Kidz These Days

This excellent photo was sent in by Umlaut Nation member Chris from the great state of Montana:


Can you guess what year it was taken? Was it:

A: 1985
B: 1993
C: 2009

If you answered 1985... you would be WRONG! If you answered 1993... you would be WRONG (although the Earache decal on the B.C. Rich would have been a good clue...)! Nope, the photo was taken this past February! The Headbanger second from the left is Chris' son, who is flying old school colors on his denim with his Motörhead and Slayer patches AND his Bonded By Blood shirt. METAL.

Metal is alive and well, my friends. I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way..

Outside Lands Festival

Day 2
Outside Lands Festival
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
August 29, 2009

There was no way Umlaut was going to pay the $$ to attend Outside Lands given the bill. The headliners for the festival's 3 days were Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Tenacious D. (who were a late replacement for The Beastie Boys who cancelled due to MCA's cancer diagnosis..). To be completely and brutally honest, just about the only band I was interested in seeing was Mastodon... who seemed out of place on the 70 band lineup. I must also state for the public record that Dave Matthews is one of my mortal enemies... we hates him.. preciooouss.

Umlaut's life is indeed blessed and the day was probably the most painless, easiest, and mellow big concert experiences I've ever had. First of all, we found parking pretty much immediately just outside of the festival site. When Photo Ray and I arrived at the box office we were handed All Access wristbands and then met up with The Rock Goddess who appeared upon her golden golf cart. We then joined her for a golf cart ride to the backstage area behind the Main Stage and thus our day at Outside Lands began.


Upon arriving at the Main Stage area, The Rock Goddess gave us a quick orientation about where everything was on the festival site... introduced us to the glamorous underbelly of concert festival swag bags... and, most importantly, showed us where the Main Stage VIP bar was.. where one of the bartenders was wearing a Down shirt. Yes! Metal.

After that, The Rock Goddess had to return to her duties enabling Rock Stars and we were left to our own devices. In quick order we had delicious Niman Ranch cheeseburgers and beers... It was all so insanely civilized, and easy, and relaxing I almost couldn't stand it. At that point Photo Ray and I agreed to approach the day as if we were at a barbecue instead of a concert... We would simply wander around and catch whatever came our way since the only band either of us wanted to see was Mastodon at 3:55PM.

So for the next several hours we wandered hither and yon around the festival site... From the comedian in the cool cabaret tent... to the Hip Hop act on *that* stage... to the Jam band on *that* stage... to the Reggae band on *that* stage... It was a good thing we were in "barbeque" mode because most of the music we encountered was too goddamn NORMAL and we still had to wait several hours for Metal. Although I was having fun, I quickly realized that even as organized and impressive as Outside Lands is as a festival, it wasn't really my scene... and I was confused by the Hipster dude wearing a Mayhem shirt. Seriously? Mayhem?? Uhh, because your shoes say you're a poser..

We did catch a bit of The Dirtbombs who I'd seen before... and watched most of Tom Morello's Street Sweeper Social Club from the side of the stage. To be honest, neither act really do that much for me... and Photo Ray and I fell back into our barbeque mode and hung out in the lounge area behind the stage, chatted with a few people and festival staff friends (Hey Nico!), and drank free Heineken Lites.... I know, NOT Metal... but they were free and beggers can't be choosers. It was also cool to catch up with The Rock Goddess whenever she had a free moment from her duties enabling Rock Stars.

Mastodon arrived via the standard white passenger van about an hour before they were due to take the stage with girlfriends / wives and kids in tow... and as their set time neared we moved towards the stage and followed the band up the stairs as they strode forth to rock. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 3,000 words on Mastodon:

Mastodon about to take the stage...

Mastodon onstage..

Mastodon from the soundboard..

We watched about half of the band's set from stage right and then relocated to the soundboard. After a brief encounter with festival security over our passes, we hopped up onto the soundboard platform.... and realized we were standing directly behind Robert who plays bass in that local Bay Area Metal band. Funny... and METAL.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 7th time seeing Mastodon and it was odd watching them in front of a non-partisan, non-Metal festival crowd; it wasn't like seeing them at OzzFest 4 years ago. Their hour long set included great versions of 'Divinations' and 'Oblivion' from their latest Crack The Skye album and I was surprised how good the band's sound was given the outdoor venue (evidently the band had just brought a new sound guy on board only 3 shows earlier... and the guy is obviously doing a fucking great job so far..). After the set, I commented to someone in the band's camp that at first I didn't *get* the band's inclusion at this festival, but after their set I *got* it. Mastodon's evolution into a Prog Metal beast might have alienated some of their old fans, but Umlaut totally digs it and I can see it translating to a festival crowd soaking up some music vibes in the sun (Dude!)... and with Mars Volta playing after Mastodon on the same stage that bigger picture suddenly clicked as well.. Mars Volta > Mastodon makes total sense to me.

It would have been cool to see Mars Volta again, but Photo Ray and I had to split for previous engagements. After Mastodon's set we said our goodbyes and returned to the real world beyond the confines of the Outside Lands fantasy place site.

Gossip: The Front Man and The Drummer of Metallica arrived late to watch Mars Volta.

There was alot of merch for sale... alot.. but I'm still on my self-imposed merch audit hiatus. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. If I had simply left my magic wristband on I could have returned to the Outside Lands fantasy the following day... but alas one day was enough for Umlaut and I removed the magic band with a blade.. and, besides, there was absolutely NO Metal on the 3rd day.. and I cannot condone that.

Locals Only

Hammers Of Misfortune / Ludicra / Amber Asylum
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
August 28, 2009

It was one of those days when us locals forgot San Francisco is in a mild temperate zone.. The backyard thermometer at Casa de Umlaut read 90 degrees at 6:45pm so I decided to live on the edge and wear shorts (black of course) to the show.. I was that confident The Fog would not make an appearance to disturb the Metal. It was a fucking beautiful night, man.

The was a rare all locals bill that seemed appropriate for the late Summer heatwave that was broiling S.F.. As I waited outside at the box office window it was funny seeing most of the same people who had been at the Saros show the night before. It takes a village for a Music Scene to be Metal, man. Given the nature of the evening the Umlaut Nation was nicely represented.. so a shout out to Timo, Lori, Johnny, Joey, Rafa, Jason, Justin, Alan F, and Stacy.

