Pain Of Mind

Neurosis / Sleep / Vhöl
The Regency, San Francisco
March 4, 2016

It's funny that The Bay Area is revered for its Thrash Metal history but there's another era here that was just as influential on the generation of Metal that came after the Thrash scene that gave the world bands like Neurosis and Sleep.  Echoing what Metallica did a few years back, local heroes and icons Neurosis celebrated their 30th Anniversary with 3 sold out hometown shows featuring support from bands who have been their friends and comrades over the years.  The magnitude of this event was simply shown by how many people traveled from out of state and from far and wide to attend.  Tonight's opening night bill was the most epic and the most symbolic of the band's Bay Area roots with their brothers Al and Matt of Sleep (with Jason Neurosis now on drums of course) and Vhöl, a band featuring veteran musicians from such beloved bands as Ludicra, Hammers Of Misfortune, and Yob.

I've known Neurosis for around 25 of their 30 years and they are a very important band to me... Not only because of their music and vision.. but because I spent a good amount of time with them in those early years.. Hearing early demos of what was to become the Souls At Zero album at Steve VonTill's house in San Jose after he served the first vegan meal I'd ever had (here in the 21st Century neither one of us is vegan).  Going on tour with them a couple of times including a legendary night of debauchery and mayhem in Tijuana, Mexico.  Watching the Metal mainstream via OzzFest try to assimilate them and Neurosis deciding not to go towards that light but instead building an independent empire for themselves.  Neurosis is one of the few "old" bands who still blows my mind and reminds me of the mayhem I experienced seeing them with smelly crusties at random shitty venues and pizza parlors back in the days long before The Internet.  According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was around my 25th Neurosis show. 

Before the gig I stopped at a work function to celebrate the opening of a new store.  I had a good but brief time with my new co-workers over complimentary Lagunitas... and with cool stuff like this hanging on the walls around us:

Then I made a polite early exit and made my way across town to The Big Rock Show.

 
In surgically precise fashion I found a parking space across the street from the venue and inside it was old school style gathering of the tribe.  Many old friends from far and near.  It was good to see that kid who used to work at Tower Records in Mountain View who always wanted to talk about Black Sabbath with us... and who would bring his bass to work so he could practice on his breaks.. and then who formed a band which we thought was adorable.. and then he told us about the band and how the band was called Sleep.. and then he grew up, grew a beard, and became an icon.

It's a reassuring thing to bro-hug Al every couple of years.. our Stoner Rock Tiny Dancer.

It was a big deal to me that Vhöl were on the bill.  I believe tonight was only their 10th show ever and the 2nd time I've seen them... and their most recent sophomore album is a revelation.  Obviously I was initially drawn to them because the band is made up of members of some of my favorite bands like Ludicra and Yob.. but the new album is a diverse hammer of progressive punk-tinged volume that translated well onstage.  While members of the band disagreed with me when I saw them after their set I honestly thought they killed it.  So there.

 Vhöl 

[Underwhelming photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

As much as tonight was about celebrating Neurosis, honesty compels me to say that Sleep owned this Friday night for me.   I think it had to do with them playing a rare support role and lumbering onstage to deliver their riffage in honor of their old friends.  ‘Dragonaut’ live never gets old.  It’s still weird that Sleep are now like the sage old wise men.  It seems like only yesterday they were those young and precocious weed smoke infused scamps.  Sleep played all of the (bong) hits and it was trippy watching them be an opening band again.. in a great way of course.

Sleep

[Underwhelming photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]

It was undoubtedly a huge moment for Neurosis to kick off their 30th year celebration in front of a sold out and rabid hometown audience.  The guys appeared onstage like a black fog off San Francisco Bay and launched into ‘Lost’ which I believe they had not played live in almost 17 years. Damn..  but as fanboy great as that was the set took a complete u-turn back to the future as they dropped nostalgia bombs from the Pain Of Mind album onto the hometown crowd.  Songs that had not been played in 20+ years lifted the event to another level.

When The Regency is sold out and packed it's possibly the most uncomfortable sweaty venue in The Bay Area... which only added to the dense sensory atmosphere.  There are some who lament that Neurosis have abandoned the visual side of their live shows.. and I get that.. because it's what made them the "Pink Floyd" of the dark underground.  I miss that aspect of the band's creativity to a certain extent... but now as the years continue to march on I think it's more appropriate that the band uses their music and audio aura to immerse a crowd.  You cannot be lazy at a Neurosis show now.  You're either paying attention or you should not be there.  I was almost brought to tears when they launched into the vintage strain of 'Takeahnase' and their equally vintage cover of Joy Division's 'Day Of The Lords' rang even truer now.   When it was all said and done.. 13 songs.. 2 hours.. and 30 years came back around full circle for Night 1 of this 3-night hometown stand.  The other nights just weren't in the cards for Umlaut and I was fine with that because this was the bill I "needed" to see and I'm glad I did.

