To celebrate my 1 year anniversary of programming midnite movies at Cinefamily, I'm screening my all-time favorite Canadian aerobics movie PLUS hosting my 35th birthday party after. Stop by TONIGHT!!

Watch the custom trailer for tonight's festivities:



HEAVY MIDNITES 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY (featuring HEAVENLY BODIES)
Friday, June 14, 2013 // 10:00pm

NOTE: A very special 10PM presentation by Heavy Midnights!

We love all things colorful, spastic and elastic, especially when they’re hardbodies in motion. Flashdance! Jazzercise! Cardiac arrest! We’re breaking out the big guns and kicking off our totally-not-bummer summer with the most transcendently ‘80s fun factory in Canadian film history — PLUS, a triumphant mega-party celebrating the 1-year anniversary of Heavy Midnites madness at no extra cost! Filled with wide smiles, spandexed bods and a driving pop soundtrack, Heavenly Bodies is the crown jewel in the short-lived aerobic-sploitation explosion: a non-stop, sweat-fueled mix of mesh, bump and grind. The story is an age-old classic: when Samantha and her small dancercise studio are threatened by the unscrupulous owner of a rival club, who will come out on top of their televised, winner-takes-all, dance-till-you-drop marathon workout? Grab your leotards & tights to find out — there’s bonus points for attending in your finest exercise gear!
Heavenly Bodies Dir. Lawrence Dane, 1984, 35mm, 90 min.

$12, Free for Cinefamily Members
www.cinefamily.org
Cinefamily // 611 N Fairfax Avenue // Los Angeles // 90036

This Friday and Saturday, The New Beverly presents two of Robert Mitchum's finest noirs, Out Of The Past and Crossfire!  These films are must sees for any aspiring Noir buff and both feature stellar casts. 

Out Of The Past is the lovely Jane Greer's finest film moment, playing one of the genre's touchstone femme fatales Kathie Moffatt. Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Virginia Huston and kiddie star Dickie Moore round out the cast.

Father who knew best, Robert Young, leads the ensemble for Crossfire.  The film also includes Gloria Grahame and Robert Ryan, giving his full throttle, maniacal best.

Malcolm Mooney, original singer for Germany's musical pioneers Can, will perform at two shows this weekend in the Bay Area with his band The Tenth Planet, which features members of Negativland, MX80, The Mutants, Neung Phak, Crack:WAR, and Le Flange du Mal!

Friday, June 14th, catch Malcolm Mooney and the Tenth Planet in San Francisco at the DIVISION OF LABOR Festival (The Lab). Also playing are Fairlight Empress, Ava Mendoza's Unnatural Ways with special guest Carla Bozulich (Evangelista, Ethyl Meatplow, The Geraldine Fibbers), and Allegory Chapel LTD. More info HERE!

From music to acting, Fred Armisen does it all! Did you know Fred Armisen played drums for the '90s post-hardcore band Trenchmouth? Did you know he once played drums with the Blue Man Group? There is so much more to Fred Armisen than his SNL fame alludes to. He's a huge music buff and the Amoeba cameras caught up with Fred in our San Francisco store to take a look at what's in his bag. He's pretty eclectic in his musical taste and, of course, as a drummer he pays close attention to the beat. From world artist Joyce to oldies rockers The Turtles, Fred digs deep. Check it out!

Fred Armisen - What's In My Bag?
Watch and comment on YouTube

Armisen is reportedly leaving Saturday Night Live, acording to the New York Post. But never fear - IFC just renewed Portlandia for two new seasons, so there will be plenty more sketch comedy to come from the actor. On May 18, Armisen's last night at SNL, he performed a musical number with his castmates Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Taran Killam. They were joined midway through by Portlandia co-creator Carrie Brownstein (Wild Flag, Sleater-Kinney), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), J. Mascis, Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Aimee Mann and Michael Penn. Watch this amazing send off below:

No Age – “C’mon Stimmung”

