Saturday, January 25, 2014

Asia Muka: A Day in the Life of a Rock 'n' Roller


I'm happy to announce this year's photographic series I'm dedicating myself to is "A Day In The Life Of A Rock n' Roller". I have been dying to document those I know and admire and photograph them from early in the morning to late into the evening to give the world a glimpse into the lives of those who I feel embody the spirit of rock and roll.

Across many different fields of interests, I want to capture the underlying thread that binds them all together and document the raw passion and nature of their individuality and verve. The first installation of this series was with the fabulous and amazing Los Angeles music promoter Asia Muka. Generously giving me her time and allowing me a peek into her personal world, Asia's day was filled with music, passion and fun.

I met Asia at a nightclub after my band The Checkers had just played a set. I immediately sensed her enthusiasm and pure passion for Rock and Roll music. I haven't seen this kind of fervor for promoting the scene in a very, very long time. Managing Hollywood darlings The Crazy Squeeze and promoting the amazing South Bay Rockers Black Mambas, she can always be found front and center, a true fanatical of each band she represents.

Asia also seamlessly puts together amazing lineups and promotes the hell out of those shows for her monthly club "Sonic Eye" at Loaded, a venue on Hollywood Boulevard. Remember the days when bookers used to line up bands that complimented each other and created amazing flyers for each show, posting them on every electric pole in the city? That's Asia...

This year she will be rolling out her new "Anti-Talk Show" that will be streaming live online and will be appearing on local television stations. She will be interviewing bands, as she puts it, "taking Rock n' Roll action from the streets to the stage!".

With those words, I invite you to enjoy my newest series and to take a stroll through "A Day In The Life Of A Rock 'n' Roller"!

Julie Pavlowski Green
January 25, 2014












Saturday, January 18, 2014

Berkeley '88

Tim Armstrong


I was working at Looking Glass Photo & Camera down on Telegraph Avenue for a year or two while I was going to college. I often brought my twin lens with me to shoot some street scenes while in transit. Sometime I would just stroll all the way down Telegraph, from the UC campus to the border of Oakland where my job was, as I had a lot of friends that worked in shops along the way.

It was a time warp for me to spend time in an area that I had known since childhood. My Great Uncle Rick Ratto ran the pawn shop across the street. My Mother and her family had moved from Boston in 1950 and had lived for 35 years in a house a few blocks away on 61st Street in Oakland, a home that held some of my very first memories.

The year was 1988, a time when the streets of Berkeley were a mix of people filled with those who had recently been dropped off from the Napa State Hospital, college kids, die hard hippies, homeless folk and local punks. It was a community that was rich with individuals that marched to the beat of their own drum. The offbeat tenor of Berkeley's inhabitants were greeted with open arms on Telegraph.

Since I had just started shooting a few years earlier, I was drawn mostly to the maps that were drawn in the features and expression that lingered on the face of people I encountered. The streets of Berkeley always contained someone or something interesting to capture. The following photographs represent some of my earliest reportage work, many of which have never been seen before.

Like Alice Through the Looking Glass,

Julie Pavlowski Green
January 18, 2014

Angus and Friend











Saturday, January 11, 2014

Soundcheck with The Jim Jones Revue


Is there a better way to start the New Year off than having a couple of hours to photograph one of the best rock and roll bands on the scene today at soundcheck? There's just nothing better in my book...

The Jim Jones Revue came rolling into town for a rocking gig on the Sunset Strip at The Viper Room January 2nd. It was a treat and a thrill to hang out with these rock and rollers from the UK.

They had just started The Savage Heart North American tour, with dates predominantly on the East Coast and Canada. Lucky for those of us in Los Angeles, they stopped by for one night to bring straight up punk rock blues to our town.

Viva La Rock!

Julie Pavlowski Green
January 11, 2014



















Saturday, January 4, 2014

"I Used To Be A Fotomat" Part 2



In my perpetual fascination with architecture conversions, the Fotomat still holds a dear place in my heart and I photograph them when ever I can. Like Taco Bell's from the 60's with their stone-like arched brick facades or the blue roof tops of the local I-Hop, Fotomats were very distinctive structures that you could spot from a mile away. They were usually placed in large shopping mall parking lots.


You may be looking at this image of "Hartz Flowers" in Danville, California wondering where the structure of the original Fotomat could be. I too would be hard pressed to think it ever began its life as a Fotomat, that is if I didn't actually grow up in this town and visit this very Fotomat as a teenager! This Fotomat lived right across the street from my high school, just south of the donut shop we used to hang out at. This is a very rare extension of the traditional Fotomat structure. Completely remodeled and expanded, all that is left of the original structure that I can see lays underneath the awning.


This converted Fotomat in Glendale, California on the other hand still retains its signature 70's structure complete with its distinctive roof that reminds me of camera bellows. This cigarette hut continues to provide the convenient drive up window. No need to get out of your car for a pack of smokes!


The rear of the hut still looks as if you could you drive up to the kiosk and drop off your film for one day photo processing instead! The color scheme, although drab enough to be from the early 70's, is unfortunately not original. Fotomats started out in the 1960's with bright yellow roof tops and light blue siding.


Nice to see that the fluorescent lighting is still intact although uselessly lit during the day... No longer visible are the spotlights on top of the roof or even a cement island built around the structure. But there is not doubt when you pass this smokers hut that in its former glory, a Fotomat once stood.


Last but certainly not least, I spied this former Fotomat in lovely Dublin, California. Completely in tact with spotlights, drive-thru kiosk and cement island this little abandoned hut still lives in the middle of a shopping mall parking lot.


I'm not quite sure what this structure was converted into, as it was empty when I found it. If I had to guess based on the color palate they painted the poor thing, I would say it would have been a flower or tchotchke stand.


Well kept, this former Fotomat has kept its original charm and structural integrity. 


The formica drive-thu counter and old aluminum window was still intact.


Inside I found an old folding chair and an elf staring out the window, watching the world go by. The sorting station, where packets of prints and negatives were stored, was still there. What always freaked me out the most, is how a human could withstand the claustrophobic work space inside the Fotomat. No matter how cool this structure looked from the outside, I would have never been able to force myself to work in those cramped quarters.

Luckily they didn't process any images inside!

Julie Pavlowski Green
January 4, 2014