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Kimberly Fattorini August Cover Model 20 questions with Kimberly
Photography by Andrew Gates Make-up and hair by Bioanca Robinson
14 All Access
The Latest Albums Reviewed Albums Reviewed: Jay Z Magna Carta Holy Grail By Jeremy Weeden
Mayer Hawthorne Where Does This Door Go By Dan Sinclair
18 All Access Spotlight
20 Live & Loud
Live Show Reviews Featured Artists/Shows: Outside Lands, Alt-J and Courtney Love
By Nicolas Bates and Dan Sinclair
36 Coming Up
Models To Keep An Eye On Featured Models: Gemma Lee Farrell Pirongia, New Zealand Naiomi Dean Los Angeles, CA/Goa, India
44 Game On
The Latest Games Reviewed Games Reviewed:
Artist/Bands Featured:
Bioshock Infinite DLC
Robin Thicke, Tech N9ne and The Dangerous Summer
By Josh Schilling
Guacamelee: Gold Edition
On The Cover
This Page
By Silas Valentino
Photo by Andrew Gates Make-up and hair by Bioanca Robinson
www.RUKUSmag.com
By Jesse Seilhan
Photo by Andrew Gates Make-up and hair by Bioanca Robinson
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Shoot. The Messenger. A sleek, lightweight, street-smart satchel that hugs your body, moves with you, and doesn’t cramp your style. Carries a DSLR, 3-4 lenses, laptop and accessories. Removable photo insert lets you convert it quickly from a camera bag to a book bag, school bag, briefcase or general-purpose carryall. Available in small and large sizes to hold laptops up to 15 and 17 inches. Pack what you need. Shoot what you want . Tenba
Messenger.
Available at:
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|
800.321.4726
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Andrew Gates Live & Loud Editor
Nicolas Bates All Access Editor
Silas Valentino Games Editor
Jesse Seilhan Art Director
Andrew Gates All Access Contributors
Silas Valentino, Dan Sinclair & Jeremy Weeden Live & Loud Contributors
Nicolas Bates & Dan Sinclair Pit Pass Contributor
Andrew Gates Game On Contributors
Jesse Seilhan & Josh Schilling Contributing Photographers
Andrew Gates & Nicolas Bates Contributing Videographers
Nate Olson & Toby Wilson Contributing Make-up Artists
Bioanca Robinson, Jenny Black & Tiara Saleem Contributing Hair Stylists
Bioanca Robinson, Jenny Black & Tiara Saleem Advertising
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RUKUS MAGAZINE 11304 Chandler Blvd. #6131 North Hollywood, CA 91603
Copyright © 2008-2013 RUKUS MAGAZINE & RUKUSmag.com. All Rights Reserved! August 2013 issue, Volume 5, Number 8. ISSN 2161-4369 (print) ISSN 2161-4377 (online) Visit http://www.RUKUSmag.com for more images and content.
Kimberly Fattorini
Photography by Andrew Gates Make-up and hair by Bioanca Robinson
K
imberly Fattorini was born and raised in La Mirada, California. She is a mix of Italian, Puerto Rican and Caucasian. Her career started when she attended a model search for a Las Vegas magazine and ended up winning the contest. The win gave her a new perspective on modeling and lit a fire inside her. Kimberly loved being in front of the camera and it showed. She went on to win more titles for bikini modeling and became a 2013 Tropic Beauty calendar model. Although, her main focus is bikini and lingerie modeling, you can also find her modeling for some clothing websites. Currently, you can find Kimberly in the 2014 Dreamgirls Harley Davidson calendar. Whatever she plans on doing in the future, you can bet, she’ll look good doing it.
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20 QUESTIONS 1.What’s your Ethnicity? I’m a quarter Italian, a quarter Puerto Rican and half Caucasian. 2.What’s your zodiac sign? I’m a total Libra. I’m very kind-hearted and a great friend, always putting others before myself. 3.Where are you from originally? I’m originally from La Mirada, CA. 4.What did you like most about growing up in the La Mirada, CA? I enjoyed growing up in La Mirada because of the weather and location, it’s a quick drive to the beach or the mountains. During summer you can layout at the beach, relax and BBQ or in the winter you can go snowboarding. Even though La Mirada is near Los Angeles, it still has a small town feel to it. I’m also able to visit my family anytime since it’s so close to Los Angeles. 5.What kind of mischief did you get into while growing up? I was a very well-behaved kid. I never missed school and I always got good grades, but still enjoyed partying with my friends on the weekends. [wink] 6.What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? The craziest thing I’ve ever done was go ziplining in Mexico. We first took a boat out to the mountains, then road donkeys up the hill and from there did 10 different ziplines through the forest 400 feet up in the air. At the end we had to repel ourselves down a waterfall. It was an amazing experience. Definitely an adrenaline rush. 7.What’s your favorite hobby and why? I love to travel, visit new places, learn about different cultures and meet new people. There are so many places in the world I still want to travel to. I get to travel a lot with my job which I absolutely love. 8.What’s your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasures are food, movies and desert. I love to rent movies and relax at home. I’m also addicted to fruit smoothies and love trying new restaurants. 9.Who do you admire and why? I admire my parents. They are happily married and still in love after 35 years. They have www.RUKUSmag.com
always been my biggest supporters and they’re always there for me when I need them most. They offer me their words of wisdom and help me whenever they can. I am very blessed to have such positive role models in my life. 10.If you could change one thing in the world what would it be and why? If I could change one thing in the world it would be for the world to be less materialistic. There is too much importance placed on material things. 11.What’s one of your personal goals? My main goal in life is to be happy. I want to live life to the fullest and try everything, after all you only live once. I want to continue modeling and get more into acting. 12.What do guys compliment you on the most? Guys compliment me on my eyes most of all, but I also get a lot of compliments on my boobs. [laugh] 13.What’s your favorite body part on yourself? I’d have to say my eyes; they are green with some yellow. 14.What do you look for in a guy? I look for a guy with a great personality and that is respectful towards women and guys that have manners. 15.What’s the first thing you notice about a guy? The first thing I notice about a guy is his smile, a guy with nice teeth is sexy to me. 16.What’s your ideal first date? My ideal first date would be dinner and movie; either going to the movies or just renting one, I’m easily pleased. 17.What turns you on? A person that is respectful and can make me laugh is a huge turn on. Being easily entertained is also a huge plus. Also a good kisser. [smile] 18.What turns you off? Arrogance; I hate when a person thinks and acts like they are better than everyone else. Bad hygiene; when people don’t take care of their teeth. 19.What’s your biggest pet peeve? My biggest pet peeve is when people are unappreciative. 20.Who’s your celebrity pass? Not sure, maybe Channing Tatum. August 2013 • RUKUS
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"
...I'm easily pleased.
