In 1985, The Chills played a few nights at the very non-glamorous central Christchurch booze barn, The Carlton Hotel, and like I did for most bands on New Zealand's illustrious Flying Nun label at the time, I trudged down to check 'em out. I'd seen quite a few of their shows since their formation in the early '80s, but this one was different. They were always good, but this time I felt like something really special was happening, maybe even a kind of genius (much as I hate using that word).

This was the 9th or 10th lineup of the band, but this one - with original bass player Terry Moore back in the band, human metronome Alan Haig (later of Snapper) on drums, and colorful keyboardist Peter Allison - was the one where it all fell into place for me and the other over-capacity 500-odd people there (Fire code? What fire code?). They moved from their most quiet moments (delicate pieces of Beatles-y/Left Banke/Summer of Love-style whimsical psych) to an increasingly roaring cacophonous sound that filled the bar (and my poor ears) with awe. Where was it coming from? With only one guitarist? (There's still largely unrecorded songs from this period, like "Frozen Fountain" and "Silhouette," that would wipe away once and for all the notion that the band was the "poppy" Flying Nun band.)

Martin Phillipps was the songwriter, guitarist, and autocrat of the band, and, although he would never be accused of being the most alpha of males, was directing the traffic that night just as single-mindedly as he directed the evolution of his band (check out In Love With These Times, Flying Nun founder Roger Shepherd's excellent memoir, for a good take on Phillipps' rationale for the many lineup changes through the '80s and beyond). I knew Martin a little (mostly from a recent lengthy Steinlager-fueled interview at his Dunedin home, a consequence of my part-time gig as music writer for The Christchurch Press) and he was happy to admit he was fascinated by fantasy and comic books, but at the same time was fiercely adamant that The Chills were not just pure escapism...a claim backed up by the "Doledrums" 45 that addressed the dole (Government unemployment benefits) culture in NZ at the time.

Not to be confused with the public transit system in the Bay, the party entitled B.A.R.T. happening tonight at the Uptown in Oakland is a heartfelt homage to the rich music history of the Bay Area. Presented by a killer lineup of homegrown DJs who were raised on the music of the Bay, tonight's party entitled B.A.R.T. stands for Bay Area Rockin’ Together. It is presented by DJ Platurn Productions and DJ Cutso who, along with fellow longtime Bay Area DJs Goldenchyld, Teeko, Umami and DJ Apollo, will be throwing down a night of strictly Bay Area music spanning decades and "from hip-hop to rock to funk/soul and all things in between." Which begs the question, what songs or what artists?  DJ Cutso, whose set begins at 1am, told the Amoeblog that "I'd say we're doing it all from Too Short to Sly Stone to Metallica."

Former Amoeba Berkeley hip-hop staffer DJ Platurn, when asked by the Amoeblog what records might get spun tonight, sent over the collage (above) of 12" singles record covers that includes records by Ray Luv, Digital Underground, Casual, Capital Tax, and Souls of Mischief. Among the Bay Area artists that Teeko said he will be playing tonight are Little Bruce, Ruckazoid, and Mr Carmack.  GoldenChyld said that among his tracks to play tonight are Spice 1 "Strap on the Side, " Brotha Lynch Hung "Locc To the Brain," and RBL Posse's "Bounce to This."  Meanwhile a glance over the poster for tonight, with artist names worked into its artwork, provides even more clues on what artists' music will be played tonight. These include Con Funk Shun, E-40, En Vogue, The Coup, 2Pac, Mac Dre, Sheila E, The Doobie Brothers, and N2Deep. You have to love the depth and diversity of music from the Bay Area. In tribute to, and in anticipation of the tracks by these Bay Area artists mentioned by Cutso, Platurn, Teeko, and GoldenChyld and on their show flyer, below are a series of Bay Area music videos for tracks that might be played tonight at B.A.R.T. at Uptown. More club/show info.

Welsh alternative rock group The Joy Formidable stopped by Amoeba Hollywood to play an intimate Green Room Session before their recent gig at The Roxy. While usually playing with an electrified drive behind their ethereal melodies, the trio stripped their songs down to the bare, acoustic essentials. Now located in London the band is comprised of Rhiannon Bryan, Rhydian Dafydd Davies, and Matthew James Thomas. 

-- By doubleay

Clams Casino is one of few producers capable of constructing an otherworldly atmospheric scape in his music. Clams takes you somewhere when listening; he engulfs you in sound indicting a mood and ambiance totally his own. Clams' music is beyond commendable production values. It's depth and spatial atmosphere is meticulously sculpted from the ground up. His music develops layer by layer, structured from a starting point, the skeleton becomes a body as mass is created from Clams’ brilliant sampling and epically booming drums. His signature sound is ever-present in his releases but has never been delivered in a cohesive body as breathtakingly grand as 32 Levels.

32 Levels is Clams Casino’s album debut. He's defined nearly an entire sub-genre influenced by the production behind iconic cuts like A$AP Rocky’s “Palace” and and Lil B’s “I am God.” His past releases have included the 2011 Rainforest EP and a series of mixtape installments simply titled Instrumentals, featuring beats used by artists like Lil B, Soulja Boy, Main Attrakionz, Antwon, A$AP Rocky, and more. His name is more so known from the individual hits “Palace,” which introduces and sets the mood for A$AP Rocky’s first project Live Love A$AP’s entirety. As well as “I am God,” which played a part in shaping and evolving Lil B’s ‘The Based God’ entity. Beyond that he's also produced for major acts like The Weeknd, Foster the People, Mikky Ekko, ScHoolboy Q, Pepperboy, and more. Through massive, select productions Clams has made a major name for himself over the past five years, all without an album. The debut of 32 Levels exudes Clam’s ethereal and atmospheric sound and advances it in a cohesive culmination that goes beyond any of his early compilations.