Since I no longer work in the merch biz I didn't do a merch audit; change is good.  However, the merch line was hella long all night but the event screenprint was only $20.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me fag.  In hindsight I realize it's not very common to follow a band for 20 or 30 years of your life.  For Neurosis to still be around and completely relevant and with their integrity intact is something to behold.  No seed will grow of this barren Earth, like, forever, man..

A Sun That Never Sets

Neurosis / Tragedy / Author & Punisher / Kowloon Walled City
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
December 30, 2014

At this point in Umlaut's life, there are actually a few bands that I've shockingly been following for almost half of my life.. which for you keeping score at home means at least 25 years.  Hope I die before I get old..  Anyway, Neurosis is one of those bands.  It's been profound watching them evolve from playing pizza parlors and warehouses into the elder statesmen and volume icons they are here in the 21st Century.  Trippy, man.  I remember when they were hardcore vegans.  I also remember when they started eating meat again.  Full circle shit, man.

[Photos from the Umlaut Archives]

Top photo:  Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly with the xeroxed Umlaut Issue #2 'zine at Brave New World (R.I.P.), San Francisco circa 1992.   Bottom photo:  Neurosis visuals equipment on tour in 1992 at Spanky's Pizza (!), Orange County, California.

In what's turning into sort of an annual tradition, Neurosis closed out another year with hometown shows (tonight and a New Year's Eve shindig).  Considering that 2/5 of the band now lives out of state and this is about as heartwarming a gesture as you should expect from these dark lords.  Combined with the fact that several old friends who I rarely see in person were also in attendance and it made me glad I had ventured out on this very cold and windy San Francisco night.

I arrived early enough to catch the last part of the opening set by locals Kowloon Walled City.  I've seen the band a couple of times over the past several years and I will admit I wasn't really a fan early on... but they've won me over since then.. although I didn't think tonight was one of the better performances that I've seen by them.  Do I sound like a dick?  If so... sorry.. I honestly didn't mean to.. Anyway...

Next up was the one-man metal shop class come to life that is Author & Punisher.  I was only familiar with A&P by name only but my friend filled me in how it's the work of industrial artist Tristan Stone who made all of the harrowing equipment himself.  Honesty is my only excuse:  I can't imagine anyone listening to A&P at home or in their car.  It's like watching and listening to a drill press... but in a live setting A&P are kind of hypnotic.  My only smart ass suggestion is that it would be, like, totally cool if he manufactured trinkets during the show with the equipment (like maybe those souvenir pressed pennies..) to give out or sell after his set.  Just saying..  Anyway...

The final support act tonight was Tragedy.. and I knew absolutely nothing about them although the members looked like they've probably been to Gilman St... although the Interwebs informed me they're based in Portland.  I did not mind their Punky ways at all.. Anway...

Neurosis are probably the only band who can still turn my head inside out and affect me in the same way as they did in the 20th Century.  Their dark energy has matured and fermented into something that I find positive in a foamy dark way.  It creates a vacuum in my psyche that also pushes my mind out.  Hmm... Does that sound like Hippie Shit? 

I realized early in the set that, although this was around my 30th Neurosis show (dating back to 1991 or so), it was the first time I'd seen them headline a show without their once trademark visuals.  For the newbies:  The band jettisoned the visual side of their live performances in favor of a stripped down vision... and it completely works.  Back in the day the band's visuals were pretty cutting edge and relied on analog equipment like a slide projector and colored film placed on a bicycle rim turned by a film projector (see the photo I posted here).  Fast forward to the 21st Century and any half baked "artist" can "create" a "visual presentation" and use it with their "band" via their laptop.  Technology has ruined so many things by making them too easy, man.  I think Neurosis realized this and took themselves back to their roots... bloody roots:  Sound.. volume.. words.. music.

