Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Two Tens Live at the Lavamatica



The Two Tens are tops! Their brand of pop-punk is right up my alley. Adam Bones and Rikki Styxx make quite the dynamic duo who can really fill a room with their infectious vibrations that sound as if there were 10 people on stage. The first time I saw them opening up for The Woggles was a night to remember. I couldn't get their songs out of my head! A good sign indeed...

Their third EP titled "Volume 3" is aptly coming out on Feb 10th (2/10!) and will be the 3rd EP in a 4 part series. Be sure to catch their release party (also on 2/10) at The Satellite in Silver Lake. Volume 1 introduced me to their own take on 60's Garage and 70's Punk references that tipped their hat to some of the greatest while making it completely their own. While Volume 2  blew my mind in half when "Can't Pull Through" started to play and was laden with hints of Damned melodies and Ramones architecture. What more could you want?

This year I decided to photograph bands in unusual places. I love every day spaces that are overlooked but contain oodles of character. Over the years I have been storing locations in the back of my mind for future projects. I'm happy to say that this first round of photographs and moving pictures captured at the local Lavamatica was just what I was hoping for, thanks to Styxx and Bones.

So sit back and enjoy this exclusive stripped down version of "I Can't Win" by The Two Tens here and the following photographs we took - Live at the Lavamatica!

Julie Green
January 31, 2015




Adam Bones






Rikki Styxx












Saturday, January 24, 2015

Muscle Man from The Mask Series

"Muscle Man No. 1" from The Mask Series
This Jazz age mask lent mystique to this Sheik's muscular stature. His spirit of excess reflects the time period this person chose to embody. 

Muscle Man is the 10th set of images from The Mask SeriesAs always, two limited edition prints are available to purchase through my Etsy store


Julie Green
January 24, 2015


"Muscle Man No. 2" from The Mask Series

"Muscle Man No. 3" from The Mask Series
"Muscle Man No. 4" from The Mask Series

"Muscle Man No. 5" from The Mask Series
"Muscle Man No. 6" from The Mask Series

Saturday, January 17, 2015

A Band Named broom


From 1989 and 1993, San Francisco was treated to the the stylings of a band named broom. This singular band consisted of Steve Brown was on lead guitar, Erik Bluhm on bass, Roxanne Rodriguez on rhythm guitar and a rotating cast of drummers. broom was one of those mystical birds that rises from the burning passion of a close knit group of friends intent on creating beauty through music. 

I was honored to call all of them dear friends. They were friends I in fact grew up with who inspired and delighted us all with their creative talents and shared their knowledge and passion for their favorite Kraut, Psych and Space rock bands. There is a sweet sincerity to their music, one that comes about from pure enjoyment. You can't fake having fun!

It is with great pleasure I present to you for the very first time unseen photographs I took of the band back in the day along with a recent interview with the founding members who have graciously provided us with a window through which we can view the world of broom!

Julie Green
January 17, 2015


JULIE GREEN: How did the band form?

STEVE BROWN: Erik came to visit me in San Jose one weekend and pitched me this idea he had. I didn't want to be in another band at the time. But then he told me about his idea for the name broom (Brown + Bluhm) = broom) in the tradition LA last name bands like DuBrow (later Quiet Riot) and Van Halen and I changed my mind.

ERIK BLUHM: Steve and I just hung out a lot and listened to early Alice Cooper and space rock. He was already my favorite guitar player when he was in Grimace and The Imperial Butt Wizards and then he was in Dope (actually it was El Dopo by then) for a little while when Christof haired out. I think broom started in 1989. We decided we should start a band that was Brown and Bluhm combined, so broom. Plus Steve was really into Bewitched. The concept was bubblegum meets Factory Records and krautrock. I would go down to San Jose and we would write and practice songs at Steve's house. I also remember recording some stuff at my parents’ house in Manhattan Beach when we were both home for Christmas or Summer vacation.


JG:  What is the bands discography?