Amoeba in partnership with Landmark Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles presents a special screening of the new documentary Miss Sharon Jones! with an in-person introduction from the amazing Sharon Jones herself on opening night, Friday, August 5th, at 9:55pm. The film features Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and is directed by two-time Academy Award-Winner Barbara Kopple. This triumphant crowd-pleaser captures the soul diva during the most intense and courageous year of her life, as she battles back from a life-threatening illness to get back to where she belongs – center stage.

In 2013, on the eve of the release of their sixth studio album, Give The People What The Want, Sharon Jones was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Treatment included surgery and months of chemotherapy, and Sharon Jones’ musical career came to a halt. The documentary captures her journey through treatment, including losing her signature hairstyle, being drained of her seemingly inexhaustible energy, and the financial strain placed on her and her musical family.

We've been privileged to have Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings perform at Amoeba multiple times over the years. They are an incredible band with a powerhouse singer, and we've always had a blast hosting them at our stores. We are honored and excited to help spread the word about this new documentary. The more people who get to know Sharon the better!

Let it be known that South Carolina rockers Band of Horses are a very well read bunch of guys. Before their recent performance at Amoeba Hollywood the group scoured the store for records, movies, and a healthy selection of books, including the think piece, Fuck That: An Honest Meditation. "You know, just stuff that you would read on the toilet," says bassist Bill Reynolds. Reynolds also picked up autobiographies by two of his favorite bassists, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Duff McKagen of Guns N' Roses. Drummer Creighton Barrett found a copy of Sounds Of Two Eyes Opening, a photo book of Southern California surf/skate/punk culture, and lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey grabbed The Record Store of the Mind by Tompkins Square Records owner Josh Rosenthal. But it wasn't all books (for the loo or otherwise) with the band. They also found an incredible collection of records and rock documentaries.

Band of Horses formed in 2004 after the dissolution of vocalist/guitarist Ben Bridwell's previous band, Carissa's Wierd. Early on in their career, the band opened for Iron & Wine in their then-hometown of Seattle, drawing the attention of Sub Pop, who would release Band of Horses' 2006 full-length debut, Everything All the Time. For the band's follow-up, Cease to Begin, Bridwell and the others relocated to South Carolina. The group's international profile began to grow, with performances at the Roskilde, Glastonbury, and T in the Park festivals.

-- By doubleay

Green Ova South is the one of freshest Hip-hop groups to kick down the door into the rap game in 2016. The release of their debut album, Kome Ride with Us, is incomparable to any project currently circulating in Hip-hop music. Their roster consists of Oakland’s Squadda B (Charles Glover) who many know as 1/2 of the duo Main Attrakionz, the seasoned Arkansas spitter Pepperboy (Jerry Davie), and the Blue Sky Black Death producer Ian Taggart (FKA Young God, Rev. Left).

The group’s unusual formation is something like a fantasy team. To clarify the significance of Green Ova’s grouping, each member’s independent works are impressive to say the least. Main Attrakionz' numerous projects helped pave the path leading the development of the cloud rap sub-genre and was featured by request on A$AP Rocky’s first, Live Love A$AP mixtape. Little Rock, Arkansas’ Pepperboy, who was recently awarded 2016’s Best Out-Of-Town Artist to Make the East Bay his Adopted Home by the East Bay Express, has been featured on SPIN Magazine, The Fader, Mishka NYC, Def Jam France, and more due to his substantial discography stacked with releases that every underground Hip-hop connoisseur should have heard by now. The final element in the trifecta, producer Ian Taggart’s duo Blue Sky Black Death, has made progressive strides in contemporary Hip-hop production. Taggart’s production style constructs the atmospheric sound that allows Squadda B and Pepperboy to float through Green Ova South’s Kome Ride with Us (KRWU).

Join Rich Robinson, formerly of The Black Crowes, live at the Clive Davis Theater in downtown Los Angeles at The GRAMMY Museum’s The Drop for an intimate conversation surrounding his new album, Flux, and a special performance on August 29th! Tickets are $20 and will be available HERE starting July 28th.

Before Robinson made it official in 2015 that The Black Crowes, which he and his brother Chris had founded some 25 years ago, were calling it quits, he had already been issuing his own projects for more than a decade. On his own, Robinson explored and nurtured his talents as a songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist. His latest album Flux is his most accomplished solo album to date, featuring 13 new songs that draw deeply on his diverse roots and showcases a rich variety of tempos, tones, and guitar tuning.

Låpsley

San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences continues to reinvent Thursday nights as their NightLife summer music series returns. Inspired by science and powered by sound, the Academy transforms itself into an oasis of music and art one night a month for NightLife LIVE 2016.

On Thursday, August 4th, join us at Nightlife for an Outside Lands Pre-Party with live performances by UK songstress Låpsley and local SF producer Brogan Bentley.