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STATS: Birthday:
October 18
Height:
5’6”
Weight:
110lb
Measurements:
32C-23-34
See more of Kimberly at facebook.com/KimFattorini www.RUKUSmag.com
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HOV is Back
Written by Jeremy Weeden “Hov’s a living legend and I’ll tell you why, everybody wanna be Hov and Hov’s still alive.” These words rapped by Jay Z almost 10 years ago still ring true today. Despite the influx of newcomers to the rap game, Jay Z is still unquestionably numero uno. Magna Carta Holy Grail is the 12th studio album by the legendary MC and his best work since 2007’s American Gangster. The album features quality guest appearances from Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Pharrell and Rick Ross. The production on the album is mostly handled by Timbaland along with assists from Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, Mike Will Made It, Boi1da, Hit-Boy, and others. The album starts with “Holy Grail” featuring pop superstar Justin Timberlake. This elegant track showcases Justin’s soaring vocals against a bass heavy, piano staccato beat. This track sets the album off excellently as Justin opens the song, singing as the beat builds up. Then when it drops Jay Z hits us with the first lyrics of the album: “Ungh, Blue told me remind you niggas/ Ungh fuck that shit y’all talkin bout, I’m that nigga.” The next track on Magna Carta Holy Grail “Picasso Baby” is a classic New York rap track. The track and chorus are reminiscent of DJ Premier’s style and brings back the feeling of mid 90s hip-hop. “Tom Ford” has a disjointed beat in the vein of Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” and starts with Jay Z asking you to clap for his “rapping ass.” Then Timbaland does his thing, the beat goes crazy and the result is a song that is sure to be a hit single and club staple. Rick Ross steals the show on “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt” with a catchy, repeatable chorus over a bass driven beat. Not to be outdone by his southern counterpart, Jay Z drops hot lyrics like: “Cent’anni, ciao bella/Come money dance with the good fellas/Hov keep gettin that De Niro got it/Even if a nigga gotta Robert, get it?” “Somewhere in America” is a horn heavy track that finds Jay Z speaking on the fact that racism and prejudice still exist in American society. Somewhere in America people are rising above this and despite the narrative that comes from the media concerning black culture, it is widely embraced by people of all races and ethnicities in America. On “Versus” Jay Z addresses his haters with the lines “Hey sucka nigga wherever you are/I thought about you fool while I was driving my car/I wonder if you fools realize how far you are/You’re nowhere in my rear mirror/Your last shit ain’t better than my first shit/Your best shit ain’t better than my worst shit/The truth in my verses/ Versus your metaphors/ about what your net worth is.” On the next song Jay Z manages to answer the age-old question why bring sand to the beach on the clever “Beach is Better.” The song says why cheat when your woman is better and more important to you than other women. Jay Z says “I brought sand to the beach cause my beach is better/You can keep your beach cause that beach whatever.” “BBC” is an all-star affair featuring Nas, Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland. Both Nas and Jay Z shine lyrically with Nas dropping autobiographical gems like: “Fila sweats, 88 I rocked a mock neck/Carried a nine in my projects/ Bucket hat EPMD cassettes/Now I’m smoking loud in Ibiza/Mix the D’USSE with the reefer.” Not to be outdone on his own song Jay Z borrows from Mase’s verse from 1997’s “Feel So Good” and drops the lines “What you know about going out, head west/ Maybach, 3 TV’s all up in the headrest/Mace niggas at Madison Square Garden/20 million sold and we still catching charges.” Overall Magna Carta Holy Grail is an excellent album. The album has great beat selection, well placed guest appearances and good lyrics by Jay Z. The album is diverse featuring a good mix of street songs, club songs, and radio singles without ever venturing down the pop lane frequented by so many rappers today. Magna Carta Holy Grail is another notch in Jay Z’s belt, showing he is still the “Mike Jordan of rap, outside J working.”
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Where’s the Soul? Photo by Andrea D’Aquino Written by Dan Sinclair
Hawthorne is the name of the street Andrew Cohen grew up in Michigan and Mayer is his middle name. There you go. Now you know that. Where Does This Door Go is Mayer Hawthorne’s fourth studio album and his first since 2011’s critically acclaimed How Do You Do. Mayer produced the album along with a ton of others including Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes, N.E.R.D. and the two most annoying songs in recent history Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” So why the lowest rating in Dan Sinclair Rukus history? Well, for one, what exactly is it? Mayer Hawthorne’s style has been labeled as “Neo-Soul,” “Retro Soul” or “Alternative R&B,” which is pretty insulting to every word used there (yes, even Neo from The Matrix would be offended here). The more accurate term that can be used to describe Where Does This Door Go is ridiculously over-produced boring mediocrity… that maybe you can dance to if you really, really wanted to dance and there was nothing else on the radio and jamming out to your grandmother’s farts was not an option. You see, in order to sing soul music, one would have to put one’s soul into said music, but Mayer Hawthorne’s vocal samplings over what seems like the same tired beat again and again is almost utterly soulless as if it were just programmed earlier and is now just being shit out by a robot. If there ever was a soul involved here it was most likely sold to make this record. Does it have a retro sound to it? Sure, in the sense that it sounds like I’ve heard it before a long time ago. In the first song “Back Seat Lover,” Mayer explains “I would never hit and tell” over a monotonous, generic beat. Perhaps the intention here was to make one remember that the great Stevie Wonder soulful poppy work “Part Time Lover” and then hopefully trick the listener into thinking the songs were somehow related or that one inspired the other. The problem is that Mayer’s song lacks the feeling and power of Stevie Wonder with his vocals being at best unforgettable and at worse, well… the worst. Sure Mayer croons in a falsetto of sorts but there never seems to be any range, nor is there any passion behind the empty words. “The Innocent” follows this song and if you didn’t speak English, it would be hard to tell that this was a different song than the first sounding more like one of the songs you’d skip on a Hall and Oates CD in the 80s than any soul from the 70s. “Allie Jones” sounds a little less 80s but is still just as boring as its predecessors with Mayer’s voice growing emptier and emptier the longer album goes on. “The Only One” starts off promising with a quicker, more poppy beat but once it gets going, it falls right back into the droning the rest of the album has been thus far. The single “Her Favorite Song” and the follow-up “Crime” break up the monotony for a little bit, but only because the first song has female vocals in the chorus and the second has Kendrick Lamar busting a few rhymes. So, in other words, the best part of the Mayer Hawthorne album is when someone other than Mayer Hawthorne is performing. But then the boredom continues with “Reach Out Richard” and “Corsica Rose” and… oh, it doesn’t fucking matter. Pretty much every song on this album sounds the same with the next just as forgettable as the one before it. You see, I’m a martyr. I listened to this album from start to finish several times so you don’t have to. While an argument can be made that one’s personal preference for different kinds of music can cloud his or her judgment in trying to objectively evaluate, the universal rule that transcends all genres is that good music cannot be boring. You can label Where Does This Door Go in any number of ways that you want, but the one that can’t be ignored is that it’s boring as fuck. If this is “Neo-Soul,” “neo” must mean “without” in some language because this album is soulless and robotic, lacking any kind of real passionate feeling that should reside in important music. Worthwhile music will always leave you with something, something that will stick with you the rest of your life. The only thing one can take from Where Does This Door Go is a nap.
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Facebook.com/robinthicke
Written by Silas Valentino
Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines
It’s okay to like “Blurred Lines.” Without a doubt, it’s been the biggest hit of the summer next to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and it’s not just because the music video has defeated Whitesnake for the world’s hottest video award. The song is catchier than an airborne disease with that irresistible bass groove and Pharrell’s golden production. But can the massive heat from the lead single carry the rest of album or are the other tracks solely a pedestal? Blurred Lines is the sixth album from Robin Thicke, the blue eyed crooner whose been stealing both your mom’s and girlfriend’s attention since his 2006 breakthrough, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. His style is a mix of Marvin Gaye soul and Michael Jackson dance-pop funk but with a dash of ‘90s R&B. “For the Rest of My Life” has Thicke singing in a sweet falsetto accompanied by a swirling string arrangement. Thicke surrounds himself with popular music royalty and it pays off. Will.i.am, Timberland and Dr. Luke all contribute as producers and the most recent king of the rap game, Kendrick Lamar, supplies a verse on “Give It 2 U.” All you really need is a huge crossover hit to leave your mark on the music industry and “Blurred Lines” has done that and more. But the brightest star tends to blur anything in its surroundings.
