The Ministry of Time - Kaliane Bradley

 

My better half discovered this 2024 sci-fi novel and recommended it to me, and, of course, I listen to her!

The British government discover a time-travel device (there's a bit of a dig at the British for "stealing" the technology rather than discovering it themselves) and use it to rescue (although that can be up for debate) historical figures ("expats") from the time of their "death" (so as not to disrupt the timeline) and study their responses to the rigors of time travel.

The story centers around expat Commander Gore, from a lost 1845 Artic expedition and his "bridge", the unnamed author who is assigned to help assimilate him into modern society. They interact with a handful of other expats, some who are handling the modern world well, and some who aren't. Of course, there is romance, intrigue (this is a secret government experiment), race, sex, violence and simple human interactions. Interestingly enough, some of the expats seem more liberal in their thinking (particularly sexually) than many modern-day individuals, which I'm sure was a point that Bradley was making.

Very well written, with a surprise (to me) twist towards the end and, of course, the requisite time-travel paradoxes. Another fine read!

Bread of Angels - Patti Smith

 

Although she started as a poet/author, Patti mostly (never completely, of course) gave up her writings when the Patti Smith Group gained popularity and notoriety and she then settled down to married life with Fred Smith. Since his passing and her children coming of age, she has gotten quite prolific in her writings of poems and prose (and photos), with more books (seemingly) in the last year than in her life up until then. The books have all been high quality and so when I discovered this one, I searched it out.

This is another autobiography, initially concentrating on her youth - sickly but a leader of a rag-tag “gang” consisting of her younger siblings and other kids from the neighborhood . A prolific reader from an early age, she lived more in the world of her imagination than reality, which was filled with illnesses, bullies and boredom, particularly in school.

The family never has much money so ends up being fairly nomadic, but Patti always makes the best of the situations and explores the nearby areas in real life and in her imagination. It is fairly incredible just how sickly she was (near death more than once, apparently), but when she was not under the spell of one of her many illnesses, she sounds like she was active and hearty and liked nothing more than discovering the world around her and communing - and communicating - with nature.

Her writing is, as always, intelligent and poetic in its descriptions of the world and her thoughts and feelings. This stems from her early discovery of Rimbaud and Bob Dylan, close to the same time. From her concentration on her pre-pubescence she moves quickly to adulthood and her move to NYC where she quickly meets paramours like Mapplethorpe and Verlaine, inspirations like Dylan (he considered her for part of the Rolling Thunder Revue but it didn't happen) and bandmates like Lenny Kaye. Her musical endeavors grow quickly, as well, and soon they are selling out the clubs they are playing and get signed to Arista, becoming true rock'n'roll stars.

Patti meets Fred far earlier that I thought that they had, but the attraction seemed immediate and permanent and Patti still describes him as her true love. Of course, Patti also falls off a stage due to a headliner denying them proper space for their show and is hospitalized for months, although she continues to work in any way that she can and produces her book, Babel, with the help of Lenny. It seems like she never really got her r'n'r wind back after that and within a couple of years, she settled down with Fred.

No reason for me to detail her life story, but she retells the losses - several deaths in a short period of time - and her reemergence to public life. To this day, she continues to work, to travel pretty much as she pleases throughout the world, perform and exhibit. Despite heartbreaking losses, she can still experience what most of us can simply dream of. I only hope that she can continue for years to come. Yet another of her books that is highly recommended!

recommended gigs

         

Friday 3-20-26 - Crimson Riot record release show at Grey Witch

Saturday 3-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-23-26 - Femaliens, Motion Detected, Linnea's Garden at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Boulder City Beer Fest

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-3-26 - the Implosions, 1/2 Ast, the Rebel Set at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-4-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-6-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 4-8-26 - the Holy Smokes, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Saturday 4-11-26 - Nini Music at Grey Witch

Saturday 4-11-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-17-26 - Tom Fest at the Double Down featuring Suburban Resistance and many more!

