Best Of Yelp.com

"So yeah, I don't really get this place. I honestly only walked in Family because I was waiting in line for Largo, and a t-shirt by the door caught my eye.

It almost feels like a store that is for the slightly-more-obscure-hipster in your life.

They had Kerouac, but only Dharma Bums - see, slightly more obscure.

I couldn't figure out the any cohesive "theme" of sorts - there are lots of books, lots of weird art and lots of weird t-shirt.

So yeah, I still don't get it. I don't really know who I would send here - but yeah - it's hip.

Big ups to the employee with black-rimmed glasses and fedora. "Haaaaaaaay.""

– Christine L, Westwood, California


"Kinda okay if nothing better to do. Sometime have intresting books.Not that specail. Also easy to miss."

– Paul R, North Hollywood, California

halloween starts this week.

Big fake rubber eye balls, screaming children, dyed corn syrup, lots of flannel, synth scores, doom, destruction, torn limbs and long shadows. Ah, the mighty horror movie! In honor of this fine, often maligned genre, The Cinefamily has put on a month long horror festival kicking off this Wednesday. The range of films in astounding: Besides mini festivals dedicated to Val Lewton and George Romero (Martin! on the big screen!), there's mini-festivals dedicated to Japanese Ghost Stories, evil children, and, of course, a zombie festival (including a very special screening of Messiah of Evil) that culminates in a Fulci Triple feature. Yes, I said TRIPLE FEATURE. and there's more-special events include screenings of rare vintage horror cartoons, tv movies, and a Clint Howard hosted screening of Evil speak! Check out the amazing list of everything here.
But the real reason this is being posted on this particular blog, is because Family has curated a whole stack of double features as part of horror month at The Cinefamily-Every Sunday (and one Monday) in particular, Family has hand selected some of our favorite horror movies for your viewing pleasure:
October 5th at 8pm: A Corman/Poe night with Masque of the Red Death and Premature Burial!
October 12th at 2pm: Art Spiegelman Presents Tod Brownings Freaks!
October 12th at 8pm: The Deadly Spawn with The Blob!
October 19 at 8pm: Jack Shoulder night with The Hidden and Alone in the Dark!
October 27 at 8pm: Wes Craven B-Sides: The People Under the Stairs with Serpent and the Rainbow!
All screenings start at 8pm, unless otherwise noted! More info here.

McSweeneys Party This Sunday - 7:30

Come this Sunday at 7:30 to hear Deb Olin Unferth read from her new book Vacation! Some of you may know her from the 145 Stories Box that was her, Dave Eggers and Sarah Manguso. This one:



Here's a review of the new book, Vacation:

The Village Voice
"Deb Olin Unferth's Holiday in Delirium: A Strange Trip Indeed!"
By Elizabeth Hand

August 26, 2008

Vacation, Deb Olin Unferth's dreamy, surreal debut novel, reads like an extended hallucination or out-of-body experience, as unsettling as it is compelling. The fragmented narrative is an intricate cross-hatch of character and misprision: A man named Meyers stalks his wife, whom he suspects is having an affair with an old acquaintance named Gray. The wife, never named, follows Gray across Manhattan, but it's a random, compulsive pastime she engages in while her marriage unravels; she doesn't know Gray, doesn't know he's her husband's friend, doesn't know that Gray's own marriage has ended. Meanwhile, a young woman seeks the biological father she has never met, an eco-terrorist who liberates captive dolphins.

The action unfolds like a postmodern—or perhaps post-mortem—farce. Paths nearly cross, old friends nearly meet, lovers and parents and children almost reunite. Odd, sometimes absurdist correspondences between character and setting take the place of traditional plot. There are hints of posthumous fantasy, of reality filtered through delirium (Gray's experiences are colored by the brain tumor he doesn't know he has). E-mails, earthquakes, kidnapped dolphins, delayed flights, death are all given equal weight. The result is a post-realist novel, similar to Ed Park's Personal Days, Chris Adrian's The Children's Hospital, or Rivka Galchen's Atmospheric Disturbances.

Unferth's prose is lovely, at once precise and startling: "A man struggling in water looks somewhat like the inside of a jewel box or a crystal. The tiny bubbles shine whitely and sparkle. The more the man thrashes, the more it seems that gems and bits of silver and pearl are falling around him, as if he were caught inside a heavy opera costume, as if he were crashing through the stained glass of a cathedral, as if he were wrapped in air and light."

In many ways, Vacation functions more like a video installation than a novel. One catches multiple glimpses of Meyers's marriage and his wife's pursuit of Gray; of Gray's slide into dementia and his wife's futile attempts to find him in Managua. "We chase the thing we flee," muses Meyers's wife, but none of Vacation's myriad pursuits end well: "Where do you go when you leave? Nowhere, it turned out." Sometimes it's safest just to stay home.

