Show Journal 2006-04-15
Tonight marked two Seattle shows in a year which is definitely a record for us. Our old once every two years strategy had a few flaws. The drive up was pretty hairy. There was lots of wind and raid. We saw a flipped car, a car backwards in the median and later a cop car wrapped around a tree. Craziest moment was right outside of Seattle at Boeing Field when a SUV driving in the left lane for seemingly no reason drove a wheel up onto the dividing wall, crashed down, spun half way around and drifted to the middle lane. Thank god for right hand driving or we would be an oil slick on the pavement right now. I think that was closest I’ve ever come to being in a highway speed accident. On the home we also saw a car that had driven down an on ramp the wrong way into traffic and got worked. The other strange thing about the drive? There were lots of rainbows. Seriously, it’s sounds odd but I’ve never seen so many in my life. We arrived with incident (or a pot of gold) loaded in and watching the show. Good to see Plankton Beat again and CLR sounded pretty good as well. Normally I’d offer my usual “I wish I had started that young speech” but you’ve heard it before. I was looking forward to seeing the Dead Vampires and truly were impossible to describe. All sported bunny costumes on top of their ‘regular’ costumes which consisted of a skeleton, a vampire, a devil and someone who apparently normally dresses as an evil rabbit. The music was sort of like The Cramps but sort of not. It was nice to see something new for a change. The only weird thing was when the bass player arrived after 30 minutes with only two songs to go. If you are that dude wouldn’t you just cut your losses and stay home? My god, if one of us did that they would never hear the end of it. Anyway, we were up 4th and did alright. The crowd response seemed to make a gentle downward slope the whole night though but we played on. I think I saw Justin jump again which must have felt nice after being immobilized for so many weeks. The Independents were last and did great as usual. It was cool getting to play three shows in a row with one of the nicest bands we’ve ever met and we wish them the best of luck on their tour (3 months total!). After the show we headed up for Dick’s where I came dangerously close to having a breakdown after being forced to make 5 u-turns in Seattle’s city center trying to find the hamburger mecca. Dustin also showed us his “no hands” urination style. Thanks to Greg and Local Chaos for setting up the show, Zac and Monica, Kelvis, Chris, MC Michalor for making the long and treacherous trip and of course The Independents for reminding us why we enjoy doing this.
Show Journal 2006-04-14
Longview. Finally. After two cancellations it was nice to be back. Hard to believe it had been 9 months. The show tonight was a blast. Reid’s was eerily clean. It smelled like some sort of cleaning product which is good since it usually smells like a combination of urine and stale cigarette smoke. The bathroom odor is fiiting since the sound is descrbed to be that of a flushing toilet. The first band (who’s name I totally didn’t catch) sounded good. Everyone seemed into them and that’s always good way to start the show. We were up second and all I can say is that it was nice to be back in the LV again. Thank you so much to everyone who enjoyed themselves. You totally made our nights. The Independents were great again and were equally thankful for the enthusiastic response. Quote of the night was from Dave in the van. We were reminiscing about the first time we met The Independents when Dave remarked that Evil looked like a barbarian because “he had long flowing hair, a crazy beard and was covered in furs.” Thanks to all who attended and super thanks to TJ for all the years of hard work at booking shows. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a show in Longview should take a second to thank TJ and Suckerpunch Records. It is a totally thankless job, so on behalf of us, thank you for everything TJ.
Show Journal 2006-04-13
Although this was the smallest show I’ve ever seen at the Ash Street, strangely it was one of the most fun. Off With Their Heads (from Minnesota) was up first and even though they weren’t too pleased with their set I thought they rocked. Justin agreed. Very Dillinger 4 influenced and that’s a good thing. I also loved the Mediks. Tight, catchy, quirky and fast. I would definitely like to see them again sometime. They are going on a tour w/ Broadway Calls so look for them. Our set was uneventful. We played a few older ones but if no one is there is to hear the songs then does it really matter? Truth be told it was fun and I’m glad to see Justin is finally a little more mobile on stage. Still no jumping but we no longer have the risk of him toppling over in mid song. The Independents were up last and thankfully a few more people came out of the woodwork for their set. You could tell every band was bummed about the turnout but they didn’t show it and just killed it. I think that’s what separates the men from the boys, being able to throw down for a handful of people. Sadly we are still boys in that regard. There was a little drama during their set which made it unusually lively. At some point some random jerk started mouthing off to Evil P which is not a good idea since Evil is very big man. There were also some issues with the insanely intoxicated bass player from OWTH who in his drunken stupor decided to pick on Dave and wound up with his head pressed against the floor. As if touching bare skin to the disease and filth ridden floor of the Ash Street wasn’t humiliating enough he got up and tried messing with Dave again only to find himself carried out of the club by his throat and thrown to the curb. Seriously, of everyone there why would you choose Dave to pick on? You could probably get away with that shit on me, but why the big guy with the shaved head? The other guys in the band were totally apologetic and we all got a good laugh out of it afterwards. Thanks for Heather for all the hard work setting up the show!
