Reviewer Magazine

show review: A Night At The Casbah! THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT & IN THE RED

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:08:44 +0000

The Raw Fun of It

[In The Red as well as the other bands who played that night also have reviews forthcoming. Stayed tuned... ~Ed.]

Review By Sean Ross

The Casbah, known for its seven-night lineup, pool table benches, and low flying jets, will always remind you that small venues are the best places for viewing shows. Where else can viewers enjoy velociraptic performers stomping and raging with neuroses for art’s sake?— and not have a mosh pit! (Indeed, punks may be turning poets.)

Nevertheless, to see THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT at the Casbah is to feel the force of a well-defined band whose power chords and stentorian bass lines thrum alongside sparse, artistic drums, while up front, the mimetic and nimble Ben Johnson (who, at times, resembles Dio with arthritic hands clenching a little ball of air like it’s a fistful of truth) towers with operatic professions, then lurches with osteoporotic decrepitude, as he travels from light to dark, loud to insidious. Johnson, charismatic, leads his eager congregation with wicked smiles, taurine lyricism, and furrowed brows that would give Mr. Heat Meister a run for the money. And to observe the aging, crowd-surfing, cord-wound guru writhing above the heads of his throng whilst he belts altruistic appeal, you cannot help but admire his enthusiasm—and they gently return him to stage! Oh, loyal servants! Fan’s indeed! And rarely do punk singers compose multiple voicings, complete with diametric interludes that could disarm any four-part harmony, and get away with it, but Johnson slides from guttural droning plaints to top-throated distortions with such ease that one must pause to consider whether this Pied Piper isn’t just flouting his thrill so much as personifying his well attuned multiple personalities.

At a time when so much music is inundated with pastiche and borrowings it’s nice to return to the raw fun of it, and THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT is nothing less. But although these seasoned timekeepers style their mayhem with deep sonorous leads, strong downbeats, and quick shifts to double-time (nothing too complex), some of the progressions didn’t blend well, and the songs that could have led this listener far out of Hamelin, instead, sent me forth wondering where in the hell we are going?

~RS

[Photo from Ben Johnson's Facebook page...]

Do you like ukuleles? Do you like naked?

jessicadelfino — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:26:36 +0000

Naked Sonic Ukuleles

Gunnison Beach, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2 p.m.

Scene report by Jessica Delfino

Ok, so for those of you who live in / around the Jersey area (that’s “New” Jersey), this Saturday promises some nudity in your general vicinity with “Beyond This Point.” Taking place in Sandy Hook, a noted, legitimate (read: legal) nude beach on the famed Jersey Shore, you will be guaranteed an eyeful, alright. Reviewer Mag takes no responsibility for any retina damage you may experience by attending this event, though it just might be a real hoot and is sure to be more entertaining than fashion week. If you go, don’t forget to take pictures (and send them to us) and bring extra sunscreen for your easily burnables. You know. The ones down there.

From sonicuke.com/naked2 – “Gunnison Beach is part of the Sandy Hook unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area and is accessible by car, or by ferry service (Seastreak) from Pier 11 at 8.15am and 11am, or East 35th Street at 8am and 10:30am with return trips mid or late afternoon. The ferries drop passengers off on the bay side of Fort Hancock.”

More info: sonicuke.com/naked2

Video: Crystal Renn Dances ’round The Block

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:24:39 +0000

Art + Commerce hips us to many things.

from fordmodelsblog.com.

Art + Commerce hips us to many things. Their formidable portfolio of campaigns, their roster of photographers, and then there is their blog, which today of all grey days served a peach of a video featuring Crystal Renn shot by photographer Skye Parrott on set for the new Canadian fashion glossy The Block. With a run-time of only 24 seconds Crystal gets down and boogies to a funky beat wearing a VPL bodysuit. No graphics, no pretext, just Crystal dancing. Day-um! Once again Crystal has whet our appetite for yet another story of hers and so we’ll leave it to The Block to deliver…now dance!

Please visit Dossier Journal online to read more about this photo shoot of Crystal Renn for The Block.

Crystal Renn from Dossier on Vimeo.

Isn’t the News Shield Law called the First Amendment?