Amber Asylum: It was a little jarring to see Leila, less than 24 hours after her blazing Metal performance with Saros, onstage behind her keyboards and acoustic guitar as part of Amber Asylum's lush sonic curtain. I hadn't seen the band perform in ages and ages... and they might have seemed like a mismatch on this bill, but the truth is they were a nice fit if only because of their aesthetic. Due to the heat outside, it was rather sauna like inside the GAMH and Amber Asylum's set fit the sweaty atmosphere nicely... although it was annoying how the huge fan set up on the balcony stage right was sometimes louder than the band's quiet moments.

Ludicra: Holy shit... The band was brutally tight from having just spent a couple of weeks on a U.S. Tour! According to the Umlaut Archives this was the 7th time I'd seen Ludicra and I don't think I've ever seen them this cohesive as a Metal unit before; you could tell they were on another level.. The crowd had pressed down front as they took the stage and it was one of those shows where you could sense the band and the audience were connecting. You know what I mean...


Not long ago, Umlaut Nation friend Cosmo Lee (of Decibel and Invisible Oranges fame) dubbed Ludicra Metal's Most Underrated Band and at the moment the band is living up to that statement IMO. It's stunning to think what Ludicra could accomplish if they were a full-time band and were able to bulldoze their way across the globe; they could easily conquer Europe, man... Easily. Marilyn Manson was playing across town at The Warfield and it was funny when Laurie thanked the crowd for not attending that show... and after their set I found himself chatting with Umlaut Nation friend Justin, who grew up and hung out with Manson and Jeordie in Florida. Irony!

Hammers Of Misfortune: As Hammers took the stage the first thing that popped into my head was "Is that Max on bass?" and Joey Acid King confirmed that it was.. (Max is best known for being in longtime S.F. favorites Old Granddad). I won't lie: I'm not a huge Hammers fan... so after a few songs I decided it was time to exit and make my way through the muggy S.F. night and returned to Casa de Umlaut. All in all it had been a good, easy, sweaty night.

Amebix shirts = 1 (mine). I'm still on a hiatus from doing merch audits... sorry. On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. On the way out a dude asked me if I worked for Alternative Tentacles... which I took as a compliment.

Parting Is Such Sweet Saros

Saros
The Eagle Tavern, San Francisco
August 27, 2009

It was with a heavy Metal heart that Umlaut made his way to The Eagle on this night. After 5 years, Saros had announced they were playing their final show with Tim on bass and would be going on a hiatus for perhaps as long as a year...

Although The Eagle has hosted shows regularly over the years, the last time I was there was during the Clinton Administration for a Tranny fashion show with my old roommate (Hey Jayne!). Given the magnitude of the show, the Umlaut Nation was out in force... so a shout out to Joey, Johnny, Photo Ray, Jason, Rafa, and Dave. It was also cool to see members of those other S.F. Metal heroes Ludicra, Hammers Of Misfortune, Black Cobra, and Acid King out supporting Saros on their special night; it takes a village for a Music Scene to be Metal.. and tonight the core of the S.F. Metal Scene was in the house.

This show was bittersweet since Saros are one of my favorites and it's always more fun to support a local band. They opened with their almighty classic 'F Subzero' and tore through a 45 minute set that showcased the band's hybrid of Classic Metal and shape-shifting Prog Rock with Tim holding down the bottom end one last time.

During the set there was some nice Metal show drama down at the front when a dude got a little out of hand and sent a Metal Lady's beer flying all over those around her, including Umlaut. Not one to stand down from such an afront, the Metal Lady demanded, and received, a replacement pint from the dude. Don't take no shit in The Pit!

After Saros had played their last song the band started to tear down their equipment, but the crowd that had filled the space between the stage and the bar would not leave or relent in their calls for an encore. In what will be one of my favorite gig moments of the year, Leila took her SG back out of its case, the band plugged back in, and they played one final song with Tim... a solid version of 'Collapse Of The Tower'. NICE! They say a picture is worth one thousand words, so here's 2,000 blurry words on Saros:

'Collapse Of The Tower'

I've ranted about Saros more eloquently in past posts, so click HERE and HERE to read what I've previously said about the band because it still rings true. Although the word "hiatus" always strikes fear in my heart when it's connected with a band, at least Leila will be busy with Amber Asylum as they support their latest album, but more on that in 24 hours.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was the 6th time I'd seen Saros.. and hopefully it won't be the last. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Here's to Saros and I hope the band rises from their hiatus like the fiery Phoenix in the not too distant future..

What I Did This Summer

I've said this before in this space: 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 when they did a series of local sneak shows. IMO Green Day have evolved into 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. However, if it helps, I will try to work in as many references to Goatwhore into this piece as possible.

Back in 2004-05, Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug Tour took in a total of 6 shows in 3 countries and 4 cities and this tour has already eclipsed that mark. It's been another magical Music Geek adventure living the Lock 'N Loll Magic here in 2009.

The exciting sequel to Road Trip! New Orleans > Houston > San Jose > Sacramento... Here we go..


New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
August 7, 2009

The Big Easy: It's been a couple of years since the last time Umlaut visited Skychick's hometown. Number of Texans who thought I was a chick during our layover in Houston = 1. We arrived a day and a half in advance of the show to hang out with friends. This was Umlaut's 3rd post-Katrina visit and it's shocking how much damage is still evident as the 4th Anniversary of that disaster approaches. It's still obvious how much Katrina changed N'awlins forever and there will always be an underlying sadness about the city, which I find very compelling and even attractive...because I tend to like the dark side of life. Dog bless NoLa and its inhabitants forever, man.

I'm sure you will agree that 97 degree heat with 90% humidity isn't fun weather even when you're doing the Lock 'N Loll thing. Earlier in the day we drove past the arena and I must give props to the 150-200 or so kidz who were waiting in line for the GA floor in that weather. Hardcore.. although I have to say the Panzerfaust I saw at the World War II Museum that afternoon was even more hardcore:


Prior to the show we had an awesome dinner and cold beers with friends at Acme Oyster House in The French Quarter; me love The Quarter long time... and Go Cups are such a civilized concept! Thanks to Tour Manager Doug (TMD) for arranging for us to bring our dear NoLa friends to the show.. and a shout out to Alida, Cindy, Rachel, Kelly, and Mark. We watched the show from Section 114, Row 2.. Nice...

Tonight was the Kaiser Chiefs final night on the tour and Green Day really knows how to prank their support acts! Prior to the show, the Green Day camp hired a local N'awlins jazz brass band and as the Kaiser Chiefs started playing their hit 'I Predict A Riot' the brass band stormed the stage to play alongside the Brits as members of Green Day and their crew covered the stage with toilet paper from behind the backline... The Brits had no idea what hit them; a fantastic prank by anyone's standards!

