Mau Maus Live Review in Sugarbuzz Magazine
Victoria Joyce has written a great review of the Mau Maus live in the newest Sugarbuzz, it also features photos by Mila Reynaud. Click HERE to read it online.
The Mau Maus
The Redwood Bar and Grill
Downtown Los Angeles
Brixton
South Bay Redondo Beach
By Victoria Joyce
Photography by Mila Reynaud
We took a break from the Sunset Strip Music Festival to head downtown. A very special show by LA Punk Legends, The Mau Maus, were playing a set at the forever funky Redwood Bar with the original 1981 line up. (They was just babies.) Self described as psycho-sexual Punk Death Rock, this show could not be missed.
Check out The Punk Museum being curated by Miss Tacquila Mockingbird for some mind-blowing handbills from some of their seminal shows where the Mau Maus shared stages with Black Flag, The Germs, X, etc.
With some changes to the original, original 70s band, a newer line up of Rick Wilder, Michael Livingston, Scott Franklin and Paul Mars Black formed in 1981 and that is who would be on stage tonight. The last time The Mau Maus went into the studio, they recorded with Robby Krieger (The Doors) on the Mad Dog Studio sessions included two songs for “Hell Comes To Your House Vol. 2.” A scene-stealing performance in the OJ Simpson detective movie “Cocaine and Blue Eyes” accented this “Joyride to the End of the World.”
We were very disappointed Mr. Krieger did not show up at the Redwood. But he was busy at Viper Room, playing a solo show as part of the SSMF. Break on through.
The Redwood is a teensy weensy serious dive bar, five times as long as it is wide, a virtual hall way with a tiny stage in the back. They have been back in business for a few years now reviving the downtown LA Rock to white hot and weird on most weekends. The Redwood features the obscure, the strange and like tonight legendary bands with a capital “L.”
The Tinglers out of Las Vegas opened the evening. Twangy Punk Pop with very strange songs that were just brilliant. Very Garage.
Followed by the Muertones, a trio out of Lincoln Heights with hardcore Dark Surf very Misirlou-Pulp Fiction type stuff. They did a cover of “LA Woman” that was to die for.
Chit-chatting with the Mau Maus pre-set got us some props for the interview Mr. Lucky did with the enigmatic Rick Wilder who may also be doing a book. Paul Mars Black gave us some of the skinny on the earlier Robby Krieger sessions. When the guitar player didn’t show – Robby jumped in and brought out a little bitty Dubose amp to the session. When the bewildered band questioned the size of the box, Krieger informed them this is what was used on all The Doors very own sessions. It’s not the size of the wave, it’s the motion in the ocean.
Taking the stage around 11, The Mau Maus were frightening. The undiluted energy of the original Punk movement was in full flower jogging the memory of a genuine underground scene back in the day-e-ay. You could get hurt if you got too close. And we are not talking about some fake mosh pit full of overweight suburban white boys. More like slam-dancing with scissors and knives kind of thing. It was wonderful to be that scared of a band.
The PA was terrible to the point of being absent if you were squeezed off to the side. (We were.) The enigmatic Rick Wilder’s vocals with his pale white skin and shock of candy apple red hair were more lost than usual. But the musicianship was stellar. The gorgeous Paul Mars Black (also of LA Guns) on drums was sharper than a disposable razor. The classically trained Michael Livingston on guitar was a revelation and one time Cramp, Scott Franklin on bass was a stunner.
We were doubly delighted to learn that another gig was added the following Sunday night, way the hell down in Orange County at the Brixton in Redondo Beach. This time the club was ten times as big and the sound system was 100 times better. The performance was a lot tighter. The contained chaos was crystal clear.
AND HEY KIDS: For a limited time there will be a special deal on the Mau Maus brand new CD, “Scorched Earth Policies” with an eBay bundle including a signed copy of the Mau Maus debut LP (autographed by the 1981 line up), a “Scorched Earth” CD (w/ a 20 page full color booklet with super duper photos by Mila Renaud), a Mau Maus Black Matte Sticker and 3 Mau Maus Posters, all for just $19.78!
Santa Barbara Live Review
Legendary L.A. punk rock band gives first-ever performance in Santa Barbara
By Jeff Moehlis, Noozhawk Contributing Writer | Published on 07.26.2012 1:25 p.m
When I asked Rick Wilder what we could look forward to at the concert on Sunday night at Whiskey Richards by The Mau Maus, the L.A. punk rock band for which he is the frontman, he declared, “Punk rock insurrection meets nuclear horror show circus.”
And you know what? He was right!
