Describe Rick Springfield in three words?: Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Rick Springfield has been around since most of us were pissing in our Pampers. Hell, some of our readers weren't even conceived when the Sydney-born star first hit the airwaves back in the early 70s. Yet even a with career spanning over 50 years and 17 albums, he has somehow maintained an aura of humility about him, mimicking the passion and ambition of a young artist fresh out of the gate. And the guy doesn't look like he's aged a day (WTF is up with that?). The Grammy winner/author/TV actor just finished recording his new album, Songs for the End of the World.

This month, you're about to get the inside track on everything Springfield when the original documentary An Affair of the Heart; Rick Springfield hits EPIX on May 15th. You'll find out that people's passion for him transcends gender, age, and international borders. This rock-out-loud film gives us all an inside look into his personal life, his highs and lows, as well as the lives of a handful of Springfield's super fans and the connections that have developed over the years all because of his music. Truth be told, it was hard not to be too giddy ourselves when we had the chance to talk to the man himself before the premiere about his upcoming projects, his love for the fans and his method of dealing with lusty ladies and their semi- tolerant hubbies.

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Milo Greene

See Also:
*Milo Greene - Fingerprints -7/16/12
*Local Record Review: Milo Greene, 'Milo Greene'
*Heretic to Film Live DVD in Santa Ana This Weekend

Even after two years together and Lord knows how many interviews about the same tired topic, the members of Milo Greene still get asked about the phantom booking agent that inspired their band name. For the last time, there's nobody named Milo Greene in the goddamn band. Recently, one radio station went so far as to actually dig up a caller by the name of Milo Greene to talk to the band during an interview. Aside from being a hilarious surprise segment, member Robbie Arnett says it was remarkable how little the man and the band had in common.

"He went off about how he only listens to bluegrass and country and pretty much hates listening to everything else," says Arnett. "He turned out to be a real character so it was fun."

These days, the band--who is appearing this weekend at Doheny Days--have learned a thing or two about characters. Having finished their first-ever feature film, Moddison--a shimmering slice of cinematic narrative to accompany their long-awaited eponymous album--the band members learned how to make a film from the ground up with little-to-no experience other than countless hours watching movies in their tour van.

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If you weren't able to make it to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton for the opening reception of Don Normark: A Retrospective last month, another gallery tour event awaits you tomorrow night. Normark, as faithful readers will recall, is an acclaimed photographer whose work spans from snapping shots of the close knit neighborhoods of Chavez Ravine before eviction cleared the way to construct a stadium for the Doyers to the more recent South Central Farm saga.
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John Scarpati

The story of Fishbone, the alternative band that formed out of Los Angeles in 1979, deserves to be told far and wide. The "disparate, all-black oddball crew" emerged to blend punk, ska, funk, soul and rock musical influences achieving its high water mark of commercial success during the late 80's and early 90's. Coming from South Central, five of the six original members were bused to school in the San Fernando Valley as youth helping, in part, to explain the formation of their quintessentially LA sound and evolving leftist, anti-racist politics.

By the time "Everyday Sunshine" off of their 1991 release The Reality of My Surroundings hit radio stations and MTV, all the diligence of their hard work was starting to pay off, but soon things would begin to fall apart. This came to a dramatic head when bassist Norwood Fisher faced kidnapping charges stemming from a failed intervention in 1993 to bring a troubled guitarist Kendall Jones back into the fold of the band. Through the following years of changing lineups and treading forth without major label support, Fishbone continues on to the present day.

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pbs.org

​Sixty years ago, folk balladeer Woody Guthrie penned "1913 Massacre," a solemn song about a Christmas Eve tragedy in Michigan. The recording, much like the labor history behind it, is not as well known as it deserves to be. Hoping to bring both to greater attention, filmmakers inspired by "1913 Massacre" have completed an in-depth hour long documentary going by the same title as the song.More »

​Bret McKenzie, one half of New Zealand's "4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" Flight Of The Conchords, has been busy making the rounds promoting The Muppets movie, which featured several tracks he penned, including Oscar nominee "Life's A Happy Song."

A few days ago, perhaps encouraged by the success of the Muppets soundtrack, he announced that a FOTC movie is in the works. Says McKenzie: "We're going to try and do a movie. We just need a story."

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Sini Anderson's forthcoming documentary on musician and activist Kathleen Hanna, The Punk Singer , has raised about $46,000 via a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film. She's met her $44,000 goal, which will be used for editing. Additional funds raised will be used for color correction and sound mixing. Rewards for supporters include copies of Kathleen's old zines and a chance to have a room in your home redesigned by Hanna.

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​An official trailer for The (R)evolution of Immortal Technique was released on YouTube this week by the rapper's Viper Records label. The new documentary charts the transformation of the rebel wordsmith from an incarcerated youth into a conscious performer before a global stage.
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​The New York Times Arts' section reported today that independent film company River Road Entertainment is in the process of making a biopic about the life of troubled rock-maestro Brian Wilson (a.k.a. most relevant Beach Boy). River Road is currently garnering accolades for its involvement in the production of cinematic maestro Terrence Malick's latest film, The Tree of Life. 



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