By Lisa Morgan
Throw out everything you thought you ever knew about Shawn Mafia & the 10 Cent Thrills. The sarcastically powerful, serious rocking blues (and somewhat furry) foursome that has been rocking the desert, high and low, is no more. Fans (or cops) will no longer search, Google, tickle, applaud or share medicinal marijuana with Shawn Mafia & the 10 Cent Thrills ever again (insert moment of silence here)…..
Now go back and get all that stuff I just told you to throw out, you silly kids. You know better! Just slap a new, cool name on the group that encompasses these desert troubadours as a unit, add a few more inches of hair to their lovable Yeti, and you’ve got all the lyrically poignant, loud rocking anthems, and entertaining personalities you have come to know and love. Only now, you will love them as Gutter Candy. With a career inspired by early punk and Tom Waits, Shawn Mafia recorded his first album more than a decade ago and the world famous De La Luna recording studio. He explained the recent change: “I decided to take a hiatus form my 10 year solo career as Shawn Mafia/Shawn Mafia and the Ten Cent Thrills to form Gutter Candy as a last ditch attempt at rock ‘n roll immortality.” Mafia continues to front the band that includes the same well known cast of Joshua Tree Ten Cent shredders: Ricky Re-hab on lead face-melter/guitar, “The Desert Yeti”, Big Dave Johnson, on bass guitar, and Sin Balls on drums (legal names have been withheld to protect the not so innocent).
If you haven’t come to know them yet, it’s about time you did. Gutter Candy is “testosterone driven art rock.” They perform a loud, “punk infused, indie glam, rock cabaret style show that is an amalgamation of original material, cover songs and humorously edgy comedy monologues,” says Shawn. “We are a triple-treat of entertainment; a musical Swiss army knife, if you will.” Mafia is a dynamic teller of well written tales backed by rhythmic brothers he lovingly calls “Tweedledee and Tweedledum,” who drive the music with “the most sound rhythm section in the history of rock and roll,” Mafia explains, “We are four lovable losers that somehow survived the late 80s and 90s as wanna be rock legends that never were.”
Their music is created to move you, ranging from tongue and cheek sarcasm riding on tide of raging rock and/or blues to soulfully played, lyrically poetic, ever so brief, moments of seriousness. One might assume that this band doesn’t really take themselves seriously. But once you hear them perform their craft, one would be reminded what assuming makes of a person. These guys are heart and soul, all about the music and putting it all out there for whoever is listening. No one ever leaves a show performed by these guys without a smile on their face and profound respect for their skill as musicians.
You’ll have an opportunity to see them live at the 13th Annual Concert in the Cemetery at Joshua Tree Memorial Park. Gutter Candy will be accompanied by a crew of well-respected high desert artists:
Jesika Von Rabbit: Yucca Valley’s princess of Electronica/Pop/Dance will be performing songs from her new solo endeavor, stepping away from a ten year history with her wildly popular Joshua Tree based band, Gram Rabbit. Jesika absolutely shines as a solo artist.
https://www.facebook.com/jesikavonrabbitmusic
Ted Quinn & the Merciless Beat: Ted (Teddy) Quinn, a prolific singer/songwriter and host of Monday nights at Pappy & Harriet’s will be performing with high desert super-group featuring lead guitarist Leslie Mariah Andrews (Small Wonder Experience), Thom Merrick (The Sibleys) on bass, and drummer Tim Chinnock (Adobe Collective).
http://www.facebook.com/tedquinnsrealityshow
Shadow Mountain Band: You’ll be entertained with classic bluegrass, country and gospel stylings along with their own hard-charging original compositions. “Steeped in tradition and blending the old with the new, you’re as likely to hear a Stanley Brothers or Hank Williams song as something by Buffalo Springfield or Amos Lee, all rich with American acoustic string instruments such as guitar, mandolin, Dobro and upright bass along with their 4-part harmony vocals.”
https://www.facebook.com/shadowmountainband/
Wicked Jed: “Wicked JED’s stylishly crafted music produces a cutting edge sound with devastating licks that captures the soul and reanimates the human experience. At the same time, their lyrics are comments on some of today’s issues like economics, social inequality and of course all things Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll!” https://www.facebook.com/WickedJEDband/info
Ray De La Muerte: Ray is the former front man for Orange County based bands Recked and Project Spiral. He’s opened for Dogstar and LA Guns back in the day. These days, Ray can be found at Oceanside Mortuary as an Embalmer and funeral Director. He performs a solo acoustic act as Ray De La Muerte, the Singing Embalmer, a perfect addition to this cryptic event.
Concert in the Cemetery is a free show for all ages at Joshua Tree Memorial Park, 60121 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA. It will be held this Monday, May 26th, from Noon to 4 PM. You can call (760) 366-9210 for more information.