Opening with the appropriate 'At The End Of The Road' the set hit an early peak with the now vintage maelstrom 'Eye' coming early in the set... but the night's thematic heart came during 'Distill' for me.  It burned.. Tonight was possibly the most understated Neurosis set I've ever seen.  The energy level was a slow simmering darkness instead of the manic heated boiling madness of other shows I've witnessed.  It was mind bending for me in a different way than the past.  It was just an example of how this band can communicate differently within their own realm.  A slow burn destroys as effectively as a flash fire.  Closing the set with the constricting beauty of 'My Heart For Deliverance' (my favorite recent Neurosis song) was beyond perfect.

I didn't do a merch audit.. but I did drop $5 for a Neurosis patch and it was cool that their merch guy said how much he liked Murder In The Front Row.  Right on, man!  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  In between bands there was a Von Till dog pile with some other dudes who I've known for 20+ years and who I first saw Neurosis with back in the hazy Red Hook-drinking days:

It was a brief but special moment.  This was also my final gig of 2014.. which was also the 10th (!!) year I've been ranting in this "blog".  Crazy, man.  The more things change.. the more they stay the same... sometimes. Let's see what 2015 brings...

Gathering Of The Tribe

Neurosis / Voivod / Yob
The Fox Theater, Oakland, California
November 17, 2012

"Show of the year."  

That was the thought that popped into my head when this gig was announced.  Given that Umlaut has had a couple of once in a lifetime shows in 2012, even I was taken aback by the thought.  However, more than any other band, Neurosis represents my own personal "crossover" that took place in my life back in the late 80's.  It was a time when I had grown disenchanted with the original Metal Scene but I was introduced to a whole new underground of bands rooted in the Punk scene.  One of those bands was Neurosis.  Having Voivod on the bill, one of the bands who directly influenced Neurosis, made this event even more profoundly full circle.

Tonight in Oakland was a one-off album release show for the new Neurosis epic Honor Found In Decay and one of only 2 shows the band will play this year.  It's been almost 2 years since Neurosis last played a hometown area show, but I can't remember the last time they played in Oakland.  According to the Umlaut Archives this was at least my 21st Neurosis show.  Friends and associates traveled from all over the country for this and it was pretty amazing to experience the gathering of the tribe come together.

Unfortunately, I was only able to catch around 1 1/2 songs of Yob's thundering 35 minute opening set.  I was distracted by other events that carried me down into the deepest bowels of the venue... literally.  One thing led to another and I found myself in the surreal and plush dressing room area that looked like a bizarre bomb shelter version of a hotel.  There were curtains and window treatments on the walls but obviously there were no windows behind them because we were, like, 2 stories underground! 

Geek Moment: Entering the Voivod dressing room and they were speaking to each other in French. As I gave copies of Murder In The Front Row to them Blacky asked "Who died in the front row?" and I said "We all did".  Away immediately said "Yes!" and told a story about when Voivod went to see G.B.H. and Blacky jumped in the pit because he didn't want to be intimidated by the punks... but he soon exited the pit with his nose smashed and bloody.  Then this happened:

 Killing Technology with Murder

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

 
After this Metal Geek moment I was able to spend some quality time with Neurosis and some old friends from back in The Day.  I hadn't seen many of them in years and the reunion vibe made this one of the best evenings of the year.

 Weapons of Neurosis

Twenty years ago this guy had dreadlocks and my hair was at least 6 inches longer:

[Photo courtesy of Photo Ray]

When I was on tour with Neurosis in 1993 I awoke one morning in Seattle to the soothing sounds of Steve Von Till playing Mercyful Fate riffs on an acoustic guitar.  True story.  Good times.

I saw the resurrected Voivod a couple of years ago at Scion Fest in Ohio and in hindsight I wasn't sure if they were as great as I thought or if I had simply been caught up in the moment and wanted them to be great so I rationalized it.  For many Metalheads like myself, Voivod are a sacred band who were a mind-altering and mindblowing discovery and seeing them without Piggy (R.I.P.) is pretty emotional.  New guitarist Chewy seemed to fit in but I just wasn't sure once I got home.  I should not have had any doubts.

The anticipation before Voivod's return to a Bay Area stage was thick in the air, even backstage.  I've known Neurosis for over 20 years now and I've never seen them giddy like they were prior to Voivod walking upstairs to the stage.  Even a backstage appearance by former Voivod member Jason Newsted didn't seem that special.  No, Newsted did not join Voivod onstage..

As the industrial dirge intro of the song 'Voivod' steamed from the PA and the band walked onstage and launched into their anthem, I pushed my way past the casual fans up to the front. I then spent the duration of our heroes' 65 minute set banging my head standing beside old friends, some of whom I've known for 30 years.  We were all Teenage 80's Metalheads and Punks again.    