SB: We had a demo called “broom es Muy Rockero” that we sold at a few shows but mostly gave to our friends. That's my favorite recording. We did two 45s and appeared on the 10” Peter Fonda compilation.

EB: The two 45s, one on Chuck’s label Sidewalk Defect and one on Echonet, plus the song on the Peter Fonda 10".  Also we recorded a second Echonet single at Aaron Nudelman's studio when it was still on Lower Haight. Shannon Handy was on that I think. She was very much a perfectionist on drums. One song was called "Terraneums and Other Nice Things". I can't remember the other. It never came out.


JG: Did broom ever tour?

SB: We went to LA once. I think Roxanne and Lara stayed at my parents house in Palos Verdes.

EB: We tried to play in LA but I don’t think we ever did. We played in Chico a few times and maybe Sacramento. After I left they went to Portland I think.



JG:. Tell us the story behind Findhorn.

SB: The lyrics were Roxanne's idea. She was very excited about the idea of vegetable faeries. My intro was inspired by Pretties for You era Alice Cooper.



JG: What was one of your most memorable gigs?

SB: My friend Chris recently told me he saw our performance at Jaques Boyreau's Peter Fonda tribute where bands played somewhere south of market while PF films were projected on them. This is the show I want to remember the most right now but I can't really remember that much. I know we wore all white and played white guitars. Kind of like the opposite of the Velvets so the films would show on us.

Erik couldn't find a white bass so he covered mine in white wrapping paper. I played Christof's white SG. We did a different version of the song that ended up on the PF 10”. I remember it was a bit more wild and unhinged than our previous sets. I felt empowered by it. I think it was our last show with John Henry.

I know it is the show where we saw Lara playing with another band and decided we had to have her in the group. At least I did. I seem to remember her wrecking her drum set. I've loved the slits since I was 15. I thought we would be more like The Slits with her energy in the group.

EB: I liked the one downtown somewhere when Jefferson was the drummer and we played a little punk medley to start the set, Red Cross, the Simpletones, etc. Also, the bass that I covered in white paper was shaped like a lightning bolt.


JG: Moped is about my all time favorite song. Who wrote it and is it really about a Moped?

SB: Our friend Chubby said you have to come over and see this video my roommate had. There was this lady riding around Italy naked on a moped to this great bouncy pop tune. Erik recorded it off the TV some how and we reinterpreted it. It was kind of like playing telephone, a lot got mixed up in the translation. The guitar solo is taken from a Faust song. I love melodic guitar solos that ad another emotion or story to the song. That's why I love early Ace Frehly, Michael Karoli from Can, Mick Ronson etc...I think Roxanne and I wrote the lyrics....

EB: Steve wrote it mostly with help from Rox on the lyrics. Steve will tell you the story. The riff at the beginning he stole from the Dwarves.


JG: John Henry was your first drummer and then was later replaced by Shannon Handy and Lara Allen. How did that change the dynamics of the band?

SB: I didn't appreciate John's drumming when he was in the band. Now I love it. With Lara we were amazing when it worked but you could never be sure if she was going to start playing backwards when we switched verse to chorus and so forth.

EB: Shannon Handy was really the longest drummer I think. We had a lot though. Tom Marzella, Jefferson Parker, Paul Hoaglin. It was always a little different but the music was the same. John Henry was very manly. He wore black tank tops. Lala was goofy and really fun to play with. Hoagie was perfect so early on we sounded much better than we actually were. He could and did also fill in for every other member on every instrument, without practice and do all the parts perfectly. 

Jodene also played congas for some shows to add an ESG vibe, not because she was Puerto Rican although she kind of looked like it, but because of the percussive jams. We also had Christina from France on keyboards for our first show at the On Broadway. Was that with The Loved Ones? It may have been the first Fuzz Club. We had some big stuffed animals and they got torn apart and scattered around. That was the Alice Cooper scene from Diary of a Mad Housewife, except we were dressed as wizards. Tom Guido was mad but he loved it anyway.



JG: Which drummers did you record with?

