Umlaut was a fanzine that existed from 1992-95. Despite limited distribution, readers included Hipsters from coast to coast and Rock Stars of various credibility, including Sonic Youth and Metallica. To quote The Cramps: “I dig that goddam Rock ‘N Roll.. The kind of stuff that don’t save souls.”
Back in the early-90's the only merch items I was really interested in from concerts were tour books or pewter pendants. Not many bands do these heavy duty pendants anymore, which is too bad. Anyway, what we have here is (starting at the top and moving clockwise):
Metallica - I can't remember where I got this one...
Danzig - The Warfield, San Francisco - August 14, 1993
Faith No More - The Warfield, San Francisco - August 19, 1992
Metallica - The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA - October 3, 1992
Iggy Pop - The Warfield, San Francisco - September 29, 1993
Soundgarden - The Greek Theater, Berkeley - June, 4, 1994
Black Sabbath - The Warfield, San Francisco - August 1, 1995
"The Horns" - Some Flea Market, Barcelona, Spain - December 1993
Ministry - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco - December 23, 1992
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA - July 31, 1994
Motörhead - San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, CA - March 3, 1994
White Zombie - DNA Lounge, San Francisco - March 23, 1993
It's some pretty cool Music Geek detritus, right? Okay.. back into the drawer y'all go..
Goatwhore Thee Parkside, San Francisco July 14, 2009
I wasn't even gonna "review" this show because I was embarrassed... but I'm man enough to admit when I've fucked up.
Prior to the show, Wexford Girl and The Bassist met me at Taqueria Cancun for a pre-show meal.. Then we few, we happy few, made our way to Potrero Hill for the gig.
I've seen Goatwhore at least 3x in the past, most notably with Venom / High On Fire and then Celtic Frost / Sun O))) in 2006.. both times at The Fillmore. To be blunt, I wasn't impressed with them... so I basically went to this show just to hang with Wexford Girl and The Bassist. Seeing the bands kinda wasn't even on my agenda.
After Dååth played we checked out the merch table quite extensively ('cause it's what we do) and I got a copy of the new Goatwhore CD because I had been hearing good things about it... and despite my previous history with them I was willing to give the Louisiana boys another chance.. up to a point.
Long story short, Wexford Girl and I planted ourselves at a table on the outdoor patio and got immersed in talking about work while The Bassist kept it real and checked out the band. During Goatwhore, Wexford Girl and I talked, talked, talked, and talked shop and didn't make a move towards the sweat box indoor area and the stage. Actually, I think we thought about making the move once.. but didn't. I did think to myself that the band sounded pretty good.. at least from a distance... but we just kept talking talking talking talking.
After Goatwhore's set, The Bassist returned drenched in sweat and in a Metal euphoria from the set... which made me realize that I should have checked the band out... but... Wexford Girl and I had chosen to talk talk talk talk.
Anyway, fast forward: I got home and put the new Goatwhore CD on and... it's fucking GREAT. Goddammit... It's noticeably Venom / Celtic Frost-ish, but in a good way. Goddammit.. Posers like me will pay the price. Thank dog they're coming back to S.F. in September so that I may redeem myself in the eyes of Metal.
Rock Star Sighting: Matt of High On Fire. On the way back to the car, some-pimply faced teenagers called me a fag. I can't remember the last time I was such a Metal Poser... I'm so ashamed.
Whenever I've posted on this subject in the past it's been about some new batch of vinyl records or CDs that have nested at Casa de Umlaut. However, I was sitting at my desk and happened to look up into my glass Geek display case and noticed something I thought would probably make for a good subject since I'm bored tonight:
(From the Umlaut Archives)
This is the one of a kind, only one ever made, pre-production, unpainted (obviously) sample of the infamous Lemmy action figure that was briefly sold in 2008. Metal.
Long story short, Umlaut was responsible for this bit of Merchandising history. Yes, this was officially licensed and approved by Lemmy himself.. However, in the end, the figure was only sold for a short time before... uhhh... a breach of contract resulted in the manufacturer being forced to pull it from the market.
Click HERE to see Lemmy's reaction to himself recreated in miniature. I'm still dubious about it, but if Lemmy was happy with it that's all that matters, man. Anyway... Probably not as exciting as a new batch of limited edition colored vinyl 7" singles with gatefold picture sleeves.. but it'll have to do since it's all I got to give tonight.
Mayhem Tour Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Marysville, CA July 10, 2009
A Metal Road Trip with Umlaut's music journalist friends Photo Ray and Hard Rock Chick (HRC)!! SPECIAL! Sometimes arriving early at a big festival seems like a good idea until you actually do it... especially when you have to travel over 100 miles to bumfuck Marysville and its scorched Earth Summer heat. I think the weather forecast for the day was "blow torch with a chance of lava.." I was too fried from spending all day under the hot Marysville White Trash Summer Sun to do a "proper" review of this day, so I'm simply going to do a Harper's Index style list:
Times I heard a band say "pit" or "circle pit" to the audience = 7
Behemoth: I was half expecting the Poles to melt under the intense heat of the afternoon, but their Black Metal makeup didn't run and they blasted through a great set. However, I have to admit it was almost more entertaining seeing them backstage afterwards sans makeup... and I know HRC will agree with me.
Bullet For My Valentine: My 4th time seeing the Welsh Rock Stars and I still like them despite the fact they tend to remind me of my past professional history. No, Bullet are not Emo despite their name... and '4 Words (To Choke Upon)' is still a good song. Does that make me a Poser? Oh well...
Cannibal Corpse: This was the best set of the day for pure uncut Metal brutality; the pit action was intense and magnified by the heat like ants under a magnifying glass. At one point it was obvious someone was down in The Pit, but it took forever for the medical staff to arrive with a stretcher and fight their way to the injured. It was the only time during the day that the intensity of the crowd matched the intensity of the music.. cue 'Fucked With A Knife'.
Killswitch Engage: I watched their set on the t.v. monitors in the VIP bar... unlike the last time I saw them, at least the guitarist didn't brag about being a pedophile in between songs.. but I can't imagine they were much better in person versus the t.v. monitors. Plus, they somehow think it's cool to wear those novelty t-shirts with a tuxedo printed on the front onstage.. NOT Metal. Slayer: The masters opened with 'God Hates Us All' > 'War Ensemble'... AND they're playing 'Ghosts Of War' on this tour! Despite the GA floor, this was probably the tamest Slayer crowd I've ever seen; about 1/2 of the people around me were sitting down! WTF... but the band's solid 60 minute set was awesome as usual.. There were no Marshall cabinets arranged into upside down crosses onstage this time, but they made up for it with FIRE:
Slayer!! Fire! (Vid by Umlaut)
I've been following Slayer since Day One... and I still love them long time. Awww...
(Sidebar: Umlaut needs to upgrade his point & shoot camera to one with (1) a better microphone that can handle high volume levels and (2) one that is good with low light situations sans flash. If anyone has brand / model suggestions please e-mail me!)
Marilyn Manson: I completely missed his set because Paschke invited me to visit the Angel Of Death's tour bus with him, where that band's new album was played for us. Yes, it's FUCKING GREAT!!!
For the second time within a week this concert was also punctuated by a weird encounter with an "ex" from my professional life... which was a bit awkward.. but it was a good thing I had business cards with me. Fook 'em.
Holy shite, the drive back from bumfuck Marysville is brutal... Cheers to Photo Ray for driving; I owe you one! I didn't even bother doing a merch audit. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I pulled off the freeway towards Casa de Umlaut my normal route was blocked by some heavy police activity around the local gas station... Friday Night Crimes!
Mayhem Tour Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA July 11, 2009
Since I wanted to coordinate my arrival with some colleagues, I was able to hang out and chill at Casa de Umlaut for most of the afternoon. Although the previous day had been good, this was a different Mayhem experience than bumfuck Marysville.. It was a more relaxed day for me, mainly because some underlying professional drama that had distracted me in bumfuck Marysville was basically resolved in Mountain View. Longtime readers know that I live to see concerts, but I can't remember the last time I was in such a good mood at a show. Anyway, here's the long and the short of the day from my perspective:
Behemoth: I arrived too late to see their set, but as I entered the backstage common area the Poles were eating sans makeup. I was taken aback that these beings, who appear to be inhuman Metal Gods onstage, eat common food like mere mortals and even use common human eating utensils. Shocking...
Job For A Cowboy: They're not necessarily bad, but I've never been able to get past their name...
Trivium: I've never liked this band, even when they were helping to pay my mortgage... and I thought it was funny that the bassist is all short-haired and GQ now when he used to try so hard to be Metal.
Bullet For My Valentine: While attempting to get to the side of the stage to watch Bullet's set we had to deal with a clueless venue security person who didn't understand the meaning of "All Access". However, Bullet's set paled in comparison to their bassist's chick stalking moves later that night...
Dude, the crowd was out of control!! It was the only time during the day that the intensity of the crowd matched the intensity of the music.. cue 'Fucked With A Knife'.
Killswitch Engage: I watched their set on the t.v. monitors in the Angel Of Death's dressing room... but I can't imagine they were much better in person versus the t.v. monitors. Plus, they somehow think it's cool to wear those novelty t-shirts with a tuxedo printed on the front onstage.. NOT Metal.
Note: At this point I must give a HUGE THANKS to HRC for upgrading me to the 3rd row!
Slayer: They say a picture is worth 1,000 words... well here is one thousand words about Slayer from this night..
Kerry King amid fire and smoke onstage from the 3rd row (Pic by Umlaut)
I can't remember the last time I watched Slayer from this close with the volume from the PA moving my clothes.. According to the Umlaut Archives this was at least my 17th time seeing Slayer dating back to 1984... and I'm pretty sure I said "Amazing!" out loud after almost every song.. with the set closing sprint of 'Angel Of Death' > 'South Of Heaven' > 'Raining Blood' being one of the highlights of my year. In addition to my senses being assaulted from the stage, my head was spinning (in a good way) about the professional drama that had basically been resolved during the day. I actually got kind of emotional as I thought about that drama and the juxtaposition of it with fucking Slayer being onstage right in front of me again. Yes, I'm the type of sensitive guy who can get emotional about Slayer. Does that make me a pussy? If so, then let me be guilty..