Of course, this night was highlighted by our close encounter with sometimes N'awlins resident Benjamin Button... which was rather surreal. Click HERE for Umlaut's previous post about that paparazzi moment. Trivia: Benjamin Button drank a Stella during the show brought to him by his assistant and a Green Day crew guy brought Maddox one of Tre Cool's drum sticks. Also, TMD revealed he sat us directly behind Benjamin Button on purpose. Yes! However, this celebrity close encounter didn't really distract me from the show and it actually made the night that much more special... Although my water bottle was in the cup holder attached to the back of Benjamin Button's chair; I had to be careful not to spill water on him so his bodyguard wouldn't take me out.

It's been documented how Green Day has a connection with N'awlins.. and that was evident during the performance. The band's energy, especially Billie Joe, were jacked up a notch as they blazed through the set... and the crowd energy was at flood levels the entire night. Special. The show in short: Green Day played at The Superdome when it reopened in 2007 after Katrina. To honor N'awlins: They performed 'The Saints Are Coming' mid-set (a song they hadn't performed since The Superdome's reopening and Billie Joe said they would only play it in N'awlins..), added a bit of 'When The Saints Go Marching In' during the saxophone bit in 'King For A Day', and Billie Joe sang 'When September Ends' acoustic that led straight into the show closing 'Good Riddance'. The former song means alot to many Katrina survivors (Katrina hit on August 29, 2005) and the band had not performed it on this tour until that moment (Note: This was the only time the song was performed on the just completed North American Tour..). It was a moment when the music became transcendent, man... The emotions in the arena was thick enough to cut with a knife at that moment; I teared up. Magic.

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In N'awlins he did a selection of Van Halen riffs; I'd forgotten how cool 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' sounds in an arena.

After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like changes and tweaks in the stage production and the setlist since the first arena shows in July; visuals had been changed and some regular songs were switched around in the main setlist. The biggest change since the start of the tour was that the band was now switching up the setlist every night mid-set and also during the Billie Joe's solo acoustic portion of the encore; it made each show unique and more interesting.. Highlight: The previously mentioned 'When September Ends' > 'Good Riddance' emotional doubleshot to close the show.

New Orleans Afterwards: All Arenas Look The Same

Goatwhore are from N'awlins, but I think I might have been the only Goatwhore fan in the house tonight. Behemoth shirts = 1 (mine). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I have to say New Orleans was my favorite show of this leg of the Stalking TMD Tour... none of the other shows had the raw emotion attached to it IMO. Magic.

Toyota Center, Houston, TX
August 8, 2009

There was some flight delay drama at the New Orleans Airport the next morning and for awhile it was looking like Skychick and I might not make it to Houston. However, every once in awhile The Rock Godz give Umlaut a reality check... and in the end everything fell into place and we made it to Texas just fine... 'cause Texas is the reason, y'all.. but it did take us 6 fucking hours.

Prior to the show we had an awesome meal with friends at The Broken Spoke where they had Chimay Blue on tap (!); so civilized. Thanks to TMD for arranging for us to bring some Houston friends to the show including a trio of cool kids.. The 11-year old girl owns a pony and has a huge Rock Star Crush on Billie Joe... The 2 boys (15 and 16-years old) play guitar and *know* music... I was genuinely impressed to meet teenagers who don't play Guitar Hero or Rock Band but who wanted to talk about how awesome they think Metallica is and how they were thinking about learning to play the banjo. Those kids are gonna be alright! We watched the show from Section 107, Row 7.. Nice.


After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like miscues with the production. In Houston, the thematic video during '21 Guns' didn't start playing until the middle of the song. I don't know, I found that interesting... Anyway..

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In Houston he did a selection of Mötley Crüe riffs and I'm pretty sure he also threw in ZZ Top's 'La Grange'. Note to bands: The easiest way to win a Texas crowd over is to play a ZZ Top riff and put a cowboy hat on.. It works everytime... 'cause Texas is the reason, y'all.

Highlight: A good solid set and they played 'Murder City' for the first time on the arena tour. However, the one thing that stuck in my head was how the crowd booed when President Obama's name appeared on the jumbo tron screen in between bands... and I found it ironic that so many Red State voters wanted to see Green Day. Hmm... Discuss amongst yourselves.

Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 0.. Nine Inch Nails shirts =1. On the way back to the San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which kinda makes sense I guess. On the flight back to S.F. I was seated next to a WAY too chatty old man! In the time it took (1) For me to sit down next to him and (2) The plane to taxi from the terminal to the runway the chatty old man told me (1) He had just returned from Honduras (2) He was dismissive of technology such as e-mail and (3) His grandson plays chess. To which I said to myself "SHUT... THE... FUCK.. UP!!" However, since I have manners I shut him down by (1) Not responding with some personal trivia of my own and (2) Pulling out the latest issue of Decibel with Nergal of Behemoth on the cover and a full page ad for the new Suffocation album on the back.

HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
August 18, 2009

Prior to the show Skychick and I ate at the New Orleans themed Poor House Bistro, which actually wasn't bad (usually N'awlins food outside of Louisiana doesn't cut it..)... and it brought Umlaut's August full circle in a way.

As we approached the Will Call window we passed a couple of Christian protesters with a bullhorn (YES.. Christians were protesting at a fucking Green Day concert!).. At practically the same moment we noticed TMD walking in the other direction attending to something, and as he passed the Christians he shouted them down with pro-Satan rhetoric. Watching TMD represent evil like that gave me a sense of deja vu back to when we were teenage Slayer fans; nicely done my brother! We then walked into the arena with TMD via the truck ramp and were able to spend a bit of quality time hanging in his office backstage eating cookies. Lock 'N Loll.

The Umlaut Nation was nicely represented at this show, so a shout out to Skychick, Teri, Timo, Jerry, The Man, The Sheriff, and Photo Ray. Thanks to TMD we were able to upgrade the concert experience for a 17-year old member of Teri's clan visiting from New York City.. Long story short: Green Day are his favorite band > front row seats > backstage > photos with band members. Awesome. We watched from Section 128, Row 1.. VERY nice.

The show in short: A marathon 3 HOUR homecoming set... WOW. During the main set closing 'American Eulogy' they threw in a bit of 'Homecoming'. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here are 2,000 words on the San Jose show:

Pyro

Confetti

After seeing so many shows on one tour, my Inner Music Geek noticed little things.. Things like miscues with the production. In San Jose, one of the pyro sparkler things during '21 Guns' malfunctioned a bit and burned longer than the others. I don't know, I found that interesting... Anyway.. One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In San Jose he did a selection that included 'Master Of Puppets' and 'Stairway To Heaven'.