In between sets enjoy this month’s featured art gallery, ArtSpan, plus LED artists Nick Leidecker, Romy Randev and his two large scale glass panels back-lit with color-changing LEDs, and Marina Berlin's two large scale wire sculptures. You can also shop local vendor booths at the Academy that night. Browse used vinyl at the Amoeba Music pop-up shop! We'll be bringing loads of quality used vinyl so prepare to go crate digging.

Get your tix HERE, and RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook HERE.

Join us for the return of Amoeba's prodigal son, Brently Heilbron, the original host of our charity auctions! Brently will be hosting a charity auction at Amoeba Hollywood to benefit Inner-City Arts Saturday, August 6th at 4pm. We've uncovered a treasure trove of crazy collectibles and promo items for Brently to auction off, not to mention concert tickets to see Kraftwerk at the Hollywood Bowl and Culture Club at the Hollywood Bowl; gift certificates from our amazing neighbors; and lots more goodies you never knew you had to have.

Our charity auctions began back in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana. What started as an effort to help the Gulf Coast relief efforts has turned into an 11 year commitment to supporting organizations ranging from Doctors Without Borders to the Los Angeles LGBT Center and an incredible $450,000+ being raised through our charity auctions. 

At every auction Amoeba matches all winning bids up to $1,000, doubling the amount of money going to charity. We do this with the help of our partners and friends who donate their goods for the auction and the generosity of our customers who come down to the auctions and open up their wallets and their hearts.

 
EPMD's math may be a bit off for the ongoing Strictly Business 30 Year Anniversary Tour, but the opportunity to catch this reunited iconic hip-hop duo perform their landmark 1988 debut album is one not to be missed.  Tonight at midnight in San Francisco EPMD will hit the stage at Public Works to perform Strictly Business in full, in addition to "all their hits" from the pair's rich golden era back catalog.  Tomorrow, July 22nd, they perform in LA at the Hollywood Palladium and the following night (July 23) at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center as part of Ice-T's Art of Rap Festival tour. Then Sunday July 24th they headline the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix with their tribute to Strictly Business. Three years ago the album by the legendary duo of Erick Sermon and Parish Smith (aka PMD) [EPMD = Erick and Parrish Making Dollars] enjoyed a special 25 Year Anniversary Strictly Business. Presented by Snoop Dogg that reissue version included five bonus tracks: alternate versions or remixes of album songs.

Continue reading...

See Mike Posner live at the Clive Davis Theater in downtown Los Angeles August 16 at 7:30pm for an intimate discussion about his new album At Night, Alone. and his exceptional career, followed by a special performance for The GRAMMY Museum's The Drop. Tickets are $20 and you can get them HERE!

Not only has Posner created hits of his own, but he's also credited for tracks like Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend," Maroon 5's "Sugar," and Labrinth and Emeli Sandé's "Beneath Your Beautiful." At Night, Alone. is deeply personal and introspective. Posner has been praised for his honesty in his new album, having wrote or co-wrote every song.

We're excited to announce that Amoeba Hollywood is carrying tickets for KCRW's first-ever Music Tastes Good festival in beautiful downtown Long Beach. The event features local and national acts, plus craft beer, a Bloody Mary brunch, and an optional VIP farm-to-table dinner. Music Tastes Good takes place September 23-25, with scheduled performers including The Specials, Iron & Wine, Sylvan Esso, Melvins, Dr. Dog, and Warpaint, plus a whole slew of other fantastic acts.

You can choose from several different ticketing options, including single day passes for Friday ($25), Saturday ($75), and Sunday ($35). The 3-day general admission ticket costs $120, and the 3-day VIP ticket, which includes the aforementioned farm-to-table dinner, costs $240. 

Please note there will be a $2 service charge per ticket, and store credit cannot be applied to concert ticket sales.

With this week marking the 29th anniversary of Too $hort's album Born to Mack on Dangerous Music, I went back to re-listen in full to the July 20th, 1987 release by "the Godfather of Oakland rap." The album remains Too $hort's best: the one that laid the blueprint for the rest of his long career up to the present day. And although the LP is often presented as Short's "debut studio album," it was actually preceded in the mid 80's by a series of earlier albums by the young artist released on the local Oakland 75 Girls record label. But it would be this release on Dangerous Music (him and manager Randy Austin's breakaway label) album that would be the one to blow up Too $hort on a national level. The album led to the artist born Todd Shaw signing with Jive/RCA who would re-release the album the following year. Then the year after that, in 1989, the NYC based label would release Life is Too $hort followed by a string of many more Too $hort albums that would build upon the Born to Mack blueprint.  On each album the artist would further fine-tune the created persona of Playboy Short that he first presented on this definitive album. Re-released last year in 180 gram vinyl version by Plain Recordings, Born to Mack is a must have and worth it for just the two Too $hort classics "Freaky Tales" and "Dope Fiend Beat." 

"The mouths and minds that you loved in Wu-Tang Clan, De La Soul, Stetsaonic, and Too Poetic are here," read part of the 1994 press release (excerpt below) introducing, although they were out for few years already, the rap supergroup the Gravediggaz. The press release, sent out by Gee Street, part of Island Records.for the album 6 Feet Deep was accompanied by a couple of publicity photos by David Corio of the "horrorcore" group comprised of Prince Paul,  RZA, (aka Prince Rakeem), Poetic, and Fruitkwan. Both pics are included in this second part in the new Amoeblog series of paying tribute to artists, photographers, and labels involved in  hip-hop publicity / promo photos back in the 1990's. These are mostly all black and white photos from the mid nineties that accompanied  bio/press releases sent out at the time by record labels to print media, radio and television outlets. Part one included the Beastie Boys Gank Move, DJ QUIK  Above The Law,  King Tee, Black Czer,Kwame, Black Sheep and Jemini The Gifted One. This second part is from the years of 93, 94 and 95 and via such record labels as Relativity, Gee Street/Island, Loud/RCA, One-Way/BEG/Ichiban, Mercury/Polygram, MCA, Profile Records, and Ruffhouse / Columbia.  Daniel Hastings, who was also credited in part one, is among the photographers responsible for the pics here in part two.