Marilyn Manson: I hadn't seen Manson live in 12 years and was not planning to watch his entire set, but since I found myself in the 3rd row I got caught up in the moment. I suppose Manson is trying to create theater onstage, and since I was in such a good mood I went with it. Some of the shtick was silly of course, like having a roadie give him a bottle of water, take only ONE sip every time, and then either throw it down or give / toss it to someone in the front row; I regret not counting how many times he did that. Kudos to any of the Manson Kidz in the front row who got one of the water bottles;they now have some Manson DNA for their collection and / or Ebay.
Manson amid confetti and smoke from the 3rd row (Pic by Umlaut)
There were also a couple of "wardrobe people" onstage who would alternately bring Manson different stage clothes or props and / or an oxygen tank so he could take a hit. Silly.. but in the end I was surprised that I actually enjoyed his set, although I only knew 2 songs.
For the third time within a week this concert was also punctuated by a weird encounter with an "ex" from my professional life... which was a bit awkward.. but it was a good thing I had business cards with me. Fook 'em.
Then it was time to go home and sleep! I didn't do a merch audit again. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I started the drive back to Casa de Umlaut, my iPod on shuffle played 'South Of Heaven'. So... fucking... perfect.. Dude, the lyrics perfectly reflect events that are going on in Umlaut's World right now. To quote the mighty Slayer:
"An unforeseen future nestled somewhere in time.. Unsuspecting victims, no warnings, no signs.. Judgement Day, the second coming arrives..."
If you're one of those whose perception of Green Day is stuck in 1994 then bummer for you, man.. You might as well stop reading this right now. For the rest of you: Back in April, Umlaut got a taste of what was ahead with Green Day. IMO Green Day are The Who of their generation and Umlaut, like, totally digs them... If this loses me even more of my overrated cred with Metalheads I really don't give a shit.. 'cause I'll always have more Metal cred than you... seriously. My resume is available upon request, dude.
As soon as this tour was announced Skychick and I had decided we'd be making a road trip up to the Northwest. We arrived in Jet City 2 days early with the intent of playing tourist but, within hours of landing, real life intruded to ruin our vacation for the next 24 hours. Long story short: The dogs ran away at home (which they've NEVER done before) and the asshole, soulless housesitter COMPLETELY fucked us over. Bottom line: Casa de Umlaut is extremely fortunate to have some unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors who basically worked to locate and rescue Dixie and Fredo. Epilogue: Fuck that housesitter. The thought of him walking away from his responsibilities while my dogs sat terrified and alone in the Humane Society shelter is something I'll never forgive; where's my baseball bat? Fuck.... that... housesitter.
On the afternoon we arrived, Skychick and I randomly decided to have lunch at The Pike Brewing Company which happened to be across the street from The Four Seasons. I figured the band and crew were staying there, but I hadn't checked in with Tour Manager Doug (TMD) yet. During our meal, all of the drama back at home unfolded on us via cell phone calls... but at one point I noticed a couple of dudes being seated near us and recognized one as Green Day Security. Long story short, after leaving the pub we found ourselves sitting next to TMD as he held court in the lobby of The Four Seasons with various band and crew members, which would have been more fun if we hadn't been worried sick about the dogs back home (Fuck that housesitter..).
The next morning was spent on cell phones working with our unbelievably compassionate and good friends and neighbors as they located and returned Dixie and Fredo to Casa de Umlaut. The one highlight of the morning was going to the Starbucks across the street from the hotel and witnessing the woman in front of me tip the female cashier by sticking some dollar bills in her cleavage stripper-style; it was hotter than the coffee.
That afternoon, once the dogs were safely back at home and a new housesitter was in place, Skychick and I finally did tourist shit like visit the Space Needle and Experience Music Project (EMP). The EMP's current exihibition features a history and retrospective on Nashville's Hatch Show Print, which was pretty cool and also featured the stage clothes of Country legends such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. The exhibition reminded me that I have a Hank Williams Hatch Print in my closet that I need to get framed (DOH!).. The EMP's Hendrix collection was interesting, but I was more interested in having my pic taken with Michael Jackson's glove on the eve of his funeral:
Thriller...
That night, on the way back to the hotel, some 206 kidz tried to bait me with racist heckling... Sorry, me no speaky Ching Chong, dudes. Then it was time to R-O-C-K in the U-S-A.
The first date of Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug 2009-2010 World Tour was nicely packed with close to 17,000 jammed into venerable Key Arena. Prior to the show we had a lovely dinner and quality time with Umlaut Nation members Lance, Beth, and Nina who were going to The Big Rock Show with us. After dinner we few, we happy few, made our way onto The Monorail for the quick ride to the arena.
When we arrived at the venue, Will Call was a total clusterfuck as there was one line for all of the Will Call windows (Ticketbastard sales, band guest list, etc..) so literally hundreds of people stood in a single line. Maybe it was because of the hot weather, but I was a total dick and cut in front of all those hundreds of people to get my Will Call envelope. Sorry, folks...
The anticipation inside the venue was thick enough to cut with a knife and it spiked as the band's intro music went from Cheap Trick > Jacko > Queen > Ramones songs while a roadie in a Pink Bunny costume led the crowd in a cheer.. Then the houselights went down and the crowd's roar / screaming was pretty deafening.
The first 45 minutes of the set was made up of songs from the 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot albums, with the highlight for me being 'Holiday' and the vintage WW2 archival footage that was projected on the screen behind the stage. You can't go wrong with vintage WW2 footage, man! I'm just saying.. AND another highlight was seeing vintage Gilman St. and Bay Area Punk flyers from Big Wayne's collection projected on the screen during 'Jaded'!! It was surreal and cool seeing a flyer for Neurosisprojected 20 feet high during an Arena Rock show.. and even cooler knowing that the flyers were in the show because of an Old Metal connection (Big Wayne > TMD).. Umlaut's world is *this* small sometimes.
In recent years, I've become amazed how versatile Green Day are onstage; they are no longer simply that snotty MTV Punk band, but a genuine Arena Rock band in the finest tradition of the term. While their set is generally pretty scripted, there are many moments every night where their interaction with the crowd encourages spontaneity and it's cool watching how the entire band rolls with whatever comes their way. Very few bands have the confidence or balls to let that happen these days.
In Seattle, at least 6 people were pulled from the crowd at different points during the show (including Billie Joe's older sister... !) to interact with the band's show. During the encore, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... and the kid played the entire 9 minutes flawlessly!! It was UNBELIEVABLE.. and TMD confirmed the kid was not a plant and it was a completely random incident. Metallica has never pulled a kid out of the crowd to play the 9 minutes of 'Master Of Puppets' with them... I'm just saying.
Backstage there was an epic Old Metal reunion with Umlaut, TMD, and K.J. Doughton all appearing in the same room together for the first time since probably 1984! Trivia: TMD and K.J. were both on Slayer's first road crew during that band's first tour and their war stories from those early times are epic and hilarious... like the time Slayer crashed at K.J.'s parents' house and his mom made the band pancakes. Oh, and K.J. once ran the official fan club for a little band called Metallica too. We may all be Green Day fans now, but we're still WAY more Metal than you'll ever be, kidz..
Ye Olde Metalheads: Umlaut, K.J., TMD..
Also backstage, K.J.'s 11-year old son lost a tooth... which was pretty Metal of him as well.. although it wasn't very cool of K.J. to punch his son like that (I'M JOKING!).
Rock Star Sightings: Duff McKagan (who wore his sunglasses indoors the entire night) and producer of the band's latest album Butch Vig.. I was impressed that Vig had a firm handshake and introduced himself ("Butch Vig") to everyone he was introduced to.. Didn't Vig produce, like, every album that mattered in the early 90's?
Who shirts = 1 (mine). If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >$700. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As we left the arena at around 12:30AM there was a MARATHON being run in the streets of Seattle that made it harder for us to return to our hotel. Who runs a MARATHON after midnight!?
Then 24 hours later it was:
Green Day GM Place, Vancouver, Canada July 4, 2009
The next morning, Skychick and I hopped on a "tour bus" heading North; how do you sing 'Tiny Dancer' in Canadian? OMFG, the butch Canadian border guard was a fucking bitch!! Skychick and I were grilled with questions for several minutes, including this exchange:
Ms. Border Guard: "Have you ever been to Canada?" Me: "Yes... 15 years ago.." Ms. Border Guard: "Fifteen years? Why haven't you been back sooner?!"
I almost snapped and said "Because it's CANADA..." but I didn't feel like having a Maple Leaf fist shoved up my ass so I simply said "There were other places to visit.."... which was actually very smart ass of me, but Ms. Border Guard just gave me a hard stare and then asked "Have you ever been convicted of a crime.."... etc. etc.. and so began our visit to the oppressive Socialist state of Canada. Green Day: Behind The Maple Leaf Curtain!
It's always interesting spending July 4th in a foreign country; it makes you realize that not everyone blows up things on the 4th day of the 7th month every year. Seeing Green Day in an oppressive Socialist society like Canada was an eye opening experience. The people are starving for anything from America (or as the Canadians call it "America, eh..") and Green Day's Rock & Roll (or as the Canadians call it "Rock And Roll, eh..") is a profound symbol of Capitalist freedom that gives the people living under their oppressive Socialist regime some hope. Canadians may rationalize that this oppression is okay because it gives them free health care, but this society also begat Celine Dion and Loverboy so it's debatable whether a greater good has come out of the "Canadian Experiment". Discuss amongst yourselves.
Getting into the venue was easier than the previous night since Skychick and I were able to flash our magic plastic and walk in the back door... but I was halfway expecting another grilling by a Canadian authority figure. When we settled in our seats I noticed that the dude next to us had a And Justice For All tattoo on his arm. Sad but true. It's also always interesting seeing the song 'American Idiot' performed in front of a foreign audience since the crowd seems to sing the line "I don't wanna be an American Eeedeeeot!!" with an especially intense fervor. On the last tour, Umlaut witnessed this in Amsterdam and London and it was no different in Vancouver.... but after two shows I have to say my favorite song of the set was the new anthem 'The Static Age'.
