This SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28
at Al's Bar, 305 S. Hewitt St., downtown L.A.
(213) 625-9703

a special benefit show, starting at 6 p.m. with:
SHRINKING VIOLET
EMA-3
DADDY FOREHEAD & HAMSTER LOVE (ex-Caltransvestites)
THE LEAVING TRAINS
BACKBITER (doing the entire WHO SELLS OUT album!)
THIRD GRADE TEACHER and more special guests!

This early Sunday evening show, dubbed "Franksgiving," is a benefit
(admission about $5, but feel free to give more!) for Frank Parker, a
homeless artist who hangs out at Al's Bar. Frank is the inventor of the
"frang," which is found-art jewelry (usually bracelets) involving creatively
twisted wire and other metals that Frank sells at shows outside Al's Bar.

The evening starts around 6 p.m. with SHRINKING VIOLET, a coed band of
teenagers from the Thousand Oaks area, with jangly "pinwheel pop" songs that
are like a femme version of the Cure or a more peppy Velvet Underground. They
are fun and bright and shiny! They'll be followed, in no certain order, by
EMA-3, a New Wavy (but don't call 'em techno!) synth-pop duo with some major
Gary Numan/Bebop Deluxe/Devo influences, featuring Fred Manchento (Helpful
Nuns, Twinkle) and Dennis Carlin (ex-Leaving Trains/Sluts 4 Hire). Ask them
to play "Electric Cars" (a catchy pop song for genuinely modern mods) and
their new synthy version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass." Don't miss DADDY
FOREHEAD & THE HAMSTER LOVE, featuring ex-members of the Caltransvestites,
celebrating the joys of stuffed animals and dressing up. It's like a
punk-rock pillow fight, with confetti.

Then, it's the most banned band in L.A. (the closest this generation has to
its own Germs!), THE LEAVING TRAINS, fresh from being kicked out of the
Dragonfly (a warm & friendly establishment, to be sure!), followed by one of
this city's best hard-rock bands, BACKBITER, performing their interpretation
of the entire THE WHO SELLS OUT album (anyone who's seen Backbiter's annual
performances of The Who's TOMMY knows how uncanny and exciting this
impersonation is). Later, it's a set from wiggy grunge-popsters THIRD GRADE
TEACHER, who are known to dress up in kooky costumes and play special theme
shows whenever there's an unusual occasion. And this be that. It's not just a
good cause to help a struggling artist living (literally) on the streets (how
cutting edge of Frank!); it's also a home-away-from-home party for those
orphans without a place to go on this terminal Thanksgiving weekend.

Of presumably related interest: Don't miss Boston's the Real Kids, legendary
and recently reunited '70s-era power-pop garage rockers ("All Kindsa Girls,"
"Hot Dog," "Common at Noon," etc.), kinda like the missing link between the
Flamin' Groovies and the Lazy Cowgirls, at the Garage this Saturday, Nov. 27,
with Loose Lips and one of Falling James' fave S.F. girl-pop-punk bands, the
Bobbyteens (with some ex-Trashwomen!), who blow away the more hyped Donnas
with a Ramones-meets-Joan Jett crunchy rockin', pent-up sexual frenzy. For
more details, check out Falling James' write-up in the "Scoring the Clubs"
section of this week's L.A. WEEKLY (www.laweekly.com).

For those who dig really cool singer-songwriters, GARY EATON (ex-Ringling
Sisters/Continental Drifters/Devil Squares) is playing a set with his new
band at the Crooked Bar this weekend (check yer local listings).

Buck are playing their last show of the year, Friday, Dec. 3 at Al's Bar with
Red Five. Get there early for the Excessories, a great new pop-punk band
starring Melanie Bruck (ex-Sluts for Hire/Outside Inside/Donovan's Fairies,
etc.), bassist Janet Housden (ex-Redd Kross/the Shakes) and guitarist Rich
Coffee (Alter Egos, Tommyknockers, et al.). They do lotsa original fun-punk
songs about calling in sick to work and reading comic books instead, as well
as a spunky version of Blondie's "X Offender."

Mark yer calendars for December 16 at Al's Bar, a show featuring some unusual
bands that rarely play live, including the HELPFUL NUNS, a messy punk rawkish
band that's been compared to the Stranglers, Spinal Tap and the early Who
(but not in that order!), featuring EMA-3's Fred M., guitarist Falling James
and drummer Chris Moore (Or Less). Also playing are Melanie Vammen (L.
Trains/Pandoras/ex-Muffs, etc.) and Miss Koko Puff (Leaving Trains/Sluts 4
Hire), with their band that is still so new that it doesn't have a name! This
will be Melanie and Miss Koko's debut show, joined by ex-Sluts drummer Dennis
Carlin (nephew of George). All you horny girl-band geeks will need to load up
your sweating video cameras with fresh video for this one! Les Beaux Peeps
and EMA-3 also are on the bill!

The upcoming split 7-inch single, featuring new songs by the Leaving Trains
and Italy's Nearly Girls, will now be released on England's Kill City Records
in February. Until then, to hear the latest recording by the Leaving Trains,
check out the ASTROTHRILL: DESERT PLANET DISK compilation CD, which bursts
with new tracks by the Trains, Sluts 4 Hire, Penis Flytrap, Texas Terri & the
Stiff Ones, Gwen Mars, the BellRays, Doppelganger and more, and also comes
with a special all-color comic book. See L. Trains' LATEST NEWS page on the
band's Web site for more details. People who are having trouble tracking down
the most recent full-length CDs by the Leaving Trains, including FAVORITE
MOOD SWINGS, a greatest-hits compilation, and SMOKE FOLLOWS BEAUTY (18
all-new songs, the first recording with ex-Muff Melanie Vammen!), should look
for these and earlier L. Trains' CDs at Headline Records (on Melrose Ave. a
few blocks east of Fairfax) in Hollywood, or at Destroy All Music, on Sunset
Blvd. in Silver Lake. Or download clips from the DISCOGRAPHY page of the
recently updated Leaving Trains Web site:
http://www.artnet.net/~leaving-trains/