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BLACK FLAG and FLAG rivalry: Just be thankful that this music exists | Editorial

April 6, 2013, 10:43 am
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By Cat and Andy

This whole BLACK FLAG and FLAG rivalry, the back-and-forth trash talking between some band members (according to interviews and Facebook posts we've seen) and ignorant FB comments from fans is causing us to want to beat our heads against a wall.

When FLAG (Morris/Dukowski/Stevenson/Egerton/Cadena) announced its plans, we were behind them giving fans a taste of days past with one raucous performance at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. They've added more dates, and that's cool because they want to reach more people in the U.S. and around the globe with the sonic barrage of Black Flag songs. People wanted it and they're gonna get it-- full bore.

As for BLACK FLAG (Ginn/Reyes/Klein/Moore), they're going for it hard, as well, with old songs and new ones that have been germinating in a warehouse in Taylor, Texas. Reyes is back in the fold with his old pal Ginn, who joined the second Black Flag vocalist on stage at his 50th birthday party a few years back. From what we've heard, this is promising to be one ball-buster of a tour and album.

So, the stage is set for some killer punk-rock action, right?

You'd think so, but over the last two months, people are starting to grumble about who's going to be the superior band when the gigs start next month. And that's in our nature, to bitch and whine, take sides and even be a bit of an asshole at times when we're shouting (or messaging!) at each other. But, c'mon people, this isn't the high-school cafeteria. Or maybe it is for some of the younger set who weren't even born when the original Black Flag was around ... and if that's the case, we say go order a sloppy joe and shut the fuck up.

Let's hearken back to our school lunch-time days when some people said you could only like punk or metal -- and not both. We didn't buy into that then and we're not picking a side in this "battle," either.
 
Now -- we think it's time to let the bands rock. Go to the shows, have a blast. Get excited about this gut-wrenching music that blows all the other shit away. Be thankful that this music exists and you're not drowning in the mainstream manure.

Fucking live a little and stop complaining.

Bring it on, BLACK FLAG and FLAG.
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Die Kreuzen tears it up at Roadburn Festival

April 30, 2013, 8:42 pm
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Singer Daniel Kubinski lets loose. (All Cat Rose photos)

Do you travel to the Netherlands to see people wearing wooden clogs?

No way. You journey to Dutch country to witness Die Kreuzen rattle the stage and crowd with the force of a thousand pairs of that antiquated footwear.

It was a hardcore affair when the TSHIT staff checked out Milwaukee's best at the Roadburn Festival's Afterburner gig on April 21 in Tilburg. The quartet burned through tunes from each release, including a new song, "Continuous Dogs."

Here's a handful of Cat Rose pics from the show that you wish you attended. Cheers!

Keith Brammer.
Through a haze of dry ice, Erik Tunison.
Jay Tiller.








Tiller and Tunison: bathed in light and dry ice












Until next time ....

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Punk-rock time capsule: John Macias and Circle One

May 4, 2013, 8:19 pm
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Circle One's John Macias. (Alison Braun photo)

By Andy

Scowling. Intimidating. Raging.

These are the three best words I can conjure up when thinking about Circle One's former lead singer, John Macias.

And, oh yeah, stomping -- as in pounding his way across the stage (left, right, left), combat boots in full force threatening to smash the innocent wooden structure to bits.

The other day, I was blasting a mix tape in the car and some Circle One tunes leapt out of the speakers and got my blood pumping. "F.O," "G.I. Combat," "Destroy Exxon" and "High School Society." Oh, yes, I remember them well.

The sky-high standing Macias and Circle One targeted cops, politicians, racism and more in their lyrics, but they also ventured into religious territory and stressed the importance of unity within the Los Angeles scene, where they first came onto my radar. Not everyone was a fan of Macias' sermonizing and certainly not his violent behavior (addressed below).

I first noticed the bald-headed Macias in '81, standing quietly outside of the Cuckoos Nest wearing a trench coat and combat boots. Later that evening, he was on stage with Circle One, rocking the fuck out with Rollins-like ferocity. He slammed a microphone stand into the stage and the bottom half flew off and nearly plugged me in the front row. An eye-opening performance, for sure.

A few years later, I had some important information that Macias needed at a gig. Earlier in the day, my friends and I spoke with Whipping Boy's Eugene Robinson by phone while he was in Palo Alto and was scheduled to play in LA that evening with Circle One and others. Whipping Boy couldn't make the gig, but I overheard Macias outside the gig saying that they were awaiting Whipping Boy's arrival. So I summoned my courage and went up to Macias -- who towered over me like a giant -- and informed him of the situation. He nodded and thanked me. It doesn't seem like a big deal now, but for a shy kid back then, I felt accomplished by stepping up.

In his final performance in 1991 on the Santa Monica Pier, Macias' preaching style was too rambunctious for a security guard, who intervened and Macias tossed him off the structure, according to aLos Angeles Times report dated May 31. The cops were called and shot Macias dead at 29 years of age.

I've always been curious about Macias, so to find out more about the man, I contacted former drummer Jody Hill. Here are his candid recollections:

What stands out the most about John today is a lot of people, in books, in documentaries and many other forms of media talk about him and they are talking about someone who was not the John I knew. Was he a bad ass? Yes, he could be. Would he stand up against cops, bullies, concert promoters? Yes. Was he violent at times? Yes, again. Did he get shot and killed by the cops three days after our last performance with him? Sadly, yes. He didn't get killed because of all the things I just mentioned. He died because of mental illness. It seems that a lot of people who were there 30 years later are believing the legend and myth more than reality. 

(Guitarist) Mike Vallejo and I lost a friend, not a singer, not the leader of the FAMILY, not the guy who started P.U.N.X., but a really cool person who had a lot going on at the time that we didn't understand. I can tell you lots of funny stories about (being) on the road with him, taking acid and partying, but there are a lot of other things that stand out. A lot of people say he was violent and did some fucked-up shit, and that is true to some degree. I remember things like him taking a baton away from a cop and beating him with it. He did that because the cop was hitting a 15-year-old kid at the Olympic (Auditorium). I remember him taking the bus from Pico to Arcadia with me at midnight when I was 16 to make sure I got home from practice. I remember him crying and screaming when he kicked the shit out of one of his best friends at the Wig Factory because the guy gave heroin to one of the runaway kids living there. John really cared about people and the scene he was involved in. 

He believed in God, but a lot of his actions in that area were caused by his mental illness. We were not a Christian punk band. John sang about what was going on in his head. Later on, we found out there was a lot going on in his head that he didn't have control over, and by the time we knew he had problems, he was dead. Like I said at the beginning, I have read that John was black, a gang leader, a born again, etc., but all these statements are always written by people who didn't know him. He still makes an impact in my life 22 years later. The new band I am in with Mike Vallejo (Manwray) has two songs that in some ways are about John. He is the first person I think about when we play them. So when you talk to people, remember, a lot of people you talk to only knew him for a short time and some, if not most, really didn't know him at all.


Macias and guitarist Mike Vallejo. (Fer Youz photo)



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Spray paint the walls: Street art in Amsterdam and Berlin

May 18, 2013, 1:03 pm
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Evil Ronald McD in Amsterdam. (All Cat Rose photos)

By Cat

On our recent trip to Berlin and Amsterdam, we had some specific "sightseeing" that was more up our "alley".  This included checking out local punk and metal bars and, of course, the Ramones Museum in Berlin -- but more on that later...

On our fantastic journey, we found that the street art spoke to us.

From the backstreets by the coolest punk bar in Amsterdam (and maybe almost anywhere) -- Cafe the Minds -- to the Straßes of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg area of Berlin, including the Eastside Gallery paintings on 1.3 kilometers of the Berlin Wall, street art was everywhere.  Here are a few shots of some of this amazing painted landscape...

AMSTERDAM







BERLIN











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Roni Lee and the boys rock Razorblades-style

May 24, 2013, 4:59 pm
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Roni Lee belts out a tune in Seattle. (All Cat Rose photos)

"Punk-A-Rama!" Andy yelled out to Roni Lee as she and her band prepared to launch into another song at last Saturday's University District Street Fair in Seattle.

Lee smiled and mentioned to the crowd that she used to play in Venus and the Razorblades in 1977 in Hollywood. "That's from the album 'Songs from the Sunshine Jungle,'" she noted.

"We just broke that album out today," Andy replied.

"Well, you just made my day," she added with a shake of the head.

Lee, who wrote songs with the Runaways and Kim Fowley, tore through a 45-minute set, including her signature song, "I Wanna Be Where the Boys Are," which the Runaways also played back in the day.

Rock on, Roni.



Bassist Lynn Sorensen and drummer Jeff Kathan.







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Bettie Serveert: Rocking the emotional spectrum / Interview

May 30, 2013, 11:36 pm
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Bettie Serveert: Carol van Dijk with (from left) Joppe Molenaar,  Herman Bunskoeke and Peter Visser.
(Tinca Veerman photo)

By Cat

Andy and I always make it a point to check out the opening bands at shows, especially when we've never heard or seen them before.  That is how we have found much of our favorite music.

Case in point: As we wandered into Club Oasis in San Jose, CA in 1992 with our friend Sean Cooper, we did not know what we were in for.  We had gone there to see the band Come and, of course, got there early to partake of some beverages and check out the opening act. When Holland's Bettie Serveert hit the stage, we were mesmerized.

From their quiet bits to their wall of sound, which comes at you with this celestial voice above it, at the time I kind of thought it was Led Zeppelin-esque with a female singer. I was in...so was Sean, and he immediately purchased a "Palomine" T-shirt as soon as they were done.

Henceforth, two decades later, and they are still one of my favorite bands. To quote the classic line from the movie "Office Space," "I celebrate their entire catalogue." From the haunting "Brain Tag" to the current bouncy, rockin' "Shake-Her," I dig it all and every album has its own feel. But my favorite album will always be "Lamprey." Just as Crass' "Penis Envy" is my go-to record when I am pissed off at the end of the night, Bettie's "Lamprey" is my go-to when I am in a pensive mood. I put on "Keepsake," and it is all good.  I am instantly content...

So having them in our blog was a must, and here is a Q and A via email from Amsterdam with Betties Peter Visser (guitar) and Carol van Dijk (vocals, guitar).


* We first saw you when you toured with Come in 1992. What were some highlights of that tour?