The 8-song set was a mind blowing cross section of material and included the new song 'Mechanical Mind' which fits right into the band's sonic armory perfectly.  The mighty Voivod closed their tremendous assault with a unbelievably hammering 'Tribal Convictions' followed by their cover of Pink Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine' dedicated to the late Piggy.  It's not often that raw emotions are touched by a Metal band onstage but that's exactly what happened on this night in Oakland.  Here in the 21st Century, with all of our convenient but dehumanizing technology, it was a healthy reminder that Voivod are still relevant and still speak to me.

Voivod

[Photo courtesy of Taylor Keahey]

After the set, I staggered away from the stage towards the bar and ran into other friends and acquaintances in the crowd and we all had the same look on our faces:  Holy. Shit. Voivod.  It's beyond great to have them back!

After the transcendent Voivod performance I wasn't sure how I would react to Neurosis.  While Voivod inspired an outward reaction in me, Neurosis have always affected me in the opposite way.  Neurosis and their music draws me back into my own head.  The band's triumphant return to a hometown stage was emotional in the same victorious way that Voivod's had been.  When I spoke to some of the band members earlier none of us could remember the last time Neurosis had played a show in the 510 area code; the nearest we could figure was maybe 1992.  The stage of The Fox is only around 15 minutes away from Gilman St. where Neurosis first learned how to be a band all those years ago.  Finally they were back in the 510.  Full circle.  

Neurosis

[Photo courtesy of Taylor Keahey]

For 90 minutes the boys leveled their hometown.  The second salvo of the set was 'My Heart For Deliverance' off the new album.  It's a song that I've really gravitated towards and from that moment on I was blissfully sucked back into the world of Neurosis again.  The band had their standard visuals going on the screen behind the stage and I took advantage of my All Access to watch the set from a couple of different places around the venue.  Standing at stage right and watching Neurosis here in the 21st Century was an epiphany.   Over the course of their history Neurosis has developed into a band that's more a force of nature onstage than simply "a band".  Neurosis are an entity of rage, solitude, volume, and beauty. 

Neurosis are the most forward looking band that I follow; they do not dwell on nostalgia or past triumphs very often and their setlist reflected this.  Out of the 10 songs played only 1 dated from before 2000.  Neurosis are like a shark; always moving forward to stay alive.  For those who care their setlist was:

• Distill (2007)
• My Heart For Deliverance (2012)
• At The End Of The Road (2007)
• An Offering (2000)
• Times Of Grace (1999)
• At The Well (2012)
• Left To Wander (2004)
• We All Rage In Gold (2012)
• Bleeding The Pigs (2012)
• Given To The Rising (2007)

So many influential Metal bands have tried to shed their past triumphs and move forward creatively while not alienating themselves from what made them special to begin with..  So many seem to fall short and end up playing past heavy sets because their past ends up overshadowing their present.  Neurosis are not one of those bands.

As I said earlier, this was one of those amazing full circle nights.  The fact that Neurosis were able to bring Voivod from Canada for their special night was so huge.  For those paying attention, Voivod were the inspiration for much of what has become the Neurosis landscape.  This was a show that I will always remember; it was a perfect storm of bands, friends, and the moment.  Special thanks to Steve of CM for getting shit sorted and making it happen.

If you bought one of every Neurosis merch item you would have paid around $300.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  It's been most of a week since this show and I'm still buzzing from it.  At the risk of sounding redundant I need to type this again:  Full. Circle.

Neurosis All Access:  Portland -1993 and Oakland - 2012

Fate vs. Neurosis

Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath (1984)

Neurosis - Souls At Zero (1992)

Umlaut's old friends Big Wayne and Jack K were joking around way back in 1992 as they listened to the latest album by Neurosis in an apartment in San Jose, California. As they heard the slower end riff on 'A Chronology for Survival' Wayne remarked, "That's SO Fate!" and Jack got out Fate's Don't Break The Oath album and they made the following list of comparisons between Mercyful Fate and Neurosis lyrics. This list had been forgotten for years... until now..