Tickets for the 2016 Desert Daze festival are on sale now and you can purchase them in-store at Amoeba Hollywood. The good people at Moon Block have put together an incredible lineup and relocated the festival to a new location in Joshua Tree. The 3-day festival happens October 14-16 and features headliners Primus and Television, along with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Saul Williams, Deerhunter, The Black Angels, Thee Oh Sees, Cherry Glazerr, The Coathangers, Dead Meadow, and legendary proto-punk/garage rockers The Sonics, just to name a few.

There are three different ticket options available through Amoeba Hollywood. Please note there will be a $5 service charge per ticket, and store credit cannot be applied to concert ticket sales.

Desert Daze 2016 Ticket Prices:

• 3-day Festival + camping for $200 each
• 3-day Festival only passes for $170 each
• 3-day Camping only for $80 each
• 1-day Festival + camping for $104
  1-day Festival only pass for $79

Can't make it to Amoeba to buy tickets? You can also get them online here.

When classical musician/composer/curator Joshua Roman visits Amoeba Hollywood he's sure to pick out a very eclectic mix of music, one that includes electronic, opera, jazz, and Ween. "I discovered Ween in college when I discovered a lot of things, musical and non-musical," says Roman, "and some of them go very well with Ween." Masters of style" is what he calls them, saying, "They're the most versatile band that I know." High praise coming from someone with tastes as versatile as Roman.

Joshua Roman began his career in 2006 as the principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, a coveted position attained when he was only22. He has gone on to serve as the director of Seattle Town Hall's Town Music series, and has performed as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestras, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Ecuador. He has collaborated with artists such as Cho-Liang Lin, the Assad Brothers, Earl Carlyss, Christopher Taylor, Christian Zacharias, The JACK Quartet, So Percussion, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two, and playwright Anna Deveare Smith.

1: Blu & Nottz Titans In The Flesh  12" with ten tracks (Coalmine)
 
2: A$AP Ferg Always Strive & Prosper LP (RCA)
 
3: Analog Brothers Pimp To Eat LP reissue (Mello Music Group)

4: Bahamadia Kollage LP (Capitol)

5: Damu The Fudgemonk Untitled V1   7" (Redefinition/Fat Beats)

Future Pick: Atmosphere Fishing Blues LP (Rhymesayers Ent.)  release date 8/12/16 but pre-order now

 
It's mid-summer 2016 and hip-hop is in full on creative mode with a slew of new releases including the top five vinyl releases (LP, 12" and 7") above that include such new releases as Blu & Nottz and reissues such as the 1996 Bahamadia repress of Kollage, and the Analog Brothers (feat. alter egos of Kool Keith and Ice-T). There are also some incredibly innovative new hip-hop music videos out there these days such as the top five that follow below. And right now all over the US there's a rich variety of hip-hop shows and tours to choose from. For example in the Bay Area in the week ahead coming through town will be EPMD at Public Works on Thursday as part of their Strictly Business 30 Year Anniversary Tour in which they'll perform that 1988 album (28 year anniversary?) in full as well as dipping into their treasure trove of golden era hits from other albums including Unfinished Business. Associated with the latter part of that same throwback era, and on that same night but across the Bridge over in Oakland will be The Artifacts and Ed O.G. Unlike EPMD however they'll be playing newer as well as older material. With San Francisco emcee supertalent Z-Man as well as Karen Less, Mike Fish & The Monolyth, Unlearn The World, and Bottled Water also on the bill, the show takes place at Shadow Ultra Lounge/Level 13 located at 341 13th street Oakland, CA. 9pm 21+ $12 at door.  Meanwhile for a taste of some of hip-hop's modern progressive sounds that, at times embrace alt rock, I recommend the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Saturday (July 23) with  Yoni & Geti.  Yoni & Geti is the duo comprised of brilliant Chicago emcee Serengeti and WHY? frontman Yoni Wolf who he's been down with a good few years. Wolf co-produced Serengeti's  Family & Friends album for Anticon in 2011. In May of this year the two released their collaborative album Testarossa on Joyful Noise (also avail on vinyl). This current US tour, which will end a week later (July 30th) in Denver, CO at the Larimer Lounge, is in support of that new album.

Join us for free outdoor concerts under the stars at Pasadena's Memorial Park. See a variety of artists at the Levitt Pavilion, the park's restored 1930s band shell, including country-rock guitarist Albert Lee on July 23, the genre-spanning David Lindley on July 29, and many more. While you're there, visit the Amoeba Music booth, spin our prize wheel, win gift certificates, and more. More info on Levitt Pavilion Pasadena's Summer line-up HERE.

Albert Lee	David Lindley

 

L.A.’s “Best free outdoor Summer concert series," Grand Performances, continues its 30th season throughout July and August with a lineup reflecting the city’s diversity. Catch these free shows at California Plaza in Downtown L.A. and stop by Amoeba's booth to say hello!

