Full Circle

Devo
The Fox Theater, Oakland, California
June 28, 2014 

This show represented THE most full circle thing ever for Umlaut!   Flashback to 1984 in Berkeley, California...

[Photo courtesy of Harald O. - From Murder In The Front Row]

The teenager wearing the DEVO tee is Tour Manager Doug with members of Slayer, Exodus, Suicidal Tendencies, and Possessed.  At the time Doug was a member of Slayer's first road crew.  It's an iconic photo for many reasons, but for me because Tour Manager Doug's favorite band was Devo and he wore that t-shirt to practically every Metal show.  He suffered the abuse of his Metal peers who did not appreciate Devo but he never wavered from his support.  Fast forward almost 30 years later and that photo and friendship led to this on a Saturday night in Oakland here in the 21st Century:

 

This is what happens when one of your oldest friends ends up working for the first band he ever saw live in 1980 and who are also his favorite band.  Yes, that teenage Tour Manager Doug from 1984 is spending part of his Summer issuing backstage passes and looking after Devo here in the 21st Century!  The Fox Theater is not far from where that 1984 photo was taken as well.  Like I said, it's the most full circle thing EVER!  A-MA-ZING!

The pre-show backstage scene was very quiet and it took me a moment to realize it was Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale who were floating around the room.  Sadly, with the passing of Bob2 in February, this brief tour could very well be the final trek for Devo.  What impressed me is that on this tour the band is only performing songs from their formative years of 1974-77 and none of their 80's hits that made them famous.   

 [Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

Most other bands would simply go back out on the road and play the hits, no matter how painful it might be so soon after losing a founding member and brother.  Not Devo.  This tour is a tribute to their salad days when they were weird kids in Ohio trying to figure it all out.  It's a nod back to a time when things were innocent and life probably felt indestructible for them.  The Devo-ised version of 'Satisfaction', 'Be Stiff', 'Uncontrollable Urge', and 'Jocko Homo' were my obvious touchstones that kept me engaged with the show, but I literally didn't know the rest of the songs... and I was fine with that.  Umlaut is not a hardcore Devo fan but this show was charming, emotional, and simply great.  I vicariously fed off the energy and excitement of the fans around me who understood the theme of the show and embraced it completely.  To be honest, I don't think any of the most important bands from my salad days could cause me to react like that; I'm just that jaded unfortunately.  Honesty is my only excuse.

The night closed with a song called 'Clockout' that was being performed live for the first time on this tour... and joining the band in Oakland (and I believe in Los Angeles the next night) was Bob2's son Alex filling in for his dad.

 [Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

How full circle is that?  Bittersweet.. but still full circle.  I was introduced to Alex Bob2 Jr. briefly after the show and evidently he's a huge SLAAAYEER fan!  FULL. CIRCLE.

If you bought one of every Devo merch item you would have paid around $150.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It was a perfectly surgical evening.  A big THANKS to Tour Manager Doug... and Peace In Rest, Bob2... and long live de-evolution!

Gates Of Steel

Devo
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
November 7, 2009



Devo marched into San Francisco for a two night stand to perform their seminal debut album on the 1st night and their breakthrough Freedom Of Choice album the next night. The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways and I found myself with a +1 for the 2nd night and for the 2nd time in 3 days I found myself seeing a band from Ohio.

All Music Geeks know that the band's classic Live EP from 1980 was recorded at The Warfield in S.F.. Although I grew up during the Devo Generation I was not a fan as a kid; in 1980 when Freedom Of Choice came out my favorite bands were Cheap Trick, Van Halen, and Black Sabbath... but I came to be a fan as I grew older and wiser. The last time I saw Devo was way back at Lollapalooza 1996 when they shared the main stage with Metallica, Soundgarden, The Ramones, Rancid, and Screaming Trees. In hindsight, that was a helluva bill..