Fruit Drink

Obesity
Metabolic Syndrome
Cancer
Heart disease
Diabetes
Premature aging
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
Increased Development of Corn Food Allergies
Environmental Damage
Death Death Death Fat Fat Death

Our Tower of Power

Imagine having a 100ft. Kramer outside your window! This is is NY, but really should be in every city all over the world.

Two New Records!

New Dave Scott Stone 7" through Teardrops with a cover by Sumi Ink Club - Release party coming up at Family, Saturday October 11!




And the new Soft Boiled Eggies from Upset the Rhythm of Great Britain!



From Upset the Rhythm:
'Try It Again' is a mini LP that nestles in the gap between Softboiled Eggie's 2007 debut full-length 'Egg Soldiers' for Tiny Creatures / Human Ear Music (voted one of the LA Record's top 10 albums of the year) and a sophomore album expected later in 2008 via Upset The Rhythm. With more time in the studio, the record sees the band flesh out their customary pop quartet setup, with bells, chimes, glasses, water and a variety of organs and pianos, lending a new sense of exploration to the music.

Inspired as much by James Brown, as the glassy guitars of Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, the experimentalism of Scritti Politti, and the woozy rhythms of reggae, 'Try It Again' is a captivating piece of work. "Only Loved At Night" sees the band take on the Raincoats classic, while "Mama Don't Cry" showcases Janet's haunting and uncompromising personal lyrics, assessing the demise of the American dream from uniquely private perspective.

Put simply 'Try It Again' is akin to a studying a picture of the Milky Way - afar it looks beautiful and graceful but look closer and you’ll see it's made up of billions of stars, millions of planets, and countless numbers of living and non-living things, all of which are delicately balanced and hold immense influence over each other. 'Try It Again' is as artful and imaginative as describing a galaxy in terms of the spilt milk of the Gods, making grand gestures effortlessly and with charm.

About SFB:
SOFTBOILED EGGIES were formed in the summer of 2006 in Los Angeles, by multi-instrumentalist Janet Kim and former GoGoGo Airheart guitarist Ben White, along with John Maus and various alumni of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Since then, the band has undergone several line-up changes, settling on the current quartet of Janet and Ben, plus Scott Cornish on drums and Cole Greif-Neil on guitar.

Both firm fixtures on the LA underground scene, Janet is also the self-proclaimed "creative director" of art gallery / label / music school Tiny Creatures, whilst Ben is the founder of underground party club, Part Time Punks.

Softboiled Eggies is Janet's whispering bedroom secret turned fab rock 'n' roll experience. The unassuming, almost-improvised arrangements descend from a dreamlike reverie to evoke the repressed angst encoded in early soul, dub and post-punk singles. Attention to rhythm is steady, while brushed-in watercolor harmonies seem to rest between the beats like feathers on snow.

Against Pain

Here is a good piece articulating an incredulity that this is even for real, and not, in the words of Matt Damon, a really bad Disney movie.

Huh

Vote here in this poll

New Stuff!

Hey everybody,
It's been a while since we told you about the new stuff in the store - so here you go!

*Finally back in print! WERNER HERZOG'S Walking In Ice - His diary of traveling from Munich to Paris on foot!

*'New Video Works', a PPM dvd compilation featuring music videos by NO AGE, ABE VIGODA, BARR, SOFT CIRCLE, SOFT BOILED EGGIES, BLACK BLACK, DEERHUNTER, LUCKY DRAGONS, THE SADS, DAVE SCOTT STONE, SISSY SPACEK and more!

*'These Birds Walk' photographic series. Last copies of small press photo books by JIM GOLDBERG, ARI MARCOPOULOS, PAUL SHIEK, MARK BRODIE

*Mcsweeneys Vol 28 featuring new stories based on the art of the fable by SHEILA HETI and ARTHUR BRADFORD. Each story is its own hardback book featuring a different illustrator.

*WON magazine from Australia featuring PETER SUTHERLAND, JACK MANNIX, CONOR O'BRIEN, BOB NICKAS

*NEW PPM 7"S - GUN OUTFIT and PARTY FOWL

*The first LUCKY DRAGONS album Dark Falcon, reissued on vinyl by Marriage.

*The long awaited monograph by ED TEMPLETON - Deformer, through Alleged Press.

*New kids book by LAWRENCE WEINER - Somthing to Put Something On. Profound!

*DAIDO MORIYAMA - from Japan 'Record' vol 7, and vol 8 - Moriyama's photographic diary series!

*Brand new LEIF GOLDBERG incredible multicolored silkscreened prints and postcards!