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:55:33 +0000

Shameful News Industry Willing To Sacrifice Wikileaks To Get Shield Law

from the bad-precedent dept

From www.techdirt.com/articles/20100826/02573310781.shtml

A few weeks ago, we noted, with some disappointment, that the politicians who had been pushing for a much needed federal shield law for journalism, Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, were taking the politically expedient route of adding a specific amendment designed to keep Wikileaks out of the bill’s protections. Apparently, a bunch of newspaper folks have stepped forward to support this move. Douglas Lee, at The First Amendment Center has an opinion piece calling those people out for sacrificing their overall principles just to get the shield law approved. The whole thing is a great read, but a few key snippets:

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that representatives of the newspaper industry would have recoiled from working with Congress to deny legal protection to anyone who leaked confidential or classified documents. Today, however, they seem happy to be doing so.

Lee then goes on to quote various industry reps distancing themselves from Wikileaks and putting it down as “not journalism.” He also quotes them admitting that they feel they have to throw Wikileaks under the bus, or the law won’t get passed. He then calls them out on the impact of that decision, hinting at the fact that at least some of this might be due to traditional journalists simply not liking new upstarts that are changing the game — like Wikileaks.

As comforting as it might be to “real” journalists to incorporate editorial oversight into a shield law and to use it to distinguish further between the “us” who are entitled to the law’s protections and the “them” who are not, at least two dangers exist in that approach.

First, does anyone — including the most mainstream of traditional journalists — really think it a good idea that Congress and judges define, analyze and evaluate what is appropriate “editorial oversight”? For decades, news organizations have struggled to resist those efforts in libel cases and, so far, those struggles have succeeded. If those same organizations now invite legislators and judges into their newsrooms to see how worthy their reporters are of protection under a shield law, they shouldn’t be surprised if the legislators and judges decide to stay.

Second, is the free flow of information really served if the act’s protections are denied to those who don’t have or practice editorial oversight? As Schumer acknowledged in his statement, the act already contains language that would limit or deny protection to those who provide or publish classified military secrets. Specifically exempting WikiLeaks and other organizations that might otherwise qualify for protection under the act in at least some cases seems designed not to enhance the free flow of information but to channel that information to mainstream sources.

It is the nature of politics today to compromise principles to get things through, but this move certainly seems unfortunate — and one that I imagine many news organizations will regret down the road.

U.S. Soldier Ethan McCord’s Eyewitness Story – colatteralmurder.com

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:57:45 +0000

[Expose']

Truth Be Told

“…from 2003- 2009, 139 journalists were killed while doing their work.”

Overview

Found on the updated webpage at colatteralmurder.com

Update: On July 6, 2010, Private Bradley Manning, a 22 year old intelligence analyst with the United States Army in Baghdad, was charged with disclosing this video (after allegedly speaking to an unfaithful journalist). The whistleblower behind the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg, has called Mr. Manning a ‘hero’. He is currently imprisoned in Kuwait. The Apache crew and those behind the cover up depicted in the video have yet to be charged. To assist Private Manning, please see bradleymanning.org.

5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff.

Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-sight, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.

The military did not reveal how the Reuters staff were killed, and stated that they did not know how the children were injured.

After demands by Reuters, the incident was investigated and the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own “Rules of Engagement”.

Consequently, WikiLeaks has released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing these rules before, during, and after the killings.

WikiLeaks has released both the original 38 minutes video and a shorter version with an initial analysis. Subtitles have been added to both versions from the radio transmissions.

WikiLeaks obtained this video as well as supporting documents from a number of military whistleblowers. WikiLeaks goes to great lengths to verify the authenticity of the information it receives. We have analyzed the information about this incident from a variety of source material. We have spoken to witnesses and journalists directly involved in the incident.

WikiLeaks wants to ensure that all the leaked information it receives gets the attention it deserves. In this particular case, some of the people killed were journalists that were simply doing their jobs: putting their lives at risk in order to report on war. Iraq is a very dangerous place for journalists: from 2003- 2009, 139 journalists were killed while doing their work.

youtube.com/watch?v=Izzt73HP65A

ad – The Experiments, “What Kind Of Animal”