Join us at Grand Performances on Friday, July 22 for the hot club cabaret sounds of Ginkgoa, and on Saturday, August 6 for Mbongwana Star's electro-infused Congolese dance music. Spin our prize wheel, get gift certificates, and more! Both shows start at 8pm. 

Check out Grand Performances' full schedule HERE.

 

Ginkgoa	Mbongwana Star

 

First in a series, this is a selection of mid 90's hip-hop publicity / promo photos (all black and white) sent out by record labels to print media, radio and television.The labels that sent them out these press packages in the years 1994 and 1995 included MCA, Mercury, Profile, Priority, WRAP/Ichiban, and such Relativity distributed labels as Ruthless and Lifestyles.The ten artists featured range from the iconic such as the Beastie Boys to the lesser known hip-hop acts as female rapper K-Nock whose 1994 album on WRAP Records Escape From Quad City was her only album released. Hence the publicity photo for her and the press release/bio that accompanied it was likely the only ones made for this artist. Also noteworthy is that the mid 1990's was a still a (pre digital download) period when the music industry was in a healthy state with ample extra dollars to put into promotion and publicity. Not only did record labels, both major and independent, send out advance promo CDs/records/tapes/videos but they were typically accompanied by nicely presented press packages: stylized folders with one or more professionally staged, glossy publicity photos, along with an in-depth bio and artist press clippings.

Summer is in full swing, and the weather is hot -- but these albums might be even hotter! Check out our twelve albums to watch for this summer to create the perfect soundtrack for pool parties, road trips, and lazy days at the beach.

Hole - Live Through This Out July 29 Hole's second album is finally getting a vinyl reissue! Never before available on wax in the US, the LP features some of the band's most-loved songs, "Miss World," "Doll Parts" and "Violet." Check out Courtney Love & co's classic video for "Doll Parts" below.

Cheena - Spend the Night with... Continue reading...

Old habits die hard. Hence whenever I'm driving round the Bay Area and scanning the left side of the radio dial (where the quality stations tend to cluster), I stop the tuner at 90.3FM subconsciously expecting to hear KUSF. But then the flood of sounds of bad classical that fill my speakers quickly remind me of the fact that the beloved San Francisco college radio station KUSF of old is gone. It's been gone for five and a half years. However recently fans of the station learned some good news when the FCC announced that it would be granting a (shared) low-powered FM license to SFCR, the station that's an outgrowth/continuation of the old KUSF.  

The Jesuit run University of San Francisco (USF) radio outlet, that began in 1963 as a campus-only AM station, had by 1977 morphed into the new music and community programming FM station that it became known and loved for. As such, for over three and a half decades, it broadcast from Phelan Hall on the USF campus via the 90.3FM frequency up until January 18th, 2011 when the  signal was suddenly and unceremoniously taken off the air, as first reported on the Amoeblog. A few weeks later, in an act of solidarity with the newly formed Save KUSF movement and the legions of KUSF 90.3FM supporters, Amoeba  Music San Francisco hosted a special KUSF DJs (including DJ Irwin and DJ Schmeejay) live broadcast on WFMU that was relayed/rebroadcast live on a slew of other stations including KFJC, KALX, KZSU locally, and KVRX Austin, WITC NY, WREK Atlanta, and KRFP Idaho nationally.

Everywhere you turn lately, people are talking about or playing Pokémon Go. It's a new augmented reality game you play on your cell phone that combines the real world with the virtual Pokémon world. Although it just launched last week, it's already more popular than Tinder.

After tons of trainers (as the users are called) were seen playing it on their phones while walking around Amoeba Hollywood, we discovered we're actually a gym in the game! A gym is where you go to battle other teams to either claim the gym as your own or defend it against attacking trainers. Plus, you get experience points by battling, which gets you more levels and more powerful Pokémon. However, to battle at a gym you need to get to Level 5 in the game. Confused? Read more about how the game works.

We're getting Pokémon Go fever like everyone else, so we're giving trainers a discount while you're playing at Amoeba Hollywood! Just take a screenshot of a Pokémon you caught inside Amoeba Hollywood and show it to the folks at the information counter on the main floor. We'll give you a $3 off coupon for your purchase of $5 or more. (Limit 1 per person per day. Can't be combined with other offers or discounts. Not valid on Amoeba.com. Offer ends July 19.)

Come catch 'em all!

We still have plenty of summer left this year, which is good news for sun worshipers, stone fruit enthusiasts, and voracious readers. Thanks to summer, we can participate in our favorite solitary hobby of being completely absorbed by a good book in the great outdoors -- and we can do so longer and later thanks to daylight savings time! So many great books have come out this summer or are on their way to bookshelves near you. Here's our guide to some of the highlights we've enjoyed and are looking forward to.

Music:

Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big by Jensen Karp (out now)
This is the hilarious and true story of Jensen Karp's wild ride as "Hot Karl," the most famous white rapper you've never heard of, who got his start performing at his friend's bar mitzvah and eventually signed to Interscope Records.

Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded by David Hepworth (out now)
Examines the music scene starting with the day after The Beatles broke up and the world was reshaped by David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Joni Mitchell.

In Love With These Times by Roger Shepherd (out now)
Flying Nun Records founder Roger Shepherd's memoirs reach back to the early days of the New Zealand label, dreamt up in the back rooms of a Christchurch record shop in the early '80s.