Saturday 4-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Suburban Resistance with Femaliens and Kepi Ghoulie at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 5-24-26 - the Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits and 7 Seconds at Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday 5-27-26 - The Darts, the Implosions, Service at the Usual Place

Friday 5-29-26 - Suburban Resistance with Sloppy Seconds and Channel 3 at the Dive Bar

Friday 6-5-26 - Suburban Resistance with Celebrity Stalker at Red Dwarf

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

The Implosions, Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down Friday 2-13-26

 

While we did not know the host of this bachelor party, we know both bands and the fact that it was an early night meant that we definitely made it down for the fun!

Obviously, I have ranted'n'raved about the Implosions countless times in their relatively short history, as I always dig their take on garage/punk/Cramps-ian goodness.  This evening they really seemed to be on top of their game, despite singer Adrienne implying that her voice was sore. Still, they put on a fun, energetic set with all of their hits and plenty of new tunes, as well! They just keep getting better and are always a groovy time and the crowd always loves 'em! 

Of course, Thee Swanks have been Las Vegas' premier surf/instrumental band forever and Jesse invariably gets good-natured, quality people to back up his reverbed, staccato'd guitar and his flyin' fingers! This evening the basic set up was Jesse, longtime cohort Jeff Murphy on bass (goofy as hell, but highly talented) and hot pants, and the Implosions' Clay Heximer on drums. With a vast repertoire to choose from, you're never quite sure what songs you're going to hear from show-to-show and since this set had to be somewhat shorter than some (they have several residencies in town where they play all night long) they cut out some of the longer numbers, like their Black Sabbath medley. But, that didn't mean that Jesse didn't hand off his guitar to Murphy, with Denise picking up the bass and Ron Carpenter sitting in on the drums at various times! You never know what to expect, other than a good time!

Although it gets harder to get me out these days - life can be exhausting - once I get out, I am really enjoying seeing bands again and our LV friends sound better all the time! And it seems to me that the Double Down is getting a resurgence, as well, after a slow period, but that might just be me getting back into the swing of things myself. In any case, loved the early set times (3 more bands played after this early show/party add-on to the night), I've been digging the DD vibe again and all of the great people who work there, and, of course, our friends' bands truly rock the town!

The Hellacopters - Cream of the Crap Vol 3

 

Of course, I've been a fanatical Hellcopters fan since first hearing them in the late 90's, around the time of Paying the Dues. Since then I have bought pretty much anything I could find of theirs, to the point where when I saw the song listing for this 3rd volume of their rare cuts compilations, I didn't know if it would be more than just a collections of songs that I already had all in one place.

And while there are a lot of more readily available material here ("Disappointment Blues", "Her Strut", "American Ruse", "Working for MCA", "A Man and A Half", etc.), there is also some very obscure - to me, anyway - cuts. Like, who could have imagined that they would have recorded a take on "Bony Moronie"?! Or Alice Cooper's "Eighteen"? Or the Damned's "Stab Your Back"? Of course, there are also new-to-me originals, which are always a bonus and everything, of course, rocks ferociously.

While any fan will certainly have a number of these tunes, you'll most likely not have everything, so you'll probably want this, just like you have the first two volumes. There's a booklet included with a handful of pix and an explanation of where each of these numbers first appeared. 

With 24 cuts at a reasonable price, I suppose that this wouldn't be a bad starting place for someone who wanted to explore the Hella's, as it has material from various incarnations, and, like I say, die-hard fans will want it for the more obscure material. Certainly worth it!

recommended gigs

        

Friday 3-13-26 - The Implosions, Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-36 - the Unoriginal Unfits, Mondo Vermin, Apollo 14 at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-15-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-16-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-20-26 - Crimson Riot record release show at Grey Witch

Saturday 3-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-23-26 - Femaliens, Motion Detected, Linnea's Garden at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Boulder City Beer Fest

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-3-26 - the Implosions, 1/2 Ast, the Rebel Set at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-4-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-6-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 4-8-26 - the Holy Smokes, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Saturday 4-11-26 - Nini Music at Grey Witch

Saturday 4-11-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-17-26 - Tom Fest at the Double Down featuring Suburban Resistance and many more!

