A Trip to Austin || Shenanigans || August 2013

It had always been on the list. Through the years I had heard many a good thing about the city of Austin.  Texas has never attracted me.  But their capital city has.  Solely due to the fact that so many friends who love music have told me about their adventures to Austin.  Mine was about to happen.

A good friend (who happens to be a die hard music fan) is getting married.  When asked where he would want to have his bachelor party there were only two choices; Nashville & Austin.  He chose Austin.  Fifteen middle-aged men piled into a flop house right on 6th and Brushy for a long weekend of booze, music and good times.  I felt like I had shed twenty years of life.

Rolling into town on a Thursday afternoon we got situated and staked out a game plan for the night.  One crew went boozing.  I was really torn, not because I wanted to go boozing, I was already boozed up enough.  A " new favorite" band was playing at the Parish on 6th.  I had seen Diarrhea Planet earlier this year back home in San Jose when the opened for Jeff the Brotherhood.  Both great bands.  But something drew me closer to DP.  Maybe it was the way they crammed so many goddamn guitars on the stage with out it sounding lame. Either way, I attempted to talk some guys into going to the Parish with me.  The another contingent, led by Adam spoke up about having a friend playing over at the Broken Spoke.  Some old Honky Tonk on the edge of town.  I knew DP would be back and I was up for something new.  I decided to head with those guys for some country music, Texas style.

I was not disappointed one bit.  The bar was an outstanding piece of history where good times are still flowing readily.  A true place for couples to intermingle and dance the night away to a real live band.  Maybe it is me, but that shit just isn't happening like it used to.  It was a thing of true beauty to see.  Not mention the band, Jesse Dayton.  This guy has a regular standing Thursday night gig at the Broken Spoke.  Seeing them perform I knew why.  They were a tight band that I would've of loved to have seen more of.  The next morning in the local ad-rag I read an article about the development surrounding the place and its life is being threatened for stucco-bomb condos and strip mall shit.  Let's hope it never happens because it is really damn hard to replicate 50 years of history. Enjoy it while you still can.

Friday night bOoze fest on dirty 6th.  Lots of bull riding and dj's.  Let's move on to Saturday.

Saturday morning started out at the Hula Hut, but quickly made its way to a South Congress joint called Guero's.  Outside in the 100 degree heat we sat under misters, drinking many 'o Tecate listening to some sizzling blue by seasoned pros.  These guys did not miss a beat.  The old adage rings true, to play anywhere in Austin on a weekend, you've gotta be good.  Paul Orta and The Kingpins ripped through some blues standards as well as some unfamiliar tunes.

A portion of the crew peeled off to participate in some true bachelor party activities, while three of us meandered under the hot sun until we found another bar. The Continental Club is an old supper club with a wonderful history.  They don't serve supper anymore, just booze and live music practically every day of the week.  Cornell Hurd was up on stage with his big band doing his thing that he has done for 40 plus years.  We sat in the back and dranks some beers soaking up the atmosphere.  With a mid-day buzz rolling we curbed our hunger and headed back to the crash pad for some rest.

That night a crew wanted to go back down to 6th street for some hard partying.  I had different plans.  I saw that this band, The Hex Dispensers, were playing that night less than a half a block from where I was staying.  Checking them out online I realized that it was my calling to go see this band perform.  How well I know myself.

When I showed up, the second band was setting up.  Crooked Bangs set their minimal gear up and then set the stage on fire.  Watch out for this band.  Damn, I would see them again in a heartbeat.  Snappy drummer, heavy bass and noisy guitar...what more could I ask for?  They sounded like a cross between early Kings of Leon and the Melvins. All but better.  A young band.  Once the bass player gets an Ampex SVT with an 8x10 cab and the guitarist get a vintage Marshall or fender and keeps rocking that jazzmaster the tones will only sweeten up!

I was satisfied.  Then the Hex Dispenser came out.  Hotter than hot.  They sounded awesome with no bass and intertwining vocals.  I didn't realize it with my preview but they were very reminiscent of my own band with two guitars, no bass and a woman drummer with screaming backing vocals.  See for yourself.


What a way to end a trip to Austin.  I hope that any and all bands come to the West Coast.  I will be there!








