Our pals The Insect Surfers who we released a 10″ vinyl record with years back will be playing at La Luz de Jesus Gallery as part of an art opening featuring Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker and Damian Fulton (who illustrated our Redondo Beat LP), with free rum courtesy of Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum  Here’s the details:

Legendary visual artist William Stout guests on Over Under Sideways Down – LuxuriaMusic.com, Wednesday May 1 3-5 PM Pacific. He will be signing his new book, Legends of the Blues at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on Saturday, May 4 from 6 – 9 PM.

William Stout has a long and varied resume including paleontological illustrations, art exhibitions, feature film storyboards and production art, theme park design and a stint in radio with Firesign Theater. Close to the heart of music fans and record collectors, Stout was the guy who did the fabulous illustrations on the paper inserts and later, deluxe covers that adorned the legendary Trademark of Quality bootlegs in the 1970s (well documented in the book  Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry and on Stout’s website.) He also did a stint as art director for Bomp! Magazine.

Stout has just released a book / CD called Legends of the Blues. Inspired as most baby boomers by the British Invasion of the 1960s, Stout took a particular liking to The Yardbirds and ended up with the Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds LP which had a huge impact on him. He purchased a harmonica and dug deeply into the blues – both old and new, amassing quite a bit of blues knowledge and a substantial record collection. Decades later, Stout was recruited to create some artwork for Shout! Factory’s series of CDs by prominent blues artists. The label had licensed the Heroes of the Blues Trading Cards images created by R. Crumb for the series, but there were several musicians that he hadn’t drawn for the card set. Crumb did not want to create any more blues art so Stout was contacted and asked draw a few images for the series in the same format as Crumb’s card set. And, after he finished the CD art, he kept going – creating more and more images of blues legends and unknowns, even branching out to British and contemporary American bluesmen and women, while recovering from cancer surgery.

Stout loves and is passionate about this music, and it shows in his beautifully illustrated portraits and enthusiastic and loving one-page biographies of Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Johnny Otis, Champion Jack Dupree and others. With the exception of Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson, none of the artists in this book are repeated from Crumb’s Heroes of the Blues card set. This book, including only performers born before 1930, will hopefully be the first of three blues books.

The Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – Legends of the Blues bonus music CD compiled and sequenced by Wiilliam Stout features tracks by Big Joe Williams, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Nighthawk, Bukka White, Robert Wilkins, Mississippi Fred McDowell “This Little Light of Mine, Bukka White, Cow Cow Davenport, Big Joe Williams, Bukka White, Robert Wilkins, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Blind Willie McTell, and Buddy Moss.

Give a listen to William Stout this coming Wednesday, May 1 on LuxuraMusic.com and come to La Luz de Jesus Gallery to meet the artist in person on Saturday, May 4! La Luz de Jesus is located at 4633 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027, www.laluzdejesus.com. If you can’t make it and would like to purchase a signed book via mail, contact the shop at (323) 663-0122 or sales@soapplant.com

Some of William Stout’s Trademark of Quality covers…

This week’s Over Under Sideways Down features special guest, artist Vicki Berndt along with your show host Lee Joseph. We’ll be talking music and art and playing some of Vicki’s favorite records!

Vicki’s obsession with art, photography, and rock ‘n’ roll began early in life and continues to this day. As a child, she painted and photographed her favorite rock stars. In her teens, she was the singer of punk band called The Maggots (whose obscure AND legendary 1980 “Let’s Get Tammy Wynette” 45 now goes for hundreds of dollars) and became involved in the DIY fanzine scene, giving her and her pals reason to “sneak” backstage and interview bands. When her friends needed photos for their bands, she became a rock photographer which led her to work on album covers and music publications. Berndt has worked with Red Kross, The Muffs, Long Gone John’s Sympathy for the Record Industry, Dionysus Records, Sub Pop, Slash, IRS and many other bands, labels and music publications. Berndt currently creates merchandise for the estates of both Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone and continues to do commissions as well as merchandise in her Etsy store. Her art show, Idle Worship opens at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on Friday, May 3 with an artist reception from 8-11 PM. The show stays up through June 2.

Pipe Smoking Goblet Drinking Retro Painter Magazine Album Poster Pin-Up Kitsch Shoe Illustrator Retro Fun Loving “Prince of Pop Art” Guy, artist Mitch O’Connell has a new career spanning book out via Last Gasp called Mitch O’Connell: The World’s Best Artist.  This marvelously massive (and heavy) book, wrapped in a thick embossed glittery squishy cover that’s every bit as fun to touch as it is to look at, will keep Mitch O’Connell fans as well as those curious, busy for hours. This “tome” collects everything from Mitch’s school book doodles to his sold-out art pieces, illustrations from Playboy, Mad Magazine, The New York Times, poster art, CD and album covers, and his illustrations in comics and fanzines.  The book contains enough text to give you the low-down on the images and there is a very cool section where Mitch names off and talks about his inspirations such as artists and illustrators Bernie Wrightson, Burne Hogarth, John Romita, J.C. Leyendecker, Ivan Albright, Frank Fruzyna and Mitch’s mom and dad!  – fewf… It’s seriously eye-popping and well worth the totally fair $35 suggested retail price.

