"Hollywood, DC: Lights! Camera! Election!" exhibit at WORLD OF WONDER

Batmobama and Robiden by Paul Richmond

Snow White Palin and Dopey McCain by Richard J Frost

Farrah Palin by Jamie Boling

Condoleessa Rice by Jason Mecier (literally made of rice)

Reagansaurus by Richard J Frost


The artwork above is part of "Hollywood, DC: Lights! Camera! Election!" exhibit on display through election day at WORLD OF WONDER Storefront Gallery located at 6650 Hollywood Blvd (at Cherokee), Hollywood.

The exhibit features the political artwork of more than 40 artists. Most of the pieces make you laugh out loud. All of the work is great. The ones above were favorites of mine. I'll be spending election night at this gallery watching the results and hoping for the best! This party is open to anyone wearing an I VOTED sticker. The party will be going until the vodka runs out or the results are in.

Flogging Molly, Anti Flag, The Briggs, and Jackson United at the Hollywood Palladium

JACKSON UNITED




THE BRIGGS





ANTI FLAG




FLOGGING MOLLY






Flogging Molly, Anti Flag, The Briggs, and Jackson United totally rocked the newly remodeled Hollywood Palladium on this last night of their most recent tour. It was awesome to hang out with so many great friends and to see four incredible bands perform in one night. The place was packed, the bands were amazing, & everyone in the audience and the bands obviously had a blast.

Hollywood Boulevard at Night

I love Hollywood Blvd at night.

While it's not beautiful in the traditional sense, there is a lot to see - from the wild window displays to the old movie stars painted on the storefronts' roll down shutters.

I highly recommend taking a leisurely stroll down the boulevard's "Walk of Fame" after 10pm any night Sunday through Wednesday to experience the absolute contrast of the daytime hustle and bustle of the vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It's actually quite serene.

Tiny's KO on Hollywood Blvd

I'm continuing my birthday week celebrations tonight at Tiny's Mustache Party.

Tiny's is a small, friendly, punk rock bar located on Hollywood Blvd just East of Cahuenga. Everyone who works there is super cool and fun, the decor is interesting (clowns and naked ladies), the food they serve is better than a lot of local restaurants, most of the people sitting at the bar are regulars, the jukebox is the best in town, and many bands faithfully gather there for drinks after their Hollywood shows. Ron (who works behind the bar Sun/Mon and other random nights) is my favorite bartender ever.

If you haven't been there yet be sure to check it out sometime. What they say on their MySpace page is true. Tiny's will be "your new favorite bar." Tiny's doesn't open until 8pm these days, but has 2 for 1 drink specials until 9. And really... grab dinner there sometime. The chef cooks up only fresh food and offers many veggie options. Hey - you just might need some food after the 2 for 1 specials and the strong drinks.

Expect some pictures from the mustache party in this blog soon. : )

Long Beach "Q" Film Festival

(Jason Dottley of Sordid Lives smiles as actor/comedian/emcee Alex Boling sneaks a kiss)



(Kate Siegal and Alan Ritchson of Steam)



(Del Shores with cast members of Sordid Lives)

I attended the 1st night of the Long Beach "Q" Film Festival as a volunteer photographer and was absolutely blown away by the incredible screenings of the moving sneak peek at the documentary Teach Your Children Well, the hilarious show Sordid Lives and the beautiful movie Steam.

Teach Your Children Well (by Gary Takesian & Roz Esposito) is a documentary about a the recent murder of a young, gay, Oxnard teen, Lawrence King.

Sordid Lives (written and directed by Del Shores) is a TV show about the people in a small Texas town who "learn to see each other for who they are instead of who they wish each other to be." It is hilarious and the actors are incredible. Del participated in a Q&A session after the screenings along with cast members Jason Dottley, Newell Alexander, Rosemary Alexander, David Cowgill, Ted Detwiler, Emerson Collins, and Ann Walker.

Steam is an incredibly beautiful film about the lives of three different women: a recently widowed elderly woman (Ruby Dee), a recently divorced single mother (Ally Sheedy), and a young lesbian college student (Kate Siegal). The women meet in a sauna and see each other almost weekly and talk. We follow their personal and family relationships. Some parts are hilarious and others actually made ME cry (I rarely do that).

The Q Film Festival is taking place all weekend long at Art Theatre located at 2025 E Fourth Street, Long Beach and was organized by The (Gay and Lesbian) Center of Long Beach. All proceeds from this weekends events are going toward the theatre and to get more VOTE NO ON PROP 8 commercials aired.

The event is being emceed by Alex Boling, Carlease Burke, and Lynda Montgomery. All are accomplished actors and/or comedians.

DC area friends: Steam will be screening at the AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD on Sat, October 18. I highly recommend going. Visit Reel Affirmations for details.

Civet at The Viper Room

The hard rocking beauties of Civet tore up the Viper Room tonight. The show was very last minute, and I'm glad I was able to attend - and shoot. Civet recently signed with Hellcat Records and their new album, Hell Hath No Fury, was released September 9th and is one of my favorite albums of the year. Be sure to pick up a copy.

