Back in the 20th Century, ümlaut was a xeroxed fanzine that existed from 1992-95. Despite limited distribution, loyal readers ranged from coast to coast and included Rock Stars of various credibility, including Neurosis, Sonic Youth, Melvins, and Metallica. This 21st Century version of ümlaut has been ranting since 2004 and is also the co-author of the book Murder In The Front Row.
Hello blog, my old friend.. I've come to talk with you again. Yeah.. I've been on a writer's block hiatus from "writing" in this space for most of this year. I have seen a few great shows but I just haven't been motivated to write about them. It's not you, it's me... Let's see how I do with this as I attempt to get back on the horse.
The first word that came to mind when I heard about this tour was "volume". As is usually the case with Slim's shows, Umlaut's arrival was surgically precise and completely without any guest list drama at all. It should be noted that according to the Umlaut Archives this was close to the 100th time I've attended a show at Slim's since it opened in 1988. Anyway... My beer of choice tonight was Speakeasy Prohibition accompanied by the following...
Mothership - A friend suggested I arrive early to check this band out.. so I did. Their Texas-style foot stompin' energy onstage was infectious and a perfect warm up for the night. That being said, their inclusion of Zeppelin's 'Heartbreaker' in the middle of one of their songs kind of summed it up for me.. in a good and a bad way. Good inspiration for their riffs.. but all of their riffs sound like someone else's. Honesty is my only excuse.
Saviours - I was fearful that this Oakland band would disappear into the ether awhile back when 2 of the guys moved to L.A. leaving the remaining member(s) in The Bay Area. Thankfully the move seems to have only made the Saviours better, stronger, faster! Their new album is absolutely monstrous and the songs pound like crazy live.
[Photo courtesy of Umlaut's iPhone]
I will arm wrestle anyone who disagrees with me that Scott is the heir to Cozy Powell's double bass drum throne. I will also arm wrestle anyone who disagrees with me that Austin and Sonny are the closest thing to the Dave Murray / Adrian Smith harmony drenched guitar duo The Bay Area has ever produced. I liked how Saviours dedicated a song to Oakland. I liked how Saviours played my fave song 'Acid Hand'. I also liked how I was able to chat with the guys after their set. Great band. Great dudes. Saviours have been road dogs for years now and it's inspiring to see them still fighting the good fight and keeping shit real.
Brant Bjork - I haven't kept up with everything that Bjork has done but I can say I've seen him in Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Kyuss Lives over the years. That being said, and this coming from someone who was a huge Kyuss nerd back in The Day, I found his set boring. My head just wasn't in the desert tonight I guess.. so I hung out at the back waiting for the headliner and let my beer take selfies with my phone.
Corrosion Of Conformity - The reunited and most popular version of C.O.C. finally visited San Francisco with Pepper Keenan and those MTV Headbangers Ball hit songs back in the fold. Having seen the original version of C.O.C. several times in recent years I'd forgotten how popular this version of the band was almost 25 (!) years ago when MTV Headbangers Ball was a thing. As soon as C.O.C. walked onstage it suddenly became very 1992 in the room.
It was so 1992 that I found myself standing in the "VIP" area at stage left behind 1/2 of Metallica during the set. Watching the guy who sings 'Enter Sandman' play air guitar as the guy who plays drums on 'Enter Sandman' take pictures of C.O.C. with his phone was absolutely adorable. I will arm wrestle anyone who disagrees with me that Reed and Mike are as important of a rhythm section as Ian Paice / Roger Glover to heavy music. Locked and loaded as one entity with a profound dose of groove. The version of 'Long Whip / Big America' was tonight's best example of this and it was nice to see the punters go off during the set and keeping the Slim's security mosh pit detail busy. The show ending early-90's double shot of 'Vote With A Bullet' into 'Clean My Wounds' was so good it made fanny packs in style again.
For the record, besides the members of the local band who were right about Napster, other Bay Area music types who stood next to me were Jello Biafra and members of Death Angel, Ghoul, and Forbidden. Star Power. Ironically today was also the birthday of the guy who plays lead guitar on 'Enter Sandman'... but he chose to celebrate it somewhere else.
I'm out of practice and didn't do a merch audit.. but I did stare at the merch for awhile. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. All in all a solid and easy Wednesday night out in San Francisco.
A busy but great work day dovetailed into a meet up with Photo Ray and Sensory Abuse at The Irish Bank for some pre-show pints and fish 'n chips. My good mood was harshed a bit by the large number of suits who crowded The Bank for Happy Hour... but ultimately it was all good. Then we few, we happy few, jetted across town to The Independent for a Thursday night of volume.
You know you're seeing a show in The Bay Area when Matt Pike is standing behind you in the Will Call line. Once inside we chatted with Scott of Saviours about subjects ranging from album art to Motörhead merch to the fact that Bison B.C. had lost one of their guitarists after their hometown show in Vancouver only 2 days earlier. DOH. Not long after we were told this gossip, Bison (do they still use B.C.?) walked onstage as an awkward looking 3-piece. This was odd at first since I've seen the band before and as the set started it just didn't feel 100% right. Thankfully the set settled into more of an old Bison groove and got better. I noticed that bassist Masa only had 3 strings on his bass with the 4th peg removed. Has he always done that? I didn't know if it was an avant-garde instrument customization or if his 4th tuning peg had simply broken off. Whatever the case, by the time the newly trimmed version of Bison (B.C.?) walked off stage they seemed like a band again.