Show Journal 2006-04-06
Well, that was a quick one. We loaded in at 7:30, had watched 3 bands, played a set, went out for dinner at the Montage after the show and were home by 11:45. I think whoever set up the show put the bands in the wrong order. Everyone was there to see Broadway Calls and we were pretty much filler at the end. Broadway Calls did totally rock though. Josh and Ty can play pretty much any style of music well. Who knew Ty could sing so well? Damn. Matt was a good front man as well and Robby seems to be a promising addition. I’m glad there is so much buzz currently surrounding their band because they totally delivered live and are some of the most deserving folks we’ve ever run across. Daggermouth was pretty cool. Very fast and very energetic. I’d like to see them again with more crowd participation but that’s the Loveland on a weeknight for you. No Secrets Between Sailors cancelled which stunk because I wanted to see them. Thirty3 was up next. By this point so many people had left (which wasn’t very many to begin with) they invited everyone to come up on stage which was cool since it felt small and intimate which is nearly impossible in a room that big. They also covered ‘Linoleum’ by NOFX in what has to have been a tribute to the stage. They sounded great and my ears are still hurting from Chris’s mind numbingly loud guitar. We were last and by this point even more people had left. We also had everyone come on the stage but even that looked empty. Maybe 20-25 people on stage tops? Hell, even half the other bands didn’t bother coming up on stage. There were a few people that seemed to be having a good time (including us) so I guess that’s all that matters. It probably would have been a little more energetic had Justin been out of his cast but that thing just isn’t healing quickly. Anyway, thanks to King Banana and people who stuck around late. The dudes in Broadway Calls and Tre Tre should already know they are some of our favorite people in the whole world.
Show Journal 2006-04-01
Can’t believe we’ve never played in Olympia before. We’ve driven past or through it probably 100 times, but never had a show there. Too bad, since from what I can tell they have a pretty good thing going on there. The people were nice and the show was pretty fun. Starting Over started off the night well with some good songs and a Face To Face cover. Jaded 52 was up second and sounded pretty good as well. They upped the ante a bit but performing not one but two Face To Face covers. Unfortunately they covered the only two songs I know how to play on guitar so we had to rule out one of our own. Go Get The Scissors was third and sounded pretty solid too. Wish I could play that well at their age. Hell, I wish I could play that well now. No Face To Face cover but that’s ok. Go Get The Scissors are also the ones responsible for setting up the show so we’d like to thank them for that now. Our set was interesting. No one really left, but at the same time no one really looked interested either. I don’t think they knew what to think of us. It was fun to play again (after cancelling all those shows) and we actually saw a few people singing along so I’d say the night was a success. I do wish Justin had been fully mobile (he’s still in a boot for his ankle) so they could have gotten the “full experience” but maybe next time. Thanks again to the Manium folks and especially to GGTS. Next time we’ll hope to catch a pirate fight.
