Skull Valley

Znagezin'

On July 8th, 2014 I was going to play as a member of Znagez, the amorphous band headed by former Rouper Brian DiSanto and featuring members of Secret Tombs, Psychic Boots, and Ali & the Haitians. The show was at Howlers and booked by Keith DeVries. Brian had recruited me to fill in a seemingly, but erroneously, deflated lineup. I was really excited to be playing with Znagez! I first saw them earlier this year on April 19th, at SAD Fest III and aglow with neon encased in synth sounds. Earlier in the day I had to work, so I made due with a smaller setup than usual and rode my bike to Howlers afterwards.

The first band to play was the very straightforward Wrecked Lexus who I had never heard of before. They played thrashy, but still melodic, punk that bordered on garage rock. I was originally kind of turned off by the band, but by the end of the set I wanted to see more. The frontman looked really cool playing with a jerky motion.

Second up was one of the touring bands, You, from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They played some heavy psych rock with some post- or math or emo influence. Their songs had dance beats which I usually hate, but not this time. The guitarist on stage right looked like Efrim Menuck from Silver Mt. Zion and had a huge pedal board. Towards the end You sounded a little like Hawkwind with some really spacey stuff.

Pours, who I thought were called Purrs, were third. They were minimalist and jazzy/indie with only a drummer and a guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist. Like You, Pours also had elements of dance in their music, and could be hypnotic at times. They used some interesting sounds at times, dripping water and 8-bit pulses. I was reminded of Marcona, Nat Homer's band, who I had played with in Brooklyn in May (more on that in a later post).

Znagez played last. We ended up having eight people in the band and causing quite a ruckus. The whole room was filled to see the madness. I brought my smaller travel guitar and three pedals since I had to come from work; I had to use Pours' amp. Andrew played a tiny synth through a tiny amp as he walked through the crowd. Ben Klahr played bass through the PA with Ben Hickling on drums. We also had a drum machine and an additional guitar and synth respectively along with Brian's vocals. I mostly played bursts of white noise, but played some actual chords and stuff when I felt like it would add to the songs. It seemed like a huge mess at the time, but everyone in the crowd seemed to love our set.

Garfield Artworks , Review , Secret Paper Moon

Second Secret Paper Moon

July 7th, 2014 was the second show that my new band, Secret Paper Moon, played. Secret Paper Moon features Stew Schmidt on guitar and me on drums; sometimes we switch. We were playing with In Arthur's Court, which is Brian Hecht's new solo project, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, and Ryan Power. I'd seen Cloud Becomes Your Hand a few years ago, and I was excited to be playing with them.

Secret Paper Moon played first. We had practiced a lot before the show, having written three songs since our last performance at Abandoned Store (where we only had two). We started the set with a short improve piece and then went into "Golden Gate", the first song we wrote. After "Trilobite", our second written song, and "Calvin Johnson", the power strip came out of the wall during "Simulacrum". Stew kept playing, even unplugged, but we ended up starting again and doing half of the song. We did a Velvety song called "R.A.F.", and then at the end we did another improve piece with Stew on drums, Sasha (from Actorcop and In Arthur's Court) on vocals, and me on guitar. It was a lot of fun, but a little bit messy.

The mysterious In Arthur's Court was second. Brian put on a crazy costume with a moon-shaped headpiece before starting to play his black telecaster. Sasha played some keyboards and added some beats and samples. In Arthur's Court declared that music had taken a turn for the worse since the year 1215. The sounds of animals making a ruckus mixed with 1000 year-old medieval chord progressions filled the air. In less than ten minutes it was over. Everybody cheered for more horse solos.

The show ended after all of that. Nobody was at the show to see the touring bands; they figured they might as well get a start to the next city. Everybody who was there seemed disappointed, but understood. Maybe next time.

Elks Lodge , Fundraiser , Girls Rock! , Review

Girls Rock! June 2014 Showcase

The first 2014 Girls Rock! Showcase was on June 28th. I missed the last one because I got there on punk time, but I made it to this. Girls Rock! is a one-week camp where girls aged 8-18 learn to play instruments, make zines, write songs, and other such things. It took place at the Northside Elks Lodge.

