It's been a very strange past few days, to say the least. It's been 96 hours of Drama, Shit Talking, L-U-V, Words of Praise and Compliments, and fun Fun FUN! ha ha ha Playing drums for S.F.T. was definitely interesting, to say the last, and very rewarding, in many ways. Friday's gig opening for Green Jelly was pretty cool. I got there just as the Time Crashers were finishing up their set, and I had to get my kit set up immediately as we were going on next. So we rush up there, run through our set that we were busting our humps all week over to get tight and right, and from my vantage point it sounded good. Yeah, mistakes were made, but for only practicing the short time we did, it was OK. I love watching the guys around me having fun and rocking out. Seeing both Tom and Carlos jumping around like 20 year olds was worth it's weight in gold. We sounded good and they were having fun. That's all that matters. It was cool. The LVCS cut our set short (of course) so it was over too soon for me, but whatever. It was fun while it lasted, and people seemed to dig it, so yeah. While I was loading my gear up into my car I had a very interesting conversation with the bass player (I think) of the Time Crashers, who wanted to know why I hated his band and why I didn't support them and etc. I told him the reasons why, as asinine and unbelievable as they are, and he seemed surprised by all of it, because it was all stemming from Drama that was before his time, wasn't his scene, and he didn't know anything about it. I told him I didn't hate his band, per se, but that I just couldn't support them on the website, but I told him I'd turned more than a few people on to his band, including my girlfriend, and that when people asked me about them I would say they were alright, and I'd tell them the best thing they do is that Simpsons cover of You've Finally Made A Monkey Out Of Me that they do. :-) I'm not sure what enlightening him about the past was going to do, but I did it anyways, and he thanked me for talking to him about it, and then him and his girlfriend headed back in the venue to watch the rest of the gig. I was starving so I headed off to find something to eat, because I wasn't feeling the Green Jelly vibe. I wasn't even feeling like sticking around to take pictures. I was just tired and hungry and wanted to go Home. I heard Green Jelly killed it though, so yeah... Sat. night it was another gig with S.F.T., this time at the Double Clown, and it was another incident with someone over what was said on the website. This time it was Chris Piss from Infernal Raket, who I've gone back and forth with over anything and everything for quite some time now. I was standing around the parking lot of the bar with the guys from S.F.T. and one of the opening bands, Mystic Perception, from El Monte, just, you know, doing what a bunch of tattooed Mexicans from Califas do when we're together, and Chris walked into the circle and the fun began almost immediately. We got heavy into it pretty quickly, with him carrying on about something that was written on the website about some Friends of his years ago, and he seemed Hell bent on getting his point across, so I listened to him, he said what he wanted to say, including how I should be more Positive with things on the website, and then he was off into the night with Homeless Mike in tow. Later when I was getting my kit together to play the gig, Chris came up to me and just apologized for everything, saying how he hated the tension between us, and how he just wanted to put everything behind us and carry on without Drama. That sounded like a good idea to me, so we hugged it out and let it all go. I don't really care and I seriously got better things to do. I don't know how long it's going to last, this truce of ours, but for now, I got no problem with any of it. Chris Piss has his viewpoint on how things are in the scene, and I have mine. We don't have to agree, but I can respect his enthusiasm to get things done. And as for the gig, well, it was a typical Double Clown gig, which is all, I think, that needs to be said. That band from South Korea, Genius, opened up the gig for some reason, they were OK, and one of the bands that played before us just wouldn't get off the stage, playing shitty NOFX and Germs covers to their girlfriends amusement. By the time we went on, the place was pretty rocking and we got a good reaction out of the crowd, with lots of jumping around and jumping off of things. I think we sounded better than the night before, there was definitely less mistakes made, and we got to play an entire set, which was pretty sweet. People seemed to dig us, and we got lots of compliments afterwards, which is always a good thing. The last band of the night, Mystic Perception, was a bit of a hippy-ish, Metal tinged Pop band, doing Pink Floyd covers and whatnot. I wasn't feeling it so I cut the fuck out of there. Fun night. Thanks to everyone who came out. And Thanx to everyone in S.F.T. for the fun past few days. Let's do it again sooner than later.