Mitch is doing a short book tour including a stop here in Los Angeles at La Luz de Jesus Gallery which will also feature a slide-show of his art. Come by, say hi, and get a book signed!

Mitch O’Connell signs Mitch O’Connell: The Worlds Best Artist
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
Sunday, February 24, 2013, 3-6 PM
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-666-7667

La Luz de Jesus’ 2013 Laluzapalooza / Kitschen Sync Juried Group Show Includes Art by The Creepy Creeps / Creepxotica’s Dave Warshaw!

After publicly extending their annual Laluzapalooza juried group show submission deadline an extra month, La Luz de Jesus Gallery‘s Billy Shire and Matt Kennedy sorted through over 15,000 images to select over 220 paintings, drawings, sculptures, assemblages, and photographs to be included in their biggest show of the year.

Laluzapalooza patrons will see a noticeable difference in the tone of the show, reflecting a shift toward labor-intensive work of all mediums. Along with work from animators, tattooists, graphic designers, and commercial illustrators, La Luz de Jesus is incorporating photography and digital art into the show. Shire and Kennedy didn’t set out to change the show’s parameters, but several submitted pieces fit the format so perfectly, the duo decided to accept the works and expand the show. They are both confident that there is a “WOW!” factor in this year’s Laluzapalooza which you won’t see in any other group show.

2013′s Laluzapalooza showcases artists from six continents: North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe

View the 2013 show preview

View Laluzapalooza 2012 gallery install photos

This year’s Laluzapalooza features the following artists:
Peter Adamyan
Jeannie Houston Antes
Susanne Apgar
Briana Bainbridge
Christopher Bales
Davidd Batalon
James Bentley
Michelle Bickford
Winifred Brewer
Michael Brown
Mark Bryan
Erin Burrell
Jeaneen Carlino
Victor Castillo
Adrian Cherry
CHOD
JAW Cooper
Torii Cooper
Edward Robin Coronel
Matthew Couper
Robert Craig
Jessica Dalva
John de Fazio
Dave Dexter
James Dowlen
Mark Edward
Bruce Eichelberger
Angela Ellefson
Jessica Fife
Harold Fox
Don Fritz
Richard Frost
Germs
Mark Gleason
Steve Diet Goedde
Kim Gordon
Max Grundy
Sunny Gu
Walt Hall
Howard Hallis
Hanzel Haro
AshFord Harrison
Derek Harrison
Clare Hebert
Brett Herman
Andy Hernandez
Sam Ho
Scott Holloway
Jason Houchen
Jack Howe
Stephanie Inagaki
Jinx
JoKa
Jessica Joslin
Jason Justice
Brent Kallenbach
Shannon Keller
Billy Kheel
Jaesun Kim
Michael Kortez
Norbert Kox
Lindsey Kuhn
Zoe Lacchei
Mavis Leahy
Dave Lebow
Alexis Lopez
Lizz Lopez
Didu Losso
Carl Lozada
Dion Macellari
Apricot Mantle
D.W. Marino
Ofelia Marquez
Horacio Martinez
Mary Ancilla Martinez
Aya Masuda
Genie Melisande
Miso
Graham Moore
Click Mort
Lyle Motley
Emi Motokawa
Dustin Myers
David Natale
Ron Norman
Daisuke Okamoto
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Tammi Otis
Leah Parrent
Brian Poor
Matthew Price
Anthony Purcell
Eric Quezada
Cate Rangel
Bonni Reid
Billy Reynolds
Ave Rose
Ken Ruzic
SAGE
Van Saro
Justin Schaefer
Kim Scott
Dale Sizer
Aniela Sobieski
Mike Sosnowski
Spinestealer
Josh Stebbins
Sean Stepanoff
Anna Stump
Hui Tan
Treiops Treyfid
Pamela Tu
Christopher Umana
Eric Van Straaten
Vega
Dave Warshaw
Mirmy Winn
Jasmine Worth
Sandra Yagi
Mimi Yoon
Kim Zsebe

Laluzapalooza: Everything but the Kitschen Sync Vol. XVII
(Year XXVII of the Greatest Group Show on Earth)

March 1 – 31, 2013
Opening Reception: Friday, March 1st, 8-11 pm

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker Tales From the Tiki Lounge
Miles Thompson Warm Fuzzies, Cold Pricklies

July 6 – 29, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, July 6th; 8-11 PM
Closing Party: Sunday, July 29, 4 pm – 7 pm

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027
323-666-7667

Tales from the Tiki Lounge is the rarest, hardest to find, and most collectible, Pulp-Adventure publication never made. It existed only in the Mai-Tai light Zone of Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker‘s imagination. These paintings are the cover-art of the most desired and sought after issues. So precious that they are nearly beyond price, and believability.

“Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock.” – Honolulu Magazine, “The Best Of 2012 “

“My art is my personal celebration of a creative reinvention of a foolish misinterpretation of an ancient mythology that sought to solve the mystery of the “breath of life” that eternally and precariously surfs the complete expanse between the bottomless sea and the floating shadow land of preexistence in the inconceivable heights of the sky. Not just to live. But, to ‘live aloha’.” -Brad Parker

Preview Brad’s show here

Miles Thompson’s Warm Fuzzies, Cold Pricklies, a show created with Gouache on illustration board, reflects on what makes life both a beach and a bitch. It is an epitaph for the oceans and forests, once abundant and fecund (look it up, it is the root of the F bomb), now only a ghostly reminder of what an infinite life giving power they once were. There is more than just an environmental message here, Warm Fuzzies, Cold Pricklies is also a joyful reminder for us all to frolic around and about the impermanence we all face day to day while we are blessed with a heart, body and mind. Life happens between the lullaby and the nightmare, having and losing. Everything in-between is either a memory that we don’t want to fade, or which is sadly indelible.

Thompson, whose influences range from the ephemeral world of comics, animation and album cover art to centuries of fine art and sculpture, is a native Californian residing in Hollywood who draws, paints, reads, writes, hikes, runs, surfs and meditates. He is most inspired by his daughter who he calls his butterfly.

Preview Miles’ show here

Martini Kings Martini Kings Palm Springs Serenade vinyl LP release and closing party for Tales from the Tiki Lounge and Warm Fuzzies, Cold Pricklies – Live performance by The Martini Kings
Sunday, July 29, 2012, 4 – 7 pm

Come have one more look at Brad and Miles’ show and celebrate the release of The Martini Kings’ Palm Springs Serenade LP  on Dionysus Records, featuring cover art by SHAG, at this combination record release and show closing celebration. Click here for details about the album and event

The Martini Kings’ first vinyl LP, Palm Springs Serenade, will be released by Dionysus Records on July 10. The LP features cover art by SHAG. The band will play a record release party (and closing  for Brad “Tiki Shark” Parker’s art show) at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on July 29, details here.

With over eight self-released CDs and gigs-a-plenty, it’s about time that Los Angeles based jazzy-retro-exotica-bossa-nova-cocktail-lounge combo The Martini Kings make an appearance on the beloved vinyl format. In their professional existence, The Martini Kings have performed events for the likes of Clint Eastwood, Stephen King, The Getty Center, Mattel and Universal Studios, had their music in HBO’s “Entourage” and made an appearance during the Malibu cliff-top wedding scene in the ”Six Feet Under’‘ season curtain-raiser. The Martini Kings’ Marsico brothers have performed in backing groups with Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Marianne Faithful. Martini Kings bassist Tony Marsico was in East LA punk legends The Plugz and The Cruzados, and played bass behind Bob Dylan on David Letterman’s show.

Their pro-resume aside, The Martini Kings are also loved among tiki and retro aficionados and are a staple at the yearly Tiki Oasis weekender, numerous burlesque, lounge events and backyard tiki parties. They have the technique and sound down to a fine art and in the process inject equal amounts of heart and soul into their craft. The instrumentation is centered around vibes, stand-up bass and percussion with tasty arrangements including piano, guitar, wind and stringed instruments.

“Palm Springs Serenade” is a collection of the group’s favorite tracks from their CD releases and features a track recorded with lounge legend and former Rat Pack member Buddy Greco. The art of their pal SHAG adorns the album cover and visually fits the combo’s sound from top to bottom. And, the sound on this album which was cut on a vintage Scully lathe with the legendary Westrex B3 stereo cutting head is huge and open with lots of warm low-end. The album jacket is printed vintage style; front cover slick on thick board… this is not your ordinary one piece fabricated album jacket but the Martini Kings / SHAG combination deserves no less.  A coupon for a digital download is included in this package.

Black vinyl 180 gram LPs will be shipped to Dionysus Records’ distribuor, ILD (Independent Label Distribution). A limited edition of 100 CLEAR VINYL LPs will be avalible from the band and through Dionysus Records Mailorder only – on JULY 10! 