As in Seattle, Billie Joe pulled a kid out of the audience who said he could play 'Jesus Of Suburbia'... but unlike the kid in Seattle this kid failed. I was watching what he was "playing" and it was obvious he had been turned down in the mix since his bullshit moves like sliding the pick down the strings was not heard over the PA. Finally, the guitar was gently taken away from him midsong and he was politely returned to the pit.. all done without the band missing a note in the song. Amazing... but an example of how Green Day's live sponteniety sometimes doesn't work.. but it still makes for a great concert experience. As TMD said afterwards "I think we got lucky on opening night.."
Another major reason why Umlaut digs Green Day is because they play arenas the way they should be played... with PYRO, PYRO, and more PYRO.
Vids by Umlaut
Green Day uses more PYRO than Metallica and AC/DC... and that's a good thing. If you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man.
Backstage I had a weird encounter with an "ex" from my professional life... which was a bit awkward.. but it was a good thing I had business cards with me. TMD also introduced us to the guy who designed Green Day's new stage; his past stage design clients include Beyonce (Okay, everyone at once: "That's NOT Punk!"). Celebrity Gossip: John Cusack was in town filming a new movie and was supposed to attend the show, but couldn't make it because he was picking his g/f up at the airport. Umlaut's High Fidelity moment was so close..
Yes, Umlaut is METAL at heart... but I always leave a Green Day show with a smile on my face.. and sometimes that's more important than METAL.
Vid by Umlaut
Umlaut's Inner Music Geek found it fascinating watching a major band develop its new live show from pre-album release sneak shows in clubs to the first shows of their international arena / stadium tour. Over the past 3 months I was fortunate to have seen 6 Green Day shows (3 in clubs, 1 in a theater, and 2 in arenas) and the progression was cool to witness... The first club show in April (the band's first time onstage in 3 years) was tentative and very loose, with the band displaying nervousness while playing the new songs. Fast forward to these first arena shows and the band displayed their veteran stage presence and worked the huge crowds effortlessly... and it was cool to see that the audiences at both shows was a mix of old and young fans and not exclusively the Hot Topic crowd that some people think the band draws; if you're one of those whose perception of the band is stuck in 1994, then bummer for you, man. Green Day are THE best Arena Rock band going today.
THANKS as always to Tour Manager Doug for taking care of us at The Big Rock Shows. Keep it real out there, my brutha.
Obituary shirts = 1. If you bought one of every Green Day merch item you would have paid >800 Canadian Dollars. On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I'll say it again: Green Day are The Who of this generation.
While I was in Vancouver I wore my Anvil - 'Metal On Metal' shirt and the only people in Canada who acknowledged it were (1) a guy who worked in a liquor store and (2) Tré Cool. Ohh... Canada.
Warped Tour Pier 30/32, San Francisco June 26, 2009
Although Umlaut has been going to Warped off and on for years, the recent ones have sort of *required* my attendance due to bizness relationships (Hey Kurt!). At around 9:30AM on this Saturday morning I noticed this Twitter from Gallows:
gallowsofficial we're playing at 11am today on the Hurley stage in San Francisco. Everyone's still asleep hahaha
FUCK ME... Gallows were basically the only band I wanted to see this year!! Thankfully BART was running flawlessy and I made it into the festival site along the S.F. waterfront with 15 minutes to spare before the lads hit the stage. To make things better, S.F. was already starting to bake under this weekend's SPF 666 heatwave! Hot fun in the Summertime.
This was my 4th time seeing Gallows (after Warped 2007, New York City 2007, and Slim's 2008) and it raised the level of my fandom even more. As I've said from Day One: Gallows are the real fucking deal! They just go out and do it, no matter how big or small their audience might be... They take a situation and make it their own... and THAT'S the sign of a great band! It was 11:00AM... most of the kidz were still waiting in line trying to get inside or still at home getting ready for the all day festivities... but Gallows rose to the occasion to serve us a breakfast of mayhem.
At around 11:00AM they launched into 'Friendly Bombs' and the next 30 minutes or so was one of the best sets I've seen a band play all year! After the first 2 songs Frank and his brother Stephen climbed over the barrier and performed the next 4 songs from The Pit amongst the growing crowd of kids. It was awesome... WAY more awesome than the dive into The Pit Frank took at their Bay Area debut at Warped 2007. For their first song amongst the people, Frank changed the lyrics of 'London Is The Reason' to "S.F. is the reason!" Nicely done, lad.
Frank goes over the wall while Stephen waits his turn (Pic by Umlaut)
As I was watching the performance standing on the barrier I noticed a good number of youngsters pushing their way to the front and being completely oblivious that 2/5 of the band was behind them... yet they dutifully watched the rest of the band perform and not once did I see it register on their faces "Wait a minute... none of the guys onstage are singing.. where is the singer!?" It didn't happen... stupid kidz.. However, the hundreds of kidz who were paying attention became one with the band for the rest of their set, including an awesome crowd participation version of 'Gold Dust' that had Frank directing a pit to circle around the soundboard:
(Vids by Umlaut)
In the 2nd video, note Frank and Stephen in the middle of The Pit... and Stephen taking off and joining The Pit while still playing guitar! EPIC! I fucking love this band so much, man... and, dude, all of that action happened before Noon... and I had only had coffee for breakfast! The tone of my day was thus set. A couple of hours later I was walking backstage and noticed a setlist trampled on the ground and noticed "London" printed on it.. and I immediately knew what band it was and picked it up... SCORE!
"S.F. is the reason!"
After Gallows, my day could have been over but instead I spent the next 6-7 hours walking... walking... walking.. walking trying to check out other bands on the festivals 7-8 stages... walking to go chat with Bizness friends... walking as I waded through the sea of humanity. Thankfully I had Photo Ray and HRC to keep me company for the day.. with guest appearances by Alan, The Man & His Lady, and a literally 10 second appearance by Nikki Blakk.
I'll just go ahead and say it: Warped is for The Kidz and not for an Old Fart like me. I find the vast majority of the bands to be crapola and derivative of other bands who came before them... but the majority of the sold out crowd of around 35,000 kids didn't care since, to quote Poison (which is something I loath to do, but it fits the mindset), "It ain't nothin' but a good time"..
On the other hand, Warped Tour is a branding juggernaut and a celebration of Vans and the company's 43 year (!) history. For the newbies, if you don't know the history of Vans it's a pretty cool one and the people there are some of the coolest and legit folks I know... and this year I was once again introduced to Steve Van Doren (aka VANS) , whose family started the company in 1966... which trips me out. Yes, Vans was started by one person with a vision. Crazy, right? The Van Doren legacy can be seen on the feet of the thousands of kidz at Warped; I always trip on how practically EVERY kid at a Warped Tour show is wearing Vans. Vans are everywhere, and that's a good thing.
Anyway, back to the bands... Aside from the Old Skool Stage, most of the bands were simply 3rd generation versions of one band or another.. but I did spend time watching a few:
D.I.: I swear, at last year's Warped Tour at Shoreline I arrived at the Old Skool Stage just as D.I. were playing 'Richard Hung Himself'... Fast forward to 2009 in S.F. and as I arrived at the Old School Stage, D.I. were playing 'Richard Hung Himself' again. Weird.
Dommin: I've missed seeing this band twice over the past year, but seeing their dramatic Gothy selves in daylight wasn't ideal... However, the band was entertaining and opened with a raw version of their signature song 'My Heart, Your Hands'... but the best part of their set was facilitating a heartwarming HRC > Kristofer Dommin special moment before the set.
Dommin (Pic by Umlaut)
Duane Peters Gunfight: Back at the Old Skool Stage, I had no idea who this band was and had to ask the kid standing in front of me ("Gee Mister... Why, it's the Duane Peters Gunfight..").. The band is fronted by pro skater Duane Peters and they were straight up old school Punk Rock with 6 members including a guitarist who was dead ringer for a more road-weary Ron Wood. Their 3 guitar attack and seasoned musicianship made them stand out amongst all the newbie band pretenders. Me likey.
Bad Religion: I've seen Bad Religion so many times... same as it ever was... I've never really been a fan.. so there you go... Took some pics from the Photo Pit.. Then a mean security person told us to leave despite our VIP passes.. Whatever, Little Napoleon!
TSOL: Again at the Old Skool Stage... The last time I saw TSOL they were playing the Old Skool Stage at last year's Warped and I had exactly the same thought all over again: THAT'S the band in Suburbia?! Darker my love.....
Adolescents: Still at the Old Skool Stage, it was funny how I still know the lyrics to 'Amoeba' after all these years. Also, one of the guitarists looked exactly like a guy I used to work with in the Lock 'N Loll Biz... and it was tripping me out.. and not in a good way.
In This Moment: They basically were playing on a small flatbed truck with the Ernie Ball logo on it. Unfortunately, Maria Brink's dimensions were more impressive than their songs. After a song and a half it was time to wander around some more...
Flipper: No Krist Novoselic on bass this time around. The last time I saw Flipper they were sloppy and great at The Fillmore. This time they were a bit tighter.. and they played 'Sacrifice'.. but I didn't enjoy them as much for some reason... and I said goodbye to the Old Skool Stage and didn't stick around for The Dickies again this year; I probably should have at least stayed to hear 'Gigantor'.. Oh well.
Shooter Jennings: Waylon's only son on the Warped Tour!? According to the setlist they were supposed to play 6 songs, but one song was crossed out so all we got was 5 tunes... His brand of Country Rock was the perfect alternative to all of the crappy new Punk and Metal bands that had polluted my day; the song 'California Via Tennessee' was the highlight for me. Seeing a band with legit musicians was exactly what I needed late in the afternoon of this hot day. Plus, Shooter looks exactly like his dad..
Shooter Jennings (Pic by Umlaut)
Black Tide: This was my 4th time seeing these Metal youngsters (when their debut album came out last year the band ranged in age from a mere 14 to 19 years old).. Long story short, although I liked their album, I have not been impressed with the band onstage at all. That being said, this time around Black Tide were better... more seasoned.. although I was very amused how the band's front kid Gabriel is all tough and inked now and asked the crowd if they liked to "suck cock" and also something about "hairy assholes" (perhaps a homage to San Francisco and it being Gay Pride Weekend...).. I wonder what his Mom would have said if she'd been there to hear her teenage son say such nasty things?! "Gabriel!! You go straight to your tour bus!! And no strippers for you tonight, young man!!" You go, Black Tide kidz! Just start working on your 2nd album already.....