Last week No Age revealed the cover art and tracklist for the upcoming An Object, out Aug. 20 on Sub Pop — you can preorder the album now on CD or LP. Now we’ve got the stunning first song from the album, “C’mon Stimmung.” It seems to carry the relatively cleaned-up sound of their last album, Everything in Between, as drummer Dean Spunt’s vocals come through with more clarity and depth than before, while guitarist Randy Randall indulges in the sort of My Bloody Valentine-style guitar mangling that snags us every time. No Age have also announced an upcoming tour, which will come through L.A. July 25 when the band plays Santa Monica Pier. They’ll also be in Berkeley Aug. 23 at the Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, where they’ll appear with Sun Foot, Devin Gary & Ross.

This Saturday night marks the continuation of a Bay Area summer tradition of free outdoor movies in parks in San Francisco and Marin: the always free Film Night In The Park series. The series, which began last weekend with a screening of Chasing Ice at the Fairfax EcoFest,  kicks into full gear this Saturday evening at 8pm (or dusk) with a free screening in San Francisco's Dolores Park of Raiders of The Lost Ark (trailer below of this 1981 Steven Spielberg fantasy adventure flick) - projected onto a huge screen with the perfect backdrop of the San Francisco skyline. Attendees are invited to bring picnics and blankets (no chairs so as to not block views) and advised to arrive early to secure a good vantage point. Also bring warm clothes in case that pesky SF fog descends on the hillside park - Dolores and 19th, San Francisco's Mission District.

All screenings are free but "donations are accepted" according to the organizers of this wonderful series that will include such films as Martin Scorsese's recent Hugo in Old Mill Park in Mill Valley on June 21st, School Of Rock with Jack Black at Creek Park in San Anselmo on July 19th, and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona in Union Square San Francisco on July 13th where on August 17th the American musical classic Singin' In The Rain will screen. Other scheduled screenings in the upcoming Film Night In The Park 2013 series, that concludes on September 21 with a screening of Skyfall in Dolores Park, will include The Avengers in Creek Park, San Anselmo, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom in San Francisco's Washington Square Park on September 7th, and The Birds in China Camp in San Rafael, Marin County - screening at the beach at Chinese Village which is the perfect setting for this 1963 Hitchcock suspense classic that was filmed not too far from there in Bodega Bay in the next county over from Marin, Sonoma County.
 

DUMMM DAH-DUM DUM

Though nowadays the Dragnet franchise is best  emembered today as a TV series (or two TV series), it began existence as was most exceptional as a radio drama. Dragnet starred Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday, an LAPD detective who, when the series began, lived at home with his mother and later on his own in a Silver Lake bachelor pad. It first aired on 3 June, 1949. The day was a Friday; it was warm in Los Angeles. 

Kalyn Heffernan and Wheelchair Sports Camp (WSC) are currently in the midst of their intense two-month, cross-country US tour opening for Flobotson which they'll have covered 10,000 miles by the time it ends up back in WSC's home state of Colorado on June 28th and 29th. The first leg of the tour the Denver CO act played San Francisco's Cafe Du Nord which is not wheelchair accessible - something Kalyn, who has the brittle-bone disability osteogenesis imperfecta and is in a wheelchair herself, was unaware of until it was brought to her attention right before the show date. Her solution? Do an impromptu free show outside the venue for those in wheelchairs who were denied denied access. "Since this tour a lot more disabled people have been coming to see me that I've never met which is awesome to me. But it seems like the most inaccessible places is where they want to come," said Kayln who weighs just over 50 pounds and is 3 1/2 feet tall and can easily be carried up and downstairs with her small wheelchair at the SF venue and other venues that are non-wheelchair accessible.