I almost had my beer(s) spilled twice during my time in The Independent on this night. Once by an overly excited hipster Metal girl who backed into me... and again by a guy trying to do a stationary kickflip on a skatedeck in front of the bar. What kind of idiot tries to do a stationary kickflip on a skatedeck inside a crowded club?! The look that I gave him must have been authoritative because the kid apologized in a way that gave me grim satisfaction. Now go outside and play in traffic out on Divisidero, you stupid kid..
Saviours are bona fide chick magnets; the shirtless ones drew more females down to the front of the stage than any band I've seen in awhile. Nicely done, lads! I've seen Saviours almost more times than any other current Bay Area band... and I love how the East Bay dudes are complete Road Dogs who constantly tour, tour, tour. Saviours are such a well-oiled Classic Rock-fueled juggernaut now it's awe inspiring.
Guitarists Sonny and Austin effortlessly channel the Allman Bros. to Thin Lizzy at the drop of a hat.. and Scott on drums is the second coming of Philthy Animal Taylor both in skills and attitude.. and current bassist Carson would not look out of place in Black Oak Arkansas. The songs from the band's new album (Death's Procession) translate full tilt boogie perfectly live with my favorite song of the set being 'To The Grave Possessed' and its stellar groove dueling axe action... with the old gem 'Into Abaddon' being a close second for me on this night. Well done, men of Saviours... Now put your shirts back on and go forth and do what Rock Star chick magnets do after playing a killer set.
Okay, as much as I like Weedeater I bailed before their set started... Yes, a pussy move but I was really tired; I'm old and not afraid to cut my loses when my body asks me "Please can we go home now?" Having seen Weedeater before I have no doubt they laid waste to the Lower Haight... but by the time they were halfway through their set I was probably halfway asleep.
Thanks to Ron Crawlspace for sorting me for the show!
I didn't do a merch audit... but I regretted not bringing cash for the limited edition, embossed, tour only vinyl of the new Saviours album; rookie mistake. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. When I woke up the next morning it was Friday... and I had no regrets about my early exit the night before. Everybody's working for the weekend...
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 HEREto 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!
Sleep / Thrones The Regency, San Francisco September 12, 2010
Umlaut sure has been attending a good number of "reunion" tours this year: Saint Vitus... Alice In Chains... Faith No More... and now Sleep. According to the Umlaut Archives I saw Sleep at least 12x back in The Day. The first time was when they supported MDC at The Cactus Club (R.I.P.) in San Jose in '92 and the last time was when they supported the Melvins at Slim's in '94 (Evidently that was Sleep's final show (!)... until this reunion of course.. Acid King were 3rd on the bill that night as well..). Good times.
Sleep back in The Day: S.F. - 1992 and San Jose - 1993 (From the Umlaut Archives and FlyerAnnex)
So, if my math is correct, this was Sleep's first hometown area show in 16 years. At this point I've seen Matt and High On Fire more times than I saw Sleep and I've seen Al with OM and Shrinebuilder a half dozen times combined as well. Also, while this was billed as a "reunion tour" it's one of those cases where it was really a "reunion" in name only since Chris decided to not take his place behind the drums on these dates. While that was disappointing, it made historical sense to have Jason of Neurosis behind the drums, not only because of the Bay Area connection, but also because Sleep and Neurosis shared so many bills back in The Day. Also, when Sleep put out their 1st album we called them "Melvins Jr." because The Stoner Kidz (Al, Matt, Chris) seemed to mimic them. Of course, The Stoner Kidz had the last laugh.
Tonight brought people out of the woodwork and there were so many Old School faces and friends in the house that it felt like San Francisco circa 1992-94 before the Dot.com Boom ruined so many things about this city (affordable property values, reasonable rents, influx of hipsters, etc..). It was also a Who's Who of Bay Area bands in attendance. What bands? Let's see... Members of Acid King, Black Cobra, High On Fire, Ludicra, Neurosis, Saviours, Totimoshi... Yeah, it was epic.
Up first on this night was Thrones, aka Joe Preston (who is in Umlaut's record collection via his work with the Melvins, Earth, Sunn O))), Harvey Milk, High On Fire..) alone and solo onstage... and I'll cut to the chase and say I wasn't into it. Joe introduced his set by saying "The next 20 minutes will be really boring.." Not to be a dick, but he was right. Sorry, Joe... but I was front and center for so many Melvins shows back in The Day that maybe I earned a free pass for this one. Thanks.