Saturday 4-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Suburban Resistance with Femaliens and Kepi Ghoulie at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 5-24-26 - the Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits and 7 Seconds at Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday 5-27-26 - The Darts, the Implosions, Service at the Usual Place

Friday 5-29-26 - Suburban Resistance with Sloppy Seconds and Channel 3 at the Dive Bar

Friday 6-5-26 - Suburban Resistance with Celebrity Stalker at Red Dwarf

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

The Darkest Hollar and VaVoom at the Double Down's first Saturday Matinee Show - Saturday 3-7-26

 

Our weekends tend to be pretty packed between errands, chores, house-cleaning, cooking and what-have-you, but we thought that this afternoon show at the Double Down sounded like a fun time so we got a bunch of errands done quickly in the morning and headed out.

To avoid competition with Red Dwarf's Sunday Surf Brunch, the DD decided to try this matinee gig on Saturdays and added a taco truck and a couple vendors outside and it seems to us like it was a roaring success.

The Minges were scheduled to play but could not make it so in their place was a new-to-us combo, the Darkest Hollar, a self-proclaimed Satanist Bluegrass band! Acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, banjo and fiddle accompanied fine vocals and songs about Satan (natch), murder, goth girls, sacrifices, orgies and more, and even a cover from the band Ghost! Everyone excelled at the instruments, although the fiddle and banjo were the primary solo instruments. Funny stories in between the tunes and they even winged a cover of "Pretty Polly" when a patron requested it (along with a monetary tip)! Very fun, funny and talented and we hope to see them again soon and maybe play together in some permutation at some point!

Las Vegas' garage/rockabilly/Cramps-ian combo, VaVoom, filled out the afternoon (along with a hip DJ), with an energetic set of their own tunes about UFO's (with added theremin effects by bassist Kelly), parties, freaks and more. Some numbers reminded me of drummer Jomar's old band, the Mad Daddies (who took after the Cramps, as well), some were more garage-y, some more Link Wray, but all fun, with reverbed Mosrite guitar work, Kelly's simple, solid bass lines and Jomar's rockabilly influenced poundin'. Always a good time and one of the better times I have seen them!

Thanks to the Double Down and promoters Ryan and Katherine Reasons (Two Reasons Presents) for a great idea and a Fun afternoon! 

We even finally got to try the fab restaurant across the street, the Modern Vegan, which is highly recommended if you're in the area!

RIP Country Joe McDonald

Woodstock Performer Country Joe McDonald Dies at 84: 'One of the Defining Voices of the 1960s'

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Obviously, everyone remembers the FISH cheer, but Country Joe had much more - garage, psych, folk and whatever else all mixed together. Sad to hear of his passing.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

 

My better half discovered this book and commented on the fact that characters were living (at times) in the same areas of LA that we used to haunt and during the time that we lived there which made her homesick, but she enjoyed the writing so I picked it up from the library as well.

Zevin is indeed a fine writer who keeps the story moving and keeps you interested throughout - at times by not giving away too much at once - for instance, what caused a particular injury or why is someone single, etc. Unfortunately, she does employ the very much over-used trope of two characters who don’t care for each other initially getting together. Because the rest of the story is pretty creative, I was hoping that this would not be this predictable but sadly, no…In a way, it works in the story, but it was still far too obvious right from the start.

The plot revolves around gamers - Melanie thought I might not appreciate the story because I don't game, but the story is really all about personal relationships and the games are what ties them together and can be metaphors for what they are going through, but you don't need to know how to game in order to appreciate the tale. Three friends bond over video games (mostly) and end up creating a popular one, starting their own business and the successes, failures and interactions that happen from there.

Life, death, family, sex, birth, pain, depression, new beginnings, and more all unfold, as they do in the our real world, but also in their fantasy lives that help them deal with reality and cope with the unfairness of life - in fact, they name their company Unfair Games. At one point, one of the characters actually creates and releases an entire game just as an apology to another estranged character. The games that are described are actually original (to me as a non-gamer, anyway) and creative, and everyone pushes each other to make the best that they can with the resources that they have - from next to nothing to almost anything they need.

In the end, while nothing is completely wrapped up, everything seems to come full circle and you are hopeful for everyone involved.

