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.
The Friday night commute traffic across The Bay Bridge seemed worse than it really was..but it was still a time suck. However, we eventually made it to beautiful West Oakland. Thankfully there was zero guest list drama but due to the traffic we walked in during Iron Reagan's last song.. They sounded great and I was bummed I missed them. Sorry guys... Next time I'll arrive earlier.. Goddammit.
The Metro was packed solid sold out and with that came the old school uncomfortable side of the venue; muggy sweaty heat. That being said, nothing comes as close to the old Ruthie's Inn Bay Area Metal Days as a sold out show at The Metro... so if you want to time travel back to 1984 it's as close as you'll ever get. Adding another main room bar behind the stage was a solid move by the club.. and I appreciate how that, even in a divey venue here in the 21st Century, you can get quality beer despite a sticky floor.
Local Bay Area heroes Exhumed were up next and delivered a solid, solid set. I'm still bemused how Max channels James Hetfield circa 1988 onstage, but there's nothing wrong with that. Also, to make this run of shows special, the band brought back original bass player Ross Sewage (Ludicra, Ghoul, Impaled) for the 5 West Coast shows to play songs off their first album... Which I don't own (honesty is my only excuse..).. but it was a great old school set.
The mighty Voivod landed on the Oakland stage next and were nothing short of magnificent. Yes, there was another lineup change since the last time I saw them with Blacky leaving the bass position again... bummer. As with every band from my salad days, it's impossible to expect them to still have their "original" members intact.. and Voivod at 1/2 of the original members is at the average ratio. That being said, they absolutely killed it. There are new faces but the same musical mastery that made them special in the first place is still front and center; the spirit of Piggy is still very much an aura around the band. Voivod's Prog Thrash resonates even more for me now and the 9-song set bent time and space. Vintage tracks such as 'Order of the Blackguards', 'Voivod', and the Pink Floyd cover 'Astronomy Domine' were the cornerstones of the performance but I have to say the epic new song 'We Are Connected' was my favorite of the set. There is still life in the Voivod machine!
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from Napalm Death but everything I had heard about shows in recent times had been nothing but raving... and they completely delivered as well. Grind is just about the only Metal that still holds my attention at this point in history (Sorry Death and Black Metals.. but.. you make me yawn now..It's not you.. It's me..). Thankfully, Napalm Death has released a brutally great new album that has only reinforced Grind in my heart and that translated perfectly live. The entire 22-song set was an unrelenting buzz saw groove abattoir of volume. At times the assault was breathtaking (or maybe it was the sweaty claustrophobic Metro getting to me) and, despite having his right arm in a sling, Barney was in fine form both during and between songs. The new songs 'Smash A Single Digit' and 'How The Years Condemn' really did it for me tonight and it was inspiring that my favorite parts of both Voivod and Napalm sets were their new songs. Maybe I'm not so completely jaded about Metal after all... maybe.
A nice Bay Area moment occurred when Jello Biafra joined Napalm for the appropriate cover of the Dead Kennedy's 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off'.. Although Jello is seemingly at every show (still!) these days... but more power to Jello because at least he's out there supporting the bands he likes... I guess.. Anyway.. it was a nice moment.
I didn't do a merch audit.. I meant to.. but when I went to the side room where all the merch was set up I started talking to so many people that I forgot. Oh well.. I don't need anymore black t-shirts anyway. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. All in all, it was a damn fun night and easily the show of the year so far.. and no one got hurt and we all made it home safely. I ate a bowl of cereal.. went to bed... and awoke the next morning to fight again.
Neurosis / Voivod / Yob The Fox Theater, Oakland, California November 17, 2012
"Show of the year."
That was the thought that popped into my head when this gig was announced. Given that Umlaut has had a couple of once in a lifetime shows in 2012, even I was taken aback by the thought. However, more than any other band, Neurosis represents my own personal "crossover" that took place in my life back in the late 80's. It was a time when I had grown disenchanted with the original Metal Scene but I was introduced to a whole new underground of bands rooted in the Punk scene. One of those bands was Neurosis. Having Voivod on the bill, one of the bands who directly influenced Neurosis, made this event even more profoundly full circle.
Tonight in Oakland was a one-off album release show for the new Neurosis epic Honor Found In Decay and one of only 2 shows the band will play this year. It's been almost 2 years since Neurosis last played a hometown area
show, but I can't remember the last time they played in Oakland.
According to the Umlaut Archives this was at least my 21st Neurosis show. Friends and associates traveled from all over the country for this and it was pretty amazing to experience the gathering of the tribe come together.
Unfortunately, I was only able to catch around 1 1/2 songs of Yob's thundering 35 minute opening set. I was distracted by other events that carried me down into the deepest bowels of the venue... literally. One thing led to another and I found myself in the surreal and plush dressing room area that looked like a bizarre bomb shelter version of a hotel. There were curtains and window treatments on the walls but obviously there were no windows behind them because we were, like, 2 stories underground!