Peter: That must have been our first American tour, I believe. We were all extremely excited.
First half was with Superchunk and in Minneapolis Come joined for the rest of the tour.
Everything was new and overwhelming to us, inexperienced geeks from Holland.
Come was a great band, we've toured with them many times.
We became friends and learned a lot. Chris Brokaw and Thalia Zedek had this guitar weaving-thing that was really inspiring for Carol and me. Also: their shows had something dangerous to them. You never quite knew what could happen.
Bless them!!

Carol: Totally agree with Peter. Funny coincidence… tonight Come will be playing here in Amsterdam with the original line-up and Peter, Herman (Bunskoeke, bassist) and I are very excited to see them again after all these years!

Carol and Herman rock Seattle. (Diana "Miv" Mivelli photo)

*What's 2013 Bettie Serveert like compared to 1992 Bettie?

Peter: Again a 4-piece band, kind of wild and fresh, but of course much older.

Carol: …not much wiser, though :)


* What's your favorite Bettie album and why?

Peter: To choose one is to kill your other children.
For me almost every album has some stuff to cherish on it.
"Palomine" was the big kick-off for our career, we still play some songs to this day.
"Log 22" was our "art-school" album. We told ourselves: "What ever we like we can do! No limitations."
And although there might be too many songs on it, or some songs could use some editing: I still have very fond memories of that album and the times it was made.
"Pharmacy Of Love" was the first time working with energetic, hard-hitting drummer Joppe Molenaar.
That meant: Earplugs!! First time recording in La Chapelle Studios in Belgium.
"Oh, Mayhem!" is our last one and I like it because it's fresh, short, snappy and sometimes wild.

Carol: Honestly, I can not choose between them. Every record we’ve made so far has its own story & vibe: they are different adventures or chapters, if you will.
The way I see it is that in the past 22 years we’ve been playing in different bands that all had the same name: Bettie Serveert.


* You straddle the line nicely between soft and heavy (sometimes in the same song, sometimes not), what were some influences in finding your sound(s)?

Peter: Not sure if that's a question for me because I mostly react on bits and pieces that Carol brings to the drawing board.
In general, I guess our influences go from Blondie to Mars Volta and all in between.

Carol: True. There are so many different kinds of music that we love and are influenced by. The one thing that has always been important to us if finding an alternative to whatever is mainstream, that’s why they call our music "alternative rock."

Bettie fliers from the TSHIT collection.


* How has "Oh, Mayhem!" been received so far by fans? How does this album rank for you compared to all the other records?

Carol: So far we’ve had great reviews and we’re really happy about that! After we finish a new album, we never know how people will react. I guess that people who liked "Pharmacy of Love" see an obvious connection to "Oh, Mayhem!" The live set that we’ve been playing the last couple of months is a mixture of those two records plus some all-time favourites, which works really well.


* From earlier songs like "Brain Tag" and "Under the Surface" to new ones like "Shake-Her" and "Had2Byou," where does your lyrical inspiration come from?

Carol: Most of the lyrics are very personal, but they don’t necessarily have to be about my own life. It could be about people around me who are dear to me, for instance. Or writing in the "you-form" could mean that I’m sort of talking to myself.
I hardly ever explain what the songs are about, because I think it’s better when people make up their own mind and connect their own stories to them.
The moment we release a record, the songs take on their own life and we have to let go.


* Music can be a moving experience for listeners, how does playing Bettie songs make you feel?

Peter: I hope that our music covers every aspect of the human emotion.
For me playing Bettie songs can be comforting, it can make me happy, sad, melancholy, aggressive, I can be moved by it, it can be funny, irritating, joyful.

Carol: Playing live shows is a very emotional thing for us, because the songs are emotional. We interact and feed on each others' playing, as well.
People have asked me why I often close my eyes while singing… well, it’s because a lot of the time I can see the "story" behind the lyrics like a movie playing in my mind. As if it was projected on the inside of my eyelids.


* What were your aspirations when starting the band? How do you feel about everything looking back... and moving ahead?

Carol: We were just a bunch of close friends who loved writing & playing songs together: no goals, no plans, no real ambition other than having fun & pleasing ourselves. Within 8 months after we started, the whole thing exploded and we were signed to Matador and started touring all over the globe. It was like being inside a hurricane!
We never expected people to like our music and were very surprised about all the commotion.
The first thing we had to learn was to be "a band on tour." Not every musician is made to be on tour: a lot of them get homesick and are not accustomed to the chaotic lifestyle, eating & sleeping at random hours. But for Herman, Peter and I, it’s always been and still is one of our favourite parts of being in a band!

Carol. (Sjors Schuitemaker photo)

* Why did you split up after only one gig in 1986? What was the Bettie sound like in '86, 
similar to how we first heard you in 1992?

Carol: We split up, because at the time Peter and Herman were playing in De Artsen and they were starting to get noticed. I was their live sound-mixer and a HUGE fan of their music, so it made sense to focus on their band.
Plus our first drummer (not Berend Dubbe) left the band to become a steward for some airline company (I kid you not).
Our sound was quite different back then and guess what?: Peter also sang some of the songs! We still have recordings of them, but Peter doesn’t want other people to hear them…


* What's life like in the Amsterdam area? What do you all do when you're not playing music?

Carol: We’ve been living in Amsterdam for more than 25 years now, and like most people here, we have a love-hate relationship with the city, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else! Most of the time it’s quite relaxed. We have rent-controlled apartments for people who don’t have a big income, some nice venues for bands to play and great restaurants that are affordable.
Speaking of restaurants, Herman is a chef cook when he’s not playing with the Betties!
Peter and I do most of the management and also run our own record label Palomine Records, when we’re not writing or recording new songs.
I still love riding my bike through the inner city, the old parts of Amsterdam, watching all the impressive historic buildings.

* Have you ever met Bettie Stöve (a former Dutch tennis player)? She had great success on the tennis circuit, are you fans of her tennis playing?

Peter: Never met her, but she knows about the band. When we played Pinkpop (biggest festival in Holland) in 1993, she sent us a telegram.
Neither of us plays tennis. Bettie Serveert was just a funny name for a band, we thought.

Carol: Actually, Berend Dubbe came up with the name. (Editor's note: Bettie Serveert translates to "Bettie to serve.")



 * What's next for the band, lots of touring, possibly the US? How was the recent string of shows?

Carol: We just did a 3-months tour in the Netherlands, about 26 shows, which was awesome. There are some other shows booked for later this year and we might do some festivals or do some shows in Great Britain and Germany.
But in the meantime we’ve started writing new songs: we played one of them last Friday and people seemed to enjoy it, so that’s very encouraging!

We would love to play in the US again, but since 2009 the work visas have become so expensive that it’s almost impossible for a small band like ours to come up with that kind of money. We don’t have tour-support: we pay for everything ourselves.
On the other hand, we can’t tour without a work visa, because we will be kicked out of the country the moment we go through customs.
Most people don’t know this (because most bands won’t say it out loud), but it takes ± 5 months to apply for a US work visa and $4,000… and it’s non-refundable when you get denied (which almost happened to us in 2010).
In comparison: a Canadian work visa would take about 2 weeks and $400. American bands who tour in Europe don’t have to go through that kind of trouble, either.
In my honest opinion, I don’t think it’s fair.

So let’s hope for small miracles and maybe one day we’ll be able to do another US tour!




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Soccer Made in Germany: Our Bundesliga trek

June 9, 2013, 5:30 pm
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Bundesliga journey achieved: Monchengladbach's Borussia-Park. (Cat and Andy photos)

By Cat and Andy

"You must drink beer to support your team."

That is a rule, according to the red-faced elderly Monchengladbach fan speaking to a 20-something traveler on the bus headed toward Borussia-Park for a Friday match versus FC Augsburg on April 19.

First, let's backtrack: As we toddled off the train ride from Amsterdam with our online tickets clutched in hands, we asked the information man at the nearby bus station were there any cool places to hang out pre-game. He quipped, "this is Monchengladbach, there are no cool places."

Not to be denied, we wandered left through the sterile downtown area, searching for the holy grail of soccer-fan bars. We were clearly headed in the wrong direction when we saw two groups of fans headed the opposite way and we turned back. Soon, we noticed more fans with painted faces, flags and even one guy blasting the Monchengladbach song from a boombox on his shoulder.

We journeyed further and popped into a hookah lounge, which appeared to be the only open drinking establishment around. Cat enjoyed a Spanish Kiss (a creamy berry delight with vodka) and Andy grabbed a Heineken as we watched a group of ladies having a hookah-fest. As the smoke filled the air, we heard sounds from outside, and there stood the King, crown on head, Monchengladbach flag worn as a cape and an obligatory beer in hand. Game on, we said.

We knocked back our drinks quickly and headed outside to locate the King and his subjects. But he had disappeared just as quickly as he entered the scene.

So we ventured back to the bus circle, thinking we should head to the stadium. We were at a loss for any further action in that area. Right in front of our eyes, though, there was a very plain-looking building we thought was a restaurant, featuring a small beer sign and door cracked open. We thought, what the hell, and went inside.

As we entered the bar, it was as if you could hear the soccer gods and their choir singing to us. The Monchengladbach fight song -- backed by rock music on the jukebox -- was one that we would hear nearly 20 times during the next few hours. This is the place we were searching high and low for: excited fans (check), banners (check), huge soccer mural (check), punk soccer songs (check), etc. We would have been bummed had we not given this place a shot. We were elated!

Andy and Monchengladbach mural.
We attempted to communicate with the locals to find out if there was anything to do at the stadium beforehand. As we thought we had already hit our high point for the ultimate soccer bar, their best English speaker told us about a magical place by the stadium: FanHaus.

Now, back to the bus ride toward the match. Nearly everybody had a beer in hand, except us, as we didn't know that could be done. We soaked up the atmosphere, and luckily the ride wasn't too long since we were anxious to follow the "golden rule" quoted at the beginning.



At the park, FanHaus was the piece de resistance -- the shit: beer flowing, sausages grilling, soccer fans singing, band playing ... football heaven. While partaking in our delicious sausages, Andy chatted with a guy wearing a Corrosion of Conformity T-shirt and his friends. He posed for a picture, a fry in mouth and buddies attempting to give him a tittie-twister.