Fast forward to 9:30pm and seeing Sleep on a big stage with a big sound system behind them was sort of a revelation to me since I'd only seen them in clubs and bars back in The Day (there was that show supporting Tad at a weird space on Hollywood Boulevard with shag carpeting on the floor and most of the stage lighting came from a soda vending machine that was at stage left)... Jason was a great replacement for Chris on drums; he kept to the Sleep floor plan and didn't attempt to bring anything new to it, which would have been wrong. However, it was weird seeing Sleep onstage with Marshall stacks instead of their trademark Orange and Green amps. Still, experiencing songs like 'Dragonaut' and 'Aquarian' live again was crushingly great... but I'm not sure how I feel about their cover of Ozzy's 'Over The Mountain'. Yes, they did an Ozzy cover.... I mean... I *get it*..."Holy Mountain"... "Over The Mountain"... and Ozzy's lyrics fit the Sleep credo... but... I might like it better if Al or Matt were wearing chainmail onstage like Ozzy circa the Diary Of A Madman Tour. I'm not bagging on the guys, but I'm simply befuddled over their need to do a cover song when their own material transcends Ozzy in so many profound ways.
The set was complimented by video (created by Josh Graham, who also creates the stage visuals for Neurosis and Mastodon) projected behind the band featuring images like NASA footage, animated dragons, and undersea scenes. Dude, pass the bong! It definitely complimented the band's performance... but... not to sound too much like an Old Fart... I liked it more when they used just raw NASA archival footage behind them in '94 (back when Al used to wear a jacket with a NASA back patch). The Geeks shall inherit The Earth! However, the band's trademark space theme did extend to their roadie who was dressed in a space suit as the band's Marijuanaut mascot for the show. Hilarious! For the newbies: Iron Maiden have Eddie... Sleep had the Marijuanaut.
To be honest, I couldn't get my head around the show. Sleep are one of those bands who I associate with a specific time in my life... It was a time when I went from not really knowing who the fuck I was to ultimately finding myself and my life falling into place. During that time I also went from knowing Sleep as those Stoner Kidz whose bassist worked at Tower Records in Mountain View with my friend John, to that band who were actually pretty good, to them becoming that great band who imploded just as the outside world started to recognize them. Long story short, it's still trippy to me that Sleep went on to become such a revered and influential band. It's weird, man.. Anyway, I rolled with the show and went with it... Seeing and hearing Sleep onstage again was GREAT... but part of me wasn't *there* because seeing them again opened up a Pandora's Box of thoughts in my head... about my life... where I had been... where I was now... where the band was now... or maybe I was high from all the doobage in the air.
When I ducked out to visit the Men's Room I was greeted by the sight of a hipster wearing a sweater passed out face down on the floor in front of a stall. I resisted the urge to take an iPhone pic of him... so karma points for me... but it was a total Purell moment. Another guy tried to get the wasted hipster to his feet but I had my back to them when I heard a "THUD" and the good samaritan say "Oh dude..." As I turned to leave I stepped over the hipster who was now laying face up on the floor with his eyes wide open. I was about to go find a medical person, but one rushed past me to the wasted hipster's side. All I can say is I hope that hipster isn't raving about how awesome seeing Sleep was...
Sleep sold out of of 2 of their 3 shirt designs before they even came onstage! If you bought one of eacy Sleep merch item you would have paid around $100. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Then 24 hours later it was...
It was mindboggling to me that Sleep could sell almost 2,800 (!) tickets to shows here... and tonight was the final show of their brief 7 city, 8 show 2010 Reunion Tour. Given the special nature of the night, it was appropriate that the bill featured 3 of Umlaut's favorite local Bay Area bands: Sleep (San Jose), Saviours (Oakland), and Black Cobra (San Francisco). Not many metropolitan areas can field a home team like that, right?
BLACK COBRA: Although their tour ended just about a month ago, it was spit take cool that Black Cobra were added to the bill several weeks after this show was announced. It always kicks the Black Cobra experience up a notch seeing Jason and Rafa on a big stage and it was nice they were given a full light show as well. Great sound... All killer, no filler 30 minute set. Black Cobra made ears bleed just enough to set the table for the other bands. A good night's work... and they even had Anchor Steam and free Pringles backstage.
The East Bay lads have had a BUSY year with touring and being on this year's OzzFest. This was Umlaut's 4th time seeing Saviours this year and they knocked their set out of the park with their brand of vintage 21st Century Classic Rock. If this was 1975, Saviours would be onstage at Oakland Stadium playing Day On The Greens in front of thousands. As is usually the case, 'Acid Hand' was the highlight song of the set for me, but the guys closed with a great new song that made me want to jump into the nearest GTO and drive fast without a seatbelt. In true Rock Star fashion, the band's onstage beverages included shots of liquor, PBR, and cough syrup. Lock 'N Loll!
As I sort of said earlier, Sleep are one of those bands (like Neurosis and Metallica) who I honestly don't have a lot of perspective on since I was around them so much in the beginning. It was interesting watching people react to seeing Sleep for the first time and watching songs being performed that they'd probably only listened to in their room with a bong and the lights off. What Pink Floyd was to my generation, Sleep was to many others. DUDE! Discuss amongst yourselves.
Captain Fireball in The House..