Quite enjoyable - I would definitely look for more from her!

recommended gigs

       

Thursday 3-5-26 - Dog Party, the Implosions, J Graves at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-7-26 - Matinee show at the Double Down with the Minges and VaVoom

Saturday 3-7-26 - Suburban Resistance at Beer Zombies Rot and Roll fest

Saturday 3-7-26 - Fuzz Solow at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-9-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-13-26 - The Implosions, Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-36 - the Unoriginal Unfits, Mondo Vermin, Apollo 14 at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-15-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-16-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-23-26 - Femaliens, Motion Detected, Linnea's Garden at Red Dwarf

Thursday 3-26-26 - Hillbilly Casino, the Crotches, Triple Splits, Texas Prison Rodeo at the Usual Place 

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Boulder City Beer Fest

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-3-26 - the Implosions, 1/2 Ast, the Rebel Set at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-4-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-6-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 4-8-26 - the Holy Smokes, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Saturday 4-11-26 - Nini Music at Grey Witch

Saturday 4-11-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-17-26 - Tom Fest at the Double Down featuring Suburban Resistance and many more!

Saturday 4-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Suburban Resistance with Femaliens and Kepi Ghoulie at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 5-24-26 - the Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits and 7 Seconds at Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday 5-27-26 - The Darts, the Implosions, Service at the Usual Place

Friday 5-29-26 - Suburban Resistance with Sloppy Seconds and Channel 3 at the Dive Bar

Friday 6-5-26 - Suburban Resistance with Celebrity Stalker at Red Dwarf

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Age of Conan: Belit

 

Of course, I was a huge fan of the Conan comics in the 70's and 80's and the tales of his adventures with his one-time soul mate, Belit, were among the better story lines that Marvel produced. Conan of course had loves before and after Belit, but I'm not sure that he ever loved as fiercely as he did in this relationship.

This book though tells of Belt's early days, as the daughter of a retired pirate who grows impatient with lessons and yearns for adventures, and these yearnings are realized when her father is murdered for his past transgressions. She commandeers her father's ship and, upon saving another ship from a sea monster, she joins the crew and eventually becomes their leader and queen.

Obviously, there is much more to the tales and Tini Howard, the writer, does a fine job of staying true to the previous mythos of Belit, while adding to her background and growth. Definitely enjoyable.

Native Son - Richard Wright

 

I learned about this novel when I was researching Percival Everett's Erasure and discovered that the story-within-a-story in that novel was loosely based on this book. While Everett's was a commentary on stereotypes that still exist in our media, Wright's 1940's story was groundbreaking for its depictions of the lives of Black Americans at the time. 

Wright was a highly talented writer, giving the fairly unlikeable lead character, Bigger Thomas, a multi-faceted personality, who understood far more than his limited education would indicate - and far more than mere "street smarts", although none of this really helps him as he is trapped in poverty in the 1930's. Even Chicago - comparatively liberal in race relations - was quite segregated and highly racist at the time and there were little choices for young Black men. But Bigger also has a chip on his shoulder, even with his friends, and his life whirls out of control at least partially because he cannot - and feels he should not have to - control his feelings. Wright balances his characters' emotions and ingrained intellect deftly, and Bigger sometimes completely understands his situation and sometimes simply feels that something seems wrong without being able to define it - even if it's his upbringing causing him to be somewhat paranoid.

This actually gets the best of him early on when a white couple attempts to befriend him and this makes him uncomfortable enough that he later - albeit by accident - kills the young woman. The rest of the tale comprises of him trying to see if he can get away with it and outsmart the white establishment - maybe even make some money from it - and when he gets caught, how he handles his incarceration and punishment.

Of course, the racism is blatant and constant in the story and is sometimes even used in Bigger's favor, although, naturally, killing a white woman means that ultimately nothing will save him and white society will assume that it was a crime of passion.

His incarceration gives him time to reflect and, with the aid of a white lawyer who seriously tries to help Bigger by asking about his life and background, he gains a little bit of an understanding of his own feelings, and maybe some reasons for why he is who he is. The lawyer gives an impassioned plea in his closing argument in Bigger's near-mock trial, depicting the life that Bigger and his brethren live as a reason, not an excuse, although it is ultimately to no avail.