Highlight: A tough one since the entire set was ratcheted up all night due to the homecoming nature of the night, which included Billie Joe having his Mom come onstage... but I have to say the nightly one-two of 'Longview' > 'Basket Case' was especially great; the sequence featured a kid from the crowd onstage to sing 'Longview' who was then made to do a running stage dive accompanied by a drum roll... and as the kid hit the air some PYRO was blown and the opening riff to 'Basket Case' kicked in and the crowd's reaction blew the roof off the arena. Magic.

San Jose Afterwards: All Arenas Look The Same

Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 2 (Timo, Photo Ray). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. This was Umlaut's 50th concert of the year; I've had a busy year, man.

Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
August 24, 2009

In recent years, the only band I've made the trek to Sacramento for has been Slayer, because there's nothing like seeing Slayer in the cradle of California White Supremacy. However, I don't think White Power made an appearance at this show. Unfortunately, Skychick couldn't make this gig, so I was accompanied by Old Metal Tim for the 180 mile roundtrip to California's state capital. On the way we had to make a pit stop in Vacaville because we were starving and, for better or worse, chose Mel's Diner. The merits of that decision can be a subject of debate... but let's move on.

When Old Metal Tim and I got to our seats, I noticed the man next to me holding some photos and he soon made it obvious he was trying to get my attention with them since we were wearing VIP laminates... and I bit.. which was a mistake. The couple were the parents of the kid who Green Day pulled onstage to play guitar during 'Jesus Of Suburbia at the first show in Seattle. While they sat in the stands, their son was down at the front hoping to get pulled onstage again. To be fair, their kid was good during his 9 minutes of "fame" in Seattle.. At first I thought it was cool, since I'd witnessed their son's performance. However, the parents were acting like HE was a member of the band now. It was weird.. They had photos of their son taken with the band at a Meet & Greet.. a pic of him onstage in Seattle... I asked if he had a band and they said "No" and I realized I shouldn't have started talking to them; it was like talking to the parents of someone in a cover band. Thankfully the houselights went down at about that time and I ignored them the rest of the evening...

Old Metal Tim > Umlaut > Cover Band Parents
(Pic by Wexford Girl)

The show in short: GD played the 2nd longest set of the tour... a staggering 3 HOURS and 15-20 MINUTES onstage! Unbelievable.. Best moment: Billie Joe noticing a meathead causing trouble down front, going to the lip of the stage and getting the guy's attention and asking him what his problem was... and the meathead telling Billie Joe to fuck off... to which Billie Joe replied "Fuck ME?! Fuck YOU!!" and as the meathead was escorted out by security the arena went nuts. I had forgotten how Arco Arena is a bit smaller and configured differently than other arenas, which gives it a more intimate atmosphere than other big venues. Plus, the stands are PLYWOOD and during the show they were bouncing as the crowd went nuts and also allowed the crowd to make a deafening stomping sound with their feet. Dramatically awesome.

One change in the set since the beginning of the tour was Billie Joe did a medley of METAL riffs at one point.. which was great because it was so unexpected. In Sac he pulled out all the stops and did a Metallica medley ('Fight Fire With Fire' > 'Master Of Puppets' > 'One') as well as Scorpions ('Rock You Like A Hurricane') and Van Halen ('Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' > 'Eruption'). Billie Joe can play guitar, dude.

Highlights: This show had even more a homecoming vibe than San Jose and the crowd energy was off the hook all night. A surprise bonus encore of 'Going To Pasalacqua' was great... as was the audible of 'J.A.R.' when Billie Joe noticed a kid at the rail holding a sign requesting it... but as at all of the shows on this leg of the tour I was blown away how GREAT the band's new songs sound in a big space; Arena Rock at its finest. Although the hometown area San Jose crowd was great, I have to say the band's hometown area Sacramento crowd was better.

The Umlaut Nation was nicely represented at this show, so a shout out to Old Metal Tim, The Man, Wexford Girl, and The Bassist. We watched from Section 119, Row 5... Nice.

According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 20th Green Day show dating back to circa 1992 when I saw them in an art warehouse space at 18th & Mission in S.F.. Other Goatwhore fans besides me = 1 (The Bassist). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. The heavy Sacramento Police presence that lined the streets on the way out of town was so unnecessary, but they gotta have something to do on a Monday night I guess.

Fuck all the non-believers: Green Day Rules. They are THE best live band going these days. No other band out there is throwing down 2 to 3+ hour sets every night with as much energy, unpredictability, good songs (and PYRO!) and the cross generational makeup of their fanbase now is cool to behold. Yes, my soul is Metal... but I always leave a Green Day show with a smile on my face.. and sometimes that's more important than Metal. It's a live experience that transcends being simply "a concert"; it's a life-affirming thing... and it's profound and rare to get that from a band these days.

So ends Umlaut's Stalking Tour Manager Doug North American Tour 2009... 10 shows.. 2 countries.. 8 cities. Europe next? Hmmm... THANKS as always to TMD for the hospitality! Keep it real out there... for The Kidz!

The Pot calling The Kettle black in New Orleans..

Speaking of The Kidz: The best part of this Summer was being able to expose some kidz to the Green Day concert experience for the first time. Seeing amazing Arena Rock shows changed my life when I was their age and, in this age of computer games and so many other distractions, it was awesome to see the look of awe and excitement all of the kidz had on their faces after the shows. I totally remember that feeling... Also, Green Day are the perfect entry level substance for young Music Geeks that can lead them to harder stuff; I'm already burning some Goatwhore CDs.

What did I do this Summer? I did missionary work for The Rock Godz.

Californication

Californication is one of the very few t.v. shows that Umlaut watches regularly and Season 2 has just been released on DVD. Last season's story arc centered on Hank Moody working with legendary, and debaucherous, Lock 'N Loll record producer Lew Ashby on his autobiography. The season was filled with tons of Music Geek references, including Ashby's ex being named Janie Jones (after The Clash song... duh..).

