Sunset J(x) L.A. Weekly Mention
Not much, but here's the coverage. See if you can spot the Ima Robot mention:
SUNSET JUNCTION STREET FAIR
August 21 & 22
It was a double sun-day for rockers to rock, for homosexuals to be gay, for the old to be young again and for the youth to let love rule . . . despite
a concussion or two.
Future phenoms the Like set the amicable tone at the Bates Stage with the sweet melodies of “(So I’ll Sit Here) Waiting,” just before pop princess
Chhom Nimol inaugurated the international flavor of the Junction by belting out “Hold My Hips” over Dengue Fever’s surf-ska-spy silk, inadvertently
summing up the coming weekend in her native Khmer — “two days of beautiful nights.” At the Sanborn Stage, Los Abandoned’s Lady P maintained the
conjunction function with some breezy rock en español AND ingles, plus some caliente rap on “Nada Mio Es Fake.” How do you say bitch in Spanish?
Bitch, apparently.
Giant Drag’s Annie Hardy translated the girl power back to English with the apathy-rock of “My Dick Sucks,” which she thoughtfully dedicated to all
the “fine-looking gay men here” (to the hooting approval of that one yahoo who hung out at the Bates Stage in his long-johns jacking off his Corona
bottle all weekend . . . uh, lime with that?). Then it was back to español for Christina Ortega’s tejano bluegrass and an irresistibly danceable set
from Quinto Sol, whose smoking Santana–meets–Van Halen guitarist, Armando Padilla, sprinkled his notes like hot peppers over the band’s
percussion-heavy mix of classic reggae and cumbia-infused salsa.
Saturday night at Bates Stage was a lesson in the three R’s. R&B: Har Mar Superstar jiggled his Buddha belly to the irresistible grooves of “DUI,”
then spread the Stevie Wonder–style jam of “Sugar Pie.” Robot: Ima Robot returned from a yearlong tour with “Ziggy Rotten” front man Alex Ebert hoarse
but unbowed on the electroclash explosion of “Dynomite.” Rock & roll: Ben Kweller burst brilliantly through technical difficulties on a rollicking
“Commerce, TX” and a smash reinvention of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” that sounded more like Bob Dylan than Bob Van Winkle. And damn my semantics if
the Donnas didn’t add a fourth R for Rawk, tearing through an unbelievably tight Kiss- and AC/DC-inspired set — wicked little guitar solo on every
song — bringing down the sky with the as-yet-unreleased “I Don’t Want To Know.” Surprise: These powder-puff honeys are the real deal.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. World’s youngest octogenarian Jerrie Thill woke up the brunch crowd with a swingin’ kiss at El Cid, and I for one needed it to
withstand Dirty Little Secret’s thundering bass, prickly guitars, helicopter high-hats and colon-cleansing kick drum. Setting off a post-punk powder
keg on “We Want You,” DLS reminded me of U2 when they still wanted to be the Clash. There was more rocking out at the Bates Stage with the Stonesy
histrionics of the Vacation — “White noise . . . t-turn it up!” — and the apocalyptic hardcore of Your Enemies Friends, but Dios Malos spoke the
loudest as the softest tones of “All Said and Done” rang out like Radiohead covering some magical Brian Wilson–Paul McCartney collaboration.
It was worth the trek to the Edgecliff Stage to see the international dancing troupe Ritmo Flamenco swing their hoop skirts like every matador’s
fantasy — olé! And at the Sanborn Stage, the audience was all about Very Be Careful’s Colombian vallenato music — an Old World mixture of accordion,
standup bass, bongos, cowbell and guiro — and singer Ricardo Guzman’s thrilling folkloricos: “Yo conocì a una fantasma!”
As the Sunday sun set on Sunset, the crowd enjoyed a splendiferous finale. Juliette Lewis played sex kitten to sudden-onset paparazzi with her
Stooges-fueled Licks. (Some might call it method acting, but she owned the role.) Thelonious Monster paid tribute to past Junction headliner Elliott
Smith before launching into a thoughtful take on “Money.” Camper Van Beethoven fired up the oompah-loompah klezmer beat of “Tanya” with a thrilling
exchange of gypsy solos between guitarist Greg Lischer and fiddler Jonathon Segal, then played it nice and easy with the Celtic-tinged bumpkin rock of
“Good Guys and Bad Guys.” And L.A.’s original cowpoke punks X put on a 22-song adrenaline fest featuring flawless rockabilly guitar from a grinning
Billy Zoom, as particularly frenzied takes of “Beyond and Back,” “Los Angeles” and “Year One” incited numerous crowd-surfing catastrophes. (I took a
boot in the head for you, John Doe!)
And though X marked the top spot, it was Love With Arthur Lee that blessed it two hours earlier after a rousing sing-along of “Everybody’s Gotta
Live,” backed with a little “Instant Karma.” Before he left the stage, the ’60s veteran commanded a moment of silence from the thousands present and,
after thrice asking “Could you do me just one favor?” let a final command ring out to the heavens: “Love one another!”
We’ll do our best.
--Liam Gowing
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