If you live in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, Salt Lake City (the list obviously keeps going), then you’ve probably heard of the Spazmatics.  Children of the 80’s or those who just can’t get enough of the music flock to see these wacky performers get nerdy onstage on any given day of the week.  What many don’t know is that the Spazmatics are not just a super cool band that does a residency at certain spots your city; they are in fact, a franchise.

Jamie Brown and his business partner Roger Sause are the creators of the Spazmatics.  Together they formed Perfect World Entertainment, the industry leader in musical era tributes, cover bands, and themed party bands.  “We started the company with one act, “The Boogie Knights,” in 1992 spoofing 70’s disco.  We guessed that the next fad would be 80’s so we built an act called “The M 80’s.”  We bashed around with that for a while with moderate success, but not what we expected to get so I repacked the act with the nerd lock and called it “The Spazmatics,” explains Jamie.  According to Jamie, there are about 175 Spazmatics performers doing a variety of themed shows all over the country.  On any given night, there could be 20 Spazmatics bands playing somewhere simultaneously!  The majority of the guys they hire in come from referrals and friends of friends who are then brought in and put to the test to see if they have what it takes to be a Spazmatic.

In edition to established residencies across the nation, the franchise does a tremendous amount of private functions and one-off events.  You can hire the band to play just about anything- your wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah, graduation party…  Jamie chimes in with, “Anyone can hire the Spazmatics.  Money talks.” The most notorious show that they have done to-date, according to Jamie, was President George Bush’s Christmas part that the Whitehouse.

If you haven’t yet seen this combination of 80’s cover songs meets Revenge of the Nerds, I highly recommend checking out a show.  There are of course thousands of 80’s-themed bands out there but few are as entertaining and capture the era in the way that the Spazmatics do.  I caught the LA Spazmatics last Friday in Marina del Rey where they do a weekly residency at the Waterfront.  The show was full of neck braces, fake buckteeth, dorky clothing, quirky dancing, goofy humor, go-go dancers, girls being dragged up on stage, amateur pole dancers with side ponytails, Oingo Boingo, plenty of booze, and lots of audience participation, to say the least.   These guys are 80’s superstars and I spoke to several audience members who make it a point to see them as often as they can.  Backstage before the show, I heard rumblings of a posse of Spazmatics groupies in existence.  One lady apparently makes it her personal mission to send the LA group a personal email critique at the end of each show.  The Spazmatics are the 80’s reincarnated but with a humorous twist that makes them the perfect way to relive the days of leg warmers, sweater vests, slap bracelets, and the cheesy pop that we all love and still secretly listen to.

Words by Nicole Pajer.  Photos by Dustin Downing

 

Hey you! YES YOU! We want to see you get off that couch, put down that 40oz and express yourself! An ambitious fan of INNERPARTYSYSTEM created this video to their new single, America Trash. It got us thinking, we’d like to see YOUR take on creating a video for this song. Upload your video to youtube and send a link to us at info@chinashopmag.com.

If we like your video, you will win 2 VIP tickets to an INNERPARTYSYSTEM show near you! You’ll also win a fancy new FLIP Video Ultra-HD Camera to help inspire your directorial pursuit of excellence!

Winner to be chosen by noon on Sept 7th. Get busy with those videos and good luck you little American Trash-a-holics!

Slash did his red carpet thing and signed his 10-foot custom-designed Gibson guitar from the Sunset Strip’s GuitarTown project before making his way inside for the festivities.  As the mainly industry-infused crowd munched on complimentary quesadillas and fried crab balls, 95.5 KLOS DJ Jim Ladd took the stage to introduce the evening.  After some kind words about Slash, a video screen dropped down and played a video of nostalgic rockers paying homage to the curly-haired guitar player.