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:59:03 +0000

new music reviews, eightfourseven, Buck Gooter, cheater pint …

Kent — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:44:36 +0000

The Experiments
What Kind of Animal
Review by Sean Ross
The Experiments latest and free album What Kind of Animal quickly asserts itself as pop-punk teeming with classic sounds familiar to the tortured underage urban wanderers of the late seventies and early eighties—only, much tighter and impressive, more now. Songs are replete with stylized guitar punctuations, absurdly succinct and punchy drum fills, snappy bass lines, and lyrics like saccharine in a raw sugar world. The ménage of experienced players from both the left and right coasts, have slid beyond the slop and discord inherent in the grittier times of punk and pop, but not without tribute—there is an inherent raw flake to the album reminiscent of younger times as these guys exact spontaneity and verve out of middle age with a shiftiness that’ll make hell on manic depressives trying to figure out their meds—uncertain as they are, whether to be angry or not. What Kind of Animal takes the freedom to change whenever it wants and likes it, and the resulting signature shifts and sharp melodic turns keeps listeners wary of monotony, and any impresario of ennui will have to consign to some placid balm far away from this staccatoed free album. But it doesn’t matter whether the mast lists this way or that in the sea of the Internet where you’ll find this group of lasting punk rockers’ free album, because your attention will be on the music and not whether a song will satisfy your Ambien depraved souls—it will keep you awake and rocking. And albeit I know any good steed wants to get laid on Friday night, as the lyrics portend, I was left wanting a little more strife and turmoil in this free album, a little more exposé of the looming human condition. But what the hell! This is The Experiments and it’s their latest free album. And it’s free. Free. Did I mention that it’s free? Go online and find it at theexperiments.com. ~SR

Eight-Four-Seven
Lossless
Minus Head Records
www.myspace.com/eightfourseven
Reviewed by Kent Manthie
Sacramento-based ethereal-rockers Eight-Four-Seven have been doing it with style and verve since 2002, when their debut EP, Everlasting came out. Well, eight years later and they’re still going strong, with their new CD, Lossless. This is a hard to define work. It’s definitely not “pop”, not “metal”. “Alternative” is a vague enough term to define it though. The title track is a 5 ½ minute masterpiece of space-jam, pill-popping on a sunny day-mellowness. “Quaalude” is one of the more edgier, harder pieces here, not unlike Nine Inch Nails, say. It starts out with a big scream and an overall metal tinge to it – maybe they should’ve called it “Benzedrine”. But it’s good in that it helps to mix things up a bit. It’s a pretty diverse CD – one hears a little NIN here and there, a bit of Tool, even a touch of Radiohead. Still, besides the title track, “Monsters of Metropolis” is another stand-out tune. A little mellower, maybe even too close to “emo” for comfort, but there you are; it is, like some of the other tracks, reflective and it’s about the closest they come to “pop” – but, like I said, it’s all part of an overall diverse sound. Then there’s Automaton, another edgy, but not metal song – think: Filter, Jane’s Addiction(?) Eight-Four-Seven: they’re not bad, but, of course, the ultimate test is playing live, so wake me when they come to town! -KM

Buck Gooter
Bad VibrationsSelf-Released
www.buckgooter.tk
www.bookofkills.net
Reviewed by Kent Manthie
Listening to Bad Vibrations, the new CD by Mr. Buck Gooter you hear the duality of style here, between Buck’s caterwauling, cacophonous railing; screaming, snarling, gnashing and whatnot; this over some music that is not of the same ilk of the vocals. The tunes are rockin’ brainy, syncopated sprawling with a hint of jazz technique thrown in.
One can’t help thinking about what exactly you’d call this stuff. Is it a parody of white-trash, trailer park life, a punk-rock free-style or some sort of crypto-intellectualizing with a ciphered message. Whatever the intention, there is one definite that pops out at you: after the tunes get rolling, you develop an involuntary head-bobbing, arm-shaking, foot-stomping reaction from it.
Like the tracks “Keep it Real” or “Dead Soldiers” or maybe even “12 Angry Men”, the Goot brings it on home for those kids who dig the newest of new styles and the most outré rock ‘n’ roll outlets. Anything that will piss off or alienate their parents or older folks – teachers, friends’ parents or any other type of authority figure is what becomes popular among the youth in any generation. This isn’t any new trend, it goes back all the way to the swing sounds and early jazz of the 1920s, when the carefree kids, sons and daughters of stiff, upper crust and uptight adults who were running the world in business and/or politics. Today the stuff of such rebellion and faux-angst constantly gets pushed further and further afield, so as to alienate the senses of the most people over 30 as possible. In this, Buck Gooter is part of that pack. In this too, it’s not about musical virtuosity or poetic lyricism but rather clever tunes that both rattle and under the yelling and ranting, there are words that tether the Goot to the young. In the more subtle, twangy punk-jazz jig drivers, it will appeal not only to punks with bones through their heads but to clever, smart kids that like to let loose after a day of calculus and advanced literature classics classes.
The best part about the Buck Gooter experience is what would transpire in the live shows he puts on. One can imagine going to see one’s favorite band at a cool, dark and cavernous club downtown somewhere and then before the main event, onto the stage comes Buck Gooter and company, wherein they go into a ½ hour to 45 minute set of fast, loose and LOUD songs, one after the other with no breaks in between songs, just cramming as many cuts as they can before they get the hook –KM

