Soup Kitchen Rocks 9 went off this past Sunday at the Talking Stick in Venice, and it was indeed chick-tastic! This time they featured an all-girl jam of music and film, with Mather Louth and Radio Noir, Diamonds Under Fire, Jessie Payo, and films by Masque Films. While there were a few hiccups, it was made up for by all the talent squeezed into one room.

The first scheduled band of the evening, Electric Children, were no-shows, so the evening opened with a screening of Alice and the White Hair. This film, while awesome, continued to give SK Rockers problems (it was first attempted to be screened at SK Rocks 8). What was presented was an “artistic powerpoint slideshow” of the film, due to technical difficulties with the film. The night was off to a bit of a rocky start….

Of course, until Mather Louth and Radio Noir unleashed their swamp blues on Venice. They got the party rocking and sounded great for having such a huge sound in the small-ish venue. Mather’s got this voice like iron velvet and an onstage charisma that transports you to her noir world – her set felt like we were in the dead heat of a backwoods shanty-town swamp. Their next show is at Taix on May 14, 10pm – be there!

Next up for the bands was Diamonds Under Fire, an unassuming two-piece band that surprised me with their full-band sound. Sometimes all you need is a guitar and a drum set to rock out. They brought back the angsty, anthemy grunge rock of the 90s and made it sound fresh and new.

The last band of the evening was a stripped-down set by Jessie Payo, who also entranced the audience with her smooth soulful vocals. I’d last seen Jessie at the Hear Noho Fest with a full band, so it was nice to see her have the same kind of soul with just a guitar and a mic.

Masque Films presented many of the same films screened at their Inevitable Unveiling (see our review of that awesomeness!), as well as the always popular skate blooper reel. Their macabre films hung together well as a collection of films and with the music, to give the night a kind of smoky, mysterious quality. The Talking Stick was a good fit for the show – it was a bit of a hole in the wall that can take you far from the world you’re familiar with in and of itself, and Soup Kitchen Rocks 9 was just the kind of transportive show made for that kind of venue. Stay tuned for more rumblings from Soup Kitchen Rocks – we here there are big things on the way from the little underground artist collective we all know and love!

Soup Kitchen Rocks, the collective of misfits who put on some of the best underground shows in all of LA is doing it again this Sunday at the Talking Stick in Venice, and they’re throwing it down chick-style with a mainly girl line-up. This kitty’s got claws, though. Fierce ladies like Mather Louth, Jessie Payo, Diamonds Under Fire, and the Electric Children will all unleash their banshee roar through the amps, the Masque Collective will delight your eyeballs with beautifully macabre baroque films, and the Talking Stick artists provide the surreal atmospheric décor. Discover the best artists you’ve never heard of!

Sunday, April 25, 6pm – 10pm

The Talking Stick – 1411 Lincoln Blvd @ California

$5 at the door

From the press release:

“LAʼs best underground music, art, and film can only be found at Soup Kitchen Rocks, a creative collective that presents artists that defy genres and rise above the static of the LA arts scene. Soup Kitchen Rocks 9 will feature live performances by Mather Louth and Radio Noir, fresh from the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend and described as “gutteral, bellowing, powerful and sexy.” Also playing will be early Nirvana meets 60ʼs surf punk rock band Electric Children, one woman band, Diamonds Under Fire, previously featured on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine, and featured on the Vans Off the Wall compilation CD for 3 years! Last but not least Jessie Payo from the band Jupiter Rising, whoʼs songs have been played on MTV and CBS shows, and have opened for The Black Eyed Peas and Lupe Fiasco. Filmmaker Wyatt Denny will feature his acclaimed film Alice and The White Hair, a psychedelic/drug-fueled film also featuring porn star Jayme Langford. Sandra Powers of Masque Films will be featuring her best work described as “beautiful, revolting, and impossible to look away from,” and Marilyn Manson meets Lady Gaga. Artist displaying art for this event will be provided by The Talking Stick artist residency.”

Be there for the Soup!

Soup Kitchen Rocks 8 at the Unknown Theater was a bit of a bumpy ride, but we pulled through with some great performances, art and video! This one featured The Midnight Scene, Death Hymn Number 9, The Terrapin, Inazuma, Sebastian Zelepin, Michael Angelo Galasso, Hestin Lostwood, Jeff McDonald, Sam Cahill, and A Friend of Yours Productions. We started a bit late with two films by Sam Cahill and The Midnight Scene, who delivered their synth-pop-rock flawlessly. Live, they sound just like their myspace, which is actually really hard to pull off. Cheers to them for doing that.