We reconvened with our new friends from the prior bar, who were glad that we made it to FanHaus. The translator lady insisted, "I am the man, yes?" about directing us to this wonderful place. The mullet guy emphatically stated, "We must drink now." Agreed upon.







Oh yeah, the match, right? It was awesome, of course. Everything that we dreamed a Bundesliga game would be. We even imagined classic Soccer Made in Germany announcer Toby Charles' voice in our heads.

On the beer front, the wandering stadium server offered fresh-poured hops from the mini-keg backpack he wore. As he walked by, Cat got his attention by knocking on the keg to see if any beer was home. We scored with a pint of Becks ...not long before Monchengladbach scored what would be the winning goal in the first half on a PK. The home side prevailed 1-0 on this eve.

All in all, the dream of attending a Bundesliga match being achieved was worth the 4 a.m. arrival back at our Amsterdam hotel after the return trip. We slept tight, mates.

P.S. We support Bayern Munich, but Monchengladbach was the closest place to travel on our trip. They didn't disappoint.



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Punk Kingpins: Flag rages at Punk Rock Bowling in Vegas

June 10, 2013, 6:13 pm
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Flag's Dez Cadena, Keith Morris and Stephen Egerton. (All Chris Shary photos)

By Greg Cameron

I was truly disappointed to have missed the "Black Flag" performance at the Goldenvoice 30th anniversary show in Santa Monica last year. When Flag announced that they were going to perform at Punk Rock Bowling and a few other shows in Europe this year, I was very excited that I might have the opportunity to see them. In fact, I immediately pitched the idea to them of performing at the venue I consider my second home here in Nevada City, CA. I also own and run the installed sound system in that venue, the Miners Foundry Cultural Center. So far, Flag seem to be on board with the concept, hopefully it will come to fruition soon.

In any case, I was going to forgo attending PRB in Las Vegas since I figured I'd see them in my own town soon enough. But then at the last minute, I had a change of heart. I really wanted to see my old friends whom I considered my second family for many years. And I wanted to see them perform the tunes that had so inspired me to play music myself. Tunes that conveyed the angst and lack of belonging to the mainstream that I identified with and that I still identify with even now. I was also considering it sort of a diplomatic "mission to Alderaan." I figure being there in person to hang out and reconnect with my longtime friends might inspire them to come play in my town even more. So I sent a few messages to arrange a pass, booked the flight, booked the room and headed out 24 hours later to the desert.

When I arrived on May 27, I headed off to what was the most punk rock hotel situation I had ever seen, The Golden Nugget. It was just a few blocks from the PRB concert stage, so it was the destination of most of the bands and attendees. I haven't seen that many mohawks in decades.

Egerton shreds it up.

I hooked up with longtime friend & artist Chris Shary. Chris has been doing the cover, t-shirt and flyer artwork for the Descendents & All as well as a plethora of other well-known bands for a long time. Of course, we immediately headed off to find coffee in the hotel. While having our coffee, we met up with Stephen Egerton, who I finally got to spend some time with catching up. Then a short time later, Bill Stevenson arrived for coffee before heading off to an interview. This was the second time I had seen Bill post-brain surgery to remove a literally grapefruit-sized tumor that was discovered right after a pulmonary embolism, which nearly killed him. The last time I saw Bill was a couple of years ago at FYF Fest in Los Angeles when the Descendents headlined. We didn't really have a chance to talk then, so we started catching up. We would do a lot more catching up after the show.

Bill and Stephen had the interview to do, so I met up with ex-bandmate and longtime friend Chuck Dukowski and his lovely wife Lora Norton, who also is the vocalist in the Chuck Dukowski Sextet. We had lunch and started catching up. Chuck is one of my favorite people on the planet. A genuinely good guy and sharp philosopher. He is also a prolific & talented songwriter. The record label he and his wife Lora run, Nice & Friendly, really is what the name implies. I have mostly Chuck to thank for my life in music aside from Bill and high school best friend Ray Cooper (former guitarist in the Descendents and SWA). Chuck & I started jamming together after he left Black Flag. I was the youngest of the SST crew and Chuck was truly like a big bother that invited me on the journey of a lifetime. It was an experience that shaped my life in ways that otherwise wouldn't have happened. Chuck was the "doer" that made things happen, a personal pillar of support and motivation.

Chuck Dukowski, the "doer."

After lunch, it was time to head over to the performance venue. So we met up with the rest of the band at the hotel and loaded them with their instruments into a taxi van. There wasn't enough room for everyone, so Lora and I walked the three blocks to the venue. We actually beat the other guys by five minutes. The taxi dropped them in the wrong spot. As usual for Vegas in the summer, it was hotter than balls. I'm a wuss when it comes to outdoor festival shows these days; I usually won't go anymore unless there's a backstage pass involved and a shaded area. I've attended Warped Tour and Hootenanny on several occasions as a regular attendee. I can't do it anymore. But even in the backstage band tent, it was like an oven. No A/C. I wonder if Devo, who headlined two nights prior, had to sit in the hot tent, too. I figured they'd get better accommodations. But then again, this is "punk rock bowling" and it should be fairly econo, right?

It was several hours until Flag's set, so Chris and I wandered into the concessions area for some caffeinated beverages. Chris got some sort of iced concoction, but I went for my usual: black coffee. A few folks were surprised I'd drink that in nearly 100-degree temperatures. But I live by the Black Flag beverage style as laid out in the tune "Black Coffee" regardless of weather conditions. I'll suffer for the juice. Chris and I caught some of the sets by D.R.I, Subhumans and the Casualties. Just like old times. I felt like I was back in the '80s. Except the PA sounded decent and the crowd control was well organized. There were a ton of people coming out of the pit with broken noses and blood all over them. Lots of sunburn, bruises and sweat. Tats and mohawks as far as the eye could see. I don't know how many folks were in attendance, but it was definitely over 10,000.

The energy for the Flag set was building, you could feel the tension and the excitement.

Morris in full rage mode.

As I spent time backstage, I got caught up with other longtime friends I hadn't seen in ages. Dez Cadena, Keith Morris and an introduction to Dimitri Coats, whom I hadn't yet met. Dimitri is managing Flag and plays guitar in OFF! along with Keith. Dimitri is also the person I'm nagging to arrange a Flag performance in Nevada City, though I told him I wouldn't nag him too much that night. And there were some other longtime SST friends to hang out with, too. Longtime friend Rob Holtzman who was Saccharine Trust's original drummer, as well as Jordan Schwartz & Raenie Kane who worked at SST for some time. They all made the trip from L.A. It felt like SST gigs of days gone by, which was nice considering the rifts that have formed since those days. It was also nice to see some old rifts mended, as Flag couldn't exist otherwise.

As set time for Flag approached, Chuck hit me up to play bass tech for the evening. Not a tough job as it basically involved wiring a couple of pieces of his rack gear to tie into the back line bass amp provided by the promoters. I was only too happy to oblige. And it gave me a good excuse to be on stage with the band when some others were getting booted off or pushed to the back of the stage in a less-than-ideal viewing situation. I made my way to monitor world and took up a position next to Gary Tovar. For those not knowledgeable of Gary, he's a co-founder of Goldenvoice who went from being a small L.A. punk rock promoter back in the '80s to one of the biggest concert promoters in North America. Gary is a true fan of the band as well as punk rock in general, and it was good see him there since he was very supportive of Black Flag and SST Records' efforts early on.

Stepping into it.

Flag hit the stage not like your typical polished rock acts of today where the techs get everything set up exactly the way the band wants it so they can step out on stage looking larger than life without a thing out of place. Quite the contrary. Flag came out like they were showing up at band practice. Bill arranged his drums and checked final tuning. I got Chuck's amp setup hooked up, but he plugged in his own bass and tweaked things the way he liked them. Same with Stephen and Dez. It took a bit of time to get the monitor mixes dialed up. Keith gave a little technical explanation to the crowd as to how Flag was getting their line check in and that they're not always able to get a full sound check, especially at these festival-style shows. Really, this is truly DIY punk rock, and it was happening at big outdoor show in front of a huge crowd. Like Mugger (aka Steve Corbin, former co-owner of SST & Black Flag roadie) would have said about 25 years ago, "this isn't Van Halen!"

After Flag was up and running, they came out with both barrels blazing in terms of energy. They broke right into "Revenge" and then segued into "Fix Me." Stephen and Bill delivered the power and tightness as members of the Descendents would. Chuck hammered on his bass as if it were a race horse fighting to the finish, just like the first time I saw him perform over 30 years ago. And Dez grinded out the rhythmic guitar wall of sound that the "Damaged"-album era of Black Flag was well known for. Keith, never one to not give it his all, was a vocal force. The classic Keith-era songs sounded like, well, Keith-era Flag. Full-tilt boogie and no holds barred. And the tunes he didn't record or perform had his signature style and spin.

Morris: going for it.

The crowd was digging it, the mosh pit was a-moshin'. I could see the crowd singing along with pretty much every song. But, of course, the classic "Six Pack" drew the most crowd vocal participation since it's probably the best known Black Flag song in the world next to "T.V. Party," which they didn't play. They played most of the tunes from the "Nervous Breakdown" and "Jealous Again" EPs. They covered quite a few of the tunes on "Damaged," as well. There was a bit of a false start for "Depression," which has a bit of a drawn-out beginning by nature. But hey, that's punk rock for ya. Keith sang the majority of the set, but Dez also switched from guitar duty to vocal duty and sang some of the tunes he had previously performed with Black Flag during his tenure on vocals such as "Thirsty & Miserable" and "American Waste." They also played a couple of mid-era Black Flag tunes that Chuck had written, "My War" and "I Love You." They blasted through the set, keeping it under an hour including the encore. In true Black Flag style, they finished the primary set with their rendition of "Louie Louie." And also in true endgame Black Flag style, they finished the encore with a more dirge-esque tune, "Damaged I."

Dukowski action.

It was a great night. You could feel the energy and the crowd anticipation was well rewarded. I don't think anyone went away dissatisfied, including the band. Nor me. Nor the guy that had to be taken away in an ambulance after he was pummeled in the pit. That guy refused to be treated until he got his picture with the band.

I'm really looking forward to seeing another Flag performance. With some luck, it will be here in my town and in my second home.

