a wig, unleash what lies dormant within your soul, and head out for a night on the town.  At the very least, go for the people watching.  You will be floored by the unique, expressive, environment that Wig Out fosters.

Words by Nicole Pajer, photos by Fever Dragon

For additional information on the event, please visit: www.Jeanspinosa.com/wigout or www.myspace.com/wigoutgetyourwigon.

You may think to be truly punk rock you have to hail from London or New York? But you might be surprised if I told you that Oslo Norway was were it’s actually happening!

Turbonegro has been living the punk rock drama for the past 20 years. When speaking with Happy Tom this weekend I likened them to the Andy Warhol’s of the punk rock scene. He wasn’t especially impressed with my comparison. He said,”That’s terrible, didn’t he get shot”. But my point, and I did have one, was that Warhol really paid attention to popular culture, took the opinion and vices of the day and served it right back to the Richies all the while mocking their moral high ground. In essence Turbonegro has been paying attention to the most ridiculous trends in rock culture and then serving it right back to the world, only suped up, fast, hard, and totally rock.  As Happy Tom says, “We started off as a parody, and ended up a revolution”.

Sitting outside Turbo’s trailer at Coachella I had a lovely conversation with singer Hank Von Helvete and Happy Tom. Speaking of their origins in the very small and very cold city of Oslo. Hank painted a lovely picture of how all they do all day is lay about like centerfold models on Polar Bear rugs sipping wine in their tighty whities. And you know, I could kind of see that being true, they are just twisted enough to live like that, laughing all the while. With a band named to evoke, “a large, well-equipped, armed, black male in a fast car out for vengence” how could you not laugh too. The music they make may be some of the most honest rock n roll out there today. Their last release in 2007, Retox is no exception. Nevermind the sailor suit and the cape, these guys aren’t afraid to express themselves thats for damn sure.

They had been asked to play the Coachella festival 4 times over the past decade but for various reasons they weren’t able to indulge until now. Mostly they were excited to see some of the other bands on the bill, especially Mastodon, who they have a fondness for like proud pappas.

Turbonegro – All My Friends Are Dead

If you missed Turbonegro in Indio California, then you really missed them. They are heading home for some European festivals and then doing what they do best…returning to the bear skin rug. Alas, punk is not dead!

Words by Barbie Brady, Photos by Fever Dragon

Band of Horses played this years Coachella. Their runaway hit The Funeral has an emo vibe that one would assume might make them a good fit for the alt rock lineup. Clearly the thousands of people paying rapt attention to them at the show made me re-think my initial impression…which was “what is this southern rock band doing playing Coachella”? But you know, that’s just me.

Words by Barbie Brady, photos by Fever Dragon

TV on the Radio has been making music since 2001 in New York City. Their sound is like a mixing bowl full of electronica, jazz, hop-hop with a dash of soul. Its unique fusion has made these guys a critically acclaimed act. When I see them play it feels as though they have been around inventing sounds forever, and yet, they are younger than me. What have I been doing with my life?

Photos by Fever Dragon

Fans of Calexico have already come to expect the unexpected from Tucson, Arizona residents Joey Burns and John Convertino. Each of their albums, from their dusty, lo-fi debut Spoke (1996) to the noir-infused dramatic power of The Black Light (1998), the breakthrough, mariachi madness of Hot Rail (2000), to their hugely successful most recent album, Feast of Wire (2003), which flirted with ambient electronica and Gil Evans infused jazz, charting in 14 European countries.

In 2006 comes Garden Ruin, officially the band’s fifth album, apart from their many tour-only CDs. Written in Bisbee, AZ. Recorded in Tucson, AZ. Mixed in Brooklyn. Mastered in California. It sees a new, and surprising episode unfolding in the Calexico story.

Photos by Fever Dragon

If you suffer for a vaudeville cirque fix you might try to catch a Lucent Dossier show. This group of creative, performing, sexy gypsy’s is good for the cure. They recently ruled the Do Lab at Coachella, with up to 3 shows a day. Their particular blend of singing, dancing, and swinging from various objects high off the ground will have you feeling better in no time. Based out of Los Angeles, if you are in the ‘hood, seek out their delightful brand of entertainment.

Words by Barbie Brady, photos by Fever Dragon

Bill Kelliher, guitar player for the heavy metal monster, Mastodon, isn’t listening to much new music lately. He’s far too busy out on the road supporting the bands 4th album, Crack the Skye. We caught up with him just long enough to get the low-down on what its like being Bill, in a band that’s a beast.

With a concept album that roughly tells the story of a broken body, astral projections, Czarist Russia, Rasputin,  and an early 20th century Russian Orthodox sect called the Kylysty, you would expect one of its creators to be dark and serious. But Bill actually comes across as a genuinely easy going, nice guy. He is like the calm in the chaos that exists in every band.

When I asked Bill the age old question, studio or stage? He replied,”I get asked that a lot. In the studio you have time to think about what you are doing, and re-do what’s not working. Live its kind of hard to improvise”. Improv isn’t exactly the order of the day for a band that is destined to fill the arena rock void. Mastodon is a band that, on the surface, takes itself very seriously. You can’t compete in the heavy metal arena without a frown, and yet its only natural that there has to be a softer side.

