Crown Jwlz

Crown Jwlz at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

CROWN JWLZ

At Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

If you’ve never visited Hollywood Forever, you probably find it a bit strange that singer-songwriter Crown Jwlz calls the cemetery her favorite place in Los Angeles. After spending even a little time at the Hollywood landmark, you might feel exactly the same way.

“This is the perfect place to come and reboot,” says the L.A.-based rock artist. “Hollywood Forever has that dark energy, but it really depends on how you look at death. Death to me is not a finite ending, so I don’t see it as a negative.”

It’s hard to be very negative when you’re surrounded by lush, green grass, tall palm trees, a serene lake and gorgeous monuments to people’s family members and celebrities like Mickey Rooney, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino and even the dog that played Toto in The Wizard of Oz. As we take a seat across from a statue of Johnny Ramone, Jwlz tells me that she grew up loving punk music, especially the Ramones, in her native Dallas, Texas. This transitions into a conversation that touches on her musical upbringing, influences and debut EP, California King, which is set to be released next month.

“I remember being about 6 when I started to notice that I was musical. My friend Amanda and I wrote this cheesy song about being best friends on a little keyboard. It reminds me of that Zack Attack song, ‘Friends Forever,’ from ‘Saved by the Bell’ – on that kind of level,” she laughs. “I would always write stories and was strong in English in school. I had a knack for words, rhyming and rhythm since I danced from when I was 2 – ballet, tap, jazz, modern – until I was 19. Tap was always my favorite because it was so rhythmic.”

Throughout our interview, Jwlz is quick to smile and laugh, even at her own expense. She recalls being a step behind the rest of her class on old recital videos since she was a year younger than everyone else and eventually using that dance background to her advantage as her cheerleading squad competed against other schools.

“I went to an all-girls Catholic private school, so we cheered for the girl volleyball and basketball players. It was athletic, we were serious and it wasn’t a joke,” she remembers, before adding, “We were the punk rock cheerleading squad, thought, getting in trouble for dyeing our hair and getting piercings!”

While her mother was responsible for pushing Jwlz into dance at a young age, her father was the one who provided her early musical education.

“The first concert I ever went to was Bon Jovi after that ‘Shot through the heart’ [‘You Give Love a Bad Name’] phase because of my dad. He took me and my sisters to see ZZ Top and Carlos Santana at the Texas State Fair. We were going on rides, then and he said, ‘OK, girls, we’re going to pause the rides now because you have to see these musicians.’ We were so annoyed with him, but it ended up being amazing. ZZ Top are from Texas. [Their drummer, Frank Beard] went to Irving High and was one of the first people to get kicked out for having long hair,” she proudly informs. “My dad has amazing music taste. He may not be a rock star, but he’s such a rock star. He gave me roots in classic rock, which definitely feeds into what I’m doing now.”

As she began to form her own likes and dislikes, a few artists stood out from the others.

“Thom Yorke from Radiohead, for his songwriting ability and his innate sense of musicality, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury for the same reasons and also their level of theatrics, presentation, showmanship – I connect to all three of them a lot,” she shares. “I also remember Gwen Stefani when I was younger, seeing her in her sports bra and track pants in the ‘Just A Girl’ video and thinking, ‘This is the first girl I’ve seen in a long time – other than  Pat Benatar, Blondie, Joan Jett, Janis Joplin who are amazing examples of strong women in rock – who was not over sexualizing herself. There’s nothing wrong with that, everybody has their own way of presenting their art, but as a rock musician, a tough punk rocker and somewhat of a tomboy at the time (Especially with a very traditional South African mother of four daughters, who made me wear everything pink. It was very much: Be a girl. I’m girly, but I’m a tough girl.). Seeing Gwen rocking out, not giving an F about anything I was like, ‘Whoa, I haven’t seen a girl do this in a while with this level of strength, commanding the stage in front of these men and owning it in such a masculine yet feminine way. I respected it so much.”

While her sisters took piano lessons, Jwlz never did. Yet her desire to play music was evident at an early age.

“We had a grand piano growing up, and when I was 7 or 8, I would sit in front of it at Christmastime and teach myself songs like ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ by ear,” she says. “I’ve always had a really spot-on ear, which made it easier once I began studying music theory.” 

After graduating high school, Jwlz studied music and business (“because I have a crazy smart Italian businessman father who always ingrained the importance of balancing both sides in my head, and I love that he gave me that influence”) at the University of North Texas. At that point, she was already planning on making the move to Los Angeles to pursue her musical career.