We had two more films by Sam Cahill, followed by Death Hymn Number 9 (pictured below). If you ever get a chance to see this two-piece band, go see them! They play their bluegrass punk like true bluegrass punks - dressed as zombies! They give a completely electrifying performance, as if the music is pouring through their veins like white lightening. After a run of technical difficulties, a Magnetic Zeros video shot by David Myrick was screened - Alice and the White Hair unfortunately had to be postponed to Soup Kitchen Rocks 9.

The Terrapin next took the stage, complete with a dizzying array of visuals, projected onto the band as they played. Their sonic/epic sound went over great at The Unknown Theater, filled the place, and entranced the audience with their soaring vocals and psychedelic music. Next up was Inazuma, who definitely brought the place down. They've got an infectious energy and a great stage persona to complement their super high-energy Japanese rockabilly speedpunk. They definitely enraptured the crowd and they ended this Soup Kitchen Rocks on a great note - Inazuma! ROCK AND ROLL!!

Stay tuned for updates on the next Soup Kitchen Rocks 9, set to take place Sunday, Apr. 25 at the Talking Stick in Venice, booked so far is Mather Louth and Radio Noir, and the long-awaited screening of Alice and the White Hair. We'll keep you posted!

 
Death Hymn Number 9 performs at SKRocks 8

Hollywood Kill, one of the best indie retro-electro groups to come out of LA in a long, long time, is climbing the ladder of musicdom! They first played Soup Kitchen Rocks 3, back when we were in the backyard in Glendale, and rocked it. To think - they’ve risen through the cacophonous Los Angeles music scene, through backyard parties, parking lot swap meets, and hotel roof parties, to now play the Black Eyed Peas after party, featuring MTV darlings, LMFAO. They’ll be playing songs off their new album, Crime of Passion; and they’re also featured on our first Soup Kitchen Rocks compilation album, Soup Kitchen Rocks Vol. 1: Eat It With A Fork, and we couldn't be more excited!

It’s not every day that you get to see a band as musically unique and interesting as Hollywood Kill get associated with the current heavy-hitters in music, but it’s high time for it. Hollywood Kill has a persona larger than life, and their songs are the soundtrack to your fantasy life, where the drudge of daily life just doesn’t exist. There’s a depth and charisma to their performance and sound that hooks you and won’t let go. Also playing are the Electrolightz, The Cataracs, Dev, Letron, Benny Cassette, Tara Ellis, Little Red Radio, and Hybrid XL, with a special DJ set by Black Eyed Pea Will. I. Am.

Check them out! Tuesday, Mar. 30, 9pm – 2am; Bongo Room, 800 W Olympic Blvd across from Staples Center.

Death Hymn Number 9 is one of the most exciting bands to come out of the OC in a long, long time. They’ve got the bluegrass country garage punk sound going on – the kind you’d hear in emanating from the back of some run-down wooden shack in a forgotten town in West Virginia. And with song titles like, “Gospel” and “I Reckon You Gonna Die”, you city-folk best hold on to your hats around Death Hymn Number 9. They’ll rock them off in no time!

Death Hymn’s focus is straight-forward, fast-drivin’, low down, dirty,  groovin’ rawk, played with all the reckless abandon as a off-road truck race in the middle of a swamp. Vocals and lyrics are minimal, save the occasional “Baby! I reckon you gonna f*ckin’ DIE!!!!” shriek, complimented by a racing guitar lick reminiscent of the opening riff of Them’s “Baby Please Don’t Go”, and some pretty sweet and raucous skiffle drumming.

If you like punk, skiffle and bluegrass, Death Hymn is the one band that manages to put it all together and really bring the feel of the terrifying Deliverance-era backwoods to it. Check them out at the SOUP Kitchen Rocks 8 on Mar. 27, from 10pm – 1:30am at the Unknown Theater. Death Hymn goes on at 11pm and will raaaawwwwkk the house down!

Also featuring The Midnight Scene, The Terrapin, and Inazuma (ROCK N” ROLL!! – check out www.myspace.com/inzauma69 to get that reference), Alice and the White Hair, Sam Cahill, Hestin Lostwood, Jeff McDonald, Sebastian Zelepin, and Michael Angelo Galasso.