Sadly, so many of these issues exist to this day and I, as an older white man, cannot really comment on these plights, but maybe can learn a bit even from these decades-old stories. 

RIP John Hammond

John Hammond, Blues Singer-Guitarist, Dies at 83 

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recommended gigs

      

Friday 2-27-26 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-28-26 - High Rollers Weekend with the A-100’s and Cromm Fallon NV at the P-200 at Bsckstage Bar and Billiards 

Saturday 2-28-26 - Broke in Vegas, Punk’n’Country, Santa Muerte and Stagnettis Cock at the Double Down 

Saturday 2-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-2-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 3-5-26 - Dog Party, the Implosions, J Graves at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-7-26 - Matinee show at the Double Down with the Minges and VaVoom

Saturday 3-7-26 - Suburban Resistance at Beer Zombies Rot and Roll fest

Saturday 3-7-26 - Fuzz Solow at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-9-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-13-26 - The Implosions, Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-15-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-16-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-23-26 - Femaliens, Motion Detected, Linnea's Garden at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Boulder City Beer Fest

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-3-26 - the Implosions, 1/2 Ast, the Rebel Set at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-4-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-6-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 4-8-26 - the Holy Smokes, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Saturday 4-11-26 - Nini Music at Grey Witch

Saturday 4-11-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-17-26 - Tom Fest at the Double Down featuring Suburban Resistance and many more!

Saturday 4-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Suburban Resistance with Femaliens and Kepi Ghoulie at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 5-24-26 - the Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits and 7 Seconds at Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday 5-27-26 - The Darts, the Implosions, Service at the Usual Place

Friday 5-29-26 - Suburban Resistance with Sloppy Seconds and Channel 3 at the Dive Bar

Friday 6-5-26 - Suburban Resistance with Celebrity Stalker at Red Dwarf

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Mr Dark's Pandemonium - Friday 2-20-26, Double Down Saloon

 

Mr. Dark's Pandemonium is the brainchild of Jack Bell (Psyatics/Unwieldies) who has gathered together a musical troupe from various Las Vegas bands and combined this with numerous burlesque/vaudeville acts for a night of entertainment unparalleled in this city!

Jack goes all out for the evening, bringing in his own stage, PA, lights and backdrops to create a unique environment in the Double Down Saloon. I am now a member of the musical portion of the project so I won't say much about that, other than the selection of Tom Waits, 60's songs, weird 80's numbers and more were well received by the packed crowd this evening, and the band - guitars, keys, bass, drums, tuba, trombone, vocals - was wild throughout.

The other acts including DD employee David Thompson crooning a couple numbers impressively (who knew?!), a super talented and personable tap dancer, a lovely young woman who drove nails (and other devices) into her head and elsewhere, dancers who combined burlesque with hula-hoops, knives, a bed of nails and more as well as reappearances of previous Las Vegans Svandora and Kalani showing off their skills'n'skin.

The Pandemonium only happens every couple of months or so, so be sure to look out for it and do not miss it! While the band is reasonably stable, the other acts revolve for each show, so don't skip a single one!

Tura (documentary)

 

We stumbled upon this documentary simply by browsing, although I think that we both had heard about it at some point or another and, of course, we are fans of Tura's from way back when we first discovered her, via Russ Meyers' amazing Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill! Of course, Tura has also starred in numerous other fun, wild, and wacky films, but FPKK seems to be the one that everyone knows and references.

This doc gives a bit of her background, from horrific abuse as a 10 year old child (at least partially due to the anti-Asian sentiment at the time, and the film alludes to her later getting revenge, but it's hard to know how truthful that is, as much as we would like to believe it), to her running away as a teenager to become a burlesque dancer, to being discovered and starring in low budget films to her re-emergence in the 80's and 90's as a cult icon. 

Amazingly, she doesn't let the early assault define her or control her life and she learns to love sex and has many famous suitors, including Elvis Presley! She has other well-known lovers as well although she ends up in relationships with jealous, controlling men. She eventually comes into her own and relishes her return to the spotlight.