NOFX: For the hell of it, as I made my way to the exit, HRC and I wandered onstage to watch a bit of NOFX. I noticed a large group of people standing near the stage ramp, but we walked past them and up the ramp like we belonged there. Minutes later that side of the stage became jam packed with NOFX's guests and families (including an Asian S.F. Hell's Angel 1% brutha..). After 30 seconds of their first song I decided it was time to go home since I couldn't see shit from that vantage point and I was over wading through the humanity. Bye bye.
THANKS as always to Kurt SuperSix8 for sorting our passes, etc.! He's a host in the truest sense of the term.
Merch audit: There was alot of merch (The End).. On the way back to BART, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. All in all it was a good afternoon to spend outdoors, but that evening I was completely loopy from all the sun, which almost caused me problems while driving through a DUI check point near Casa de Umlaut... Thank dog for sunscreen!
An FYI for the San Franfuckincisco Bay Area locals: Jeff Koons' iconic Michael Jackson and Bubbles sculpture is part of the SFMOMA's permanent collection:
It's how Umlaut chooses to remember the Self-Proclaimed King Of Pop.. Thanks to CMoore for reminding me about this!
In the wake of the 24/7 media mourning that's taking place over the death of The Self-Proclaimed King Of Pop, Umlaut felt compelled to state for the record that in 1982 when Thriller came out I was NOT a fan... at all... in any way shape or form. Thriller did not change my life... at all.. in any way shape or form. For the record, this is what was melting my turntable and cassette deck when 'Beat It' was making its way up the charts:
Indeed, 1982 was a landmark year for music... but it's all a matter of perspective. For the record, THIS was THE defining moment for me in 1982 (and for many others as well..).
On another note, Umlaut thinks it's funny that when Jacko was down the media called him the "Self-Proclaimed King of Pop" but now that he's dead the same media is calling him "The King of Pop".. Respect is a dish best served cold I guess.
At least the violent homeless people in my 'hood are educated!
Physics discussion ends in skateboard attack
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, June 25, 2009 13:20 PDT SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
A homeless man is on trial in San Mateo County on charges that he smacked a fellow transient in the face with a skateboard as the victim was engaged in a conversation about quantum physics, authorities said Wednesday.
Jason Everett Keller, 40, allegedly accosted another homeless man, Stephan Fava, on the 200 block of Grand Avenue in South San Francisco about 1:45 p.m. March 30.
At the time, Fava was chatting with an acquaintance, who is also homeless, about "quantum physics and the splitting of atoms," according to prosecutors. Keller joined in the conversation and, for reasons unknown, got upset, authorities said. He picked up his skateboard and hit Fava in the face with it, splitting his lip, prosecutors said.
Fava also fell and broke his ankle, although how this happened wasn't known, authorities said.
This does not make me feel old... but my Inner Child of The 70's is sad. All of the posters that I had on my bedroom wall are *gone* now: Star Wars, KISS, and now Farrah. At least Farrah left with her self-respect... unlike the other two. Meanwhile, here in the 21st Century...
Isis Great American Music Hall, San Francisco June 23, 2009
It's been awhile since Umlaut has gone to a gig solo... and it's been awhile since I've seen a band on back-to-back nights in different cities as well. I don't really know why I felt compelled to see Isis twice in 48 hours; I like them, but I can't call myself a fanatic. It just felt like something I needed to do for some reason.
The set Isis played in San Jose the night before was brilliant, but performed in a venue that is only 1/3 the size of the Great American (GAMH). I was interested to see how the band's performances might differ because of the stage they found themselves on each night: one night they were basically in a garage... the next night at one of the great historic venues on the West Coast.
I entered the GAMH as Helms Alee were onstage and it was a different vibe than the previous night right away.. The crowd wasn't as "Metal" as the San Jose crowd and there were more "normal" looking people in the crowd.. which was fine of course since they were all there for Isis.. but I found that contrast interesting.... 'cause I'm a Geek about crap like that. Also, I was sort of mentally prepared to be anonymous at the gig since I was flying solo, but I ended up running into people who I knew.. which was fine of course: I talked Rock Biz with Alan and Justin of Secret Serpents and it was nice that HRC was there keeping things real.
The set itself had a different vibe for me as well.. Before they started playing, Aaron announced that the set was dedicated to their Tour Manager, who was going through a rough time at the moment. You gotta love a band who looks after their crew! From there they set sail with 'Hall Of The Dead' and for the next 90 minutes it was another soul cleansing Isis experience.
I stood towards the back in order to be near the "sweet spot" for the sound.. because with Isis for me it's all about how their sound streams out of a PA in profound textures. Watching Isis in their element on the regal stage of the GAMH was in stark contrast to their San Jose show the previous night on the tiny stage at The Blank Club. In S.F. each member had his own space on the bigger stage and their focused ferocity was allowed to really blaze. Another difference was the band returned for an encore and laid waste to S.F. with a great, but abbreviated, version of 'Celestial'... which ended abruptly when Aaron's amp crapped out. Ferocity comes with a price.
If you bought one of every Isis merch item you would have paid >$200. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It must be noted that Isis shirts were $3 more in S.F. than they were in San Jose the previous night. Everything is more expensive in The Big City! Discuss amongst yourselves.
For the newbies: Isis are from the generation of bands begat by Umlaut's old friends Neurosis.. and sonically they also remind me of The Swans at times.. and then there's the Tool similarities.. but Isis are worthy of this lineage.. and here in the 21st Century Isis are now like the more nerdy older brother of the more commercially successful Mastodon. In short, an intellectual band who likes to shake the walls with volume while combining it with an intellectual aesthetic to everything they do. NERDS!
Umlaut hasn't really followed Isis closely in almost 5 years, but I really like their new album (Wavering Radiant); back in 2004 I was all kinds of crazy about their Panopticon album with its cover art featuring an aerial photograph of Casa de Umlaut (Seriously, you can see Casa de Umlaut if you know where to look..). Since then, I became all kinds of crazy about Red Sparowes (a side project of Isis' keyboard / guitarist Bryant Clifford Meyer). So, now I guess it's appropriate for me to come full circle and be all kinds of crazy about Isis again.
For the 2nd time in 19 days I traveled down to a club in the valley of my birth for a gig; last year I made the same trek only once all year. Prior to the show, Timo and Umlaut had a last minute dinner and some quality time with the lovely and charming RJ and Kat at the forever excellent Super Taq. Upon arrival at The Blank Club, we took advantage of the liberal in-and-out policy and hung outside while enjoying the balmy Summer nighttime Downtown San Jose weather. S.F. can talk smack about S.J... but S.J. will win the weather war every time.
The Blank Club's knee-high stage is tiny and shoved in a corner and this configuration required the drum kit to be set up BEHIND the back line in order to fit the 5-man Isis onstage; Michael Gallagher's effects board looked almost as big as the stage as it was being set up. This was the 2nd time in 4 days that my ears and senses were assaulted by a band wielding aluminum guitars! First it was Shellac and their vintage Travis Beans, and now it was Isis and their EGC aluminum axes. METAL.. literally!
It was cool to see a sold out Metal show in Downtown San Jose on a Monday night; things are different since I lived there a million years ago! At 10:55PM the band hopped (literally) onstage and launched into the new song 'Hall Of The Dead' and it was 80 minutes of mind cleansing volume that I needed and appreciated. It was also cool to see Isis in a tiny club (The Blank Club capacity = 200) with a suburban audience who were both into the band and also obviously familiar with their music. At several times during the show it seemed like everyone in the club was banging their heads in unison to Isis' volume... and a couple of times I realized I had closed my eyes and was focusing on one instrument during a song. Every once in awhile a band makes me do that: I focus all my attention on one instrument and trip on it. Is that Hippie Shit? Probably.. but I don't do drugs and I did not have any alcohol all evening so this behavior is purely GEEK.
I had to pick my head up off the floor a couple of times because it had been blown away by the band's performance; despite being crammed onto a tiny stage they rose to the occasion and seriously delivered. Also, the sound was surprisingly perfect for a tiny suburban venue! Hail The Blank Club... and it was weird when Aaron Turner said his first words to the audience right before the final song of the set; it was the first time the band addressed the audience. Hearing a human speaking voice after being sonically assaulted and cleansed for the previous hour or so was kind of jarring.. but I had to be brought back to reality at some point.
The merch table was shoved into a dark corner and I couldn't do a merch audit because the only lighting came from the club's red colored light bulbs (club ambiance over functional lighting, dude..); black apparel under red lights in a dark room = practically invisible! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. We stood in front of the soundboard for Isis and before they came on I noticed the club's DJ had Ludicra and Buzzov*en CDs lined up to play; things are different since I lived in Downtown San Jose a million years ago!
I've been following PJ Harvey (PJH) since Day One and the first time I saw her was on her debut U.S. Tour at Slim's back in 1992. However, at this point I follow PJH out of habit more than anything else; I don't want my fanboy record to be broken now that I've come so far with her. It's been almost 5 years since PJ Harvey last played in San Francisco and my fandom hasn't been easy in recent years since her last 2 albums have not really engaged me at all... but old habits are hard to break.
This tour is co-billed as PJ Harvey and her longtime collaborator John Parish with a setlist featuring only songs from the albums they've recorded together: The latest album A Woman A Man Walked By and 1996's Dance Hall At Louse Point. The partnership dates back to their first band, Automatic Dlamini, in the late 80's and Parish has also played on several of PJH's albums over the years and been a member of her touring band as well.
It was obvious what kind of performance it was going to be as soon as PJH and the band walked single file onto the stage: the guys were dressed in suits and ties and PJH was barefoot in a plain black dress. Besides Parish the band consisted of PJH's other long time cohort (and S.F. resident) Eric Drew Feldman and two new Euro guys on drums and bass / guitar respectively. The set kicked off with 'Black Hearted Love' from the new album and it was a stellar performance, but after 90 minutes I was honest enough to admit I was not a fan of the setlist. I can't argue the artistic decision for PJH only playing songs from her catalog with Parish, but after an almost 5 year absence it was a bummer that all of her best (and most well-known) songs were left on the shelf. Although the audience was enthusiastic, I couldn't help but wonder how many of them didn't know any of the songs in the set; I would venture to guess quite a few.
