Star Girls Strikes Back At The Globe

Saturday marked the return of Star Girls: The Original Star Wars Burlesque parody at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles. Producer Courtney Cruz brought together circus performers , dual pole acts and visuals on the giant LED screen. We have been down with the force and the Devil’s Playground shows since it’s small start, almost 10 years ago at the Bordello on the other side of town. So much work and originality goes into these productions. If you haven’t caught one of these spectaculars, you are missing out! May the 4th be with you!

CAST:
LA’S FINEST VANESSA BURGUNDY
JUST OFF TOUR WITH DITA VONTEESE - INTERNATIONAL PERFORMER - GINGER VALENTINE
THE BINGO BOMBSHELL AND QUEEN OF VIVA LAS VEGAS BURLESQUE-AUDREY DELUXE
PRODUCER OF BEAUTY OF BURLESQUE - MISS TOSH
PROFESSIONAL CIRQUE CONTORTION ARTIST - LENA FUMI
MUTILPLE AWARD WINNING POLE CHAMPION - MONICA KAY
MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING POLE AND LYRA CHAMPION - MEGGAN MARIE
PROFESSIONAL CHOREOGRAPHER - LUX LACROIX
ROCK AND ROLL BURLESQUER AND ESTABLISHED VIOLIN PLAYER -DIAMONDBACKANNIE
PRODUCER OF BOOTLEG BOMBSHELLS BURLESQUE - LULU MON DIEU

VIVA Burlesque!

Psyko Boys was invited to Viva Las Vegas to capture the event. Fernando taking pictures and myself doing Audrey DeLuxe’s makeup. It was a sight to see.

Audrey DeLuxe

Tom Ingram’s Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend at The Orleans in Las Vegas, Nevada had their 22nd get together. We’ve been told that over 18,000 attendees show to show off. Hot rods, eyeliner, red lips and greased pompadours as far as the eye could see. But the one thing that Psyko Boys loves about it is the world class burlesque. Audrey curates a collection of classic burlesque performers to shake it and compete for Miss Viva Las Vegas. John Waters was on hand to co-emcee with Lili VonSchtupp the Friday night Burlesque Showcase. Audrey’s Burlesque Bingo was fun as always. Thanks to everyone for a great weekend.

GO BETTY GO

Go Betty Go puts on quite the show.

Friday night in Downtown Fullerton.

Slidebar in Downtown Fullerton, CA hosted a night of female rockers. Go Betty Go played a fun set and Fernando was there to capture it.

Michelle Rangel – bass

Betty Cisneros – guitar

Aixa Vilar – drums

Nicolette Vilar – lead vocals

“Go Betty Go emphatically have established themselves as one of punk rock’s most exciting forces. A gloriously rough and tumble sound with melodic aggression. They bring a rich and engaging energy, loaded with lush atmosphere and, at times, an underlying sense of the foreboding.

Formed in 2000 when they were all attending high school in Glendale California, Go Betty Go driven by Betty Cisneros’ big, roaring guitar, singer Nicolette Vilar’s soulful, siren call and the momentous urgency of Michelle Rangel’s bass and Aixa Vilar’s tumultuous drumming. The Latina Punk Quartet swiftly ascended from local shows to a standing room only weeknight residency at Los Angeles dive Mr. T Bowl’s to a national reputation via reams of critical acclaim and non-stop gigging. Go Betty Go surged through two lengthy Warped tours, frequent cross-country tours, an attention getting invasion of South by Southwest and seemingly had it made. With the release of 2005’s Nothing is More, their first full length album on Side One Dummy Records, they set out to tour yet again. They never finished it—Nicolette, exhausted, unhappy and burned out, suddenly quit. She walked away and the bands remaining members found themselves at a crossroad.

The remaining members drafted singer Emily Wynne-Hughes and bassist Phil Buckman and continued gigging but the creative momentum eventually was gone, and at one point they quit performing for over two years. Miraculously, after a friend suggested a one off 2012 gig all four original members found themselves reunited on stage. As if the band had a life of its own, Go Betty Go was back as suddenly as they had split.

That renewal and excitement crackles through their last release “Reboot”, like a high voltage jolt of electricity, and Go Betty go are poised to reclaim their rightful prominence as some of the brightest, boldest women in punk rock.” -Go Betty Go Official

Olivia Bellafontaine: The Psyko Boys Muse

Olivia is the epitome of a Psyko Boys collaboration personified.

Olivia Bellafontaine, Fullerton, CA

Olivia Bellafontaine is a master of performance. She is more than a burlesque star, she is an artist. She creates visual masterpieces that harken a Dali-like dream. With ongoing productions like House Of Red Velvet and Blue Velvet she and her team of performers tell stories that are both provocative and sexy.

Olivia Bellafontaine as in House of Red Velvet.

Fernando first met Olivia when they worked together in another life. There was an immediate connection that has since turned into a personal and artist relationship. Legend has it that Fernando actually took Olivia to her first burlesque show in Los Angeles and its safe to say that it made quite an impression. Since then we have worked with Olivia on projects that fill our need to create and experiment.

One of our first shoots with her took place at our home studio in Orange County, California in 2010. It was in January I believe and it was probably 50 degrees out that night, but she was a modeling soldier. We brought in Frankie Sin to style the shoot and we captured some of our most beloved images that night.