I watched the first 1/3 of the set from upstairs and became a little hypnotized watching the crowd action sway and shove and sweat back and forth below me as Sleep's sludgy nostalgia puffed and flowed from the PA.... or maybe I was high from all the doobage in the air. Either way, I enjoyed Night #2 more than the previous night for some reason... Probably because I'd done all of my pondering the night before. The setlist was switched up from the previous night and my head was particularly caught up in 'Evil Gypsy' and 'The Druid' on this Monday night... and there was no sign of the Ozzy cover tonight. For those who care the setlist went like this (I think):
Dopesmoker/Holy Mountain
Dragonaut
Evil Gypsy
Aquarian
Some Grass
Nain's Baptism
Inside The Sun
The Druid
From Beyond/Dopesmoker solo/Proceeds the Weedian
Encore:
Antarticus Thawed
Cultivator
'Antarticus Thawed' was amazing and I don't think they ever played that live back in The Day. Not to be redundant, but it was weird seeing Sleep again. The whole time machine aspect of these shows tripped me out; that which was old is now new and revered. I guess some things go in cycles and, ultimately, it is cool that here in the 21st Century the Stoner Kidz from San Jose are getting their due and their fans are able to get wasted while seeing them live.
Once again, Sleep sold out of 2 out of 3 of their shirt designs before they came onstage. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... and just as suddenly as the time machine started then it was over. Matt and High On Fire kick off another U.S. Tour in 2 weeks in San Francisco. No rest for the wicked!
"Ride the dragon toward the crimson eye... Flap the wings under Mars red sky..."
Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night.
Umlaut's vintage 1993 GLOW IN THE DARK Sleep shirt
Saviours / Iron Lung / Walls 924 Gilman, Berkeley, California May 22, 2010
Prior to the show, Whenwedie and Umlaut committed the Gilman Punk sin of eating quality food and drinking quality beer across the street at the evil Pyramid Brewery. Sorry kidz, but Pyramid makes going to Gilman WAY better than back in The Day... and now your parents have a place to wait for you while you're at the Punk Rock show so they can drive you home. An added bonus tonight was running into an old Lock 'N Loll Merch colleague at Pyramid who I hadn't seen in a couple of years (Hey Taralynn!).
I had not stepped inside of Gilman in YEARS; it's so clean and well-lit now. For the record, Gilman was never Umlaut's scene and I've only been there a few times... but it was cool visiting a local venue that was outside of my regular places. Evidently Jello had been there the night before; I wonder if any cheeky pimply-faced Punk called him a fag? It's cute how the Punk Kidz have a "straight edge" concession stand set up inside:
DRINKS: Bottled Water & Soda – .75 cents Snapple, Juice Squeeze, Hansons, Apple Juice, Kerns, Orange Juice – $1.00 Monster, Rockstar, Diet Rockstar – $2.00
Cute, right? No adults allowed! However, the menu raises a couple of issues:
I know Gilman is a straight edge venue... BUT caffeine is the world's most popular drug...
I know only politically correct indie label bands can play Gilman ...BUT Rockstar energy drink is owned by the son of ultraconservative and homophobic radio host Michael Savage. Click HERE for more on this..
I'm... just... saying. Discuss amongst yourselves... and with these items in mind, could one of you kidz get Umlaut a beer?
Walls (the band... not the room..) seemed to take forever to set up and I couldn't help but stereotype them as older Punk guys with angst on their shoulders. I don't know, man... Umlaut has never been a Punk or pretended to be a Punk. Walls (the band... not the room..) were alright in that skitchy Punk angst sort of way... I guess. Anyway, the Punk Kidz seemed to like them... and that's all that matters... and I did notice that the band members were wearing matching Adidas Sambas. Is that Punk Rock?
In between bands we chatted with Old Metal Scaparro... and he and I did our usual "Kidz These Days Don't Know" / "Back In My Day" sidewalk rant as the Punk Rock youngsters pretended to ignore us. Trivia: Scaparro was with Umlaut the only time I've been handcuffed by cops. True story.
Iron Lung definitely had the Punk Kidz excited and there was some decent crowd action during their set. However, the band were the perfect example of how clueless Umlaut is about much of the Gilman Scene. Iron Lung are a guitar / drums-only band and I was annoyed by how much they sounded like Black Cobra; watching them was like being in an alternate universe. It was an alternate universe where Black Cobra didn't have a legitimate guitar tone and the drums sounded tinny... and the songs weren't as good... and the drummer tried to be a smartass Punk between every song. It was only afterwards that I was informed that Iron Lung predates Black Cobra by a couple of years. Hmmm.... Interesting.. but I have to say I prefer *my* universe where Black Cobra is the band.
I wish Star Trek was still in production... because Umlaut's alternate universe episode would have a kick ass soundtrack... Make it so.
Compared to their Punk Rock bill mates, Saviours seemed like grown ups as they quickly set up their gear in a way that only a seasoned touring band can. They also brought a legitimate guitar tone and bottom end to Gilman. As The Longhairs took the stage I was curious to see what kind of reaction they would get. I have to say that seeing the Saviours in an all-ages, straight edge venue was less than ideal, especially since the last time I saw Saviours they had been an unstoppable alcohol-fueled funny car of Rock. I was amused watching the Punk Kidz trying to figure out if they should like Saviours or not. While the reaction was polite, no substantial crowd action developed.. but Umlaut's favorite Saviour's song 'Acid Hand' did kick in as the 2nd song of the night... and I have to believe that Scott's maniac drumming must have scared some of the Punk Kidz because his pounding was particularly off the chain tonight.
