FEBRUARY 2013 SHOW REVIEWS

Wednesday, February 6: Rio Grande I'm probably gonna end up talking more about this bar than the band that played, because you've already enough about them from me, right? Or have you heard anything? Whatever, Rio Grande is a cool bar on an uncool (and by uncool, I mean cool for me) part of Market Street, which will be the only venue besides Cafe du Nord on that whole damn shit trail! And fuck Cafe du Nord still, for kicking me out that one time. Anyway, Rio Grande is a cool spot that looks like a transplanted Austin Tex Mex saloon. Cool tiles, nice dark corners for doing coke and making out, only one type of beer on the menu, which makes deciding easy at least. The bar is flanked by two stripper poles, which are slimed by gyrating go-go dancers at various times during the night, and by the bar customers themselves in the wee after hours of which we do not speak much in polite company. But this was to be one of the first of many strange nights I would spend in this dark hole! Wild Eyes - Retro heavy rock funk outfit, soulful raspy whiskey 'n' coke female vocals, a pantagruelian drummer, and oh, what's this?  One of my bandmates from Hazzard's Cure on guitar! So that's why he doesn't have time to practice with his REAL band anymore.
    
Saturday, February 9: Slim's My ex-roomate was about to move to Texas, and having a going away party, so I was kinda late for this one, and when I got there Pallbearer was already playing. I caught most of the set, and it was awesome to see them live! I was not familiar with Enslaved newer material, and it was pretty weird. I stuck around till the end though, just to get my money's worth. They did a cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, towards the end; how Viking of them! Unbeknown to me, I was fucking up big time. What I should have done long before this point was bail for the Great American Music Hall, where Negative Approach was playing for five bucks. The show went down in history of course, as like, the craziest shit ever, and that night went down in history for me as the night I officially quit punk and became a flaccid metal head waste of space. Cool! I ended up back at Rio Grand later, and I must have got pretty fucked up because the next day,  

Sunday, February 10, at Eli's Mile High Club I was a limp noodle hangover casualty who could barely speak, much less hold a drink in my hand, both of which I was attempting to do, one more than the other. In retrospect, I could have taken a nap and sat out most of the show, because the band I really wanted to see was Mortuous, the enigmatic San Jose old school death metal crew. I pretty much stood upfront and stared at the drummer for their whole set.
       
Wednesday, February 13: Pink String Spoilage, Burning Axe, War Party, Filthchain- I managed to see every band on this house show, which is kind of rare for me these days. Usually I like to get a little drunk at home before I head out, then I decide to get A LOT drunk before I head out, and the next thing you know, you're passed out sitting on your toilet seat, missing EVERY BAND. But not tonight. The Pink String was a blur of perfect filthy house show crust punk wastedness, one thing that Oakland is VERY good at. Every city needs a house like the Pink String, and every kid needs shows like these to go to. Bands: Spoilage (Baltimore), Burning Axe (Baltimore), War Party, Filthchain

Thursday, February 14: Terminal Caught a BART train out to the remote Terminal, thinking about how long it's been since I've been to THAT spot, or even to Fruitvale BART for that matter. Damn! I caught Vassafor somewhere in the middle of their set as I walked in, it's foreign weird death metal band, but I guess some of my friends from Seattle are filling in on instruments and driving them around. Cool! Then Knelt Rote was up. I remembered seeing them years back, maybe once in Portland when I was in Stormcrow, maybe once in Oakland too, and thinking this band is NOT following the standard grind band career trajectory: Demo, Seven Inch, acrimonious breakup, much talked about but never sees the light of day unreleased LP. No! Knelt Rote for some reason has decided to stay together for years and release a few albums, each one weirder than the next! I was impressed! I had no idea! This band was not just great, but so much BETTER too.

Show Review: Ruleta Rusa: 12/17/11

Finally dragged by myself out of the relative warmth of my apartment and went down to the warehouse where this Anhedonist gig was happening. This was really weird because I hadn't been to this warehouse in like, ten years, and it was still occupied by most of the same people. It was fixed up a lot, but still recognizable. I spent a lot of time there back in 2002-ish because the singer of my original Oakland band (you're lucky if you don't know who that is) lived there and we therefore rehearsed there.

I showed up as Crucifixion were playing and caught most of their set. The fact that they sound like a cohesive original band to me (and not a Sepultura cover band) probably has more to do with my pedestrian knowledge level of early Sepultura than anything else. I was hanging out, drinking a 40oz (just like in the old days!) and eventually Ritual Necromancy started playing. I stayed for about half the set, then began to get restless and bailed out. I had seen them the night before, and I had already seen Anhedonist, the headliner, three times in the past two weeks.