SB: Lara and Paul and Shannon...

EB: The first demo is Paul, the SD single is Lala, the Echonet one was Shannon. I guess John Henry never made it to vinyl.

JPG: How was Paul Hoaglin (Vomitorium, Wonderwall, Mother Hips, The Sheets, Benjamin Kitestring, Sensations) involved with the band?

SB:  I love Paul. He was the guy behind the scenes, filling in who made a lot of the magic happen. He was like Kurt Graupner to Faust.

EB: We brought him into the world. He was Christof's (Certik) friend but he just lived with his Mom in the East Bay and recorded his own fake prog bands. We brought him out to record us and he joined the band basically and worked his magic on our music. He was like our Phil Spector. 



JG: Did Jeff Davies play on any of the recordings?

SB: No, but his guitar did. I'm playing his hollow body on Moped because my Stratocaster was broken. He did take the best broom photo ever (I haven't seen yours yet, Julie) It was the last picture of the role and he said pretend you're Motley Crue posing in BAM. You can see that photo in the Moped video that's on YouTube.

EB: No, but he started teaching me how to play bass when we played together with Roxanne and John Henry in the Planet of the Hairdoo Apes. I guess that was really the start of broom until Steve got involved when Jeff joined Brian Jonestown Massacre.

JG: What other bands have you been in?

SB: The Nutmeg Ooze, Grimace, The Pancake Experience, Empress of Sorrow, Caramel Apple...

EB: Oh you know, The Primates, 1/4” Killers, Dope, Planet of the Hairdoo Apes, Mojave, Bookmobile, The Fishsticks, Tom Watson and the Best of All, New Energy Encounter Group

Roxanne Eleanor Rodriguez
1969- 2003
JG:  In memoriam, is there anything you would like to share with us of the unforgettable Roxanne Rodriguez?

SB: Roxanne was such a magical person. I'm so glad I got to spend time with her on this earth. I'm so happy we got to play together again in the last band I formed in SF, Empress of Sorrow, with Carolyn Engleman form Panda, Tim from The Knittles and Jefferson Greene.

EB: She was the best. She was my best friend for many years. An angel.

JG: What are you working on these days?

SB: I'm an adjunct at Portland State University. I'm teaching 2D Design and Life Drawing. The walls between my visual art and music stuff have pretty much collapsed. I made a soundtrack to a video for a show back in November that could have been an early broom song. I even used the same sort of 4 track cassette recorder that Paul used for the first broom demo.

EB: Sometimes doing performance with the New Energy Encounter Group.

JG: Where any wizards or devils channeled during the making of your music?

SB: Sometimes I think my wife is channeling Roxanne. Their birthdays are one day apart.

EB: No but Chubby killed a rat and threw it down the hall and out onto Oak Street while blasting Slayer...



JG: How did the band dissolve?

SB: Erik moved back to So Cal. Roxanne and I kind of drifted a part. I tried to keep the band going with different members but using the same name. That didn't make a lot of sense with out Erik in the band. No “uhm”. Eventually that project boiled down to me and Pat Lambelet playing and recording in his basement. I called that project ”bro” in my mind. But I don't think I ever told Pat that. Anyway Pat moved to Italy and a few years later the songs we wrote ended up being performed in Empress of Sorrow.

EB: I shaved my head and moved back to L.A. and lived on the Strand. 

JG: Will there be a Brown and Bluhm reunion anytime soon?

SB: We're collaborating in our minds right now. I don't know what's happening on the physical plane.