I also have to believe that some of the Punk Kidz stepped outside after the Saviours' set because their brains hurt and they couldn't comprehend the dual-axe stylings of Austin and Sonny. Thin Lizzy is a dish best served cold. Unfortunately, this was Saviours' last hometown area show for awhile as they head off on another U.S. Tour... then a European Tour (with BLACK COBRA and Weedeater no less!)... then a slot on this year's OzzFest. Crazy, man. Yes, Umlaut bailed before Talk Is Poison played... but since I've never been Punk I don't have any Punk Cred to lose.
Motörhead shirts = 1. If you bought one of every Saviours merch item you would have paid around $60. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. All in all it was a routine Lock 'N Loll night and Umlaut rolled back into Casa de Umlaut just before midnight. La dee da..
Only one word can describe this weekend: EPIC. I'm also just going to say this right now: Whatever I end up writing here will NOT completely convey how EPIC this weekend was... Scion Fest 2010 was overwhelming, man. Overwhelming in the best possible way.
Very early in the morning Photo Ray and Umlaut flew to Phoenix to catch a connecting flight to Columbus. This was a calculated move in order to meet up with Umlaut friend's Landmine Marathon, who were scheduled to open the main stage at Scion Fest. However, the EPIC nature of the weekend was set into motion not long after we arrived at the gate as 2/5 of Ludicra and those road dogs the Saviours all arrived at Gate 18 to catch the same connecting flight. WOW... a Bay Area Metal Scene takeover in the Phoenix Airport.... and so Flight 666 took off for that foreign land known as Ohio.
After landing in Columbus, we waited with the Rock Stars as they gathered their gear from baggage claim and then made our way to the taxi stand... and the MAGIC of the weekend started.
Not long after Landmine started to deal with the most uncooperative taxi drivers I've ever encountered, who should come lumbering up with their luggage carts but the almighty Shrinebuilder! Nice timing and it warmed my heart when Al started chanting "Umlaut, Umlaut.." as he walked up to me.... and it was funny as Scott, Al, and Dale all asked "What are YOU doing here??"
Shrinebuilder waiting for a cab..
Seeing old friends in unexpected places rules, right?
The tone for the next 36 hours or so was set as soon as we arrived at the hotel. The scene inside the lobby was intensely SURREAL with the space filled with bands waiting to check-in or just hanging out. It was like a scene from Almost Famous, but made more crazy because there was also a TEACHER'S CONVENTION staying at the hotel! Crusty musicians mingled past gawky teachers and one band member I know later told me a teacher offered him food because she thought he was homeless (HAHAHA!)! During the elevator ride to our rooms with some of the teachers one of them asked if we were there for "the music festival". When we said "Yes" the following exchange occurred:
Teacher #1: "What kind of music?" Me: "Loud....." Teacher #1: (staring at me blankly...) Teacher #2: "Do you mean, Rock music?" Me: "Yes....."
At this point I guess I'm supposed to say "Cue 'Hot For Teacher'"... but I won't.......... okay..... I will.
Awhile later, Photo Ray and I found ourselves at a pub across the street called Michael O'Toole's. We sat in the corner of the bar and people watched the normal Happy Hour types go about their fun. As our food arrived, a dude wearing a backwards baseball cap and a Slayer - Strictly F/X pyro crew shirt sat on the stool next to me. Ironically, Umlaut has the same shirt and I commented "Nice shirt.." to which the dude replied "Thanks. Slayer gave it to me.." and when I said "I have one too.." he kind of did a double take. During the uncomfortable silence that followed I kept thinking that the dude looked totally familiar, but I couldn't place him. Finally he turned to Photo Ray and I and asked "Are you guys playing the festival?" Long story short, it turned out the dude was fucking Pat O'Brien, lead guitarist of fuckin' Cannibal Corpse! Fucked with a knife, man... We ended up chatting with him about his band... Ozzy... Lemmy... and he ended up buying us shots of Maker's Mark. METAL! We would encounter Pat several more times before our stay in Ohio was over. A nice dude.
Later that night the hotel bar was the scene of an EPIC hang session. The amount of Metal in the bar was truly stunning... the conversations were truly stunning... the amount of alcohol consumed by some was truly stunning.... and it was stunning how many current and former San Francisco / Bay Area Metal people and bands were in the house. It was like we were all hanging out back at home, except we all NEVER hang out at home together. You meet some really amazing people on the road, man. Also, it was really cool for me personally because I was able to meet up with old friends like Dale of Shrinebuilder and Harald O. of D.R.I... who I've known since we were both teenagers in Silicon Valley, California. Life is strange.. How the Hell did we end up in Ohio, man!?
Photo Ray... Umlaut... 3/4 of D.R.I.
The highpoint of the night for Umlaut was being able to introduce certain band members from Arizona to their Rock Star heroes. Awww...