===

• Mercyful Fate: "You're only living on borrowed time.. They say you know the secret, the secret of time.." [from 'Don't Break The Oath']
• Neurosis: "The healing touch of time has abandoned me..." [from 'To Crawl Under One's Skin']

===

• Mercyful Fate: "I was born in the cemetery, under the sign of the moon.." [from 'Evil']
  
• Neurosis: "I've slept in the dirt, under the light of the moon.." [from 'Souls At Zero']

===

• Mercyful Fate: "Tonight seven souls are reaching Hell.. " [from 'A Dangerous Meeting']
  
• Neurosis: "I know our souls have perished.." [from 'Souls At Zero']

===

• Mercyful Fate: "Life of the unborn, this one's for the unborn.." [from 'Night Of The Unborn']
  
• Neurosis: "The lost city, the lost child.." [from 'Stripped']

===

• Mercyful Fate: "I see the gypsy wagons left in the snow.." [from 'Gypsy']
  
• Neurosis: "Through this wall of ice I see you.." [from 'To Crawl Under One's Skin']

===

• Mercyful Fate: "Iron fists won't do no good against the evil eyes.. " [from 'Satan's Fall'... which is on the Melissa album and not Don't Break The Oath... but it doesn't matter..]
  
• Neurosis: "Destroy the eyes of the world.." [from 'Stripped']
  

===

• Mercyful Fate: "Tonight the circle is broken forever.." [from ''A Dangerous Meeting']
  
• Neurosis: "The cycles they are clawing.." [from 'A Chronology For Survival']

THANKS to Big Wayne and Jack for sharing this long-lost nugget of Music Geekdom. According to the Umlaut Archives, I saw Mercyful Fate 3x on the Don't Break The Oath Tour in 1984-85 and Neurosis at least 9x on the Souls At Zero Tour in 1992-93.

Don't Break The Oath Tour
(From the Umlaut Archives)

Souls At Zero Tour
(From the Umlaut Archives)

More Old School than you...

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..."

17 Years Ago Today

On this date in 1993, Umlaut was in Vancouver, Canada at the Commodore Ballroom seeing Neurosis with 7 Year Bitch.

(From the Umlaut Archives)

This was at the time when Umlaut 'Zine Mania was spiking big time and Umlaut was sweeping the nation and, along with Grunge, creating a shift in society of epic proportions (okay, maybe not...). Anyway, I spent a good amount of time and drunken nights on tour with the local heroes Neurosis back then.

From Umlaut #9 - Fall 1993

Good times... Anyway, that's what was happening on this date back in the 20th Century.

Shrinebuilder

Shrinebuilder / Harvestman / A Storm Of Light / Brainoil
The Voodoo Lounge, San Jose, California
March 5, 2010

A little over a year ago the announcement of the Shrinebuilder project caused my jaw to hit the floor. It's NOT an understatement when I say that Shrinebuilder are a supergroup straight from the pages of the early-90's xerox 'zine version of Umlaut. I did ALOT of shows and On Tour mileage with the Melvins, Neurosis, and Sleep back in those heady xerox Kinko's Days... From Canada down to Mexico.. From L.A. to New Orleans. Seriously, good times, man... seriously.

From Umlaut #9 - Fall 1993

Dude, a bill of Neurosis / Tad / Sleep... Epic.. and the floor of that club in Hollywood was carpeted and afterwards we walked to a nearby 7-11 and stumbled onto the filming of the opening scene from Ed Wood with Johnny Depp standing across the street from us underneath a rain machine. Epic.

Anyway, this was the first of a 3 night Bay Area stand for Shrinebuilder, and it was special how these shows were basically the band's "homecoming" shows since 1/2 of the band grew up here. The Bay Area vibe resonated even more with Meg and Tony of Totimoshi being on the band's crew. It was nice that The Rock Godz acknowledged the significance of this show in Umlaut's history as Dave Edwardson of Neurosis and I both arrived at the door at the same moment and a hearty handshake was shared. Once inside we immediately ran into Umlaut Nation charter members Crow and Big Wayne and we were soon joined by Al and Dale of Shrinebuilder for the obligatory "what's been going on" conversation / photo op.. It was almost like old times, man... almost.

Umlaut / The Drummer (Pic by Big Wayne)

Brainoil were on first and cut from the same basic vibe as other local Rock heroes Drunk Horse, Orchid and Saviours, but with more Sludgy Doom behind their songs. A Storm Of Light are all the way from Brooklyn, NY and I didn't connect with them at all. Sorry. It could have been a reaction to how ANNOYED I was that The Voodoo Lounge serves beer in PLASTIC GLASSES!! BEER in PLASTIC GLASSES?!! SO San Jose...