I talked with Kalyn via emails back last month at the time of the Bay Area WSC date for an Amoeblog. And last week (June 4th), when Wheelchair Sports Camp arrived in New York City for their gig at Santos Party House, I caught up with the rapper/producer who loves to smoke the weed, clearly loves life and music, and proudly sports a CRIP LIFE tattoo on her stomach. When we met up the upbeat good-humored Kalyn was wearing a black T-shirt with the bold pink lettered message "Blow up dolls, Not countries." The video interview was conducted with Kalyn just as she had arrived with her crew (including her longtime girlfriend and assistant on the road Jennah Black - pictured above) outside and round the corner from the downtown Chinatown district Manhattan club before their concert - which was off the hook.

With all the happenings at Amoeba, it’s easy to miss some of our contests, but we’re always holding some sort of contest. In fact, right now we’re holding two — enter to win tickets to see She & Him June 23 at the Hollywood Bowl (enter by June 17; more info here) and enter to win a pair of passes to the First City Festival Aug. 24-25 in Monterey, Calif., with Modest Mouse, Beach House, Passion Pit, MGMT and more (enter by June 24; more info here).

Our recent winners have been enjoying their spoils from various contests. Richard E. recently won tickets to see Mumford & Sons at the Hollywood Bowl. Says Richard: “The show was great! I was only really familiar with Mumford & Sons from their Grammy appearance, but my wife has been a fan for quite a while. Her enjoyment was really infectious and I’ve found myself humming songs since the show. We had a fantastic time. I have always been a person that would see any kind of live music, and this show really paid off!”

In the spirit of Take Your Dog to Work Day, Amoeba is holding Dog Day Afternoon on Sunday, June 23. Bring your dog down to any Amoeba location from 2-4 p.m. to get a coupon for $5 off when you spend $25 or more. We’ll have special treats for both shoppers and their dogs, and we’ll also have a Doggie Photo Booth in LA and SF — donate to No Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) at Amoeba Hollywood or Muttville at Amoeba SF and get your picture taken of you and your dog. Don’t have a dog? Donate to the charity and you can still get a $5 off $25 coupon.

NKLA is coalition made up of animal welfare organizations, city shelters and individuals concerned for the welfare of animals. It is led by Best Friends Animal Society and is dedicated to ending the killing of healthy pets in L.A. shelters, providing spay/neuter services and helping to increase pet adoptions. Best Friends Animal Society also is providing grants to coalition partners for every pet they get adopted to a new home over the number they adopted last year.

Muttville is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of senior dogs, rescuing them to find them homes, and providing hospice and education for caring for older dogs. Senior dog adoption and more information can be found at www.muttville.org.

Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest

CD $13.98
LP $24.98
Download $9.98

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, the aphorism goes. For Boards of Canada, their absence from releasing music over the past seven years has left their fans rabid for something, anything from the band. Then it came — a series of codes released through various media that, when entered into a website, revealed the release of the duo’s fourth studio album. The long wait for new music and the duo’s willful obscurity about its release isn’t manipulation; it’s warranted, as part of the greater mysterious appeal of Boards of Canada, and for the fact that Tomorrow’s Harvest features some of the band’s greatest work yet. It begins sounding like the opening of a science film on “Gemini,” pointing to their early influence from Canadian nature documentaries, but “Reach for the Dead” directly follows with more epic, ominous tones. Boards of Canada have always been able to imbue their wordless music with just enough suggestion that listeners can invoke their own meaning from the music, and as such, one can’t help but think of countless awful news stories or meaningless status updates when listening to a track like “Sick Times,” which strings ghostly recorded samples of voices speaking in the background behind minor-key tones that hint at global dread. Tomorrow’s Harvest isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Even with a name like “Cold Earth,” it still the strong scent of nostalgia that carried such releases as the In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country EP to great heights, and their cut-up beatwork on tracks like “Jacquard Causeway” entrances. Tomorrow’s Harvest is long and loaded with great tracks, like the scenic “Nothing is Real” and pulsating “New Seeds,” which both appear in the album’s final stretch, making it the kind of record you want to spin again immediately when it’s over to let its finer points sink in. With luck we won’t have to wait as long for another Boards of Canada release, but Tomorrow’s Harvest is the kind of record you can pore over for years, rich enough to rank highly with the rest of the band’s estimable catalog.

