We couldn't miss a Halloween week jaunt to Bergamont Station, a local art complex that used to be a railway station, where there is some kind of bizarre happening seven nights a week! In keeping with the Halloween spirit, Robbie was displaying skeleton renditions of the ghouls on the hill in Washington DC. Tonight it is a showing by Robbie Conal called Apocalypso Facto. Robbie is a local legend, guerilla art activist and political satirist who somehow has made a successful career out of recruiting participants to paste up posters of his political caricatures all over LA in the wee hours of the night. It is great fun and we recommend you give it a go if you have the chance. Check out Robbie's work at www.robbieconal.com. Huge screen projections of Day of the Dead skulls and celebrations, and huge eyes staring in the first room, led us to the next room with original artworks. " Apocalypso Tango" featured Bush and Condoleezza Rice's heads growing from a single skeleton body engaged in a dance with itself. The color scheme sticks to the black, white and gray except for the vivid red of Condi's lips. Her expression suggests she is thinking about a secret; Bush's face looks befuddled. Next we encounter "Enron Geezer Bunny," a gruesome skeleton with the head of Dick Cheney, holding his heart (dripping blood) in his bony right hand, while a gold pacemaker labeled "Enrongeezer" drips gold blood from his chest with pink rabbit ears. "Skull Juggling Rummy" tosses gold glitter and pink skulls, his face a blob of melting pink sludge.

The real kicker pull for the event is the rumor that Ozomatli is playing at the gig. Also local legends, these funkadelic mariachis blend hi-hop, East L.A. R&B, and Latin melodies and rhythms into their own unique uncategorizable sound. Their band member numbers vary from 8-12 or so depending on the gig. They hit all the bases, from the percussive rhythm section, to the tightly arranged yet improvisatory horns, to the vocal harmony, to the rhythm guitarist that crisply accents the melody or breaks into a searing solo break. These guys are good and their local reputation as a high energy party band builds the tension as we hear them tuning up behind a big screen. They eased into a couple of ranchera tunes for their first set. As the infectious rhythms filled the gallery a growing number of dancers couldn't just stand still any longer.  When they started the second set the party was on. But we were already in the parking lot headed for home….blasted day job so often interferes! We have watched Ozomatli grow from LA's hip-hoppin rebel bad boys to big arena fillers… and Conal grow from local rebel street artist to a gallery headliner with artworks graced with $7,000 price tags, and raised a glass of (free) wine in salute, wondering when our day will come.

LA guitarist Rodger Caldwell

has been shooting the action ever since a resourceful high school teacher offered a photo class to him as a last-ditch attempt to keep him from dropping out. Jerry’s pit pix grace such sites as hip-hop and world music's Fly Global Music Culture in the UK.