The direct support for the night was Harvestman (aka Neurosis' Steve Von Till solo), which was an interesting counterpoint to the headliner, but historically and aesthetically it made perfect sense of course. Steve's solo material is brought to life onstage with an arsenal of equipment that takes the music from acapella vocals to blasts of guitar thunder. Steve is like the Kris Kristofferson of Punk Rock now; whatever happened to that little Crusty Punk I once knew? Although the set was marred by the LOUD talking from the San Jose scenesters at the bar (Why come to a concert if all you're going to do is TALK... Fucking idiots..) the pathos of the songs cut through the bar bullshit. On another note, having Harvestman on the bill also allowed for a special reunion of former Downtown San Jose residents:

1992: Von Till / Umlaut - Downtown San Jose

2010: Umlaut / Big Wayne / Von Till - Downtown San Jose

After Steve... err.. I mean... Harvestman... was done it was funny watching the fanboys press against the stage to stare googly-eyed as the Shrinebuilder legends set up their own gear. It was also heartwarming watching Wino untangle his effects and cables while wearing his spectacles. Four Eyes Rule!

Having seen Wino over the years fronting The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand, and Saint Vitus it was interesting seeing his trademark vocals and guitar intertwined with 3 other musicians who have unique volume trademarks of their own: Al's sludgy bass and rhythmic vocal style, Scott's Beast of Hell vocals and guitar, and Dale's pounding pounding pounding. Shrinebuilder are a Frankenstein-like monster where each member's trademark sound appears whenever that member is featured; boom... Sleep... boom.. Melvins... boom... Wino... boom... Neurosis. In that sense it's a quintessential Super Group IMO; each part of the band is too huge to merely share the limelight so they don't even try, they just take turns. I've read and heard complaints about the 40 minutes of new music this lineup has created... but I don't understand what people were expecting. The magnitude of this band is so massive, at least in Umlaut's world.

Shrinebuilder hit the stage at around 12:20am and the first part of their hour+ set was truly epic... then it got jammy in the middle... but it ended strong. I have to say the highlight of the set was the deep groove of 'Blind For All To See'... although 'The Architect' with both Wino and Scott trading vocals floored me as well, not to mention Wino's solo during the song. Total Godhead, man! At one point, to fill out the set, the band went into some jammy stuff (including a drum solo by Dale) that started to lose my interest, but they closed off strong with a final 15 minutes that included a cover of Joy Division's 'Twenty Four Hours' that worked for me.

It still amuses me how clueless The 'Burbs are about events like this; I think the Voodoo Lounge has a capacity of 300 and it was probably half full; I didn't do a merch audit. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. This was a late one and I didn't step back inside the safe confines of Casa de Umlaut until 2:40am.. Will Umlaut make it to the San Francisco Shrinebuilder show?? Stay tuned... not to mention that both Umlaut and Shrinebuilder will be in Ohio next weekend. Crazy... It's almost like old times, man.

Yes, Umlaut did make the San Francisco show. Click HERE for that rant.

Here Comes The Sun

Man, after all the bad news that's kicked off this year, it's about time there was some GOOD news to give Umlaut hope for the rest of the year.

After all the rumors and hushed, "off the record" chit chat at Umlaut social gatherings, it's finally been publicly announced: Shrinebuilder is a reality!

Dude, "supergroup" is an understatement.. The band's lineup features members of some now-legendary bands who were basically the decibel-fueled soundtrack for the original xeroxed Umlaut 'zine back in the hazy, crazy early-90's:

Wino (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand)- vocals
Scott Kelly (Neurosis) - guitar
Al Cisneros (Sleep, Om)- bass
Dale Crover (Melvins) - drums

HOLY SHIT! My ears are already ringing..

The band is currently working on pre-production for an album scheduled for release on Neurot Recordings this Summer. You can follow the project's progress via Scott's blog or via the Shrinebuilder MySpace page.

There is Hope through Volume.. Let this be the first of many blessings in 2009... and I dedicate this post to all the hipster kids who have no appreciation of the magnitude of this collaboration. To quote 'I Bleed Black' by Saint Vitus:

"I can tell by their eyes they're just a bunch of fucking unaware squares..."

In other related shit: Umlaut may drive a Prius, but part of him wishes he drove a Scion.. or could at least meet Scion's Marketing Dept.. because Scion is seriously METAL.. No joke.

