FYF Fest ! Day Three - ROCK!

 *Reprinted from story for Juice Magazine!


Day Three of the FYF Fest, and I think we all got the hang of it. There was a different feeling in the air ... more relaxed, less pressure to do it all (though it was still nagging in your mind that so many things were happening around that you were missing at any given moment), a slight, refreshing breeze, and the real, tangible need to just let go and ROCK.

I always feel a little bad for the day's first bands, because many people are still recovering from the previous day's activities well into the afternoon. That was definitely the case for myself and my brother, who had had two gigs AFTER FYF Day 2, and had been up all night. But still, there was epic rocking to do, so we got there as fast as we could. We missed Cherry Glazerr, but I heard they rocked it very hard. There were many, many NIN shirts in the line to get in, so it was easy to see what the day's big draw was. One such shirt wearer was saying he didn't get why they weren't playing IN the Coliseum ... good question.

We checked out some of the stuff we'd previously missed, like the Fingerprints Records pop-up, said hey to the Vans people again, had a quick bite, then hot-footed it over to the Lawn stage where Ty Segall was about to get underway. The festival girls were out in force, and it was fun just to look at all the creative, awesome fashion that was going on, and watch them dance without a care in the world. Not just like no one is watching - they WANT you to watch. Freedom - that's one of the best parts of festivals ... you forget everything else that's going on for a few days. You just focus on how much music you can possibly see and hear, and what new things you might discover. Calls and emails tend to go unanswered for those few days. It's a badly needed escape, and everyone is united in that vibe. It's pretty beautiful.

DJ Harvey was spinning in the Woods area, and it was clear that all the day-ravers were having a good old time in there when we walked by. It was like a big, gay dance club with ultra-decked out revelers not giving a whit that it was broad daylight ... if they even knew.

Ty Segall - Wow. This quintet ROCKED it, and was my new discovery of the day. Which is kind of lame, considering that I see he has like 9 albums out, but hey, better late than never. They were throwing it down, and people were picking it up like crazy. Dancing, moshing, head banging, INTO it. The guitars were shred-tastic, with all kinds of feedback antics, and Segall himself reminded me of a more punk rock legend of Venice, Paul Chesne.

Appropriately for the day, these guys played their "Freedom" with its line, "I'm not scared." Me neither, boys. The crowd grew and grew as people going by heard how great these guys were, and they deserved it. "Finger" got the audience so hyped that there was now daytime crowd surfing. Yes.

Thirst required another walk, and we caught a little of Joey Purp rap in the Club tent while quenching it. That was good for another few shouts of "Make some fucking noise!", which sent us packing off to see some of what Mac DeMarco had to offer.

The slacker rocker had a full audience by the time we got there, comprised mostly of young females screaming for the Canadian dude that flirted with them from the stage. DeMarco has an interesting way of leaning into his chords, and the girls dug it. He was probably the most verbose performer I saw all weekend, as happy to chat between songs as to play them, it seemed. He played mostly from his Salad Days EP, and looked like he was having a great time doing it. Melodic rock, but rock - in the order of the day. "The Stars Keep On Calling My Name" has the line, "I just wanna go" ... which me and another girl near me echoed. Off to the next!

Back at the Club tent, Moses Sumney was taking his sweet time getting set up, finally taking the stage saying, "Lord Jesus, there's a fire!"

Not under him, apparently, but that was fine as a slew of people were still streaming in to hear his heavily altered vocals, looped live to create an ethereal whole. It was interesting and absolutely good, but I had a date with Iggy Pop all the way across the venue.

I was rushing away while others were rushing in, showing once again how varied the musical tastes are at FYF. This was all the more obvious when I passed the Main Stage above, and saw how many people were down there for Little Dragon, while I couldn't wait to get to the Lawn to see Iggy.

                                                                                                                       Photo: Goldenvoice Media
Iggy motherfucking Pop! The punk rock icon/legend/warhorse/miracle bounded onstage shirtless - of course - with both middle fingers blazing, and immediately lit into The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog", causing the punk faithful gathered to lose their ever-loving minds. It was non-stop jumping and moshing there in the Lawn stage pit, and you could see Pop feeding off the incredible energy. He was flailing about, jumping up and down, and was out in the crowd on the very first song. This 70 year old powerhouse was way more gnarly than most of the youngsters in the crowd, showing them first hand what it means to be punk rock.