Joe Perry, Jimmy Page, Conan O’Brien, Ron Wood, George Lopez, and some of Slash’s other media friendly friends said some kind words about the man.  Dave Navarro dished out his compliment by saying it was hard for him to even play on the same stage with Slash because “he is so mesmerizing.”  Nikki Sixx came out as the next guest speaker and said, “Me and Slash have killed a lot of Jack Daniels.  I had to make notes because I now have the memory of a guppy.”  He went on to call Slash the “salt of the earth” and ended his speech with, “It’s kind of ironic that we both have the same hairstyle that we did 25 years ago.”  Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead was up next with a short but sweet, “I’m proud to know him…proud to be his friend…and proud that I’ll die before him.”

Jerry Cantrell had a great story about how influential Guns ‘n Roses was to Alice and Chains and said when his band was first getting together, he went to see Guns ‘n Roses perform.  Jerry said, “I brought a demo tape to give to Axle after the show and then I saw him walk by a trash can and throw it away.”  Mikael Maglieri, owner of Rainbow Bar and Grill told stories of Slash sneaking into the bar underage and being thrown out.  On one occasion, according to Mikael, Slash dressed up in his mother’s clothing and successfully got in without ID on Ladies’ Night.  West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman and councilmen came onstage and Slash was then presented with an award while the mayor declared Thursday, August 26 as Slash Day in city of West Hollywood.

Slash was extremely gracious and seemed a bit choked up at as he took the mic and opened with, “I’m speechless and I didn’t prepare a speech.”  He went on to explain that he moved with his family to West Hollywood when he was younger and was “raised on the Troubadour, Roxy, Whiskey, and Rainbow.”  “I picked up guitar in West Hollywood.  I started a band in West Hollywood.  I got a record deal at Geffen on the Sunset Strip.”  Slash explained that everything in his life has revolved around the Sunset Strip and explained that the title was a huge honor and very humbling.  After Slash’s speech, The Head Cat performed with special rock-friends and of course, Slash himself.

What a great night for Slash!  The highlight of my night was seeing a man walk by the red carpet with a hot pink poodle and older than cougar (is there a word for that yet?) Slash groupies.
Words by Nicole Pajer.  Photos by Dustin Downing

 

So we here at ChinaShop don’t know what your plans are for this Labor Day weekend but if you don’t have any or even if you do, cancel them quick and head out to the Electric Zoo, New York’s electronic music festival out on Randall’s Island.  There will be tons of music, interactive arts displays and plenty of eats to keep your dancin’ pants on all day.

With The Chemical Brothers headlining after a slew of favorites including Major Lazer, Diplo, and Armin Van Buuren (and Flying Lotus… and Boize Noize… I could go on and on) the lineup is stellar even if you’re not an electronic music aficionado.

If that’s not enough to have you on the first train to Harlem, the festival will sport an impressive host of eateries including my favorite ice cream truck, the Van Leeuwen (ginger ice cream? YES).

I’ll be kickin’ it at the Red Bull Music Academy Riverside Stage all day, so come say hey and get down with Bassnectar, A-Trak, Aeroplane, Diplo, DJ Mendhi, JDH & Dave P, Jon Hopkins, Savoy, the Glitch Mob and XXXChange. Just put on something neon, grab a glow light, and shut up and dance already.

Words by Courtney Dudley

I walked into Friday’s session not knowing what to expect and was delighted to learn that Tutu and his gang of artist friends would be tracking the session “live.”

As the studio engineers set up the microphones and EQ the instruments, Te’Amir Sweeney (Tutu’s older brother) eases into a tasty groove.  Tutu and friends join in. Tutu’s tunes are arranged, but as guitar player Michael McTaggert tells me, “They come out different every time.”  The band is young, most of them circa 20 years old, but by their casual demeanor, I can tell this is probably not their first rodeo.

It is no surprise that the Sweeney brothers (Tutu and Te’Amir) are such naturals; they eat, sleep, and breathe music, and have grown up in a home that has nurtured their talents and fostered their creativity.  The Sweeney parents met while touring once upon a time and have always maintained a home where music and community are center stage.

While in the studio, I got to share some conversation with the brothers and the following is what they had to say:

How does it feel to be here in the Red Bull studios?