Rolled into the Swamp a few minutes later with my remaining warm beer, just in time to see Ruleta Rusa, the final band, they were pretty good, even though I could tell they were wasted. I tried to hang for a little bit afterward, and I was gonna go to a party, but a weed brownie that I ate back at the metal show was starting to kick in, and boy was it a motherfucker! I had to go home and spend the rest of the night lying awake in bed, listening to classic metal records because I was almost too stoned to move. My mind ran rampant with thoughts of a Budgie cover band to be called Homocidal Suicidal.

Show Review: Mauser: 12/10/11

As far as I can remember, which I won't say is much, this was pretty much the perfect Oakland punk house show. All the bands were good(whatever that means), played short sets, there was a decent amount of moshing, and lots of friends were around to hang out and catch up with. And I was pretty wasted, or course.

I was really trying to catch Migraine, and I got there in time, but I ended having a twenty minute conversation with somebody out front, so I didn't get to watch. I heard them from through the cellar door, though. That's the opening band sound filter. Through the door while you're hanging outside. But Migraine is seriously awesome.

Next up was Merdoso, now featuring my old temporary band mate Brian (from Stormcrow) on vocals. They played about three songs, and it seems like maybe Brian hadn't written enough words for all of the songs yet. Or he's lazy and likes to take long pauses in between lyrical phrases.

After this I went over to Blue Bird liquors and and some girl told about how a dude broke into their house by climbing through the bathroom window! A small ass bathroom window! Damn. I'm gonna nail my windows shut.

Got back with plenty of time to catch Cardboard Funeral, a band I'd been wanting to see for a while, since it's most members of California Love, supposedly doing a Hellhammer worshiping project. Their style was indeed not far off from the aforementioned Swiss demon rippers, rudimentary but incessant drum fills galore too.

I had seen Mauser once before, in rather stranger conditions. Genesis Climber actually played with them in Richmond, VA! Remember that? I told Mauser that I didn't know any kind of bands came from Gainesville except train hopping folk pop "punk" losers who go on tour by hopping trains and have dogs with them that have bandannas tied around their necks. They assured me that they were, indeed, from Gainesville. But I still don't believe it. Raw noisy d-beat punk attitude, and some flavorful guitar leads too, setting them apart from and perhaps one step above the rest of this filth charged wolf pack.

The Swamp is a great punk house semi-basement, with a small front yard for some quick hanging out front, and a much bigger back yard for extended kickin' it (by the fire on cold nights). I think I had more fun just being at this show than I did watching the bands, and sometimes that's OK. Fuck it.

Agrimonia: 8/7/10

Dear Mom and Dad,

I think you will be pleased to hear that the other night, an epic crust band from Sweden (yes that's right all the way from fucking Sweden) was playing a basement show less than mile from my house. Ha ha, no I didn't hit the liquor store and grab a frosty 40 ounce of Ol' E, or King Cobra to get my drank on, not even a bag of Fritos to "soak some of it up." I didn't run out the door and make it to the show at the beginning so I'd have plenty of time to catch up with my friends and see all of the bands.

Oh no.

You see, I was pretty busy preparing a homemade pizza with not only sliced (by hand!) black olives, but sliced (also by hand!) green jalapeno stuffed olives! As well as fresh tomatoes, freshly chopped raw garlic, and and a savory four cheese blend. Mmmmm... Into the oven!

I could have chowed down on a slice or two, straight outta the oven and piping hot, then hit the streets and still caught most of the bands on the show, but you see, there was a nice bottle of Shiraz which needed drinking (and finishing) and some things just take a little extra time to enjoy! Ah, life.

I could have dashed out the door, moments after the last drop of red juice splashed past my lips, hauled ass down the road and seen the full Agrimonia set. The night was yet young, and at this point I was delightfully flush in the cheeks and ready for a fine social experience!

But oh, no.

You see, there was a re-run of Seinfeld still on, about ten minutes left, and oh shit, it's the one where George has to buy that painting from Jerry's girlfriend for some reason? And then she paints a portrait of Kramer and it sells to a rich art collector? Oh god, it's so awk-weird and hilarious! You remember that one right? Wheewww... LOL!
Well, OK, so about this time I decided I should drag my ass out the door to the awesome punk show. And I got there just in time to completely miss Agrimonia.

And listen from the back yard like an asshole as Abrupt closed out the night.

So Mom and Dad, like I was saying, I have now officially failed at punk, and I will have to find something better to do with my life. Hope you're happy,

Love,

Clint