Shaking his ass to the camera, Pop knew he had this crowd exactly where he wanted them, and "Gimme Danger" and "The Passenger" rocked so hard he just said, "Fucking thank you, FUCK!" afterwards. Exactly. Then Pop put his mic down the front of his jeans to free both of his hands to get the whole place clapping, and the band simply scorched their way through "Lust For Life" (my favorite), and the ensuing mayhem really showed the strength of that title. Everyone was feeling that, all the way. It was so good, even Pop yelled "WOOOOO!" after it was done.

"Skull Ring" led right into "I'm Sick Of You" and the reception was so big, Pop said, "Hey, fucking thanks for checking us out, fucking thanks, Fuck!" Just as you want your punk heroes to be. "Repo Man" cemented Pop's status as the Godfather of Punk, and "Search And Destroy" smashed that cement - and the mic stand Pop seemed to be mad at. The almost-ballady "Gardenia" was something special, but even that appeared to require moshing. "TV Eye" led right into the last song, "Mass Production" that was so hair-raisingly hardcore, it left Pop limping off the stage, beating his bare chest like the warrior he is, but not before thanking the people in the pit - who damn well deserved it. Phew!

The sun was now almost fully set, and the night was just starting, if you can believe it. There was really no time at all for us to slack. We barely stopped to eat, there was so much music to see, and we didn't probably see half of it. I don't know how the big drinkers and druggers do it ... I almost felt like I needed workout clothes on just to get places in time! So, we ate on the run and listened as we chewed.

The mad rush to the Main Stage to see Solange was now on, and the VIP area was already fully packed by the time I got there. Solange seems to have her own Bey Hive, as the screams were high and shrill from the very start. The set was lit all red, with geometric shapes giving it all a very 70's variety show vibe. When Solange and her backing band and dancers took the stage - all in extra-tight, red outfits - the crowd went into actual hysterics.

They began with "Rise" from her seriously good album from last year, A Seat At The Table. It was all very artistic, and modern dancey, showing that Solange, like Björk and Missy Elliot from Day One, will do whatever she wants in the name of her art. And good for her, because it's awesome.

Solange choreographed and wrote it all, and even the backing brass band, in their rash-guard tight tops, got down with the dance moves - while playing their instruments. Impressive. Solange introduced "Cranes In The Sky" by saying "I want you all to sing it away", and that kind of summed up the weekend for me. A massive group coming together to sing away all the troubles and hard times we've all been going through, to release it and find peace - together. It was pretty emotional for an already emotional gal like me, and I assure you, I was not alone. When Solange ventured into the crowd to sing "F.U.B.U.", a woman singing with her had tears streaming down her face. "This shit is for us!" And you felt it.

Each time Solange did a spazzy dance move with a totally straight face, the crowd went insane. When she turned around and performed some impressive twerking, they downright lost their shit. I'm fairly new to Solange's table, but have had mad respect for her ever since she kicked the shit out of Jay Z. This girl has your back, and she made that clear in every number she sang. "How many of you have got the tree leaf out there?", asked Solange. Um ... I think everyone. No one was feeling any pain, unless it was in your feet after three solid days of non-stop rocking. But who cares? This was all well worth it.

"I wanna see y'all jam! When this beat drops, I want to see you all breakdance!" "Locked In Closets" hit, and I'm not kidding when I say that front to back, side to side, we all DANCED. It must have looked so rad from above, because it wasn't just bouncing, there was full-on choreography going on in the crowd. People MEANT it. After their bow for that one, Solange laughed and said,"I had to make sure my wig was still on, I felt a shift!" Because she was going for it, dancing full-tilt so hard, she even threw in a little Morris Day funky bird move.

"You guys have been a part of my journey, thank you for letting me experiment and explore!" Massive cheers, because everyone WANTS her to explore ... look what you get! We got "T.O.N.Y.", "Junie", and "Losing You", and that was that ... until Solange was back, huge brass band and all for "Don't Touch My Hair" and an outro of "Rise" that found Solange freaking all the way out, on her back, flailing her legs, doing jumping jacks, going OFF ... only to get up and walk calmly off the stage, hands clasped behind her back as her superfans tried to pick themselves up off of the ground and pinch themselves. Wow. Solange is a true artist, and I can't wait to see what she gets up to next.

What we got up to next was Run The Jewels! We got back to the Lawn stage just in time to see Killer Mike and El-P take the stage beneath their giant pistol and fist logo to Queen's "We Are The Champions". The crowd was huge, and all of them were stoked, as the pit got going from the second they kicked it off with "Talk To Me". Everyone was jumping up and down, all the way back to the VIP area, a long, long way off. "Let me hear you say motherfucking YEAH!" said Killer Mike after that one, and we said it LOUD. Killer Mike is a good dancer, and I like him even more now than I did when he first came on my radar as an avid and erudite supporter of Bernie Sanders. His nickname is very apt - he IS Killer.