I see the world through/ Keith's eyes. (Chris Shary art)

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How to punk-ify a bathroom

June 16, 2013, 1:09 pm
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Got a plain, half bathroom that you're looking to liven up?

Why not make it a (clean!) punk-club powder room? That's the way we roll here in Seattle.

Here's how to achieve it:

* Get some of your classic fliers of gigs you attended and frame them

* Paint the walls a dark color, like blood red in our case

* Funky mirrors are in order, as well as a flashy, glass-beaded chandelier

* Complement with cool candles and other knick-knacks, maybe even a skull...

And voila! You're set.






Fliers from Los Angeles and San Jose gigs:

Black Flag/Adolescents/DOA/Minutemen, 1981

Circle Jerks/Bad Brains/Circle One/Public Nuisance, 1982

TSOL/Adolescents/Wasted Youth/Social Distortion/Youth Brigade/Blades/AKA, 1982

Dischord Records, 1981 ... $2.50 each for seven-inchers!

45 Grave/China White/Social Distortion, 1981

Misfits, 1982*

Corrosion of Conformity, Hirax, Beowulf, 1985

Black Flag/45 Grave/DOA/Descendents/Husker Du/UXB, 1982

Sorex/Detonators, 1984 (Cat made Andy put up this gig notice of his band, Sorex)

Adz/Electric Frankenstein/Curbside, mid-'90s

*Didn't attend, but Andy saw them the night before

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Diesel Boy singer relives "Freaks and Geeks" punk episode

June 22, 2013, 10:59 am
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Diesel Boy, with singer Dave Lake second from left. (Courtesy photo)
By Cat and Andy

What do a sweaty punk club, the Armpit, a newbie punk rocker, Daniel Desario, and a fiery band, Diesel Boy, have in common?

The "Freaks and Geeks" punk episode, "Noshing and Moshing," man.

In the '80s, cop shows "CHiPs" and "Quincy" released their infamous punk installments featuring fabricated bands "Pain" and "Mayhem."

In "Freaks and Geeks," a fictional band named "Pus" was supposed to play after real-life band Diesel Boy blasted through its tunes "Lime Green," "Happy Street" and "Punk Rock 101" during the club scenes.

We wrote a previous entry about "Noshing and Moshing" and felt we needed to track down Diesel Boy for a follow-up.

So here's an email interview with the band's singer/guitarist Dave Lake:

(Other bands members are: Greg Hensley -- bass, vocals, Justin Werth -- guitar, vocals and Geoff Arcuri -- drums.)


* How did Diesel Boy get involved with playing in the "Freaks and Geeks" episode?

One of my oldest friends, Jake Kasdan, directed several episodes of the series. When a punk band was needed for one of them, he called me. Like most of the other people involved in that series, he's gone on to have lots of success, directing several films, including "Bad Teacher," as well as serving as one of the executive producers on "New Girl."

James Franco as Daniel Desario.

* Where was the gig scene filmed (was it an actual gig with the actors showing up to do their parts)? How long were you on set? What was the experience like? Did you have any input in the scene?

The scene was filmed at Al's Bar in downtown L.A., a seminal L.A. music spot, which unfortunately closed in 2001. (Editor's note: Cat and Andy attended several gigs at Al's during its heyday.) It wasn't a real gig, but we were actually playing. All the people watching were paid extras, which probably explains why they seem to like us so much. There were even stuntmen crowd surfing.

We were on set for most of an entire day, and it took a few hours to get those handful of scenes shot. We played our songs a few times through while they filmed us, and later, while the actors were doing their parts, we stood on stage and mimed like we were playing so it would look real if we showed up in the background.

We didn't have input beyond picking out the clothes we wore, which we selected the day before filming from a few racks of punk attire put together by the costumer. We went to the Dreamworks lot and browsed through racks and racks of period punk clothes, trying on various outfits until we settled on the ones we liked. There was lots of leather and safety pins. The costumer basically left us alone to select things, which were eventually approved by Jake prior to filming the scene. The costumer also left us with a classic line we still throw around today: "You look good in everything," which was said to our drummer Geoff by the costumer after checking him out in his punk get-up. He wasn't wrong.

But we had a blast that day. Compared to our usual unglamorous life on the road, being on a TV set was awesome. There was food (all you could eat), someone did our hair, people wiped the sweat off our brows in between takes and everybody watching us went totally apeshit while we played. I remember sitting at lunch with Jake and eating with him while the rest of the crew looked on totally perplexed, trying to sort out just exactly why the punk band was sitting with the director.

Diesel Boy on the Vans Warped Tour. (Courtesy photo)

* Did you interact with the actors? If so, what was your impression of them in their younger years?

We didn't have any interaction with them beyond a quick "hi" or "how are you doing?," but the show also hadn't aired yet and we certainly didn't know who any of the actors were at that point and therefore didn't pay all that much attention. Mostly we interacted with the homeless people who hovered around the catering table outside the venue in downtown L.A., asking us over and over who they had to talk to to get a cup of coffee and a donut.

* Did Seth Rogen slam dance properly to your tune? Was James Franco a good fit for the "punk" role or would Jason Segel have done a solid job? 

In fairness, I wasn't going to punk shows in 1980 so I'm not sure I know what slam dancing "properly" would even look like. But regardless, the whole point of that scene is that those guys were totally out of place at a punk show so I think if they had slam danced properly it would have been weird. And I think James Franco did a good job at looking punk in the episode. He gets pumped up by listening to Black Flag, he gave himself liberty spikes and he let a stranger try and pierce his nose at a show. That's pretty punk. All these years later, Franco has definitely emerged as the punkest of the "F&G" alum, making interesting career choices and pursuing a variety of interests outside acting, so I think he was the right choice.



* What's it like watching that episode these days? A proud moment for you guys?

That episode didn't actually air when the show had its initial run on FOX. It got cancelled before it could air so it wasn't until years later that we got to actually sit down and watch it "live" on TV. But yeah, we are really pleased to have been a teensy part of such a great show and one that continues to find an audience on DVD and Netflix.

* "Freaks and Geeks" has become extremely popular over the years, has Diesel Boy gotten any fame out of it?

No more fame than we had previously, which isn't a lot beyond our awesome, loyal fans. For example, I have never heard from a fan, "I got into you from seeing you on 'Freaks & Geeks,'" but I have heard from lots of fans who were pleased to see us pop up on the show. And we are a cool footnote: Our songs are the only music featured on the show recorded after 1981, the year the show is set.

* What's the band up to these days?

After being active for about a decade, we have been quiet for about the same length of time, but we're nearly done writing a new record, our first in a very long time, and we are taking baby steps towards being an active band again. I played solo acoustic Diesel Boy dates on the "Hits and Pits" Tour in Australia in March, which was a blast, and once the record is out we hope to start playing full-band shows again, as well. We aren't likely to ever be a full-time band again, but we do hope to fit it into our lives as best we can, as most of us have since become husbands and dads and gainfully employed, but we've certainly missed playing music together and are super-excited to be doing so again.

--- Visit Diesel Boy on Facebook.



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Red Hare: Close friends, tight musical unit / Interview

June 30, 2013, 9:12 am
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By Andy 

If Red Hare doesn't grab you, pull you in different emotional directions... make your eyes squint, your fists clench and your mouth grin -- you're not living, not feeling. This isn't stand- and sit-still music.

Red Hare attacks from the get-go on "Horace," the opening track off their debut album "Nites of Midnite." Guitarist Jason Farrell, bassist Dave Eight and drummer Joe Gorelick are all dialed in musically to the nth degree while singer Shawn Brown blasts forth with such lines as "It ain't coming back -- so let it go!"

Farrell's guitar crunches like six strings of dynamite at times, but then lays back with bolts of melody along the way. Eight and Gorelick stomp and sway through these eight songs with reliable hands of steel. And Brown anchors the unit with his barking vocals that tell stories of the everyman. We're with him the whole way.

On "Nites of Midnite," he sings: "Tonight we're having a party/ Tonight we say goodbye/ We'll take off these costumes/ And start living our real lives." He tells of believing in outrageous things and not being afraid... but also throwing our dreams into hell and we'll be on our way.

Those in the know are already familiar with these guys' musical output in bands like Swiz, Dag Nasty, Sweetbelly Freakdown, Garden Variety, Bluetip and Retisonic. Red Hare is now. The tunes are solid. Get on it.

Here's an email interview with Farrell with a pair of answers from Brown (where noted):

• How long has Red Hare been together and how are you coordinating everything with band members living in different states? 

We emailed song ideas and worked up demos before we ever played together. It's not a bad way to work, it's just different. The last Retisonic record was done sending demos back and forth, recorded in pieces, so Joe and I are used to working remotely like this. We were happy with the results, and felt we could use this same method for Red Hare. It's a long slow process, it took a few years to get "Nites of Midnite" together... But in a way that was to our benefit. Without a deadline or goal, there is plenty of time to sit with the songs and really see what works or what doesn't. The rough demos are still very similar to the final result, but the little details that developed really make the songs complete.

Farrell at the Black Cat in DC. (Nalinee Darmong photo)

• You, Shawn and Dave have been in two bands together before, what keeps you guys coming back for more as a unit?

Two things:
1) A little while back, I found myself with a bunch of song ideas that leaned a bit more hardcore. I've been singing for 18 years now, long enough to recognize my own limits... I knew I would not be able to do what these songs needed. I couldn't imagine anyone other than Shawn singing them. I love his voice and his delivery: strong and direct... So I bugged these guys and pushed this through for years. It was in some ways selfishness... I wanted to hear Shawn's voice again.

2) We are all close friends. I've known Dave since we were kids, and Shawn from shows and skating. Music isn't the only connection we share, but it is an important one I was beginning to miss.


• Describe what's happening on the Red Hare album, and what makes it fit into today's musical climate?

I really like how this record came out. It wasn't deliberate or calculated, but in some ways these songs sum up our long collective lives spent playing music. There is a similar drive and energy to Swiz, with some of the intricacies inherent to Bluetip, Garden Variety and Retisonic. We had no goal or expectations beyond eventually finishing the recording. So when we eventually found ourselves with a completed album, we were surprised and so happy Dischord wanted to help us put it out. I don't know if our band really fits in any existing/active scene, but I am glad this album has found people who seem to like it. Perhaps most of this is due to nostalgia, but hopefully not all. I don't know... I'm just glad it's out. (Editor's note: J. Robbins mixed the album.)


