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Photos by Joe Coleman
Adding fuel to the fire generated by a string of late-night underground shows, Venice-based mamaSutra, highlighting keyboardist Arlan Schierbaum, have once again outdone themselves. Teaming up with local artists MOT and Patrick Moran, and promoters Party Harty Events, Omar & Marcella, Passinglane Media, the Organic Hip-Hop of Dave Boyles' band, and the firedancing of the Burn Collective, mamaSutra turned downtown's 'Location 606' into a literal Wonderland.
 A 4/20 show with an Alice in Wonderland theme is sure to turn some heads. Judging from the size of the crowd (over 800), it turned a lot. All night funk tunes in the loft, DJ's spinning madly on the lower floor, the Burn Collective firing it up in the enclosed patio space, a massage room, outstanding vendors - this show had something to tease the senses of every Alice, Tweedle-Dum and White-Rabbit in the crowd.
 Adding to the mayhem were 20 foot tall shimmering, internally lit mushrooms, a fifteen foot caterpillar, and spinning planets and clouds hanging from the ceiling. Swimming multi-layered visuals, a blacklight flower garden and live painting made sure the straightest of guests were entranced in a completely surreal, high-energy environment.
 Classic mamaSutra tunes such as "The Path", "Dangle", and "Musical Kind" were laced with dozens of new pieces to push the music well into the morning.  Arlen's soulful Hammond Organ playing, mixed with his innate ability to coax unknown sounds from a seemingly endless palette breathed new life into already exhilirating mamaSutra tunes. Arlen is truly a master of the sonic fabric. With Molly as Alice, Ben as the March Hare, and Russell as the Mad Hatter himself, mamaSutra pushed the boundaries of their own performance abilities, breaking new ground for what a party band should be. Molly & Ben seemed inseparable, as they pounded guests with a delightfully groovy rhythm. Russell's signature layered, looped, sax/guitar sound blended with Arlen's keys to produce a cohesive unit that stayed vibrant well into the early dawn. mamaSutra's encore culminated with the newly-risen sun peeking through the skylites, as if to annouce that Wonderland was Officially Closed.
 This year's 4/20 party was an anniversary party for last year's 'Cirque Du Funque' event, at which mamaSutra's currently-distributed live CD was recorded. Rumors of a follow up CD of this year's event are rippling through the community, so stay tuned...you never know what this crazy troupe will do next!
One thing is definite: a blossoming music scene exists wherever mamaSutra is to be found. They have mastered the ability to get anyone on the dance floor, at any time, and for incredible lengths of time. This bodes well for a band who plan to continue touring, recording, and creating festivals in and around the Los Angeles area.
Check out mamaSutra for yourself. You just may find yourself curiouser and curiouser...
Kris Nickeson
JamBase | Independent Enthusiast
Go see live music!
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