Souls At Zero

Neurosis / Yob / USX
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
January 15, 2011

It's taken me a good 3 days and nights to try and get my head around what Neurosis unleashed on San Francisco last weekend. This was the first epic bill of 2011 and definitely THE hottest ticket in the city last week; Neurosis’ first hometown area shows in over 3 years (!). Tickets for these sold out shows were posted on Craigslist for $150 - $200 each! WTF... but given the magnitude of this weekend I wasn’t that surprised Capitalism reared its opportunistic head. I was stoked to be seeing The Bay Area's legendary sons of darkness again since I have a long history with them dating back 20 (!) years. Neurosis were basically THE soundtrack when I first started Umlaut as a xeroxed fanzine back in the early-90's. Click HERE to read something about those crazy, crusty days.

San Francisco - 1993
(From the Umlaut Archives)

USX (aka U.S. Christmas): USX caught me off guard by how good they were... I've seen their name before but, to be honest, I thought it was one of the lamer band names around. However, seeing the band and hearing their songs made me remember that sometimes you can't always tell a book by its cover. USX has one of the more eclectic lineups (vox / guitar, 2 drummers, bass, multi-instrumentalist, violinist, and guitar) and they generated some attention grabbing music that was more Classic Rock than anything to my ears. Their 40 minutes onstage won me over... and that doesn't happen very often because I'm a jaded mofo. I made a note to arrive early the following night and pay closer attention to USX from their opening note.

Yob: Having Yob on this bill ratcheted things up 100x… To be honest, my anticipation was higher to see Yob than it was for the headliners. Yob treads the same trail laid down by Sleep, but they manage to blaze their own way on that sacred volume path. As expected, The Beast from The Northwest were unbelievably heavy and laid waste to the land in the short time they were onstage. For some reason the band only played an abbreviated 3-song set that lasted all of 30 minutes… which wasn’t nearly enough time. However, because Yob plays live about as often as a Sasquatch sighting, their short time in San Francisco was still a landmark event.

Neurosis: I’m having a very difficult time trying to put the 2011 Neurosis live experience into words; it’s an all out assault on the ears, eyes, and (if you’re down front) body. There are very few bands who can legitimately be called a force of nature and it's not bullshit... and Neurosis is one of those few. As I mentioned earlier, I've been following the band for 20 (!) years and it's frightening how they seem more like a living breathing beast onstage rather than simply a band of 5 musicians and a visual artist... Neurosis are not unlike the Balrog in Lord Of The Rings.

Seriously... and, yes, I'm a dork for referencing The Lord of The Rings.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 19th Neurosis show. The men of darkness walked onstage and started the slow and crushingly dramatic intro to 'Through Silver In Blood'... which is one of the greatest Metal songs ever written IMO. That initial 5 minutes of having the music build… and build… and build until the song fully detonated is a live music moment that I can’t imagine being equaled for me this year. I’d forgotten how powerful Neurosis is onstage as they deliver their inspirational message of enlightenment rooted in despair and conflict via the 3 distinctive voices of Steve, Scott, and Dave. Within minutes I was reeling from how Neurosis could give my jaded mofo mind a shift in perspective and make me see things new again even after all these years. I was blind and now can see (again)... although my hearing is a little less now... but that's the trade off.

For almost 2 hours the band assaulted the senses and souls of the 600 humans in the room... Ambient sounds filled the air between songs before another song detonated. Neurosis onstage are a seamless audio and visual presentation; a full on sensory assault that is profoundly crushing and cerebral. A numbing version of 'Locust Star' kind of changed my life all over again as the band performed it with an astonishing amount of bile; I was caught off guard by how the band can still muster and project so much anger after all these years. A force of Nature... maybe even beyond Nature. The nature themes of many of the visuals (trees... wolves..) also made for a nice mental contrast to the urban filth just outside the venue’s door on the streets of The Tenderloin. For those who care, tonight's setlist:

• Through Silver And Blood
• At The End Of The Road
• The Doorway
• [new song]
• Given To The Rising
• [new song]
• Locust Star
• Water Is Not Enough
• Distill
• Stones From The Sky

I was blown away how seeing Neurosis live again could make me feel like my mind was being cleansed and reset; I felt profoundly connected to *something* again. Also, here in the 21st Century, it's hard for me to remember that this is the same band that I used to see in venues like pizza parlors...