“Having really big voice and coming from a classical and somewhat of a jazz background, a lot of the vocal coaches and teachers that I had been studying with were pushing for me to go to New York, so I was always planning for that. Then I backup sang in a punk band in high school once at a show and once for a recording they did in their garage, and that kind of changed everything for me. I decided that since wanted to write my own words as opposed to singing somebody else’s words, I was going to L.A.”

After arriving in Los Angeles, she knew it was the right move for her.

“When I got to California, it was like everything makes sense now. It’s so liberal, free, diverse, with so much going on culturally with art. I was lucky when I got out here to meet a lot of visual artists. I went to museums and found out about different visual and street artists, fashion, and those things started to feed into and influence my music. All art feeds other art. Anytime I’m feeling stuck in my own art, I look to other mediums to break any block I have,” she reveals. “The more you practice your creative muscle, the more your juices will flow. People who are having a block should force themselves to write, draw, paint literally anything they see. Work that creative muscle, and eventually something is going to be good. Look at rap artists, they create so much content, cut 20 songs and 17 aren’t even used. The three that are, are amazing.”

Jwlz went on to graduate from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and eventually assembled a group of support musicians that she dubbed “The Royal Court.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a pianist or guitarist by any means. I can play chords on guitar and piano to write my music and come up with melodies, but I work with musicians who do their jobs very well,” she says. “There may come a time I play rhythm on stage – a little piano or synth here and there – but I work with Nick Annis, my guitarist and music director. He’s incredible and also plays with Scavenger Hunt and Kesha. My drummer Zak St. John (Stevie Wonder, the B52s) is amazing. Gabe Rudner plays keys and synth, Eliot Lorango is on bass, the girls that sing backup are Nikki Wilkins and Lorelei Sinco – they are all incredible.”

Crown Jwlz is backed by the sextet on her upcoming EP, which also has a royally themed name: California King, and was produced by Max Coane (Jack’s Mannequin), Maxwell Moon (Macy Gray) and Erik Belz (will.i.am, Juicy J), mixed by Noah Georgsson (The Strokes, Little Joy) and mastered by Ted Jensen (Muse, Florence + The Machine). The moniker pokes at the idea that only a man can be supreme ruler and is a hint to the powerful and fiery sentiments found within songs like the release’s first single, “Without You” and “Party Past the Sunrise.”

“My last band had this crazy house where we all lived, and ‘Party Past the Sunrise’ was literally written about that house. My friends and I will be out somewhere until 1:30 a.m. then head to one of the multiple after-hours in Los Angeles or a house party in the Hills to watch the sunrise while in a hot tub with a glass of champagne. It’s L.A., so that stuff happens,” she grins. “‘Party Past the Sunrise’ was written about those moments when the sun rises, and you say, ‘Wait, we’re having too much fun. We should go to Venice, spend the day at the beach, have a Bloody Mary and keep going.” 

Jwlz is all about being independent and female empowerment, but she is also about having fun. She loves to travel to the homeland of her paternal side of the family and recently spent a month in the Philippines. 

“My best friend from high school, Nicole, is an intuitive body worker and healer and studies with a teacher in the Philippines that she had met on a trek in Nepal. He had a vision while doing a reading on her, and in the reading, I came up. A year later she visited him again, and he said, ‘This girl is popping up again like a bouncy ball. I have to meet this amazing energy,” she relays. “So I went for six weeks. I meditated did yoga, surfed and ate super healthy every day. Doing all these fun things and working with this spiritual healer, I wrote the majority of the EP there. It was healing, cleansing, inspiring, invigorating – exactly what I needed.”

Sometimes we all need to have our cup refilled, to refresh our creativity. Jwlz feels like living in Los Angeles and going to places like Hollywood Forever definitely refuels her creative fire. The city has definitely become her home.

“I love Los Angeles. It’s a place where you’re allowed to express yourself and take it as far as you want. I’m not trying to talk trash about Texas, but it’s not exactly the pinnacle of individuality. I’m lucky to live in a place that’s diverse, accepting and with so much going on. Whatever you want to discover on any given night – if you want to go to this type of show with this type of artist, a fashion show or even just a movie – it’s amazing what you can do here,” she concludes. “I don’t think people who grew up here understand how incredible it is coming from somewhere that’s completely flat to where you know that you can go to the mountains and the beach in the same day. Los Angeles is a breath of fresh air; it just feels like peace and home.”

California King releases in February. Crown Jwlz performs Jan. 21 at the Viper Room. For more information, visit crownjwlz.com.

