Rock Blogs from antiMUSIC's staff. A Night in Hollywood By Kwazar

Welcomg to Blog n' Roll a place where antiMUSIC's staff (and guests) brings the blog craze together with their rock n' roll adventures.   Now here is the featured Blog... Enjoy! 

Halloween in Hollywood @ Klown Records 10/30/04

My Name is "Kwazar" and I have filmed well over 100 bands all over Los Angeles, capturing many magic moments on the Sunset Strip where the Celebs and Rock stars "play" during their time off.

On March 9th 2004 I was scheduled to film "Brides of Destruction" Debut show at Tower Records on the Sunset Strip for BMG Music. This is Nikki Sixx and Tracii Guns new band. The excitement escalated to a fever pitch as people were trying to get wristbands to be a part of the lucky few hundred that would get in to see the "Brides" play. As I was setting up my camera's I met a guy named Stevo Bruno who produced the Brides debut album and was running sound that evening. I had heard of his name but didn't know much about him personally and didn't think much of it at the time.

The crowd was let in and the show was starting. Sure enough as Murphy's Law comes into effect, someone decided at the last minute to turn the lights off right above the stage. This left the crowd lit so all I got was a bright crowd and ghostly images of the band hammering out their new songs to the crazed fans lucky enough to get in. 

Stevo was having his own technical difficulties because he rented a rig for the night and the CD player was malfunctioning. The intro CD that played bombs, helicopter sounds, sirens, etc. wouldn't shut off and kept playing in the stage monitors but not the front house speakers. So I kept seeing Tracii Guns and Nikki Sixx pointing at the monitors and then their ears which meant to adjust the sound, but what they really meant was turn off the f***ing intro. Nobody could really hear the problem other than the band. 

Stevo started messing with the sound after he had it perfect when Jay (his assistant sound guy) finally realized the problem and they pulled the plug to the CD player. The crowd didn't care or even notice, they loved every second of it and that's all that really mattered.

Oh well - it's only Rock and Roll but we like it. 

 So, fast forward to a few weeks ago when Stevo contacted me and asked if I could film his 4th Annual Halloween Party for him at Klown Records, his studio in Santa Monica. Without hesitation I said "absolutely". By this time I had learned enough about him, my friends talked highly about what he had going on and that he had worked with some of the biggest names in the business. So off I went on my Harley with my cameras in a large backpack not really knowing what to expect� 

I got lost and at 11 pm finally arrived at Klown. The place was jumpin and there were over 200 people there already. Stevo immediately ran up to me escorted me back to the "Showcase Room" where John Neilson was tuning up for his set. I could see Jay Frederick, the same sound guy at the Brides in store tower gig, behind the soundboard at this insane Klown party. Jay mentioned that he just got off tour with the "Brides" and loves to keep it in the family. John Nielson started to play his acoustic ballad set and the room filled with people. The sound was great and the mood was still pretty mellow (even though you can hear classics from "Pink Floyd" and "Rolling Stones" blaring from super high quality sound gear at the other end of the building when you walk out the door).

After John's set Stevo walked me through and introduced me to some of his friends, clients and celebs. There were dozens of stunningly beautiful women all dressed up in bizarre costumes hugging and kissing Stevo like he was Elvis every step of the way, so I decided to keep the camera's rolling. Did I mention all the breasts that were being flashed every 10 seconds�I love my job!

The next band was Prong. They live in LA now after recording their record "Scorpio Rising" at Klown with producer Stevo Bruno. They hit the stage with an amazing set as Tommy Victor sang and played lead guitar to this small private show in Santa Monica, California.  The room was vibrating with delight and by the time they finish their set with "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" the crowd of costumed freaks was so packed in that I could barely move even though I was basically on the stage filming.  When the set was done I was in "shock and awe" and I knew I just captured a magic moment that would be hard to repeat for a long time.