(Photo by Umlaut)

I took that photo at a show in Orange County, California at Spanky's Pizza. Neurosis live visuals back in April 1992 with their former visual artist Adam Kendall... Long before laptops and DVDs.. A bicycle wheel with colored film attached to a movie projector to turn it.. slides.. a milk crate.. blocks of wood. Neurosis have come a LONG way.

A huge THANKS to TLB for helping me get into this sold out show! On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Click HERE to see SF Sludge's pics from the night! Then 24 hours later it was.....

Neurosis / Saviours / USX
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
January 16, 2011

Originally I kind of wasn't planning to attend the second night.. but after the mind altering, life affirming experience of the first night it was Carpe Diem time; seize the fucking day, man. Life is too short to pass on experiences just because you're tired... and leaping back into the Neurosis abattoir again was the best thing I could have done.

USX (aka U.S. Christmas): Following their excellent set the night before, I made sure that we arrived early to see all of USX's set. Because I'm a jaded mofo it's not often that a band catches my attention and I was looking forward to picking apart what I liked about USX while seeing them again. As their set unfolded before me again I was struck by how they wouldn't be out of place opening for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with their hybrid of North Carolina mountain music and retro Psychedelic Rock. I was fascinated watching all 7 of their parts (guitar / vox, multi-instrumentalist, violin, 2 drums, bass, guitar) working together like the parts of a clock... Tick tock ticking out their hypnotic volume. USX are a tricky band to define so I'm just going to say that since the show I've bought most of their recorded material... to study... and pick apart.

Saviours: Seeing the Saviours on this bill was like watching Motörhead open for Pink Floyd... but it totally worked. The Saviours brand of NOWBHM-influenced Classic Metal washed away all of my mental grime and prepared my ears and psyche for the Neurosis assault that was to follow. Plus, seeing a "To-Cool-For-The-School" hipster girl get a beer spilled on her by the crowd action as the band started 'Acid Hand' made me laugh out loud. She was bummed... but she should have known better. Rookie. The local boys played a SOLID set and it was my first time seeing them with new bassist Carson, who joins his Saviours bandmate Austin and Matt Pike in the "Band Dudes From Oakland Who Don't Wear Shirts Onstage" Club.

During the stage changeover I found myself up in the boxseats chatting with old friends and ended up staying in that lookout position for Neurosis' set (THANKS Todd).

Neurosis: The set tonight had a different pace than the previous night; it was more deliberate... slower... on its path through the darkness. The song selection ebbed and flowed between quieter cerebral to the blasting cerebral more profoundly than the previous night. The highlight was having my mind blown when the intro to 'The Web' (from the Souls At Zero album) announced the band unleashing that song... HOLY SHIT! Hearing and seeing that song played again felt like the past 20 (!) years of my life were being sucked into a vortex to land on top of me as I sat there in the balcony. Also, is 'The Web' the only Metal song to sample dialogue from a Star Trek episode? I think so ("Eternal bloodlust... Eternal warfare." - J.T. Kirk).

From my vantage point I became completely hypnotized watching the scene below me play out... From the ferocious audio / visual violence of the band to the human waves as the crowd action matched the rhythm of the band's beautiful violence. I thought my ribs were starting to ache from the memory of all of those Neurosis shows from long ago when I was down front getting hammered by elbows, feet, fists, and bodies. Time travel through volume.

After another 2 hours of catharsis, Neurosis closed their homecoming with 'Through Silver And Blood', which they had opened with the night before... which gave the weekend a sense of coming full circle and giving it closure. Nicely done, lads. Those Neurosis boys... always thinking. Oh, who else noticed that Scott was flying his East Bay Oakland Raiders colors onstage tonight by wearing his #87 - Dave Casper jersey? Cute. The Geeks shall inherit The Earth. For those who care, tonight's setlist:

• At The End Of The Road
• The Web
• Given To The Rising
• Burn
• A Season In The Sky
• [new song]
• Water Is Not Enough
• [new song]
• Fear And Sickness
• Through Silver And Blood

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 20th Neurosis show. My favorite bands are those who make me confront my inner darkness in order to appreciate them. It's not something "normal" people want to do, but without darkness there is no light... etc.. cliché.. etc.. If you’re willing to make an effort to weave Neurosis' music into your head it’s like looking into a black tinted mirror that reflects back on yourself. Is that weird? Oh well… Only darkness has the power.It was a stunning 2 nights of Neurosis.... completely amazing... I know it's another cliché, but it really is CRAZY how time flies, man.