The next afternoon we went to the Will Call tent to collect our passes and I was impressed by how well organized Scion Fest was.. For the newbies: Scion Fest is a FREE Metal festival sponsored by Scion / Toyota. Yup, all tickets were free to anyone who registered online (last year's Scion Fest was held in Atlanta). The festival was spread out over 4 different venues (Newport Music Hall, Skully's, Bernie's Distillery, and Circus) with 24 bands scheduled to play. All of the venues are located on High Street and, not unlike SxSW, the venues are all a straight shot from each other. The furthest two venues were around a mile apart, but shuttle vans were operating to ferry Metalheads to and from the venues. Like I said, the event was very well organized AND I was surprised by the lack of overt Scion advertising anywhere around the festival site. Interesting...
After collecting our passes at the Will Call tent, we rode over to the venue with Landmine Marathon and watched their soundcheck at the Newport Music Hall. The Music Hall was the main stage of the festival and it's a cool, decrepit old theater that seats around 1,500 people. It's always fun to walk into a venue via the back door, but this time it felt so Metal since Newport Music Hall has faded glory character and it was raining, which added to the METAL atmosphere. When the doors opened there was some time to relax before the mayhem; one of these people is NOT in a band:
Landmine Marathon (Newport Music Hall): A sizeable crowd arrived early for Landmine's opening set and I was impressed how the vast majority went to the front of the stage instead of hanging at the back by the bars. Even if the festival was free, people were there for Metal. I'll just cut to the chase and say this about Landmine's set: THEY FUCKING KILLED IT. ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT. I know they will say otherwise... and they had to struggle with playing on the festival's rented equipment instead of their own gear... and they were playing the big stage when they would rather have been on a small stage in a club down the street... but THEY KILLED IT.
I've said this many times in this space: My favorite bands are the ones who take a less than perfect situation and make it their own... and that's exactly what Landmine did. For their 40 minutes in Ohio they OWNED that big stage.
Hate Eternal (Newport Music Hall): To be honest, I wasn't familar with Hate Eternal at all... although I think I've seen them before. I guess that says it all right there... but to be fair I spent almost their whole set hanging out in the merch area with friends.
3 Inches Of Blood (Newport Music Hall): I've seen 3IOB before and I really like them live... Their Old Metal sound translates well to the stage. I found it interesting that the guitarist who looked so much like vintage James Hetfield the last time I saw them had ditched the white Flying-V for a Les Paul... so he doesn't look so much like vintage Hetfield anymore. Anyway... 3IOB earned big points for using the music from the Star Trek (Original Series) episode 'Amok Time' as their Intro Tape... "Kal-if-fee!"... although at the time I couldn't remember the name of the episode (GEEK!). As Photo Ray pointed out, you can't really go wrong with songs about Thor's Hammer. Word.
Lightning Swords Of Death (Bernie's Distillery): Halfway through 3IOB's set we wandered down the block to the next closest festival venue: Bernie's, which is one of the funkiest venues I've been in.. From the front doors you immediately walk downstairs to the basement of the building. After you turn a corner you enter a space with a dining area and sandwich counter to the left and to the right is a dark bar and a dark open area with a low ceiling and a "stage" (maybe 2 inches high) shoved in a dark corner underneath pipes and floor supports only inches above the bands' heads. Even with only around 50-60 people in the space it was impossible to see the band. I tried to move around and get a good angle but getting an unobstructed view of the "stage" was not to be. After listening to Lightning Swords for a bit I *think* we wandered back out onto the street and got something to eat at a pizza parlor.
D.R.I. (Newport Music Hall): D.R.I. had the main floor of the Music Hall packed and the crowd action was really good... BUT I couldn't get past the fact the bassist is the old clerk from the Photo Drive-Up in Sunnyvale, California who I've known since we were teenagers. However, the Midwest crowd ate up D.R.I.'s set and no matter what, it's just simply cool to see Spike onstage healthy and playing guitar! The kidz (and adults) still like the Crossover stuff.
Ludicra (Bernie's Distillery): We cut watching D.R.I. short to run back down the street to Bernie's to see local S.F. heroes Ludicra in the basement. They must have gone on early because they were already playing as I turned the corner into the basement. What a bizarre venue! The low ceiling and the non-existent stage made it impossible to see the band, but they sounded amazing even in that bunker. I had listened to Ludicra's new album (The Tenant) on the plane... and the new songs are even better live.. even in a basement. We heard later that Laurie Sue accidentally smashed her head on John's headstock and "blood was everywhere", but I couldn't see that action! METAL.
Voivod (Newport Music Hall): For my money Voivod had the best stage backdrop of the festival.
Although it was weird seeing them without Piggy on guitar (R.I.P.) they still laid down an absolutely solid set; the old songs sounded so great! I watched VoiVod's set with old Umlaut friend Scott Kelly (Neurosis, Shrinebuilder) who was in full-on geek mode. Before VoiVod's set Scott mentioned he had to get to his gig (a mile down the street at a place called Skully's) right afterwards and that we should share a cab down there. Long story short, I felt like the Make-A-Wish Foundation when I invited one of my Arizona band friends to join me and one of his heroes for the cab ride. It was a short ride, but the conversation was magic. I think it's safe to say it was my favorite cab ride ever.
Yob (Skully's): Skully's was easily the most annoying venue of Scion because it had the highest number of Hipsters crammed inside; I guess every city has that problem. Ironic moustaches were in full effect. Unfortunately we only saw the last 2 or so songs of Yob's set... which is a bummer since The New York Times raved that Yob are "one of the best band in America" after witnessing their set. Good for Yob... I do dig their last album... too bad I missed them in Ohio since they don't play that often.