Cheater Pint:
Cheater Pint
Kinger Recordings
Reviewed by Kent Manthie
The dark side of the brew, huh – the eponymous CD from Cheater Pint is a fresh breath of musicality. The cleverness of the CD cover design tells one that this quartet, two guys, two gals, have a sense of humor and are not too overly serious about their art, which makes it all the more attractive. Cheater Pint lay things out as they see them and then, as they express their feelings and observations, inject an effusiveness that goes well with their unique brand of irresistibly raw, non-nihilistic punk rock.
After releasing 2 EPs and one single, Cheater Pint have released a self-titled LP full of brash pop-core, to coin a phrase. Two songs that stand out are “Self- Medication” and “Three Sizes Too Small,” both songs are great examples of what to expect from the rest of the CD. The music is upbeat, power-pop; a swirling guitar & bass-driven indie-rock; danceable rock ‘n’ roll with a juxtaposition of introspective lyrics and extroverted music. Cheater Pint, not unlike the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or Superchunk irresistibly make both performers and audience alike jump up and down and shake all around. To find out more about these cats, go to: http://www.cheaterpint.com – KM

Creepy:
The Triple EP
Teeno Records
Reviewed by Kent Manthie
The Triple EP is a package of three EPs that Creepy has recorded over the last four years, starting with the most recent stuff first.
The first three tracks are brand new, recorded for this CD, tracks 4-8 are from “The Gloom” EP recorded in 2005 and tracks 9-13 comprise the “Hungry Like the Wolf” EP from 2003. Listening to the entire CD, it gets less refined as you go backwards in time, the more recent stuff sounding more pop-rock, but the “Hungry Like the Wolf” EP is the most raw and has a punk ethos that seems to get less and less so as the years go by and they mellow with age.
These three EPs, released together, also act as a sort of history lesson for those not schooled in Creepy’s past and the music they put out in the past decade. Although, you would think, like in most similar cases, they’d put the old stuff on first and end with the new stuff, it’s done in the opposite way here, the new stuff starts off and it ends with their old stuff. Either way, it’s a good sampling of their better songs from the past 8-10 years.
Their first EP definitely is the rawest, most “punk-rock” of the three, “The Gloom” EP is a bit less so and by the time they recorded their latest set of tunes they’ve mellowed out and have settled into a power-pop sound. Listening to Creepy, one recalls bands like Bad Religion and AFI. Creepy have a sound that was really cool on their first EP but over time melds with the myriad power-pop bands out there that are diluting the rock scene.

Saustex Media Presents:
A Town South of Austin Vol. 2
Various Artists, Saustex Media, 2010
Reviewed by Kent Manthie
On March 20th of this year a string of bands from the Austin area got together and played a show at the Habana Bar in Austin, TX. To promote the show or the bands or both, Saustex Media put together this 12-song CD by all the bands that played that night – unfortunately, this isn’t a recording of the concert itself, which would be great to hear, if a copy was made (you can get in touch with me via Reviewer) of the show, I’d love to get one. Anyway, as it is, this is a CD that features two songs each by six different Saustex bands. They all have that Texas twang to them, some more than others, but it nonetheless rocks!
It starts off with two cuts from Hans Frank Glambilly. A funny name and a funny band – the songs are hilarious. It’s a mixture of punk, hillbilly country and psycho-rock-a-billy. Next up are two songs from Mitch Webb and the Krayolas. Their first track, “Alex” is all right, but a little bland. Their next song, “Find A Girl” is where the “West Side Horns” come in – this one’s a little more catchy and the horn section really helps too. After them meet De Los Muertos, a Spanish-singing punk-a-billy band, Mexican style. They put in two songs, fast & furious, and to tell you the truth, the faster they get done the better, for it’s not that great, whether it was in Spanish or English. The last two bands are pretty good – I’d love to see ‘em both play live – I wish I did live in Austin – it would sure be better than San Diego which sucks, then I would’ve gone to the show for sure, for I know that there is some good nightlife in Austin, it being a college town and forever immortalized in the film Slacker. Anyway, Pinata Protest and Boxcar Satan each throw their two cents’ worth in and the latter is a really good band and finishes up the CD in style. Next out is Saustex’s joint project with Sauspop, which shouldn’t be hard, since it sounds like they’re the same company. Anyway, I just received another compilation CD with another 12 songs – this time it’s 3 cuts each by 4 different bands, but more on that in the review…-KM