There are some interviews and footage with Tura herself along with her two daughters, many friends and co-workers (Ted Mikel, Kitten Natividad, etc.) as well as more current fans and followers like Dita Von Teese, Pamela Des Barres, and John Waters.

This is well done and balances the horrible with the fun - Tura led quite a life and is now rightfully thought of as an icon!

The Bobby Lees - Skin Suit

 

My lovely other half discovered this combo and after seeing some raucous, anarchic live footage and decided to pick up this 2023 Jon Spencer-produced release. 

Angular, no-wave-influenced punk rock'n'roll with plenty of wacky time signatures, starts'n'stops, shrieks'n'shouts, power chords, spikey guitar riffs and more - and, of course, a ridiculous amounts of raw energy. The songs sound like they should be an utter chaotic mess, but the band manages to hold everything together tighter than most more "normal" groups. Kinda reminds me of a more musical Germs, or maybe Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, while maintaining an amazing amount of originality. 

There's an odd spoken piece (not by the singer) in the middle of the record, but the rest is pretty damn frantic, punk-paced No-Wave wildness until we get to "Last Song", which is basically an early-60's, tremelo'd ballad, other than the impassioned vocals, although it does build in intensity'n'noize as it progresses. For the last couple of numbers on the CD, there is a deconstructed take on Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man" that has nothing musically to do with the original - if you did not hear the vocals, there is no way whatsoever that you would know what the song was, which is a cool way to cover something, actually. While they take some liberties on "Blank Generation", you can tell what the song is, even with their strange changes, as the arrangement isn't all that different - still more original than most of the other takes on this classic.

Fans of Jon Spencer will probably dig these cats'n'kittens, even if they don't have the more obvious blues influences of the Blues Explosion, as they do have the noisey extremes of his project. Totally makes sense that he produced the record and even "stole" the rhythm section for a tour!

recommended gigs

     

Friday 2-20-25 - Mr Dark's Pandemonium at the Double Down

Saturday 2-21-25 - Thee Swank Bastards (with Szandora) and the Way Outs at Red Dwarf

Saturday 2-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-22-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf

Monday 2-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-27-26 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-28-26 - High Rollers Weekend with the A-100’s and Cromm Fallon NV at the P-200 at Bsckstage Bar and Billiards 

Saturday 2-28-26 - Broke in Vegas, Punk’n’Country, Santa Muerte and Stagnettis Cock at the Double Down 

Saturday 2-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-2-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-7-26 - Matinee show at the Double Down with the Minges and VaVoom

Saturday 3-7-26 - Suburban Resistance at Beer Zombies Rot and Roll fest

Saturday 3-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-9-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-13-26 - The Implosions, Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday 3-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-15-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-16-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 3-23-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-23-26 - Femaliens, Motion Detected, Linnea's Garden at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Boulder City Beer Fest

Saturday 3-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-3-26 - the Implosions, 1/2 Ast, the Rebel Set at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-4-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-6-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 4-8-26 - the Holy Smokes, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar Lounge

Saturday 4-11-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-17-26 - Tom Fest at the Double Down featuring Suburban Resistance and many more!

Saturday 4-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-20-26 - Suburban Resistance and Kepi Ghoulie at Red Dwarf

Saturday 4-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 5-24-26 - the Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits and 7 Seconds at Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday 5-27-26 - The Darts, the Implosions, Service at the Usual Place

Friday 5-29-26 - Suburban Resistance with Sloppy Seconds and Channel 3 at the Dive Bar

Friday 6-5-26 - Suburban Resistance with Celebrity Stalker at Red Dwarf

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

The Vooduo - Have Voodoo Will Travel, Rock and Roll Creatures, Voodoo U Luv

 

We picked up these three CD's from the Vooduo when we saw them a few days back in Tucson and they are mighty fine finds!