(Pic by Umlaut)
As I said, I can't argue with PJH's artistic decision regarding this tour, but I was disappointed that the set did not at least include my 2 favorite songs from the PJH / Parish collaborations; there was no 'That Was My Veil' and no 'Losing Ground'... Which was disappointing since it's not like the PJH / Parish catalog is huge (2 albums and a couple of non-LP B-sides)! So, with even those songs missing in action, I have to say the set left me feeling indifferent, which has never happened to me in the 6 times I've seen PJH live. Bummer.... but when you follow an artist out of habit you gotta take the disappointments with the good.
If you bought one of every PJ Harvey merch item you would have paid $75. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. After the show, we made a suspicious delivery in SoMa and then dodged alot of late night Mission 911 action for a post gig burrito at Cancun.
Shellac / Arcwelder Great American Music Hall, San Francisco June 18, 2009
For the newbies: Shellac is fronted by Steve Albini... who also fronted Big Black in the 80's... and who has produced a staggering number of albums by the likes of Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies, Superchunk, The Jesus Lizard, High On Fire, Cheap Trick, Flogging Molly, Mogwai, Neurosis... among others.
Trivia: Although Umlaut has a Metal reputation, the truth is my Metal Years spiked when I was, like, in my early-20's. Yes, I've gravitated back to Metal in recent years but, truth be told, the late-80's / early-90's Indie Rock scene is just as important to me as Old Metal. Dude, I was way into most of the Touch & Go and Amphetamine Reptile bands... WAY.. and those bands were a huge part of the soundtrack to the original xeroxed 'zine version of Umlaut.
Anyway, fast forward to the 21st Century and this was the last night of Shellac's packed 2-night stand at the Great American, which was part of their current 11 shows in 7 cities U.S. Tour; the last time Shellac toured was 4 years ago. Having two longtime Touch & Go bands like Shellac and Arcwelder on the bill gave this show a circa 1994 Midwest Indie Rock vibe, which was cool. These are the type of band that "Indie Rock" used to represent: bands who wield volume deftly and who are profound in their aggression. They are the complete opposite of the neutered pussy stuff that defines "Indie Rock" here in the 21st Century.
Arcwelder were one of those Touch & Go bands who I didn't really follow back in The Day but they were great... like Hüsker Dü's younger cousin visiting San Francisco for the first time.. wide eyed and excited and wrapped in that 1994 Midwest Indie Rock aura. Good stuff.
Onstage, Shellac's signature bass and guitar tones via Albini and Bob Weston's Travis Beans create a glorious wall of volume behind Todd Trainer's freight train drumming. I was tripping how the Travis Beans (with their mostly aluminum construction) don't sound like other guitars; the chords erupt from the instruments more from a vibration of metal instead of resonating from wood... This was especially powerful when Albini would hit a chord to wrestle feedback from his metal axe and it sounded like a metallic animal being unleashed from its steel cage... and the leash keeping the volume beast focused was Trainer's steady work with the sticks that was equal parts Punk and Jazz.
Shellac also display that trait I love about alot of the old school Noise bands: They don't just slash and burn with volume and feedback, but they also lay it all down into a groove versus just pounding it out. At around 10:50PM the band launched into the volume groove godhead that is 'Steady As She Goes' and my evening was complete.
As is a tradition with Shellac, Weston did a brief mid-set Q&A session with the audience.. with questions ranging from inquiries about the band's amps to a question about his favorite type of sausage from a specific brand (a Midwest brand I assume.. but I didn't catch the name).. For the record, Bob listed his favorites as Elk, Buffalo, and a couple of other cloven hoofed animals... and Albini chimed in that his favorite sausage is the Unicorn. Yummy!
After 90 minutes of blow torching the stage, and as the final song melted down to a close, Albini and Weston started to dismantle the drum kit as Trainer kept a beat on the snare... until even that was taken away. Thankyougoodnight!
There seemed to be an unusual number of dorky guys wearing glasses in the crowd (guilty!). If you bought one of every Shellac merch item you would have paid NOTHING; the band refused to sell any because they didn't want to pay the GAMH its standard merch percentage. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. For the newbies: Yes, venues take a cut of band's merch sales... Everyone wants a piece of the pie, kids.
This night was epic. It was epic because 2 of my favorite bands were sharing the bill. It was epic because the occasion was to celebrate the art of one of my favorite Lock 'N Loll artists. It was epic because Umlaut was surrounded by some of his dearest friends all night (which happened to include the 2 bands).
Besides the one-two punch of Acid King and Black Cobra, the evening also featured the art of the bands' graphic artist Alan Forbes, with examples of his Lock 'N Loll posters hanging around the club and being offered for sale at the merch table. You might not be familiar with Alan's name, but there's a good chance you've seen his work before. Umlaut was totally gobsmacked when he learned awhile back that Alan is responsible for the Black Crowes' original logo (Dude, the first 3 Crowes' albums are Umlaut faves..):
Black Crowes 1990 Tour Button (From the Umlaut Archives)
Alan has also done work for AC/DC, Queens Of The Stone Age, Faith No More, Mars Volta and many other of our fave bands. Check out his website for more info and geek out on his work.
Since I pretended I was a roadie and helped Lori Acid King carry in her equipment, I was given the Bender's band stamp which entitled me to as many cans of PBR as I could drink all night... Dude! I thought it was cute how the young bartender opened the PBR pull tabs for her customers and also used an old style can opener to punch a vent hole in the top of the can as well. Who does that anymore?? I haven't seen a can of beer opened like that since, like, WAY back in the 20th Century.
Lori and Umlaut's All You Can Drink PBR stamps
Bender's is a cool space but, man, it was really packed by show time and it became a fucking sweatbox as the bands started to play. At one point a girl came up to me and asked if I was a "Music Journalist.."... I said "Not really.."... and she said "Oh.. 'cause you look like one..".. and when I didn't really bite on that she commented on my Iron Maiden shirt and that was that; I took the interaction as a compliment (Thank you, young lady!).. but maybe I should stop walking around shows with a pen behind my ear.
Mark my words, you'll be hearing alot about Black Cobra by the end of the year. This was the final show before Rafa and Jason enter the studio to record a new album for their new label, the mighty Southern Lord, with legendary producer Billy Anderson. The kids down front for Black Cobra were the drinkers and beer can tossers and it was cute to see some decent crowd action erupt... and deservedly so.. 'cause, holy fuck, the band's 12-song set was tighter than a bolt rusted onto a nut. I've said before that Rafa and Jason are like a force of nature and it's been cool to be able to watch them develop and evolve as a band... Just when you think you know where they're going with one of their sonic stabbings onstage they veer off into another groove within the blink of an eye and their volume knife is suddenly at your throat; a force of nature (Note: I think the sonic stabbings > volume knife analogy is pretty good... I'm just saying..).
The mighty Acid King are returning to thunder across Europe this Summer, but not before making their first hometown appearance in almost 3 YEARS (!). Although they've toured Europe twice since their last S.F. show, the last time The King graced a stage in San Franfuckincisco was in October 2006 when they supported Boris at Slim's... on Umlaut's birthday no less! Another epic night.
The kids down front for Acid King were the stoners and it was cute to see some decent headbanging and fists in the air erupt... and deservedly so.. 'cause, holy fuck, the band sounded so great. It was beyond good to hear Lori (The Queen of Tone!) laying down her trademark hot asphalt riffs again as Joey and Mark followed with their steamroller rhythm (Note: I think the hot asphalt > steamroller analogy is pretty good... I'm just saying..). The King's set was augmented by a cool video montage projected onto the screen behind them that featured vintage footage of Anton LaVey leading spooky Satanic rituals and Hell's Angels riding around on hot asphalt; it added a whole other dimension to the band's performance. The entire presentation was perfect and I was reminded how much I had missed seeing and hearing The King's volume groove...
According to the Umlaut Archives, I've seen Acid King at least 30x (thirty... times..) over the years and this was one of my favorite performances mainly because it was cool to see fanboys (and girls) singing along with Lori and it was cool that at the end of the set the fanboys (and girls) gave the band a rousing, sweaty cheer as they left the stage. Hopefully Acid King will use a different calendar moving forward and not let 1,000 days go by before they play in their hometown again.
After the sweat settled, I snagged The King's setlist and had Rafa write down Black Cobra's set from memory... just 'cause it's what Music Geeks do:
Maybe look for this gem on Ebay in the near future...
As I said at the beginning, this was an epic night... and it was all the more special because I was surrounded by dear friends; many of them have been coming to Casa de Umlaut for BBQs and potlucks for years (YEARS!). I didn't do a merch audit, but there was some COOL swag for sale between the bands and Alan's art, so I hope The Kidz didn't spend all of their money at the bar. On the way back to the car, some pimpy-faced teenagers called me a fag. If you missed this magical night, perhaps you can experience it for yourself in the near future:
Black Cobra 2009 Tour:
July 24th - Blue Lagoon, Santa Cruz, CA
July 29th - Thee Parkside, San Franfuckincisco, CA
September 19th - Tokyo, Japan
September 20th - Loud Festival, Nagoya, Japan
September 21st - Osaka, Japan
September 22nd - Kyoto, Japan
September 23rd - Gifu, Japan
September 26th - Yokohama, Japan
September 27th - Tokyo, Japan
Acid King European Summer 2009 Tour:
July 29th - Hamburg, Germany
July 30th - Berlin, Germany
July 31st - Dresden, Germany
August 1st - Reims, France
August 2nd - Geneva, Switzerland
August 3rd - Sierre, Switzerland
August 4th - Milano, Italy
August 5th - Graz, Austria
August 6th - Wien, Austria
August 7th - Innsbruck, Austria
August 8th - Sauzipf Rocks Festival, Kärnten, Austria
Check the bands' websites for venue and show information, dude. Tell the bands Umlaut sent you... and then buy some merch.
Testament The Fillmore, San Francisco June 12, 2009
In the 3 months since this show was announced it's been one of those big events on my calendar... The type of show where I've asked someone "Are you going?" almost every week... This show was a fucking event: Hometown (well, Oakland!) Metal heroes headlining the premiere hometown venue on the final night of their current North American Tour. Umlaut loves this kinda shit!