I had never been to the Elks Lodge before, but after entering it was what I expected, sort of a school auditorium filled with parents with a huge bar on one side. There was a line around the bar for free pizza. I ended up getting a few different vegan slices (from Spak Bros.) and I got a weird bingo ticket from one of those machines (and didn't win anything). Near the bar there was all kinds of Girls Rock! merch: tote bags, t-shirts, the 2013 CD, and shirts for each band that the members had screened themselves. A booth for Wolfepack Goods was also there. On the opposite wall was a raffle with items like free admission to a few different museums, a gift card to Soundcat Records, and an origami tree. I bought an arm's length of tickets for $5 and put in for a few things, mostly Soundcat, but didn't win anything.

Before the bands started there was a big speech about what Girls Rock! meant, how it operated, and what things the girls had learned. The crowd was really excited as the first band got onto the stage. I was surprised to see that the bands each included members of vastly different ages. Before each band the announcer read the girls' bios, which often included facts about being royalty or being related to Amy Lee from Evanescence. The bands sounded sort of no-wave, but with elements of pop, punk, and pop-punk. The last band was super cute, color-coordinated, and played a poppy, Beach Boys-esque song. I hope the August showcase will be just as exciting to see to see.

Review , The Mr. Roboto Project , Zine Release

Drag Me Home

In March I wrote a piece for Ricky Moslen's zine, Drag Me Home. My piece was an analog version of Skull Valley, and the first article published this year; it encouraged me to get back into doing this blog. I haven't looked over the Drag Me Home zine significantly yet, but it features local musicians (via CD), writers, and visual artists (who are illustrating each a band). If you haven't got it yet you should definitely check it out. Lizzee Solomon and Step Neary have some really great art inside.

June 27th was the release show for the zine. Half of the show was at The Mr. Roboto Project and the other half was at Bunker Projects. I got to the show a little late, having worked earlier in the day, and had missed the first set of the night, a member of Legs Like Tree Trunks doing some acoustic stuff. I'm not a big fan of that band so it wasn't a big deal to me. In addition to just wanting to see the show, I was helping out with the sound for the Roboto portions that night.

The second band, first for me, was Allies. They seemed way different than when I had seen them before, perhaps a less interesting band, but maybe I have too much allegiance to Greg Cislon, former drummer. Allies plays a Dischord-esque punk, somewhat post-hardcore and somewhat post-rock but a little bit mathy. They sound similar to the band Rodan. The room was already pretty crowded even by their set so it was hard to maneuver to take pictures and some people came near me behind the mixing board to do so.

Cyrus Gold played third. Keith, former Roboto treasurer, is the vocalist; I don't know the other members. They combine noise rock, black metal, Swans-esque stuff. Very loud, it's amazing to hear Keith screech like he does despite his soft spokenness, and better than when I last saw them (and imagined John Roman on drums). We're both playing with Jerkagram and Highdeaf on Saturday, 7/26, at the Shop at 8pm (don't miss it!).

The Lopez played upstairs in Bunker Projects, the first band of the night to do so. It made the break between bands very brief, which is something I tend to dislike, but the Lopez are really great. Not enough people danced, but there were definitely attempts. The PA had no mixer so Jesse and Steph had to share a mic, which was cute. They played a super solid set, and I really liked seeing the Lopez in a small room like that; it made the set more intimate despite the loudness.

We returned to Roboto to see Harlan Twins, a five-piece band. It was my first time seeing the group, though I had heard about them from friends and seen the name on flyers and on Facebook events. Their set reminded me a lot of CCR or Neil Young, especially the male vocalist who started on guitar and then switched to a pair of stacked organs.

Last, back upstairs, was Trapper's Harp. There were some serious feedback issues that I attempted to fix for much of the set. I'm not sure if it really helped. Coleton and Margo and a drummer I don't know played their Sonic Youth-ish indie rock. I've only seen Trapper's Harp once before, and that time I was annoyed by too many breaks between songs for Coleton to tune his guitar. Here it was a much quicker pace; the songs stood out more from each other. Margo's singing voice reminds of a little bit of Nico (it may just be the delivery).