Geek
Moment: Entering the Voivod dressing room and they were speaking to
each other in French. As I gave copies of Murder In The Front Row to them Blacky asked "Who died in the front row?"
and I said "We all did". Away immediately said "Yes!" and told
a story about when Voivod went to see G.B.H. and Blacky jumped in the
pit because he didn't want to be intimidated by the punks... but he soon
exited the pit with his nose smashed and bloody. Then this happened:
After this Metal Geek moment I was able to spend some quality time with Neurosis and some old friends from back in The Day. I hadn't seen many of them in years and the reunion vibe made this one of the best evenings of the year.
Weapons of Neurosis
Twenty years ago this guy had dreadlocks and my hair was at least 6 inches longer:
When I was on tour with Neurosis in 1993 I awoke one morning in Seattle to the soothing sounds of Steve Von Till playing Mercyful Fate riffs on an acoustic guitar. True story. Good times.
I saw the resurrected Voivod a couple of years ago at Scion Fest in Ohio and in hindsight I wasn't sure if they were as great as I thought or if I had simply been caught up in the moment and wanted them to be great so I rationalized it. For many Metalheads like myself, Voivod are a sacred band who were a mind-altering and mindblowing discovery and seeing them without Piggy (R.I.P.) is pretty emotional. New guitarist Chewy seemed to fit in but I just wasn't sure once I got home. I should not have had any doubts.
The anticipation before Voivod's return to a Bay Area stage was thick in the air, even backstage. I've known Neurosis for over 20 years now and I've never seen them giddy like they were prior to Voivod walking upstairs to the stage. Even a backstage appearance by former Voivod member Jason Newsted didn't seem that special. No, Newsted did not join Voivod onstage..
As the industrial dirge intro of the song 'Voivod' steamed from the PA and the band walked onstage and launched into their anthem, I pushed my way past the casual fans up to the front. I then spent the duration of our heroes' 65 minute set
banging my head standing beside old friends, some of whom I've known for 30 years. We were all Teenage 80's Metalheads and Punks again.
The 8-song set was a mind blowing cross section of material and included the new song 'Mechanical Mind' which fits right into the band's sonic armory perfectly. The mighty Voivod closed their tremendous assault with a unbelievably hammering 'Tribal Convictions' followed by their cover of Pink Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine' dedicated to the late Piggy. It's not often that raw emotions are touched by a Metal band onstage but that's exactly what happened on this night in Oakland. Here in the 21st Century, with all of our convenient but dehumanizing technology, it was a healthy reminder that Voivod are still relevant and still speak to me.
Voivod
[Photo courtesy of Taylor Keahey]
After the set, I staggered away from the stage towards the bar and ran into other friends and acquaintances in the crowd and we all had the same look on our faces: Holy. Shit. Voivod. It's beyond great to have them back!
After the transcendent Voivod performance I wasn't sure how I would react to Neurosis. While Voivod inspired an outward reaction in me, Neurosis have always affected me in the opposite way. Neurosis and their music draws me back into my own head. The band's triumphant return to a hometown stage was emotional in the same victorious way that Voivod's had been. When I spoke to some of the band members earlier none of us could remember the last time Neurosis had played a show in the 510 area code; the nearest we could figure was maybe 1992. The stage of The Fox is only around 15 minutes away from Gilman St. where Neurosis first learned how to be a band all those years ago. Finally they were back in the 510. Full circle.
Neurosis
[Photo courtesy of Taylor Keahey]
For 90 minutes the boys leveled their hometown. The second salvo of the set was 'My Heart For Deliverance' off the new album. It's a song that I've really gravitated towards and from that moment on I was blissfully sucked back into the world of Neurosis again. The band had their standard visuals going on the screen behind the stage and I took advantage of my All Access to watch the set from a couple of different places around the venue. Standing at stage right and watching Neurosis here in the 21st Century was an epiphany. Over the course of their history Neurosis has developed into a band that's more a force of nature onstage than simply "a band". Neurosis are an entity of rage, solitude, volume, and beauty.
Neurosis are the most forward looking band that I follow; they do not dwell on nostalgia or past triumphs very often and their setlist reflected this. Out of the 10 songs played only 1 dated from before 2000. Neurosis are like a shark; always moving forward to stay alive. For those who care their setlist was:
Distill (2007)
My Heart For Deliverance (2012)
At The End Of The Road (2007)
An Offering (2000)
Times Of Grace (1999)
At The Well (2012)
Left To Wander (2004)
We All Rage In Gold (2012)
Bleeding The Pigs (2012)
Given To The Rising (2007)
So many influential Metal bands have tried to shed their past triumphs and move forward creatively while not alienating themselves from what made them special to begin with.. So many seem to fall short and end up playing past heavy sets because their past ends up overshadowing their present. Neurosis are not one of those bands.
As I said earlier, this was one of those amazing full circle nights. The fact that Neurosis were able to bring Voivod from Canada for their special night was so huge. For those paying attention, Voivod were the inspiration for much of what has become the Neurosis landscape. This was a show that I will always remember; it was a perfect storm of bands, friends, and the moment. Special thanks to Steve of CM for getting shit sorted and making it happen.
If you bought one of every Neurosis merch item you would have paid around $300. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. It's been most of a week since this show and I'm still buzzing from it. At the risk of sounding redundant I need to type this again: Full. Circle.
Neurosis All Access: Portland -1993 and Oakland - 2012
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!
