It Might Get Roud

Boris / Red Sparowes
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
August 26, 2010

This bill almost made me do a spit take when it was announced; Boris with Red Sparowes?! It seemed like an odd combination to me, especially since Red Sparowes have headlined this venue on their own in the past. However, it made more sense once the bands hit the stage. Prior to the show Johnny and I met up with Joey Acid King, Rafa Black Cobra, and Ref for a pre-show drink at The Homestead. Then we few, we happy few, bounced over to the venue.

A couple of years ago, I was really into the Red Sparowes and I'd seen them a couple of times when they supported Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in S.F.. For the newbies: Red Sparowes play instrumentals accompanied by artful video montages projected on a large onstage screen that's set up above and behind them. We were still outside waiting in the Will Call line at 9:45pm as the band started their set. After grabbing a beer I settled into watching their performance and, while it was good, I had to admit that I'm not in the same head space that I was a couple of years ago when I was ga-ga about them. Because of the way they perform, Red Sparowes are a band that engages an audience in a passive aggressive way.... and I wanted a band to engage me and not a multi-media presentation. However, I will say that the Red Sparows / Boris bill made more sense in person than it initially did on paper; they both create sonic paths that can be profound at times. However, with Red Sparowes, I didn't feel like being "shown" their path via video... I wanted to interpret my own path tonight.

People in Umlaut's circle seem to either love or hate Boris. There are those who simply label them as Melvins clones (Well, they did take their name from a Melvins song...) and there are those like me who revel in their eclectic brand of volume. Me love Boris long time.

The Japanese construct a wall of cerebral volume that sometimes comes out of nowhere. At times their set was so quiet you could hear a pin drop... and then from out of the smoke and darkness a riptide of volume knocked my brain sideways. Onstage the core trio of Takeshi (vox + double neck bass / guitar), Wata (Les Paul + vox), and Atsuo (drums + vox) are bolstered by touring guitarist Michio, who also plays in the band Ghost.

Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

The last time I saw Boris was 4 years ago because I've missed them the past 2 times they've come through town. Watching and listening to them this time was like following a runaway volume dog and trying to grab its leash. Their set started off under a veil of smoke and lights and for the entire set I felt like I was running to catch that volume dog as it sprinted ahead of me... The beast barked LOUDLY and then careened back towards me to lay down just out of my reach as the set went into some ambient Drone parts... and then that volume dog exploded into a scream of feedback and bolted further down that path of noise with me still chasing it.

Guitar tone is something that's sacred to Umlaut and Wata is the Far Eastern Guitar Goddess of Tone. When she hits her wah-wah and fuzz and goes off part of me wants to point at the sky and say "Aiii!! Godzirra!!!" but Wata's TONE crushes me under its heavy foot of volume. I hate to state the obvious, but how someone so small can create such a huge signature TONE is another one of those bizarre things from the Oriental World, like using chopsticks and eating dogs... (Note: Before any readers go all PC on my ass you should know that Umlaut is Yellow... and for the record I'd eat a human but I would NEVER eat a dog.. Seriously..).

Boris took over the stage at exactly 11:00pm and ruled it as their kingdom for a solid 90 minutes with songs like 'Electric'... '1970'... 'Statement'. Something seemed a little odd at the end of the set... and according to Sensory Abuse (who was standing closer to the stage than Umlaut) Boris' amps blew out the stage power during the last song. Their tape loop was still playing but the lights on the bands' amps went out and the stagehands freaked out. It was at that point when Atsuo climbed over his drums and dove into the crowd... Wata waved... Takeshi said "Thank you!"... and the volume dog from The East finally ran so far ahead of me there was no way I was going to catch it. Sayonara!

Atsuo's Dive
Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

I didn't do a merch audit but Boris had 25 or 26 (!) different CD titles for sale; their discography is insane. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I didn't roll back into Casa de Umlaut until around 1:00am... and I wanted some sushi but had to settle for a bowl of cereal.

Cave > Carcass > Cave

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Red Sparowes
The Warfield, San Francisco
September 19, 2008

Awhile back, Umlaut had a mini-obsession with Red Sparowes, so it was cool they were given the opening slot on 3 of Cave & The Bad Seeds' California shows... and I was surprised how well they were received by the partisan Cave crowd. Nice.