I'm glad I ended up attending the release for Drag Me Home. All of the bands were good, some new ones but a lot of old favorites, some of which I saw in a different light (or maybe just a different space) after today. Despite being well put together, the show felt really loose, more of a fun party, which I enjoyed a lot. I can't wait until the next issue of the zine comes out! Maybe there will even be another release show? Check out Drag Me Home, and like the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/dragmehome.

Girls Rock! , Howlers , Karaoke , Review

Punk Rock Karaoke - Girls Rock! Benefit

June 20th was my first time attending a Punk Rock Karoake event, and it was a benefit for the very awesome/important Girls Rock! Pittsburgh which teaches young girls to play musick, write zines, and other cool stuff. When I got to Howlers, after a weird encounter in the street where a guy accused me of having a bomb(?!), the place was pretty empty. After the band set up, everyone was too nervous to go first, but one guy signed up with me right after him. I sang "Rock 'n' Roll" by the Velvet Underground after his version of Agent Orange's "Bloodstains", which ended up being the most sung song of the night. The crowd gathered as the night went on, and it was a really great time.

The band was awesome; they were very straightforward and to the point, but definitely skilled. Sometimes the bass player, who was almost 70, would switch to an upright bass which was kind of interesting and gave them a psychobilly vibe. One of the guitarists seemed to have some guitar trouble at times, but it was sort of amusing. Maggie Negrete did a great version of "Damaged Goods" and Ian Semasko did a few songs, the first time I've heard him sing. Sometimes figuring out the order that we were going in got confusing, like when a guy left and never came back which left his listing for "Real Wild Child" by Joan Jett unclaimed for quite a while.

Later I sang "Personality Crisis" with Racheal Green and "Judy is a Punk" with Harrison and Grace. When I sang "Sonic Reducer" I wrapped the mic cord around my neck and accidentally knocked sheets from the lyric book all over the floor, and for "I Wanna Be Your Dog" I took of my shirt and beat myself with the mic. They repeated one of the verses to the song which ended up totally throwing me off. I had planned to sing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "Rock 'n' Roll" for a few days so I actually brought some props, white gloves and sunglasses respectively, but didn't end up using either of them. At the end the Lopez sang the Vaselines' "Son of a Gun" together which was really cute.

Here's the complete list of the songs I sang in order:
The Velvet Underground - Rock 'n' Roll
The New York Dolls - Personality Crisis
The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
The Ramones - Judy Is a Punk

Cattivo , Review

"Let me Hip You to Something"

June 16th was my first time seeing a show at Cattivo. Crystal Stilts and Juan Wauters (of the Beets were playing. A third touring band called Your Friend got added near to the date of the show. It's weird to have three touring bands, and I wasn't that excited to see Your Friend based on the name of their band, but I was willing to give them a chance. Despite a lot friends exclaiming their love for Crystal Stilts, I couldn't convince anyone to go with me to this show. I was mostly alone for this one, but it turned out to be great regardless.

The only local band, City Buses, played first. City Buses was pretty cool, playing some perky indie/rock 'n' roll; I really liked the keyboard lines. Near the end the keyboard played long warbling notes, but the guitar and drums rarely changed. Things started off strong, but by the end I had become disinterested. Perhaps it was that the songs all seemed to have the same tempo? Perhaps I was expecting a more Gotobeds-style punk (as that band features some of the same members)? Or, and maybe the most significantly, the audience lacked any interaction with the band, staying way back behind the bar the whole time. At a venue like Gooski's or Howlers, City Buses would be cool to see, but this really didn't do it for me.

Your Friend was next. After seeing the band, the name made a lot more sense. The quiet frontwoman, Taryn Blake Miller, had a voice that covered the room like a quiet, but ethereal purr. She didn't look at the audience, appearing nervous, cold, and also powerful. Her guitar lines were subdued, but carried a lot of bite at times (also look at the strange pattern on the guitar body!). The music was bleak, but comforting; it reminded me of Young Marble Giants or Beach House. Because everyone is seemingly lame, they stayed in the bar while Your Friend played. I ended up buying their EP, Jekyll/Hyde, and I listened to it at least five times a day for the next week. Check it out here: http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/eps/18-02-14/jekyllhyde.