Long story short, awhile back Umlaut helped the show's production department with obtaining merch items that were used for wardrobe and set dressing during the season, specifically Slayer stuff. METAL! These included items such as this shirt that Hank's daughter Becca wore:


Also this Slayer Unholy Alliance Tour poster that hung in Ashby's Lock 'N Loll mansion:

Other items appeared in scenes during the season, but these two examples stick out in my memory. The Slayer connection with the show runs deep, as evidently the show's creator is a huge fan and he paid homage to the band via the fictitious titles of Hank Moody's 3 published novels: South Of Heaven, Seasons In The Abyss, and God Hates Us All. This fact alone made the show one of my favorites when it premiered. METAL.

Pretty cool, right?

This Week In Music Geek

Umlaut's beloved Acid King just completed a highly successful European Tour... and to celebrate the 10th (!) Anniversary of their seminal album Busse Woods, Kreation Records has issued this beautiful 12" picture disc:

LIMITED EDITION OF 500
Tracks:

Electric Machine
Silent Circle
Drive Fast, Take Chances
39 Lashes
Carve The 5
Busse Woods

Click HERE to order your copy directly from the band. DO IT.. NOW.

"Head down to the woodside,
With your knife and your mind,
Look right down at the table,
Carve the 5..."

Send The Kidz To The Gallows

The exciting sequel to SPF 666!

Warped Tour
Shoreline Amphitheare, Mountain View, CA
August 20, 2009



For the 4th time this year I found myself in a parking lot watching bands, but thankfully this time it wasn't under blast furnace Summertime heat conditions. As it has in recent years, the Warped Tour visited The Bay Area twice: In June it blazed inside S.F. city limits and here in its final days it returned to the gravelly confines of Shoreline. There were a whopping 82 (eighty-two!) bands spread across 8 stages and 9 hours on the bill today.. Yes, it's Warped Tour, but that's ridiculous, man! Not to slam my friends at Vans (Hey Kurt!) but there's truth to the saying "Quality over Quantity".. I'm just saying... but more on that in a bit.

Fishbone: I hadn't seen Fishbone since 1993... and they seemed ageless onstage here in the 21st Century. I've never really liked anything Ska related, but watching Fishbone on a gorgeous Summer afternoon was the shit... especially as Angelo dove into the crowd several times.

D.O.A.: Joey Shithead & Co. were great, but when they started playing there weren't many people watching them.. which bummed me out. However, after a couple of songs the area filled up nicely to the point where security took notice and brought in reinforcements... and as the band launched into 'Police Brutality' a pair of ginormous security guys sandwiched me against the soundboard rail... "Police, police, police brutality.. that's reality!"

However, the best part of D.O.A.'s set were 2 older bald punkers who gave off a total old school hooligan vibe.. One of the dudes was wearing a Manchester soccer jersey and the other a white tee with a vintage pic of a young punk flipping off the camera. For awhile, the oldsters watched The Kidz try to get a pit going... Then, as if on cue, the shorter of the pair (the one in the Manchester jersey) suddenly launched himself into The Pit and commenced slamming old school style and mowed through the kids, sending a couple of them flying.. It was actually pretty funny and reminded me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes karate lessons with children and beats the shit out of them.

Meanwhile, his buddy expertly directed The Pit old school style and pushed the passing slam dancing kids to keep them moving... Watching the pair of oldsters take command like that only magnified the feeling I had all day that kids today don't even know.. Then, as suddenly as it began, Manchester Jersey returned to standing next to his buddy as if nothing had happened. As he did this, his buddy took out his Blackberry to check a message... Meanwhile, The Kidz in The Pit were still recovering from their old school slamming and seemed to be saying "Gee, Mister.. why'd you have to be so rough?" The oldsters repeated this a couple of more times, and by the last time one of The Kidz had given up and stood at the rim of The Pit flipping his elders off. Hilarious.

The Adicts: They hit the stage in full Adicts regalia and if it had been any other band it might have looked silly, but the band's songs and presence made it great! The Adicts also had the most youngsters sporting Liberty Spikes watching their set, which included some of the best songs of the day. After they left the stage, the line at their merch tent was massive. "I don't wanna die for England!"

UK Subs: During their set Photo Ray and I were standing at the edge of The Pit and a little Punker Kid slam danced past us and shoved Ray.. His "aggression" was so cute that Ray and I looked at each other and laughed. As with the other Old School bands, UK Subs may have looked older onstage but they sounded great. Their songs served as a massive reality check about how a good song is timeless and how attitude can make age irrelevant. However, the most entertaining part of UK Subs' set was watching the crap new band on the stage next to them (The Architects) waiting for the old Punks to finish their allotted set, which ran over by several minutes. The look of impatience on their young faces was priceless. As the UK Subs finished and they started playing, I flipped the young band off with both hands before heading off to wander the merchandise tents. Respect has to be earned, kidz.

Unlike past Warped Tours, where the Old School Stage has left me feeling sad because the bands performed like old men, all of the "old" bands who I watched this year were GREAT! Also, the dichotomy of the Old School bands having good SONGS versus the awful crap of the new bands was stunning. When I wandered past The Main Stage, The Kidz broke my heart with the crap bands they were worshiping. I tried to watch All Time Low and was completely stunned by how awful they were (Jonas Bros. style Pop songs marketed as "Punk") and the screaming adulation they received from the huge crowd of mostly little girls was soul sucking.

The massive crowd of young sheep watching All Time Low..

Then, while Photo Ray and I took a break for a cold beer next to one of the concourse stages, we witnessed Medina Lake take the stage in front of maybe 80 kids and the singer spent several minutes giving directions to the crowd BEFORE they started to play and then said "Let's have a Punk Rock show!" which cued one of the most godawful crap songs I heard all day. I literally slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand and said "What... The... Fuck...".

Thank Dog for Gallows!!

Gallows: If you follow Gallows you know that the band has been very outspoken in their public disdain for most of the bands on this year's Warped Tour. It's beyond refreshing to hear a band being outspoken and stating their opinion, even if they are biting the hand that feeds them. As they took the stage the look of road weary bile on Frank's face was searing; he wore his anger and fatigue on his sleeve... so when the band detonated into the first song it was first authentic outburst of Punk outrage I saw all fucking day. When Frank spit out the the line "We hate you!! We hate this city!" during 'London Is The Reason' his bile was like a gob in the face of Mountain View. As they did at the Warped show in S.F., members of the band performed most of the set from The Pit (!) and Frank again got a pit going around the soundboard during 'Gold Dust':

(Vid by Umlaut)

Note the kid ON CRUTCHES who jumps in at the 0:18 second mark and then again at the 0:33 mark!! FUCKING AWESOME! Right after this moment, Frank stopped the song because he was annoyed by all of the photographers standing around the edge of The Pit. I thought he was going to tell them to fuck off or something, but instead he announced that when they started the song back up it would be a photographers only pit... and then he said "Get ready to run!!".. the song kicked back in... and around a dozen people (including Photo Ray), all carrying expensive camera gear, kicked up some dust. HILARIOUS!