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Well then there's this, the trailer for the upcoming C.B.G.B.'s movie, which is embarrassing and nauseating, both at the same time. It just looks terrible, even for Hollywood standards, and the subject matter seems kind of redundant. The real story of C.B.G.B.'s has already been done before, just as recently as 2009 in fact, with Burning Down The House: The Story Of C.B.G.B.'s, and that was told by the people who were actually there, not a bunch of ass clowns in wigs acting out some stuff that may or may not have ever happened. I think the tacked on inclusion of the Police at the end of the trailer pretty much says it all. The Police had as much to do with the story of C.B.G.B.'s as John Lennon does, and them being in this movie only highlights the true prerogative of this farce - to sell movie soundtracks on iTunes. I get the whole kitschy, 'Punk is mindless fun' thing, but this is beyond reproach. And I'm not even gonna comment on the whole 'nostalgia for nostalgia's sake' thing this movie plays into either. Whatever. At least the movie got the bathroom right, which is something more than the MOMA people couldn't do. Since it's such a furor in the Punk Rock world, I gotta say something about this Black Flag BS that's going on. I like how it's suddenly gotten quiet once it was revealed that Mr. Rollins and Mr. Morris signed papers in 2012 claiming they were the sole Owners of the Black Flag name and logo, in an attempt to get the trademark rights to both. Pretty cheesy move if you ask me. And if Chuck Dukowski signed an agreement after he sued for back royalties a long time ago, saying he wouldn't profit from the name or logo or Black Flag likeness, then, I guess, from a legal standpoint, then Mr. Ginn is in the right to sue them. It's a dick move, I'll give you that, but flip the coin and see how you'd feel if Keith Morris and Henry Rollins were giving control of the Black Flag trademark - would you be so supportive and up in arms when Greg Ginn called them out for their dick move. Probably not, because Greg Ginn is a dick and he doesn't pay bands back royalties and he loves cats and blah blah blah, and Henry Rollins is cool because he played that white supremacist on Sons Of Anarchy, and Keith Morris is the cute little Punk Rock Dwarf who's always got something to say about anything and everything. Whatever. Greg Ginn has always marched to the tune of a different drummer. He made a musical career out of being anti-everything and doing things that weren't meant to be popular, or to win him any friends. Why would now be any different? It's sad what's happening to this once illustrious band. Some bands apparently should be left in the grave, never to reform or rise again. Black Flag may be one of those bands. Ahhhhhh who gives a fuck anyways. There's too much good stuff going on this weekend to care about trivial Interwebz bullshit. I forgot to mention that S.F.T. are playing @ the Double Clown on Sat. with a band called Genius, from South Korea, so come check that out if you're interested in hearing some quirky, alternative music ala the Violent Femmes, and also on Sat., Mersa and IDFI are playing at the Golden Palms with some bands not worth mentioning. Like I said, there's all sorts of cool stuff going on this weekend. It's gonna be fun trying to squeeze it all in.
Rest? What's that? Free time? Yeah right! Oh wait, I already did that rant... fucking Hell! ha ha ha Everything I'm up to as of late is just band practice bullshit, with some practices being fun, and some feeling like going to a job you hate. Regardless, it's what I'm all about as of late, with very little to comment upon or write about. I choose to eschew from the whole farcical debate about the First Friday thing, and the Greg Ginn vs. Black Flag lawsuit is both sad and laughable. I'm all about promoting Gigs though, and there's one going on tomorrow night that's definitely worth checking out. From straight outta Reno comes Melvin Makes Machineguns, a band of malcontents I had the pleasure of making their acquaintance with the last time I was up North. I don't know why they're playing the LVCS, and I don't know a thing about any of the bands playing, nor if it's worth the $12 cover, but if you are going to the gig, get their early to check out Melvin Makes Machineguns. You won't be disappointed. On Friday, it's back to the LVCS for a gig I'm playing with S.F.T., who are opening up for Green Jelly, they of the 3 Little Pigs song/video from back in the day. It should be interesting, but I'm not sure if I'm sticking around to see them play. Locals IDFI and Last Rites are also opening, so get their early and have some fun, dammit. If you're not at this gig, I'm going to assume that you're at the Mentors / The Fat Dukes Of Fuck extravaganza going down @ the Dive. It should be an amazeballz gig. You will find no bigger fan of the Mentors than I (well, living fan anyways, as Rick Honaker had me beat by a mile), but I just can't see them play without El Duce, either behind the porno encrusted drum kit of his or propped up on a bar stool, a mic in one hand and a beer in the other. I just can't do it, as much as I'd like to. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't be there though, because let's face it - somebody has to keep the illustrious Rape Rock tradition alive, right? Sat. night it's all about celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Nevermore Productions doing their thang here in Las Vegas, bringing you a wide and varied plethora of different Bands and musical stylings, and 2 bigger and better supporters of the Local music scene you will not find than Danielle and Ryan, and they're recent newlyweds too, so make sure to congratulate them the next time you see them for finally making things legal between them... heh Congrats you two! To help with the celebration, they've brought together some bands I've vaguely heard of, I'm assuming Downtown Hipster trash bands, I dunno, but the music isn't the point, but yet it is, because Nevermore Productions, and Danielle and Ryan, are all about the Music, and they do what they can to make the Vegas scene much better than it already is, so come out on Sat. and celebrate the Past, Present and Future, with only bigger and better things to come. Congratulations you two! Cheers! And on Sunday, for you whiny bitches on Facebook who lament the fact that there aren't house parties anymore, there is a major rager going down at somebody's parents house, with the Metal infused D-Beat sickness of Wartorn, a band coming straight outta Cheeseville, Wisconsin, or someplace like that. They're on tour promoting a new album, Iconic Nightmare, released on Southern Lord Records, home of some heavy, heavy bands, so you know these guys are the real deal, and they're playing a backyard party in Las Vegas on Sunday. How could you be anywhere else that day? Don't worry about being 'the old guy' at the gig, just come out and see some amazeball music being bestowed upon the masses. With Nests, Unfair Fight and Vihan Rytmi, who, I think, haven't played a gig in like a year or so, opening things up, well, hopefully you can see how this little shindig is going to be the stuff of Legend. Seriously, don't miss out on this. You will be kicking yourself in the face if you do. Everything is updated. I, of course, have to get ready for band practice, so I gotta cut this short. Hopefully today's practice is better than yesterdays. Hopefully.
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