Tracks: So Danco Samba, Swingin’ Shepherd Blues, Girl Talk, Cuchy Frito Man, Kings Highway, Dance of the Virgins, Lost In Paradise, Patricia, Stardust, Return to Paradise, Rumble, Enchanted Lovers

Based out of Avalon Tattoo 2 in San Diego Dave Warshaw is quickly making a name for himself. Here’s an insider’s look at Dave outside of his daytime world of tattooing. Several friends and collegues express their insight about Dave as an artist. But it doesn’t stop there, he’s a member of The Creepy Creeps and quite the collector of sorts…take a look!

www.davewarshaw.com
www.urbantaxidermy.wordpress.com
www.thecreepycreeps.com
www.avalontattootwo.com

Dave Warshaw  has been creating distinctive tattoo art for two decades, thirteen of those and counting at one of the best known tattoo shops in Southern California, Avalon Tattoo II.

Recently, one Dave’s appointments canceled at the last minute. Dave’s pal, Ryan Sinn, formerly of The Distillers and Angels and Airwaves was at the parlor and decided to take the time slot. Dave tattooed his “Four Eyes” creation (currently on display at La Luz de Jesus Gallery) on Ryan – in one shot – a total of four hours! Tattoo art genius!

Dave also creates fantastical imagery on wooden surfaces. From the poetic and surreal intertwining of live thorny vines to nectar-oozing flowers surrounding his detailed creations which he calls “Urbantaxidermy,” the artist’s compositions flow like a virtuoso playing his chosen instrument. Warshaw’s mediums are ballpoint pen and wood – all types of wood, from balsa to skate deck. At one time Warshaw carved wood and painted with watercolors and acrylic, but now strictly creates his art with ballpoint.

“My first creations were based on original commercial clay and steel wheel skateboard graphics from the 1960s. I then began morphing the company logos into my own surreal creatures. I use cheap ballpoint pens, the kind you find at the drugstore. If the wood surface is too grainy and unfriendly to the ballpoint, I will use a fine tip ink pen for my line-work – and then go back over and finish with ballpoint pen,” explains Warshaw whose art is heavily inspired by Southern California car-surf-skate-comic-Tiki and punk rock culture. It was Warshaw’s creative efforts that lead him to a career in tattoo art.

Warshaw starts his pieces much like his tattoo art, using a sketch which he transfers to wood, then lines and shades using his improvisation and imagination as his guide. “I don’t scribble on the surface– you have to be cautious as the ink from the pen smears easily and you cannot erase wood,” says Warshaw who, as a tattooist, knows well that you only get one shot and cannot blow it!  Among the many wooden “canvases” Warshaw uses for his art are one-of-a-kind skate decks specifically made for him by the oldest manufacturer of skateboards, Watson Laminates, the company that was responsible for the original Dogtown decks, among other classics.

For the second year in a row, Warshaw’s art appears in the rebranded annual La Luz de Jesus juried group show -”Laluzapalooza“

Along tattoo art and his ballpoint pen, Warshaw plays guitar in The Creepy Creeps, a San Diego surf-garage-punk rock band with releases on Dionysus Records. In 2011, the group were hand-chosen by Robert Plant to open for his Band of Joy shows in Southern California.

Warshaw works and plays in San Diego, CA. where he enjoys a family life with his wife and son.

View more of Dave Warshaw’s ballpoint and tattoo art here

IMAGES:
“Foureyes” – Ballpoint pen on wood, 8″ by 11″ (in the La Luz de Jesus “Laluzapalooza” show)
“Foureyes” tattoo
“Birthday Gifts” Ballpoint pen on wood, 8″ by 11″ ( in the “Petals To The Metal” show at Vishuddha Creatives in South Park, San Diego)

Follow Dave Warshaw on Instagram: @davewarshaw
www.davewarshaw.com
www.urbantaxidermy.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/urban.taxidermy

This month, La Luz de Jesus Gallery presents their yearly juried group show freshly rechristened “Laluzapalooa.”  This gigantic, no-theme show features works from from commercial illustrators, graphic designers, tattooists, scenics, students, street taggers, animators and working gallery artists. This tastefully, jam-packed, salon-style exhibition features some familiar names from La Luz de Jesus Gallery’s ever-growing roster of feature artists, and an overwhelming number of pieces from brand new undiscovered, emerging talent.

Watch this slideshow, shot over a four-day period as La Luz de Jesus Gallery owner/curator  Billy Shire, gallery manager Matt Kennedy and company transform empty walls into the “Greatest Group Show on Earth!”

La Luz de Jesus Gallery presents:
LALUZAPALOOZA
Vol. XV of the Greatest Group Show on Earth

March 2 – April 1
Opening Reception: Friday, March 2nd, 8-11 pm
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90027