Warped Tour at Shoreline was where Umlaut was first punched in the face by the Gallows live assault back in 2007... This was my 5th time seeing the lads and they are one of the greatest live bands I've ever seen.. seriously. It's extremely rare to witness a band who seizes a moment like the Gallows and who can turn a short 30 minute set into an epic experience. They're the type of band that makes me fanatical about Music again. "Bring me famine, bring me death! Bring me more pestilence!"

Dog Bless Gallows!!

Somehow I left the show with a Gallows hoodie and a shirt.. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. After the show, Photo Ray and I returned to S.F. for an After Show at Toronado for beers and a delicious sausage from next door at Rosamunde as the likes of Mastodon played on the bar's jukebox. Fucking perfect.

Prison Yard

Down / Melvins / Weedeater
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
August 14, 2009

When did they rename this place "The Regency Ballroom" from "The Grand Ballroom"? Also, I remember when this space was a movie theater; I'm pretty sure I saw James & the Giant Peach and The Hunt For Red October there. Anyway.....

The security check to enter The Regency was the most ridiculous in recent memory! They weren't allowing anyone to enter who was wearing a belt that even had the most generic studs on it; I know of at least one person who couldn't go in because, like, his belt was actually holding his pants up! WTF... Security is one thing, but common sense is another.. Mr. Security Guard wouldn't let me take my pen in (which I use to jot down notes for this space, but I guess in theory I could also use it as a shiv.. I guess..) and when he took it from me he said "This is a nice pen!"... Yes, he actually said that. I hope you choke on it, motherfucker.

Anyway, as we entered the main floor just as Weedeater were about to start, I wasn't paying attention and thought to myself "Hmm, there's quite of bit of room in the middle of the floor..".. Then I realized I was walking right through the middle of The Pit and almost walked into a shirtless, sweaty Skinhead dude who was pacing The Pit with that cocked pistol body language. It was kind of funny seeing a shirtless, sweaty White Boy stalking The Pit eventhough there was no band onstage.. but no worries. I sidestepped him and kept walking to the far side of the room. When you encounter a wild animal it's best not make any sudden moves.

Umlaut digs Weedeater and they played one of their classic sludgy sets that was highlighted by a nice sludgy cover of Skynyrd's 'Gimme Back My Bullets'. I think by the time they finished there had already been 3 fights on the floor, which was an indication of how the rest of the night would be. After Weedeater's set, I was walking back across the floor towards the lobby and almost walked into a guy being held up by his buddy as he puked. Woah, dude! No worries, I sidestepped him and kept walking to the lobby. Splish, splash.

Longtime readers (and by "longtime" I mean back to the xeroxed 'zine version of Umlaut) will remember that the Melvins were an integral part of Umlaut: The 'Zine... but that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. For the newbies, the mutual appreciation society between myself and the Melvins culminated in Drumb:


Drumb was a mini-'zine written by Dale Crover and included as an insert in Issue #10 of Umlaut. Pretty fucking cool, right?! Click HERE to download a PDF of Drumb.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was around the 35th time I'd seen the Melvins dating back to 1990-91; they were my favorite band for a long time, man. The current Melvins lineup of Buzz > Dale with Coady and Jared of Big Business is seriously great... and for the 3rd time this year my senses were assaulted by a guitarist wielding an all-metal guitar, with Buzz joining Steve Albini on a Travis Bean and Isis (who had their EGC axes).

I had a SERIOUS nostalgia trip when the Melvins launched into a classic double shot of 'Anaconda' > 'Zodiac'... and then they laid another oldie on the crowd with 'Hooch'. Wow... The Melvins were the main part of my soundtrack when I first moved to San Franfuckincisco a million years ago and it was really good seeing those songs live again. However, it was odd seeing the Melvins lay down their eclectic brand of volume underneath the massive Down backdrop, but a good portion of the crowd were obviously there to see them.

I think it's safe to say that many of the Melvins fans split before Down, but they were replaced by many Down fans who arrived late or who had been hanging out in the lobby. By the time Down came on the main floor looked and felt like a prison yard.


The floor (and upstairs balcony for that matter) was packed, especially after the Melvins finished, and it was one of those Regency shows where the only ventilation seemed to come when the doors to the lobby were opened as someone entered or left. The prison yard feel was ratcheted up by the gang of shirtless White Boyz who paced in a circle in The Pit even between bands. You know the type... Who let the dogs out?

It was a bummer that Rex Brown had decided to sit out this part of the Down tour (to deal with some "personal issues" according to the press release), so the aura of having 1/2 of Pantera onstage was missing. However, 'The Path' and 'Lifer' (the latter dedicated to Dimebag Darryl) were my highlights of the set, but by the time they hit 'Temptation's Wings' (my favorite Down song..) I was burned out from being in the prison yard's heat, pot smoke, sweat, humidity, and the sticky floor coated with spilled beer and puke.

Not long ago, Umlaut friend Invisible Oranges wrote something titled 'Love The Band, Hate The Fans' and it came to mind during Down's set. Although their NOLA album is one of my all-time favorites, I always forget how the band's crowd reminds me why I never embraced Pantera. The crowd had that same jockish meathead Friday Night Lights vibe that tends to feed upon itself with fan-on-fan violence.. Prison yard, man.

I tried to do an accurate gender audit of the crowd and I figure the Dude-To-Chick ratio was probably 95% dudes to 5% chicks... Which is funny to me because the Dude-To-Chick ratio at a Slayer show these days is more even; chicks dig Slayer. Discuss amongst yourselves.

That being said, there was a crazy number of Umlaut Nation friends at the show... so a shout out to Timo, Photo Ray, Joey, Rafa, Jason, Wexford Girl, The Bassist, DeVito, Photo Alan, Stacy, Sven, Jenn, Dan, and Nikki Blakk.

I'm getting really bad about not doing merch audits; I might just lay off of them for awhile. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. At some point this weekend I have to use my chainsaw (yes, Umlaut owns a chainsaw..) to trim back the branches on a tree in the backyard; I should take off my shirt and start pacing the yard in a circle to get in the mood Prison Yard style.

Random Rock Star Moment: Brad Pitt

I haven't documented it in this space yet, but last week Umlaut and Skychick returned to New Orleans and Houston on the latest leg of the Stalking Tour Manager Doug Tour 2009.