• How long have these songs been in the works; have riffs been lying around for a while or is everything fresh?

It's a combination: I did the first demo for "Hello Disaster" 6 years ago. "Snap" has been kicking around even longer. But I'd say true momentum clicked around 2 years ago once Joe got involved. That's when the newer songs fleshed out the set ("Horace," "Dialed in," "Nites of Midnite").

Brown. (Nalinee Darmong photo)

• Describe your lyric-writing process. Are these things that have happened to you or is it an outside-looking-in thing with friends, family or maybe colleagues at work? How does it feel getting these things off your chest and onto the album? 

BROWN: I write songs from experiences. Some are inside observations, some are outside. Clarity, confusion, nonsense.........
What ever hits me when I am listening to a track/song and feels right, matching lyrics to the mood of the songs.
Being able to perform/record these songs has been very satisfying. A release.
Something I really needed.


• You sang with Dag Nasty at the Salad Days gig, how did that go? Was it inspirational to get Red Hare happening?

BROWN: The December 2012 show with Dag........I don't know if I can put into to words.
Out of body, time travel?
Very powerful and moving for me.
Very moving.
It felt really good playing with Rodger, Brian and Colin.


• How has your guitar playing evolved over the years? What's special about playing these Red Hare songs? 

With Swiz, I was 17-20 years old, very interested in rhythmic patterns and aggressive-sounding riffs. I had a dual love of DC hardcore and metal, putting my playing somewhere between the Faith and Metallica. It was a very narrow focus. I used relatively light strings (9's) on an easy-to-play guitar (SG), which made fast "chubb-chubb" riffs easier to pull off.

With Bluetip, Dave "Eight" Stern and I focused more on two-guitar interplay. I got more into dissonant melodies over pretty chords, but kept a bit of the hardcore sound. Like a lot of post-hardcore bands of the era, our song structure got more complex at times... Maybe to the detriment of the song itself. We tuned down a half-step and I bumped up to thicker strings (10-52) thinking it made my sound "thicker," and started messing with using two amps. We toured a lot, so I heavily relied on my sturdy/trusty (and heavy) Les Paul.

My next band Retisonic went back to one guitar, and I tried to streamline the songs and guitar parts as much as possible. I used a hollow-body Gibson that had this beautiful feedback range I used often. I started using three amps, splitters and pedals to get more dynamics in our live sound... I felt this was crucial for a three-piece band. I learned the most about guitars, overdubs and general songwriting in this band, and brought in any influence we felt was appropriate.

My style of guitar and the songs I would write in each of these bands has had a lot to do with the equipment I was playing at the time. It's brutal trying to play fast metal riffs on super thick stings.... I thought maybe I just couldn't do it anymore. But one day on a lark, I strung up my old SG with some 9's in regular E tuning and there it was again; the perfect weight and tension... the bounce-back and butter for fast "chubb-chubbs."

I started writing songs that reminded me of Swiz, which made me think of Shawn, and started us towards what would eventually become Red Hare. It doesn't really sound exactly like Swiz... We bring in bits from all the eras and bands we've played in... That's what makes it special to me.

Eight, top, and Gorelick. (Nalinee Darmong photos)


• What does your family think about you guys still rocking out these days? Are you the cool dad, husband and brother slinging the guitar?

Ha! Not sure how cool it all is. I fully acknowledge the potentially-pathetic side of old-ish guys playing young-ish music. But I'm also inspired by people who continue doing what they love, be it music or skating or whatever... Even more so when they do it well. I am happy that after 30 years I can still do some skate tricks better than I ever could (some not so much), and happy that after 25 years there are people still interested in the music we're making. But there are no illusions here. We have lives and wives and kids and jobs, and this band isn't going to eclipse those things or interrupt those responsibilities. We will do whatever we can whenever we can... but it has to fit. Our families know how much music means to each of us, they are happy we have this chance to keep playing music, and their support makes that chance possible.


• What else are you up to these days? Still doing graphic design? What's the best part about designing and playing in bands? 

Coming up on 20 years as a designer, art director and creator director... It's been my main source of income, and I still enjoy it. In the past 5 years I've transitioned into film/video, having directed several commercials, music videos and short films. I love it, and love how all three disciplines (music/design/film) can come together and inform each other.


• I noticed that you led the film team for the recent Flag performance at the Moose Hall in Redondo Beach. How did you keep your camera still while the band raged in front of you? Did you come away from that gig enthused about your own band?

With the band in front of me and the crowd at my back I wasn't able to keep my camera still! But I love how that came out, and I definitely felt energized by their performance. This show could have been horrible: old guys covering Black Flag songs. But those songs are fused to my DNA, and it was amazing to see Keith, Chuck, Dez and Bill (all Black Flag alums, plus Stephen from Descendents) fucking kill it. Like old pros, so much energy.... Very inspirational, even more so that they devastated the perceived obstacle of age and time.


• What's on the docket for Red Hare?

We did an East Coast run with Coliseum in May: NYC, Philly, DC, Baltimore and Providence. It was a blast. We're now working out some more dates for this summer and fall. In the meantime, we are working on editing together some video we shot during those East Coast shows

Once we started booking shows, it dawned on us that we only had 8 songs, so we've already had to write more just to get a decent set length. We plan on recording and releasing those new songs as a seven inch soon (...hopefully not another 6 years).

----- Check out "Horace" from Red Hare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0O-z4r4aYE
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Fourth of July 2013 at the Bindlestick

July 5, 2013, 7:00 pm
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The Shivering Denizens. (Cat and Andy photos)

When the Shivering Denizens play, people yell, dance and drink. On the Fourth of July, one small boy took his appreciation to a new level by kicking over a plastic chair, stomping around and then crawling on some gravel with mouth open as if he intended to eat the rocks.

Yes, it was one hell of an Independence Day for all.

With the Denizens and their country/punk brethren The T-Baggin' Bandits and pre-teen rockers Locamotive at the helm, the Bindlestick Coffee and Beer House in Snoqualmie, WA was the place to be. (Cat says, the peach sour elixir on tap was the standout pour of the day --- and evening, to complement the fireworks.)

Here's a glimpse into the festivities:

Locamotive.

SHIVERING DENIZENS:





T-BAGGIN' BANDITS:


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Happy f'n Fourth of July 2013!

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Chatting with Big Country's Bruce and Jamie Watson

July 7, 2013, 10:30 pm
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Bruce Watson in Seattle. (All Andy photos)
By Andy

With the weather topping at a scorching 89 degrees in Seattle on July 1, Big Country's tour bus rolled up to the front of El Corazon as a coterie of fans gathered round, clutching albums and posters for the band to sign.

Father-and-son guitar duo Bruce and Jamie Watson and drummer Mark Brzezicki hopped off the bus first to greet fans while singer Mike Peters (Alarm) and bassist Derek Forbes (ex-Simple Minds) followed soon after.

Later that night, in carrying on the grand tradition of the Scottish band -- minus lead singer/guitarist Stuart Adamson, who died in 2001 -- the quintet blazed through a handful of songs from its debut album, "The Crossing," plus stellar selections from its new one, "The Journey," and more.

I caught Bruce and Jamie outside of the tour bus before the gig while they were having a smoke break.

Jamie and Bruce Watson with Mike Peters.

---You guys have obviously been doing this for a long time and you've got kind of a revitalized group here with Mike on vocals and your son on guitar... how's it all going?

Bruce: It's been great. We've been over here for three weeks. We started in New Jersey, worked our way across the country, came all the way across the West Coast, come up to here and into Canada tomorrow --and every night's been fantastic.


---The crowds have been good?

Bruce: It's been better for us because we ain't been here in 20 years. And for us to come back to this magnificent country and check out the geography and the history -- we are complete tourists and we film everything and we're now making our own documentary using a couple of mobile phones, and it's great because you do not see this stuff everyday.


---What's been some of the highlights so far for ya?

Bruce: Monument Valley-- we shot a video there (for "In a Broken Promise Land" and it was premiered on the Fourth of July on their website). Just came from the Redwoods, I was down driving through the Sequoia trees and looking for Bigfoot; I didn't find Bigfoot, but I stood in one of his fuckin' shits.

Jamie: Going to see the Grand Canyon. There's not very many people from where I stay that get the opportunity to go out and do that and meet so many nice people, as well. We were at the Redwoods, the giant forest yesterday, so that was pretty cool. Just meeting all the nice people and getting out of Scotland for a wee bit, it's a bit too cold over there, you know?



---How does it feel to do this with your son? Obviously you guys are playing guitar together, but you're also probably bonding some more?

Bruce: Jamie and I have got an album out called "Another Anthem for the Damned," and then what happened was we got the call to play some 30th anniversary gigs with the Skids and that led on to us doing these anniversary gigs with Big Country. We're all one big happy family. You see that bus? That is our home (when on tour). It's what I call it, "camping on wheels." It's kind of crowded, but everybody finds their own little space. Some guys are on laptops, some guys are editing videos, some guys are just watching world TV out the front window.

Jamie on touring: We've all been getting on great, there's not been any tantrums as yet on the bus

Jamie on playing with Bruce: It's great and I wouldn't change it for the world. I've been performing with my dad for a long time now, about six, seven years. When the Skids, Stuart's first band, reformed in 2007, I had to audition for them. And I got the gig, so me and my dad started working from then, doing things on and off for the Skids until 2010, and then we started working on our own solo album together and then it just evolved from then. Here we are now, we're still on the road and we're still going about three, four years later.

It's good, we always mess around on stage, like I'll be playing guitar and he'll slap me on the back of the head or something like that. Or if one of us makes a mistake on the guitar, we just look at the other one, as if to go, "That was him." We always have fun doing that and pretty much always take the piss out of each other.

Mike sings (and jokes) while Jamie plays.

--- I remember the DVD (Big Country's "Final Fling") and your son (then age 11) came out played air guitar at the end. What's it like having him side by side now, playing those classic riffs?

Bruce: It's great, because Jamie lives with me. When he lives with me at home, I'm his dad and I follow him around and I turn off light switches because he leaves them on -- and he's my son. When he's out on the road, he's a band member, you know?