Facebook.com/therealtechn9ne
Tech N9ne, Something Else
Tech N9ne’s thirteenth album Something Else is truly an anomaly. Broken into three sections (fire, water and earth), the record flows up and down with emotion and the utterly strange. Tech N9ne’s signature pop-pop-pop rapping flow is strong and his beats are loud and dark. Through three short skits, a story is played out: a meteorite crashes near Kansas City and the skies are covered with a burgundy hue but instead of turning into a post-apocalyptic danger zone, the city transforms for the better with lower crime and higher test scores in school. It’s not wonder that Tech N9ne’s label is called Strange Music. Sprung from Kansas City, Missouri, Tech N9ne emerged as a leading artist in the chopper style of rap. (His form of fast-paced rhyming earned him his name, in reference to the handgun.) Something Else keeps up with Tech N9ne’s tradition of cramming loads of tracks into a single album as well as featuring a hefty guest list. Cee-Lo Green, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian appear but the most bizarre appearance is The Doors who contribute “Strange 2013.” Jim Morrison’s voice juxtaposed with Tech N9ne’s rap production makes for one of the more ludicrous collaborations in recent history.
Facebook.com/thedangeroussummer
The Dangerous Summer, Golden Record
The cover art for The Dangerous Summer’s third record, Golden Record, is simply of a hand holding a burning stick of wood. Though this may not have been the group’s intention, the album art signifies how The Dangerous Summer is carrying the torch for post-punk rock. After the heyday of Jimmy Eat World, The Academy Is... and Dashboard Confessionals, The Dangerous Summer are picking up and running with the baton of loud guitars and emotionally charged lyrics. Lead single “Catholic Girls” is a fast-paced romp with singer AJ Perdomo grieving about his past. “Step inside the house I first felt love / I earned that cut,” he croons as the music begins to build up to the final chorus smash. Stepping into ballad territory, “Miles Apart” grows from a muted guitar riff into an explosive catchy chorus. The album comes to a close with the frenzied track “Anchor.” Filled with sporadic chants of “ohhs” and “we did it,” the song is an emotional release, especially for Perdomo who let’s out “I’m not scared to die for all the promises I made” just before the track’s end. Though the emo genre has lost its popularity, The Dangerous Summer play like it’s 2003.
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Photos by Nicolas Bates Written by Dan Sinclair
This was the sixth year for San Francisco’s three-day summer musical extravaganza known as Outside Lands. People from all over the world flocked to Golden Gate Park to take part in all its fabulousness. And it was fabulous. And I don’t even use that word. But it wasn’t the four stages – Lands End, Sutro, Panhandle and Twin Peaks—all with an overloaded amount of talented musicians in attendance, the countless arrays of edibles from food to beer to wine to chocolate, the working artists, the body painting, the environmental awareness, the electronic music or comedy tents that made 2013 the best Outside Lands yet. No, it was the fact that it was MY first Outside Lands ever that made this year so special. Sure, I had to drive over five-and-a-half hours up from Los Angeles to get there, but I am willing to make those kinds of sacrifices to grace amazing events such as these with my presence. And you know why, dear readers? It’s because I care about music and I care about YOU! So, hooray for outside music festivals. Hooray for San Francisco! Hooray for Nicolas Bates for shooting some amazing photos! And hooray for me and you! Let’s do this, Outside Lands!
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The National The National aren’t afraid of the light mist falling at Outside Lands’ main stage. As guitar player Bryce Dessner takes the stage, he asks, “Did it just start raining for us?” Yes. Just to make the mood extra dark for the dark and moody band from Cincinnati. Bryce’s twin brother Aaron, who plays guitar and keys, joins him along with brothers Bryan and Scott Devendorf, on drums and bass respectively. But what would The National be without that famous baritone Matt Berninger? He takes the stage last donning a fancy-pants suit and sunglasses though there is no sun. The band wastes little time and goes right into their most recognizable songs, kicking things off with “Fake Empire.” But the crowd doesn’t seem more than “half awake” as they clap, dance and sing along. Next up the band introduces San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet: “We’re big fans.” The extra horns and strings add enough layers to “I Should Live in Salt” you’d think there was a fucking orchestra backing Berninger’s extra- low, melodic apology to a lost love: “I should live in salt for leaving you.” This current tour is in support of their latest album, Trouble Will Find Me, so the lead track from it is followed by the first single, “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” pleasing both the crowd and the writer. Tom, I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one with “Only two emotions/Careful fear and dead devotion.” Berninger dedicates the hit single from High Violet, “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” to his mother who is in attendance. And you can tell “Sea of Love” is from the new album as it actually features the line “Trouble will find me.” But best line in the song? “Hey, Jo, sorry I hurt you, but they say love is a virtue.” Next up is the writer’s favorite off the new album Demons. Guess which of the following words San Francisco yells out loudest: “When I walk into a room/I do not light it up/Fuck.” High Violet’s “Afraid of Everyone” and “Conversation 16” set a nice, relaxing calm over the crowd as they sway back and forth before the driving rhythm of Boxer’s “Squalor Victoria” gets them moving again. After “This Is the Last Time” and “I Need my Girl,” the band admits to some Tom Jones jealousy over the last time they played Outside Lands. “The girls threw their underwear on stage for Tom and not us—we were crushed!” www.RUKUSmag.com
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Berninger screams the end to “Graceless” louder than anything all day and “England” features the best-sounding keyboards. Proving that he’s the “great white hope,” Matt then jumps into the crowd to sing “Mr. November” as fans literally get the chance to pat the frontman on the back as he walks past them. The National close playing “Terrible Love” with San Francisco native and Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir. During the song, Berninger proclaims “San Francisco is amazing,” and as I look back at the thousands and thousands behind me singing along and dancing to this amazing set, I couldn’t agree more. The chances of ever seeing a Beatle perform live are constantly shrinking with only one of the Fab Four still breathing. Okay, Ringo Starr is still alive, too, but come on, honestly… who cares? Okay, in case you haven’t figured it out by the title to this article, it’s Sir James Paul McCartney who’s the one you can still catch perform and this lucky dog of a writer did just that the first night of Outside Lands, and he will be forever grateful that he did. I mean, come on, the man’s been knighted, he’s in the Guinness Book of World Records with album and single sales in the 100 millions, he plays pretty much every instrument, he’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he even married a model with a prosthetic leg—the man is legendary. Paul is 71 years old, but none would’ve known it as he marched on stage with some long-ass hair and a guitar. He goes right into the Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week” with enough energy you’d have thought he reversed the order of those two numbers in his age. Just when I was thinking Paul is standing tall, I notice the size of the heels on his boots. Well, do what you got to do, Paul. Heels are in on dudes if Beatles are wearing them, I always say. He does the Wings’ song “Junior’s Farm” before going back to the Beatles with “Magical Mystery Tour” and then goes Wings again with “Listen to What the Man Said.” Paul says hello and the thousands and thousands yell hello back. He gets comfy and takes off his jacket. “This is so cool.” And I agree. This is really fucking cool. Then he plays “Let Me Roll It,” but closes it with a nice “Foxy Lady” guitar jam, which he dedicates to his late-great friend Jimi Hendrix.