"Blockbuster Night Part 1" was awesome, and at its end, El-P said, "Holy shit! It's an amazing thing that you're spending time with us!" We thought exactly the same back. "Call Ticketron", "Oh, My Darling Don't Cry", and "Hey, Kids" ruled it, and Killer Mike also thanked the pit, saying, "The Pit is the shit!" And it was. Pure, raw energy and the power of hard rock, man. It was something to behold. "Stay Gold" and "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)" killed it so hard, and then I had to head off to try to get close of Nine Inch Nails, but not before I heard RTJ's guest lady rapper, Gangsta Boo, yelling, "I say pussy, you say power!" Pussy! Power! Yep.

The crowd was already drone-worthy over at the Main Stage, but I was lucky that Paul had already gone over there to secure us a spot on the very front rail. The anticipation was building by the second, as was the audience. As was the photo pit. HUGE. As it should have been, for Nine Inch Nails' first show in three years!

The bright lights suddenly went on, the smoke machine blew like crazy, and there was Trent Reznor in his black leather and shades, busting right into "Branches/Bones" from their brand new Add Violence EP with the ferocity of these very times.

The instant they began playing, you realized how vital this music is to now, and how much they've been missed. The music is dark, it's ominous, it's hard, it's heavy, and it goes the fuck off! The power of this music is nothing to mess around with, and the pit in the center looked increasingly dangerous the further down the setlist we went. Yikes.

                                                                                                                    Photo: Josh Bagel Klassman

"Wish". "Less Than." "March Of The Pigs". All pure rock of the hardest kind. They slowed it down a minute or two for the gorgeous (but still dark) "Something I Can Never Have" from Pretty Hate Machine, but then it was right back to the superspeed. "The Frail". "The Wretched". Then it was a full on singalong for "Closer" and its "I want to fuck you like an animal" chorus. Nine Inch Nails fans mean business, and all of them were out of their minds. So were people seeing them for their very first time - they were that good. Guitarist, Robin Finck, tore through each song with blazing prowess, and reminded one of Halloween's Michael Myer's if he was sick at guitar.

Atticus Ross held it down on the bass, and you had to stop and think about how much he and Reznor have seen and done in their long careers together. They've created one of the most serious bands ever, and their music served as a majorly cathartic release for everyone gathered there in front of them.

This is the kind of rock that makes one let loose with total abandon and just FEEL it. They did a cover of David Bowie's "I Can't Give Everything Away" that was both heavy and touching, as Reznor said, "We've been away three years, watching as the world has gone crazy." Well, now they're here to help. Thank goodness.

It never let up and a breakneck pace led us through "The Lovers", "Reptile", "The Great Destroyer", "The Hand That Feeds", and a monster "Head Like A Hole", killing it all the while. It was honestly outrageously good, and that is unanimous. They returned for an encore that was "Hurt", which was probably good, because the slower pace most likely prevented speeding and reckless behavior on the way out ... a little cool-down was needed. The applause raged on, but that was the end of FYF Fest 2017, and it was something else.

As good as it all was, the fact that they had exactly ONE exit for the entire grounds was insane. The artistry of this festival is perhaps the best booking I've even heard of in a long while, with such cultural and musical diversity that it nearly boggles the mind that it's all on one bill. That creative mastery is dampened, however, by some really, truly mind-boggling logistics that make no sense at all, and really need to be sorted out if they hope to have the longevity and success of other, more seasoned festivals (that always have more than one exit, for God's sake). It took a long while to get out of there, and thus gave us time to reflect ...

Our consensus was that the best new live discoveries for us were Thee Oh Sees (by far), Built To Spill, and Ty Segall. The best, period, for us were Björk, Missy Elliot, A Tribe Called Quest, Iggy Pop, Run The Jewels, and Nine Inch Nails. All of whom absolutely KILLED. IT.

Thank you to FYF Fest 2017, and to Juice Magazine - for letting us share the rock!

Fuck Yeah.

*Photos by Paul Gronner Photography (unless otherwise indicated)

Iggy Pop And Josh Homme - In Conversation At The Grammy Museum

It's been sad times lately, so I jumped at the chance to go listen to something positive, especially when it was one of our favorites, Josh Homme, talking about his new record with Iggy Pop - the wonderful Post Pop Depression - in the intimate Clive Davis Theater at The Grammy Museum. We trekked downtown (and had a great talk about Prince on the train with a stranger), and settled in to hear from two of rock's most interesting characters for the next couple of hours.