Above and below are photos taken recently at the most unique T.I.N.Y. (The Interactive New York) large-scale, art installation that is on exhibit (for free) through this Sunday (June 16th) at the Marina at Pier 57 (Westside Highway at end of 15th Street on West side of Manhattan) where Garson Yu, the curator of this fun (and free) installation inside an old pier building, invites visitors to completely throw themselves into the interactive multi-media installation and to "engage in a sound hunt and discover your own story." Los Angeles resident Yu is the founder of yU+co: a design company specializing in film title design and motion graphics for film/TV and new media. He was born in Hong Kong but did live in New York about 20 years ago, where he began his art career, when the acclaimed video artist developed a love for the city and a keen appreciation of the sounds, sights and all the senses and feelings given by the streets of NYC and its intense subway system on which he bases this large scale art installation housed in a series of shipping containers.

I stopped by last weekend and joined the, surprisingly few, attendees taking advantage of this highly entertaining and completely free, vast interactive exhibit that is designed to interact with all of your senses as you walk into the big cavernous space surrounded by shipping containers - some 36 hanging above, others open for people to walk through and designed to resemble a subway car in length and scale with text and simple art, drawn by installation attendees (or “straphangers”) with the colored chalk provided, on its walls. Inside speakers pump out ambient sounds of the noises of the subway with city street sounds mixed in while video images of the city (all of which he meticulously filmed across the boroughs of NYC) flash by on the walls. Outside in the main opening videos are projected onto the containers on one side, and microphones are set up for folks to make loud "WOO" or "BOO" sounds into which, in turn, can speed up or slow the down the corresponding nearby video projections of city street and subway images (complete with sounds) - all done via the latest in interactive sound and motion technology.

Amoeba Music welcomes Academy Award nominated composer Marco Beltrami to celebrate the release of the score for World War Z and the movie’s release! Join us for a special advance screening of World War Z on Wednesday, June 19 at Arclight Hollywood! Plus, he'll sign copies of the film's score at the event.

The film revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to decimate humanity itself. 

To get into the screening, be one of the first 100 fans to purchase a World War Z Fan Pack ($30) at Amoeba Hollywood starting Tuesday, June 18.

What:  Advance Screening of World War Z and Signing with Composer Marco Beltrami

When:  Wednesday, June 19 at 9:30pm

Where:  ArcLight Hollywood

Tickets:  Purchase a World War Z Fan Pack ($30) at Amoeba Hollywood starting Tuesday, June 18 at 10:30am.

Each fan pack includes:

• Ticket to the advance showing of World War Z in 3D at ArcLight Hollywood 
• In-theater signing and meet & greet with Marco Beltrami
• CD of the score
• Movie poster

Due to the special screening and event timing, the signing will be limited to purchasers of the World War Z fan pack only. All Sales Final.

Ever since  Black Flag's instantly identifiable logo first surfaced several decades ago it has remained a ubiquitous image in popular culture. The simple yet distinctive logo, consisting of of four black bars, was designed back in the late 1970's by Raymond Pettibon - Black Flag founder Greg Ginn's brother who also came up with the band name and who can be credited for most of their artwork. Pettibon's Black Flag logo, which he reportedly hand drew in a brief session,  has long being an iconic symbol of Black Flag and the American hardcore punk movement itself - one seen and recognized all over the world - on T-shirts, stickers, and tattoos (lots of them like the neck Blag Flag tattoo on guys' neck pictured left).

Many people have their own take on the logo; one of my favorites is by director and motion artist Matt Lambert who views the barcode like logo as "one of the strongest marks ever created is the four-barred, minimalist rippling flag captured…..the antithesis of the white flag of surrender, symbolized the riotous youth of the LA and US punk scene." Lambert also noted how the logo can, which can be easily transposed to a stencil, has been adapted and appeared in spray paint across the world over the years. 