Enter Star Wars. Like all Gen X kids, Bill was heavily influenced by the mega film series. He had all the original toys until his parents sold them without warning at a garage sell. Years later, when he started making a bit of money, he started collecting them again. Today he has an entire room dedicated to them in his house, a sleeve of tattoos including the IG-88 and he even named his son Harrison (which you must admit, gives the kid some cred from the go).

With all this in mind, a project involving astral projections isn’t too far a stretch. For those fans listening just to hear the wicked guitar sounds melt your ceribral cortex, they have included an instrumental version of all the songs. Its like your own personal karaoke version, for unique lyrical stylings, or schredding guitar solos. As for what’s on Bill’s ipod that might surprise his fans, Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Metric.

Mastodon held the headliner spot in the Mojave Tent at Coachella last weekend. Playing Crack the Skye front to back was a big crowd pleaser, with the sound so loud it actually created wind from the speakers. The die hard fans ate it up. They had been waiting for a metal band to bring some integrity back to the genre. Turns out, that wait is over. You are now free to move about the starship.

Words by Barbie Brady, Photos by Fever Dragon

My advice for enjoying Coachella? Embrace sleep deprivation and heat stroke: there’s so much to do and see at this music and arts festival in Indio, CA, you won’t want to bother resting, and it’s so hot you won’t be able to sleep much past 9am anyway. (Plus when you combine the two, they add up to a wonderfully loopy and perfectly free high, if you’re into that sort of thing.) I suppose you could go the easy route and stay in a hotel, but then you’d be denying yourself some of the precious and hilarious bonding moments that transpire when you go a little bit feral (i.e.: shower like I did, with a hose!), and surround yourself with people who are able to laugh at anything, most importantly themselves.

As far as the music and art are concerned, sure, see you’re favorites, get some advice from your indie-rock-god friends about what the coolest new band is, who you can brag to all your other non-indie-rock-god friends about seeing before it broke. But you might surprise yourself—your most memorable moment might come when you least expect it. For me it came on Saturday night while watching a band I might not have bothered with otherwise because they’d become too poppy or too mainstream or too whatever. But I was wrong, The Killers freakin’ killed it. Maybe it was the fact that every song was relatable, heroic and more rock’ n’ roll than I realized it could be; maybe it was my newfound and infectiously energetic friend who convinced me to see the show, or maybe it was the fact that I could feel the necessity of release—the kind that can only come from singing, screaming and dancing under the stars in a field of full of happy strangers—pulsing in the crowd around me, but man it was good.

And that’s what Coachella is all about—encountering something new, whether it be a new thought inspired by a new friend, a new way of viewing art, a new way of dancing to an old band you thought you had already sized up. It’s fitting that “Coachella” means seashell in Spanish, because just as no one shell in the ocean is exactly the same, neither will be any of the experiences you’ll have at this festival.  So my advice to you is: just say yes to as many of them as possible.

Words by Christine Spehar, photos by Fever Dragon

If you have been living in a cave, or crawl space for the past year you may not know M.I.A. But the rest of us know her as  the energetic, charismatic ball of controversy who sings the song Paper Planes “All I want to do is…bang…bang…bang…bang…bang…bang…cock.click.ching…and take your money”! Yes! That song! And it is the cheeriest, playground, gangsta rap single I think I’ve ever sung along to.

Saturday night at Coachella she took to the big stage with both guns blazing. Her style and sound so uniquely her own that you have to perk your ears up and have a listen. She owned that crowd. From the second that the first beat dropped, the flood of lights and patterns illuminated the night. God help you if you can’t handle strobes. Florescent, glowing seams lined her clothes as well as the dancers that accompanied her. For a minute I thought to myself, oh lord this could be so cheesy, so remnicent of the 80′s, so busy. But once again, I got schooled. She owns it and it becomes immediately clear, M.I.A. is just way cooler than you. Well, cooler than me for certain.

Encouraging the crowd to interact with her show she threw out horns that could be heard all the way in Arizona. Then she made a move that probably got her fined, by inviting the common folks down in front to come up on stage and dance. Maybe 60 or more people ran up and started bouncing around like only the drunk and dehydrated can. On the jumbo screens you could see one opportunistic young man run right up to her with his camera and snapped a shot of his face beside hers, like it was at the mall or something. Dude…seriously?

One truly lucky fan actually had M.I.A.’s full permission to be onstage the entire set because she won the priveledge at the Global Inheritance 18 & up exhibit. The non-profit had transformed 7 golf carts to alternative forms of energy and each one had paid homage to a musical act involved in some way with Coachella this year. Beside the cart dedicated to M.I.A. they held a paper planes competition, where you made a plane out of recycled paper then threw it at a target for the chance to win. I think being on the main stage at Coachella with an international super star just might be a big deal, if you know, you are into that sort of thing.

Words by Barbie Brady, photos by Fever Dragon

Photos of Global Inheritance Paper Plane contest by Matt Brady