As we waited for Cave to arrive onstage, Umlaut passed the time recreating the Kennedy Assasination with himself as Lee Harvey Oswald in "The Book Depository" (the Lower Loge section of the balcony) and Umlaut friend Raymond as Kennedy in "The Limo" (the photo pit). The role of Oswald's Carcano rifle was played by my cell phone... I guess you had to have been there AND been as nerdy as us..

I believe this year marks the 20th Anniversary of when I started being fanatical about Nick Cave's songwriting... and I like the new album more than anything he's done in recent years... so I can't believe I'm saying this:

For the first time EVER, I was NOT impressed by Cave's performance.

Now, I know most other people who were at this show loved the performance... but to this Cave Geek he just seemed *off*... like he wasn't really in synch with the band and was working really hard to keep it together during practically every song. Also, it's interesting in both a good and bad way how the Bad Seeds are the Grinderseeds onstage, with the members who are in Grinderman with Nick segregated on stage left and the others on stage right; remember when the Bad Seeds were like a gang onstage? Me too.

Also, the fact that Nick now ties himself to the keyboard and guitar ala Grinderman has changed the whole dynamic of the Bad Seeds onstage... Especially since they're touring without James Johnston and, let's be honest, Nick doesn't really "play" guitar. He's like a little kid with his Telecaster onstage, hitting chords and doing leg kicks... which looks cool... but the music suffers IMO. The Bad Seeds need a "pro" guitarist up there.. and I say that 'cause I care..

Timo agreed with me about the performance... and I was so distraught about it afterwards that I actually told The Sheriff via text message that it was my least favorite Cave performance EVER.. Wow, right?

If you bought one of every Cave merch item you would have paid $165. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. We bailed before the encores and jetted the 1 mile to Van Ness Avenue in order to catch some of:

Carcass
The Grand Ballroom, San Francisco
September 19, 2008

Parking karma was in full effect as Timo found parking only a block from the venue.

We rushed into the venue and my glasses immediately fogged up as we were hit by the wall of heat from the crowd and the lack of ventilation. METAL. A minute later, Carcass slammed into their final song ('Heartwork'). METAL. Timo and I had at least caught a full song by the legends. In hindsight, given my disappointment with Cave, I should have chosen Metal over Cave on this night... but then again the conditions inside The Grand would not have been not fun at all.

If you bought one of every Carcass merch item you would have paid $260. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Timo and I retired to Sparkey's for our semi-ritualistic post-gig meal; I had the Umlaut Special of course (2 egg breakfast and a beer). Yes, I know Sparkey's is what you do when you're 20-something, but it's better than the Gangsta Denny's in Japantown... Plus, I almost laughed out loud watching the young gay man in a nearby booth sitting with his eyes closed as if in a dream and singing along to the Abba and Wham! songs playing on the jukebox.. You go, girl!

24 hours later it was:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Red Sparowes
The Warfield, San Francisco
September 20, 2008

Prior to the show the Umlaut Nation convened at The Irish Bank for a pre-show dinner... and just after we ordered our drinks I realized I'd left the Cave tickets AT HOME... A ROOKIE MISTAKE of the highest order.. Wow.. How embarrassing.

So, while everyone graciously hung out, I had to run back to Casa de Umlaut.. which took around 50 minutes. THANKS to Skychick, Lori, Timo, Teri, and Chris for not hitting me with a chair upon my return.. Thank Dog I found out about my gaffe early enough so I got back in time for everyone to eat, drink, and socialize... and the waitress got caught up in the drama as well, so she was tipped generously of course... AND we made it to The Warfield just as Red Sparowes were starting their set.. So, No harm > No foul, right?

Tonight's show was MUCH better than the previous night! I also wasn't as bothered by Nick being tethered to the keyboard and guitar, maybe because I was expecting it now... and when he was sans instruments he worked the stage better than he has in years, going to the lip of the stage as often as possible, etc.