I'm going to go off on a tangent because I want to share a story about these ladies from about 3 years ago to show just how awesome they truly are. A friend of mine started organizing monthly fundraisers to benefit sick companion animals who had racked up ridiculous veterinarian expenses and the profit from the events went to toward the bills. The little, old man, one-eyed chihuahua with spinal problems that I had at the time (Sharky) was chosen to be a recipient of a Bark Victory event.

I mentioned that we were thinking of organizing a punk show for Sharky's fundraiser to these ladies and they were the first to volunteer to play. Other bands to who donated their time and incredible talent included The Kids of Widney High and The Breakdowns . It was such a fun night full of great music and friends. We raised a significant amount of money which helped to keep Sharky comfortable for the last few months of his life. I'm very grateful to everyone who was involved. : ) All of these bands definitely gained more fans that night.

The Breakdowns are no longer together, but these bands have brought about other great musical acts. Dave is playing with The Strangers and Perry and Max are now playing with Cat (ex-Civet drummer) in The Lost Captains. Civet and The Strangers met on tour years ago and are featured in the documentary film Punk Rock Circus which was, coincidentally, produced by Scott who also now plays in Lost Captains!

Johnny Rioux of Street Dogs in Bass Player Magazine

I'm happy to learn that my good friend, Johnny Rioux, of Street Dogs will be appearing in an upcoming issue of Bass Player Magazine. I don't know much more than it will be out soon and they're using my photo.

They recently signed with Hellcat and the new album, State of Grace, is incredible - honestly one of my favorites of theirs yet. Their live shows are high energy and a lot of fun... and they're out on tour now! Be sure to check out Street Dogs on MySpace and catch them live. Once you know the songs it's almost impossible to not sing along.

Fun fact: This summer the crew of Warped tour elected them as the band with the "best mosh pit."

Bob Schmidt's (of Flogging Molly) Birthday Bash

I was so pleased to be invited to celebrate Bob Schmidt's birthday with his family. Not only did we celebrate his birthday, but we also celebrated the upcoming birth of his first baby - due in late January! Woo hoo! I've been friends with Bob for years and have known his family for almost as long. It's no wonder he's such a great guy. He comes from such a loving and fun (... and HUGE) family. Bob has 4 brothers and a sister. His mom, who is hilarious, had 2 articles posted on the fridge "Mothers of Sons Lived Shorter Lives, Study Shows" and an article from the 70's where young Bob was interviewed as a "Cartoon Expert" about a writer's strike.

Bob plays mandolin, mandola, tenor banjo, five string banjo, and sings back-up vocals in Flogging Molly. Their live show is one of the most fun things you can possibly experience. Everyone in the audience turns Irish for (at least) a few hours.

One of my greatest friends, the lovely and talented Lindsay Hutchens, was there snapping shots for her long-term project on the band members' relationships with their spouses and extended families. She has also been friends with the band for years and has done a lot of their promo and album photography. She's also an amazing photographer. I really look forward to seeing this project when it's done. Check out her work at www.LindsayHutchens.com.

Lindsay had a photo of Flogging Molly published in the same issue of SPIN Magazine that I had a photo of Coheed and Cambria published this past year. It was the first time for both of us in such a major publication. We were so excited we jumped up and down and screamed. I'm so glad I got to share that experience with such a great friend! : )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB! And Congratulations to Bob and Ella!

Amon Amarth

I spent two nights rocking out at the Anaheim and Hollywood Amon Amarth shows. The first night was a last-minute surprise by a friend. I had actually never heard of them before. When she described them as "Swedish Viking Death Metal" I knew I was in for a treat. The crew was super cool and hooked me up for a photo pass for the second night.

Their current North American tour doesn't include many dates in the states, so I feel fortunate to have seen them twice. I had forgotten how much fun metal shows are to attend. They put on one hell of a show and I'll definitely be watching for them when they come around again.

One of the highlights for me was their beer horns. I love how the vocalist wears (and drinks) from his for the entire show. The horns are very intricately carved with the band logo and runes, and I was told they cost 400-500 pounds. I suggested plastic versions to sell at the merch booth. Perhaps we'll see those in the future. ; )

\m/ \m/

The Familiars

The Familiars is a jazz fusion made up of two thirds of The Devil's Orchestra. This duo has been playing out for only a few months and they've already landed a Tuesday night residency at the trendy, upscale Green Door in Hollywood. The first show was last night and they had the place packed. It's free to get in to see them, but be prepared to pay $10 a drink.

The Familiars rock a bit harder than jazz bands I've seen and the sound is absolutely beautiful. As I've said before these guys are ridiculously talented and you will surely be hearing about them. I honestly can't wait to see what any one of these guys comes up with next.

Be sure to "friend" The Familiars on MySpace. Then do yourself a favor and check them out live!