Jamie: Well, I used to mess around on my dad's guitar. He used to have them lying all over the house, you know, they were everywhere, lying in the corner, in the washroom. Wherever you went, there was a guitar lying about. So I just picked up gradually doing that. But I started playing drums first, Mark used to show me how to play drums when they were in the studio when they were recording "Driving to Damascus." I was pretty much there the whole time when they were doing that, I even spent my birthday there. It was a great experience getting to know how a studio works and what the guys actually have to do to put into it to get this finished product, which everyone calls an album or vinyl, whatever, you know? It takes a lot of work and a lot of money. It was a great place to learn.

It's a bit weird for me because I've actually seen Big Country play, whereas these guys have never seen themselves play. I know exactly what they mean when "You're in the band now." So I wish I could stand up front and watch this gig, but you can't unless it's been videoed, even when it's videoed it still doesn't capture the complete full atmosphere, but it's close.


--- The new songs are great, by the way. How are they translating live? Does it feel just as good to play those next to the other ones?

Bruce: Yeah. What we do is we play a half-and-half set, we do an old song, a new song, an old song, a new song, so you get approximately 10 new songs, 10 old songs. And they kind of fit together. The setlist is different every night, so we don't know what we're doing until the last minute. And some songs we haven't played for awhile. Certain songs you can do in bigger venues, and certain songs you've got leave out for a different kind of venue. As long as we give them a majority of new and old, that's the main thing.




---The obvious question is how does it feel to have Mr. Peters out there fronting the band?

Bruce: It's fantastic. He's the only real choice I could think of to do this. We were only gonna get Mike and we would go off with a couple of charity gigs about two and half years ago. It was only gonna be three songs and so I asked Mike if he would do it and he jumped and said, "Yeah, I'll definitely do that." And then the charity gig got pulled, it didn't happen, but we came to rehearse anyway. All of the people on the website were going, "You know, it's the 30th anniversary coming up, you're doing it for the Skids, why don't (we) do it for Big Country?" I mean... OK! We've never stopped. It's just a complete rolling thing going on and on and on.

Jamie: He's a great guy. I've known Mike for years, and it's just good to be on stage with him, as well, and with Derek Forbes of the Simple Minds, he's on board now, and Mark's always been there, you know? He's my old pal.

Forbes, top, and Brzezicki.




---With your guys' great history and with Stuart and everything... With Mike ... would Stuart approve of what you guys are doing?

Bruce: Yeah, because way back on the last tour we did, with Mike in the support band, we were breaking up anyway, and Stuart was living in Nashville when he said, "It would be great if Mike could actually go out and continue with Big Country and I will do my solo stuff." But we never thought about it.


---With such a wide range of material to choose from, what are some of your favorite songs to play live?

Jamie: Oh, wow, I love playing "Harvest Home," obviously, "Fields of Fire," "In a Big Country," "Chance," I love doing all them, but I like playing (the new ones). They stand up on their own against them, I think. Everyone keeps commenting on how good they are, it's like the band's never been away. It's got different elements there in some of the songs on the album, but I think it's just a way of going that we're not forgetting about Big Country. We're here to do what we do and we want all youse guys to come along and be part of it, as well. I like playing "Last Ship Sails," that's a very punky one, and I also like playing "Hurt," it's sort of a nice quiet song, sort of reminds me a bit of like "Chance," but hopefully it can evolve that way, you never know. (It's got that) trademark sound.




----Growing up around the band and everything and knowing Stuart when you were younger, did you learn anything from him, anything that stuck with you?

Jamie: To be honest, Stuart used to play guitar and I would always watch him and say, "Oh, man, he's a great guitar player," but when they were recording at Rockfield, Stuart would sit and play the Playstation and computer games with you. He preferred to do things like that than going out and socializing as much. He liked to sit and have fun with the children. When we took days off, he took us out to the theme park with my mom and dad and his kids, and we all went out to this place called Alton Towers and we went round and spent the whole day there and hired a car. Just pretty much having a laugh-- him and Callum (Stuart's son) were great at cracking jokes together. So, we all miss him.


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Black Flag live in Seattle / Review

July 21, 2013, 1:33 pm
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Black Flag's Ron Reyes. (All Cat Rose photos)
By Andy and Cat

As Black Flag raged, a guy in the crowd was so enthralled with one tune that he wildly began punching the air. His fists rocketed high and low --- and smashed a passerby in the face. An apology was given to the unfortunate victim, and the man's private boxing match continued.

And so did Black Flag, this touring version consisting of original guitarist Greg Ginn, second vocalist Ron Reyes and newcomers Dave Klein on bass and Gregory AMoore on drums.

Based on mixed reviews we saw, we weren't sure what we were gonna get. But don't believe everything you read, folks. The band and the Seattle crowd just clicked.

Greg Ginn and Reyes.

The scene was El Corazon last Friday night, and the sweaty crowd of old and young males and females packed tightly into the small club and gave it their all on most songs. When the band was ON, the fans with raised fists and loud voices kept pace by squeezing out every last ounce of their energy. For some, their time in the pit was shorter than others, as many fans either trudged out of the war zone on their own or had to be carried by friends to safety.

Black Flag blasted out of the gate fast and furious with "Revenge," "I've Had It," "Nervous Breakdown" and "Fix Me," and then a new song "The Chase" capped off the initial barrage.

The band kept rolling strong with a couple of new tunes alongside "Depression," "No Values," "Six Pack" and "TV Party," but they began losing steam as the second half of the set commenced. This is where some songs began to drag drumming-wise (but let's face it, nobody can play sharp-as-a-tack skins for Black Flag like Robo or Bill Stevenson) and Ginn relied on his theremin playing too much on the drawn out "Can't Decide" and new tune "Down in the Dirt."





Ginn was a man possessed on guitar for a while, but then went a little theremin crazy later-- and it was a bit painful to watch him shake his right hand near the instrument while the rest of the band looked as if they wanted to kick things into gear again.

And they soon did with "Rise Above" and "Jealous Again," which featured Reyes and Piggy singer Izzy Gibson prowling the stage and sharing vocals.


Klein

This gig gets a "B" in our grade book, and for the record, no Black Flag gig we ever saw back in the early to mid-'80s was ever close to perfect, so this is right on par. It's what live music is all about: hits and misses, taking chances and hopefully bringing it all back together for a walloping ending.

Appreciate this music, people. It's real, it's who we are.

Reyes' other band, the always rockin' Piggy, opened the gig and Good For You (featuring Ginn, Klein, AMoore and singer Mike Vallely) manned the second slot with their heavy, groove-oriented tunes.


PIGGY

Reyes and Gibson, top, Craig McKimm and Lisafurr Lloyd, below






... and one last word from Reyes ...


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Talking Zero Boys, records and yoga with Paul Mahern / Interview

July 21, 2013, 8:04 pm
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Paul Mahern with the Zero Boys in Seattle 2011. (Cat Rose photo)

By Andy

Paul Mahern is exactly where he wants to be in his life.

He knew from an early age that he was meant to be involved with recorded music, and here he is at age 49, owner of Mahern Audio, Mahern Archival Preservation and White Arc Studios in Bloomington, Ind. Over the years, he's either engineered or produced music for John Mellencamp and The Fray (gold, platinum, double-platinum and Grammy Award-nominated records), Iggy Pop, Toxic Reasons, Sloppy Seconds and many more.

"I was really obsessed with recording equipment. As early as probably 13 years old, I would go to the news stand and sit (and read) the recording magazines and fantasize about big boards and tape machines and equipment. And that was always more important to me than learning how to really play an instrument or become a virtuoso musician," he said over the phone a few Sundays ago.

He also thrives in the role of singer/songwriter for longtime punk band the Zero Boys, a group that unleashed the blistering, melodic and highly touted "Vicious Circle" album in 1982.



Recently, the band released its first new material in 20 years with the four-song EP "Pro Dirt" on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. It covers all the Zero Boys bases within the tunes, from the early "Living in the '80s" EP to the "Vicious Circle," "Make it Stop" and "The Heimlich Maneuver" LPs. It's been well worth the wait and I was stoked to receive my yellow vinyl copy in the mail; just as pleased as when Mahern mailed me the "Vicious Circle" and "Master Tape" compilation LPs in '82. Vicious circle -- how about coming full circle?

"I am very, very happy that for the most part, people have been very supportive of the new 7-inch record that we just put out. I feel very protective of the Zero Boys legacy and I wanna make sure that what we're putting out is our best attempt at the same quality, but at the same time keeping it light and kind of humorous," he said.

Mahern also teaches two audio engineering courses at Indiana University (IU), and was also lead engineer on the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded Sound Directions project at the Archives of Traditional Music, an IU and Harvard University co-authored paper on best practices for audio preservation.

Following is a Q and A with Paul-Z, as he's known in his Zero Boys world:

--Tell me a little bit about the (new) songs, where you got the ideas for the songs and what type of things are on your mind nowadays?

Well, that's interesting. We toured together as a band in Europe at the end of last summer and we played for about a month. We had a couple of new band members, and that was also the first time that we had done any kind of real extended playing together in years and years. For the last 5-10 years, Zero Boys have been playing 2-5 shows a year, at the most. We've just been playing old material and we haven't really been writing that much, so I think that there was something about being on tour for an extended period of time that kind of gave us an opportunity to consider writing, spending a little more time on it. (The new band members) kind of brought in a fresh energy.

After the European thing, we decided that we would start getting together in the studio for rehearsals and see if we could write together. After a couple of times, we decided to start setting up the microphones and we just started recording. There (were) no previous songs, there was no previous concept, we all started working together in the studio, and out of that came those four songs. (Editor's note: He added that there's an album's worth of songs in the can, as well.)

I think that those songs a little bit all tie together with this humorous look at the post-apocalyptic concept that people seem to be somewhat obsessed with at this particular point and time, have been for as long as I can remember, but it seems like the whole 2012 thing and all that. So, I think that was just in the air at the time, and so, all four of those songs are kind of a look at where we're at as a group of beings on the planet Earth, I guess.




--The music's got a foot in early Zero Boys and then later Zero Boys with a lot more melody in it, which I like. Do you think it's a pretty good representation of the band as a whole, over the years?

Every time you have a different group of people, you're gonna have a different chemistry and it's gonna result in a different product. The early Zero Boys musically in a lot of ways was directed by Terry Howe, who was our original guitar player. He was the guy who had the concept, he put the band together, he recruited me, he recruited Mark (Edward Cutsinger) the drummer. He was the one who had this vision, and then had a lot of the riffs and some of the melodic ideas very early on. (Editor's note: Howe left the band in '84; he died in 2001.)