EB: I hate reunions but I love all my old bandmates.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Detritus

"Garvanza No. 2" from The Detritus Series
de·tri·tus
dəˈtrīdəs/
noun
noun: detritus

Waste or debris of any kind."streets filled with rubble and detritus"


Synonyms: debris, waste, refuse, rubbish, litter, scrap, flotsam and jetsam, rubble; remains, remnants, fragments, scraps, dregs, leavings, sweepings, dross, scum, trashgarbage; informal dreck "areas littered with military detritus"


      1. gravel, sand, silt, or other material produced by erosion
      2. organic matter produced by the decomposition of organisms

I have started a series of portraits that don't involve people. I wanted to explore black, white and grey tonalities through an exercises I created for myself to apply Bauhaus theories of design and space while using the photographic technique of the zone system. Thinking about ways I could explore these tonalities as a subject, I set up a Duvateen in my backyard and in open shade, began to ponder what kind of subject matter would work best for this project. The space didn't allow for very large objects but as I picked up a stick and began ruminating on what I might use, I remembered the beautiful roots and twigs that I had just dug up in my garden and had been holding on to purely due to their structural form.

"Garvanza No. 3" from The Detritus Series

As I placed the twigs on the black backdrop, light fell on the form and what began to emerge excited me. I sat quite a long time watching how the light fell gently on its humble structure. I wanted to capture a portrait of nature by elevating the remnants found spread at its feet in a formal way. What I wasn't seeing though was a pure white which I desperately wanted to include in this tonal exercise. Thinking about ways I could include this high key element, I struck upon the idea of pouring plaster of paris at the base of the twigs to a) stabilize them b) to provide the pure white I was looking for and as the project progressed the material revealed itself to be c) a unifying element!

"Buttonwillow No. 1" from The Detritus Series

My mind began to race with excitement every time I came in contact with nature. Throughout the year, every place I would go became a treasure hunt, collecting organic material that I felt best represented the environment I was in. As the project evolved, my mind was perpetually drawn to natural structures that I could capture. I found myself pulling over one day in the town of Buttonwillow, a sleepy little town in the San Joaquin Vally. I've always loved the name but usually speed by up and down Interstate Highway number 5.

"Buttonwillow No. 2" from The Detritus Series

As I saw it quickly pass by as usual, I noticed tumbleweeds and bramble lining the side of the road, randomly stuck in intervals in the low wooden fence. I knew I wanted to capture one of them for the series. What I wasn't aware of was how painful their sharp thorn-like barbs are and on the way home, it had a way of leaning over to remind me how wild nature seemed out of place as a passenger in the front seat of my car! This structure looked beautiful when I dipped the tips of the tumbleweed in plaster. The brittle nature of the dried up weed was a perfect foil for the medium and when the plaster dried, made it easier to handle the sharp points. It also accentuated the structure of each branch.

"Point Reyes No. 1" from The Detritus Series


Staying in Point Reyes National Seashore this summer, I collected a few organic items that really reflected how diverse this amazing part of the world is. From the dried grasses on the hill down to the oyster shells and black seaweed strewn on the rocks at low tide, the flotsam and jetsam left behind a beautiful story. The gentle reeds started taking on Japanese characteristics I've seen in Ikebana arrangements. The placement and arrangement of the detritus was carefully planned, once again having the Bauhaus theories of design and space in the back of my mind.

"Point Reyes No. 3" from The Detritus Series


Working with dried seaweed was an interesting exercise. The oyster shells have a solid structure which held up nicely against the pure white plaster, even complementing the material being chalky by nature but the seaweed was less enthusiastic about being encased in plaster.

I hope you enjoy the patterns these pretty studies make and look forward to further exploring and sharing with you my results from this exercise in the future.

Julie Green
January 10, 2015

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Julie Green: A Lecture at the New York Film Academy



I was invited to give a lecture at the New York Film Academy at their Los Angeles campus last month on the evolution of my Fine Art Photography. It was an honor to be asked and a challenge to round up and comprise an overview of the last 25 years worth of work. It helped me to see where I had been and as an exercise, gave me real insight on how I ended up with a passion for conceptual photography.

The lecture was part of an Artist Series for Naomi White's MFA Photography class as a supplement for their ongoing discussion on collage and photomontage-based portraiture. I hope you enjoy the presentation.

Happy New Year!

Julie Green
January 3, 2015

Lecture Part 1

Lecture Part 2

Lecture Part 3