Tutu: Amazing. The last time we were here was 2 years ago recording with Aloe Blacc but to do my own stuff feels oh so good.

So, you’ve been a trumpeter until recently…

Tutu: Yep, that’s what I really do, I’m a trumpet player, but I started writing songs in the 12^th grade, and recently I’ve been working a lot on that, but I still play trumpet, but here we are and we’re doing our music.

Your house is a hub of music and creativity, with instruments everywhere and people coming through all the time to play, what’s it like over at the Sweeney House?

Te’Amir: Well, we call I the Panama house.  We never really had a living room, it’s always been a music room.  Music has been at the center of our home and for that I’m so thankful because it really got us into music.  Our mom is a really talented folk singer…

Tutu: Yea, both our parents are musicians and they’ve both released music and traveled and played.  Our dad is from Ethiopia and our mom is Irish American, They met each other doing that here in the States, and the rest was history.  All of our houses have been musical houses.  That’s it. That’s what we do.  There are no couches or chairs, just instruments, and friends and jams.  We just shot a music video for the group Quadron there and yea, its definitely a musical hub and that’s what we strive for.

How’s it been working with Red Bull?

Tutu: Red Bull has been so good to us.  My brother (Te’Amir) went to Barcelona for the Red Bull Music Academy in 2008, and I went to the London Red Bull Music Academy this year.  It was heaven.  It was awesome.

What’s it like at Red Bull Music Academy?

Tutu: Well there are 2 terms each year and each session has 30 people from all around the world, so it’s a lot of different sounds and a lot of different people.  I was the only person from the United States at my session, but everyone speaks English so you can communicate.

Te’Amir: You wake up and eat breakfast together. Then you go to a lecture and it could be anyone from a music producer to Sly and Robbie to someone like ?uestlove and you just sit down and have a chat, and then they have studios where you can work on your stuff, and jam sessions, and there are shows set up in the evening, and its just a musician’s dream.

You guys are here in the studio until the 31^st and what I think is so cool is the community of musicians you have and how you guys play on each other’s music and work together.  What’s your game plan while you are here in the studio?

Te’Amir: We are working on Tutu’s music right now.  Later we will do some music that Dustin and I have been working on and we are going to do a Curtis Mayfield cover “Gimme Your Love” and we might even do a Michael Jackson joint if we have time, but its all fun.

Do you have any specific intentions with these sessions?

Tutu: I’m going to do 8 songs.  I was planning on them being demos but its sounding like a record.  These players are just so good. They are brilliant. I want to say thank you to Michael McTaggart on guitar, Aroyn Davis on bass, Te’Amir Sweeney on drums.  I’m just really grateful that they are doing it and I’m only 20 and I feel like I’m just getting started.

You just recorded a mellow tune, I can’t wait to hear the heavy stuff.

Tutu: Yea, we’ve got some rock and reggae and disco coming up next.

Te’Amir: Yea, music is like food, you can’t eat the same thing every day.

Thanks a bunch guys.

Te’Amir: Any time, come by the Panama house some time for a jam.

Tutu and Te’Amir will be leaving on tour in support of Aloe Blacc and his upcoming album Good Things coming out end of September.

Words by Mike Bucher.  Photos by Dustin Downing

 

A fairly scarce week as far as releases…including a new one from the immortal Goo Goo Dolls; Heart gives you a Red Velvet Car; yet another one from Papa Roach; while metal stalwarts Disturbed and Tristania continue to climb the ranks. See ya in a week, shoppers…

Heart - Red Velvet Car
Disturbed - Asylum
Goo Goo Dolls – Something for the Rest of Us
Papa Roach – Time for Annihilation…On the Record, and On the Road
Various Artists – NOW 35
Lyfe Jennings – I Still Believe
Sum 41 – Screaming Bloody Murder
Stereoside - Stereoside
Murderdolls – Women And Children Last
Nightfall – Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants
Shadowgarden – Ashen
Tristania – Rubicon

