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surprise, im here to give you an update a whole day early! but the thing is, i dont have any new concerts or cds to review today. so i thought i would do something a little different & give you some quick reviews of what i think are the top 10 essential bay area diy albums to hear/own. this was a tough list to make, especially the order of essentialatude, & many may disagree with the order, or even have other records they believe should have been included/removed. i encourage you to send me your thoughts. mind you, i grew up in the half moon bay punk scene of the late nineties, so im definitely swayed towards those bands (in fact everyone of these bands has ties to the coastside). so without further ado…
10. mohdina’s first hardcore demos. there are probably a lot of people from the santa cruz area that have heard mohdina, but many may not know that they originally started out as a hardcore/screamo outfit, & later evolved into the funky jazzy jam band they ended up. this first recording was raw, full of grit & grime, & packed a firm punch of classic emo charm. simple, but still one of my favorites.
9. following a similar formula, but with a bit more experience & maturity, was ellipsis’ three track demo. these guys focused primarily on the music, creating vast emotional landscapes, lightly punctuated with background screaming & growling. having been playing together for at least four years, under various names (ie skies of animus, when in rome), the four core members had grown together, both as individuals & as musicians. this record was the culmination of their young musical careers.
8. staircase/funeral diner split. two amazing local bands, but i really want to focus on staircase (as funeral diner will be touched on later…). this & a seven inch (& i think maybe one other record) was all that came of this epic screamo band. these five young men really got a burst of fresh air to the hardcore/punk scene, really championing the more melodic driven hardcore, with uptempo dance-ability, one of the first local bands to add a pinch of pop sensibility to the punk sound.
7. on the opposite side of the spectrum, was the bludgeoning emo-core living war room s/t. this record (one i so unfortunately no longer own) felt like being hit in the back of the head with a sledge hammer, while getting needles driven into your eyes. sounds rather unpleasant doesnt it? well, if you ever saw this band live, youd agree, where more often then not their set would end with at least two or three people bleeding (thanks to bassist rob swinging his instrument recklessly), & everyone on the floor, chanting as one voice, “& all this is a hand grenade!”
6. the first emo band i ever heard/saw changed my musical tastes forever, & with nexus 6, i have never looked back. they were & always will be my personal definition of what real emo sounds like. i can still remember as a freshman in high school talking to guitarist konane cramer with awe & intrigue, & when he gave me a copy of (cassette tape) the nexus 6 record i was star struck. yeah, im kinda a loser, i know. but thats the way i am, i idolize the local musicians that im friends with way more than any “rockstar”. this tape became the foundation to which i built & compared the rest of my record collection with. i still once in a while push that tape into a cassette player, & it still awes & inspires me.
5. following the breakup of nexus 6, the three core members quickly reformed as funeral diner, one of the most recognized of the local diy scene, & probably one of the longest lasting (though in various permutations), the three core members (the bajda brothers & dave mello) stuck together for maybe close to ten years. one of their early records, three sides dead, is a great sampling of what these guys were all about. loud, fast, ambient, dissonant, & powerful are just a few words to describe this sonic onslaught. throw in a sample from the movie “time bandits” & youve got one epic three song ep!
4. so far i have only talked about records from bands of yesterday, & beside this one, thats how the rest of my list will conclude. but even so, one’s local diy collection could never be complete without the youth, the freshman release from “bloodtown’s” five favorite brothers (two sets actually, & one just really cool guy), comadre. forming out of the dissolution of two other great local bands (heart cross love & one’s own ruin), these guys broke out on the scene with the passion & fire as those who influenced them (many of which are on this list). in a time when the peninsula punk scene was drifting toward (just as great, but very different) a more psychedelic shoegaze style, these guys broke on the scene, single handedly reviving the punk rock spirit & staking redwood city as the new mecca of local aggressive music. this first record is a testament to why & how they did such a feet. full of urgency, emotion, & a sound that was as raw as punk could get, but also blending catchy hooks & almost pop rhythms, this was the flagship for a new generation of bay area music.