Shrinebuilder(Skully's): We made our way fairly close to the stage as Shrinebuilder finished setting up. When the houselights went down the lights still glared onto a disco ball which caused Al to say "Can you turn off that fucking disco ball!"... which they did and the band launched into 'The Architect' and I really dug the first couple of songs before I realized I didn't want to be jammed down front anymore (especially since I'd seen Shrinebuilder twice already). I joined Photo Ray and 1/5 of Landmine Marathon back at the bar for the rest of the set.
Upon leaving Skully's we were starving and, once again, the Midwest impressed me by having things that you simply don't find in San Francisco. Right outside of the venue was a food cart serving a selection of gyros that were both inexpensive AND delicious. It was something that kept the mood of the evening going as Photo Ray, 1/5 of Landmine Marathon, and I piled into a cab to find the After Show party that Scion's organizer had e-mailed us about earlier. During the cab ride I had an epiphany and remembered the name of the Star Trek (Original Series) episode whose music 3 Inches Of Blood had used as their intro tape (GEEK!). I texted this important trivia to another 1/5 of Landmine Marathon who was on the other side of town; mission accomplished. The cab took us to a darker part of town (literally... there was nothing else lighted around the club) and we entered a place called Carabar.
Saviours (Carabar): A cool, long space! A BIG bar area on one side and a small stage tucked in the back right hand corner (For the S.F. locals: Picture Bottom Of The Hill maybe 3x bigger). Saviours were setting up onstage to play their 2nd set of the night (earlier in the night they'd played at the festival's 4th venue... a club called Circus that we didn't make it to..). We made our way to the front and it wasn't long before Saviours launched into a blistering version of 'Acid Hand' and it was game over, man. It was a riotous set and, the more people gave the band shots of Jäger, the BETTER they played! It was AMAZING and they did the Bay Area proud by blowing the roof off the drunken, late night crowd. At one point a woman who was in her 60's (we learned later she is in the bar practically every night...) pushed her way to the front to air guitar and rage in her own private mosh pit; I did a total double take when I first noticed her. Hope I die before I get old too!
Vid by Umlaut
Saviours closed the night with a magnificent cover of Blue Öyster Cult's 'Hot Rails To Hell' that was simply... perfect.
Some local band took the stage after the Saviours, so we finished our beers and went out to the sidewalk to figure out how the Hell we were going to get back to the hotel. The area around the club looked deserted and, although a cab did stop to pick people up out front, there was already a fairly long line of people waiting for the next cab... and the next cab... and the next cab. I imagined us standing there for hours. Perhaps emboldened by our weekend of METAL (or maybe the beers we'd drank), we set off walking down the street towards the darkness of the surrounding neighborhood. Up to this moment our Scion Fest / Ohio experience had been absolutely perfect. Being the eternal pessimist, I thought this was when things were going to go wrong. We walked about a half a block when, lo and behold, A CAB turned down the far end of the street towards us! BUT then it quickly made a u-turn and went in the opposite direction! WTF?! Here we go, right? However, not 30 seconds later ANOTHER CAB turned down the street towards us... and he stopped to pick us up! Within 15 minutes we were walking back into the hotel lobby... where we saw Pat of Cannibal Corpse AGAIN who stopped to chat with us AGAIN; I didn't tell him that I'd missed his band's Scion set... Anyway, it was the perfect way to end the weekend... or was it?
The next morning we met Landmine Marathon downstairs for brunch / early lunch... but after wandering around a couple of blocks we realized it was SUNDAY in OHIO and everything was closed. WTF... Luckily Matt Landmine remembered that a certain pizza chain had a location nearby and he arranged for a delivery of 3 pies to us in the hotel lobby. How Metal was that!? Very...
After one last hang out in Ohio, over pizza, it was time to get to the airport. It was hard to let the weekend end, but alas it had to... For the record, my theme song for the Scion weekend is 'Acid Hand' by Saviours... I listened to it, like, 3x in a row on the plane on the way home. From Columbus we flew to Denver to catch the connecting flight back to Alcatraz... and Flight 666 continued with Yob and 2/5 of Ludicra being on the same flight. It was in Denver that the magical weekend had its magical conclusion.
We had only around an hour layover in Denver before our flight back to Alcatraz. Within a few minutes of getting off the plane I was leaning against a wall checking my iPhone messages when I noticed somebody standing next to me. I looked up and it was Paschke, my Old Metal buddy from San Franfuckincisco who I hadn't seen since last December!! He was on his way to NYC and his connecting flight had been delayed so he just happened to be wandering the terminal when he saw me.... What are the ODDS of that happening?! I trip on coincidences like that, man...
Unbelievable, right? The Rock Godz work in mysterious way...
Yeah, I'm leaving stuff about Scion Fest out... like the vomiting... and the falling down... and the desecrating of the hotel Bibles... and the "Do you want to come up to my room and look at drugs"-ing... What happens in Ohio, stays in Ohio. THANKS to Adam of Scion for the All Access hook up. A special shout out to Photo Ray,Team Landmine (Matt, Ryan, Grace, Mike, Dylan, and Valerie), Harald O. of D.R.I., Ludicra, and Al, Dale, and Scott of Shrinebuilder. Good times.
