Niceness in the 90s - This Saturday!

Niceness In The '90s: An Indie Music Memoir by Jim Miller will be released on March 23, 2011. La Luz De Jesus will host a book release event four days early on March 19th (this Saturday!) from 6-9 PM. Jim Miller will be available to sign books, reminisce and answer questions. Anyone attending who is mentioned in the book by name will receive a complimentary copy. Event is free and open to the public.

At its core, Niceness In The '90s is a behind the scenes, club level look at the rise and fall of grunge from the touring guitarist and songwriter of Black Angel’s Death Song and Trash Can School. This very personal memoir chronicles Miller’s life in and around bands during the late eighties and early nineties as he transitioned from musician to manager and became one of the most influential promoters in rock as the live music booker at legendary downtown L.A. dive, Al’s Bar. Although the book spans 1985 to 1996, most of the action takes place from 1989 to 1992: the years Punk broke.

Fellow musicians and L.A. denizens come to life in chapters dedicated to Jane's Addiction, L7, Hole, Tad and Nirvana. "Anyone interested in the early days of grunge music should find this book a quick read, chock full of grunge action," Miller explains. He adds "2011 marks the twentieth anniversary of the release of Nirvana's Nevermind. It's a good time for older hipsters to look back and for younger hipsters to discover what all the fuss was about."

You can call the book manager to reserve your copy: (323) 663-0122.
And I almost forgot to mention that we got PICK OF THE WEEK in the LA WEEKLY –AGAIN!

Fire Walk With Us

We held the soft opening for Charon's Pantheon last night, and tonight we hold the artists' reception with Myron Conan Dyal and Jennifer Logan on hand to explain the origins of this heavily conceptual exhibition. There will be three performances of the 69 minute audio counterpart to the sculptures. Seating and standing room is limited, therefore RSVPs will be necessary. At least two professors attending the event on Friday evening intimated that this exhibition would become part of their mandatory curriculum this semester.

Since images alone do not capture the essence or mood of this incredible show, I encourage you to view the two videos below.
The images are taken from the exhibition catalog, which comes with an audio CD of the music. The book of Charon's Pantheon is published by Last Gasp Books for La Luz de Jesus Press, and is available for $25.




Charon's Pantheon: DEATH



Charon's Pantheon: GODDESS of TREES

These promotional videos give a basic introduction to what is now on view at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, but missing from them is the relative weight and the atmosphere of mysticism that permeates the live setting. Each of these sculptures has been "danced" by Myron Dyal in a spiritual ritual. The goddesses of the Pantheon are products of Myron's rebirth, as he terms it –a coma from which he emerged at the age of four that triggered a lifetime of visions, the result of his Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

The gallery has been completely transformed, and this will be a one month show, after which the entire exhibit moves to Grand Central Art Center as part of a rotating museum tour. The intimacy that La Luz de Jesus Gallery lends to the proceedings will be lost even if the grandiosity is enhanced.

In addition to tonight's Artist Reception, there will be three more lecture-and-listening parties throughout the month. On each Saturday in February (12, 19, 26) from 6-9PM, Dyal & Logan will host a seated performance of the music followed by an informal discussion of the work, during which they'll be happy to sign books and answer questions. I urge you to RSVP for at least one of these. This is no mere show, it is an experience. The feedback has been quite polarizing, with some attendees empowered and enlightened while others are utterly and completely horrified.

I offer you a chance to decide for yourself.