SOUP Kitchen Rocks 8, Mar. 27, 10pm $10

The Unknown Theater – 1110 Seward St, LA 90038

Premiere LA Japanese rockabilly hyperpunks, Inazuma, have just joined the line-up for the Unknown Theater! We're super-excited to have these guys - their super high-energy show is just all-out fun to watch, and they will get you dancing. I saw them at a show at Mr. T's Bowl. My old band was playing that night too, along with two other bands. Thing was, the show was booked for the same night of some major Los Angeles holiday, like the Laker playoffs or something of the sort. So no one showed up! And therefore, all the bands were mopey and didn't want to play.

Except for Inazuma. And that is why they're awesome. All the bands were there, so that equaled an audience of 15, plus Inazuma's own people. So they proceeded to play an all-out, balls-to-the-wall show, with their amps cranked up to 11 and their energy cranked up to 111. They had these great, speed rockabilly punk songs that went by like lightening. They've even got a song in which the chorus is nothing but, "Inazuma! Inazuma! Inazuma! ROCK N' ROLL!!" over and over and over. It's still stuck in my head. This is one band you don't want to miss, the show itself is definitely an experience!

Show's from 10pm - 1:30am, and also features synth poprockers The Midnight Scene, space prog-rock psychedelia from The Terrapins, trailer park punk from Death Hymn Number 9 and Japanese speed rockabilly punk from Inazuma! Don't miss it!

Alright, peoples! SOUP Kitchen Rocks 8 is booked and ready to rawk! We've got Death Hymn Number 9, The Terrapin, and The Midnight Scene - three different bands with three different styles, so whatever you're into, chances are these bands have it.

Death Hymn Number 9 puts forth bluegrass gospel punk. What's that, you say? Come down to SK Rocks 8 and find out! These guys have energy out the wazoo and a wild style to match. We're excited to see what these country garage rockers will do at the Unknown Theater Mar. 27! psssst *whisper* they are known for dressing up as zombies!! 

While Death Hymn Number 9 are no-frills straight ahead rawk!, The Terrapin takes their rock into the space-age ethers, with a sound filled with juicy reverb and soaring guitars. Deftones fans look out - there's a lady in the house! The Terrapin will take you on a sonic psychedelic post-rock journey far into the cosmos!

The Midnight Scene are the pop gods of the night, with an 80s new-wave edge. If you like Morrissey, look no further - The Midnight Scene is your new favorite band! The vocals are deep and clear, and they're taking the synth-pop sound to a whole new level!

So whether you're a garage punk fan, prog rock, or synth-pop fan, come get your fill at the Mar. 27th SOUP Kitchen! Also featuring awesome visual artists and stunning filmmakers - stay tuned for more info on those guys soon! Meanwhile, check out the myspaces!

http://www.msypace.com/deathhymnnumber9
http://www.myspace.com/theterrapin
http://www.myspace.com/themidnightscenemusic

You know we heart our bands, and want nothing more than millions of people showing up at the shows. So, we're helping! We've listed all our SOUP Kitchen Rocks band's shows on our SKR calendar right on our homepage. Other bands are busy recording, like Push To Transmit and Swing Hailey. SKR Bands are playing all over the place, so there's no reason to miss a show!

And, as always, SOUP Kitchen Rocks 8 is in the works, and SK9's on the horizon - stay tuned for details!!

Rise From the Rubble Haiti Benefit Concert – do your part to help those in need in Haiti, and listen to some great music while you’re at it. Trisha, co-founder of the SOUP Kitchen, got together with Voice from the Rubble to help produce this great benefit concert. Hip Hop and R&B fans, come on out!

Voices from the Rubble partners with Center for Lupus Care to give relief to the victims of the Haiti earthquake for a momentous night while catching some of the most talented and uplifting performers in Los Angeles. “Rise from the Rubble” Haiti Benefit Concert presents Jon Gibson, Cleotis Gray, Southern rooted jazz singer and recording artist Ombrey, hip hop lyricist, recording artist Kaos, and socially conscious rapper, recording artist Sensmusic.

The performers will reflect the Haitian culture by highlighting reggae, jazz, hip hop, rap, gospel, inspirational songs, and spoken word. Proceeds will go directly to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, which efforts include providing water purification systems, hygiene kits, food, and shelter.  Anecdotes will be incorporated in the concert with the help of the Haitian community. The rebuilding takes longer than you think, and there’s always room for more help and heart.

Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010

Time: 5pm – 9pm, Silent Auction begins at 5pm, concert begins at 6pm

Location: 100 N. Hillcrest Blvd., Inglewood, CA