As well as fans the logo has also been copied and appropriated by many bands, party promoters, organizations, and individuals including the selection shown on this Amoeblog that include the feline themed "Black Flag / Cat Flag," the Yak Flag, the Batman themed Bat Flag, the Obama Barack Flag, Drag Flag, and (my favorite) the Snack Flag. Then there is the unlikely Justin Bieber Black Flag T-shirt - among the oddest appropriations of the logo here and  the sort of use that no doubt led to the caption below "You don't actually like Black Flag....You just think the logo's cool."  And down the very end is the Undefeated fashion company logo which looks like the Black Flag logo with an additional/fifth bar drawn across it.
 

Amoeba Hollywood regularly sells tickets to local shows, with the added bonus of charging low service fees (if you're into saving money and who isn't really?).

All tickets can be purchased at the registers (while supplies last) for a $2 service fee. We take cash and credit cards for all ticket sales.

Please note that on the day of the show, we will stop selling tickets for that show at 5pm.

If you have a question about whether we've sold out of a specific show, please call the store at 323-245-6400.

JUST ADDED SHOWS:

Yeasayer El Rey August 11

White Lies El Rey October 10

 

Here is a full list of tickets we currently have for sale at Amoeba Hollywood:

Show Name	Venue	Show Date	Ticket Price (fee not included)
Amadou & Miriam	Fonda Theatre	07/10/2013	$30.00
ArtDontSleep Presents A Celebration of Fela Kuti	Mayan	07/21/2013	$15.00
Baths	El Rey	06/28/2013	$17.00
Best Coast	El Rey	08/18/2013	$25.00
Booker T	El Rey	06/25/2013	$35.00
Caravan Palace	Fonda Theatre	7/17/2013	$25.00
Depeche Mode Convention	Avalon Hollywood	08/11/2013	$50.00 (weekend pass)
Desaparecidos	Fonda Theatre	11/14/2013	$30.00
Dodos	El Rey	10/15/2013	$18.00
The Eric Andre Show (Free poncho & poster w/purchase - while they last)	Fonda Theatre	07/16/2013	$20.00
FYF Fest	LA State Historic Park	08/24 - 08/25	$102.00 (+ $3 service fee)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Fonda Theatre	09/12/2013	$25.00
Gold Panda	Fonda Theatre	9/20/2013	$20.00
The Heavy	Fonda Theatre	08/08/2013	$20.00
Hockey & Saint Motel	El Rey	07/26/2013	$19.00
Peter Hook	Fonda Theatre	09/21/2013	$24.00
Icona Pop	Fonda Theatre	08/29/2013	$25.00
JJ Grey & Mofro	El Rey	08/02/2013	$22.50
Chico Mann (21+ event)	Los Globos	07/11/2013	$15.00
Peter Murphy (7/27 SOLD OUT)	Fonda Theatre	7/26 & 7/27	$27.50
Passenger	El Rey	07/19/2013	$22.00
Marky Ramone	Fonda Theatre	10/15/2013	$25.00
Morgan Heritage	El Rey	07/31/2013	$22.00
Rogue Wave	El Rey	07/20/2013	$20.00
RX Bandits	Fonda Theatre	07/06/2013	$20.00
Sea Wolf	El Rey	06/21/2013	$17.00
Smith Westerns	El Rey	8/10/2013	$20.00
Souls of Mischief	El Rey	08/16/2013	$20.00
Mavis Staples	Fonda Theatre	06/26/2013	$27.50
Stereophonics	Fonda Theatre	10/10/2013	$30.00
Superchunk	El Rey	09/04/2013	$24.00
Tricky	El Rey	06/26/2013	$25.00
Casey Veggies & Travi$ Scott	El Rey	08/01/2013	$23.00
Yeasayer	El Rey	08/11/2013	$25.00
Waterboys	El Rey	10/07/2013	$27.00
Wax Tailor	El Rey	09/21/2013	$20.00
White Lies	El Rey	10/10/2013	$25.00

 

Come down to Amoeba Hollywood for our next Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, June 22 from 12-5pm! We'll have a ton of sale items, including country & folk CD grab bags, vintage music and culture magazines priced to move, mega DVD deals, Classical CDs, and lots more!