 Videos of The Hex Dispensers, Crooked Bangs and the ever gracious Jesse Dayton:

The Graves Brothers Deluxe || San Malo || Reviewing Vinyl

The men who form The Graves Brothers Deluxe are living proof that the longer you play as well as study the artform of music, the better you get at it.  What we will be taking a look at today is their new LP out on Too Long to Chew Music.  On a recent Blogcast I caught the frontman, Stoo Odom, spinning the Tales of how the album came about.  It is a story based on an island in swampland East of New Orleans where the oldest living inhabitants from the far east escaped the oppressive Spanish who enslaved them.  Traveling across the atlantic in 1740 they lived for 150 years in peace as well as relative obscurity until a hurricane wiped their tribe completely off the map.  No Survivors.  Fast forward 400 years and Katrina did the same for a lot of residents of the City of New Orleans.  When prompted, frontman Stoo shared that the more recent event had a catastrophic effect on his loved ones and he felt a kinship with the story of San Malo.  Parallel lines.  Events never change, just faces and and numerics.  Besides the tales they spin, this album comes in custom orange vinyl decorated with pink and red dots, just like someone threw paint  on a wall.  A real beauty.  Not sure who or what is behind the album artwork, but you guys get an A+ for originality.

 Side One:
1.SanMalo National Anthem- Heavy Duty.  Let's you know where this album is about to go to.  2.I'm Fine-Chorus is arrogant and awesome.  3.Splinters- Vocal performance is one of the best on the album.  Drumming out of this jazzy world.  4.Five Foot Category Five- Primus meets Tom Waits (did I just say that?) The least favorite thing on this side is that little RHCP break.  It's not that I don't like the break, its just everything else is off the hook with originality up to this point on the album.  5.Vulture Sing- The Guitar work on this tune is spectacular, and I don't even want to about the tones these guys are getting down. Nice stuff!

Side Two:
1.My Heart Burned Down Today- This second side starts off with a sick and twisted love song.....just waiting for that coming train.  It teases you just enough with a sick groove that really comes to life on the second verse.  Then dumps you.  2.Papio Paio (The Swamp Ape Again)- We are back into religion.  Is it the religion of fast paced chase scenes a la McQueen in bullet?  I think so.  It builds drama and pace and I might add, is awesome to see live and in person.  3.La Balada De San Malo- Another brilliant number. Short pulsating buzzsaws sung in a foreign language.  God dammit!  That guitar is so short & repetitive...all the while being too good.  The buzz is created through the bass (which is the buzziest instrument in the band).  It adds just enough of a pause to build tension and it's littered through out this gem.  I wish I could cover this one.  4.Noisy Kind of Nothing- Noiso tales of life on the island of San Malo.  5.Fifty Years Later on the Bayou Skimmer -There is a goat on the album.  I keep listening to this song to try to understand the significance of it on the album, to see if there is something I am missing.  To the artist it must mean something, however I follow the live rule...would I want to see it performed live and in person. Probably not.  Everything else on the album I would and I have.  And hopefully I will see it again real soon.

Thumbs Up!

Here is a little live Graves Brothers Deluxe for ya...

Archers of Loaf || Return of Original Music || GAMH 9-2-11

I thought that I would never be able to say that I had been to an Archers of Loaf show.  Why?  Because the most original rock band of the last 20 years (before this year) had not played a live show in over 13 years.  I thought it was hopeless.  Sometime back in April of this year I received a text from the east coast gentlemen who introduced me to their sound.  Blue Lang wrote, "Archers of Loaf, September 2nd.  Date Night.  Get a babysitter."  I was pretty stoked to get this message.

They were the biggest influence on my old band, The Booty Chesterfield Trio.  Blue and I started jamming in the spring of 2006.  As a lot of jams go, you start to bring in your influences.  One of the first bands that Blue turned me on to (and that I took and instant liking to) were these guys.  I got what he wanted out of the music and tried to transcribe that thought process into original tunes.  Hence, the reason for being so influential.  More importantly; they rocked.  And all I wanted to do is rock too.  They are smart punk rock.  Their songs are a mixture of built up drama entangled with overwhelmingly powerful hooks.  They have a lot of "eek and awnk" chord structures in alternate tunings that you don't hear every day.