Dance Hall Pimps

Dance Hall Pimps' RJ Comer at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

 

RJ COMER of DANCE HALL PIMPS

At Hollywood Forever Cemetery

6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles (Hollywood)

"William Mulholland said, 'There it is. Take it.' Some people think that should be the motto of Los Angeles, but I think it's a little crude. What I love about L.A. is that this is where everybody comes to dream and work. We all have day jobs; we work our asses off," Dance Hall Pimps frontman RJ Comer says as we begin our walk through his favorite place in the city, Hollywood Forever Cemetery. "The people who are here in this amazing cemetery in the shadow of Paramount Studios, they came to Los Angeles to dream and work."

Ever since his family migrated from the Midwest (Chicago and Milwaukee) to Simi Valley when he was 14, RJ has been doing just that: working to pursue his musical dreams. In 2009, he formed Dance Hall Pimps as the vocalist/banjoist/guitarist with Jeff Jourard (the Motels) on lead guitar, and the group – that currently includes Vic "Baron" Migenes on drums, Eddie Fish on bass, Steve Carr on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Daniel Alexander on keyboards and Philip Fiorio on trumpet – is poised to release the follow-up to their debut album ( last year's Beast for Love), entitled The Dead Don't Walk, next week (Nov. 5). In spite of being in the midst all the preparations for the record's unveiling and release show happening Nov. 2 at the Mint, RJ graciously takes time to give me the best, most detailed tour of a chosen locale that I've been on thus far.

Hollywood Forever boasts as rich and colorful a history as many of the personalities who are buried throughout its 62 acres. Founded in 1899 by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys, the cemetery became the final resting place for the likes of philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith (Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory) and L.A. Times founder Harrison Gray Otis and played a big part in the growth of early Hollywood, sharing a wall with Paramount Studios. It was owned by convicted felon/millionaire Jules Roth for a period when it fell into disrepair but was eventually restored and refurbished by Tyler and Brent Cassity when they purchased the property in 1998 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The moment we meet at the front entrance, RJ hands me a map and begins pointing out landmarks within the cemetery – the Abbey of the Psalms where his favorite jazz saxophonist Art Pepper's crypt is, the dedicated Jewish and Buddhist areas. His excitement is contagious, and we start picking up the pace walking over to his favorite section.

"Hollywood Forever is one of my favorite places to come and just chill. What I love about it is, you can come here and just sit. Whether you want to see a mobster [Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's crypt is in the Hall of Solomon.], or if you want to reflect, it's such a beautiful, peaceful place. I especially love it at sundown," he says of the cemetery's park-like atmosphere. "It's a great place to get away from the constant to-do list of living in L.A. and all the administrative duties of being a musician running a band. This place helps me get connected to the creative side and helps me remember why I do this."

Growing up, RJ was surrounded by music from his mother (a classically trained singer who performed with big bands, was choir director and played the organ in church), in addition to the folk and bluegrass his ukulele-playing father and banjo-strumming grandfather exposed him to at campfires and sitting on porches.

"I was a boy soprano with the red cassock and white surplice in the church choir. One of my first jobs was singing 'Ave Maria' at countless weddings. I also spent about four years in the professional theater, doing musical comedy, singing, acting and dancing on stage. Then my voice changed, and I lost my job. That's tough," he laughs.

Living in a house full of all different kinds of music is something that RJ feels he really benefitted from, but he actually found the true musical love of his life on his own.

"Little known to my father ( who was not a big fan of the blues) and my mom (who taught me all about Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and the big bands), I fell in love with the blues," he admits. "One of the most memorable performances in my life was when I was little and begged them to stay up late because I heard B.B. King was going to be on 'The Tonight Show.' I remember watching him and saying, 'That's what I want to do.'"

We come upon one of the places RJ likes most in the cemetery, the Garden of Legends, and he shows me the grave of Tom Reddin, the Los Angeles Police Department chief when "Dragnet" first aired. Memorials to Cecil B. DeMille, John Huston, Fay Wray, Jayne Mansfield and Hattie McDaniel are located in this area, too.

"This is one of my favorite places in the cemetery. I love all these little mausoleums. Being sort of gothic guy, the idea of having a little mausoleum with a creaky iron door and your name on it, that appeals to me," he says with a grin before assuring me that it is OK for us to walk on the grass over graves. "If somebody reaches up and grabs us then…," he laughs.

Since Halloween and Día de Los Muertos are just days away, I don't find his comment very funny. Hollywood Forever hosts one of the city's biggest Day of the Dead events every year, which RJ finds great delight in dressing up for.

"What I love about the celebration here is that the suggested attire is 'mourning attire,' so I get to wear my cutaway coat, double breasted vest, ascot and top hat," he smiles.

We walk over a bridge to the Lake Island Mausoleum erected by William Andrews Clark, Jr., the founder of Los Angeles Philharmonic, and RJ takes a little stroll down memory lane.