Paul McCartney
The crowd goes nuts for “Paperback Writer,” with Paul feeling like a kid up there. But he is old, remember, so he sits down at the piano to play “My Valentine,” which he dedicates to his wife.
And Sir Paul doesn’t stop. He plays fucking EVERYTHING. “The Long and Winded Road,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” Jesse Fuller’s “San Francisco Bay Blues,” “We Can Work It Out,” “Another Day,” “And I Love Her,” “The Blackbird,” “Here Today,” “Your Mother Should Know,” “Lady Madonna,” “All Together Now,” “Lovely Rita,” “Mrs. Vandebilt,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Band on the Run,” “Back in the USSR,” “Let It Be,” “Live and Let Die,” “Hey Jude,” “Day Tripper,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Get Back,” “Yesterday,” “Helter Skelter,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and of course, “The End.” That’s right, the elderly knight went on to play the longest set of the entire event… by far. Almost three fucking hours of rock and roll. Not bad for 71, right? Oh, and witness a Beatle live in concert is now officially checked off the ol’ bucket list. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, bitches. My bitching about a five-and-a-half drive to San Francisco sounds rather petty, especially considering how far Bombino has come to play here at Outside Lands. The band is named for the lead guitarist and singer Omara “Bombino” Moctar, and they trekked all the way across the world from Agadez, Niger to perform at the small stage known as The Panhandle. Yet, as they take the stage, they don’t look ready to complain at all. They all wear smiles too big to wipe away. The large crowd greets them with warm cheers.
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Bombino Bombino wears a pair of dark sunglasses to go with his off-white garments. His bass player is dressed in green to his right and the other guitar player wears blue to his left. The drummer settles in behind them and a man sits to the side to play some slide. Bombino and his mates are Tuaregs, and all songs are sung in Tamasheq, often dealing with the geopolitical struggles of the nomadic Saharan tribe. Bombino plays his guitar and the band joins him in the groovy first song. Bombino gets into it moving back and forth as he plays his guitar. He’s been quoted before as citing Jimi Hendrix and Dire Straight’s Mark Knopfler as his earliest influences. And he’s not the only one who’s into it. The bass player thrusts his pelvic region hard to every beat while the other guitar player dances along. Oh, and not to mention every single person in attendance who all start to feel the music as well. The sound is mesmerizing. It’s soothing, it’s layered, there’s heart behind every bass pluck, every slide and every drum fill. All with Bombino’s friendly voice guiding the way over his complicated guitar licks. Perhaps it’s during the slower, but just as funky “Tar Hani (My Love)” where the crowd lets all inhibitions go, dancing like no one’s watching. But I’m watching. This little dude with a gray shirt and glasses appears to be making his first ever attempt at dance. He’s a little spastic with his hips, legs and upper body, all apparently hearing completely different beats, but the effort certainly is there. He looks to his stoner friends for guidance, but they are lost in their own mindless dancing the same as everyone else in attendance, all moving in different ways, but together in celebration of Bombino’s musical magic. The songs go on longer than most as I don’t think a single one of them was under seven minutes, each ending with extensive jam sessions, and not a single person complained. The writer’s personal favorite was the closer “Azamane Tiliade.” Sometimes when a band’s set ends, a music fan feels something special, like they just witnessed history in the making. This writer guarantees he was not alone with this feeling taking hold of him as Bombino the band, arm-in-arm, bow multiple times to the crowd. You want more? Go check Bombino’s new album Nomad and the documentary Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion. www.RUKUSmag.com
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs I hate Barnaby Clay, and not just because of his ridiculous, made-up-sounding name. It’s because he’s married to the deliciously vivacious rock star all decked out in the ultra-sparkly silver and purple pants suit taking the stage. Yes, my music-world crush, Miss Karen Lee Orzolek, better known simply as Karen O., along with the rest of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs— guitarist/keyboardist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase—look ready to rock. Yeah fucking yeah fucking yeah! With a big smile, Karen O. says hello to me (and I guess the other many a-thousands in attendance, too) before starting the set off with “Sacrilege,” which gets the crowd going right off the bat. The thumping, steady bass drum and the funky guitar lets the faithful fans know that the band’s shifting from new to older with “Gold Lion.” And then Karen’s dancing all over the stage screaming, “He’ll suck your blood” for “Mosquito.” She wears a blue veil over her face as she shifts from the poppy “doo-doo-doo” to screaming “Art Star” for the brilliant track off their self-titled debut EP. She dances next to Zinner during “Under the Earth” as “Down under the earth goes another lover.” Then Miss O. stands alone at center stage holding the microphone over her head like a sword and the crowd goes nuts as the recognize the intro to “Heads Will Roll.” I turn back to see the crowd even all the way back to the food tents all jumping up and down singing out, “Off, off with your head/dance ‘til your dead!” After the song ends, Karen holds her hand as a fake gun to her head and pulls the trigger. Next is “Soft Shock” and then Karen dedicates “Despair” to all the fans who sang for their contest, which according to my fact checking, ended the day before this performance. I didn’t win. Everyone immediately recognizes Zinner’s distorted guitar intro to “Maps,” which Karen dedicates to all the lovers. Though everyone sings along, none drown out the best singer present: “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you.” At the end she drills the microphone into her heart. Karen takes-takes-takes off her jacket for “Cheated Hearts,” revealing a bright neon t-shirt. She passes the microphone to the front row who all get their chance to “Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh,” and judging by her ridiculously oversized smile, this is Karen’s favorite part. After “Pin,” Karen leaves to get her jacket for “Zero.” A giant blow-up eyeball launches into the crowd, bouncing around until the band’s final song “Date With the Night.” They freeze for a few minutes during this last one, before Zinner plays the riff again, jumpstarting the band into finale mode. And, Karen, Oh, what a finale. The rock goddess pretends to swallow the microphone, but instead of her throat, it goes down her shirt… then her pants. All the way down. So far down she has to pop open her pants and unzip, giving Outside Lands a spectacular view of her panties. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
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Standing patiently waiting for Nine Inch Nails to take the stage, I ponder, “Is anybody actually watching Phoenix at Sutro right now?” Nah, can’t be. They’re playing to only a couple of hipsters who found it ironic to miss the best show of Outside Lands and an old drunk lady who passed out there on Friday. But soon Trent Reznor is armed with a guitar and I forget just what a phoenix or a hipster even are. With the electronic beat behind him, Reznor sings out that he’s “Just a copy of a copy of a copy,” and the crowd moves to the beat of the new song. I’m relieved that Trent has stopped with the David Fincher soundtracks and gotten back to what he does best in Nine Inch Nails. “Copy of A” is a great way to get things started. Different color lights start to strobe and the rest of the traveling musicians join Trent on stage. They stick with the new stuff, going into “Disappointed,” followed by “Came Back Haunted.” Things get heavier with “1,000,000” off of 2008’s The Slip. It’s the first song that really starts to rock, giving us the first real taste of that old familiar Trent Reznor hissing and howling. And then things really get going with one of my favorite Nine Inch Songs of all time in “March of the Pigs.” The crowd starts moving and yells along: “I want to break it up/I want to smash it up/I want to fuck it up!” The stage goes black and Trent is alone again as piano plays from somewhere. He slows it down to sing one of the most powerful NIN ballads: “Something I Can Never Have.” We all know the words and sing along. Next Reznor plays some heavy guitar for “Reptile” before another great performance in Pretty Hate Machine’s “Terrible Lie.” Giant screens behind the band show TV static outlined by the performer’s shadows. Reznor takes down the mic stand with his guitar at the end of the song.