I had heard several live recordings of them but nothing to prepare me for the show.  Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, Blue did not make the show.  He was back home in Florida.  As the day of the show approached, like so many other things in life when you age, I was tired and just wanted to have a weekend to relax.  Driving up to the City on a Friday night didn't sound too appetizing.  But we rallied and made the most of it.

The opening band sucked.  I cannot even remember their name.  And for the most part I thought the evening was going to suck because the dinner service at the Great American Music Hall.  I had always wanted to sit in the "good seats" that got you dinner and a show, but my cheap ass could never pony up to it.  I need never do it again.  My advice, just get the regular tickets.  While the GAMH is one of the best venues to see a small and intimate show in San Francisco, it is not known for the food or the service.  And the following statement shall serve as an exclamation point.  We had the A grade tickets that night; they gave us the C grade waitress.  A terrible management issue by whoever was in charge that night.  I believe that she was probably new to the job, probably took a hit out of the bong before showing up to work and was completely off.  When it took her 15 minutes to get us a drink from a non-packed upstairs bar (about 30 feet from us) that we were in for it.  Then I noticed the only other group there for dinner had completely finished their meal. I walked up to an usher to inquire (our waitress was no where in site).  Turns out that she completely forgot to place our order and we finally ate overly salted and peppered cafeteria food about hour and a half after our arrival sitting in the dark through a shitty band.  That is the mood that was set.  I was ready to go home.  My buddy took it upon himself to make sure at least we had cocktails on the house floating into our veins to cool our heated jets.  Go for the music; don't go for the food.  And never use a cocktail waitress there.  Very unreliable for such a small intimate venue.

Now for some action.  The Archers came out and completely blew the doors off the non capacity crowd.  They played it perfectly, rolling through all the songs that one who was half a fan would want to hear.  Even more important; it felt real.  It felt like they meant it.  They were not here for the money and to sell more Archers CDs, they were here to put on a kick ass live rock and roll show.



A couple of highlights from the show; staring down from the balcony into the crowd with the Archers in full blast off mode I witnessed  this swirling pool of middle-aged balding white dudes, many with glasses and plaid shirts, attempting to re-start up that pit again, just like they did back in 1993.  But this time with a lot less force.  It was cute (for lack of a better term).  I saw myself in there at one point in time too.  Another highlight was when the Archer's entered into the classic "Low" I heard, check that, we all heard someone shout out "Fuck Yeah!  I have been waiting 15 years to hear this song!!!"  I think that is how many people felt that night.  See, Archers were always an East Coast band.  They never had much of an impact on the west coast as let's say, Pavement or someone else from that era.  Probably because they didn't tour a lot on the west coast.  Maybe two or three times.

So why write about this?  I'd like to encourage musicians to understand the real impact that bands make on people.  The music never dies.  It just keeps on growing.  Now, to see it live...that is a whole different story.  After Friday night I feel like I was one of the fortunate ones....

Archers Of Loaf "Audiowhore" from christopher Bettig on Vimeo.

Victor || The Film Dude in San Jose || circa 2007

Inspiration is the reason we breath.  So when one writes a song they can only look as far as the air that they are breathing.  The small, subtle music scene in downtown San Jose back 2007 was part of my muse.  There was one character that always stood out; a guy named Victor.  You could spot him pretty clearly, a man of short stature with no hair on top, glasses and mustache.  He did not try to fit in because he couldn't.  I love Victor for that.  Most important, there was a freshness toward music that he took in.  It was very inspiring.


I met Victor at the Caravan one night back in 2007 and I got as much of his story that he would divulge to a complete stranger on some random night.  He was videotaping some band (usually with a women in it) and I started talking to him.  He told me that he just does it for kicks.  Bands don't pay him.  He doesn't really promote it.  Had barely even heard of Youtube back then and just loved to tape the performances of bands he liked.  I asked him if he'd seen our band and he replied yeah, "I saw you guys at Johnny V's back in January.  There was supposed to be some surf band from Spain you were opening up for but they didn't show.  I thought you guys really rocked.  I was bummed my battery ran out on the first band."  I told him when we were playing next and he showed and caught on tape some classic original "The Booty Cheterfield Trio" footage with Pickle on bass and Blue on drums.  One of our best performances at the time with full comedic routine and one, Joe Izzo, out in the crowd giving away T-Shirts.  Here are some highlights I decide to put up on Youtube:

This one is some recently uploaded old footage that Film Dude recorded for us back in 2008.  Recollecting back, it was a really fun night with a pretty full bar.