(Trivia: Scion is a division of Toyota)

Scion not only sponsored a FREE High On Fire show in L.A. at the end of last year, but they're also hosting the FREE Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta on February 28th. The bill is BEYOND mindblowing:


The bill reads like Umlaut's CD collection... especially with Mastodon, Neurosis, High On Fire, Boris, 1349, Torche, Wolves In The Throne Room, Harvey Milk, Kylesa, Skeletonwitch, and Warbringer.. Plus it's in a small 1,500 capacity venue.. WTF!? This.... bill... is... BEYOND... mindblowing.

Whoever is running the show at Scion is some kind of Metalhead... and, with forward thinking Satanic Marketing like this, U.S. car makers don't have a fucking chance despite the recent government bailout... 'cause Satan and METAL trumps God and New Country Music every time. "Built Ford Tough" is for pussies.

There is Hope through Volume, my friends.. There is hope.

All Growed Up

The band that was always most closely tied to the old xeroxed version of Umlaut was Neurosis.

The May 2007 issue of Decibel magazine had a great cover story on the band that began with the statement "Neurosis' vast impact on the history of extreme metal is undeniable."

I still find it hard to believe that Neurosis became such a hugely influential and important band; my perspective is stuff like Steve Von Till serving me my first ever vegan meal. Kinda not extreme metal.

Click HERE and HERE to see how it was..... Click HERE to read the Decibel article.

"No seed will grow on this barren earth..."

Not Punk

So Umlaut saw the new Punk documentary American Hardcore. A review in two words: No DK's??

In the early-80's Umlaut was all about underground Metal (Metallica, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Venom, Exodus, etc) but, thanks to Big Wayne, I did experience the death throws of that original Hardcore scene. However, I cannot claim to ever being a "Punk"... mainly because I like guitar solos.

In the movie the Bad Brains say they were inspired by two books: The Bible (Errr, so was Jesus the original Punk? Discuss amongst yourselves..) and Napoleon Hill'’s Think and Grow Rich.

Uhh, Napoleon Hill??! WTF!!?

Back in the mid-80's I worked at a bookstore and do you know who read Napoleon Hill? Yuppie Fucks. THAT was the literary road map for the Godfathers of D.C. Hardcore?? Uhh, ooookaaay.....

All I gotta say is the Bitter Old Punks complaining about Hot Topic, etc. have no one to blame but themselves. All they gotta do is look at the reading list of some of their Punk Godz.

Gimme METAL and H.P. Lovecraft any day as I await the release of a documentary that will tell *my* story.

On another note, doesn't the existence of Hot Topic mean that perhaps "Punk" actually won "The War"?

In the film one of the Bitter Old Punks admits they never really expected to change the government. If that's the case, then does it mean nothing that "Punk" did at least change popular culture's design sense? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Gimme Gimme Gimme.

===
Submitted by Dave:

In 1993 I moved to Richmond, VA and "settled into a squat" off Broad Street in downtown Richmond ("Da Hood") with old friends Buzzov-en.

The joke amongst us was how often we'd see the "Ja Man" himself H.R. copping crack down the street at the local McDonald's. I wonder at what point The Holy Bible and Think & Grow Rich came into play??

Umlaut says: BUZZOV-EN!

March 11, 1993
(From the Umlaut Archives)

From Umlaut #8:

Neurosis / Melvins / Buzzov-en
Kennel Club, S.F. - May 7, 1993
Surprise! Melvins played unannounced to break in "another" bassist. I grinned. Buzzov-en's guitarist looked like Steve von Till's long lost brother. I gafawed. Steve Von Till rocked onstage. I smiled. On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Steve Von Till makes me chortle.

===
Submitted by Big Wayne and John Silence:

Wayne: I remember the scene turning into a skinhead fest during 86-88. The LA shows were possibly the most violent gatherings I've ever experienced much like the Circle Jerks show in San Jose (I'm sure John remembers this well).

John: I remember well the San Jose Circle Jerks show - the skinheads were trying to beat up a little punk kid who finally sought refuge behind the band on stage.

The few L.A. shows I went to, especially the one at Fenders policed by the L.A.D.S., were pretty scary too. I remember walking up (with Stikky and Wayne) and having some skinhead or Suicidal type do a double take at me and say loudly, "Look! A longhair! Looks like there's going to be a fight tonight!"

I emerged unscathed, but there were a few moments of knuckle-cracking questions like, "Where you from?" Fortunately, San Jose was too far away to be deemed a threat to their masculinity. Other people weren't quite so lucky that night.

Oh yeah, and a seeing D.I. in San Jose was pretty amusing. They stopped (I can't remember if it was in the middle of a song or between songs) and all stared at me, exclaiming in surprise, "A longhair!" I think that was the same show where somebody thought I was in Metallica.