*CHRIS MARKER dvds! Three new recent films including 'The Case of the Grinning Cat'

*'Where Demented Wented' the Art and comics of RORY HAYNES edited by DAN NADEL

*Peaceable Kingdom - a Nieves book by CHRIS JOHANSON and JO JACKSON

*New collection of MIKE MILLS Humans prints, plus some highlights from older collections still availailable

*New POCAHAUNTED cd - 'Island Diamonds' and loads of new Not Not Fun vinyl releases!

*Through Gagosian comes a giant TOM FRIEDMAN retrospective book , plus the new TOM SACHS Spaceman book.

*'O Sirhan' a DVD and zine box featuring work and interviews with SIR RICHARD BISHOP, BRUCE MCLURE, and CAN'T

*'Imprint' a stunning collection and the first to showcase the work of designer DANIEL EATOCK!

*CHRISTOPHER WOOL - a handsome monograph of black and white paintings.

*'Best at Belonging to Yourself' a Monokultur interview zine with MIRANDA JULY is back in stock! And also from Monokultur is the new issue with PAWEL ALTHAMER!

*'Why the Devil Chose New England to do his Work' - a collection of short stories by JASON BROWN with cover photograph by JOCKO WEYLAND

*New STOP SMILING MAGAZINE featuring LUIS BUNUEL, GEOFF MCFETRIDGE, DAVID SEDARIS

*Incredible two-volume silver box set of the great YAYOI KUSAMA direct from Victoria Miro Gallery

*SOILED MATTRESS AND THE SPRINGS 'Honk Honk Bonk' finally available on vinyl through Teenage Teardrops!

*'To Say The Least' the first monograph by MATTHEW BRANNON featuring his genius letterpress prints!

* 'Vacation' a brand new novel by DEB OLIN UNFERTH, published by Mcsweeney's.

*The only HENRY DARGER book available - 'Sound and Fury'. Been a long time since there were any Darger books around! Fuck ebay!

*From Sweden's Loyal Gallery - last copies in print of EDDIE MARTINEZ 'New Paintings'! Plus another Martinez book with CHUCK WEBSTER through Picturebox.

*Heaps of new NIEVES stuff INCLUDING MARK DELONG and KIM HIORTHOY and restocks on AARON ROSE'S Other Scenes catalogue.

*New KIM DEITCH graphic novel in collaboration with brothers SETH AND SIMON DEITCH!

Sumi Ink Club Meeting Tomorrow!

Hey gentiles! Spend Friday night with Luke and Sarah in Chinatown.



And check out the mural they've done at Site LA on Sunset in Echo Park:

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 28, 7:30pm

Launch of two brand new MCSWEENEY'S titles - with author readings and signings.

Vacation
Deb Olin Unferth



A man follows his wife. The wife follows a stranger. The stranger leaves town and the man goes after him, determined to settle the score. But the man is not the only one looking for the stranger, and the stranger has troubles of his own. Amid all this, the earth quakes, a boy leaps out a window, and a dolphin swims free. Of course people have adventures of this kind—of course! of course!—but we’ve never heard of it before. With deadpan humor and skewed wordplay, Deb Olin Unferth weaves a mystery of hope and heartbreak.

"Part mystery, part sonata, Unferth writes like a musician plays, weaving images and themes and melodies with these beautifully rhythmic, funny, heart-breaking sentences. The whole novel should be read aloud and relished."
-AIMEE BENDER

With:

All Known Metal Bands
Dan Nelson

This volume contains the names of over fifty thousand metal bands. If one presumes that each of these bands had an average of four members, and multiplies that by the bands, one might figure that at least a quarter of a million humans have pledged allegiance to one of these groups of wandering beasts. Never has a music relegated to the underground of a civilization had so many devotees; no radio need transmit the power of this music, for it is sought fiercely and freely by the doomed and the dispossessed, whose ears are never touched by songs of love and weakness.

These names are invisible tokens to be spoken aloud, each representing a human quest for superhuman spectacle: shaking floorboards and quivering walls, split ears leaking blood, with faces painted and ornaments pointy, voices uttering eternal truths shunned by woman and man alike.

Sunday, October 5, 2pm

Launch of 'Empty The Sun'
by Joseph Mattson & Six Organs of Admittance

Mattson will be reading from his brand new book 'Empty The Sun' with a live accompaniment by Six Organs of Admittance

"Here I was, doing ninety on the Santa Monica Freeway with a quart of whiskey shoved into my crotch and my dead neighbor in the trunk. It had come time to leave Los Angeles." Thus begins the pre-apocalyptic, cross-country race against God to bury the murdered past in Joseph Mattson's Empty the Sun, an urgent, beautifully reckless novel of transgressive loss and hunted redemption, which includes a soundtrack by Six Organs of Admittance.



