Knitting Factory The Beat Fest comes to Los Angeles this
week.
By Kathleen Dunphy
Daily Bruin ContributorÂ
Apparently the Beat really does gone on. And lately it’s
been traveling cross-country in a Pontiac Vibe.
The Beat Fest, a three-week-long festival celebrating the
spoken-word artistry of the Beat Generation, traveled from New York
to Los Angeles this month and wraps up this week with a stint at
the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.
KnitMedia, Borders Books and Music, and Pontiac Vibe are
sponsoring the country-traversing festival of poetry and music. In
a country whose advertising often seeks to convince customers that
their product is not only as far from uncool as possible, but will
actually make the consumer even cooler, it’s no wonder these
companies chose to celebrate artists who shied away from
“squaresville.”
The Beat Generation is a term used to describe poets,
playwrights and other such artists during post-World War II America
who went against the grain. Most were shaken by the war’s
events and believed there was something more to be taken from life
than a 9-to-5 job, 2.5 kids and a mortgage.
The “beatnik” way of life was seen, and is now often
studied as, a set of beliefs similar to religion. In the way that
“Walden Pond” is now studied by philosophers, so too
are many works that came from the Beat Generation. Now those works
are also being celebrated in clubs and bookstores across the
country.
The Beat Fest traveled the U.S. during National Poetry Month to
celebrate these authors and the inspiration they’ve given
many current performers. Driving their Pontiac, the KnitMedia
recording artist Vibes and poetry slam champion Gary Glazer stopped
at various Borders stores across the nation and MC’d events
that included local participants.
The travelers made 15 stops in 15 days, and the festival will
continue for six more days at the Knitting Factory.
Musical acts, especially those inspired by spoken word artists,
also highlight the tour. Folk artist Dave Alvin will even be
reading from Kerouac during his Thursday night set.
“When you’re playing live you get into the right
mental head space. You stop thinking,” Alvin said.
Alvin started out as a creative writing student at Cal State
Long Beach, where he learned techniques he could apply to his
songwriting. Practicing the various poetic forms taught him how to
express what he has to say, and he calls it a priceless lesson in
songwriting.
The process of songwriting is not exactly Alvin’s favorite
part of what he does. In fact, he calls it an ordeal. Performing
live and getting sweaty is what is great for Alvin, and because of
that certain “head space” he gets into while onstage,
he decided to put out live albums as well as the more clinical
studio recordings.
“I like live recordings because you do things playing live
that are difficult to do in the studio situation,” Alvin
said.
After his performance at the Beat Fest, Alvin will head out on a
six-month U.S. tour in support of his latest release, a live album
titled “Out In California.”
Fellow performers throughout the festival include X, with whom
Alvin played guitar in the mid-’80s. Lead singer Exene
Cervenka will also do a spoken-word reading on Wednesday, the same
night Arthur Lee performs with Love.
“The biggest anticipation is Love with Arthur Lee.
He’s just such a historical artist. The type of bands that
play here and people who come to the shows have been very
influenced by Love,” said Bruce Duff, a Knitting Factory
spokesman.
Don’t plan on just waltzing into that show, as it’s
already sold out. However, on nights when the Beat Fest takes over
the AlterKnit Lounge as well, a ticket to the main stage area
grants admittance to all events for the night.
There’s no way to be sure of the exact crowd that will
show up (it is Hollywood), but Duff almost guarantees there will be
all-black outfits and maybe even some bongos, adding a little humor
to the event.
“You will probably see some remnants of the hippie culture
at the Lee show,” Duff said.
Some of the various artists who will perform include Throw Rag,
Steve Earle, Dee Dee Ramone, Michael C. Ford and quite a few
others. A fair portion of the artists (Cervenka, Earle, Ramone)
appear more than once throughout the festival, and often in
different performance styles.
Most nights mix the music with the spoken-word readings, and
there’s even a film being screened on the Knitting
Factory’s main stage tonight. Part of the Beatflicks film
series, “The United States of Poetry” by Washington
Square Films will show Part One at 7 p.m. and Part Two at
midnight.
Duff is excited for the festival and expects the event will draw
a good crowd.
“You will definitely see an explosion of different styles
and fashion statements across the eight days,” Duff said.
There’s no way to know if Kerouac would today choose a
Pontiac Vibe for adventures across the country, but if he was
looking for some entertainment on a Los Angeles night he might look
no further than the Knitting Factory this week. Whether or not the
sponsors successfully create a Beat Generation vibe for 2002, Alvin
sees value in the experience.
“Anytime I go see anything, whether good or bad, I learn
something,” Alvin said.Â
For a full list of performers and ticket information, head to
http://www.knittingfactory.com/kfla.