I was so moved and blown away by these shows that I bought a merch item from every band. If you bought one of every Neurosis merch item you would have paid around $250 (I think). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. After only 16 days into this year I've already reconnected with two of my favorite bands from the 20th Century: Melvins and now Neurosis. The more things change the more they stay the same, man. Trivia: This Neurosis band photo was taken at the Great American Music Hall:

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night!

A Chronology For Survival

The Neurosis album Souls At Zero was basically THE soundtrack album for Umlaut when it was a xeroxed 'zine back in the early-90's. This week the band announced the reissue of the album and I couldn't help but get publicly nostalgic about it:

It seems like a million years ago, man... Click HERE to read about those loud, drunk, and crusty days... and click HERE to see some of Umlaut's old photos from back when I went on tour with Neurosis. "No seed will grow on this barren Earth..."

A New Year

Melvins
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
January 8, 2011

I was running late for this show and for the first time in memory I blew off looking for street parking and instead dropped $9 for a pay lot around the corner. I felt lame for doing this but I didn't have time to fuck around. However, I felt better about my decision when I got my envelope at Will Call and then found myself in the dressing room saying "Hi" to the band and seeing old friends again over a beer.

Ironically, the first gig I saw last year was also the Melvins at the Great American. Tonight's show was a quick trip up the coast for the band as they had started a January residency at Spaceland in L.A. the night before. For the newbies: The Melvins are playing Spaceland every Friday this month with each show featuring a different classic Melvins album being played in its entirety. Pretty cool.

According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 35th Melvins show and my Inner Music Geek always tweaks out on the familiarity of seeing bands who I have a long history with take the stage. However, unlike other bands, with the Melvins I never know what to expect from them as they walk out into the stage lights... and tonight was no different. As I found a spot at stage right to watch the show, a quick glance at the setlist made me say "Holy Shit!" to myself. The band launched into an epic 20 minute opening instrumental onslaught circa 1992 of 'Charmicarmicat' (from 1992's Egg Nog) > 'Hung Bunny' (from 1992's Lysol). EPIC. It was cool to watch the faces of the people in the front couple of rows as they got that expression of awe and worship towards the Melvins as the set unfolded. I've been there, kids... I've totally been there.

(Point & Shoot by Umlaut)

After the initial instrumental onslaught, the opening set continued with a selection that included other 1992-era gems 'Hog Leg' (also from Eggnog!) and 'With Teeth' (also from Lysol!). At that point I'm pretty sure I had the same expression on my face as those kids in the front row had... Deja vu, man. Then it was time for a brief intermission for everyone to catch their breath before the 2nd set of the evening. Beer me!

For their 2nd set the Melvins played 1 song from EVERY one of their albums. HOLY SHIT. It was brilliant and for the next hour or so it was also crushing beyond belief... and I was reminded that few bands have pushed me to the brink with their volume like the Melvins have over the years. In keeping with their tradition of doing the unexpected the band closed the night with a blistering cover of the song 'Bacon Industry' by Jared's old K Records band Karp.

Buzz's 21st Century Weapon of Mass Destruction

The Melvins are one of those rare bands who have managed to maintain a career by redefining themselves just enough to keep themselves interested but without sacrificing too much of their original selves for their fans. The old songs still grab me by the throat... but watching the Melvins perform newer standards like 'Civilized Worm' and the call-and-response cadence of 'The Water Glass' makes me appreciate the band in a new way every time. The consistency of their loud eclectic brilliance is still unmatched.

After the set, and as the dust settled, I went to check out the merch table and then went back to the dressing room for a nightcap and to say goodbye. The aftershow backstage Rock Star action was filled by Mike Patton. Yes, even Rock Stars have favorite bands. Tonight was 2+ hours that started off my year in perfect fashion. For awhile back in the 20th Century the Melvins were my favorite band... and as I drove back to Casa de Umlaut after this epic show I thought that, as this new year starts, the Melvins might be my favorite band again.