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Hearing “This world rejects me,” fans know “Burn” is next, all ready to “Burn the whole world down.” When it’s time for “Closer,” everyone proudly yells out to everyone next to them, “I want to fuck you like an animal!” Since there was this weird-looking bald dude standing next to me, I had to close my eyes to pretend he was Karen O. as I sang. The energy keeps up as the songs keep coming: “Gave Up,” “Help Me I Am In Hell,” “The Warning,” “Find My Way” and “The Way Out Is Through.” And just when you think things can’t get any better, Reznor goes ahead and plays my choice for best song of the night in 1993’s “Wish.” “Only,” “The Hand That Feeds” and “Head Like a Hole” close it out and it’s the song so dark Johnny Cash had to cover it for the encore. By the end of the night our wish of sharing something real, of sharing something true, is granted and no one can wait for the new album. First band of the last day of Outside Lands for this writer is Mr. Kurt Vile and his viley violating Violators out of the wonderful city of Philadelphia. The super long-haired frontman says hello to the crowd and then proceeds with a simple “Here we go” as he and his band launch into the first song of the day “Jesus Fever.” His folky and partly dead-pan vocals, reminiscent of some of Pavement’s best, come alive: “I pack my suitcase with myself but I’m already gone.” They extend the poppy, yet scratchy ending of the song several minutes as Kurt and his Violators jam. “Wakin’ on a Pretty Day,” off his latest album Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze, is next, which is pretty memorizing with the soothing, scratchy guitar melody and Kurt’s “Yeah, yeah, yeah(s)” (which are not to be confused with the lovely Karen O.’s band). Though the day is cloudy, Kurt joins this writer in wearing sunglasses anyway. Kurt takes a little time to adjust levels before getting to the next song and calls out to the sound guys, “Can I get a little more amp up here? Thank you.” When finally ready, he sticks with the new album playing both “KV Crimes” and “Was All Talk.” After these songs, the stage gets more crowded as a sound guy whispers something in Kurt’s ear. He responds, “I’ve got nothing. It’s not just the vocals.” And more dudes come out on stage to help as the musicians remain silent. Kurt tells us, “Okay, while they fix the equipment, I’ll take this time to say hello.” But that’s about all he says to us. Instead he tells the new guys on stage, “The band doesn’t need the monitors. I’m top priority.” www.RUKUSmag.com
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Kurt Vile and the Violators Eventually they sort it out and the band plays “Girl Called Alex.” It has a much slower rhythm than the previous little ditty, but it’s been so long between songs, I wonder if anyone even remembers. But the sound issues aren’t complete as Kurt asks, “Check my vocal, please?” I’m surprised that for how many problems he’s experiencing, he still remains extremely pleasant and polite with the sound guys. After “Ghost Town,” the Violators turn the stage into one, leaving Kurt to play “Peeping Tomboy” all by his lonesome and the dedicated Vile fans love it. And Mr. Vile himself truly appreciates the enthusiasm: “You’ve been a beautiful audience.” The last song features both the first electronic beat and fist saxophone appearance of the day for the Violators for “Freak Train.” It’s a perfect way to close the set as it’s faster and heavier than any of the other songs and even has the best dance to, which the crowd instantly responds to. Kurt screams out his most passionate vocals, “Riding on the freak train, train, train!” Vile fans new and old dance side-by-side, all more than ready to ride away together on their grateful, long-haired conductor’s say so. Music fans, if you’re feeling horny, there’s only one man who can satisfy you, and that is none other than Mr. Trombone Shorty. Get it? Horn-y? I am funny. Those seeking something different this fine Sunday afternoon at Outside Lands journeyed over to Sutro and were treated to one of the best performances of the entire weekend in Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Orleans Avenue takes the stage first and starts rocking out all thrashy and funky at the same time. Don’t overlook these talented musicians featuring Pete Murano on the guitar, Mike Ballard on bass, Joey Peebles on drums and Dan Oestreicher and Tim McFatter playing sax. Only a couple of minutes into the instrumental intro, and the crowd’s 100% committed in moving to the beat. Then the main attraction Troy Andrews, best known as Trombone Shorty, takes stage and gets right into it, blowing that trombone just the way his fans like it. Then Shorty takes the lead on another heavy instrumental jam session fully featuring his extensive tromboning skills. The music is heavy, it’s mounting, and then it breaks into a great rendition of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of.” The crowd goes nuts with people jumping up and down. Don’t think I’ve ever seen people headbanging to a band with so much brass. It certainly didn’t blow. Shorty asks the crowd to “Clap your hands like this” and they oblige. The bass gets funky and Trombone exercises his impressive vocal chords, singing, “She got a wonderful style/she got a wonderful grace,” for the song “Mrs. Orleans.” He
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Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. can do it all. After this song, Shorty proudly announces, “I think we really warming up now!” And judging by the crowd’s screams, they are in full agreement. Next Orleans Ave goes into “One Night Only” and in between singing the vocals, Shorty rocks his trombone and then stands in the middle of the stage, back to us, directing the band. Orleans jams out and the crowd dances along. This one dude in a green shirt starts his own one-man dance party in an open area of the crowd. A couple people try to join him, but he’s more interested in a Billy Idol-type exercise apparently. Peebles gets a nice long drum solo and I can’t tell who’s happier between his Animal-esque banging with a smile or the crowds’ enthusiastic cheers. Then Orleans Avenue joins him for an awesome cover of Green Day’s “Basket Case.” Trombone Shorty makes sure, “Y’all aren’t getting tired yet, are you?” No one is and Orleans Avenue continues to rock out shifting between instrumental jams, great bluesy rock and hitting everything in between. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue finish their day with their catchy single “Do to Me.” The crowd loved every minute, dancing the entire set and scream out for Shorty and the boys long after they leave the stage. This may have been Shorty’s first trip to Outside Lands, but it surely will not be his last. For those of you that don’t know Dawes, they’re a folky/rocky/country/bluesy band from Los Angeles. Dawes is fronted by singer and guitar player Taylor Goldsmith and backed by his brother Griffin on the drums. Wylie Gelber plays bass and Tay Strathairn plays keyboards. They start with their first single from Stories Don’t End, “From a Window Seat.” It’s kind of fitting that Hall and Oates plays on the main stage simultaneously because this first track sounds like the layered, non-corny song that Daryl and John never got around to writing. And that’s not a knock by the way. Well, maybe it’s a Hall and Oates knock, but it’s a compliment to Dawes and a damn good start to the set. Taylor goes from one side of the stage to the other to play his guitar to the grateful crowd. Next up, the band keeps it going strong with “If I Wanted Someone” from 2011’s Nothing Is Wrong. And I totally agree with the line “If I wanted someone to spend my money, I wouldn’t need to get paid.” Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t get paid and I spend all my money on diet soda and Chex Mix. But it’s a good song and Dawes is two for two. Taylor appreciates the enthusiastic crowd and thanks them for “Spending your time with us.” The next song, “Most People,” has more of a modern-day country sound to it and isn’t as strong as the first two, but the crowd sticks with them www.RUKUSmag.com
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all the same. “Fire Away” has a similar sound. Neither is bad, just not as memorable as the first two performances. The crowd recognizes “When My Time Comes” from the guitar intro, and even though I don’t, I am happy to hear it all the same as it gets the show back going again. The crowd passionately sings along with its unforgettably emotional chorus. It easily becomes this writer’s choice for best song of the set. Strathairn gets to showcase his skills on the keys with a solo on “Peace in the Valley.” The whole band then joins him and they jam for a long-ass time and no one complains. Afterwards Taylor says, “I hope you guys are having as much fun as we are.” And as far as I can tell, they are as even those who aren’t singing or dancing are, at least, clapping along.