In classic old school fashion, Umlaut met up with Old Metal Tim and Photo Ray at the nearby Benihana (Metal?) for a nice pre-show dinner and hang session. I'm pretty sure I hadn't been to a Benihana's since, like, high school... Afterwards we few, we happy few, made our way to The Fillmore.
Given the magnitude of the night, The Umlaut / Old Metal Nation was out in force.. so a shout out to Photo Ray, Old Metal Tim, Pam, Craig, Timo, Erik, Lisa, Quonsan, Jerry, Sven, Jenn, Scaparro, Joe, Nikki Blakk... and at least a couple of others who I'm spacing on right now (sorry guys...).
The Fillmore's floor and balcony were packed as Testament hit the stage and it was obvious they were going to have a great set when the crowd action erupted after the band had been onstage for literally 10 seconds... literally. They kicked off with 'The Preacher' and then things went into overdrive and by the set's 4th song, 'Over The Wall', the crowd action had hit its stride and kept going strong for the entire set. Nicely done, hometown! On the current tour, the band asked their fans in each city to vote online for what setlist they wanted to hear in their town.. so it looks like "Setlist C" won in S.F. and it was tight.
Unfortunately, the mix was rather muddy and the bottom end bounced around like a cannon ball in a rubber room up in the balcony.. Down on the floor it sounded better and the band rose to the occasion of their homecoming by charging through a spirited 90 minute set. I'm not alone when I say Alex Skolnick is my favorite Bay Area virtuoso Metal Guitar God (Sorry Kirk...) and it's always a treat watching him work his axe magic wielding his diverse musical powers. In the bigger picture, Testament are such a solid unit onstage in their current incarnation... and Chuck Billy is larger than life, man.
During 'Over The Wall'
It was cool to see such a large crowd out in force to support Testament's return. The show also lived up to expectations due to the healthy East Bay Old Metal vibe in the room, which of course meant a good number of thrown beers, dudes with neck tattoos, and a more even male / female ratio than alot of other Metal shows. I was kind of surprised I didn't hear anyone shout "RAAAIDEERS!".. but it is baseball season right now. I'm sure some of the East Bay Crew hit the first game of The Bay Bridge Series over at AT&T Park earlier in the evening before marching over to The Fillmore in time for the headliners... Too bad for them Lincecom shut the A's down.
THANKS to Old Metal Tim for sorting me as his +1.
Number of dudes manhandled out of the venue by security = 4. If you bought one of every Testament merch item you would have paid around $355. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. On another note, it was bullshit that The Fillmore didn't deem this show worthy of a poster, especially since it was a local Bay Area band who packed the place on this Friday night. Bullshit.
As an awkward teenager, Monty Python was one of the biggest influences on my young mind and it helped to create the awkward adult that I am today; Python's t.v. show, movies, and albums are sacred shit to me. I used to watch the t.v. episodes religiously when they were broadcast on the local PBS station and Life Of Brian (Bwian!!) was the first R-rated movie I ever saw in a theater (my Dad took me to see it for my birthday and all of the humor went over his head..).. and Monty Python & the Holy Grail was a fixture of the midnight movies at The Varsity Theatre (R.I.P.) when I was in high school and staying out late on weekends.
Inexplicably, I've been procrastinating about seeing Spamalot for the past 2 months thatit's been playing in San Franfuckincisco. WTF, right? However, due to the recent all out media blitz about the show ending it's S.F. run in early July, I finally pulled the trigger and bought tickets... 11th row center seats, dude!
Even as Skychick and I approached the venue, I was completely geeking out.. I was so "aware" that I even recognized the music being played as the audience was being seated as the incidental music from the closing credits of Python's t.v. show. Also, the show's program had the look and feel of one of the vintage Monty Python books from the 70's with wacky layout and inside jokes (a quick glance at the credits says the program was written and edited by Eric Idle.. natch!).
(Pic by Umlaut)
The San Francisco production stars John O'Hurley, who was J. Peterman on Seinfeld, and features a cast of 24 other actors and an orchestra / band (of course). Basically, Spamalot is based on Monty Python & the Holy Grail, with the movie's key scenes acting as the storyline. However, Spamalot also reimagines some the movie's scenes, storyline, and even characters and adds other elements (and SONGS!) to create SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Python humor + Python show tunes = FUCKING AMAZING!
I can safely say I've seen Holy Grail more times than any other movie; I'm one of those freaks who knows every line in every scene by heart. The way Spamalot takes these familiar scenes and makes them new again is unbelievably gobsmacking great! The Broadway musical version of Holy Grail's Camelot scene left me speechless and teary-eyed from laughing ("What happens in Camelot, stays in Camelot.."). Other scenes and musical numbers include "I Am Not Dead Yet", "Find Your Grail", "The French Castle" (!!) and "The Killer Rabbit" (!!!). BEYOND hilarious... and the opening scene (that is not from the movie) is so out of left field that I could practically hear half of the audience saying "What the fuck??" and the other half (like myself) having a huge Python Geek Moment.
The show also incorporates a few other famous Python bits (such as 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'), but it was also hilarious how they subtly added references to pop culture and current events into the show, such as The Knights Who Say Ni briefly riffing on California's current budget crisis; unexpected and brilliant! I wonder what bits the show adds to the jokes in other cities for those local audiences?!
Normally, Umlaut is more likely to see Celine Dion or Swedish Death Metal than a Broadway musical. Seeing a stage production like this is such a rare thing for Umlaut that I was easily caught up in the live orchestra, the set changes, the costume changes, and the clever special effects. All I can say is Spamalot was better than most of the concerts I'll see this year! The ACTORS.. the MUSIC... the COSTUMES... the STAGE PRODUCTION... the SPECTACLE.. (cue deep GIRLY sigh)! This show is easily one of my top Music Geek Moments of the year.. and as the cast was taking their bows I said to Skychick "I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN!!"
In a brilliant display of merch insight, they are selling officially licensed cans of Spamalot Spam! Brilliant!
If you bought one of every Spamalot merch item you would have paid around $300. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Trivia: Iron Maiden plays 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' after every concert as the houselights go up and the crowd leaves the show.
The exciting sequel to Metal On Metal, Forged In Fire, and 666! Anvil will be supporting AC/DC at their 2 massive East Coast stadium shows next month!
For Immediate Release-
HARD ROCK LEGENDS AC/DC TAP CANADIAN METAL BAND ANVIL OF THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILM “ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL” AS OPENERS FOR JULY 28 SHOW AT GILLETTE STADIUM AND JULY 31 SHOW AT GIANTS STADIUM
New York, NY (June 8, 2009)- Based on the overwhelming response to and incredible buzz created by the critically acclaimed documentary “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” the band has been chosen to fill the spot as opening act for rock legends AC/DC at their Gillette Stadium show on July 28th and their Giants Stadium show on July 31st. Anvil band members, Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner will see their dreams come true as they are set to open for one of the greatest hard rock bands in the world, AC/DC, for the two biggest shows on their Black Ice World Tour. This opportunity marks a stellar comeback for the 30 year-old band that continues to reach new heights with the success and continued expansion of their documentary and recent features in Newsweek and Rolling Stone.
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil” is the directorial debut of screenwriter Sacha Gervasi (“The Terminal”) and was produced by Rebecca Yeldham (“The Kite Runner” and “The Motorcycle Diaries”). The film follows Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner and their band, Anvil, which released one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s Metal on Metal. The album influenced an entire musical generation of rock bands, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, who all went on to sell millions of records. Anvil, on the other hand, took a different path—straight to obscurity. The film is both entertaining and touching as it follows their last-ditch quest for the fame and fortune that has been so elusive to them. “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year.
Praised as “The best documentary I’ve seen in years,” by documentarian Michael Moore, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” contains appearances by an array of heavy metal icons, including Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, former member of Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, and Slayer’s Tom Araya, among others.
Celebrities unconnected to the film have rallied around it, urging their fans to see “Anvil” in theaters. Among them are: Ryan Gosling, Dustin Hoffman, Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Mandy Moore, Keanu Reeves, Morgan Spurlock, Steve-O, Chris Martin, Rob Thomas and Rainn Wilson.
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” currently playing in theaters, is distributed by VH1 in association with Abramorama. This fall, VH1 will release the film on television and DVD under its Emmy Award-winning “VH1 Rock Docs” franchise. VH1 has been heavily supporting the theatrical distribution by Abramorama with a network-wide, multi-platform promotional campaign.
AC/DC kicked off their Black Ice World Tour in late October 2008, crisscrossing North America and Europe garnering raves from critics along the way. The Black Ice World Tour was given the ‘Major Tour of the Year’ award at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.
Black Ice made history debuting at #1 on album charts in 29 countries and also has the distinction of being Columbia Records’ biggest debut album (since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991). Black Ice has been certified Multi Platinum in eighteen countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, Argentina and the Czech Republic.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster and the band's website, www.acdc.com.
Death Angel Voodoo Lounge, San Jose, CA June 5, 2009
A year ago almost to the day, Death Angel played an epic homecoming show at Slim's that ranked as one of the best gigs I saw last year. Fast forward to now and things have changed dramatically for the band. First, there was the departure of original bassist Dennis Pepa earlier this year... but the band soldiered on with Sam Diosdado holding down the bottom end and they played a great set with Carcass in March. However, a couple of weeks ago another change was announced as original drummer Andy Galeon departed the band.
I'll be completely honest and say this latest news really took the wind out of my sails for Death Angel; Andy is one of favorite Metal drummers and it also magnified the fact that DA now only has 2 original members. Of course, bands change lineups and soldier on all the time, but DA's lineup has always been special because they were that gang of Filipino kids who were literally bonded by blood (For the newbies: All of the original DA members were cousins). The idea of seeing DA with 2 white guys in the lineup seemed.... odd.
According to the city's web site, San Jose's motto is now "The Fun Never Stops".. My response to that statement would be "When did "The Fun" begin??".. Discuss amongst yourselves. Given Death Angel's recent lineup change, I wasn't really looking forward to traveling back down to my old stomping grounds for this gig... and I was still haunted by the memories of my last visit to San Jose for a concert...
Prior to the show, Timo, Photo Ray, and I settled down at Gordon Biersch for a great pre-show hangout session... Then we few, we happy few, walked around the corner to the show. I'd never been to the Voodoo Lounge before and it was a pleasant surprise to discover it's a pretty cool venue. I was expecting a hole in the wall, but it's actually a large space with a nice bar and a good size stage and sound system... in San Jose!? Who woulda thunk?! Besides the impressive venue it was also nice to see a large crowd out for The Metal on this night as well.