If you bought one of every Melvins merch item you would have been able to buy a poster, a limited edition 12", and a limited edition CD box set... but no shirts. Bummer. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. For some reason drummers always want their picture taken with Umlaut... Weird.

Drummer Acid King > Scary Umlaut > Drummer Melvins

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night!

Squeeze

Phil Kennemore passed away today.

Umlaut is an old fart and Yesterday & Today (aka Y&T) were a very important band for me in my Salad Days. Yes, they eventually succumbed to the Hair Metal bullshit of the 80's, but prior to that they were the quintessential no bullshit Bay Area / East Bay blue collar Rock band; local Rock Heroes in every sense of the word.

Y&T were the forefathers of the East Bay Hard Rock / Metal Pride that Exodus, Machine Head, Testament, and High On Fire still proudly continue today. I was fanatical about the band, especially during the era of their Earthshaker and Black Tiger albums in 1981-83. I drove all over Northern California to see them.

Click HERE to read about my early Y&T fandom and click HERE to see some of my old Y&T photos.

I'm pretty sure Kennemore was the very first "Rock Star" I ever met... I took the following photo at The Keystone Palo Alto circa 1981 and it was autographed backstage at The Keystone Palo Alto at a later show:

(Photo by Umlaut)

R.I.P. Phil... One of my teenage Lock 'N Loll heroes. Cue 'Squeeze'...

Done And Done

Vintage Old Metal Decal

Long story short: 2010 was a good year for Umlaut... a really good year actually. I've said this many times, but I rant in this space mainly to keep my mind sharp; I like putting words together. The fact that I mainly rant about bands and music is kind of secondary. I'm not out for narcissistic glory since I get plenty of that in my professional and personal life (HAHA!). I rant here for fun and I just do my own thing. Umlaut will continue to fight the hordes, sing and cry, and we will see what the next 8,760 hours bring.

I will now quote that British band: "Let The Music be your Master, will you heed The Master's call?"... and with those words, here's my 2010 scorecard:

1. 01/02/10 - Melvins - Great American Music Hall
2. 01/08/10 - Devildriver / Suffocation / Goatwhore - Slim's
3. 01/28/10 - Swashbuckle / White Wizzard - Thee Parkside
4. 01/29/10 - Saint Vitus / Saviours / Laudanum - DNA Lounge
   
5. 01/30/10 - Nile / Immolation / Krisiun - Slim's
6. 02/05/10 - Black Cobra - Amoeba Records [San Francisco]
7. 02/06/10 - Anvil / Attitude Adjustment - The Fillmore
8. 02/08/10 - Arch Enemy / Exodus - The Regency
   
9. 02/11/10 - Alice In Chains - The Fox Theater
   
10. 02/28/10 - Stormcrow / Vöetsek / Wasteoid / Sorrower - Thee Parkside
11. 03/05/10 - Shrinebuilder / Harvestman / A Storm Of Light / Brainoil - The Voodoo Lounge [San Jose]
12. 03/07/10 - Shrinebuilder / Harvestman - The Independent
13. 03/13/10 - Shrinebuilder / Yob / Saviours / Landmine Marathon / D.R.I. / Hate Eternal / 3 Inches Of Blood / Voivod / Ludicra - Scion Rock Fest [Columbus]
    
14. 03/16/10 - Motörhead - Stubb's [Austin]
15. 03/17/10 - Withered / Landmine Marathon / Salome / Dark Castle - Emo's [Austin]
16. 03/17/10 - Landmine Marathon / Withered / Book Of Black Earth - Mohawk [Austin]
17. 03/17/10 - High On Fire - Mohawk [Austin]
18. 03/18/10 - Landmine Marathon / Book Of Black Earth - Hoek's Death Metal Pizza [Austin]
19. 03/18/10 - Orphaned Land - Emo's [Austin]
20. 03/18/10 - Dillinger Escape Plan - Emo's [Austin]
21. 03/24/10 - Pentagram / Ludicra / Slough Feg / Orchid - DNA Lounge
    