The party got more and more intense as the free booze flowed and the costumed crazies mingled and waited for the next band. By this time it was after 1 am and Stevo made sure we were all ready for the next band to hit the stage. They were called "Boy Hits Car" and after the set was done I felt like I got hit bay a car, lots of them! This energetic foursome just finished their second major album release with Stevo at Klown. Front man Craig Rondell, dressed like Jesus with full robe and crown of thorns, looked like a blonde, golden surfer straight out of Australia or something. He was center stage with a 12 string guitar on a stand and Stevo said "keep an eye out for these guys - you're gonna freak out". The band started off with a melodic trance like song as the crowd swayed in suspense. 30 seconds later off came the robe and the room became a giant mosh pit with Halloween costumes flying everywhere. By the end of their set all the band mates were in their underwear slamming into anything and everything. Lead singer Craig Rondell had so much energy that it was hard to follow him with my camera and even being only 15 feet away and I was almost mowed down by the band many times. 

After almost an hour of this intensity I heard Craig Rondell say something like "this stage isn't high enough to dive off of" and he disappeared into the crowd. I kept filming the band as I noticed a lot of people going outside and the microphone chord was out the door as well. I raced across the stage and had to fight to get out the door to see this and hopefully catch whatever was going on outside on film (that's my job you know). 

From the rooftop over 15 feet above the ground Craig hovered over 100 people standing below him when he jumped off the roof and did a full forward front flip landing on his back into the crowd with mic in hand. Craig was caught by the costumed fans and was vaulted back up into the air, carried into the room on his back high above the crowd and then dumped head first onto the stage. Stevo and a few girls jumped on stage and wrestled him in excitement to end their show. It was awesome!!! I caught the whole thing on film and it wasn't easy as everyone around me jockeyed for position to witness it - I got the money shot! 

T he last band "Resination" didn't go on till almost 3 am and they played Reggae dance music till the sun came up. Stevo said they were the best Reggae band ANYWHERE and I would have to agree with him. Stevo has had his eye on this band for a while and has "big plans for them in the near future". Vance Fahie, front man and powerhouse singer was amazing as he kept the crowd going literally for hours in the "Showcase Room". The place was packed the entire night, the booze never stopped flowing and the VIP backstage area "the Opium Den" was filled with Celebs and Rockstars. 

At one point at like 5 am, I was still filming and I realized the entire room was filled with virtually all women. What a party. The sun was coming up and I had to pack it in and hit the road on my Harley off to get ready for another night of filming.

After comparing pictures with a guy a few days later who was at the Playboy Mansion Halloween Party the same night, he admitted that Stevo's party was probably more fun. Well of course it was many of the playmates were at Klown�
 

A Little About Klown Records:

Klown Records is a small Recording Company with a big feel, a large clientele and HUGE report. Klown has an amazing creative vibe with 13 rooms for recording and rehearsal. Bands can have an atmosphere of their choice. They can choose their theme room and all of the gear is state of the art. They attract some of the biggest names in the biz so be sure to keep an eye out for them and their artists.

"What sets Stevo Bruno apart from other producers is his diversity of music styles, from Rock to Jazz to Classical to Punk, his ability to arrange songs and compositions to meet the clients needs, the record labels needs and the industries needs without compromising the artists integrity and the capability to produce high-quality records on any budget." � Mix Magazine 

Here are a few of Stevo's clients:
Motley Crue
Brides Of Destruction
Prong
Boy Hits Car
Resination
Primus
The Pixies
Jane's Addiction
The Donnas
Pete Yorn
LA Guns
Ratt
Alice Cooper
Mother's Finest

To see a full client list or more information about Klown Records or Stevo himself please go to:

http://www.klownrecords.com/

http://www.stevobruno.com/

I am truly blessed to meet people like Stevo and able to see some of the best musicians in the world perform and now you can meet some of these people too � all you gotta do is follow your dreams and "practice baby practice!"

Your very tired film guy to the stars
Kwazar