Despite endless technical difficulties and an increasingly impatient crowd, ?uestlove ducked a potentially catastrophic performance at The Bay Salone Friday with the help of some of his fellow and equally Mac-dependent DJs. He took to his Twitter account a few times to vent his frustrations:

– Shoutout to my man Darnell who is on his Mcguyverish tryna find a way to fix my effed up Mac

About an hour later, Questo was still on stage, surrounded by maybe 5 guys (including Samantha Ronson) and shaking his head woefully at the plague his laptop had unleashed upon him. The tweets continued:

– RT @SamanthaRonson: At a party in downtown where @ Questlove is spinning and DAYUM… If you’re not here, you’re not having fun.

– Moments like this is when I hate Macbookpros. Amazing I got every dj I love and respect tryna help me out here on stage

Finally, the snafus got worked out, and with the help of an amazing collage of Michael Jackson video clips and Afro-Sheen commercials, the crowd was on a Soul Train back in time to the 1970s, when Off the Wall was on the charts and The King of Pop was arguably at his best. Peanut Butter Wolf was there for a lead-in, and the show was only enhanced by its venue: 30-foot high ceilings, psychedelic slideshows, and L.A.’s finest artists, all contributing their respective visions to bring back Michael Jackson’s career at one of L.A.’s latest and greatest spots for clubbing. Vikter Duplaix’s KissNGrind, which sponsored the event, helped ensure a successful night was had.

And about that Bay Salone: Shrouded in the shadows of faceless, unmarked industrial buildings, it’s a veritable warehouse, nestled right where it’s least likely to be noticed — in an alleyway between parking lots and packaging plants, right in the heart of one of Los Angeles’ many industrial districts. We drove past the place 3 or 4 times before finally seeing what looked like a bouncer wandering about, and figured if anyone knew where it was, it had to be this guy.

“You gotta walk around,” he said, and by this he meant around.

So we covered another block or two of territory and splintered the cement road, stumbling through junkies and strip clubs, and began to get distracted in the awesomeness that is downtown Los Angeles.  At last, we found ourselves in what is perhaps the greatest and longest alley in all of L.A.

It was like walking the Emerald Mile to meet the Wiz: glittering paintings of the King of Pop, dazzling graffiti along the walls, guys and gals dancing in the streets, and a Fried Chicken Truck that served its delicacies cheap. Soon we found ourselves wandering into a different kind of Neverland: the evolution of Michael Jackson’s face, a perfect accompaniment to Peanut Butter Wolf’s retrospective spin of MJ’s career — from Berry Gordy prodigy, to Thriller-era hitmaker, and finally the tortured persona that he morphed into during the 90s.

While Peanut Butter Wolf’s preference was for the entire discography, Questlove’s set focused mainly on the early-era stuff: From “I Want You Back” to “Dancing Machine” to “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” he saved what threatened to become a disinterested crowd and inspired the ravenous MJ fans. An insane night, enhanced by a few good drinks and live art. If you’ve got a few bucks to throw around, The Bay Salone is highly recommended for any big club show, especially theme-nights like this one. Hopefully it turns into a regular thing, and they bring Questlove back with a working Mac next year.

Words by Jeff Nau.  Photos by Dustin Downing.

 

August 29, 2010, they came, unleashed a firestorm, and left in a flash.

It was a perfectly bombastic and electrified night at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday. The Chemical Brothers were in rare form as they took to the stage for an insanely “up for it” crowd. Not known as dynamic performers, the seminal British electronic duo actually seemed rather excited about their Bowl performance – surprising those who experienced their rather lackluster 2009 DJ set at Coachella.

KCRW’s dashing Music Director, Jason Bentley, appeared bursting at the seams when he introduced the act, thus setting the tone for a brilliant show. Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands, who are responsible for an entire generation of frat boys and girls accepting electronic music as a credible music genre, let a super charged light show and gigantic beats do the talking.