22. 04/08/10 - The Funeral Pyre / Early Graves - Thee Parkside
23. 04/09/10 - Fear Factory / Amon Amarth - The Regency
    
24. 04/11/10 - Orchid - Thee Parkside
25. 04/14/10 - Faith No More / White Trash Debutantes - The Warfield
26. 04/15/10 - The Dead Weather - The Fillmore
27. 04/18/10 - Overkill / Vader / God Dethroned / Warbringer / Evile - The Regency
    
28. 04/28/10 - Ludicra / Black Hell / Landmine Marathon / Nightgaun - The Nile Underground [Mesa]
29. 05/05/10 - Cannibal Corpse / 1349 / Skeletonwitch - Slim's
30. 05/08/10 - Mastodon / Between The Buried And Me / High On Fire / Baroness / Priestess / Valient Thorr / Black Cobra - The Fox Theater
    
31. 05/08/10 - Ludicra / Kowloon Walled City - Café du Nord
32. 05/11/10 - Pearl - Red Devil Lounge
    
33. 05/15/10 - Portal / Sanguis Imperem / Dispirit - Thee Parkside
34. 05/22/10 - Saviours / Iron Lung / Walls - 324 Gilman
35. 06/04/10 - Vastum - Elbo Room
    
36. 06/20/10 - Iron Maiden - Concord Pavilion
37. 06/25/10 - A Place To Bury Strangers - The Blank Club [San Jose]
38. 06/26/10 - Dillinger Escape Plan / Bring Me The Horizon / The Uptones - Vans Warped Tour - Shoreline Amphitheatre
39. 06/27/10 - Saint Vitus / Hammers Of Misfortune / Walken - DNA Lounge
    
40. 06/29/10 - Landmine Marathon - The Blvd [Los Angeles]
41. 06/29/10 - Saint Vitus - The Viper Room [Hollywood]
42. 07/01/10 - Landmine Marathon - The Hub [Sacramento]
43. 07/02/10 - Landmine Marathon - Kimo's
44. 07/16/10 - Inquisition / Altar Of Plagues / Velnias - Elbo Room
    
45. 07/17/10 - Rob Halford - The Regency
    
46. 07/22/10 - The Dead Weather - The Warfield
47. 07/30/10 - Death Angel - Slim's
48. 08/01/10 - Scorpions / Cinderella - Concord Pavilion
49. 08/06/10 - Impaled / Funerot - Thee Parkside
50. 08/09/10 - Rush - Shoreline Amphitheatre
51. 08/10/10 - Corrosion Of Conformity / Goatsnake / Eagle Twin / Black Breath - DNA Lounge
    
52. 08/15/10 - Black Cobra / Howl / Lions Of Tsavo - Bottom Of The Hill
53. 08/26/10 - Boris / Red Sparowes - Great American Music Hall
54. 08/29/10 - Slash / Taking Dawn - The Warfield
55. 08/31/10 - Slayer / Megadeth / Testament - Cow Palace
56. 09/01/10 - Slayer / Megadeth / Testament - Arco Arena [Sacramento]
57. 09/04/10 - Green Day - Shoreline Amphitheatre
58. 09/12/10 - Sleep / Thrones - The Regency
    
59. 09/13/10 - Sleep / Saviours / Black Cobra The Regency
    
60. 09/15/10 - The Head Cat [Lemmy, Slim Jim Phantom] - Uptown
    
61. 09/29/10 - High On Fire / Torche / Kylesa - Great American Music Hall
62. 10/02/10 - The Sword / Karma To Burn - The Regency
    
63. 10/04/10 - Guitar Wolf - Bottom Of The Hill
64. 10/08/10 - Cheap Trick - Mountain Winery [Saratoga]
65. 10/11/10 - Alice In Chains / Deftones - San Jose State Event Center
66. 10/23/10 - Triptykon / 1349 / Yakuza - Slim's
67. 10/29/10 - Acid King / Christian Mistress - Hemlock
    
68. 11/17/10 - Watain / Goatwhore / Black Anvil - DNA Lounge
    
69. 11/20/10 - Black Label Society / Children Of Bodom / Clutch - The Warfield
70. 11/24/10 - Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience - The Warfield
71. 11/28/10 - Dimmu Borgir / Enslaved / Blood Red Throne - The Regency
    
