Show Review: Carlton Melton: 1/28/12

I was getting wasted all day this day, doing lots of drugs, etc. I wound up at the Glitter Wizard, Carlton Melton show at El Rio, but I barely remember anything of it. The above photograph is some of the only evidence that remains of that night. Apparently I was hanging out with Bart Simpson. And he's an Owl fan. Nice. I couldn't find a flyer for this show anywhere.

Show Review: Fleshies: 1/20/12

Yet ANOTHER post to alienate my metalhead, crusty and hardcore readers! Oh, wait, I don't HAVE any readers! 

Another show conveniently one block from my flat, another night of overpowering paranoia preventing me from walking out the door until I had missed almost the whole show. I got inside just about half way through the Fleshies set, but didn't escape paying the door charge this time. Right as I walked in, John Geek landed at my feet, and I shouldn't have been surprised to find him at least 20 from the stage. He wasn't even close to being naked though. The Fleshies had always been my favourite of the East Bay poppier punk bands that were playing during my early years of living in Oakland, and I hadn't seen them in awhile. It felt good. Like a familiar old uncle's hand down your pants.

After the show, I jumped in a van and went to a party at Rory's house, and got damn well WAY-sted, ate a bunch of mushrooms, and listened to a lot of records on a stereo that has speakers hooked up to the front porch. Isn't that a good idea! Walked home at 4am in the rain tripping on mushrooms and drunk. It was probably fun, but I can barely remember.

Show Review: Glitter Wizard: 1/10/12

I was in LA for the A.N.S. tour and we had a night off. Chris Wall's birthday party was starting to die down, so I took an offer to jump in the car with some of the Shrine dudes and go see Glitter Wizard in Hollywood. In the car on the way, I took a hit of acid on a Smarties candy.

When we got there, Zachary James And His All Seeing Eyes were just starting to play. Too bad. They were really boring. The focal point was this babe on stage who did backup vocals and stood behind a keyboard, but as far as I could tell, she barely played it.

Then Glitter Wizard came on, and it went something like this:

Kicking Spit: 8/27/10

Full disclosure: I made this flyer

I showed up on time for this show to say HI to people, but then went home to drop off my tools from work and change into more "rock and roll" clothes. When I got back, White Knight had already played, but they were the least of my concerns, considering they are from LA and I could probably see them again soon, if I want to. I heard The Sundowners rather well from the back yard where I was hanging out, catching up with my bandmate in ANS, Mark, who is also in Kicking Spit. The Sundowners sounded pretty poppy, but in a more competent way, they could actually play their instruments and had starts and stops and changes, not trains wrecks of varaying frequency and heroin breaks like most touring poppy punk bands in this country right now.

I had first seen Kicking Spit at Bronzefest in New Jersey last April, and they were decidedly better this time around, being in the midst of a full US/Canada tour and gettin' tight. The default comparison is Dinosaur Jr., with a strong trio in effect and lots of wild wah wah wankery and drum fills going on. Definitely more punk than Dino J, and they play a Discharge song in the set to prove it.

Next was my first time seeing Knifey Spoony in the Bay Area. The first being when Genesis Climber crossed paths with them in Richmond Virginia while we were both in the midst of summer US tours. Knifey is some sort of twisted catchy rock with a dark side, played by a bunch of way shaggy weirdos.

After the show me and members of K.S. and K.S. hung out and ate a lot of MUSHROOMS.