Even though it's still me and it's still Mark, we operate enough as a democracy that everybody can write and play their own thing. So, inevitably it's different with each change of band members. But that being said, both Vess (Ruhtenberg), our last guitar player, grew up listening to the Zero Boys, and both Dave Lawson and our new bass player Scott Kellogg, these guys grew up listening to the Zero Boys. They're from the same place that we're from. And so I think that there is some continuity. But it's clearly different because there's no Terry Howe.

Mahern, Lawson, Kellogg and Cutsinger. (Courtesy photo)

-- So, speaking of the two new guys, how's it been working out with them? Still bring some good power live and in the studio? Are they good guys to be with right now?

Oh yeah, it's great... it's absolutely great. I think that they bring a lot of energy, they're super excited to be in the band, they're super easy to get along with. (Editor's note: He likens the last incarnation of the band as a 'somewhat dysfunctional marriage' and Ruhtenberg and bassist David 'Tufty' Clough opted to leave the band and not tour, so Mahern and Cutsinger brought in some fresh blood.)

--Is the Zero Boys still a great place to be after all these years?

It's super fun to do. I would say that it's afforded me some awesome opportunities. I don't really feel completely like it's the sum total of who I am. I think that when we play live and we play a lot of the old songs (from 'Vicious Circle') -- and if people in the crowd know all the words and they know all the guitar solos-- it really feels like a group event, something that's way bigger than just the people that are on stage.

Cutsinger, top, and Mahern in Seattle, (Cat Rose photos)

-- With 'Vicious Circle' being your guys' definitive album, listening back to that record, that still has a pretty big impact on a lot of people. Did you ever think that when you were making that, that it was something really special?

Well... nah...unh-uh (laughter). It's interesting that we're still basically in a lot of ways touring that record, cuz we're still playing on a regular basis to a lot of people that are hearing that record or have heard that record not that long ago and they've never seen the band live. So I feel like we're still kind of promoting this record that we made so long ago. And I feel fine with that.

As a record collector and as a recorded music fan, a lot of records that I have fallen in love with have been similar to 'Vicious Circle' in that they're of a style of music that I really like, be it '60s psychedelic or whatever ...and then I'll discover some record that I never knew existed. You try to get into a particular style of music and you digest all of the big names and then there's always that second-tier, third-tier band and you keep digging and you find these gems that are every bit as good as The Kinks or The Beatles or whatever, but you're hearing about it for the first time in 1985 or whatever. And I feel like that's what 'Vicious Circle' is. So I feel happy to participate in any way.

--What are a couple examples of those hidden gems? 

I feel like there's almost always something coming along. One of the biggest 'a-ha' moments in my life was discovering The 13th Floor Elevators. This happened probably in 1983 or '84, and I was already a pretty big psychedelic music fan, it was stuff like early Pink Floyd... but when I found that record -- in particular 'Easter Everywhere' -- I felt like I was listening to the very best record that had ever been made.

And then six years ago when I discovered the 'Cold Fact' album by Rodriguez, which was at a moment in time when nobody knew about it, or even a couple of years ago when that Death stuff came out of Detroit. There's always something that's being uncovered and brought to my attention. That's one of the reasons why I'm such a big fan of recorded music, eventually the cream will rise to the top-- sometimes it happens right away, sometimes it takes 30-40 years for it to filter into existence. But if people are still having that experience with 'Vicious Circle,' then I'm all for it.



--Yeah, it sounds as if it could have been recorded recently, it's got that timeless feel to it.

Well, I think that the advantage that that record has... on the surface it kind of appeared like an Adolescents record or maybe even a Germs record-- those were the bands that we were really into when we made that record. Kind of snotty young kids singing. But the difference is that the guys in the band were all in their mid-20s in the Zero Boys when we made that record... so I was 16, but Mark was probably 25, Terry was 23-24. Terry made his first record when he was a teenager, he put out a 7-inch record with a band from Ohio called the Insects. Mark had already been to New York and he was involved in the New York scene and hanging out with the New York Dolls and made a record with Jack Douglas as the producer. And Tufty the bass player was deep into the Indianapolis funk scene. These were guys who were great musicians... Tufty was just one of the best bass players still I've ever seen.

When you listen to 'Vicious Circle,' it's a little bit of a trick, where the lyrics (are from a younger point of view), the voice is kind of high and sounds kind of immature, but the playing on the record is just spot-on, super tight.

--I had talked to Tufty probably in about '88 or '89 when he was in Toxic Reasons. I had asked him about recording ('Vicious Circle'), and they had just put out that album 'Anything for Money,' and he had said that those were albums that he had gotten goose bumps playing on. He just knew that there was some good stuff going on there. So that had always stuck with me as far as some insight into recording that.

We rehearsed every day for probably two months before we made that record. I've been a recording engineer for the last 34 years, and I would say that there's probably only been a couple of other times in my career where I've witnessed anyone come into the studio nearly as prepared as the Zero Boys were to make that record. We recorded the record in a day. And you can tell that-- there's a certain immediacy to it that you don't get on a lot of records anymore.

Cat Rose photo

--What have you been working on lately?

I'm always doing something and it's always a bit different. Over the years, I've recorded just about every kind of music and have been involved in just about every kind of recording project. When I first started out, I was very much completely only into punk rock--- for a couple of years that's all I did was make punk rock records. Then my son was born in '84 and that kind of changed everything, and then I became a professional recording engineer who records country, gospel, funk, whatever anybody needed to have recorded.

Recently, I've just had a pretty big project (as special effects engineer), a collaboration between Stephen King and John Mellencamp that's like a radio play version of this musical that they wrote. It was produced by T-Bone Burnett, it's called 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County'-- it's a pretty interesting project that involves a lot of Foley sounds.

I just completed a new album by these young ladies from Indianapolis called Lily and Madeleine, and it's the farthest thing sonically from the Zero Boys that you could imagine--- two young sisters, basically kind of acoustic folk music... their harmonies are just out of this world, absolutely amazing stuff. And it's super organic, and in that way I think it's very much like the Zero Boys.

And then I just finished a heavy metal/rock record by a band called Machine Guns & Motorcycles (featuring Cutsinger and Lawson)...it's kind of a punkier Cheap Trick.

-- How has being involved with yoga affected your life? (In 2002, he trained to be a Kundalini Yoga teacher under Yogi Bhajan.)

It's great. I got into it as stress reduction mostly. My whole life I've been very much into spiritual concepts. I got my transcendental meditation mantra when I was 9. I feel like yoga and meditation are simple scientific tools that connect more with the entire aspect of ourselves. I feel 'why wouldn't I be into that?' I get the same thing from music. It's a pretty serious practice and it's good for my body and it's good for everything else. It seems to all completely make sense and is intertwined.

Cat Rose photo

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Sub Pop Records' Silver Jubilee / Photo essay

August 8, 2013, 8:09 pm
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Tad Doyle of Brothers of the Sonic Cloth ... and TAD. (All photos by Tim Harvey Pekar Clarke)

You can't watch 'em all.

We attended Sub Pop Records' 20th anniversary in 2008 at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA and dug the sounds of Green River, Seaweed, Les Thugs, The Fluid, Mudhoney, Pissed Jeans, Kinski and more.

Cousin Eric's wedding ceremony alongside his bride Laura took top billing on July 13. We traded Seattle for Saratoga, CA and handed over the baton to our trusty photographer pal Tim Harvey Pekar Clarke for Sub Pop's Silver Jubilee in the Georgetown area.

Here's some evidence that he survived the pit and lived to guzzle more of his beloved 40-ounce beer bottles! Cheers, Tim... and Sub Pop.

J Mascis
Jack Endino's Earthworm
Mudhoney... one of three.


A closing note from Mr. Doyle, whose band was joined by TAD guitarist Gary Thorstensen.

Also on the bill were Built to Spill, METZ, Pissed Jeans, Father John Misty, Greg Dulli, Tom Price Desert Classic and more.

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Bl'ast!: 'Blood' will spill with release of 25-year-old recording session

August 11, 2013, 9:14 am
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Bl'ast in action: From left, Clifford Dinsmore, Mike Neider, Dave Cooper and William "Kip" Duvall. (Courtesy photo)

By Andy

Musical maniacs... and super nice guys -- the perfect concoction.

That's Bl'ast! for you -- the shredding, gut-busting, eye-gouging band hailing from Santa Cruz. I've seen them play live and hung out with them in bars ... they live large wherever they go.

While on a mini tour with Corrosion of Conformity in Boston in 1986, Bl'ast! first dismantled people's minds at the Rat and then introduced me to the wonders of Bass Ale at the Fathers, Too pub. These guys devoured the stuff by the pitcher, were friendly with most folks but were intimidating to a few patrons... it was fascinating to watch them in action. By the end of the night, singer Clifford Dinsmore and COC guitarist Woody Weatherman were standing on a table, rocking it back and forth and singing at the top of their lungs as Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" blared from the jukebox. Some wooden crates were kicked to shreds by end of the night somewhere along the way from the bar to our resting place at Mike Gitter's apartment.

In Albany, NY, on the same tour, the younger punks in the crowd got an in-your-face introduction to Dinsmore while drummer Bill Torgerson, bassist Dave Cooper and guitarists Mike Neider and Steve Stevenson chugged away in the background. The guitarists bent back and forth, first planted on two legs and then balancing on one as the music pummeled the youths.(Nowadays, the Bl'ast! guys' stage presence even reminds me of those flailing air balloons you see in front of car dealerships.)



From left, Stevenson, Cooper, Neider and Dinsmore. (Alison Braun photo)

In New Haven, Conn., on the final night, Dinsmore pounded a blue plastic milk crate into the stage while I rushed forward to unleash a long-winded scream into the microphone at the end of one song. "Was that you, man?" Weatherman asked me with a laugh later.

Once at Gilman Street in Berkeley, Torgerson smiled wickedly at me from behind his kit with the word "dirty" scrawled on his forehead in black marker.