72. 11/29/10 - Grinderman - The Warfield
73. 12/04/10 - Skeletonwitch / Withered / Trap Them / Landmine Marathon - Red 7 [Austin]
74. 12/07/10 - Roger Waters: The Wall Live - HP Pavilion [San Jose]
    
75. 12/17/10 - Killing Joke - The Regency
    
76. 12/19/10 - The Black Crowes - The Fillmore
77. 12/22/10 - Agalloch - Great American Music Hall
78. 12/30/10 - High On Fire / Archons - Brookdale Lodge [Brookdale]
    

2010 Bands: The bands that were special to Umlaut this year were Landmine Marathon and Ludicra. Landmine Marathon are friends and remind me alot of Metal bands from my Salad Days with how they go about their business and music. They did 2 tours of the U.S. and Canada behind their new album Sovereign Descent and are a band who leave some blood on the stage every night (sometimes literally). Ludicra took their game to another level with their landmark album The Tenant, which is the best album by a Bay Area band (any band) in years. They also had one of the most dramatic U.S. Tours that I've followed in recent memory! A tough and majestically brutal band.

2010 Shows: There were so many good shows last year but, if I have to narrow it down, I'd say my favorites were (in no specific order)...

• Scion Rock Fest @ Columbus, Ohio, Midwest, U.S.A..
  
• Watching Motörhead from onstage @ Stubb's
• Withered / Landmine Marathon / Salome @ Emo's
• Ludicra @ Cafe du Nord
• Agalloch @ Great American Music Hall
  
• Reliving my teenage years with Slayer, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, and Cheap Trick.
• Guitar Wolf @ Bottom of the Hill
  
• Thomas Gabriel Fischer (Triptykon) knowing who I was @ Slim's.
  

2010 Records: In alphabetical order...

1. Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit (Track: 'The Watcher's Monolith')
2. Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave (Track: 'Ain't No Grave')
3. Grinderman - Grinderman 2 (Track: 'Mickey Mouse & the Goodbye Man')
4. High On Fire - Snakes of the Divine (Track: 'Bastard Samurai')
5. Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent (Track: 'This World Hell')
6. Kylesa - Spiral Shadow (Track: 'Distance Closing In')
7. Landmine Marathon - Sovereign Descent (Track: 'Rise With The Tide')
8. Ludicra - The Tenant (Track: 'In Stable')
9. Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones (Track: 'The Prolonging')
10. Withered - Dualities (Track: 'From Shadows')

Honorable Mention because it's not a "record" (yet): Vastum - digital EP (Track: 'Master's Mark')

2010 Music Geek Moment:

• 8/14/10 - Lovers of Covers: The Album Art of Storm Thorgerson - San Francisco Art Exchange

2010 What-The-Fuck Moment:

• LEMMY played a BAR in DOWNTOWN OAKLAND and most Metalheads IGNORED it...
  

2010 Reality Check Moments:

• R.I.P. Debbie Abono
• R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio
  

Anyway, this has been my quick 'n dirty review of 2010... THANKS for all the support, readers and friends. 2011 will mark the 7th Anniversary of this space... so let's see what happens next. I'll see you on the other side.

At The Mountains Of Madness

Click HERE to read the H.P. Lovecraft story At the Mountains of Madness.

DO... IT... NOW.

High On Fire / Archons
Brookdale Lodge, Brookdale, CA
December 30, 2010

"Doubt of the real facts, as I must reveal them, is inevitable; yet, if I suppressed what will seem extravagant and incredible, there would be nothing left." - William Dyer from At the Mountains of Madness.

It was a pleasant surprise when local boyz High On Fire announced a trio of hometown-area shows to close out the year and to start the new one: Brookdale, New Year's Eve in San Jose, and New Year's Day in Oakland. Of course, the obvious show for Umlaut to hit was the night at the HAUNTED Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains! Click HERE to learn about Brookdale's paranormal history. Metal in a haunted mountain lodge?! FUCK... YEAH! I just hoped I wouldn't end up on the wrong side of an axe fight or in the trunk of a car by the end of the night...