This is a portion of the song we wrote for Film Dude Victor.  We wanted to right a straightforward punk rock song that typified his attitude toward live rock and roll.  You can find a version of it on our first album, Sellin' Cookies.


And this last one is my favorite.  At about 10 seconds into the clip, the video pans around and you can see Film Dude Victor sporting a Booty Chesterfield T-shirt and dancing like nobodies business to the tunes.  What else can I say?  Like is about having fun....and FDV is doing just that!

U2 || Even Better than an Ankle Sprang || Oakland June 7, 2011

I had seen this thing coming down the pipeline before.  For me the last experience like this was the night I got backstage all, access passes to see The Rolling Stones "Bridges to Babylon Tour" in 1997.  So I knew what to expect.  The likeness of a gifted gem of one more childhood Christmas Eve or a highly anticipated trip to Disneyland as a young lad.  I was prepped and ready for it.

See a good friend has a certain family member that happens to be a founder of Elevation Partners, the famous "dream team" of venture capital firms that happens to include Bono.  So I knew that U2 was coming and that they would probably have pretty good seats.  I planted the seed, "Ya know, sometimes people fall off the bus at the very last moment.  If anyone cannot make the show at the last minute I want to let you know that I am available."  At 9:30pm the night before I got the call.  "We have an extra ticket."  Bingo.  I am in!

I shifted my day to an early office close and headed up to the pre-party in Atherton.  Cold beer and good food all within the backdrop of a beautiful private estate.  Unfortunately Bono couldn't make it, I think he was donating his time at the local children's hospital before the show (not really).  Either way we prepped up for the big night with food and booze then climbed aboard the luxury liner bus and made the 3 hour jaunt over to Oakland.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  It took 3 hours to go 40 miles.  There was a massive traffic jam trying to get to the coliseum and we never even made the bus ride into the coliseum parking lot.  We got out and hoofed it for about four blocks.  And we were the lucky ones getting in about 9:30pm just in time to see the lights go down.  We heard later that some people didn't even make it to their seats until about 11pm.

We got to our seats, which by all standard we definitely corporate.  They were close enough to be "really good seats", but for a true music fan they were nothing to write home about.  That was until I got a "red zone" pass slapped around my neck.  My friend and I proceeded to walk right on up to the stage.  This is what we saw....

Sunday Bloody Sunday


Vertigo


Bono Serenading the Crowd


All and all a great show.  They kicked off with "Even Better Than the Real Thing", which was my personal motto pre-show because, I felt like I was a little kid on his way to Disneyland.  It was like I was dreaming the whole time, this unexpected fortunate experience that was bestowed upon me.  The stand out numbers were "I Will Follow", Bowie's "Space Oddity" going into "Pride".  I personally enjoy "Vertigo" as well as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and I was happy that the video came out so well.

If you think about it U2 is amazing.  Not only are they still the same four guys rocking in a rock band the way we all wish we could, they have been doing it for 30 years.  Any fan who has a love for live rock 'n' roll  can attest to U2's incredible staying power to continuously put on a great show with just four members (along with a hidden keyboardist under the stage, they have been doing that for years).  I referred to the Rolling Stones show that I saw back in 1997 and "yes" it was a great show.  And "yes" they are one of my favorite bands of all time, but still they came with full horn section, back up singers, percussion, keyboards and god only knows who else was on the stage.  So to see a stripped down 4 piece rock a crowd of  69,000 people was a sight to be seen.  And then there was the light show......hats off, men.