Fast forward to the 21st Century and this was probably the easiest show of the entire year for Umlaut... Lori Acid King and I breezed through the overbearing Regency security check and got to the Will Call table... where the woman acted as if she knew me (I'm sorry.. I didn't remember her!) and complimented my Cheap Trick shirt before handing me the passes from my guest list envelope... Then we got a beer and found seats at the rail in something called the "Reserved Seating Area - Proper Pass Required" section directly above the soundboard. Fucking perfect; all shows should be this easy.

I've never seen the floor of The Regency as packed as it was tonight; it was solid humans from wall to wall and I was thankful to be above all of that, but the mood in the room was nothing but happy. The houselights went down at 10:00pm and the vintage music videos from the Freedom Of Choice era were shown on the screen behind the stage: 'Girl U Want', 'Whip It' (best MTV video ever?), and 'Freedom Of Choice'... As soon as the last video played the band came onstage and a Card Guy walked to the front of the stage holding a sign that read "Track 1" and the band launched into 'Girl U Want'... and for the next 35 minutes Devo rolled through the Freedom Of Choice album, with each song being introduced by the Card Guy and his signs. FUNNY! 'Gates Of Steel' is one of Umlaut's favorite songs, so of course that was my favorite of the night.

'Gates Of Steel'

It was a solid performance... fueled by nostalgia of course... but it was solid fun. After the main set, the band returned for an encore of 'Be Stiff' and 'Beautiful World'. The latter featured an appearance by Booji Boy, who told the crowd that if Michael Jackson could dig his way out of his grave he'd agree with the song. I think we'd all like to believe that, right?

Devo's set ran 55 minutes.. The houselights came up.. I drove Lori Acid King home.. I stopped at Taqueria Cancun to get a burrito to go.. I docked the Prius back at Casa de Umlaut at exactly 11:37pm.. It was an insanely easy surgically precise night. THANKS to Tour Manager Doug for sorting my +1 even though he's in the middle of conquering Europe again.

Trivia: Yes, this is the same Tour Manager Doug whose first concert was Devo on the Freedom Of Choice Tour at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA (a show that is available on DVD!) and who can be seen wearing one of his Devo shirts circa 1984 in the Slayer box set.

Tour Manager Doug and his Devo shirt with Slayer, Exodus, and Suicidal Tendencies
(Pic from Slayer's Soundtrack to the Apocalypse box set)

If you bought one of every Devo merch item you would have paid around $290. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I can't remember the last time I've seen a non-festival headlining band play such a short set, but you can't talk shit about Devo! Everyone leaving the venue seemed happy from the show... and that's all that matters.

"A man is real... not made of steel.."

ATP: Joey & Alan's Excellent Adventure

For the newbies: If you don't know what All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) is, then please leave now and do your homework... Come back when you're done... There will be a quiz!

For everyone else: The latest installment of the ATP series was one that was closest to Umlaut's heart with several bands who I hold near and dear on the bill (SLEEP reunited for one weekend only... The Jesus Lizard.. Killing Joke..) as well as other bands who I dig (Devo.. Electric Wizard.. Harvey Milk..)... but, alas, I couldn't attend. Thankfully, Umlaut Nation members Joey (representing the United States) and Alan (representing Great Britain) were there to allow me to live vicariously through their Rock 'N Roll Lifestyles. Read on:

ATP Vs. The Fans Part II: The Fans Strike Back
Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead, England
May 8-10, 2009



It Was A Classic: A Visit to Haven Butlins

By “Al from Hell” Dickey and Joey “Blow Torch” Osbourne

Joey’s Take (JT): What a week this was. I recently visited my buddy Alan and his lovely family in London to go to the Fans Strike Back II All Tomorrow’s Parties festival blow out. It started with a primer visit to Photo Fit printing shop to see the latest England team football and Sleep shirts in the production queues. Then a drive by Jerry Hall’s ‘bungalow’ (I think Mick Jagger perped on her for years next door) and Petey Townshend's Wick House digs all overlooking the scenic Thames River. We connected with Todd and Dema and hit the road north to Butlins in Hertfordshire (near Wales) from London. Although it was supposed to be a 3 ½ hour trip, we successfully made it a 6 hour drive full of great shuffle on the iPod and anticipatory chit chat. We’re not sure why it took so long as no one was paying attention including Alan who was driving.