3. well, back to the sadly past, but highly influential records. these top three were certainly the hardest to assign, as all three embody the passion the peninsula diy scene has always been known for. but if i had to order them, first i would mention portraits of past, the 0s &1s record. now this record actually is the home of my all time favorite song by any band, something less than intended, but anyways…probably the most influential band from the coastside emo scene, this record features all of what made them so epic, even though they never really saw their success while still a band. after their initial breakup in the early/mid nineties (while most of the members were still in high school) this record started circulating, first throughout the peninsula scene & eventually nation wide, causing something of a frenzy in the emo scene. so much so that, nearly ten years later, they released this & their other previously recorded 7″ as a discography, & got together for four reunion shows, two in the bay area & two in new york.
2. another band that didnt receive acclaim until after disbanding, then reforming a few times, was how fortunes fall. it was at one of these reunion shows of sorts that they released a five song s/t cd, which still has a strong presence in the local scene. this album hit like a storm, both brutal & beautiful, it was filled with songs of friendship & hope & love, & it has been a beacon of light in the scene for many years. sadly this is another record i have unfortunately lost over the years, but it played a very vital role in my youth. the song writing displayed on this record would be hard pressed to match, & for that reason & many others, this will always be one of my top five favorite albums.
& now the number 1 top bay area diy record is…hangman’s day from half moon bay’s own golden rockers, under a dying sun. this was the band’s second release, following a 7″ single of one of the tracks, these stitches, & though their sophomore & junior efforts were much cleaner & concise, this ep exemplifies the band’s knack for epicness. no song better showcases this than the near 20 minute, for ten miles. the intro alone is over ten minutes! this album, comprised of three studio recordings & two live tracks on new york’s wnyu, set the stage for what would be the coastside’s staple band. these guys & girl became something of the poster children for half moon bay’s diy punk rock scene. known for their lengthy sets (a lot of which was just konane talking) & dramatic lighting, they were some of the hardest working folks in local music.
well, thats the best i can do for now, their are far more records that should be considered essentials, but i only gave myself 10 slots to fill. some of those other essentials would include…
as black hearts break-revolutionary protocol
staircase-waterfalls 7″
one’s own ruin-no one is listening
box the compass-hollow 7″
punch-eyeless ep
heart cross love-s/t
ladders-s/t
love, hope & fear-s/t
& there is a slew of others i cant remember right now. so let me know what you think of my list & please, if any of you have any of the records ive listed, let me know, as there are a few im missing & would love to get copies of! thnx!
alright, i know i said i would post this last week, im trying not to slip back into lagging at posting reviews so this hopefully wont happen again.
last wednesday i was at thee parkside, to see hardcore/metal/punk band sabertooth zombie. before hand there were three other openers. first up was grace alley, a bay area punk rock five piece, who wasted no time getting things rowdy. the front man spent most of the set pushing in & out of the crowd, while the band rocked out on stage. these guys were fast, aggressive, & in your face, literally. at the end of the set, the front man got lost within the crowd, wrapping the mic cable around a large pillar in the middle of the room. lastly they invited stz guitarist jay (whose birthday was being celebrated) up to sing vocals for a cover of late nineties power violence pioneers, pantera’s, walk. during which the entire crowd went completely berserk, resulting in one girl getting bashed in the head & bleeding profusely.
the next band on stage was southern california based, latino sludgecore xibalba. these guys were one of those bands that could just as easily been playing gansta rap, but prefer the incoherent fuzz of deathcore to preprogrammed beats. good in their own right, i was not very interested in this band. they werent particularly original, or impressive, other than one of the guitarist’s tattoos, which completely covered any visible patch of skin aside from his face. another thing that i found interesting about this band’s set ( & all the others’ for that matter) was the unexpected amount of hardcore dancers on the floor. i was unaware that was still “cool”, but there were punches, karate kicks, & even a guy doing cartwheels all over the place. it was like street fighter 99 deluxe edition.
after that came tacoma, washington metal band, owen hart. these guys were actually very impressive, but i think the best part of their set was when the front man (who also spent their whole set on the floor among the crowd) commented how he likes to stay up to date with current events & tries to be among the first to respond. so he then explained a recent phenomenon involving sun chips, those supposed all natural, crispy, chrunchy chips. apparently people had recently begun complaining about the VOLUME of their bag of chips, that their chips were too LOUD, so sun chips employees entered numerous stores, recalling their high volume product. they then played a brand new song entitled, my bag of chips is too f**king loud! angry, loud, abrasive, fast; these guys went straight for the throat. a relatively short set, it was like a punch in the face, just how metal should be.
