General

This Saturday, the man responsible for penning such Goth rock essentials as “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and “No New Tale to Tell” returns to The Sunset Strip spotlight for a one-night only intimate engagement at The Viper Room. Of late, the cult icon has been keeping his musical docket plenty full with the recently released reworking of his classic Bauhaus anthem, as well as a myriad of other side-projects.

Speaking to TSS.com about his upcoming show, the current status (or lack there of) of Bauhaus and reminiscing about jukebox jammin’ with David Bowie, Mr. David J seems to have no shortage of New Tales to Tell.

Tell us about “Bela Lugosi’s Dead (Undead Is Forever)” that you released a few months back.  What is it about that song that just keeps drawing you back?

This Friday, Dec. 6 pioneering rock n’ roll frontwoman Cherie Currie returns to her humble beginnings here on The Sunset Strip for a very special Toys for Tots benefit show at the Viper Room. 
Before heading out to “Rock This Christmas Down” and sing-a-long to all your favorite youthful angst anthems, catch up with Currie as she reminisces about her early days on The Sunset Strip, talks about a possible Runaways reunion and shares her newfound love of…chainsaw carving?
 
Paint us a picture of what The Strip was like in the mid-seventies when The Runaways were first getting started?

In case you missed it, here are some mega highlights from the week we just had!
 
-The Roxy turned 40! That’s four decades of amazing performances and music. From Neil Young performing during the opening night to Bob Marley’s “Live From The Roxy” album and live show, Frank Zappa, Pee Wee Herman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jane’s Addiction, Adele, Alabama Shakes and so.many.more. What an amazing celebration! Check out The Roxy’s YouTube playlist for some of the live shows you may have missed. 
-“Springbreaker” Vanessa Hudgens turned heads with a wild show at Bootsy Bellows on Tuesday night.  

Australia born, avante-art band The Red Paintings have been circling the globe for well over a decade, bringing their orchestral rock sound and all encompassing mixed media stage shows to the spellbound masses. Currently on tour to support their soon to be released sophomore album, The Revolution Is Never Coming, the band and their human canvases recently stopped by The Sunset Strip to perform an intimate, stripped down show at The Roxy Theatre.

Before hitting the stage, TRP frontman Trash McSweeney sat down with TSS.com for an enlightening discussion about the forthcoming record, mid-show paint pandemonium and what it’s like to literally hear colors.

Featured in celebrity art galleries across the nation, Canada-based artist Stacey Wells has built her own celebrity following one brush stroke at a time, combining her two favorite subjects on canvas: rock stars and fine wine. Despite residing thousands of miles away, Wells has been a consistent presence on The Sunset Strip for the past few years, making frequent pilgrimages to capture portraits of many of the local bands for her “Reflections of The Strip” series.  

It was this passion for music, art and all things Sunset Strip that brought Wells to the attention of the Gibson GuitarTown project, which chose her to design the “Welcome To My Nightmare” Alice Cooper inspired guitar sculpture as part of the public art installation.

The Sunset Strip is known for its long history of influencing music and the arts. This year, in celebration of this history, the Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) has partnered with Ethos Gallery and graffiti artist RISK to release two special limited edition SSMF poster prints.

“Sunset Strip is California to me. I have so many good memories there. From sneaking into shows when I was in high school, to business meetings as a young adult, to having been celebrated as an accomplished artist for painting a guitar for my heroes, The Doors, last year. Being the first of many great artists to create an annual limited edition poster for the Sunset Strip Music Festival is truly an honor! The Strip continues to be a chronological calendar of highlights in my life,” stated RISK.

Anyone who’s ventured by The Roxy Theatre in the past few years has probably stopped to admire the eye-catching artwork that adorns the venue’s poster boxes. Danny Curnen (a.k.a. Danny Excess) is the artist behind most of The Roxy’s now signature aesthetic show posters, and he is now branching out into the sculptural medium with his own ten-foot tall ZZ Top-inspired Gibson GuitarTown art guitar, which will soon be installed on the fabled boulevard where he lives and works.  

A new round of giant art guitars are coming to The Sunset Strip! The 2013 installment of Gibson GuitarTown on The Sunset Strip will feature works celebrating 2013 Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) honoree Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Love, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry, among others. The guitars will be unveiled at a private ceremony on July 17 and will be on display at the Saturday, August 3 SSMF street festival before being placed along the boulevard for public display.

If Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino picked up guitars instead of cameras, chances are their music would’ve sounded pretty damn close to Brent Amaker and The Rodeo. The Seattle-based six-piece recently stopped by the Viper Room on The Sunset Strip to bring their new record, Year Of The Dragon, to a growing cult following of fans across the U.S.

Before donning their crisp, white western wears and taking the stage, Mr. Amaker himself took a moment to speak with TSS.com about their much buzzed about new full length, the blur of life on the road and the quest for – of all things – a laundry detergent sponsor…

Western music from Seattle? What are the origins of The Rodeo?

 
The Doors’ founding keyboardist, Ray Manzarek passed away today at the age of 74, after a long battle with cancer. 
 
As the honoree of the 2012 Sunset Strip Music Festival, Manzarek and the other founding members of The Doors were recognized by the city of West Hollywood and the legendary venues along The Strip for their immense contributions, impact and legacy that has helped make this fabled boulevard the landmark destination it is today.