Frankie Sin making everything just right. Such attention to detail.

There were two images that have since become some of Psyko Boys’ most recognized pieces of work. Black Bows is a simple shot of Olivia on all fours in an effortlessly statuesque pose. Mind you, 50 degrees out and holding this poses for an extended amount of time until the images was just right.

Black Bows

Photo by Fernando Guerrero/Psyko Boys, styled by Frankie Sin.

The other photo has been used for posters and fan art and although it was early in our editing ability, the image has stood the test of time and still gives off such a feeling of power and beauty. Below are a couple of the many promotional pieces the image has been featured in.

Olivia Bellafontaine is one of a kind. She is bold, deliberate and one of our dearest friends. She is my favorite face to paint. We are so grateful for our partnership throughout our careers and look forward to an exciting future.

http://oliviabellafontaine.com

Wir lieben dich!

-James

Psyko Boys: The Video

Here is a trip down PB lane….

Produced by Fernando Guerrero and Rodger Yakub

Audrey DeLuxe

Audrey DeLuxe is one of Psyko Boys’ favorite collaborators. We have had the pleasure of working with Audrey for sometime now and every time she is game for any idea we have. Either a crazy prom queen or a classic beauty, Audrey is a blast to shoot..

Audrey shot at her Los Angeles apartment.

Fernando first met Audrey in the Los Angeles burlesque scene. There are loads of shows that he has photographed, so many. From Star Girls at the Fonda to her Burlesque Bingo at Bigs in Fullerton, Audrey commands a stage of any size.

Audrey’s Boba Fett from Devil’s Playground’s Star Girls.

When we finally worked together on a shoot something wonderful happened. Audrey brought to life a character that Fernando had in his head for a very long time. #classof51/50...coming soon. The idea was to capture a prom queen who won’t give it up. She will be prom queen forever in her mind. I remember gathering all the cheer props and party supplies to help create this crazy dream. This was our first concept shoot.

James, Audrey and Frankie. Photo by Fernando Guerrero

The image that was made that day has become our calling card. Next to our logo, “God Save The Queen” is what people think of when they think of us. Thanks to Frankie Sin’s styling and her amazing ability to find the beauty in everything, Fernando and I got one of our favorite images., definitely one of the most important to us.

Audrey DeLuxe in God Save The Queen

Thank you Audrey! Thanks for being down to create!

-James

Mercury Troy with Psyko Boys

Another one of the last shoots we did at our precious VioletHour Studio was with the amazing Mercury Troy. That international burlesque sensation was a doll to work with and gave so many great shots that we are sill going through them and deciding which others to release. This one was by far one of our first favorites. Once we get through the 1000s of images and can decide which one of our babies to put out in the world we will share, til then, here is a just a teaser. Enjoy…

Psyko Boys Boys

We recently teamed up with a most interesting duo. Respectively known by Psyko Boys as Jason and Billy, they were such great sports in letting us experiment with a new direction. Actually an old idea, just revamped for fun. See below for some of the favorites…

Prints now on display at Melisa Finds, Santa Ana, CA.

The last Magoski Shoot with Tito Bonito

Titio Bonito has been a friend of Psyko Boys for years and we are so happy with all of his new endeavors and growth as performer. And some super exciting news, Tito has been named one of the headliners of the Vienna Boylesque Festival this May. See below for a few of the images that were created at our former studio.

Since this shoot Tito is now hosting The Pansy Craze Peepshow at Bang Bang Room in Downtown Los Angeles. If you not have been, go! There’s cotton candy, stripers and liquor. I mean, what else could a gal want?

Catching Up With Psyko Boys...

It’s been a little over 4 months since our last post. During that time we have had to make some changes in how we operate. You see, our beloved home, The Magoski Arts Colony and VioletHour Studio has had to close it’s doors to the public due to some much needed renovations. It was a bittersweet event. Losing our home after years of looking for just the right place to create was devastating. Our only hope is that after all is said and done, our haven with all of it’s little freaks can reunite and move forward with whatever incarnation the facility ends up manifesting itself as. Our last proper show was in September with Charlotte La Belle Araigne’e. This would be our most attended show and at that point we had big plans to bring even more elaborate and exciting shows. But have had to put those on the back burner to simmer until space permits.

We have created some new content and intend on keeping the creative process going in whatever way we can, With support of Laura Mussche of Trichology in Fullerton and Melissa Finds in Santa Ana we have been able to have a few exhibitions since the closing of the colony. The generosity of the our community has been wonderful, but nothing beats having a proper home.

All that said Psyko Boys is not throwing in the towel. We just have had to adapt and in some ways go back to our roots. For some of the talent that has been with us for the long run, they know what can happen with a few lights and a beat face on a cold winter’s night on our patio.

Thanks you all in advance for your undying support and cheers to a happy new year filled with challenges and triumphs.

Special thanks to Michael and Candaz Magoski for pushing us to be fearless and taking chances. So much love and appreciation to you both.

Also thank you to the secret benefactor who sent those lovely supplies, they were received at the exact right moment.

-James

Original Psyko Boys logo: Arturo Vega

Throw Back to 2007, Psyko Boys 1st Shoot

This was the first shoot that we planned and executed as Psyko Boys. Jeff was such a great sport. He was incredibly fun in front of the camera. Thank you Jeff, for making us realize that we could create.