I'll cut to the chase: I was wrong to doubt the band's ability to make the best of their recent changes; Death Angel still rules. The new lineup was TIGHT and they pulled out some old songs they haven't played since reforming. New drummer Will Carroll (Old Grandad, Scarecrow) was appropriately pounding and for the Old Metalheads: His playing reminded me of Nigel Glockler for some unexplained reason... and I haven't even thought about Nigel Glockler in years! One of the club's bartenders was wearing a Scarecrow shirt and he kinda went a little nuts when DA launched into 'Dethroned'... which was the best song of the set IMO... but the set closing classic ' Kill As One' (which the band launched into at 1:04AM) never fails to make me happy.
Metalheads in The Big City can be such snobs (guilty!), so this show was a nice reality check for Umlaut... Sometimes seeing a Metal show in The 'Burbs is the perfect thing since it's where most of the authentic Metalheads call home. It was also cool that besides Timo and Photo Ray there were other members of the Umlaut Nation in attendance like Metal CPA and Nikki Blakk; Nikki revealed that 107.7 The Bone Metal Zone is done with "magic" (!)...
There was an unusually large number of Motörhead shirts in the crowd. I didn't do a thorough merch audit, but I think it's safe to say that if you spent $140 you would have gone home with every Death Angel merch item. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Do you know the way to San Jose? Sometimes the road is paved with Metal..
A project that Umlaut brokered last year is finally hitting the streets this month:
Although this project was associated with a bullshit-riddled work situation (a situation that had NOTHING to do with Motörhead), I'm still VERY proud to have contributed to the band's legacy with this. It's also a nice compliment to THIS previous project on my resume. Anything for Lemmy, man.
Click HERE to see Hurley's entire Motörhead collection.
On the morning of this show I woke up in Las Vegas. However, I traveled back home on the Black Wings of Hell and was able to make it to the DNA in surgically precise fashion.
I don't know about bands in other genres, but it seems like underground European Metal bands have the most problems obtaining the proper visas to enter the United States of America. I don't know if it's due to poor document management on the band side or discrimination by the State Department, but it seems to happen quite often. The latest example is Swedish Metal legends Marduk, who were supposed to be on this tour but who never arrived in the States... a bummer since I believe the Swedes haven't visited this country in 8 years.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Mayhem. For the newbies: Mayhem are probably THE most infamous Metal band ever... It's funny that normal people would probably cite Marilyn Manson as a terrifying example of the evil of Metal, but Brian Warner's claim to darkness cannot compare to these moments in Mayhem's history (the following was stolen from Wiki since I'm too lazy to write it up myself right now):
On 8 April 1991, Dead committed suicide in the house owned by the band. He was found by Euronymous with slit wrists and a shotgun round to the head. Dead's suicide note read "Excuse all the blood" and included an apology for firing the weapon indoors. Instead of calling the police, Euronymous went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse, after re-arranging some items.
On 10 August 1993, Varg Vikernes murdered guitarist Euronymous. On that night, Vikernes and Snorre Ruch travelled from Bergen to Euronymous’s apartment in Oslo. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended when Vikernes fatally stabbed Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with twenty-three cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back. Vikernes claims that Euronymous had plotted to torture him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract as a pretext. On the night of the murder, Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract and "tell him to fuck off", but that Euronymous attacked him first. Additionally, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous’s cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle. Regardless of the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days, and a few months later he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for both the murder and church arsons.
Band suicide, murder, church burnings; Marilyn Manson is a pussy compared to the original members of Mayhem! You can laugh, but those original Mayhem dudes were the real deal when it came to their chosen music and lifestyle. For the newbies, you really should read the book Lords Of Chaos.
Fast forward to the 21st Century, and Necrobutcher (bass) is the only original member of Mayhem left, but the band's legacy is still a solid draw. There's an aura around Mayhem that few, if any, bands can match: At one time a murder victim AND his killer were in the band at the same time. How METAL is that!? This was Mayhem's first visit to S.F. in almost 10 years and the DNA was packed solid.
The anticipation before Mayhem hit the stage was thick enough to cut with a knife, so anticlimactic is an understatement when the band lurched into its first song and the volume level seemed to be on, like, "5" instead of "11".. It was so quiet I had a brief conversation with the person next to me and we could easily hear each other. I suspect the volume being less than 11 was due to the ongoing battle the DNA has been fighting with "regulation" authorities; this was the type of show where my clothes should have been vibrating from the volume.. Seriously... especially since legendary producer Billy Anderson is doing Mayhem's sound on this tour (Hail Billy!).
I'll cut to the chase and say that it took me at least 30 minutes to get into Mayhem's set... and after 90 minutes I was ready to go home. I could not get into Attila's frontman antics at all; at past shows on the tour he's performed in standard Black Metal makeup and in a badass retro SS uniform.. but in S.F. his stage attire was mainly centered around a noose that he used as a prop.... AND I usually have a hard time not laughing out loud when a Black Metal singer doesn't break character and talks to the crowd in his "METAL" voice.. Yes, I did laugh out loud when Attila addressed the crowd... a couple of times.
Is Umlaut a poser when it comes to Black Metal? Yes. When it comes down to it, I'm a product of a different generation of Metal... BUT I saw Venom and Mercyful Fate on their first visits to the States so my Metal Cred is too legit to quit.
It's always funny when there are hardcore Christian protesters at a Nine Inch Nails show, but when a band comes to town whose history includes actual warfare against Christianity (church burnings, outspoken blasphemy, etc.) there is not a Christian protesting anywhere. Discuss amongst yourselves.
THANKS to Photo Ray for sorting me as his +1 for the show. Rock Star sightings: Dave of Neurosis and Leila of Saros... and Jello stood within 3 feet of me at a show for the 5th time this year; he was also two-fisting his drinks tonight. Metal.
When I checked the merch table prior to their set, Mayhem only had dudes' shirts in SMALL and MEDIUM for sale!! WTF... They lost out on serious $$ of merch sales in S.F.; running out of XL shirts at a testosterone fueled Metal show like this!? In Nomine Satanas, that's ridiculous! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Whoever is doing Mayhem's merch really should be slaughtered in a ritual sacrifice... I'm just saying.
Click HERE to see Taija's great photos from Mayhem's Orlando show.
Recent conversations about Anton LaVey with members of The Umlaut Nation reminded me of these oldies but goodies from the original xeroxed 'zine version of Umlaut:
SHOPPING WITH SATAN: A TRUE ENCOUNTER (From Issue 9 - Spring 1994) - While in Service Merchandise on El Camino in South San Francisco to purchase a coffee maker, Umlaut was surprised silly when Anton LaVey, author of The Satanic Bible and founder of The Church of Satan, got in line next to us! His reason: To return an alarm clock!!! Pure evil. Too intimidated by his evilness to ask for an autograph, Umlaut watched as Mr. LaVey gnashed his teeth impatiently as the unsuspecting housewife in front of him played irate consumer. The fool!
666
DINING WITH SATAN: A TRUE ENCOUNTER (From Issue 10 - Fall 1994) - While in Mel's Diner on Geary Blvd. in San Francisco for dinner, Umlaut almost wet its bell bottoms when Anton LaVey, author of The Satanic Bible and founder of The Church of Satan, got in line for a non-smoking table next to us! Accompanied by a bleach blonde wearing pumps and holding a little devil baby, Mr. LaVey sat at a table across from Umlaut. His order: A hot turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, a bowl of soup, and a chocolate shake!!! Pure evil. Too intimidated by his evilness to ask for an autograph, Umlaut watched as Mr. LaVey reprimanded the waiter for forgetting his cranberry sauce. The fool!
666
For the newbies: Anton LaVey lived in The Black House at 6114 California Street in San Franfuckincisco for 30 years until his death in 1997.
Who: Krokus - Screaming In The Night (1983) Where: Baker Beach, The Presidio
It's funny how the Krokus video from Umlaut's recent San Francisco post inspired alot of e-mails from readers of this space; I now stand corrected about the filming location, which I had always thought was The Marin Headlands. Also, I just knew that several members of The Umlaut Nation would bite on sharing their experiences at the filming with me (HA!).
Screaming In The Night was filmed at Baker Beach. Trust me, I was there (was it me you were referring to cutting school to be an extra or one of your many other legion?). You can see me in the parade if you don't blink and freeze frame, I'm walking next to Randy Bachman.
Dalia (on the right) at the 1:01 minute mark!
I had forgotten Jane Dornacher was in it. R.I.P.
Given Dalia's insight I stand corrected: The 'Screaming In The Night' video WAS filmed in San Francisco! Krokus..... Dog bless 'em.. and right behind Dalia's account came Leah's memory of the day:
That's funny.. I did cut school with a bunch of friends and was an extra in that Krokus shoot at Baker Beach too! Brings back some memories to be sure. I recall wearing some weird ensemble of red and gold rags as a dress and they ratted our hair up, oh The Eighties....
... and then came another classic San Francisco Metal memory from Old Metal Erik:
OK, Mr. Umlaut Man. I, too, was there, and I feel compelled to share my memories. Yep, I remember the day well.
My friend Crystal had heard the announcement on KRQR that they would be filming at the Baker Beach bunkers, and they were inviting people to participate as extras. What?! A new Krokus video being filmed on the beach and spitting distance from our school campus??!! We had quite a little cluster of Metalheads at George Washington High, and had no problem recruiting a small posse to ditch class and go make a Metal video. Hell yeah!
We made our way to the bunkers, and waited for hours with a crowd of extras before being called into the "hair and make-up" trailer. They dressed us up like a bunch of weird futuristic peasants, gave us crappy box lunches and made us wait around some more.
Our big break comes about 4 minutes and 25 seconds into the video, when Marc Storace escapes his captors by climbing down a mysterious ladder into some strange diner. When he looks up at the TV in the corner, he sees himself performing in front of a crowd of weird futuristic peasants, and there we are, fist-banging away to one of the tamest "Metal" songs ever. Does it even qualify?
George Washington High down front at the 4:25 minute mark!