Oddly, I liked the new songs more than the old classics.. Highlights: 'We Call Upon The Author', 'Midnight Man', 'Today's Lesson', and 'More News From Nowhere'... The new stuff has a groove that doesn't exist in most of Nick's older material, dyaknowwhatimean?

So, remember when I said earlier how I was REALLY bummed after the Friday show... How *off* Cave seemed to be with the Bad Seeds and how he seemed to be working hard just to keep it together? Well, several other longtime fans agreed with me... and after this show I learned that evidently there had been sound problems onstage during Friday's show and additional equipment had been brought in for the 2nd night to remedy it.. SEE! I WASN'T CRAZY!

Trivia: Nick's show were the first concerts at The Warfield since its recent renovation and sound system upgrade.

Oh yeah, hasn't Warren Ellis' transformation in recent years into the Mad Scientist / Mountain Man been trippy as all hell? Remember when Dirty Three first visited America in 1995 and he was simply the low key guy with the violin wearing an AC/DC shirt and jeans? Me too... Now he resembles a homeless mad scientist onstage behind his bank of effects, Fender Mandocasters, and (thankfully) his violin. Shine on, you crazy diamond!

Scorecard: According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 14th time seeing Nick Cave (including solo and Grinderman) and my 63rd visit to The Warfield dating back to the early-80's. Yes, I keep score... it's on an Excel spreadsheet... I think it's about 90% accurate documenting every concert I've attended since losing my gig cherry in 1978. The Geeks shall inherit The Earth.

Members of Neurosis who stopped to talk to me = 1 (Dave Ed). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. It tripped me out that it had been a bit over TEN YEARS (!) to the day since this Cave experience (Highkat!):


I still miss Blixa in the lineup.. There.. I said it.

Red Sparowes

I've had a soft spot for Neurosis and their Neurot Recordings empire that dates back to the xeroxed 'zine days of Umlaut. I've also had a soft spot for Big Wayne that dates back to the cassette dubbing days of Old Metal.

So when these two forces converge my inner Music Geek pays close attention. Recently Big Wayne recommended that I check out Neurot Recording artists Red Sparowes. So I did because he's never steered me wrong.

As a result, just when I thought my year of musical discovery was over, I got hit with something that pressed the reset button on my inner Music Geek. Long story short, I really dig the new Red Sparowes CD... It's the type of challenging guitar-driven music that appeals to my true nature. It's the type of music "normal" people won't comprehend. It's the type of music that acts as a mirror for the listener to explore whatever darkness or light resides in their own head... and that ain't hippie shit. That's art.

The other morning at around 7:45AM I was waiting at the local BART platform for my train to work. I had loaded the new Red Sparowes CD Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun onto my iPod the night before and was listening to it. The combination of the early morning hour and lack of caffeine resulted in my brain becoming locked into the mesmerizing sounds filling my ears.

I was so caught up in the music that I didn't notice that due to a BART system change, my train was arriving on the opposite side of the platform than it usually does. I was staring at the electric 3rd rail, lost in the Red Sparowes.

An inbound train was approaching and I was the only person standing on the wrong side of the platform. I must have looked foolish standing alone and staring at the empty BART tracks while the dozens of other commuters who had been paying attention prepared to board the cattle cars to the salt mines behind me.

However, I felt something on my arm... A nice woman had walked over and tapped me on the arm to point that I should move to the other side to catch the train. Wow.. I felt like a dope, but a complete stranger had my back! That gesture of kindness and the all encompassing force of the Red Sparowes music set the tone for me this week.

The next day I was walking down Spear Street towards my office when a woman in front of me dropped some money as she fumbled for something in her bag. It was only a couple of bucks, but I scooped it up, jogged to catch up with her and returned the greenbacks. Karma Bank deposit made.

As some of you know besides being a Music Geek I'm also a History Geek... and when these two forces converge I take notice. The new Red Sparowes epic was inspired by historical events.. and I, like, totally dig that.

Yeah, Umlaut digs the loud guitar music.. but damn if the loud guitar music can't be profoundly more intelligent and compelling than most of the mainstream alternative, normal crap out there.