it then came time for the much anticipated sabertooth zombie to take the stage. a humorous note, their lead singer was wearing a specials t-shirt. now these north bay guys really embody the obnoxious attitude of true punk rock. spitting on the kids in the front row singing along, kicking some of them in the chest, & constantly flipping the bird, & the kids loved every minute of it. they blasted through four songs before they took a break & then jumped right back into it. the lead singer also tore a large hole in the crotch of his pants, & was thoroughly embarrassed for the rest of the set. kids were getting pretty crazy, diving onto the small group of folks at the front, crowding as close as the barriers around the stage would allow, & then moshing just behind them. the band kept feeding the same amount of frenzied energy right back into the crowd & you could see the exchange of emotion & excitement as it bounced back & forth from stage to floor & back again. to say that the night ended too early would be an understatement, but no one left unsatisfied.
i will be attending the performance of sabertooth zombie @ thee parkside. show starts @ 8pm & costs $8, a/a bar with id. this will rock. so my usual wednesday update will be postponed until tomorrow of friday.
in other news…
im thinking of broadening the focus of this blog to incorporate diy bands outside of the bay area, for instance i recently downloaded an album from portland, oregon’s five piece hardcore band, call us forgotten, & it has really grown on me. i think that in general i will try to start (at least mentioning) reporting on other bands in the scene.
speaking of which, i just noticed an article in alt press mag, about the band braid, ’90s emo (& i mean real emo) rockers, releasing an upcoming 12″ of new recordings.
also from alt press mag, the top 100 bands to watch during 2011 included some local (related) bands; touche amore, & another band i cant remember the name of (sorry im lame) featuring members from engine down. ill go pick up that issue again & let you know, plus more bands that were on the list i think may be worth checking out.
so…thats all for now i guess. ill post again a little later, with those bands, & a list of upcoming shows to look into.
first off, i hope ya’ll are enjoying my earlier post. now here are just a few shows coming up in the next week that you should all want to go to, but will have to choose, due to many of them being on the same night.
tomorrow night-
@ kimo’s sf-room for a ghost, old & gray (drummer from rfag solo project) & others that dont really matter 21+ $10 8pm
@ sub-mission sf-power, no statik, needles, & whitehorse a/a $6 8pm
friday night-
@ cafe cocomo sf-something left unsaid, severed fifth, hatchet, & ld/50 21+ (this is where i will most likely be)
@ slim’s sf-of legends, impending doom, stick to your guns, & norma jean 6+ 7/7:30pm
@ yoshi’s sf-dead prez 21+ 10:30pm (for irony’s sake)
saturday night-
@ regency ballroom-drive a, get scared, motionless in white, alesana, escape the fate a/a 7:30 (the dead masquerade tour)
sunday night-
@ the avalon santa clara-SKID ROW! a/a $20/23
monday night-
@ slim’s sf-conducting from the grave,decrepit birth, all shall perish, & kataklysm 6+ $16/20 8pm
tuesday night-
@ Bottom of the Hill sf-dandelion war, brahms, & asobi seksu a/a &12/14 8:30/9pm
wednesday night-
@ catalyst, santa cruz-andre nickitina 16+ $23/28 8/9pm (again, irony)
@ mezzanine sf-peter murphy! 21+ 8:30pm
@ thee parkside sf-grace alley, xilbalba, owen hart, & sabertooth zombie a/a $8 8pm (where i will probably be)
i got this info from “the list”, but im gonna try to make this a weekly feature, so im gonna try to establish some sort of connections with some of my favorite venues, particularly diy spaces like sub-mission art gallery, the oddstad gallery, & the 418 project. if you know who to speak to at any of these venues, please send them my way or inform me on how to contact them. thnx!
this last monday night i attended a show at the rickshaw stop in sf. first i just want to say how much i love this venue. this is one of those few awesome venues, that if you dont know exactly where it is, youll probably drive/walk past it like five or ten times before you realize, “oh, its just this door right here.” the place has no real signage outside, just a door, & a warehouse gate with some concert flyers posted up on it. once inside, you pass a small reception area with a couch, & couple tables for merch. you then pass the bar on your right, & a set of metal stairs, where upstairs you find an indoor smoking room with a foosball table & a pinball machine. there is another lounge space with a couple couches, & then a small balcony space. back down below the main room is similar to your smaller bar/club/venues, an open room with a stage at one end. & of course there are a number of rickshaws in various styles.