The only real excitement of the day was when one of our posse decided to steal a large case filled with camera lenses, belonging to the late great photographer Randy Bachman. I won't name the culprit, but it's safe to say that he is well known to many within The Umlaut Nation. Since Baker Beach is in The Presidio, which at the time was still an Army base, the Military Police were involved, and Randy got his lenses back.
Not the funnest day, but it definitely beat going to school! Plus, we all got Headhunter shirts, which I never wore; it's probably still in a box in my garage. Anyway, Krokus had already lost the plot at that point, and were obeying bad advice from lame American Record Execs. This video is evidence of that fact. I'm gonna go crank up Metal Rendezvous or Hardware, for old time's sake...
Trivia: The late photographer Randy Bachman also appeared in the Scorpions - 'No One Like You' video.
Click HERE and HERE to see Umlaut's Krokus memories... For a brief moment in time, that band from Switzerland actually meant something to me. Remember when Krokus toured with Motörhead in 1982? Me too..
'American Woman' 7" single - 1982 (From the Umlaut Archives)
For the newbies: If you don't know what All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) is, then please leave now and do your homework... Come back when you're done... There will be a quiz!
For everyone else: The latest installment of the ATP series was one that was closest to Umlaut's heart with several bands who I hold near and dear on the bill (SLEEP reunited for one weekend only... The Jesus Lizard.. Killing Joke..) as well as other bands who I dig (Devo.. Electric Wizard.. Harvey Milk..)... but, alas, I couldn't attend. Thankfully, Umlaut Nation members Joey (representing the United States) and Alan (representing Great Britain) were there to allow me to live vicariously through their Rock 'N Roll Lifestyles. Read on:
ATP Vs. The Fans Part II: The Fans Strike Back Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead, England May 8-10, 2009
It Was A Classic: A Visit to Haven Butlins
By “Al from Hell” Dickey and Joey “Blow Torch” Osbourne Joey’s Take (JT): What a week this was. I recently visited my buddy Alan and his lovely family in London to go to the Fans Strike Back II All Tomorrow’s Parties festival blow out. It started with a primer visit to Photo Fit printing shop to see the latest England team football and Sleep shirts in the production queues. Then a drive by Jerry Hall’s ‘bungalow’ (I think Mick Jagger perped on her for years next door) and Petey Townshend's Wick House digs all overlooking the scenic Thames River. We connected with Todd and Dema and hit the road north to Butlins in Hertfordshire (near Wales) from London. Although it was supposed to be a 3 ½ hour trip, we successfully made it a 6 hour drive full of great shuffle on the iPod and anticipatory chit chat. We’re not sure why it took so long as no one was paying attention including Alan who was driving.
Alan: I was paying attention, honest officer! Hey they only dug up half of bloody London to repair their ancient water pipes and then decided to close half of the M4 so the council could repair a small part of the fence in the centre of the motorway.
JT: We got to the Butlins production area and picked up our dialed tickets and VIP efficiency key cards. Barry, Deborah and crew rule, period. We saw Xavier’s fleet (Highway Tiger Tour vans) but no Xavier. Oh well. We settled in and were off to the races.
Alan: I saw Xavier first as I was driving and paying attention whence why we didn’t hit them.
JT: Friday started with Andrew W.K.. Ok, I am so glad I never paid to see him. He wears all white. I’d guess he’s a nice guy so he gets the Nice Guy/Bad Band status.
Alan: Yeah, me too, but he does get the vote of confidence. The kids lapped it up as I am sure his accountant does too but I would still prefer to stand and watch WHITEHOUSE over Andrew WK. WHITEHOUSE wears black.
JT: Then it was Devo who I had never seen. Look, I was waiting for a festival like this and didn’t see them when they played for free in S.F. because I have to pay rent in that friggin’ city. Plus I’m a drummer who’s from Kentucky. What do you expect? Devo were great and a lot of dancing and screaming by Dema, Todd, Alan and I (and probably Tommy and Julie at this point) went down. They even played 'Uncrontrollable Urge' so I could finally die in peace.
Alan: Hey Joey, I agree Devo were still as energetic as ever and to see them still don the little black hot pants and black vests after all these years was priceless as I am sure not many bands from now would be able to pull that off. 'Mongoloid', 'Freedom of Choice', 'Girl U Want', and 'Whip It' had us all in a sweaty pool of bliss.
JT: Lots of "socializing" ensued until Electric Wizard came on. A significant improvement from the last time I saw them. I think it was due to the new line up. All that said, Electric Wizard = bad guy + great band. At some point I went over to Todd and Dema’s and met some really cool people including Ozzie who played drums with Brian James (The Damned and The Lords of the New Church) and Nick Treguna (The Lords of the New Church). Holy Shit! The Damned are my favorite punk band. Holy Shit! And Ozzie was a very cool guy to boot. We talked shop of course. Beddy bye for me at some point after this. Dema went on to dance the night away with Fuck Buttons.
Alan: Supposedly this is when I ended up on the beach with a shit load of TMFT (Today Mother Fucker Today) stickers and a shit load of ATP fans getting stickered to death. All I remember is waking up with one sock on and a bucket and spade beside my bed full of sand?? Joey, the door was locked right?
JT: I can’t remember Al. I was so tired. Saturday: started with Qui with Mr. Yow on vocals. Good musicians and David warming up for the eventual hoo ha ha. I saw a few songs of Young Marble Giants to say that I saw them. Wait, did I write that? Then I traipsed over to see Grizzly Bear and was pleasantly surprised at how good these guys were. Incredible harmonies. Check ‘em out. Then it was on to Harvey Milk. I had seen them earlier this year at Great American Music Hall with Joe Preston and was pleasantly surprised that they upped the ante with the ATP show. Brutally amazing band and very cool guys. I met them after the set with Cyrus (Drunk Horse, Saviours and a sweetheart in general). The Harvey Milk guys gave Cyrus and I backstage passes for the rest of the show which came in handy later on in the evening. Harvey Milk = great guys + great band.
Joey's "All Access, Bitch!" Pass
Alan: Harvey Mother Fucking Milk more like and Cyrus (I am hanging with you broads) is a class act. How come we didn’t hang with Cyrus later on as he seemed like he had the best party going on? Seriously Harvey Milk were one of those bands when you see them for the first time and just wig out to and later think they fit into that “When they are in your town they aren’t to be missed” category.
JT: Then it was on to see one of Todd ‘I booked ‘em Cote’s band, Sleepy Sun. Holy crap, these guys blew me away. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they did an amazing cover of a late era Fleetwood Mac song ('The Chain'). Hats off to the youth for having no hang ups on "What’s the right cover song to do". Then The Jesus Lizard came on and blistered the crowd. O.K., they are older, but damn those guys are masters at kickin’ your face in old school. Wait, did I write that? Then it came time for the reason I came across the pond, Sleep. I was definitely backstage and not to shoot the shit with the guys, but be witness to the brutal hour and half onslaught by the masters of doom. They did tons of songs from Holy Mountain, a snippet of Dopesmoker (sorry guys I can’t call it Jerusalem ‘cause that’s not what I called it when I first witnessed that song) and a song I’d never heard to close the set. One word: Holy. No more needs to be said. I followed the riff-filled caravan of Sleep to their room and went to bed soon after that. Nice.
Alan: Sleepy Sun really got the new band on the block award for sure and what a fine bunch and a fine psychedelic hippie dose was needed at that time of day as it set up the rest of the evening for sure. There were various amounts of Jim Beam and Tetleys bitter top ups in between the above bands. We also managed to gate crash Adam’s (Production House) birthday celebrations back stage just prior to Sleep as his crew was doing all that was needed to get each band off that stage and the next round of musicians on the stage in time. He is now OFFICIALLY one of the OLD BASTARDS AT THE BAR as he turned 35 and Dr. Bourbon (Photofit) has confirmed yes he can have the official shirt very soon.
JT: Sunday started with spaghetti dinner with Alan, Dema, Tommy, Julie and myself. Todd was busy booking something I’m sure. We checked out the end of !!! CHK CHK CHK. Good enough plan. Then came the second reason I crossed the pond: Killing Joke. Mind you, I saw them 8 years or so ago at Slim’s and they sucked. This was a very influential band for me and they needed to redeem that slot in my life for me. This was the original line up and those fuckin’ Brits delivered. Even the disco stuff sounded great. I could now die in peace. We all traipsed over to see Spiritualized who were really good, but Todd and Dema’s antics were by far more entertaining. No more needs to be said. School of Seven Bells = two hot birds with a twat in the middle. I’m not sure why I skipped the second Jesus Lizard set but I’m sure it was for some reason that was funny. Then I saw This Will Destroy You long enough to appreciate that I never heard any of their music before and never paid to see them. Life is good. Then, the Holy Mountain boys, Sleep. I stood in the crowd this time. Holy. Back to London. It only took 3 ½ hours. Weird.
Alan: Fuck man you forgot the bit when we are staggering around Butlins following each other and we came across the infamous 50ft climbing wall and this dude comes up to us and says ”Man do you know that Dale Crover is the only musician to actually climb all the way to the top of that there wall”? Well I was like no f*cking way? Joey starts pacing about and you could see he’s thinking “I can beat Mr Crover at most things but that wall is pretty high”. I managed to convince Joey that if anyone would want to better that feat leave it to the Electric Wizard guys. You never know it might become an ATP event in the future. Sleep and Spiritualized were two bands similar in thinking but so different in action and after witnessing both the Fuck Buttons DJ set at The Crazy Horse for a few laps around the dance floor was needed. God knows who that poor boy was but Dema had him doing cart wheels and rolly polly’s on the dance floor. It was all Dema’s fault for sure.
JT: We saw Sleepy Sun again at the Luminaire and had amazing Indian food.
Alan: This was Sleepy Suns first ever London show and it was their Embrace debut album release which made it all the more special. As Joey said the Indian food at VJ’s on Willesden Lane is probably the best. In London that’s for sure. Then a short walk up to The Luminaire. What a perfect way to finish off a CLASSIC weekend?
JT: There is one major thing that I learned in England, thanks to Dema, “That ain’t no Ferris Wheel, Joey. It’s the fucking Millennium Eye”.
Joey and Al say in closing "Remember kids, Uncle Chop Chop says "Don’t cut off your fuckin' ears".
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