It appears that Have Voodoo Will Travel! is the oldest of these three, recorded in 1998 (although with two more later copyright dates) and it highlights their stripped down sound of guitar'n'drums, although there is a "special guest appearance by Kim Thing on bass", and there is an occasional guitar overdub. But their own take on Cramps-ian garage/trash with plenty of spooky'n'B-movie themes are abundantly clear right from the start. With titles like "World's Greatest Sinner", "Maddest Story Ever Told", "Her Flesh Was Cold", "Burn Witch Burn", etc., and covers like the Sonics' "The Witch", they certainly wear their influences on their sleeves! While fairly trashy in nature, the sound is actually pretty darn good, with strong drum tones and simple, hip, reverbed guitar. Kinda reminds me a little of the Beguiled (who I loved, of course) at times, along with their other, more obvious influences.

They got away with ripping off Ray Dennis Steckler's Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies in both title and graphics for their 2011 release (in Zombi-Phonic Sound!) but by this time their sound has improved and for a good portion of the CD they have extra added keyboards/theremin, courtesy of Dave Klein, who is also responsible for the sound - great job! Max's vocals are better than ever, as well, as they steal from the likes of the Sonics, the Cramps and more - no outright covers here, but you will be reminded of a few other bands now'n'again, but with clever arrangements and their own twists'n'turns!

They moved quickly from there and Voodoo U Luv (dig the title) came out the following year - 2012. Again, Dave Klein adds some spooky sounds while Rad Ryan Fitzgerald contributes some extra vocals. The Vooduo continues with their B-Movie-themed lyrics with titles like "Zombie Love" ("I eat your skin, I drink your blood"), "Evil Eye", "The House on Haunted Hill", "Screaming Skull" and more. Their varied influences are apparent with their cover of rockabilly/trash/garage Ron Haydock's "You Is a Ray Pfink" and a barren take on the Hoodoo Gurus' "Dig It Up" (that Vegas' the Psyatics also tore up). Once again, great sound, cool performances all around and the musical/vocals additions all contribute without overwhelming. Another great job! (Hah - they have a secret bonus track that is a version of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive"! Coolness!)

Definitely check 'em out live if you ever get the chance, but these are all fine releases for lovers of trashy/garage/whathaveyou culture!

The Voodoo at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Minatures, Tucson, AZ, Friday the 13th, 2026

 

We’ve known Max and Heidi from the Vooduo since our LA daze but we haven’t seen them in years after they moved to Arizona and we ended up in Vegas so it was a fun surprise when we found out that they would be playing in Tucson at a museum that we wanted to get to anyway for a special event!

Ray HarryHausen has, of course, been a part of our lives since our childhood due to his amazing stop-motion work in 60’s movies. When we found out that there was an exhibit honoring him we definitely wanted to see it and incredibly enough, the Vooduo had been asked to provide music for the event.

The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures turned out to be quite the place - a high quality building dedicated to miniature artwork, mostly dollhouse-types, but presented quite elaboratively and in all manner of subjects, from cute to ghastly. The displays are incredibly well-done and imaginative including set into the floor, into "trees", "caves" and much more and for this evening's event, they had the lights off (for the most part) and gave everyone flashlights to explore on your own. Food and drinks were also provided, along with the music, so it was quite the event. We were very impressed with Tucson's museums in general and this one exceeded all of our expectations.

We haven't seen the Vooduo in years, but they are always a good time and this was a fun setting for them. As the name implies, they are a duo with Heidi (Neidi Nite) on drums (literally 2 drums and nothing more) and Max (Eerie Powers) on guitar and vocals, instead of his usual drums that he has played in countless bands over the years. We met back in our 80's garage days and the Vooduo continues in this vein, although with plenty of Cramps-ian overtones and spooky subject matter. While their two sets consisted mostly of originals, I did catch a Cramps tune ("Aloha From Hell") as well as the Nomads' "Where the Wolf Bane Blooms" mixed in with their own brand of stripped-down, trashy garage/surf/rockabilly/Link Wray-ish numbers. 

Since they literally played in the dark, my phone photos leave something to be desired, but they were super fun and a great surprise to see them again after living in different cities for years. They are planning on moving so see them in Arizona if you can or keep an eye out for their further adventures!

A super event from the MTMMOM! Go check it out even if you can't see the Vooduo, too!