Brookdale is approximately 70 miles south of San Francisco so we hit the road early in order to make it into the mountains, check into our room at the Brookdale (Metal Slumber Party!), and meet up with friends for a pre-show dinner at Scopazzi's, an Italian restaurant that's been in nearby Boulder Creek for 98 YEARS (!). It was a full-on Umlaut Nation onslaught with Skychick, Lori Acid King, Timo, Teri (Italia!), Mary Ann, Jerry, and Crow joining me for my final gig of 2010. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... Well here's 1,000 words about The Brookdale Lodge:

Karaoke...
High On Fire...
Gator Alley Band (a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band).

After checking into our room and dropping our bags off we returned to the lodge and found our way inside. There were 2 fireplaces blazing and 2 bars serving up drinks (actually 1 1/2 bars since one was in the middle of being renovated and only had beers in a cooler). One advantage of seeing shows in the mountains: CHEAP BEER! $3.00 for beers that normally cost $6.00 at shows in The City. FUCK... YEAH. I might have laughed out loud when I saw that the stage was not much bigger than a drum riser, with Dez's drum kit taking up practically 1/3 of it.

I got that "tingly" Music Geek feeling that I get when I know a show is going to be a F-U-N epic experience. Archons from San Diego played a good opening set that reminded me of some of the AmRep bands that I followed back in the 20th Century. They also sold the merch item of the night: A white glove packaged with a monocle and labeled with the phrase "Adds More Class To Your Act". I never found out the reason for this item but the band sold out of them. Hmmm.

Although they hail from the 'burbs / big city, High On Fire have always wandered "the mountains" psychologically. Appropriately they opened the night's set with 'Frost Hammer' and then charged straight into 'Turk'. So perfect... and I think I had the biggest smile on my face from the onslaught (or maybe it was from the beer). As it got colder and colder outside, the lads blazed through a great set.. 'How Dark We Pray'... 'Waste Of Tiamat'... 'Rumors Of War'.. 'Blood From Zion'.. 'Bastard Samurai'. I never looked at the clock but the set lasted 3 beers for me and finished off with a nice version of 'Snakes For The Divine'.

This was my 4th High On Fire show this year (in 2 states and 4 cities) and easily my favorite. The crowd and the vibe of the show felt like I was seeing the band 10 years ago again... They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well here's 1,000 words about the vibe during High On Fire's set:

Fireplace blazing in the foreground... High On Fire blazing in the background. 'Nuff said. After High On Fire finished we hung out near the bar... briefly said "Hi" to Matt... and I looked at my watch and it was only 11:00pm. WTF... I imagined our evening ending in very boring fashion back in our room drinking beer and watching t.v... and that's when MAGIC struck.

We talked and chatted amongst ourselves as the vast majority of the crowd trickled out and left to find their way out of the mountains back home. The dozen or so people who were left were either Brookdale employees or guests who were staying overnight like us... and that's when one of the employees got our attention and asked "Do you guys wanna go on a ghost tour??!" FUCK YEAH WE DO! So for the next 2 hours we followed a skitchy female Brookdale employee on a rambling but informative tour of the Brookdale Lodge and the surrounding grounds.

There is a secret entrance to a tunnel at the back of that fireplace that was built by gangsters in the 1950's (!). At that time the lodge was in decline and a criminal element took over The Brookdale and built a series of secret passages and tunnels on the property (!). In its glory days from the 1920's through the 1950's the Brookdale was a secluded getaway destination for A-List celebrities including Marilyn Monroe (!), James Dean (!), Rita Hayworth (!), Mae West (!), who were among other movie stars and politicians who stayed at The Brookdale. The debauchery that took place within those walls back then must have been EPIC!

Marilyn, Joltin' Joe... and James Dean at The Brookdale

The Meat Locker: During the 1950's when The Brookdale became a hub of criminal activity, The Meat Locker is reportedly where mob murders took place because it was soundproof. Only the locker's door remains intact in a wall and the actual space has been opened up to become part of a bar area that's currently being renovated.

The Mermaid Room: What remains of The Mermaid Room is around 20 feet from the stage where High On Fire played. Back in The Day it was a bar area and features a large window that looks into the lodge's swimming pool (which we visited a bit later in The Pool Room). At one time in The Brookdale's sordid history, prostitutes in bathing suits would swim past the window wearing numbers so patrons could select them ("Mermaid Room"). Once selected they would rendezvous across the road in The Brookdale's cottages; the patrons would be discreetly delivered to their "dates" via a secret tunnel that began in a closet behind The Mermaid Room's bar.