What Happens to Pickle's First Love? || '82 CAR Fender Stratocaster '62 reissue || Old Guitars

I love old guitars. New guitars have no soul...yet. But old guitars tell stories. They tell tales of old smoke-filled dive bars with remnants of beer splattering encased in between rusty screws and beat up pick ups. They have performed. And that is the reason why we love instruments so much; it is in their performance. So give me the most beat up ugly guitar and that is a guitar that has been truly loved by an owner. It is the 30 year old guitars in pristine condition that scare me. If that guitar sat around and wasn't played, that's telling me something. That is the story of a guitar that never found the right tone for someone.

This brings me to Sweet Pickle's (aka Mr. Laflen to some, key axe wielder in Them Slack Jawed Sons of Bitches as well as life-long member of The Ex-Old Ladies) 1982 Candy Apple Red AVRI '62 Stratocaster. No one sees this guitar much lately, but I am lucky enough to currently have it on loan and in my possession. For that reason I decided to snap some pictures of this beauty and tell it's tale via Sweet P.

This guitar, 1982 Candy apple red Fullerton reissue strat, was my main axe with my old bands in the 90's, The Lowdown(funk-rock) , Big Joe(alt-country), the Money Shot and SpaceFish(hippy Jam band). I have some great pics somewhere.

So I purchased this guitar somewhere in the mid-90's. A time I refer to when I was in Tucson as 'the lost weekend'.

I had a fullerton black maple necked reissue stolen from my house in the Sam Hughes district near the University of AZ. I loved that guitar and I was crushed to come home and find it missing. My band practiced in the house so it was easy for the wolves to figure out there was an electric guitar to be had. I came home to find the input jack of the guitar still attached to the cord meaning they grabbed my guitar and literally ran out the back door with it. The only thing left was the jack of the guitar as a memory of my own blackie. No insurance. So... I looked in our weekly paper and in the newspaper and found a Red reissue strat for sale for 550 bucks. The guy was freshly married and clearly on a new path. He pulled the perfect condition strat literally from under the bed where it was stored. I played it and new it'd be the one. I think I ended up paying 500 but can't recall. We were both happy with the deal. I still do not recall how I got the money for this guitar back then as I was as poor as everyone else with pickup jobs and par-time work while I was going to school.

I primarily used this guitar with a 4-10 bassman, vintage rat pedal, cs-9 chorus and Boss DD-2 delay. It served me well and the neck pickup is amazing.

That is the story on this beauty, now let's look at some pictures of this true relic.  And next time, you see him on stage make sure to ask Pickle where the hell is the red strat!

Best Coast & Wavves show last night at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, CA

This old man made it out to the new young sound movement known as California Noise Pop last night at the Regency Ballroom. I have been to many shows in SF but this was the first one at the Regency. I do have to say that the it is a nice place to see a show. Good sound and intimate enough to feel like you are seeing something meaningful, if the music is good enough.

First off, the late 80s/early 90s are back with a vengeance. Tights with shorts were the standard uniform for the women while the guys stuck to mustaches, top siders and tight pants. All adorned with non-colorful heavy lined tattoos. Also, women wearing my Mom's old big eyeglasses and shoulderpads got an extra two points of coolness. This looks like its the uniforms of the kids today. I guess if you have never worn it, might as well give it a go (and look back and laugh at yourself years later). Now to the music....

Wavves. Okay these guys have been getting a lot of buzz. I do have to say they played a tight set, with several mediocre finishes. I found the set to be entertaining. They can be described, in my opinion, in one simple phrase: Nirvana with Reverb with the Violent Femmes lead singer drumming up the banter. Now that's original, right? I would say over half the set sounded like they were playing the same stooges song. However there were a few standout numbers and they started with "this is a new one". If they can bear the strains of being in a band and being famous, as they mature they should be able to turn out some good music in the future. I'll keep a watch...

Best Coast. I cannot say much, besides they totally skyrocketed past all my expectations. The vocals pumping out of the P/A were astonishing. I have given their latest release many a spin, but I wasn't fully sold on the band until seeing them live. Bob Bruno; I bow to you. That Danelectro baritone guitar you ripped was outstanding. The tones coming out were true originals. I feel that the album is soaked in reverb, Bob's Bass is soaked in reverb, but the lead vox shines through and punched the audience in the face with love. They blew doors on Wavves. I eagerly wait to see them again as well as see what they can pull off in the studio as they mature.

Enjoy!