Juan Wauters played next, and it was he that I came to see. For his set the stage lights were turned off, replaced by an elaborate, but simple, and almost amateurish, visual display. On Wauters' left there was a sheet adorned with images from recent releases, American flag, and other such things. On his left he had a lighting display that lit up seemingly at random. The microphone also held two lights that were operated in an unknown manner, turning on/off with or without the beat. His set was stripped down, being just vocals and guitar, except for the few songs on which he was accompanied by bongos. There was a small piece of a Velvet Underground song that abruptly morphed into original material. A few people actually came out of the bar area to watch his set.

After the set I got Juan to sign his 7" and solo album. He wrote some interesting stuff (see below). We talked about the Andy Warhol museum, how he liked to change his songs up each night (the bongos), and then he offered to buy me a drink. I'm straight edge so of course that didn't happen, but I told him I would come hang out in a minute.

I went outside for a second, but Crystal Stilts had just started when I came back in. They had a film projecting onto them, driving scenes in psychedelic colors. There set was dark, shoe-gaze, lo-fi, nearing goth. The singer reminded me of Ian Curtis; he rarely looked at the crowd. They had some synths and some cool guitars (Vox). The whole crowd actually watched Crystal Stilts, renewing the room's energy for what could have ended up being a very cold set otherwise. Despite being a little bored by the one record I had heard by Crystal Stilts, by the time they were done I wanted way more. I bought some CDs and a t-shirt. It's all very good.

Review , The Mr. Roboto Project

Roboto Chest Pain

June 21st, 2014 was Free RPG Day. I went to Phantom of the Attic in Oakland at 9AM and was the second person in line. I was totally exhausted, I barely slept the night before, but I was really excited too. I never get to these events early and always miss the better stuff, but this time that wouldn't happen. I ended up with the 13th Age starter module, the Dungeon Crawl Classics Blades Against Death module, a set of purple and green FUDGE dice, and the Free RPG Day 2014 die. I ended up playing in a few different games: FATE, FATE Core, and Dungeon Crawl Classics. The first FATE game was part of the Dresden Files universe, which I'm totally unfamiliar with. The GM was mostly trying to teach his friend how to play RPGs so he skipped some of the more interesting rules, such as the Aspects, which to me make FATE what it is. The FATE Core game used characters from Crono Trigger, I played as Ayla, and we had to raid a fortress. I had to drop out before we finished the game. Dungeon Crawl Classics was amazing! There were eight players and I played as a priest. We fought monsters and things got really dark and surreal, but in the end everyone survived.

After Free RPG Day I had to watch a show at the Mr. Roboto Project. It looked to be pretty good, but I was even more tired than before. I got to Roboto early and took an extremely short nap before opening the door to nobody. Some of the members of Rabid Pigs showed up in the next half hour, but it took a while longer until the promoter and other bands arrived. I played some musick from my Zune as we waited for the touring band. I actually ended up falling asleep for somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour, but when I woke up we still didn't have any word from Chest Pain.

Swingers Club played first. They were very heavy, almost Swans-ish. The only played for about 20 minutes. Afterwards there was talk of Hindsight playing the show to replace Chest Pain. Rabid Pigs played second. They play fast, noisy grindcore. I don't see them on a lot of bills, but they played at ADD Fest 2013 and it was pretty rad. They only played for maybe 15 minutes.

Chest Pain ended up arriving in time so Hindsight sat out. Chest Pain is one of the better bands I've seen. Heavy and loud with a wild, shirtless frontman, Chest Pain reminded me of S.O.A. I got totally caught up in their energy, and thought that this must be what it would have been like to see Black Flag back in the 80's. I ended up buying two t-shirts from Chest Pain because I couldn't pick between two designs, an insect with a human head and a black punch card. Don't miss out on seeing this band!