The Smiths by Nalinee Darmrong (out now)
This huge collection of photos by Nalinee Darmrong chronicles The Smiths during their peak years, 1985–1986, when Darmrong traveled with the band for the Meat Is Murder and The Queen Is Dead tours. See many previously unpublished photos of the band backstage and onstage, set lists, handcrafted promo materials, letters, clothing, and much more.

"I think it's extremely important to make lots of jokes in bleak times," says singer, producer, and DJ Cassy as she picks up a comedy record, What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most?, by Joan Rivers. Cassy loved her audacity, saying she had "the balls to say things that other people would never dare to say." Though she starts by referencing these bleak times, Cassy picked up some fun records when she recently visited Amoeba Hollywood, which ran the gamut from classical to techno to music "for when you're, like, a 50 year-old man. Which I'm not."

Born in England and raised in Austria, Cassy's career began in the '90s as a DJ at Viennese club Flex. Around the same time, she appeared as a vocalist on Elin's remix of Ganymed's "Music Takes Me Higher" and Zombie Nation's "Unload." After collaborations with DJ Dave the Hustler, Luciano, and Mathew Jonson, Cassy became further immersed in the minimal techno scene and relocated to Berlin. 

In 2004, Cassy became a resident at the legendary Panorama Bar, where she would hold down the decks once-a-month for three years. During this time she released tracks for labels such as Ostgut Ton, Perlon, and Beat Street, as well as her own Cassy imprint. After Berlin, Cassy did stints at clubs in Paris, Ibiza, and Amsterdam. She worked with King Britt on her debut full-length, Donna, which was just released via K7 last week. Cassy is currently on tour throughout Europe.

We're excited to reveal our newest web series, First Show Stories! Our film crew at Amoeba Hollywood has been chatting with some of the artists who've stopped by the store lately to learn more about their very first concert-going experiences. The first three installments in the series showcase memories from Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie, the Tweedy family, and A Nameless Ghoul from Ghost. Check out the stories below to get a glimpse into experiences that are alternately mortifying, exhilarating, and inspiring.

In this video, Nick Harmer talks about the "fairly traumatic" experience of going to see R.E.M. on their Green tour, describing how he saved his money and slept outside in line for tickets -- only to be one-upped by his mom.

 

The men of Tweedy -- Jeff, Spencer, and Sam -- talk about their vastly different first concert experiences; for Jeff, it was an early Stray Cats gig while Spencer says "it was probably a Wilco show," and Sam talks about seeing The Rolling Stones. Featuring family friend Steve Albini's bad life advice for kids!

In advance of tomorrow's (July 11, 2016) broadcast of VH1's Hip Hop Honors ceremony, honoree Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott discusses in the above preview clip how she figures she personally influenced hip-hop music. The artist, whose 1997 album Supa Dupa Fly is a classic of the genre, will be among several women honored in tomorrow evening's broadcast (9pm on the East and West Coasts and 8pm Centra) that will  be a welcome tribute to women in hip-hop. The  program will also celebrate the respective careers of fellow female hip-hop icons Lil' Kim, Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa featuring DJ Spinderella. The music videos for each of these artists, that appear below, showcase their spectacular respective individual talents. They also remind us, despite the achievements of female artists such as the multi-talented rapper/producer Elliot who has sold 30 million records to date, that women artists, decade after decade, continue to remain a minority within the male dominated hip-hop music industry. I have addressed the topic here before in previous articles such as one in March 2009 with the heading Why Is Ratio of Female to Male Rappers Still So Uneven?  In that piece former Tommy Boy Records president Monica Lynch, who signed Queen Latifah back in the late 80's and continued to work with the artist after long after both had left the label, offered that, "When you look at rap as a subset of the hip-hop culture at large, you see that a vast vast majority of the DJs were male, a vast majority of the graffiti artists were guys, the vast majority of the breakdance crews were men, and the vast majority of the rappers were male. So it was just an extension of the origins of hip-hop culture being a predominantly male culture." 

We're having a Sidewalk Sale at Amoeba Hollywood on Saturday, July 16th from 12pm - 4pm, right outside the store. We'll have huge bargains on the following:

• DVD box sets: $5 each or 2 for $8
• DVDs: $2 each or 3 for $5
• Blu-ray: $4 each or 3 for $10
• CDs: buy 1 get 1 [of equal or lesser value] free
• Freshly stocked 45s for $1 each
• Magazines, books & comics 3 for $1
• $1 LPs plus great deals on posters, toys & collectibles

Our friends at Hubert's Lemonade will also be here with free lemonade for our thirsty customers. Come out and treat yourself to some inexpensive new movies and music from Amoeba!

All sidewalk sale items are aggressively sale priced. Therefore, we do not accept store credits, gift certificates, coupons or other offered store sales for any sidewalk sale items. Additionally, we cannot offer customer holds or mail order. All sales are final.

Unveiled over the past 24 hours and within a couple of days of the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling by Baton Rouge police and of Philando Castile by Minnesota police, both Oakland's Mistah F.A.B. and Houston's Slim Thug have each unleashed new songs with biting criticism of the rampant police brutality against African American men in their immediate communities as well as nationally. The brand new anti police misconduct track by Mistah F.A.B., who recently released, 21 track, guest-heavy latest album Son of A Pimp 2, is The Mekanix produced "6 Shots" that he posted online earlier today. Hear the new song below along with the new Slim Thug track. That Slim Thug song on the topic of police misconduct is "IDKY (feat. X.O.)" and is culled from the Texas rapper's forthcoming album Hogg Life Vol. 4: American King. That upcoming release, the final in the 4 part CD/DVD series that began in February 2015 with Hogg Life: The Beginning - Part 1 of 4,  is scheduled to arrive via the EMPIRE label into Amoeba on August 4th.