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They finish their day with “Time Spent in Los Angeles” and “From the Right Angle” and the crowd finishes their time here with smiles on faces. Taylor recalled that the first time they played Outside Lands they were stuck on a small stage in the back and hardly anyone showed up. Well, this time next year, who knows? Maybe they can replace Hall and Oates on the main stage. We can only hope. Something I can’t quite grasp is why living legend Willie Hugh Nelson is playing on the second stage while rock posers Vampire Weekend play their extra-radio-friendly jingles to the bigger crowd on the main stage. What has the world come to? Well, fear not, my dear readers, I skipped that main stage shit to watch a real musician perform. I mean, I did sneak back to the media tent for a beer and a bathroom break, but definitely made it back before Willie began his set. While Willie Nelson and Family fill the stage this evening, marijuana smoke fills the air. Surprised? No, you’re not. Willie greets the largest crowd for the Sutro all weekend and goes right into “Whiskey River.” The age range for those in attendance varies from the very old to the relatively young and they all fucking love Willie. They hang on his every word and dance to his every beat. And staying on the alcohol theme, next was “Beer for my Horses.” Then Willie asks how everybody’s doing and they answer him with screams, which I think means they’re doing okay? Willie says, “Let’s do one for Waylon Jennings,” and goes into “Good Hearted Woman.” Willie is 80 years old, but shows no signs of slowing down, looking to continue this well into his 100s. Weed is good for you. Willie admits “It’s been a long time” since he’d been in San Fran. He makes up for it by playing, “Crazy,” and if there were any harsh feelings about his long absence, all were now forgiven. Afterwards, Willie informs us, “This is my little sister Bonnie and she wants to play ‘Down Yonder’ for y’all.” While she does, Willie throws his hat into the crowd and I immediately regret my decision to take a seat on the hill so far away instead of fighting my way through the crowd to get close to the stage. I want Willie’s hat, goddamnit! I do, however, get to see some gophers trying to force their way out of the ground as we apparently are sitting on their home. Shit, I really hope I am not literally sitting on one right now. Next it’s “Me and Paul” and then “It’s Flooding Down in Texas,” which features a big finish with every musician tearing it up on stage much to the crowd’s appreciation. But they appreciate the classic “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” even more. He follows that up with “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” before going into another all-time favorite in “On the Road Again.” He even played “Always on my Mind” and even covered some Hank Williams with “Hey, Good Lookin’” and “I Saw the Light.” It was one of the most memorable sets of the weekend. I never got to see Johnny Cash live and will forever regret it. But thanks to Outside Lands 2013, my Willie Nelson experience will not suffer the same fate. Thank you, San Francisco.
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Willie Nelson www.RUKUSmag.com
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Chili Peppers have been doing their thing since 1983, but touring has been a rarity in recent years, so many are wellbeyond psyched to see them here tonight for the final Outside Lands set of 2013. A long horn solo plays and the crowd explodes. With Flea on bass, Chad Smith on drums and Josh Klinghoffer on guitar, the band goes right into a heavy, funky jam for a few minutes before frontman Anthony Kiedis joins them on stage. The jam quickly changes to “Can’t Stop” and the crowd explodes even bigger. They can’t stop. They’re all “addicted to the shindig.” Flea slaps his bass like crazy, more passionate about his instrument than any other artist I’ve seen all weekend—and believe me, that’s saying a lot. He then introduces Smith, who drums out an impressive solo before “Dani California.” Good to see him get some recognition for something other than his resemblance to Will Ferrell. They slow it down for “Otherside,” but things pick right back up for “Look Around” as the crowd really starts to move. They keep right on going matching Kiedis word-for-word to sing “Snow (Hey Oh).” Flea gives us the friendly reminder to “Be kind to your neighbor. And if they don’t mind, gently massage their buttocks.” Unfortunately, no one near me takes him up on the advice and my buttocks remain unmassaged. “She’s Only 18,” “Right on Time,” “Universally Speaking” and “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” keep coming and so does the energy from the long-time rockers. Kiedis is jumping all over the place, Flea practically seizuring and turning into a bass, Chad banging the fuck out of his drums and even the newcomer not playing light on his guitar. The Chili Peppers haven’t toured for a while and they’re getting out all that frustration tonight. Outside Lands reaps the benefits. And they fans try to match the energy as they all jump around for the famous Stevie Wonder cover “Higher Ground.” They give their all to sing every word to the Red Hot Chili Peppers most famous song “Under the Bridge.” They get funky with Flea for “Ethiopia.” The crowd is really going now and they want more. Flea and Klinghoffer jam in each other’s faces hardcore for several minutes and I think we all now experience “Californication” personally because of it. Kiedis then jumps up on the drum set to say hi to Chad as the set closes out to “By the Way.” After a short break the band returns for an encore of “Around the World” and “I Could Have Lied.” But the crowd has saved all their energy and the band is ready to give their all for the final song of the weekend, “Give It Away.” It’s a beautiful sight as BFFs Anthony Kiedis and Flea jump in unison, giving it all away to the thousands of music lovers here in Golden Gate Park. And that, my dear readers, is how Outside Lands 2013 ends. RM www.RUKUSmag.com
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Alt-J Photos by Nicolas Bates Written by Dan Sinclair
Here at the Hollywood Palladium, the writer learns an important fact before the band even plays: beautiful young women love Alt-J. Yes, the boys from Leeds, England are in town for the second straight night to share their unique experimental style that I can best describe as electronic folk music with their good-looking fans here this evening (the writer excludes himself because of both his aesthetic appearance and his responsibility to report objectively on tonight’s event). When the lights go down, the beautiful people start cheering, but before we see any of the members of Alt-J, we instead hear Tyga’s “Rack City” blasting out of the Palladium’s speakers. Then the shadows of the fellas take stage partially hidden by a giant cloud of smoke. The crowd goes wild as they recognize the dark silhouettes of frontman Joe Newman, keyboard player Gus Unger-Hamilton, bass and guitar specialist Gwil Sainsbury and drummer Thom Green all taking their places. Bright lights flash over the rising smoke and Alt-J plays their instrumental intro much to the delight of all ears in attendance. After Newman raises his fingers in the air to count, “One, two, three,” he then leads his band into “Fitzpleasure.” The song translates well from the studio to the live stage as it’s the one with arguably the most complicated changes in tempo, musical arrangement and style on the debut full-length album An Awesome Wave, and the band doesn’t miss a single beat. Unger-Hamilton thanks the crowd and even recognizes a small group among them that was there for the previous night’s show. Newman gets the most light shining on him for the soft “Bloodflood” and then lets Sainsbury share the spotlight with him as the two jam close near each other