"Inside there are several internments with Italian mosaic tiles. When I first came here and met the guys who run Hollywood Forever, someone in the group had been a deacon in the Catholic Church and had learned to sing Gregorian chants like I used to sing. We went inside, closed the doors, lit candles and he sang, 'Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est,' which is Latin for 'Where there is charity and love, there is God.' It was so beautiful," he remembers. "I also met Eric Garcetti, who was the council member of this district for so long and is now the mayor, on these steps. He was having an event when he was running for council for the first time, and this is right where I met him."

Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone is buried on the northwest side of the lake, and to the southwest is a statue memorializing the band's guitarist, Johnny, which is our next stop. The ax man's wife holds an annual Johnny Ramone Tribute cancer benefit at the cemetery, and it's also the site where RJ got his first taste of the legendary foursome's live performances.

"We were here when they projected Rock 'n' Roll High School against the mausoleum wall, and they played footage from the Ramones' London New Year's Eve concert for the first time ever. It was really cool because I had never seen the Ramones in concert. They played every song at 90-million miles an hour, every song was less than two minutes and they never took a break," he says in amazement.

Hollywood Forever frequently screens films when it hosts the popular Cinespia film series every summer. Old horror movies, film noir and Bob Fosse musicals are responsible for a lot of inspiration in RJ's songwriting, and while we pass the resting place of movie legends Douglas Fairbanks and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., we discuss the expansion of the Dance Hall Pimps' sound to include horns and harmonica on the new album.

"When we don't have horns, we have harmonica [on The Dead Don't Walk]. It's something I always envisioned. When the band first started we had a keyboard player who was also a trumpet player, so he would cross the stage to play either instrument. It was great, but I really wanted a dedicated horn section and a keyboard player. On this record, that's what we did, and now it's what the band is – we have a trumpet/saxophone player and a keyboard player. I would love to have a trombone player because I'm an old-school guy. "

This is a statement that RJ repeats several times as we venture into the Cathedral Mausoleum where the crypts of Rudolph Valentino, Harvey Henderson Wilcox and Peter Lorre can be found.

"The stained glass windows on each end of the mausoleum are Tiffany stained glass. It's a breathtaking place," RJ tells. "My home has a lot of stained glass in it as well. I have a 1909 California bungalow that has a huge stained-glass door, and there's stained glass in my study. I guess I'm just an old-school guy, what can I say? That's why I love this place."

He further demonstrates his old-school flair when listing some of his other favorite places in Los Angeles: the Roosevelt, Musso & Frank, the fountain at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Nowhere is the confluence of all RJ's influences from past eras more evident than in the songs he creates with Dance Hall Pimps. From cabaret and blues rock to Americana and surf rock, the group bends genres into a sound that is all their own.

"We don't do the cabaret thing much anymore, that's where we started. Now we've settled into where my roots are: blues and blues rock. I wish there was a real market for cabaret because I love it, but in today's music world the money is in music licensing and publishing. Cabaret doesn't have legs from a commercial standpoint, but I do love the theatricality of it. You think about what covers we have done – Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lou Reed, David Bowie – we're obviously into theater," RJ states with a laugh. "On the first record, we had 'I Put a Spell on You and 'Walk on the Wild Side. This record we have [Creedence Clearwater Revival's] 'Bootleg,' which was an accident frankly, and 'Sorrow' which wasn't an accident at all. I've always wanted to do something by Bowie."

Interesting cover songs aren't the only thing that the two Dance Hall Pimps albums have in common. Their covers both display an image of a werewolf.

"The first album cover was done by James O'Barr, who created The Crow, and the record was very much centered in the horror genre where we came from (cabaret, "The Rocky Horror Show"). We're getting away from that on this new record, but it's not a complete departure. So we have the monster, but he's just a shadow. He's behind the man, whereas with the first record he was the subject," he explains. "What we're trying to convey is that there's always going to be a little darkness, a bit of playful, dark horror in what we do. That's why it's in a shadow against the wall. When you listen to tracks like 'Voodoo Bar' and 'Population 100,' they're like the cabaret of Dance Hall Pimps' first record, but when you listen to the first few tracks they're all straight love songs with a dark, macho twist."

There is no doubt that The Dead Don't Walk's first five numbers are just that, straight-up love songs with a macho twist. Opener "A Safe Place to Land" is a heartfelt message to RJ's wife. "Love Ain't Just a Feelin'" calls for love to be shown through action and behavior, not selling your heart short and demanding to be treated well. The title track doesn't refer to zombies but to those relationships you just can't quit easily even though you should, while the fifth, "No Survivors," has lyrics inspired by "Sons of Anarchy."