"This shit happens in the ghetto cos we're poor",  raps Mistah F.A.B. on his new protest song that includes other lyrics like “Same situation, black victim, white cop / same scenario; 6 months later, case dropped” and "shot Oscar [Grant] in the back with his hands up" with the haunting refrain "Mr. Officer, Mr. Officer. Death and jail the only thing they offer us."  And as Ice Cube had done 28 years earlier in N.W.A's landmark protest rap song "Fuck The Police" ("Black police showing out for the white cop"), F.A.B. also calls out black police officers. "What got me hot is there ain't no black cops speakin' out/coulda been your son, coulda been your daughter out there bleedin' out/tell me what good is having arms if you ain't reachin' out/tell me what good is having a tongue if you ain't speakin' out," raps Mistah F.A.B. on the track that, note, ends with a clip from a speech by African-American police officer Nakia Jones who did speak out against fellow officers.  As for a solution Mistah F.A.B: offered that, "Police forces need to invest more in prevention. And they need to be held accountable for their actions as well. We have to stop the 'bro-code' of police and courts standing in so lidarity with each other just because they wear the same badge." He advises civilians to be fully aware of their rights and "how to react in escalating situations with the police."

"I was born and raised in the USA / Where we see cops killing blacks on the news every day / And they do it like it’s okay, like they know they gon' get away / To stop myself from thinking reckless I just ignore it and pray," raps  Slim Thug on the "IDKY" which he was going to wait until his new album dropped in four weeks before unveiling. But in light of the fatal shootings by police earlier this week the artist rushed released the album track as a preview single. "I remember thinking in the last few weeks this song might be too late cause it's been a minute since the last one and look here we go again twice in less than 24hrs," said Slim Thug in reference to the fatal shootings this week of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling who were the 558th and 560th people respectively killed by the police in the US in 2016.

Originally released in 1977, NYC duo Suicide’s self-titled LP is more punk rock than the Sex Pistols, Television, Ramones, or any other band typically identified with the era. Eschewing raucous guitar riffs for primitive drum machines beats and distorted synths, Alan Vega and Martin Rev had been making music together since 1970, long before the concept of punk was even a remunerative gleam in Malcolm McLaren’s eye. Lots of punks hated them, in fact, with an audience member at a 1978 gig supporting The Clash in Glasgow going so far as to throw an axe at Vega’s head. Rolling Stone called the album “absolutely puerile.” (The magazine later recanted and listed the LP at number 441 on their list of the best 500 albums of all time.)

The first time I heard album opener “Ghost Rider,” I was on my way home after a night out with a friend--a moment that wouldn't have been at all remarkable, except for its soundtrack. “What is this?” I asked, with a barely restrained urgency. Asking this question was no small feat; I was twenty-one, the youngest person working at my hometown’s best record store, and one of the few girls on staff. As a matter of pride, I did NOT want to admit that I didn’t know something about music — especially when everyone else seemed to already know about it. But this was more important than pride. It was inventive, bold, paranoid, intelligent, and very, very dark. It was, as my friend told me, Suicide’s first album.

-- By doubleay

Future is a definitive Hip-hop titan who has garnered sky-high numbers in all aspects of his business and has established a platform that ascends from trap music to the mainstream in a way few artists could ever hope to achieve. The past two years of his career have been a wildfire run to say the least and he is currently sitting comfortably at the highest pinnacle he's ever known. As for touring he opened up for Drake’s Jungle tour, then his own international Purple Reign tour, and is now about to embark on another tour with Drake for his huge Summer Sixteen tour. In addition to the rigorous touring, Future has managed to release three studio albums, four solo mixtapes, a collaboration project with Drake, and host DJ Esco’s recent Esco Terrestrial mixtape. At this point Future’s discography has become rather hearty and reliable collaborators say there is tons more unreleased material in the vault. Among his three albums released in the past two years, the most recent, Evol, was just released on vinyl.

Prior to the vinyl pressing, it was originally released digitally back in February of 2016. Evol is 11 cuts highlighting Future’s iconic dark and twisted stylings. Always known for his somber grittiness, Future keeps Evol thematically depressive and street-oriented, but features a more cohesively melodic approach to the album. Future’s vocal capabilities are historically stand-out, but in the past his singing and rapping have seemed less calculated. On Evol his approach is more formulaic, providing more fluidity as he goes from spitting to singing in his tracks. This vocal presence creates a moody introspective body of music that provides so much more physical depth to the project compared to that of an average Hip-hop album.

Portland-based singer-songwriter M. Ward recently performed at Amoeba Hollywood and took a moment to do some record shopping for our "What's In My Bag?" series. California fans have another chance to see him in concert July 8th at the UC Theatre Taube Music Family Hall in Berkeley, July 10th at the Hollywood Bowl playing with Brian Wilson, and July 12 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach.