Posted on TMZ.com:

Brad Pitt to Pax -- Rock-a-Bye Baby
Posted Aug 12th 2009 2:50PM by TMZ Staff

Brad Pitt further proved he's the coolest dad ever by taking sons Pax and Maddox to a Green Day concert in New Orleans last week. While it may or may not be a testament to the band's music, Brad made sure the boys' ears were safely covered and plugged. Apparently, all that punk/pop screeching was enough to rock Pax to sleep.

Seated directly behind Pitt in Section 114 of the New Orleans Arena is none other than Umlaut and his Behemoth shirt! To my left is Skychick.

Yes, I was *that* close to Louis de Pointe du Lac but security were very aggressive about it being a no-camera zone around him, which was cool since he was with his kids. Of course, that didn't prevent people in front of us on the GA Floor to take snapshots.

There will be more details whenever I get around to writing about the NoLa > Houston trek, but in the meantime here is a pic I took after the show of the chair that hosted Brad Pitt's ass for 2 hours:

Yes, Pitt and the kids were backstage afterwards... Hey, I don't make this shit up... I just live it.

To be continued...

Tuesday's Gone

Book Of Black Earth / Landmine Marathon
Thee Parkside, San Francisco
August 11, 2009

In the waning hours of a Tuesday, I left Casa de Umlaut intending only to see one band... This was Umlaut's 4th show in 5 days in 3 cities and 3 states and I'm not quite caught up on the sleep yet.

Umlaut was introduced to Landmine Marathon via Cosmo Lee's excellent Invisible Oranges blog. After reading about them I got the band's Rusted Eyes Awake CD and pretty much listened to it alot, usually at night... usually while I was on the computer working.

Several months back when Landmine were planning this tour, they posted a message online asking for help in booking some West Coast dates. I assumed they were already aware of Whore For Satan, but I forwarded them the contact info anyway... and, lo and behold, that small gesture resulted in this show. In e-mails with the band I learned they had previously only played over in The East Bay at a house party and at Gilman, so this would be their first show in San Franfuckincisco. So there you go.

My apologies to the first 2 bands on the bill, but I planned my evening to be surgically precise and missed their sets. Doors at 8:00PM > Show at 9:00PM > Landmine 3rd band on > Me leave house at 10:05PM > Me walk into club at 10:20PM > Landmine hit the stage at around 10:35PM. That's pretty fucking surgical, right? Upon arriving at Thee Parkside I fell into formation with Hard Rock Chick and Photo Ray and it was go time, mofos.

In the months preceding this show, I became entangled with Landmine's music because of their combination of subtle molten death melodies and overt mayhem as presented on the Rusted Eyes Awake CD. When they hopped onstage at Thee Parkside and prepared to play my expections were like the calm before the storm... and when they hit the first note of the set opener 'Red Days' it was like a switch was flicked and all Hell broke loose.

I've said it in this space before, but my favorite bands are the ones who seize the moment and make it their own regardless of the size of the audience or venue; Landmine Marathon are one of those bands. Musically they are a sledgehammer of volume held together by subtle melody and dynamics. This musical sledgehammer is combined with vocalist Grace Perry, who fronts the band like a charismatic Velociraptor onstage; she leaps, slashes, and tears into her duties with a genuine fury.

Landmine's 35 minute set was an aural evisceration with 'Skin From Skull' being my favorite song of the night.. However, the set closing 'Bile Towers' that saw Grace leaping over the modest stage barrier into the crowd was the obvious highlight. Landmine were all fury and no filler, man. Fantastic.

To make things even more medieval, evidently Grace was performing with a suspected broken nose from the Long Beach show 5 days earlier. Wow... METAL!

I was intending to only stay for a couple of Book Of Black Earth songs, but the Seattle band won me over with their dark presentation. I found myself being drawn from leaning against the bar to leaning against guitarist TJ Cowgill's backline; I subconsciously had to get closer to what BOBE was doing. Good music, be it Death Metal or otherwise, has that effect on you sometimes...

In hindsight, it was not unlike stepping closer to someone swinging a shovel at my face... at least that's the analogy that just popped into my head this morning sans coffee. I tried to buy a CD from Book Of Black Earth after their set, but no one was manning their merch table... Dudes!

As I was turning to leave someone tapped my arm: It was Matt (bassist) of Landmine who said he recognized me from cyberspace. Doh! We chatted for a bit and I got the download on what the near future holds for the band (new album out early next year, etc.). Thanks for taking the time, Matt!

I've really been slacking on the merch audits of late, but Landmine CDs were $10 with a free sticker. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. All in all it was a damn good Tuesday night.

Die Young

The exciting sequel to Neon Knights, Heroes - Part Two, and Metal Masters!

Heaven & Hell / Coheed And Cambria
The Warfield, San Francisco
August 10, 2009

There was a moment last week when Umlaut thought he would miss this show due to ANOTHER road trip to see Green Day, this time to the Southern Cauldron of New Orleans and Houston.. No, I haven't written about it yet, and I'm trying to figure out how to do that amidst all of the Rock activity and other commitments that I have this week... Anyway, the Rock Godz are indeed benevolent and my streak of seeing every tour by the Ronnie James Dio-version of Black Sabbath remained intact.

When the reunion of this version of Black Sabbath was announced in 2006 it caused many grown men to scream like little school girls (guilty!). For my generation, this was the version of Sabbath we grew up with and for my money it's always been the most engaging of all the lineups. Unfortunately, it's now 3 years down the line and the appeal of this lineup seems to be waning as the new album is "just alright" IMO and this show was moved 50 miles from the 6,500 capacity San Jose State Even Center to the more intimate 2,500 capacity Warfield... NOT that I was complaining of course since an hour drive home was reduced to around 15 minutes.

Given the show's magnitude, The Umlaut Nation was out if full force tonight... so a shout out to Old Metal Tim, Teri, Raymond, Timo, Jerry, Photo Ray, Johnny, Any, Paschke, Stacy, Metal CPA, Photo Alan, Bret, and Nikki Blakk. Rock Star Sighting = Umlaut's old friend Dave Ed of Neurosis! Dude, Neurosis played a one-off opening the show in Seattle a couple of days earlier and they were offered the entire tour, but couldn't do it... Can you imagine!? Neurosis with Sabbath!?? I can't... and it's too bad because I walked onto the main floor to check out some of Coheed And Cambria's opening set and literally watched 10 seconds of them before turning around to return to the lobby and chat with friends; that dude's voice annoys the hell out of me.