On the way back to San Francisco, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags... which makes sense I guess. I was able to see 10 of the 24 bands at the festival and I know I didn't really rant about them too much. Also, I'm not sure I even accurately captured my Scion Fest experience, but I guess it's simply a case of "You had to have been there"... The vibe of the entire weekend was pretty fucking cool and the best part was being able to hang out and bond with friends, both old and new and from near and far, with MUSIC being the glue that binds us together... and not just MUSIC... but METAL. It was really cool, man... Really cool.
Best back patch ever...
Click HERE to see Photo Ray's awesome photos from the weekend!
"I can tell by their eyes they're just a bunch of fucking unaware squares. They can't tell just where I'm at... slice me wide.. I bleed black."
When I walked up to the DNA on this rainy San Francisco night I was struck by a sense of deja vu since it was exactly a year ago plus a day that Amebix flattened the city. The smell of unwashed black denim hit me... and I felt at home. This was the DNA's first show after being shut down for a month by the fascist California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Click HERE for the back story about all of the bullshit drama.... and it was cool that their first show back was a historical one like this! Fucking Saint Vitus playing in San Francisco for the first time in, like, FOREVER!
As I was putting my I.D. away, Oakland's own Laudanum were already bludgeoning onstage via their maddeningly great style of Drone / Doom. They really remind me of early Neurosis in that they create a dense, black, and bleak sonic wall of sound that's impossible not to get sucked into... It took me a minute to get my head back after they left the stage... and I'm glad I was able to give props to Becky (drums) after their set at the bar. Oakland is the Black Heart of Metal these days, man.
If Laudanum were the left fist representing Oakland tonight, then local heroes Saviours were the right fist of Oakland that brought the glorious pain; they were the perfect direct support act. The transition from Laudanum's bleak wasteland to Saviours full-tilt Metal boogie groove was perfect... and all the time they've spent on the road over the past year has honed them into a compelling steamroller onstage. When the Saviours put their foot on the monitor it isn't simply a pose... it's them staking claim to the stage with the foot figuratively clamped down on the throat of non-believers. You better start believing, motherfucker.
If you don't know about Saint Vitus I have to say that you're not really part of the Umlaut Nation...sorry... just being honest. Go do your homework and come back to class when you're more prepared. During the break before Saint Vitus came on I realized what a great night it was... DNA reopening and showing off some upgrades (a new main floor!), the local flavor of the bill, and so many old and new friends in the house. It was special, man.
As Saint Vitus walked onstage I was a bit apprehensive that this might end up being "one of those" reunion shows where the old band would simply phone in it and not display any of the original fire that made them legends. I haven't mentioned how the DNA was sold out to the rafters and the excitement in the air around me was thick enough to cut with a knife... and it was special that I was standing with Lori Acid King since I know what Saint Vitus means to her (awww!). The first song was like a blur to me as I got my head around the fact that the band were really onstage.. but then they launched into 'I Bleed Black' as the 2nd song of the set and it was game over, man... game over.
For the next two hours it was like sitting underneath a cement mixer and having glorious volume poured onto my head and soul. Wino's voice was note perfect and you could tell he was *into it* as he grabbed the mic stand to deliver one Saint Vitus classic after another. The legendary bottom end was still anchored by Mark Adams with new drummer Henry Vasquez in the balance. Dave Chandler is technically not the best guitarist, but what he has that most guitarists lack is TONE. His TONE is personal... His TONE is a beast leashed to his heart that does his bidding.. His TONE is so fucking THICK. His TONE scares me (in a good way) down to my core... His TONE inspires me.
For me, the band's performance spiked with an absolutely mesmerizing version of 'Dying Inside'... Is there a more compelling and personal song about battling personal demons? Nope... and watching Wino sing those lyrics again... chills, man..... chills... down... my... spine. "Drinking has wasted my life... and I'm dying inside.."
After such a riveting, magical set I was expecting the band's signature song 'Born Too Late' to be anti-climatic... since it was the song everyone was waiting to here.. and when Wino asked "What song is it you wanna hear?!" I don't think anybody shouted out 'Freebird'... but when they launched into 'Born Too Late' it was like I was hearing the song for the first time again. It's amazing to say but, on this rainy night in San Francisco here in the 21st Century, Saint Vitus sort of changed my life again too. As we made our way back to the car and to Taqueria Can-Cun on Mission for 1:00am burritos I felt really glad and thankful to be alive.
Umlaut's 1:00am vegetarian burrito
Of course, given the magnitude of the show, the Umlaut Nation was out in force tonight... so a shout out to Lori, Joey, Johnny, Rafa, Jason, Photo Ray, Crow, Montana Chris, Wexford Girl, The Bassist, Leila, Tscam, Jenn, and Stacy.
I think Vitus shirts were $20... Patches were $5... that's all I noticed. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Saint Vitus, man... Saint Fucking Vitus... Show of the year so far.
"I bleed black..."
Click HERE to see the DNA Lounge's photos from the night.