M. Ward performs under his own name and is half of the duo She & Him. He began his musical career in 1999 with the release of his debut, Duet for Guitars #2. For his third album, 2003's Transfiguration of Vincent, he signed with Merge Records, kicking off a long-running partnership between the artist and the label. He followed this release with Transistor Radio and 2006's Post War, which featured appearances from Neko Case, Jim James, and Howe Gelb. Ward's next LP, Hold Time, was similarly star-filled, with performances from Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Lucinda Williams, Tom Hagerman (DeVotchKa), and his partner in She & Him, Zooey Deschanel.

In a scenario somewhat similar to that of J Dilla, whose dedicated fanbase has exponentially grown since his death a decade ago, so too has the following of the late great Mac Dre multiplied since his 2004 (still unsolved) murder in Kansas City, MO. The Detroit rapper/producer and the Bay Area rapper share not only iconic status and popular posthumous releases (and merchandise) but also an annual date dedicated to their respective legacies.

These annual celebrations only further build upon these two hip-hop artists' fanbases. The annual Dilla Day happens in early February every year around the time of his birthday while Mac Dre Day (aka Dre Day) takes place every year on today's date, July 5th. Were he still alive, the artist born Andre Hicks would be celebrating his 46th birthday today. 

Every year for the past several years, with major input from the folks at Mac  Dre's Thizz Nation there have been Mac Dre tribute concerts in various Bay Area cities from Petaluma to San Jose and San Francisco where tonight's Mac Dre Day celebration will take place at The Regency Ballroom at 7pm.

Amoeba Hollywood regularly sells tickets to local shows. Get physical tickets from us and skip the high fees!

All tickets can be purchased at the registers (while supplies last) forx a $2 service fee. We take cash and credit cards for all ticket sales. Store credit and coupons cannot be applied to ticket sales. Limit 4 tickets per person. 

We have a new partnership with Teragram Ballroom, an intimate venue in downtown LA. We are the only place in town to buy physical tickets (aside from the venue itself). We'll have a small amount of tickets for every Teragram show available the day they are announced on a first-come, first-served basis with our low $2 ticket service fee.

For The Novo (formerly Club Nokia) and Shrine Expo Hall shows, we only carry general admission tickets. If you wish to purchase reserved seating at The Novo (where available), you can buy those tickets online here. If you wish to purchase reserved seating at Shrine Expo Hall (where available), you can buy those tickets online here.

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

Tickets are limited, so please call the store first to make sure they are available: 323-245-6400.
 

It's no secret that here at Amoeba we love, love, love us some Showgirls! I'm talking about Paul Verhoeven's inimitable 1995 stripper dance flick starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon. I mean, what's not to love? It's a marvelously shot Sin City fable penned by Joe Eszterhas (the mind behind Flashdance and Basic Instinct) about a transient whore dancer with killer nail art skills, a tendency to flail wildly when it comes to food or sex, and a dream of making it big in showbiz. As the story goes, they could have brought anyone aboard this shamelessly camp-tacular cheesewagon: Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul... Nomi Malone is what Las Vegas is all about, and she is the reason I try to celebrate her "uhhh, seven, three...seventy-three" birthday every year with a never "too old for that whorey look" home screening party. This doesn't dissuade me from attending local annual viewing events of course; San Francisco has a rich history of homage when it comes to showing Showgirls.



This tradition of reveling in the ritual of annual Showgirls screening started many moons ago thanks to the programming prowess of Peaches Christ—San Francisco's own mistress of movie madness—whose curated Midnight Mass film series featured Showgirls screenings year after year, usually in Summertime. I was hooked at once and I wish I could say I went to every show, but it seemed with each passing season the popularity of the Midnight Mass Showgirls extravaganza erupted like the titular Goddess from the Volcano, growing more riotous, elaborate, and difficult to get tickets for, perhaps owing to levels upon levels of ever-growing cult appeal and the irresistible promise of a FREE lap-dance with the purchase of every large popcorn. This lead to my making a thing of viewing the film with friends whenever making Peaches' party wasn't in the cards, fixing the day by the date of birth Nomi gives in the scene where she's finalizing her gig with Stardust HR.

This year Ms. Christ is flipping the script by starring in the West Coast premiere of the off-Broadway stage parody Showgirls - The Musical! But that's another (forthcoming) Amoeblog post, to be sure, but I'm gearing up for another Nomi Birthday gathering by ticking of tasks on the party prep list. Want to get down with your own Showgirls shindig? Here are some suggestions: 

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1: Marco Polo Collectables Slice of Spice)

2: Knxwledge Wraptaypes (Cassette) (All City)

3: Oddisee The Odd Tape (Mello Music Group)

4: Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "Yo Home To Bel Air" 
+"Parents Just Don't Understand" (12") (Enjoy The Ride Records)

5:  House Shoes  The Makings (Cassette) (Street Corner Music)

As  the music business continues to go through its ever shifting changes in this constantly evolving digital download age, the number of physical analog release continues to build each year, from reissues to new releases on vinyl and cassette. The current top five above includes cassette releases from LA based, Detroit producer House Shoes (The Makings on Street Corner Music) and from Knxwledge (Wraptaypes on All City). All City is the Dublin, Ireland record label (and similarly named record store) run by DJ OB who had released music by Knxwledge years ago and years before the LA based, NJ raised producer had put out music on Stones Throw.  Among the growing number of reissues on vinyl of out of print older releases is the reissue this week of the 1992 single  "Yo Home To Bel Air" / "Parents Just Don't Understand." The 12" record, re-released this past Friday by Enjoy The Ride Records,  was Initially released by Jive/Zomba almost a full quarter century ago.