The event opened with an introduction from Grammy Foundation VP, Scott Goldman, who asked everyone to please silence their favorite Stooges ringtone, and then described Pop as first generation punk rock, a member of The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, the bloody, bruised lead of The Stooges, and Homme as the leader of Queens Of The Stone Age (etc, etc, etc), and massively inspired by Pop. As the Davis Theater is pretty small, they weren't going to be putting on a full stage show, so they screened as yet unseen footage recently shot for Austin City Limits. The double whammy of Pop's classic calling card,  "Lust For Life" and "Break Into Your Heart" off of the new album. The footage showed how great they already are together - and it was only their second show ever. It also showed how funny and entertaining Pop is ... which would be proven again throughout the evening.

With that, Pop and Homme took the stage to a standing ovation, in matching black leather jackets, both about as cool as you can get. Pop immediately exclaimed, "That was only our second gig! We're so much better now! We're cool." He didn't have to tell us.

They got right into it, with Homme explaining that he first got turned on to Pop's music  as an 11 year old in San Diego. The album was Raw Power, and he bought it directly because of the cover. He said he played the album until it didn't play anymore, and still didn't really understand it, to which Pop replied, "That's too much record for you, Boy." Homme agreed that it had been ... that he was afraid of it, but also drawn to it, "like a moth to a big old fire" (Homme is not at all afraid of analogies - and they're pretty good ones). That album had been made in 1972, and Pop said, "I thought kids would like it (to laughter, but Homme did!). It had spunk." Homme said he thought it was the most successful marriage of an album title and a sound - Raw Power. "Well, it's my noisiest record," said Pop. "On most of the cuts it's like is it a song or a problem?" That cracked everyone up.

Goldman asked how the two guys met, and Pop said it was at the Kerrang Festival in London. "It was
Lifetime Achievement time for me," said Pop with a laugh. "And I was asked to leave," chimed in Homme, who apparently had partied a little too hard for the metal fest. They were asked to be in a photo with Marilyn Manson, and Pop was impressed with Homme, "Mainly because he was the only other guy there not in a Satanic space outfit." The next time they met, Pop was to follow QOTSA at a festival, but he didn't really want to because they were GOOD. "I was mixed between telling them how good they were and wanting to blow them away, so I went to their dressing room and stuck my head in and said, 'You guys are really good, I gotta go, Fuck off!" The respect was there from the beginning.

In speaking to how emotive Post Pop Depression is, Pop explained that in the race for the buck in the music business, "less and less feeling is allowed. There's less happy songs, there's less sad songs ... Like Clockwork (the incredible QOTSA album) really affected me emotionally ... and it was craft. Like Chopin would use in a nocturne. You don't hear that much anymore. I was looking for something I could sing with, and his music gives you that space."

Homme followed that by saying, "I think it's important to be a fan. I gave up doing things I don't like. I wanted to be a part of something that connects people." So, once they got to talking about doing a collaboration, Pop sent Homme an entire dossier of material to get to know him by. The two share a love of Germany, so there were German photos and inspiration, there were essays about Pop's sex life, there were poems by Walt Whitman and Pop himself ... all personal glimpses into what makes Pop tick.  "It was the first step in being vulnerable," said Homme, "And I started to see the wing span of a human being." "I sent it to him to hold up my end of the bargain," Pop explained. "Josh has a huge pile - he's a great guitarist, a writer, a composer, he has this whole little Motown thing happening in the desert, and I have this little pile - I sing and write - so I wanted to give him something to write about, and establish a common experience before getting into the studio. Like, Josh would already know when I write about Gardenia, because he'd already met her in my sexual essay. I wanted to give him an idea of what was on my mind." What a cool way to go about it, right?

"You move at the speed of opportunity, and in a collaboration, you move together," said Homme. "You take a real chance. I don't know what it's gonna be, but it's gonna be alright. I'm willing to do whatever is necessary ... if I have to jump off a cliff, then we'll hold hands and jump." This "we're in it all the way together" vibe permeates both the album, and the obvious love and respect these two carry for each other.

Homme sent Pop what he called "The Shitty Demos", to which Pop began writing and adding to. "He has such an economy of word choice, and so much color. He has so much color the Skittles people are jealous." Pop said after talking about how much they both love the gay Caberet scene in Berlin, Homme used a word to describe what the album would sound like, and Pop was shocked. He leaned over to whisper it to Homme, who said, "Go ahead, say it," but then they got sidetracked and we never learned what that word was. And I still want to know.