Also reading:
Elisa Ambrogio (of Magik Markers)
Arthur Nersesian (Author of The Fuck-Up, The East Village Tetralogy)

Check out the site for Empty the Sun

Upcoming events coming through October and November:
Launch of Tim Barber's Tiny Vices series through Aperture
Fingered DVD release party
Double launch of new books by Ron Rege and John Pham
Launch of 'Overspray' - 80s LA airbrush art through Picturebox
Kramers Ergot 7 launch and art show!

Of course, the most important event of all will be the unveiling of the Hadron Collider:

"I wish you way more than luck."

Yes, this is all very sad.

But this graduation address is great

"Everyone here has done this, of course. But it hasn't yet been part of you graduates' actual life routine, day after week after month after year.

But it will be. And many more dreary, annoying, seemingly meaningless routines besides. But that is not the point. The point is that petty, frustrating crap like this is exactly where the work of choosing is gonna come in. Because the traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gonna be pissed and miserable every time I have to shop. Because my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me. About MY hungriness and MY fatigue and MY desire to just get home, and it's going to seem for all the world like everybody else is just in my way. And who are all these people in my way? And look at how repulsive most of them are, and how stupid and cow-like and dead-eyed and nonhuman they seem in the checkout line, or at how annoying and rude it is that people are talking loudly on cell phones in the middle of the line. And look at how deeply and personally unfair this is."

"But most days, if you're aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she's not usually like this. Maybe she's been up three straight nights holding the hand of a husband who is dying of bone cancer. Or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the motor vehicle department, who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a horrific, infuriating, red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness. Of course, none of this is likely, but it's also not impossible. It just depends what you what to consider. If you're automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won't consider possibilities that aren't annoying and miserable. But if you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down."

Kind of a Maverick

Oh shit.

True Original Maverick

The most luscious butt in all of Fairfax. We are privileged to admire this fine asset (pun intended) every Friday.

Lana Kim - Original Internet TV Maverick

Here's a new episode of the Lana Show with guests No Age.

826LA Benefit

Support 826LA with:

826LA's Fall-Time Yuk-Fest
Insightful Comedy and Dogs on Tightropes

Featuring:
Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo, Tim & Eric, Jimmy Pardo, Bill Burr, Al Madrigal, and Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels

The Avalon Hollywood
Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 9:00 PM (Doors open at 8:00 PM)
1735 Vine Street (between Hollywood and Yucca Streets), Los Angeles, CA



More info at 826LA

Poster for Sam's show at Hope!

Sam McPheeters at Hope Gallery - This Saturday

'Unleash The Walrus'
Sam McPheeters
September 13, 7:00pm - October 17
Hope Gallery
1547 Echo Park Ave 90026

Sam McPheeters was the singer of the classic early 90s hardcore band Born Against, and Wrangler Brutes, and a founding member of Men's Recovery Project. McPheeters has designed record covers and ephemera for bands Amps For Christ, Erase Errata, The Locust, Melt Banana, and No Age. The exhibition also coincides with the release of McPheeters' new fiction magazine, Clog. All artist proceeds will be donated to Veterans For Peace.

Here's some of Sam's work from previous shows:

Daniel Eatock - Imprint

A few weeks ago we got London based designer Daniel Eatock's new/first book, Imprint, at the shop. Anything i attempt to say in hopes that you'll check it out will just sell it short, but a trip to his website is a great guide.



http://www.eatock.com

The Art of Music

And after the Keep opening on Saturday night you can go check out these mavericks:

Yayoi Kusama

We just got this two-volume Yayoi Kusama book in the store from Victoria Miro Gallery in London. It's pretty hard to find any books on Kusama at the moment and this one is truly incredible. There are no images from it online but much of the work from these shows is featured:

New Keep Store on Fairfax

The transformation of Fairfax has gone through many ups and down, from T the vegan cafe turning into Animal, a restaurant with meat desserts, and the many incarnations of Picanty, a kosher wine store, reinventing its storage area into an illegal after-hours disco. Largo is gone. Nova Express is gone. Even La Glatt is planning on shutting down. Thankfully things are brightening up with a new cafe opening in the old Nova Express that will have a mini version of Scoops, the visionary ice-cream parlor on Heliotrope. And now Keep, the shoe company, will be opening up on the block. Welcome them on Saturday night.



Flier features a photograph by the inimitable Ray Potes of Hamburger Eyes. Check out the very ethical and stylish Keep.

More Humans by Mike Mills

We have virtually sold out of the entire new fourth collection of Mike Mill's 'Humans' posters, and we should be getting more and some even newer ones any day, like this:



In the meantime we have more highlights from previous collections (only some are still available). Like these: