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..

Tomorrow's Dream

A Benefit For Nikki Davis
Robb Flynn & Friends Black Sabbath All Star Tribute
Oakland Metro, Oakland, California
January 17, 2014

This was the type of event that made me damn fucking proud to call The Bay Area my home and the Bay Area Metal scene my people.  Murder In The Front Row alumni and Bay Area Metal band leaders Robb Flynn (Vio-Lence / Machine Head) and Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms) organized this event and it was a gathering of the tribe for a very profound and worthy cause.  As the official event statement explained:

A good friend of ours and all around great person, Nikki Davis, was in a motorcycle accident with her husband Jeff. Sadly, Jeff died at the scene. Fortunately, Nikki survived but she was unconscious for a few days. She awoke to the daunting reality that her husband, soulmate and best friend had passed away. It was heartbreaking to all of us in the Bay Area scene.

Click HERE to read the complete statement about the night.

Tickets went on sale a week before and the show was sold out in less than 24 hours; it was by far the hottest Metal ticket of the year so far.  The specific lineup of players was not completely announced in advance so the element of surprise only elevated the once in a lifetime nature of the show.   The cast of players ended up being as follows:

• Rob Flynn (Vio-lence / Machine Head)
• Craig Locicero (Forbidden / Spiralarms)
• Chuck Billy (Testament) – vox
• Brad Barth (Spiralarms) - keyboards
• Paul Bostaph (Forbidden / Slayer) - drums
• Will Carroll (Death Angel) - drums
• Cornbread (Spiralarms) - bass
• Dean Dell (Vio-lence) - bass
• Phil Demmel  (Vio-lence / Machine Head) - guitar
• Andy Galeon (Death Angel) – drums
• Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence) - vox
• Gary Holt (Exodus / Slayer) - guitar
• Tom Hunting (Exodus) – vox
• Jeff Matz (High On Fire) – bass
• Tim Narducci  (Spiralarms) - vox
• Jim Martin (Faith No More) – guitar
• Matt Pike (Sleep / High On Fire) - guitar
• Damien Sisson  (Death Angel) – bass
• Robert Trujillo (Metallica) - bass

Holy shit, right?  It was basically a Who's Who of Bay Area Metal bands, all with long histories. Of course, there will be the negative assholes who will point out who was not there, but if you have that attitude you have no clue or experience about what made The Bay Area scene special back in The Day and what continues to make it special today when it matters.   Besides, tickets were only $20... Twenty dollars for a show with that lineup.  Not only was tonight in support of worthy cause, it was also an insane value for the money.  Leave your negative attitude at the door, man.

Apologies to the rest of the world, but no other area could have pulled off a show like tonight featuring this level of Metal history and hometown talent. It was epic.. and I still don't have my head completely around it.  The night was about all of these major band guys being onstage with zero egos.  The night was about these Black Sabbath songs that we all grew up with.  The night was about celebrating life while supporting Nikki Davis, a longtime member and friend of the Bay Area scene.

Opening the night was an ACDZ, an AC/DC tribute band fronted by scene veteran Zetro (Legacy / Exodus / Hatriot) on vocals.  Given the atmosphere of the event, what better songs to get things warmed up with than Bon Scott-era AC/DC.  Perfect.

I was able to talk with several of the band guys before the main set backstage and the sense of happiness and positive energy was very profound.  Obviously, the reason for the night was profoundly sad... but the sense that this was a celebration of life was the unstated but obvious vibe.  It's not often that something born of sadness can create something so life affirming.

The epiphany of the night:  Who knew that Tom Hunting of Exodus could sing?!  The drummer nailed the vocals for about half of the setlist while channeling his inner Ozzy in a heartfelt and not in a cheesy way despite his awesome kimono.  "We love you all!!"

There were so many other moments and details that made this night F-U-N and special.   Although the setlist was Ozzy-era Sabbath songs I loved how the running order didn't follow expectations and they went for inspired deep cuts.  As I mentioned earlier, besides being a benefit for a friend in need, the show was also a celebration of the songs that put us all on the life path that we're on now.  I think it's safe to say that Sabbath influenced the lives of everyone in the room.  The fact that all of the band guys onstage were constantly smiling also showed that Sabbath influenced some of us in the room to do even greater things with our lives.

What was mind blowing was how tight all of the performances were despite the revolving cast of players and only a week's worth of rehearsals.  This was not your typical "weekend cover band" playing Sabbath songs!   The gathered players are all seasoned and, in some cases, iconic musicians.  Robb Flynn acted as the onstage leader and master of ceremonies and his energy and awe about the night was palpable and genuine.  

'Into The Void' with Matt Pike and Jeff Matz 

I am not overstating it when I say tonight ranked up there with some of the most iconic Bay Area Metal events.  However, rather than give a routine review of the night I want to convey how special the atmosphere and vibe was instead of merely reporting who played on what songs with whom.  You can find that trivia on other sites here on The Internets.  To be honest, tonight was one of those once in a lifetime events where if you were not there, watching the videos on YouTube won't do it justice.  The sense of community and friendships was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a broad sword.  I lost track of how many old friends I saw; at least one of them I hadn't seen in maybe 3 years.  I also had beer spilled on me 3 times by random overzealous dudes, but it was all cool.

One particularly special moment happened during a brief delay before 'N.I.B.' when there was a problem with Dean Dell's bass.  Instead of letting the momentum die, Will Carroll and Flynn spontaneously went into a brief jam on the Vio-lence song 'Bodies On Bodies' which the Bay Area crowd immediately recognized.  Energy maintained.  Amazing!

As I've ranted a couple of times already, tonight was a celebration of life and also a tribute to Sabbath being a force in our lives.  In that spirit, the setlist was obviously put together and arranged by Sabbath fanboys for Sabbath fanboys and fangirls:

1. CORNUCOPIA (INTRO)
2. SUPERNAUT
3. CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE
4. SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE
5. IRON MAN
6. N.I.B.
7. ELECTRIC FUNERAL
8. A NATIONAL ACROBAT
9. LORD OF THIS WORLD
10. TOMORROW’S DREAM
11. CHANGES
12. SWEET LEAF
13. INTO THE VOID
14. KILLING YOURSELF TO LIVE
15. PARANOID
16. HOLE IN THE SKY
17. WAR PIGS

So solid, right?!

Yes,  Matt and Jeff of High On Fire played on that song.. and Robert of Metallica played on those songs.. and Gary of Exodus played on that song.. and Jim Martin of Faith No More came out and played on that other song... and Will of Death Angel sang that song!  Who knew that he could sing?!   Between him and Tom Hunting it was The Night of the Singing Drummers.

'Paranoid' with Gary Holt and Will Carroll on vocals

'War Pigs' with Jim Martin and Chuck Billy 

Okay, my personal favorite songs of the night were 'Into The Void' with Matt and Jeff of High On Fire (which was the perfect song for Matt to play) and 'Killing Yourself To Live' with Tom Hunting channeling the Live At Last album to perfection.  "SMOKE IT!!  GET HIGH!'

Another especially awesome touch to the night was that only Dio-era Sabbath was played over the PA in between the bands and after the show.  It was perfect and kept the Sabbath theme going all night long.  Despite what Zakk Wylde thinks, Dio-era Sabbath is very legitimate and sacred to folks like me. So STFU Mr. Zakk Wylde.

Although it's only January I can't even imagine another show this year that will be this special.  If you bought the event t-shirt you would have paid $20.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  Unfortunately, the event shirt sold out so this is my favorite souvenir from this epic night:

As the event's statement said:  "We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."

My understanding is the support for Nikki from this event will continue, with online auctions and maybe other activities.  For those who couldn't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at:

help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com  

Being part of "a scene" means more than simply going to see bands or following bands on Facebook.  Sometimes a scene has to rise up together for a just and worthy cause on behalf of one of their own... and that's exactly what The Bay Area Metal scene did tonight.  Dog bless you, every one of us!  Special kudos and karma points to Craig and Robb, the band guys, and all of the others who worked on and supported this event.  Tonight completely inspired me.  Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated tonight, 'Tomorrow's Dream' rang out as the heaviest and most appropriate:

"We hope to raise enough money to help Nikki continue to get back on her feet because the healing is not finished. She still has medical bills to pay and we want to do anything we can to help our old friend."
For those who can't attend the concert, donations can be made to Nikki's PayPal account at help_jeff_n_nikki_d@yahoo.com.

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-slayer-machine-head-exodus-members-to-perform-at-robb-flynn-friends-benefit-concert/#16IUF6eSjAKZ7crL.99 Of all the Sabbath lyrics that were recreated onstage tonight, these lines struck the heaviest chord to me:

"When sadness fills my days
It's time to turn away
And then tomorrow's dreams
Become reality to me.."

Hail and Amen.

[Live photos courtesy of Sensory Abuse]

No Sleep 'Til Oakland

The exciting sequel to 48 Hours Of Sleep!

Sleep / Oxbow / Kowloon Walled City
The Fox Theatre, Oakland, California
June 5, 2012

Remember when Sleep opened for Hawkwind in San Francisco in 1994? Me too.

It's been 3 years since Sleep awakened like Cthulhu to perform on Earth again. However, part of me can't call the recent version of Sleep a "reunion" since Chris on drums isn't involved... but given the shared history Sleep and Neurosis have (they played so many shows together back in The Day..) Jason is still a great replacement and still validates this new era of Sleep. Although I will say that it's somewhat concerning how Jason now has a beard and long hair to display his inner Dopesmoker aura. Funny. What wasn't funny was over 2,000 people entering the Fox to witness a hometown Sleep show. Crazy.

It warmed my heart that tonight was an all local band bill. Kowloon Walled City sounded absolutely huge on the Fox stage... and Oxbow has a hypnotic and charismatic volume thing going on... but I was only focused on seeing Sleep tonight. As soon as Al, Matt, and Chris walked onstage the air suddenly filled with an astonishing amount of pot smoke. There was so much doobage that it gave a new meaning to "contact high"... and I was the recipient from the output of 3 pipes and a huge spliff all next to me. All least they offered to share... but Umlaut doesn't smoke. Thanks anyway, dude.

Quote of the Night: "None of it was good weed..." - Johnny

This was one of those rare shows where any kind of noise restrictions were thrown out and everything was on 12. As it should be for a Sleep show, the air was literally moving and my clothes were literally vibrating. The Fox is a beautiful old art deco venue and it became a Cathedral of Volume tonight.

I did something that I haven't done in awhile at a show: I closed my eyes and let the music mix with my contact high flying head and spin around in there. Sleep are that kind of transcendental band and tonight really reminded me of their shows back in 1993-94... when they were ahead of their time and most people didn't *get* them... but for us enlightened ones they were total fucking godhead... and they still are. All of these years later, it's fascinating to see the Yin and the Yang of Sleep onstage together again. The cerebral chess master Al who does his Yin with OM and the warbeast hammer of the godz Matt who does his Yang with High On Fire; put them together and they're absolutely crushing. Brothers of Tone.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

I liked this Sleep performance more than the other 2 reunion shows I saw in 2010. After 2 years the 3 guys were just more in a collective groove as a single entity with Jason. This was symbolized in my contact high flying head by Matt only playing his iconic Sleep-era orange sunbust Les Paul the entire night instead of switching between that and his custom High On Fire 9-string. Matt and his Les Paul = Sleep. Al and his Rickenbacker = Sleep. Instruments matter.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

This show made me feel all 1993 again and I wanted to stop everything and follow Sleep to R'lyeh or Mars. If you bought one of every Sleep merch item you would have paid around $150. It's not often that a band inspires me to buy merch these days... but I dropped a $20 tonight. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. I had seen Sleep crush their hometown and then early the next morning I found myself on a plane flying on no sleep. No rest for the wicked, man.

Sadly, only 2 days after this night it was announced that Matt had entered rehab and High On Fire had cancelled their Summer Tour. Matt is now 40 years old and I realized I’ve been a witness to his Rock Star odyssey since he was 19 years old. Godspeed Matt and we'll be waiting for the volume to continue when you return to the safety of the mothership. To quote Sleep:

"Gypsy casts a spell of frost.. Frozen solid our lives are paused.."

Anyway, just so I don't end on a downer note: The back of the Sleep tour jersey is what they're about in a nutshell:

Stoners.. Rockers... and above all.. Geeks! The Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

48 Hours Of Sleep

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.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

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...

Sleep / Saviours / Black Cobra
The Regency, San Francisco
September 13, 2010

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.

Jason Black Cobra > Pringles > Umlaut

SAVIOURS:

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

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!

Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

SLEEP:

Photo courtesy of Sensory Abuse

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

Umlaut's Fave Merch Item of 2010

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.

ATP: Joey & Alan's Excellent Adventure

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

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

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



It Was A Classic: A Visit to Haven Butlins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


Joey's "All Access, Bitch!" Pass

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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