Globetrotting musical sensation Michael Van London has a knack for rock. The Michigan-bred boy is hardly a Midwestern novice. After playing through a series of years in New York, Paris, and Boston, as well as widespread touring within the European and American continents, Van London is rather a worldly and accomplished musician. At his art for an upcoming two year anniversary in L.A., he is currently blossoming amidst the musical community of the ‘Wood and such, doing so while keeping a fresh, updated style, constantly striving to be as professional and prolific a rocker as can be.
With an ongoing schedule at Los Angeles’s best known music venues, I caught him on a cozy evening at Room 5. With a nearly all female lineup, being sandwiched between chicks who rock is nothing new for Van London. With Juliana Hatfield a profound inspiration and The Donnas a favorite of his, it is no surprise Van London dreams of forming a full-fledged estrogen-charged, tittie-bouncing, fishnet-tromping chick band, except him, of course, who happens to be generously endowed with testosterone and other such related things. Say goodbye to cock rock, and bring on the cunt rock.
With three recorded albums—“Roses”, “Je Suis”, and “Fortunes of Misfortunes”—Van London is currently working on a fourth and full-length album tentatively called “Ice Cream & Blood & Guts” while collaborating with Brandon Jordan of Kill Radio on production. The provisional title of said autumn album is totally in the nature of Van London. A serious beauty lies in his ability to craft pop with joint painstaking profundity—blood and guts.
Unquestionably bohemian, Van London not only makes sharp social critiques but also delves into deep wells of personal material among which “Sexxx Themes” is a favorite of mine. A song about artificial romances through sex and drugs is not just awfully compelling, but also really easy on the ear.
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Photos by Mari & Lily