for “Buffalo.” Unger-Hamilton gets his keyboards really sounding like authentic piano for one of the best songs of the night, “Something Good.” Check out the video for this song on YouTube (or wherever)—it’s got a bull getting even with a matador. The crowd starts to dance along for this one and it gets the loudest cheers of the night… so far. Keyboard player and frontman stand next to each other to masterfully harmonize the interlude “Ripe and Ruin” a cappella before the rest of the band jumps in, launching crowd favorite “Tesselate.” This one gets all the ones who weren’t dancing before really start shaking their asses here. This includes the tall drunk dude who has partially blocked my view throughout the night. Can’t tell if he’s actually dancing or about to faint, but either way, he’s moving. “Warm Foothills” slows things down and features some whistling from Newman. The crowd enjoys singing “This is for Matilda” for the song that features one of those four words in its single-word title. Newman can’t help but smile big, hearing them all emphatically scream out the line in unison. Sainsbury leaves the stage and Green just sits there to let Unger-Hamilton and their fearless lead singer perform “HandMade.” The rhythm section then rejoins them to get things going again in the faster-paced “Dissolve Me.” It wakes the crowd up and gets everyone dancing again and singing along. The keyboards take the prize for most important instrument in this song, helping to balance the changing tempo from electric to folky with ease. More a cappella action as Newman and Unger-Hamilton perform an interesting cover of College’s “A Real Hero.” You know the song. It’s that one about Ryan Gosling driving a car and killing people. Alt-J closes the set with “Taro” to make sure everyone is dancing again as they leave the stage… even the young brunette lady next to me who is really, really bad at it. The encore starts with “MS,” saving the best for last, sending the L.A. crowd home with their hit single “Breezeblocks.” The crowd sings out “I love you so/Please break my heart” with everything they’ve got left. They want more, but they also know these guys are pretty much out of songs at this point. August has been quite a month for music and Alt-J certainly was a fine choice to close it out. They’ve got an interesting sound going that translates well to live performance. While some bands fail to live up to the high standards of overproduced albums, the lads from Leeds take those standards and profoundly raise them with a fine combination of sound, energy and fancy-pants lighting. I was always cool with the letter J, but apparently the alternative is even better.
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Courtney Love Photo by C Flanigan/FilmMagic Written by Dan Sinclair
It’s quite something to see just how many 40-somethings are in attendance this night at the Canyon Club to see the woman Rolling Stone once referred to as “the most controversial woman in rock.” But here we are altogether in this venue in a strip mall waiting for her, most of the crowd unable to wipe the oversized smiles from their face as they wait in eager anticipation. Then Courtney comes out looking like... Stevie Nicks? She had the frilly blouse with the big cuffs working and the well-to-do makeup job as opposed to the better-known “just rolled out of bed from a month’s worth of partying and I’m ready to go another round” look that is Courtney Love. She was almost unrecognizable. But then she said, “Hello, Valley” in that raspy, unmistakable voice and the crowd roared. Agoura Hills was ready to rock for some dirty Love. Courtney belted out a couple of lines from “Pretty on the Inside” before going into the more familiar “Plump” and the Canyon Club got moving. Everyone sang, “They say I’m plump, but I throw up all the time.” And from then on there would be no more confusion about whom everyone was here to see. Courtney wasn’t too happy about the acoustics though: “This is the worst sound we’ve had on the whole tour. I couldn’t even hear what I was singing. You guys didn’t notice because we’re professionals.” There are some cheers mixed with awkward laughs, but then Courtney goes into “Skinny Little Bitch,” and everyone goes back to enjoying a rock show. Before her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman,” Courtney noticed the people sitting down at tables: “What are we doing here? Dinner theatre?” This time the crowd laughed without awkwardness. Then she continued, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I’m doing fucking dinner theatre.” But this didn’t stop her from climbing up on an amp to toss out roses. Someone near the stage held up a sign I can’t see. But Courtney’s not digging it: “No, we’re not going to play that one, sorry.” Which makes me wonder what song they were asking for considering Miss Love played almost all of her hits tonight, including “Pacific Coast Highway, “ which was next. Courtney on her bling: “One was a gift and one I bought myself. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Then she goes and kicks out a great rendition of “Violet.” Somewhere around this time, she smeared her makeup, making her eyeliner run wild, looking more like the Courtney we know and love (pun intended). She followed that up with “Malibu” and nearly brought down the house. She shushes the crowd for the slower “Letter to God,” but then also removes the frilly blouse, revealing a sexier black négligéelooking thing. “That’s all you’re getting. This is dinner theatre.” During “For Once in Your Life,” Courtney lights up a cigarette on stage and teases a little more of “Pretty on the Inside” before launching into “Jennifer’s Body.” Courtney wipes some of her makeup off her face just in time for “Celebrity Skin;” you know, for “When I wake up in my makeup.” Crowd goes nuts with screaming and even the oldest people in the crowd start gyrating in some sort of clapping/seizure-like loose interpretation of dance. The set finishes with my favorite song and best performance of the night in “Miss World.” People are actually jumping all over each other up front, screaming, “Now I’ve made my bed, I’ll lie in it!” Courtney thanks all and says good night, promising, “If you want us back here, you know what to do.” And the crowd cheers until she comes back, chanting “Courtney, Courtney!” When Miss Love returns, she polls the crowd: “How many homos are here tonight?” The large gay and lesbian crowd rejoiced. Then “How many fucked up girls?” And after hearing the emphatic response to those two demographics, Courtney admits, “I don’t need to hear from anyone else.” During the encore, Courtney walks around tossing more roses as she performs “Petals” and “Dying.” After that, she promises “I will never do another tour like this, but I’m going to play another oldie. You can say ‘I say I saw her one oldie tour.’” And with that, she closes the show with “Doll Parts” and the fans couldn’t be happier. Courtney Love’s greatest hits tour promoting her upcoming next solo album kicked ass. And if you missed it, I guess you suck. For the rest of us, we can say that we saw her one oldie tour. So there.
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Gemma Lee Farrell Photography by Andrew Gates Make-up & hair by Jenny Black
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emma Lee Farrell comes from a little country town in New Zealand called Pirongia with a population of only 700 people. She decided to make her way to Gold Coast Australia and at age eighteen she was approached by a photographer who worked for a prominent magazine there. This meeting changed her life and focus. Since then, Gemma has been in several different magazines, spokesmodel for various companies and currently travels the globe with Monster Energy Drink. In the future she would like to have her own fitness line as well as delve into acting. This kiwi has her eyes on the prize and a personality to get it.