• Country & Folk CD grab bags: 10 for $5
• Vintage Music & Culture magazine grab bags 
• DVDs: 3  for $10
• DVD box sets: $7 or 2 for $10
• Blu-rays: 3 for $15
• T-Shirts: $5
• Clearance CDs: buy one get one free
• Classical CDs: buy one get one free
• 45s: just $1
• LP & 45 deals
• $1 Records
• Posters (Modern & Vintage): 3 for $10
• Novelty & vintage collectibles, toys and knickknacks

All sidewalk sales are final. Store credit cannot be used to purchase items from the sidewalk sale. Prices apply to sidewalk sale stock only and this offer is only while supplies last.

Amoeba has entered into a partnership with L.A.’s Moheak Radio to provide the Amoeba Song of the Week every week for a recorded segment to air on Moheak’s online radio station.

This week it’s Alice Russell’s “For a While,” from the British singer's fifth solo album, To Dust (available on CD, LP or digitally). The song's funky, stuttering electronic beat provides a perfect backdrop for the Russell to deliver neo-soul harmonies and sing with a nuanced intensity. Russell recently performed at Amoeba Hollywood. You can see photos of the performance here, and you can read my recap of the show here and watch a video of the performance below.

A bit about Amoeba’s Song of the Week: Every week we’ll provide a song hand-selected by our own staff to Moheak Radio for a recorded segment that will run four times a day (at around 8 a.m., 1 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and once overnight). Besides hearing what our expert staff is into, you’ll get the chance to win prizes from Amoeba Music. The giveaways will happen once a week with announcements at least once every four hours leading up to the giveaway, which will take place on Moheak’s Facebook page. Check it out, support local/online radio and win some prizes along the way.

To read more Behind The Grooves, go to http://behindthegrooves.tumblr.com.

On this day in music history: June 10, 1972 - "The Candy Man" by Sammy Davis, Jr. hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, also topping the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks on May 20th. Written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, it is the biggest hit for the Harlem, NY-born singer, actor, and entertainer. The song is originally written for the film Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory in 1971. The original version of the song is sung by actor Aubrey Woods in the film. Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. will record "The Candy Man" shortly after the release of Willy Wonka and is included on his album Sammy Davis Jr. Now! The track is produced by MGM Records president Mike Curb, legendary producer/arranger Don Costa, and Michael Viner (Incredible Bongo Band). It also features background vocals by the Mike Curb Congregation who had previously recorded it before Davis, but failed to chart with it. Entering the Hot 100 at #97 on March 11, 1972, it will climb to the top of the chart thirteen weeks later. "The Candy Man" will be certified Gold in the US by the RIAA, selling over two million copies in the US.
 

This book was pretty hard to put down. Here are a few choice quotes:

Gary Holt and Exodus do some charity work: We left a party once in San Francisco, and a few of us were heading to my friend's car and we saw a bunch of guys jumping some dude. At first we ran up to help the guy and it turned out the guy was just some crazed lunatic homeless guy. So we ended up joining in on the fun and next thing you know the cops showed up and we scattered into Golden Gate Park and hid until the cops left. I guess we kind of encouraged violence. [p. 242]

Testament's Chuck Billy shows compassion: On our first tour ever we were out in a van, and me and [guitarist] Alex [Skolnick] got a couple of ladies in our van in Richmond, Virginia, and we were hammered on Jack Daniel's. One of the girls started mouthing off to me and I got pissed off. We were parked right on the boat dock so I opened the door and flung her into the water. It was about a twenty-foot drop into the bay, with no stairs to get up. So she's holding on to the wooden pier. The water's hitting hard. She's crying. She keeps getting rubbed up and down, and she's getting slivers all over her arms and her chest. She's getting cut up. So we got ropes and hauled her out of there. She was so pissed, and all the fans were around the van cheering us on. [p. 258]