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Ann Summa's Raucous Reception: Part 2
Some photographers are just lucky. They were in the right place at the right time. They were there to ride the crest of a burgeoning scene. Not so for Ann Summa. She may have been snapping away while LA's punk rock scene took its very first breath, but the timelessness of her photography is not sheer luck. Ann Summa's photographs could stand up to the best of them even if they were pictures of random people taken at the bus stop. Her use of lights and darks is striking, and she is able to capture the intensity of people like Tomata du Plenty and the cool detachment of Dianne Chai.
Thank goodness Lori arrived early on the closing night of Ann Summa's photography exhibit to cover the first half of the show. We arrived just after Watt had taken off, so we missed the magic moment of John Talley-Jones playing onstage with the Missingmen.
The crowd was mostly comprised of the generation on punks ahead of me. The late 70s punks. There was hardly anyone under 35 there. Besides the musicians, Jennifer and Jordan Schwartz of We Got Power were there, as was Pettibon collaborator, Joel Raine. Punk rock boys arrived on bikes, and it's also always nice to see the Pedro contingent making the trek up the 405.
Photos after the jump - one is kinda sorta nsfw - it would freak out your mom, anyways...
Here is the woman of the hour, Ann Summa, with Chris Bratton and London May
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...and some of Ann's work
The Human Hands were fantastic - a good representation of early art punk - intense, yet freakishly self-controlled.
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The Urinals grew tired of being called "The Chairs of Perception - formerly known as the Urinals", and have changed their name back to "The Urinals" - formerly known as Chairs of Perception. Talley-Jones was looking good, and had a more intense stage presence than I have ever seen from him before. I love his name. Someday I will write a novel and the hero will be named Admiral John Talley-Jones. And his first mate will be Digus B. Crux. A free drink to the first person who figures out the misheard lyric that inspired the second name.
Oh, back to the show. My surprise fave of the Masque show, The Deadbeats closed out the show with a wild set. Hopefully they are going to be doing regular gigs now. Their new guitar player looked strangely familiar through his Halloween makeup - could it be Dave Jones of Magnolia Thunderpussy? Why, yes, yes it is!
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Lead singer Scott Geurin drove the crowd wild with his dildo suit, which nearly asphyxiated him before he managed to escape.
Jamie Pina of Christian Death 1334 jumped onstage to help out with "Final Ride" from their Dangerhouse single.
Either Sarah is very, very, small or the sax player is very, very tall
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Here is evidence of Joel Rainey being viciously attacked by Dan Clark in a violent artist gang retailiation. I am disappointed Joel is not wearing a cape and a rakish chapeau.
The charming Falling James, writer and musician...I am relieved he is into pants again, so I am spared the embarassment of the two of us showing up at events wearing the same dress.
John Talley-Jones
Bob Lee, Raul Morales and Vince from Pedro. 75% Watt drummers and 100% rocking.
John Glogovac of UNIBLAB and formerly of Trotsky Icepick. I love the hair.
I see album covers everywhere
And a final tribute to 70s punk photography; it must be rubbing off on me
Here is just a taste of the Human hands. Always leave them wanting more, right?
The great thing about the dildo suit was the way it jiggled like a bowlful of jelly.
all photos and video by Elise Thompson for LAist
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