Alan: I was paying attention, honest officer! Hey they only dug up half of bloody London to repair their ancient water pipes and then decided to close half of the M4 so the council could repair a small part of the fence in the centre of the motorway.

JT: We got to the Butlins production area and picked up our dialed tickets and VIP efficiency key cards. Barry, Deborah and crew rule, period. We saw Xavier’s fleet (Highway Tiger Tour vans) but no Xavier. Oh well. We settled in and were off to the races.

Alan: I saw Xavier first as I was driving and paying attention whence why we didn’t hit them.

JT: Friday started with Andrew W.K.. Ok, I am so glad I never paid to see him. He wears all white. I’d guess he’s a nice guy so he gets the Nice Guy/Bad Band status.

Alan: Yeah, me too, but he does get the vote of confidence. The kids lapped it up as I am sure his accountant does too but I would still prefer to stand and watch WHITEHOUSE over Andrew WK. WHITEHOUSE wears black.

JT: Then it was Devo who I had never seen. Look, I was waiting for a festival like this and didn’t see them when they played for free in S.F. because I have to pay rent in that friggin’ city. Plus I’m a drummer who’s from Kentucky. What do you expect? Devo were great and a lot of dancing and screaming by Dema, Todd, Alan and I (and probably Tommy and Julie at this point) went down. They even played 'Uncrontrollable Urge' so I could finally die in peace.


Alan: Hey Joey, I agree Devo were still as energetic as ever and to see them still don the little black hot pants and black vests after all these years was priceless as I am sure not many bands from now would be able to pull that off. 'Mongoloid', 'Freedom of Choice', 'Girl U Want', and 'Whip It' had us all in a sweaty pool of bliss.

JT: Lots of "socializing" ensued until Electric Wizard came on. A significant improvement from the last time I saw them. I think it was due to the new line up. All that said, Electric Wizard = bad guy + great band. At some point I went over to Todd and Dema’s and met some really cool people including Ozzie who played drums with Brian James (The Damned and The Lords of the New Church) and Nick Treguna (The Lords of the New Church). Holy Shit! The Damned are my favorite punk band. Holy Shit! And Ozzie was a very cool guy to boot. We talked shop of course. Beddy bye for me at some point after this. Dema went on to dance the night away with Fuck Buttons.

Alan: Supposedly this is when I ended up on the beach with a shit load of TMFT (Today Mother Fucker Today) stickers and a shit load of ATP fans getting stickered to death. All I remember is waking up with one sock on and a bucket and spade beside my bed full of sand?? Joey, the door was locked right?

JT: I can’t remember Al. I was so tired. Saturday: started with Qui with Mr. Yow on vocals. Good musicians and David warming up for the eventual hoo ha ha. I saw a few songs of Young Marble Giants to say that I saw them. Wait, did I write that? Then I traipsed over to see Grizzly Bear and was pleasantly surprised at how good these guys were. Incredible harmonies. Check ‘em out. Then it was on to Harvey Milk. I had seen them earlier this year at Great American Music Hall with Joe Preston and was pleasantly surprised that they upped the ante with the ATP show. Brutally amazing band and very cool guys. I met them after the set with Cyrus (Drunk Horse, Saviours and a sweetheart in general). The Harvey Milk guys gave Cyrus and I backstage passes for the rest of the show which came in handy later on in the evening. Harvey Milk = great guys + great band.


Joey's "All Access, Bitch!" Pass

Alan: Harvey Mother Fucking Milk more like and Cyrus (I am hanging with you broads) is a class act. How come we didn’t hang with Cyrus later on as he seemed like he had the best party going on? Seriously Harvey Milk were one of those bands when you see them for the first time and just wig out to and later think they fit into that “When they are in your town they aren’t to be missed” category.