"I went to Jeff Jourard to write a song for this record. He comes to me with three riffs, and those three riffs are so powerful that I just decided to write lyrics in between them. At the time, I was powering through all the episodes of 'Sons of Anarchy,' so the lyrics were all tough, slightly demonic motorcycle guy. When we went into the studio to record it, the lyrics were too demonic, so I changed them all at the last second. I wrote the lyrics you hear on the record five minutes before walking into the booth to record because I really wanted to capture a human motorcycle gang, not a demon motorcycle gang," RJ laughs.

In all seriousness, The Dead Don't Walk is a major step away from being a cabaret, party band for Dance Hall Pimps. They have crafted personal stories of love and loss into songs anyone can relate to and come back to listen to time and again. There really is something for everyone, as illustrated in the special guests on the album: blues singer and harmonica player Jimmy Wood, hard rock legend Terry Ilous (Great White, XYZ) and, representing metal's new guard, Holy Grail's James-Paul Luna. The album is dedicated to the former talent booker and assistant manager of the Roxy, Jeff Cahill, who passed away earlier this year.

"The Roxy was the first venue on the Sunset Strip that got us," RJ says. "We're this band where everybody is over 40, with a weird, eclectic sound that's not traditional for the Sunset Strip. They agreed to give us our first show in the big room on a Monday at 11 p.m. We got 80 people in that room, and they became believers. They booked us ever since, and Jeff gave us our first residency at On the Rox."

As an Angeleno, RJ has spent a lot of time on the Sunset Strip and has some amazing memories from shows there.

"[I saw] Guns N' Roses play the Roxy before they got signed. Guns N' Roses is one of the greatest bands of all time; their first record is amazing – 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' 'Welcome to the Jungle,'" he says. "When you think of quintessential rock 'n' roll, that's got to be in the time capsule. That, and '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.' I never got to see the Stones when they were young, but I got to see Guns N' Roses, Buckcherry and all those great rock bands that tore the Sunset Strip up."

Being at Hollywood Forever Cemetery has also stirred up memories from Dance Hall Pimps' shows past, as RJ describes the record release show for Beast for Love that took place on these very grounds.

"Our first record release show was here in the masonic lodge in the main building. It's one of the coolest venues in L.A., and it was amazing. The masonic lodge is a beautiful place. The stage is long and not very high, so we built a stage over the stage, a runway. We transformed it into a total rock 'n' roll venue," he recalls. "We had over 350 people here; it was a huge show. There was no way we were going to top that, so we decided not to even try. For [The Dead Don't Walk's release] show we want it close, sweaty and small – like a New Orleans joint."

Dance Hall Pimps are sure to have the Mint packed with sweaty, dancing bodies on Nov. 2, and you never know which of The Dead Don't Walk's special guest contributors might take the stage and join the fun.

The Dead Don't Walk will be available Nov. 5. Dance Hall Pimps perform Nov. 2 at the Mint. For more information, visit dancehallpimps.com.

L.A. LANDMARKS - Hollywood Forever

Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Scott Beale / Laughing Squid)

 

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY

6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles (Hollywood)

It may seem a bit weird to include a cemetery on the list of places to visit in Los Angeles, but Hollywood Forever is a big part of the city's cultural fabric. This is Hollywood, after all, and film legends need a fabulous resting place. Originally established on 100 acres as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in 1899 by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van Nuys, the grounds are now 62 acres that feature lush green lawns, ornate headstones and mausoleums. Fans can pay tribute to Hollywood luminaries like Cecil B. DeMille, Mel Blanc, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and Fay Wray, as well as musicians Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone. Even gangster Bugsy Siegel's crypt is located at Hollywood Forever.

Although the site began to fall into disrepair under the ownership of convicted felon Jules Roth beginning in 1939, it was eventually restored and refurbished by Tyler and Brent Cassity. The grounds were revitalized, garnering it placement on the National Register of Historic Sites, and Hollywood Forever has become so much more than just a cemetery. Every summer, thousands of Angelenos gather to eat, drink and watch classic movies as part of the Cinespia film series. Artists such as the Flaming Lips, Sigur Rós, Band of Horses and the xx have performed concerts there. And every Halloween, the cemetery hosts the largest Dia de Los Muertos celebration in California with altars created by members of the community dedicated to their dearly departed loved ones.

Aside from being a part of Hollywood history, the cemetery has also appeared on TV in "90210" and on the big screen in a documentary of its history called The Young and the Dead and Garry Marshall's Valentine's Day. It's also featured in Tim Powers' novel Expiration Date.