Rhino Records Pop Up Store to Make Final Charge for Good Cause

Some good things go out with a bang as the Rhino Records Pop Up Store will do this weekend, with hard-rockin' headliners Martha Davis and the Motels, The Rave-Ups, Trotsky Icepick and Wayne Kramer, guitarist of the proto-metal band MC5 (the Detroit combo best known for its album Kick Out the Jams).

The Rhino Records Pop Up Store, a charity fundraising rock festival put on by the former owners of the late lamented retail store, will feature these musical acts and many more playing through Sunday night. 

Baked Spaghetti Brothers and Alain Johanes perform on Saturday night while The Rave-Ups, Trotsky Icepick and Post-War Quartet kill it on Sunday afternoon. Wayne Kramer of MC5, the Clorox Girls, The Fling and an act called He's My Brother, She's My Sister will close out the Rhino fest on Sunday night.

Since May 27, the 2011 Rhino charity festival has set up shop at 10952 Santa Monica Blvd., a stone's throw from where the original Rhino Records store once attracted scores of loyal, devoted music heads with its treasure trove of records (many of which were issued on Rhino Records' own label). From 1973 to 2005, the Rhino Records storefront was a mecca for eclectic music lovers and often sold hard-to-find LPs and soundtracks.

Earlier this week at the Pop-Up Store event, acts such as Little Willie G. & Thee East LA Philharmonic Orchestra, Fat City Reprise, Ruby Friedman Orchestra, Gaby Moreno, Vaud & the Villains and Kristian Hoffman's Paisley Pop Cavalcade entertained the mad throngs.

The Pop Up Store will donate the proceeds to MusiCares, which provides a safety net of critical assistance for music industry people in times of need. The Recording Academy’s music community services charity, MusiCares will raise funds via sales of vinyl, CDs, DVDs, collectibles, books, posters and donations from event attendees.

“Last year’s pop up store really brought me back to the experience of the L.A. music scene and the sense of community that it fosters," said event organizer Gary Stewart, a former Rhino Records senior vice president of A&R and Rhino store employee. "MusiCares has become an integral part of that, often coming to the rescue of music folk who find themselves on the wrong end of health issues and financial issues at the same time. They help so many people who inspired us to work in this industry and without whom our careers wouldn’t even be possible.”

For Trotsky Icepick front man Vitus Mataré, the timing of the 2011 Rhino Pop-Up Store could not be better for his indie rock band, which originally thrived from 1986-91.

"The opportunity to perform at the Rhino Pop-Up Store followed on the heels of our decision to reform for the sole purpose of supporting friends of ours," Mataré said. "We had successfully dodged the reunion bullet for 20 years."

Playing Westwood again will carry special meaning and momentum for Trotsky Icepick, which will play the 3 p.m. time slot on Sunday afternoon.

"All of the Trotsky Icepick lineup met at and graduated from UCLA," Mataré said. "In the late 1970s, we played shows on campus, at the Coop, Village Mews and Dillons, as well as a couple of the houses on frat row. There was an entire underground scene rehearsing and recording in the UCLA parking structures late nights that we were all a part of. For us, it's an ever-morphing sense of community. I always look forward to coming to Westwood, as several of my friends, including [bandmate] John Talley-Jones, are still at UCLA."

Despite his enthusiasm, this coming Sunday's Trotsky Icepick reunion almost did not happen.

"When Dennis Pelowski [manager of former SST label mates, the Meat Puppets] asked if we would be willing to take the opening slot on some of their West Coast dates this June, we did not take it seriously at first," Mataré said. "We offered a 45-minute rendition of You Look Like Goya Drew that would enlist members of the audience to fill in for missing band members. It was the fact that the Curt and Cris Kirkwood are finally back together again and undertaking a serious reunion tour plugging their fantastic new album [Lollipop] that had us rethink our position."

"We are thrilled the 'Pups are back on the road," Mataré added. "We have absolutely no intention of doing that ourselves but when Rhino's Sam Epstein mentioned the possibility of us joining on a closing night bill ... we had to jump right in."

Also playing alongside Trotsky Icepick will be something of an icon.

"I grew up listening to MC5 albums in the late 1960s," Mataré recalls. "Mr. Kramer's former band, like Iggy & The Stooges and London's Pink Fairies, had a huge effect on my musical taste as a teenager growing up in California.

"In more recent years I've always been thrilled to see Kramer's production or other credits pop up on worthwhile recordings. I particularly look forward to his set on closing night at the Rhino Pop-Up Store, but let's not forget another group of musicians of mythical stature, The Everpresent Fullness, will also be part of the festivities. It promises to be a terrific show."

For Trotsky Icepick, playing a Rhino show is like playing among old friends.

"There's more than a handful of close friends and associates who worked at the Rhino store in the '70s and '80s and really helped our bands along," Mataré says. "Trotsky Icepick is comprised of former members of The Last and The Urinals, both of whom benefitted immeasurably from the creative input and support of Rhino staff over the years, particularly Rhino's Gary Stewart."

The fact that the Rhino label also had a prominent storefront in the '80s and '90s was a boon for an entire generation of up-and-coming independent musicians.

"Rhino also happened to be one of the best places to shop for good vinyl and an excellent place for DIY artists to offer their recordings for sale back in the day," Mataré says.

Fans of Trotsky Icepick can expect the band to go all out at this Sunday's concert.

"We'll be pulling songs from each of the seven SST albums equally with a cover or two thrown in," Mataré promises. "It is mandatory that we cover at least one Wire song and some insist there be something in the set that refers to unpleasant pop entertainers or malicious circus clowns. I believe we can provide that," he adds with a wink.

Weekend Concert Schedule

Saturday, June 11                   7:30pm      Baked Spaghetti Brothers

Saturday June 11                     8:00pm      IRONTOM

Saturday, June 11                  9:00pm      Alain Johannes

Sunday, June 12                    1:30pm      Postwar Quartet

Sunday, June 12                       2:15pm      The Rave Ups

Sunday, June 12                       3:00pm      Trotsky Icepick

Sunday, June 12                    4:00pm      Everpresent Fullness (Reunion Show!)

Sunday, June 12                       5:00pm      Wayne Kramer

Sunday, June 12                       5:30pm      Wayne Kramer with the Clorox Girls

Sunday, June 12                       5:45pm      Clorox Girls

Sunday, June 12                    6:30pm      He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister

Sunday, June 12                       7:45pm      The Fling