The Mermaid Room's window looking into the swimming pool..

In 1972, a 12-year old girl drowned at the bottom of the swimming pool in full view of guests in the Mermaid Room... and the pool has been closed ever since. Yup, there's been an unusual amount of death at The Brookdale!

The Brookroom Dining Room: This mindblowing space was built in the 1920's and encloses an existing mountain stream so that the water runs down the center of the restaurant!

The Brookroom from downstream at night and in the morning..

It's hard to describe just how brilliant The Brookroom is in person... the sight, sound, and smell of the mountain water gives the space a magical quality. I could almost imagine the room packed with Hollywood-types 60 years ago partying and living like they were immortal... but now they're dead and The Brookdale is a reminder of their faded fame and beauty. The debauchery that took place within those walls back then must have been EPIC!

The Brookroom from upstream..

The Brookroom from one of the dining areas..

In the 1940's, 9-year old Sarah Logan (the neice of the Brookdale's then-owner) fell into the stream and drowned. Sad... but her ghost is evidently the headlining paranormal entity at The Brookdale. Upstairs from the stream on the 2nd level is the room that was Sarah's playroom. Our skitchy tour guide wouldn't go inside because it freaked her out... but of course we did:

Kind of spooky.. but not really... and Sarah didn't come out to play. She was probably scared of that guy's Down hoodie.

The Pool Room: Located behind the main building, this is where the indoor swimming pool featured in The Mermaid Room is located.

The swimming pool..

The Pool Room (where a 12-year old girl drowned in 1972) was huge, cold, and dark. We hung out in there for a bit as our tour guide told a few more stories... and as we were leaving there was a loud noise and "something" hit one of the far walls. I shit you not... and I was not drunk. I think the ghost of the 12-year old girl was pissed at us for disturbing her.

After a short break back at The Lodge to gather more beers, our guide led us across the road to the cottages where hookers had serviced their customers back in The Brookdale's bad old days. Here in the 21st Century they serve as staff housing.

Stumbling around in the woods at 1:00am in the Mountains of Madness...

As our guide led us into a specific vacant cottage I had a VERY intense sense of deja vu and realized that I had been there before... and then it hit me that our friend Mary Ann (who was with us) had LIVED in this very cottage for 5 months when she had rented it 10+ years ago from the Brookdale's previous owners!! We had even helped move her into the place! I had completely forgotten about it... BIZARRE!! If the guide's story was to believed (and at this point her skitchy, speedy demeanor was wearing thin) a man had murdered his wife and 3 children in this cottage back in the 1960's or 70's. However, as compelling as I thought our friend Mary Ann's story was... and eventhough Mary Ann was sharing details about living in the cottage with other members of the tour group ("YOU lived HERE??!")... the skitchy guide blew us off and continued on with her "tour". Oh well... As the clock passed 2:00am our tour ended up back at The Lodge and we made our way to our room and promptly passed out... and, for better or worse, none of us experienced any paranormal weirdness during our slumber. Bummer.

Despite its glamorous and bloody history The Brookdale here in the 21st Century is kind of a dump that's in the middle of numerous renovation projects under its latest owners (who bought the property 3 years ago). Some of these projects seem kind of half ass and sloppy... but I wish the owners all of the very best because The Brookdale has so much potential to be a really cool and kitchy destination spot again. The fact that The Brookdale is so infamous for all of the murder and death that happened on its grounds makes its revival potential even cooler. By the way, although High On Fire stayed at The Brookdale like us, they opted not to participate in the Ghost Tour. Not very Metal of them... Just saying. However, I will now forever associate the song 'Frost Hammer' with The Brookdale...


Beer count = 5. If you bought one of every High On Fire merch item you would have paid around $150. On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 78th and final gig of 2010... and I visited the Mountains of Madness and escaped with my sanity intact (I think...).

"At the time, his shrieks were confined to the repetition of a single, mad word of all too obvious source: "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"" - from At the Mountains of Madness.