Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
People who identify themselves as fans of psychobilly pioneers The Cramps are a peculiar breed. They have a habit of collecting vinyl records and their wardrobe largely consists of black clothing with at least two, maybe even three, leather jackets. They’re also rock and roll enthusiasts who appreciate the genre’s history along with anything new that they’re a fan of. The multi-city Lux Lives series has been the embodiment of that while celebrating the legacy of The Cramps since its start at The Independent in Somerville back in 2013, four years after the passing of iconic frontman Lux Interior in 2009.
This Saturday February 4 at Providence’s Emporium Of Popular Culture, Lux Lives will be making its presence felt and putting on a party, all while a similar event goes down at Koto in Salem on February 17.
Curated by DJ and Cramps fanatic Kogar The Swinging Ape, all of the proceeds from the Lux Lives shows go the Best Friends Animal Society, a favorite charity of Interior and his wife and Cramps guitarist Poison Ivy. So far, from all of the events in total, more than $10,000 has been raised for the cause. Since its inception in New England, Lux Lives has grown to New York City and Philadelphia with even some events in Europe and the West Coast. The event happens every February to honor Interior and the impact The Cramps have had on modern music and art. It also turns out that, for the Providence party, this Saturday will mark exactly seven years to the day of the frontman’s passing.
Joining Kogar as DJ at both parties will be soul power extraordinaire Ty Jesso and DJ Hula Bomb.
“I got involved because Kogar and I are mutual fans of The Cramps and also the music that inspired Lux and Ivy’s repertoire: garage, punk, rockabilly, wild R&B, and the other devil music,” Jesso tells Vanyaland. “The event is a mix of live performance, DJ’ng, art work and Cramps memorabilia with all the proceeds going to Lux’s fave animal rescue league, The Best Friends Animal Society.”
Also performing will be Jesso’s garage rock band Thee Fabulous Itchies and Central Massachusetts rock and roll phenoms The Evil Streaks. It’s an event that’ll have a whole lot to offer with it all going to a great cause. Further details will be unveiled and if you have any Cramps related items, photos, posters and anything else you can either contact Kogar via Lux Lives’ Facebook page or contact the Emporium’s founder Darren Hill via their website. Get ready to rock and enjoy the festivities Saturday and beyond.
Featured Lux Interior photo via thecramps.com.