At around 9:20PM the band's standard intro tape of 'E5150' started and then gave way to the call to arms that is 'Mob Rules'.. It was then Old School Metal bliss for the next 90 minutes or so. Besides standards such as 'Children Of The Sea', 'Falling Off The Edge Of The World', and 'Die Young' as well as 2-3 of the new songs, the band also pulled out 'Time Machine' which has always been an Umlaut favorite. A thunderous 15-minute version 'Heaven And Hell' closed the main set (I will never get tired of hearing that song..)... and for the encore they served up 'Country Girl' that acted as an intro to the show closing 'Neon Knights'... WOW!

"It's Heaven and Hell..."

There is no more powerful moment in Metal as when Geezer pounds out the bass line that announces the final verses of 'Heaven And Hell' after the bridge..

"They say that life's a carousel..
Spinning fast.. you've got to ride it well..
The world is full of kings and queens..
Who blind your eyes then steal your dreams.. "

Fuck yeah.. METAL.

While Vinnie Appice has always been a weak link for me, Geezer Butler is still the quintessential keeper of the bottom end... and Dio was in fine form as well, masterfully working the stage with his voice as strong and inspiring as it's always been. When the band hit the stage and Dio picked up his mic stand and twirled it in his hands I got the biggest smile on my face since it's always been one of his signature moves. It's cool to still have that connection with my Inner Teenage Metalhead over stuff like that; we've been best friends for so long. However, it's always been about Tony Iommi for me.

According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 12th time seeing Iommi in one of the various incarnations of Black Sabbath dating back to 1980. Newbies will always think that Sabbath = Ozzy but the truth is Sabbath has always been Iommi's band; he (and Geezer) created the music and he even owns the band's name. I've said it before in this space: Iommi's tone is where it all began for me and it's guided my life since I was 15 years old.

I love watching Iommi onstage because he knows exactly how badass and legendary he is... He will step to the front of the stage, blaze off one of his trademark riffs, look at the crowd... and then shoot a quick smile at the fans before returning to the backline as Dio sings another line. Iommi has always been my only true Guitar God... Always.

However, during the set I kept thinking to myself how disrespectful it was for Iommi to be playing an intimate theater that was NOT sold out... WTF!? How often do you have the chance to see THE person who basically created the sound of a genre?! Tony Iommi created the sound of Heavy Metal with his plastic capped fingers!! EVERY Metal band that has ever existed has basically ripped off or interpreted what Iommi originally did... and here he was in San Franfuckincisco, playing in the smallest venue that he's played here in years, and there were still tickets available at the door. Stunning. Wrong.

THANKS to Old Metal Tim for getting me in as his +1. Backstage revelation of the night: Dio smokes cigarettes.


Compliments I got on my Iron Maiden 2008 Tour hoodie = 2. I checked out the merch in detail, but didn't do a merch audit for some reason. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Waiting to get backstage is one of the most degrading things if you don't have *the right* pass and Umlaut doesn't have alot of patience for it. Oh yeah, I shook Dave Meniketti's hand while waiting in the Line of Shame... but only around 4 of you reading this know who he is or even care about that.

"So live for today... tomorrow never comes... die young.."

20 Years Ago Today

One, if not THE, greatest baseball games I ever attended was played on this date 20 years ago. For the newbies, click HERE for the story of Dave Dravecky.

(From the Umlaut Archives)

My Giants fandom really spiked big time in 1985-89 and this game was incredible for all the right reasons... and what happened to Dravecky 5 days later in Montreal is still haunting, man.

I miss Candlestick.

This Week In Music Geek

My new favorite band promo pic..

Boris

Man, it's been awhile since my Asian sister and bruthas last appeared in this space.

Who I Used To Be

Sonic Youth / Awesome Color
The Fox Theater, Oakland, CA
August 2, 2009

Sonic Youth (SY) are a band who will always be associated in my mind with the original xeroxed version of Umlaut. Back in 1992, SY gave Umlaut major props in their fan club magazine; click HERE to revisit that watershed moment. Also, the band will always hold a special place for me due to the respect and honor they paid to a departed friend a long time ago (R.I.P. Jason).

Fast forward to the 21st Century and, THANKS to Hard Rock Chick's generosity, this was the first time I had seen SY since The Clinton Administration. However, I'll simply cut to the chase although I know what I'm about to say will lose Umlaut cred with some old friends: Very early in the set I had the profound feeling I was back in 1992, but my head was NOT there at all. I realized that the vibe of the show was simply too passive for me at this time in my life, which bummed me out because SY used to be so important to me; Daydream Nation kept me company during some lonely times back in The Day.

Maybe because it had been so long since I last saw them, but on this night SY reminded me of the person who I used to be and, to be honest, that made me feel old. I can hear many of you saying "WTF??" but it's true... Umlaut's evolution as a person has never followed a traditional path. Compared to Amebix, Shellac, Leonard Cohen, Isis, Slayer, and even Green Day, SY did not engage me in a way that made me feel like I was living in MY moment. At this point in my life, I need concerts to be as close to all consuming experiences as possible and I didn't get that from SY here in 2009. Of course, I can still appreciate their avant garde and DIY approach to their music, but unfortunately my head isn't *with them* anymore to appreciate it. Leaving the show I almost felt like saying out loud "Bye bye Miss American pie.. I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry" because that's how I felt. Yes.. that reference is COMPLETELY random... but that's how my head works sometimes when I'm typing a rant like this at 12:30AM.

If you bought one of every Sonic Youth merch item you would have paid $130. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. As I'm typing this I'm listening to Daydream Nation and I'm feeling kind of old; I think I need to put on some Slayer instead.

Pictured: Umlaut's vintage Goo Tour shirt from The Warfield, S.F. - Halloween 1990 show.

Tribute

The exciting sequel to A Magical Place! Legendary Rock photographer Paul Natkin is responsible for THE most iconic image of Ozzy with Randy Rhoads:


Umlaut thought Mr. Natkin might be interested in seeing how his image was interpreted on The Metal Dude who I had met at the California Mid-State Fair last week... so I sent him my snapshot of the ink:


From: Paul Natkin
Date: Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 12:32 PM
Subject: Your Photo > Someone Else's Ink
To: umlaut

YIKES!! Cool use of my photo!

Thanks for the kind words,
Paul

Click HERE to read Mr. Natkin's backstory on his famous photograph... and click HERE to see that Mr. Natkin and Umlaut have something in common.