===
RED SPAROWES
Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun (Neurot Recordings NR045CD)

With eight songs spread across nearly 62 minutes, Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun is an epic ambient rock record best experienced in its entirety: From the opening bass volley to the closing snare hit, the members of Red Sparowes expertly navigate the hidden vibrations of what seems like a preordained trajectory—chiming, weeping, droning; gracefully descending, and then vaulting upwards, booming, scraping the orchestral firmament before spiraling softly into the inevitable comedown.

* * *

May 23, 1958: Mao Tse Tung initiates the “Great Leap Forward,” his second five-year plan for the People's Republic of China. In addition to imposing impossibly high quotas on mainland farmers (to produce both grain in their fields and shoddy steel in their backyard furnaces) the Chairman insists that the country’s “four greatest evils”—rats, mosquitoes, flies and sparrows—must be exterminated in order to maximize production. Villagers are instructed to scream and bang pots and pans to keep the sparrows in flight until the birds die of exhaustion. Soon, the sparrow population is drastically reduced, leaving no natural predator for the country’s locusts—which proceed to decimate China’s crops. The result is possibly the worst famine in human history. Between 1958 and 1961, as many as 43 million Chinese die of starvation. Meanwhile, local government authorities falsify agricultural reports in order to avoid Mao’s often senseless wrath. Soldiers are dispatched to villages to find grain that the peasants are accused of hiding. Thousands of villagers are tortured and murdered in the search for grain stores that never existed. When they run out of bark and grass to eat, peasants in some provinces resort to cannibalism.

The Chairman: Where is the grain? The people deceive their country. Relieve them of the ravages of the sparrow, and they welcome the havoc of the locust. What guidance will they accept, if not Mine? What punishment shall I mete out, if not everything at My disposal?

The Proletariat: How is it that our Leader cannot see us starving? Why do we continue to toil in vain? Is not revolution in the hearts and minds of the people? If political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, perhaps we are harvesting the wrong crops.

* * *

Red Sparowes’ second full-length release, Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun, was inspired by the foregoing events. Recorded at Louder Studios in San Francisco with producer Tim Green (Comets On Fire, The Fucking Champs, The Melvins), the album features performances from drummer Dave Clifford (formerly of Pleasure Forever and the VSS) and guitarist Andy Arahood (formerly of Angel Hair), both of whom had yet to join Red Sparowes when the band recorded their 2005 debut, At the Soundless Dawn. Clifford and Arahood join original members Cliff Meyer (guitar, also of ISIS), Greg Burns (bass/pedal steel, formerly of Halifax Pier) and Josh Graham (guitar, also of Battle Of Mice and visual comptroller for Neurosis) in weaving a skillfully layered instrumental narrative that combines the expanse of the Sparowes’ compelling live demonstrations with the incomparable fidelity and precision of studio capture.

“I definitely don't want people to think that I used all of this communist-influenced imagery because we are in any way communists—or that I just thought it ‘looked cool,’” Graham explains. “It was very deliberate and fits into a paralleled theme. We identified immediately with the story itself, and with the obvious connections to our band's namesake. First of all, it's awe-inspiring that any government could convince its people to follow such clearly ridiculous orders. Secondly, the [cover] art is a reflection of the methodic qualities used in Chinese propaganda. Whether glorifying villainous leaders or disastrous events, the art the government commissioned was always very delicate and beautiful.”

* * *

Propaganda: The interim between At the Soundless Dawn and Every Red Heart… saw Red Sparowes undertake various tours both foreign and domestic (including a US haul with Pelican, Big Business and Breather Resist), as well as the release of split LPs with Gregor Samsa and Grails (both on Robotic Empire) and, most recently, the Triad three-way split seven-inch/CD with labelmates Battle Of Mice and Made Out Of Babies.

Denouement (The Proletariat): …And so our labors bear fruit, divorced though they might be from the strictures of orthodoxy, and bereft of the voice that is used to spread untruths and subvert the will of the people. Songs tumble from the sky like supreme directives, instilled with the conviction of supernal instinct and navigated by the lodestar of imagination. Warmed by the heat of electric current, they find their receptors in the heart and mind of the collective subconscious, delivering a reminder of that which is both human and divine…