Cucamonga

Second in a series of impressionist portraits of Southern California by Rudy VanderLans, Cucamonga is a tribute to musician Don Van Vliet, also known as Captain Beefheart. It's a kind of road trip through Southern California that takes in places such as Lancaster, Woodland Hills, Hollywood and Laurel Canyon, where, under the auspices of Frank Zappa, Van Vliet and his Magic Band developed their strikingly unique sound. What jumps out at you about these places is how nondescript they are, particularly in contrast to the music that sprouted there.Cucamonga is a document of localities that have spawned great talent and a reminder that such places, laced as they are with the mystique of rock and roll history, deserve to be preserved. Like Van Vliet's music, the photography of Rudy VanderLans is passionate, bold and highly unconventional.Rudy VanderLans is the author of 'Cucamonga', published 2000 under ISBN 9780966940916 and ISBN 0966940911.