The convergence of sensations was better than a good acid trip with its alien meets super-club emotions streaming from every musical pore matched with green, white and indigo lighting assaults. Flames burst across the screens as robotic Trojans and cute couples merged in graphic rapture to the sounds of old Chems and tracks from the 2010 album, Further.

New tracks including extended versions of “Dissolve,” “Horse Power,” “Swoon” and the big club tune (with vocals) “Another World” were insane crowd pleasers (confession, every time I hear “Another World” I think it’s an Underworld track) as was 2007’s peppy “Hey Boy Hey Girl.”

Without playing “Block Rockin’ Beats,” a song that defined an entire generation – think what Underworld’s “Born Slippy” did – the Chemical Brothers left without an encore. You don’t go to one of their shows because of the brother’s charm and graciousness, you show up to hear music and experience visuals that continue to be unmatched by any act out there today.

With that said, long live, Chemicals, beats and graphic technology. Let’s just hope these Brits continue to work it all out.

Words by Kim Taylor

The explosive competition featured freestyle rappers from New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Orlando, Greensboro, Houston, Atlanta and Detroit who fought to earn the respect the judges and the crowd. By night’s end, the youngest competitor 18-year-old Saffal “FowL” Tall representing the 313/D-E-T edged out the competition and won the coveted title of Red Bull EmSee National Champion.  “A rap battle in Detroit is no laughing matter and it seems that Fowl took it the most seriously tonight,”  said Eminem.  “So he goes home the winner.”

Red Bull EmSee has a unique format that challenges competitors to battle not only against each other but also against the clock and their mind’s eye.  In round one, the MCs are shown five random images and given one minute to deliver a sick freestyle incorporating as many images as possible. When the dust settled, Killa Chris, Phranchyze, D.N.A and FowL were on point to advance to the next round.  In round two, the stakes were high as the emcees were challenged to rap about themes that the judges and live audience texted to the screens on stage.  D.N.A. and FowL emerged as the winners and proceeded to the highly anticipated final round where they would face off in a traditional head-to-head format.  In the final battle, the emcees held nothing back.  D.N.A. and FowL lit the place on fire as they hurled non-stop lyrical blows.  In the end, FowL brought the house down.  His performance earned him the undisputed title of Red Bull EmSee National Champion.

“To be classified as the best in the nation… I’m pretty sure right now, I don’t fully understand it,” said FowL. “but I always told everybody in my neighborhood, I’m gonna’ be the best one day… to actually say I am the best right now, at 18, feels pretty good.”

The Red Bull EmSee Championships also featured guest performances by the charismatic D.R.E.S and tha Beatnik who served as master of ceremonies.  In between battles, the crowd was treated to DJ sets by The Alchemist and DJ Dez.  Rap super group Slaughterhouse, whose members include Royce Da 5”9’, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joel Ortiz, delivered a riveting performance that capped off the night.

Next up, Red Bull Emsee: The Road to 8 Mile Mix Tape featuring lyrics by all 8 national finalists with beats provided by Red Bull Big Tune National Champion Frank Dukes will hit the streets this September.  The highly anticipated Mix Tape produced by noted Brooklyn-based DJ, Mick Boogie will drop on www.redbullusa.com/EmSee.  In addition to lyrics by the eight Red Bull EmSee national finalists, the limited edition compilation also features Ghostface Killah in a song called “Purified Thoughts.”  Mick Boogie has collaborated on mix tapes with artists such as Eminem, Adele, Kanye West, Coldplay, Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Photos by Nicholas Shrunk

If you haven’t already heard of Katie Melua, you soon will.  The Georgian-born, British bestselling female artist is already “Legend” (as they say) in the UK and is gaining momentum here in the states.  This week, ChinaShop caught up with Katie to find out which songs take her to her “happy place.”  The following are her picks this Moody Monday.

Mood: Yellow Summers

MGMT-Kids

John Lennon- Imagine

Beethoven- Moonlight Sonata

Nine Million Bicycle- Me! (Katie Melua)