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The Latest: Tired artist’s ‘Pants’; up-and-comers’ EPs

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Artist’s Pants

Gordy Grundy

House of Go-Go; 273 pages

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We remember so well the cathartic moments after 9/11 — the candlelight vigils, the tributes to first responders — that it’s easy to forget how many things simply stopped after the attacks. Tourism plummeted; flights were grounded; baseball season went on hiatus. Some pundits even speculated about the “death of irony,” although snark seems to have prevailed in the years since.

The most evocative passages in “Artist’s Pants,” a book of essays by Gordy Grundy, deal with the author’s life as a fine artist after the terror attacks. The New Big One, as he dubs 9/11, not only dents his self-confidence and sales, but also causes him to question what he and his brush have done to break the country’s stagnancy. For an answer, he rattles off a sardonic list of contributions: monetary support of the liquor industry, purchases of See’s Candies, the Afghan rug he plans to buy “to help their ailing Middle East economy.”

It’s a lonely response to an event that, for a week or two at least, created a staggering sense of community, and indeed, “Artist’s Pants” reads as the testimony of a profoundly lonely man. Grundy acknowledges as much; at one point, he opines, “Since I was a kid, in my head is my favorite place to be.” References to Iraq, Virginia Tech and other news-making events dot these chapters, but they feel like abstract notions, remote happenings at the edge of the private bubble.

Maybe that’s true for most of us. After the vigils and charity drives peter out, we extend good wishes to those on the front lines and go back to our old routines. In Grundy’s case, that means enduring the frustrating day-to-day grind of the art business, from post-opening-night blues to erratic pay. In a deeper sense, though, it means laboring to create artifacts that are lasting and vital — the very sort of ongoing constructive act that defies the Bin Ladens of the world.

The biggest disappointment of “Artist’s Pants,” for all its frequent cleverness, is that it dwells on the first notion much more than the second. Gordy, a Newport Beach native and longtime columnist for Coagula Art Journal, opens with the proclamation “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to become an artist,” and the ensuing pages underline that sentiment with grim vignettes. At an Andy Warhol show opening, Grundy scans the faces in the crowd and sizes them up as commercial flashes in the pan: “Their glory was assured,” he writes, “but their wave petered out.”

If that wave is so fickle, though, why try so hard — and so long — to ride it? Grundy admits that he doesn’t have a theory for why people submit themselves to his lifestyle, and he’s not required to have one. But amid all the grousing about market competition, dealers’ foibles and critical favoritism, we get little sense of the greater picture: the ability of art to heal, provoke and, for those solitary studio dwellers, provide a rush of catharsis.

Grundy provides a few glimpses. “Artist’s Pants” is dotted with black-and-white replications of his images, albeit without caption information. In one of the few passages that show the author at work, he seeks to extract his own blood for a piece about the atrocities of religion, and this sense of drive — of a profound need to make a statement — is lacking for most of the book.

At one point, Grundy mentions the power he feels in his studio, where his imagination reigns and “a canvas evolves by itself.” We want to witness more of the evolution. In that case, the book’s cover image, which shows a gray pant leg spattered with a rainbow of colors, illustrates the problem best. An artist’s pants may catch the occasional drip, but it’s the canvas that doesn’t wind up in the wash.

—Michael Miller

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Like a King

Ted Z and The Wranglers

Independent release; 5-track EP

If you’re looking for some solid folk/Americana music, Ted Z and The Wranglers’ latest EP will fit the bill. The five-track “Like a King” offers a solid glimpse of the Costa Mesa band’s potential, but isn’t quite ready to compete with mainstream artists.

Despite the disc being an independent release, the sound quality of all the songs is top-notch.

The six-piece band, which will play Oct. 8 at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa, excels at creating catchy and robust Americana tunes. Listening to the tracks “Like a King” and “Ball and Chain” makes you feel like you’re in a saloon sipping on bourbon while watching a bar fight break out. Both songs have a gritty, Johnny Cash-like feel to them, and the singer sounds like Bob Dylan if he were an outlaw.

The band also has the ability to slow things down and show listeners that it can play more than fast-paced songs about getting into prison to be with their loved one. “Virginia” and “Tomorrow” both show the softer side of Ted Z and The Wranglers. “Virginia” is either about missing the East Coast state or a woman named Virginia, while “Tomorrow” is about being with the one you love and seizing the day.

While there’s no question that the band can play, it needs to work on its songwriting. Most of the tracks on the EP have two verses, two choruses, an instrumental bridge and then another chorus. That’s fine, but mixing it up couldn’t hurt; plus, more clever lyrics like “I hope real bad they take a swing/I’m hoping real bad they do/Make you put on a prison stripe and spend a little time, baby, holding you” would help.

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Deep Bloom

Roah Summit

Independent release; 5-track EP

Silver Lake band Local Natives may be indie rock kings in Los Angeles County, but an up-and-coming Costa Mesa band may be on their way to claim that crown in Orange County.

Roah Summit’s self-released five-track sampler, “Deep Bloom,” emotes an ambient, minimalist, laid-back tone that can be found in many indie bands today. In the opening “Secrets,” the members sound like they’re barely playing their instruments, and faintly in the background, you can hear a soft, wind-like sample.

“Upside Down” is also very simple, with half the song being just vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and audio samples that almost sound like whales.

The thing with songs like these is that they’re either a hit or miss. Either you love the spacey and simple sound or find it to be just as effective as sleep medication.

Not every song on the EP will whisk you to sleep. The last track, “Pocotello,” starts off like the other songs but has a more impactful and fuller sound. While it isn’t incredibly punchy, Roah Summit is headed in the right direction.

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Stay

Shaena Stabler

Independent release; 5-track EP

Laguna Beach singer Shaena Stabler is an artist any music fan should pay attention to, and I think her debut EP, “Stay,” will put her on a lot of radars.

Stabler, who will perform Oct. 28 at Mozambique in Laguna Beach, tries her hand at a few genres, with some that suit her very well and others that don’t. The opening “Stay” sounds like a solid country song with some almost Afrocentric beats mixed in during the bridge of the song. The following “Run Away” has the same characteristics and a somewhat catchy chant during the bridge.

“Angel (Goodbye Again),” oddly enough, reminded me of a Celine Dion song, with the context of the track about reuniting with a loved one and the music soft and comforting. Stabler’s voice also has similarities to the Canadian singer’s.

The track that truly impressed me is “Children of the Night.” Stabler’s somewhat deep voice just goes so well with the moody yet upbeat instrumentals on the song. It’s like a Fleetwood Mac song if you injected a little bit of funk and pop to it. I’d love to hear more songs like this from Stabler.

— Anthony Clark Carpio

Twitter: @acocarpio

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