JT: Then it was on to see one of Todd ‘I booked ‘em Cote’s band, Sleepy Sun. Holy crap, these guys blew me away. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they did an amazing cover of a late era Fleetwood Mac song ('The Chain'). Hats off to the youth for having no hang ups on "What’s the right cover song to do". Then The Jesus Lizard came on and blistered the crowd. O.K., they are older, but damn those guys are masters at kickin’ your face in old school. Wait, did I write that? Then it came time for the reason I came across the pond, Sleep. I was definitely backstage and not to shoot the shit with the guys, but be witness to the brutal hour and half onslaught by the masters of doom. They did tons of songs from Holy Mountain, a snippet of Dopesmoker (sorry guys I can’t call it Jerusalem ‘cause that’s not what I called it when I first witnessed that song) and a song I’d never heard to close the set. One word: Holy. No more needs to be said. I followed the riff-filled caravan of Sleep to their room and went to bed soon after that. Nice.


Alan: Sleepy Sun really got the new band on the block award for sure and what a fine bunch and a fine psychedelic hippie dose was needed at that time of day as it set up the rest of the evening for sure. There were various amounts of Jim Beam and Tetleys bitter top ups in between the above bands. We also managed to gate crash Adam’s (Production House) birthday celebrations back stage just prior to Sleep as his crew was doing all that was needed to get each band off that stage and the next round of musicians on the stage in time. He is now OFFICIALLY one of the OLD BASTARDS AT THE BAR as he turned 35 and Dr. Bourbon (Photofit) has confirmed yes he can have the official shirt very soon.

JT: Sunday started with spaghetti dinner with Alan, Dema, Tommy, Julie and myself. Todd was busy booking something I’m sure. We checked out the end of !!! CHK CHK CHK. Good enough plan. Then came the second reason I crossed the pond: Killing Joke. Mind you, I saw them 8 years or so ago at Slim’s and they sucked. This was a very influential band for me and they needed to redeem that slot in my life for me. This was the original line up and those fuckin’ Brits delivered. Even the disco stuff sounded great. I could now die in peace. We all traipsed over to see Spiritualized who were really good, but Todd and Dema’s antics were by far more entertaining. No more needs to be said. School of Seven Bells = two hot birds with a twat in the middle. I’m not sure why I skipped the second Jesus Lizard set but I’m sure it was for some reason that was funny. Then I saw This Will Destroy You long enough to appreciate that I never heard any of their music before and never paid to see them. Life is good. Then, the Holy Mountain boys, Sleep. I stood in the crowd this time. Holy. Back to London. It only took 3 ½ hours. Weird.

Alan: Fuck man you forgot the bit when we are staggering around Butlins following each other and we came across the infamous 50ft climbing wall and this dude comes up to us and says ”Man do you know that Dale Crover is the only musician to actually climb all the way to the top of that there wall”? Well I was like no f*cking way? Joey starts pacing about and you could see he’s thinking “I can beat Mr Crover at most things but that wall is pretty high”. I managed to convince Joey that if anyone would want to better that feat leave it to the Electric Wizard guys. You never know it might become an ATP event in the future. Sleep and Spiritualized were two bands similar in thinking but so different in action and after witnessing both the Fuck Buttons DJ set at The Crazy Horse for a few laps around the dance floor was needed. God knows who that poor boy was but Dema had him doing cart wheels and rolly polly’s on the dance floor. It was all Dema’s fault for sure.

JT: We saw Sleepy Sun again at the Luminaire and had amazing Indian food.


Alan: This was Sleepy Suns first ever London show and it was their Embrace debut album release which made it all the more special. As Joey said the Indian food at VJ’s on Willesden Lane is probably the best. In London that’s for sure. Then a short walk up to The Luminaire. What a perfect way to finish off a CLASSIC weekend?

JT: There is one major thing that I learned in England, thanks to Dema, “That ain’t no Ferris Wheel, Joey. It’s the fucking Millennium Eye”.

Joey and Al say in closing "Remember kids, Uncle Chop Chop says "Don’t cut off your fuckin' ears".