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THE STATS Birthday: January 15 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Measurements: 33C-25-34 Height: 5’8” Weight: 115lb Ethnicity: New Zealand, Polish and Irish. Hometown: Pirongia, New Zealand Turn Ons: A man, I don’t like boys, I like when a guy can be a man. Turn Offs: Arrogant idiots and people who think to highly of themselves. Ideal first date: Surprise me.. I like a guy to sweep me off my feet or do the unexpected. Guilty Pleasure: Netflix and TV dramas. I’m nearly the whole way through Beverly Hills 90210. I also love Breaking Bad and the show Weeds. Pet Peeves: People giving orders when it’s not their place. Celebrity Pass: Ryan Gosling, I would eat him up. He is the hottest and sexiest man out there. See more of Gemma at twitter.com/gemmaleefarrell
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Naiomi Dean Photography by Andrew Gates Make-up and hair by Tiara Saleem
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aiomi Dean is a beautiful mix of German and East Indian. She grew up in Goa, India and has lived all over Europe. Naiomi moved to Los Angeles, California six years ago from London, England after completing film school. She is interested in pursuing her passion which is TV and film. Although, Naiomi’s main interest is producing and writing, which she has several credits under her belt, she also enjoys modeling as a hobby. Naiomi has been featured in several magazines and hopes to take her modeling career to the next level as well as her love for TV and film. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one as she makes her mark in the city of dreams.
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THE STATS Birthday: January 19 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Measurements: 34B-25-34 Height: 5’2” Weight: 99lb Ethnicity: I’m half German, half Indian. Hometown: Los Angeles, CA/Goa, India Turn Ons: The chemistry between the two of us, it needs to be turned up in order for it to be turned on. A nicely toned body and a guy that is confident and has his life together. Turn Offs: I don’t like hairy men at all, that would definitely be a turn off. Someone who does not stay true to his word is a huge turn off too. Ideal first date: A fun day on the beach watching the sunset and sipping Margarita’s. Guilty Pleasure: Jalepeno Margarita’s. Pet Peeves: Underarm sweat marks. Celebrity Pass: It will have to be Adam Levine. See more of Naiomi at instagram.com/ushadean
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Dead in the Clouds Written by Josh Schilling
It is not the busiest time of the year videogame-wise, but the first installment of the three-part, highly anticipated, downloadable content package for Bioshock Infinite was announced and suddenly released late in July. Clash in the Clouds is the title of the initial add-on and it contains a series of arena battles that accentuate the fighting styles you experienced in the main story. You are pitted against waves of enemies that increase in number and difficulty as you progress, and the overall challenge is to get high scores and to earn lots of money to unlock some interesting tidbits. Each level contains a particular challenge that increases the intensity by tasking you to complete interesting little side-quests to earn more cash and goodies. The challenges include such things as killing exclusively with a certain type of gun, performing sky-line only kills, and combining vigors in a bunch of different ways. Earning money by doing these challenges and advancing in the levels lets you upgrade your weapons, abilities and other stuff in the vending machines that you should be very well acquainted with from the main game. All of these levels, challenges and rising body counts are spread over four different arenas within the backdrop of Columbia, the city in the clouds, and the overall DLC highlights all of the fun and interesting combat that made Bioshock Infinite one of the best games of the year. In between the bloodshed, you can explore the small starting hub that contains various accolades and arena portals. One of the neat things about this addition is that instead of spending money trying to beef up your fighting prowess, you can choose to unlock a myriad of game-specific goodies from a museum. You can grab some of the interesting songs, some great concept art or even some additional story insight. Further immersion into this fantastic world is always a plus, and while this DLC may seem simple, it definitely adds a lot of spice to what could have been a very bland dish. After all, Clash in the Clouds is only five dollars (if you didn’t get the Season Pass) and you absolutely get your money’s worth. These arenas aren’t easy. You will experience a great deal of death, not only by your hand, but from your enemies as well. All in all, I had a great deal of fun dropping back into this world, although some people might question the setting of Clash in the Clouds. When did this take place during the main story line? Where in Columbia does this actually take place? Nit-pick, nit-pick? Well anyone who finished the story will know otherwise and you’ll be able to add this plot-point to the infitiverse, and there it all fits perfectly. Step through the door and everything and anything is possible, even when it contains flaming crows and flying grapple-deaths. While the concept of the first DLC installment would not seem overly imaginative, the other announcement that was made concerning the subsequent additions to Bioshock Infinite seem much more in line with what you would expect from Irrational Games. The next DLC offerings will be a two-part exploration of Rapture, the underwater city from the first Bioshock game, along with Booker and Elizabeth from Infinite. If you haven’t seen the trailer for Burial at Sea then I suggest you do so, because the appetizer of Clash in the Clouds, while certainly tasty, pales in comparison to the tantalizing, mind-twisting feast that will come out later this year. That is what we have always received from Irrational Games and Bioshock, and the next batch of DLC has the possibility of being some of the most impactful and interesting add-ons of all time.
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RUKUS • August 2013
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La Lucha Loca Written by Jesse Seilhan
Downloadable titles get a bad rap sometimes, especially in the value proposition department. Some gamers see a smaller, cheaper game as “less than” and unworthy of their valuable time and attention. However, the past few years have definitely shifted the tone of that argument, with some of the best games of this generation arriving late and via the internet, such as The Walking Dead, Journey, Hotline MIami, and many more. Very rarely do these games get any sort of attention unless they do something radically different, crossing boundaries by getting those that only play one style of game interested. This can be achieved with interesting graphics, a unique narrative, or in the case of Drinkbox’s Guacamelee, a combination of both of those blended with nostalgic gameplay and a crazy Luchador theme. This game utilizes the classic exploration gameplay of a Metroid or Castlevania with better platforming than the majority of games in those franchises. Your character, Juan Aguacate, is a wannabe luchadore that eventually dons the mask in an attempt to save the President’s daughter from the evil Carlos Calaca. With a heavy Day of the Dead inspiration, Guacamelee spins its yarn over multiple Mexican locales, from the desert and a mountain range all the way down to Hell itself. The neon shine and over-the-top characters are as bombastic as the tradition of Mexican wrestling itself. The art style is flashy and looks smooth running at 60 frames per second on the PC. Also, the over-the-top color scheme fits the vibrant luchador world Drinkbox Studios has created, and the semi-cel shaded graphics are indicative of Klei’s great games Mark of the Ninja and Shank. But beyond the aesthetics, a great blend of combat and platforming is really what makes this game a champion among champions. The platforming has one giant hook that few games attempt: you can switch between two worlds at any time, creating new paths, new visuals, and a new way to game. One hit of the trigger and platforms that were once there are now gone, and often different ones appear elsewhere. This variety makes for even more strategy during larger brawls that may contain enemies only susceptible to damage in one realm and sometimes by only one type of attack within that realm. Still with me? While you can button-mash your way through most stages, the complexity built within all of the upgrades and platforming makes for a furiously fulfilling fracus especially towards the game’s finale. This realm-swap ability also makes late-game puzzles quite interesting, as you’re constantly switching between worlds in order to remove and materialize various structures or platforms that hinder or help your progress. Having the ability to switch from The Living World and The Dead World at any time takes away the need for a second playthrough, ala Symphony of the Night, as it crams nearly twice the game in one go. While you can use a keyboard and mouse, the game recommends an XBOX 360 controller and that’s exactly what I used. I couldn’t imagine attempting some of the tough timed platforming sections without the precision the controller gives, so grab one from a friend if you don’t own Microsoft’s console. Clocking in at roughly five hours, that’s with all of the story mode and most of the secrets found, it may seem a little light on content. But with a co-op mode, a Hard mode to run through again, and only requiring $15 instead of the average $60, it’s nearly impossible to deem this game unworthy of purchase. The game pays tribute to the classics moreso than any game I can think of, placing logos and familiar symbols from not only other games, but from media outlets and famous internet memes. Mix that in with some timing-tested platforming trials and a funny story, and you have a perfect downloadable title fit for just about any gamer.
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