In June 2013, Neider and Dinsmore invaded Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, CA, to give a final stamp of approval to Grohl's remixing job on "Blood," recordings from 25 years ago that will be released on Southern Lord Recordings on Sept. 3. The album features William "Kip" Duvall on second guitar; as most people know, he's the former Neon Christ guitarist who now sings for Alice in Chains.



Here's an email interview with Neider about his recent Bl'ast! experiences -- and check the bottom of this post for some extra insight:

--How did this new release, "Blood," come about?

I've been working with Greg Anderson (Southern Lord) with our businesses (Neider owns rrise merchandising) the past 10 years. I told him I had these tapes and he wanted to see if they were usable. As soon as he found out that they were.....

--How did you get Davd Grohl on board?

As soon as (Anderson) found out the tapes were good, he told Dave Grohl about what has transpired and he wanted to check it out for himself at his studio. (It's) one of the reasons he built a studio. Dave says this was a rare and amazing opportunity and he was going to do the same to Nirvana after Bl'ast! was done.

--What took place during the visit to Grohl's studio? I've seen photos of you guys with Scott Hill, Anderson and Grohl ... was it a gab session about guitars or did you get some work done on the album?

Well, we wanted good friends and people who've always been stoked on our band through the years to check out what was happening and Grohl and Lou (Lousteau) had this album sounding amazing before I even got to the studio. They started on "Only Time Will Tell." Walked into the studio with an amazing greeting with an old friend and a 25-year-old recording that was fucking amazing sounding. Throughout the week, we had friends stop in to check out how cool this was. At the end of the session, Dave popped open a bottle of Brennivin, this crazy juice from Iceland, and cranked the shit out of the record through the Sound City board. Awesome.

Grohl, Anderson, Neider (with Brennivin) and Dinsmore. (Courtesy photo)

--What does Duvall think about all this Bl'ast! resurgence?

He was excited to get his part of Bl'ast! heard and brought to the surface.

--Looking back, what was your time in Bl'ast! like? What are some top memories?

The generosity at Studio 606 and Dave Grohl was one of the best things. We never have been treated that good. Meeting the people we have met through the years. Having the release of the assaults of Bl'ast! live ... ha ha

--Why is now a good time for this Bl'ast! release? Is the world ready to be pummeled again by your tunes?

Oh yeah, this is the way it should of sounded -- we never had a great studio experience until now. It's better than ever.

--What does the future look like for Bl'ast! Are there plans for any reunion gigs to coincide with the "Blood" release?

Yeah, if all goes as planned, we want to release a new record and play shows and make it overseas, finally. We have yet to do that. Looking forward to playing some Bl'ast!

www.blastofficial.com will be up soon.

Here's what a few Bl'ast! friends have to say about the band:

-- "They were always a massive powerhouse, an intense wall of awesome noise." -- Woody Weatherman, COC


Andy, left, and Woody watching Bl'ast! in Chapel Hill, NC, in 1986. (Courtesy photo)

-- Scott Hill from Fu Manchu weighs in:

"From the minute I got Bl'ast! "It's in My Blood" back in 1987, I think I've listened to that record about 500 times or more. I love that record about as much as Bl'ast! "The Power of Expression," and anyone that knows me or Fu Manchu knows that those are two HUGE records that influenced me a lot!

I still watch this live show that me and a friend of mine videotaped of a Bl'ast! show at the Anti-Club in Hollywood, CA back in 1986 with the lineup on this record and it's insane! My first hardcore band, Virulence, got to open a show with Bl'ast! / Agent Orange in Santa Barbara, CA back in 1986 and it was still one of thee heaviest shows I've witnessed.

Sorry for the rambling....buy this record!!!!!"

Neider, Hill and Dinsmore. (Courtesy photo)
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You asked for it... You got it: Mudhoney live under the Space Needle

August 18, 2013, 3:07 pm
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Mudhoney's Mark Arm. (All Cat Rose photos)



Talk about perfect timing.

Cat's best friend Bridget from high school and her boyfriend Greg visited us in Seattle on the same weekend when Mudhoney stormed the Mural Amphitheater, under the Space Needle. Cat and Bridget witnessed the wonders of Mudhoney several times back in the day in the Los Angeles area -- and it was time to rock out again last Friday.

Beach balls flew through the air and onto the stage. Mark Arm played slide guitar with one of the green-and-white objects. While singing with just the microphone, he leaped in the air for a perfect soccer head shot when one of the balls came near him. "Beach balls are really big this year," he wisecracked.

Fans of all ages dug the show... including a pair of senior citizens, one of whom pushed her friend in a wheel chair through the raucous crowd. Not sure if they had dementia or if they were actually into it. Hope they made it through unscathed to continue their journey.

As always, Cat Rose pics:

Steve Turner

Dan Peters
Guy Maddison













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One hell of a good time at Darrell's Tavern

August 25, 2013, 10:48 am
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Stag! (All Cat Rose photos)

It was Hell on Wheels off stage and Raucous Rockin' on stage last night at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline, WA.

Bands, burlesque, comedy, bitchin' custom cars and motorcycles ... and walking Rainier bottles (!!) ... what more could you ask for?

Here's some Cat Rose pics to document the event:

STAG







THE RAGS



STAFFORD & THE BENTZ BROTHERS



THE FUZZ



...AND HERE COME THE RAINIER BOTTLES





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Circle Jerks! 7 Seconds! The Yobs! ... and who?? Sorex

August 26, 2013, 7:01 pm
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By Andy

Insolents: Out. Sorex: In.

I was loafing around home one afternoon in October of 1985 -- probably planted in front of the television watching the classic hoops series "The White Shadow" and scarfing my beloved sour cream and onion Doritos and gulping down a Dr. Pepper -- when Sorex drummer Dave phoned. He had just received word from a gig promoter in Reno, Nev., that San Diego's Insolents had canceled their appearance at an upcoming show with the Circle Jerks and 7 Seconds. He wondered if we could play the gig. Hell yes, Dave replied.

Gigs were scarce for our little band back then, so we were primed -- and a bit nuts, I suppose -- to drive the 532 miles from our Redondo Beach home to play one show. But this was a gig. Period. And it was with two of the premier punk bands of that era. How could we pass this one up? Destiny was in the air, we figured.

Oh yeah, the gig was a week away, so we had to do some quick planning to make this happen.

Committing to play was the easy part. The seemingly Gargantuan tasks were finding a vehicle or two on short notice that would survive the eight-hour drive to the gig location in nearby Sparks, Nev., and usher us back home safely; get time off work; make sure there was nothing crucial on tap in our classes at junior college, since we'd be missing a day by leaving early Friday morning for that night's show. I secured my parents' Subaru hatchback for the journey, since my car wasn't in shape for a long haul, and guitarist Korky obtained a suitable car from a friend, I believe, so we were set. Bring on the open road!

The drive was a breeze, with bassist John and I in the Subaru with Dave's drum kit in back along with some amps. We were powered by Mountain Dew and the sounds of Husker Du's "Flip Your Wig" and "New Day Rising" on the tape deck ... as the kids say these days, those were our jams. The other guys -- Korky, Dave and guitarist Jerry -- zipped along the highway in their ride with the guitars and sundry items.

We made it to the promoter's house at about 1 or 2 in the afternoon, hung out at his sketchy friend's filthy house (there was a trash can in the kitchen with flies buzzing around it) for a while, but then retired to the car for a nap. We spent some time acoustically rehearsing songs with Korky (our new guitarist) on the steps of the house while sipping on Budweiser tall boys and wondering what the night would bring.

When we arrived at the Sparks Rec Hall, some locals informed us that it was a former church and the bands would play on the old altar. John and I cracked up. How fitting, since we used to be altar boys at our Catholic church in grade school. One question: was there any sacramental wine left over in a cupboard somewhere?

We opened the gig to a decent-sized crowd of about 100 people, all of whom seemed to dig our sounds. I went off -- jumping, singing and even running at the crowd, pretending that I was going to knock into people but then stopping on a dime, faking them out and drawing smiles from the punks. We did make a few mistakes, like me singing the wrong lyrics to one song because it was so loud on stage that I couldn't tell which number we were playing; Korky couldn't remember some of his guitar parts, so he turned down his amp at one point and stuck his guitar between Jerry's legs like some cheesy Sunset Strip hair band's antics. Nobody knew our songs, anyway, so what the hell, right?

The Yobs from Reno rocked, and about 15 minutes after their set I visited with Kevin Seconds in the parking lot. He missed our rock show, but said The Yobs guys told him we were good. I traded records with Kevin: our "Portrait of a Prisoner" EP for his band's "Blasts From the Past" EP. (I ran into Kevin at a 7 Seconds gig in San Jose two years later, and he said he still had our record. He handed me the microphone that night to sing a chorus or two with him.)

The 7 Seconds hometown boys were next and stoked the crowd with their punk anthems and new poppy-styled tunes. I fell victim to one of Belvy K's flying drum sticks just under my left eye that night. I reached down, picked up the piece and stuffed it in my pocket for a keepsake. I didn't have clenched fists, but I had a bit of a black eye, for sure, that next morning.

The Circle Jerks got the crowd raging, as well, and it brought back memories of the first time I saw them with TSOL at the Starwood in April of '81 -- my first gig at age 14. We didn't visit with any of the CJ's guys that night, but I did see guitarist Greg Hetson cruising through the living room of the sketchy house with a six-pack of Bud tall boys at a post-gig soiree.

As for accommodations that evening, Dave, Korky and Jerry stayed at sketchy house, while John and I befriended a nice fellow, Tim, who invited us to stay at his house. I got the rec room all to myself and slumbered on a comfy couch. Score!

The next day, John and I bragged about our crash pad as we grabbed breakfast at a casino with the promoter guy. Instead of heading home, we trucked through to Berkeley, hoping to hop on the CJ's gig at Ruthie's Inn, a place we played about a year earlier with Broken Bones, Special Forces and others. No dice gig-wise, but we did spot Metallica's Cliff Burton hanging outside with his buddies drinking beers, just like us.

Since we wouldn't be playing that night, John and I filled the gas tank with our share of the $150 the band earned and headed home. We made it back to Redondo without a hitch, blasting those same Husker tapes along the way. (I tossed those tattered Radio Shack cassettes in the trash the next day ... they had done their job and it was the end of the road for them.)

The band didn't last much longer after that jaunt, but at least we got a memorable road trip under our belt --- and at least we got to play a goddamn gig!

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