Love Struck Fashion Show, La Jolla Playhouse

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:24:10 +0000

Love Struck fashion show

Click HERE and HERE for the two flash photo galleries.

Video clips with show coordinator Anjela Piccard, clothing designer Jeffrey Parish and
Gustaf Rooth of Planet Rooth, are listed below.

Photos and video by ReviewerPhoto.com

La Jolla Playhouse and Jon Block present

LOVE STRUCK: A Cultural Event of Art and High Fashion Celebrating A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Saturday, August 21, 2010

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm:

Featuring:

Music-Infused Cocktail Mixer with Art Exhibition

High Fashion Runway Show

Art and Fashion Show are free to attend

Performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at La Jolla Playhouse

*Cash bar and light fare available

Tickets for the Art and Fashion Show plus performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: $40

Our Banks Are Evil – latest dirtbag: WELLS FARGO

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:05:18 +0000

“Wells Fargo used profiteering tactics “

Practically speaking, that meant Wells would deduct the biggest checks, debits and e-bill payments first, regardless of the order in which the customer made them. The practice would often cause accounts to have insufficient funds and trigger overdraft fees for multiple transactions.

OrlandoSentinel.com

Judge says Wells Fargo must refund $203 million in wrongful overdraft fees

By Richard Burnett, Orlando Sentinel

11:05 AM EDT, August 12, 2010

Calling Wells Fargo & Co. “unfair and deceptive,” a federal judge has ordered the banking giant to refund customers more than $200 million in allegedly ill-gotten overdraft fees.

The judge ruled that Wells Fargo used profiteering tactics to manipulate customers’ accounts to generate overdraft fees. The decision came Tuesday in a consumer class-action lawsuit challenging the San Francisco-based bank’s overdraft policies.

Wells Fargo says the case is not over. “We don’t believe the ruling is in line with the facts of this case and we plan to appeal,” spokeswoman Richele Messick told the Associated Press.

Earlier this week, Wells Fargo disclosed in a regulatory filing that it expects to take a $500 million hit on its fee-income this year as a result of new federal limits on overdraft charges.

Wells Fargo’s Wachovia franchise was Florida’s second largest bank in 2009 by deposit market share, according to the latest available regulatory data. It had deposits of $64.3 billion at 724 branches statewide last year.

Wachovia was the third largest bank in Central Florida, with deposits of $8.93 billion at 109 branches in 2009.

In the California suit, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that Wells Fargo used a biggest-in-first-out practice to unfairly generate overdraft fees from customers.

Practically speaking, that meant Wells would deduct the biggest checks, debits and e-bill payments first, regardless of the order in which the customer made them. The practice would often cause accounts to have insufficient funds and trigger overdraft fees for multiple transactions.

The judge ruled that customers were not properly informed of the policies on processing payments and were unaware Wells would allow debit transactions to clear when their accounts were overdrawn.

The bank argued that their overdraft coverage was implemented in response to demand from customers and that many benefited from the protection.

The judge ruled, however, that Wells effectively obscured or hid from customers the actual practices and potential consequences and costs of the overdraft service.

New overdraft rules passed by the Federal Reserve now prohibit banks from automatically enrolling customers in overdraft protection. The rules ban overdraft fees on ATM and debit-card transactions, unless consumers have actively enrolled in the service. Banks may continue to charge overdraft fees on checks and previously-arranged automatic debit or bill payments.

Sharks filmed at San Onofre

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:45:36 +0000

Great White Sharks Filmed In San Diego County

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.