NOCTURNAL MISSIONS

It's a Sexy September in Santa Monica with 2 Live Crew at 14 Below And Sex Mob at Temple Bar; Dave Edmunds Returns for a Gig at McCabe's

By Tomm Carroll

Friday, August 31 -- Thursday, September 6-You so horny? If you're of the folks who miss the porn rock and X-rated sex-rap of hip-hop provocateurs and unlikely anti-censorhip poster boys Luther "Luke Skywalker" Campbell and his foul-mouthed posse 2 Live Crew, you're in luck this weekend. Sorta.

The remnants of the Crew -- minus Campbell, who jumped ship after the 1996 dud Shake a Lil' Something -- will do their best to be as nasty as they can be without their outspoken frontman in the filth-filled Floridian fold when they take to the stage at Santa Monica's 14 Below Friday night. The group's latest effort, last year's Private Personal Parts, as well as 1998's The Real One, were both a continuation of the lewd, crude and rude material the band "perfected" back in the mid-80s. Foreplay is provided by Frank, Burly Clyde and Aram.

More Sex: Sex in name only comes to Temple Bar in Santa Monica Thursday night, when the acclaimed New York-based avant-jazz ensemble Sex Mob previews its latest album of re-imagined James Bond themes, Sex Mob Does Bond, which is set for release in a couple weeks. The band consists of Steve Bernstein (trumpet), Briggan Krauss (alto saxophone), Tony Scherr (bass) and Kenny Willensen (drums). Sharing the bill are The Living Daylights and Mason.

Reggae Redux: Local skank-masters Mongoose make two appearances this week. They headline a show with Los Bamberos and Jeremy Toback at Temple Bar on Saturday, and play their regular gig at The West End in Santa Monica on Wednesday, with support from DJ Ron Miller.

Cover Up: Tribute bands abound at 14 Below this weekend. Popular Smiths and Morrissey regurgitators Sweet and Tender Hooligans return Saturday night, while regular Grateful Dead-raisers Cubensis are joined on their normal Sunday gig by Blackberry, who stone the crowes -- The Black Crowes, that is.

Other shows of note this week:

Friday
The Siberian surf is up once again as those zany rockabilly Ruskies The Red Elvises resurface at Rusty's Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica Pier.

Saturday
Band Name of the Week Toasted Head rocks out at Rusty's, with country-ish Hugh James sharing the bill. Sunday The Barrelhouse Boys put some rock into the blues at Harvelle's in Santa Monica.

Tuesday
Conrad Janis and the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band do that swing thing at Lunaria in Century City.

Hammond B3 king Larry Goldings and his trio open a five-night-stint at Culver City's Jazz Bakery.

Chicago-style blues from Andy Walo (former sideman to Junior Wells) comes to Harvelle's.

Thursday
The free Summer Sunset Concert Series at Culver City Hall bids adieu to the season with Susie Hansen and her nine-piece Latin Jazz band.

PICK OF THE WEEK
DAVE EDMUNDS
McCABE'S GUITAR SHOP
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
8:00 & 10:00 P.M.

It's been quite the week in Santa Monica for British guitarists who rose to fame in the 1960s. First Mick Taylor's gig at Temple Bar last Wednesday, and now this. McCabe's kicks the month off in style with a pair of sold-out solo acoustic performances by legendary Welsh roots-rocker Dave Edmunds.

A little more than a month after performing a similar set at Boulevard Music in Culver City (which, from all accounts, was a rousing success), singer-songwriter-producer-and-guitar-man Edmunds brings his current Chet Atkins obsession to Santa Monica, where he'll be demonstrating the guitar-pickin' style on which he's been concentrating of late.