"Iggy just turned 69. There's an edge, and most people fall off, but one person doesn't fall off and they have the best view, and that's Iggy." Meaning Iggy has come from the hard living guy cutting himself on stage to be here now, still creating and loving and inspiring. Pop added, "I'm not doing some things anymore, but if I want to put the pedal to the metal for five minutes, look the fuck out!" Yes.

Once they got to work, it was on, though they decided not to tell anyone about it. Homme's Dad told him that you shouldn't tell people what you're going to do, you should tell them what you've done, so they just went for it, promising if it was no good they'd just literally bury it in the desert, and no one would ever know. "If no one knows you're making a record, then who are you making it for?", asked Homme. "That's sweet. I make something for you, and you make something for me." Pop added, "I'd be crushed if it wasn't good, but I'd be PERSONALLY crushed."

Pop explained that he did two chanson albums in French to get him to here. "I'm singing 'La Vie En Rose' in French, and Stooges people online are thinking that now I just want to go and put on my slippers." Not if Homme had anything to say about it. "Every record deserves the chance to take a chance ... but protecting himself is not in Iggy's DNA." He went on to say, "I don't work in a bank. I'm here to take a leap. I can't always figure out how to say something, but I can figure out how to play it. Look, this record might wind up being a coaster for someone, but it will be a tits coaster, I'll tell you that." Truth.

For Pop, after having 25 copies of his French albums sell on the counter in a wine shop in Lyon, "I kind of knew it was time to stick one to the motherfuckers ... that's the best way I can put it." Homme was on board for that. "There's an army of us affected and INfected by what Iggy has done, and I won't let that go unnoticed. I'll make tea for that." The reaction they've had from fans has been overwhelming, and Homme said that tonight when they play the Greek Theater here in L.A., "You'll look left, you'll look right, and you'll see this joyous thing, and we'll be up there grinning, and they'll get to show Iggy  all this respect they have for him."

They discussed how they worked together, and how Homme would agonize over a word and Pop would say, "No, just throw in something terrible and the right word will come." This was an epiphany for Homme, who said they'd been at the Magic Castle the night before, but this idea was the real "Ta Dah!" "This is the best thing I've been a part of," Homme said humbly and clearly appreciatively. When Goldman opined that "Sunday" is the "Hallelujah" moment on the album, Homme answered that  he almost kept it for himself, "but I wanted him to know that I'd give him everything. "Sunday" is like, what if at the end of American Valhalla, he makes it to Sunday?" "I've got all I need and it's killing me" went the line, but then Josh added, 'killing me and YOU' - and that changed everything," explained Pop, "and the strings at the end are TRAGIC." Give it a listen, they really are.

Goldman asked Pop if this album was a summation for him. "I"m summing up my vocation in this role. I hope to survive the experience, and quiet down a bit. You do less ... but I do a lot of other work too, like voiceover, some acting, a radio show, I like to guest on Christmas albums ..." cracked Pop. They then opened it up for some questions from the superfans (which these Grammy events always attract, so you actually learn a LOT), and one guy said that we've lost so many icons lately, and asked what their thoughts were on where we go when we pass. OK. Both Homme and Pop kind of hedged, and then Pop said, "There's a book called Sum with many possible answers to that. I'd suggest that book." - getting them both off of the hook. But then Homme wanted to add his two cents. " I know when I burn wood, it changes to ash, but it's still there. Wherever they go, I hope they're there when I'm there, or I'll be fucking pissed." Me too, Josh. Me too.

In closing out the night, Pop said, "The main responsibility is to entertain, so I just want people to enjoy it." Homme's final thought was that, "The Arts are a Swiss Army pleasure device, and every time I just hope it works."

It works, as evidenced by the thunderous applause and people back on their feet at the end of the program. What an interesting, great time it was listening to these two cats, both super individually impressive, but more impressive even together, showing what can happen when it's about love, friendship, and respect over the mighty dollar.

Get your copy of Post Pop Depression to see what I mean ... available now everywhere.


*All photos by Paul Gronnner Photography.

Matt Ellis "Candy" Video - Co-Starring Lincoln Place

The great new video from Matt Ellis (my awesome friend) is done and ready for your viewing pleasure! The cover of Iggy Pop's "Candy" is directed by Jordan Levy (my awesome neighbor),  co-stars Matt's wife, Vavine (also my awesome friend) and Lincoln Place, the embattled apartment complex off of Lincoln Boulevard in Venice - that sat vacant for years over legal wrangling, while houseless people slept outside in the cold.

It's a historic place, and the video bridges past and present ... and offers a hint at the future too.  It's beautiful, and entirely a Venice production, from all the people involved to its transforming location. Without further ado .... "Candy"!