so first to take the stage was a “band” called bird by bird. i use quotes because well, it was just two guys. you know the ever so popular guitar/drummer duo. lately this dynamic has become rather over done in my opinion. this left me wondering throughout their set, were they doing this to be ironic, or was it post-irony? it was kind of hard to make this decision, at first i thought they were being ironic, simply due to the fact that there were just two of them. then later they mentioned how there used to be other members, but the two just loved each other too much, & therefore let go of the rest of the members, to which i thought, okay theyre post-ironic. then one of their songs had the lyric, “we can be the change, love is the change”, making me think they were again just ironic. but then i realized they really thought they were just that cool, & were in fact a great indie band, & i concluded that they must be post-ironic. not to mention theyre ultimate hipster uniforms of striped shirt with vest, & plaid button shirt with ray charles shades. also the guitarist/lead singer had this really goofy stylized jew fro that bounced around like a styrofoam bill when he would headbang. musically, they were in fact really good, & actually really blew me away when the frontman shredded through a wicked metal solo on his acoustic. i would recommend checking them out, cause they probably will be an up & coming band to watch.
next to take the stage was the band that were the reason i was in attendance, & i was under the impression they would be headlining, but oh well. the band was moving mountains, a four piece out of new york, & who are certainly taking the lead in post-punk bands to follow. truthfully, i just heard about this band a few weeks ago, & ive been kind of obsessed since, so the chance to see them live so early in my “fan”atic lifetime was amazing. one thing that quickly pleased me about their live show was the fact that they set themselves up in single line at the front of the stage, creating an even playing field among band members. despite a slight delay on lighting cues, their set began with full force, & from then on the lighting was actually a very prominent part of the set, (but hopefully there was no one prone to seizures in the crowd…). the band’s sound is very weighted on the moody & atmospheric edge of things, but then accentuated by an urgent punk energy. the vocals were a bit overpowering, but i think they did that on purpose, the one thing i would have preferred they had changed. the set was driving & hit you like a freight train, but was unfortunately to short. having been a fan for just a short time, im not sure but i think most of the songs were off their upcoming release, waves, which was available for preorder w/bundles at the show. the album is set to be released may 11 on triple crown records, i highly suggest you go pick that up, & look into their other two albums, foreword & pneuma.
after the mountain boys left the stage, the rest of the crowd started getting extremely antsy for the headliner to come on stage. i was amazed to find myself surrounded by the most foreigners ive ever encountered at a small show, i believe i heard them say they were all from glasgow. this kind of dedication gave me the impression i was in for a real treat. i was a bit skeptical, i had never heard of these guys, biffy clyro, so i went & previewed their music on myspace, & was not very impressed. so the fact that there was so much hype within this small club left me wondering. again, i had mixed thoughts about what i was in for. first, the band had a big huge banner hanging on stage the whole night, a sign of a band just a little too interested in themselves, then they had their own music techs, which some not so big groups sometimes have, if theyre lucky. but then the three scotts (scottish folk) came out on stage, without any shirts on. i mean, who does that? its one thing if theyre playing an outdoor festival & its ridiculously hot out, but in a club, before they even have worked up a sweat? well, they then slammed into their set, & i was taken by surprise, these guys were really heavy, & really rocked hard…& then dude started singing, & everything changed. it was just very odd hearing such a high, whiny voice coming from such a bearded man. ive experienced this kind of thing before, i.e. manchester orchestra, but that was with more indie/emo sounding bands, where these guys had a sound that harkened back to the sludgyness of early ’90s grunge. it was just a little too sharp a contrast for me. the more i listened to them, i started to formulate what they reminded me of; imagine putting weezer, nirvana, & primus in a blender, adding a dash of andrew wk & then over diluting the mixture with a whole lotta suck, & hitting frappe. they just tried to hard to sound “different” that they ended up sounding extremely generic. i picture them being the new poster band for the van’s warped tour. again, ideal hipsters, trying so hard to look & sound credible. eventually i just left early.
even though two out of three of the bands ended up not working for me, the short but sweet set by moving mountains was well worth the night out. i cannot impress enough how good these guys are, go look them up…NOW! & best of luck to the other bands, im sure that they will find a lot of success in the future, just not on my playlist.
Re-viewing the DIY scene 