Wayne: That guy finally got pinned by those guys and his face went instantly black from being hit so hard. Somehow he got out of the club and actually jumped into the back of a passing pickup truck.

They also hated Mark Tippin because he was one of those hippie peace punks. I think the only thing that saved us was that we knew Cholo and he kept them off us.

Umlaut says: When all of this was going on I was seeing R.E.M. and wearing sweaters.

===
Book Talk with Drunk Ted and Umlaut:

Drunk Ted: I've read Think And Grow Rich. Great book. It's not what you think it is. It's more "mystical" in a way, which fits in very well with the Bad Brains (they're kind of spacey, no?). The book was written in the 30's or 40's and this guy analyzed all this friends (Ford, Edison, Rockerfeller, etc...) who were rich and found out that they all had 14 characteristics in common (a "definite chief aim", "no fear of death", etc...). Some of the other laws of success are "cooperation" and "always do more than what is asked for" (I call it the "go to '11' law"). Great stories in there too.

Umlaut: I guess you can't tell a book by it's cover (HAHAHA)... but I wonder if H.R. applied those lessons to being a crack addict in Richmond, VA.

Drunk Ted: Ha Ha, somehow I doubt it. I think he ignored the lesson about making sure you have a clear head.

Reading Is Funda-Metal

BlöödHag
Berkeley Central Library, Berkeley, CA
July 15, 2006

Sometimes you have a great day when you least expect it. Alternative Tentacles recording artist BlöödHag brought their brand of Edu-Core to the Berkeley Central Library for a free afternoon concert... and for the first time in years Big Wayne and Umlaut were in a library together. Prior to the show Wayne and I wandered the hallowed halls and did bratty stuff as if we were 19-year old kids again. There was a neat BlöödHag poster on the library's bulletin board... so I took it.


Is is it stealing if Satan tells you to do it? Is it pathetic if you're doing this at my age?? I knew it was going to be an entertaining event when we saw the band loading-in their gear and the bassist and drummer were wearing Dune and Cthulhu shirts respectively. The performance took place in a 3rd floor meeting room of the library. As we waited in the hall outside, who should walk up but Dave Ed of Neurosis! I said "What are YOU doing in a library??!!"


Wayne and I hadn't seen Dave in a long time so it was heartwarming to have an Old School reunion when we didn't expect it. Man, Umlaut had some good adventures with Neurosis back in The Day.

• Click HERE for a PDF of Umlaut On Tour With Neurosis from Umlaut #4 (Spring 1992).
• Click HERE for a PDF of Umlaut On Tour With Neurosis from Umlaut #9 (Fall 1993).

Oh yeah, BlöödHag!

BlöödHag were so much F-U-N! For the newbies: BlöödHag play short Death Metal songs about Sci-Fi and Fantasy authors (Edu-Core!). They use Metal to promote literacy ("Bang The Head That Does Not Read") and have done U.S. Tours playing only libraries to spread the word about reading and libraries.

There were around 40 people in the meeting room for the band's set, mostly BlöödHag fans but also a couple of library patrons who were obviously there out of curiousity. Prior to the set the library made announcements over the PA about the show, which was quite funny ("Please come to the 3rd floor meeting room at 3:30 for a free performance of Heavy Metal by BlöödHag..."). Bonded by books!

Before each song, vocalist J.B. would tell a funny and informative biography about the author with the other band guys chiming in with their input. It was HI-larious (and educational)! I laughed out loud many times during their 45 minute set, which I rarely do at a Slayer show.

Also, you'll NEVER see Lars Ulrich do anything as genuine onstage as when J.B. took a moment to announce some of the upcoming events at the Berkeley Library before the band stormed into another song. HI-larious and informative. Near the end of their set, J.B. opened a briefcase and tossed used Sci-Fi paperbacks at the audience. Wayne caught one and I was nearly hit by another:


If you bought one of every BlöödHag merch item you would have paid around $40 (I think). On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. I hadn't eaten lunch, so after the performance I was so hungry I could have eaten a copy of the 1981 Books In Print. Later, the fun continued with an ironic meal and beers at the Pyramid Alehouse across the street from Wayne's old haunt, 924 Gilman St. Then our Edu-Core Day was completed by a visit and tour of Bookseller Jeff's amazing book warehouse. If you're looking for that rare 1st Edition, you should see Jeff. Click HERE to visit his web site and catalog.

BlöödHag and books über alles!