The Mau Maus were a force of shock and awe back in the late 1970s, with wild performances at the Hollywood punk rock club The Masque and elsewhere around Los Angeles, and sometimes beyond. With various lineup changes but always Wilder at the helm, they somehow survived (as individuals and as a band) into the 1980s, ultimately recording a collection of songs in 1983 with ex-Doors guitarist Robby Krieger in the producer’s chair.
However, these tracks went unreleased until a little more than a month ago when the album Scorched Earth Policies: Then and Now came out, an instant classic that also includes new recordings by Wilder and the blazing band/“chaos machine” currently on tour: Michael Livingston on guitar, Scott “Chopper” Franklin on bass guitar, and Paul “Black” Mars on drums. (All except Livingston also played on the 1983 recordings.)
The Mau Maus’ music is old-school punk rock at its finest, with loud guitar, fast rhythms, snarling singing and song titles that would make your mother blush. And, as on the new album, they delivered the sound and fury of old-school punk rock in concert, to the delight of the small but enthusiastic and oft-moshing crowd at Whiskey Richards.
If there is justice in the musical universe, the recent album release and live performances will raise The Mau Maus’ 21st-century profile, bringing them into the punk rock pantheon where they belong, alongside the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, the Dead Kennedys, X, the Buzzcocks, etc.
Thanks to Electric Sex Enterprises for bringing these guys and openers Crying 4 Kafka to Whiskey Richards, and thanks to The Mau Maus for keeping the punk rock flame burning.
Setlist
Doomsdaze
Dead or Alive
Sex & The Single Sniper
Laughtrack
Never Talk to Strangers
Greenlight
Family Jewels
Joyride (To the End of the World)
Sex Girls in Uniform
Rectum of Nefertiti
All Fall Down
Warbaby
Faker
(I’m) Psychotic
— Noozhawk contributing writer Jeff Moehlis is a professor of mechanical engineering at UCSB. Upcoming show recommendations, advice from musicians, interviews and more are available on his Web site, music-illuminati.com.
Permanent Records In-Store Review
The Mau-Maus
Permanent Records, Eagle Rock, CA
by Michael Essington
A couple of years back I wrote a review for a show I went to at the Redwood in Los Angeles. The show was Mau-Maus, Billy Bones and Symbol Six. Fun show, but I wasn’t overly enthused with the Mau-Maus performance. Now I didn’t fully slag them off, but I could have been a little nicer in my review.
Anyway, a year and a half, or so, later Mr. Rick Wilder shoots me an email saying that I was probably 99% accurate in my review. This surprised the shit out of me. Usually when a review doesn’t go a band’s way I get cursed at and told I know nothing about music. Not in this case. Mr. Wilder was a true gentleman and has become a bit of a friend. So, I told him to be fair, I’d come and check them out again next time they play.
On June 3, 2012, Permanent Records in Eagle Rock, CA created an event page on Facebook for an in-store show with the Mau-Maus promoting their new album, SCORCHED EARTH POLICIES: then and now.
Two or three weeks back I went to lunch with master photographer Edward Colver, and after lunch we stopped into Permanent Records. So, I knew exactly where it was. Great streamlined shop. Unlike most used records shops it’s not over-run with clutter.
Show is scheduled for 6:00, and I tried to take a shortcut which made me about twenty minutes late. I hate being late. Ran into the shop at about 6:25, 6:27. The shop was pretty empty. I figured Mau-Maus went on at 6:00, blew through their set and I missed the whole fucking thing. I went up to the counter, and asked the lady sitting there if “I missed the set?” She said, “No,” they were waiting for the opening band to set up. Whew.
I stood around and waited, no opening band. I bumped into a couple of friends who I saw the Mau-Maus with two years ago, Mary and Frank. Then a friend of my late uncle Rick’s comes up and introduces himself, Danny from Warning Label Records out of Boston. Small frickin’ world.
As I’m talking to Danny I hear the crowd start to buzz, “He’s here, he’s here.” The party has started. Rick Wilder, Michael Livingston, Scott Franklin and Paul Black did a few final tune-ups and they launched into a kick-ass set. My main complaint last time I saw them was I couldn’t hear Mr. Wilder’s vocals, not the case this time. The mike was held close to the grill throughout his performance.
Only problems they had was the mikes cut out once, then, I think, the amps cut for a minute. Both resolved quickly and then back to a powerful set.
Rick Wilder is a cool front man, people are drawn to him. You want to see what he’s going to do. And I have to mention Michael Livingston, he is such a great guitarist that it’s almost unbelievable.
Afterwards, Rick gave me a copy of their new album to review, and I hung out with him for a bit. The album review will be here soon, buy a copy. All in all, a great show.