Show Journal 2006-03-15
This show was a little off right from the get go. With only two weeks promotion there was maybe 75 people there tops. This was shocking since the last few times I’ve seen DBS it was as close to chaos as you can get at a show. 75 people is probably being generous and there were far, far less than that for all of the opening bands. Maybe 30 at it’s peak? Normally I’d try to find something nice to say about each band but since we could see some members mocking us from the side room I’ve opted to say fuck it. I had a scathing monologue about substance vs. fashion outlined in my head but I have neither the time nor inclination to commit it to the computer screen. Don’t be fooled though, our set definitely wasn’t anything to write home about either. We played alright but does it matter if no one looks interested? Justin’s gimpiness didn’t help the lack of enthusiasm on stage or off. On a positive note Death By Stereo rocked it hard tonight. You can always spot the great bands because they can rock any size crowd and leave you feeling good no matter how dire the turnout may seem. I figured they would see the crowd size, play quick and bail, but they took their time, didn’t hold back anything and got everyone excited. Serious props to DBS for rocking and especially for the AWK cover. Thanks to the few that watched the earlier bands and Wishbone for the show.
Show Journal 2006-03-11
The word for tonight was snow. Lots of it. On the way over the mountain we kept getting ominous messages from Thirty3 about icy roads and snowy lanes. Then the clincher came when they came across a fresh accident near Warm Spings. A car in the road was totaled and another had flown over the guardrail and down a several hundred foot tall cliff. They got out their “van”, looked over the rail, saw some smoke and the car at the bottom of the cliff actually exploded. Serious. They ended up getting re-routed on some back roads. When we got to the scene almost an hour later it was still a flurry of activity. (In fact they were still pulling the wreckage out on our way home almost 6 hours later!) We ended up getting to Madras in about 3 hours (usually takes 2) but unfortunately we missed Zombie Co-Pilot. The Kronkmen were up second and started to get people moving. It had been a long time since I had seen Thirty3 and I had forgotten what I had been missing. Lots of new songs tonight and they even debuted one from their new album that Dave has a cameo on. It’s fun watching Dave seem hardcore because he always reverts to finger pointing. Don’t all hardcore singers though? Anyway, even without vocals Tre Tre killed it. We had to follow that and I think we did ok. Started off a little slow but by the half way point people started going nuts. Of course the party always starts when Larry And His Flask arrives because they know how to throw down. The set was good, the people up front were awesome and we had a blast. Knowing we had a long snowy drive ahead of us we loaded out down the icy stairs and headed over to a gas station where Jon proceeded to practice his dry docking skills. We got in formation and headed up the pass. Seems it had been snowing because there was a hell of a lot more snow on the way back up. It was even hard to see a few times with the regular head lights on. It didn’t help that Dave kept wanting to try out his camera (with flash) in the sketchy conditions. In was snowing and icy all the way to Sandy which is probably the most I’ve ever seen living here. Thanks to everyone who attended the show with extra thanks to PJ, Kaylin, Stephanie and all those who helped put on, setup and clean up the show!
Show Journal 2006-03-10
This was the first of what will be many shows with Justin on crutches and rocking an orthopedic boot. How was it? Weird. Not good, not bad, just weird. After playing so many shows with Justin jumping, running, kicking and often falling it’s strange to see him practically motionless. Oddly enough we played super tight since there was little activity. Could have done without the broken string and the failed intro to T-Minus, but overall the show was pretty cool. The only sucky parts was that Drive cancelled because the drummer had a root canal that day. It was nice to finally see Sledgeback perform. Also, the Altarboys seemed particularly wound up tonight which makes them extra entertaining to watch. Not necessarily their tightest set, but the energy was there and that’s what makes them cool. Thanks to Heather and the Ash Street and al our friends who actually showed up.
Show Journal 2006-02-25
Before playing in a band I had never heard of a “grange hall”. I couldn’t describe what they looked like, what you would find inside or what strange goings on occur at them. It’s weird the things you become acquainted with being in an underground band. Anyway, this was our second trip to McMinnville. I’m surprised we made it because Dave decided to take a quick nap while helping Dustin navigate. Good thing Justin and I were paying attention or we’d still be in the van right now. Speaking of the van, it’s officially disgusting. Every time you open a door trash falls out. It’s as if someone unloaded a dumpster inside and the doors are bustling at the seams with cans, fast food packaging and crumpled up paper. I digress. To sum it up the show was just “i-ight”. Weird look and feel to the place. The stage was small and had strange lighting not becoming of a punk show. First Offense souded pretty good. I would compliment the other bands here but despite watching all their set I didn’t catch either of the other bands names. In a trend unique to McMinnille people lined the benches on either side of the room while a few people stood up and rocked out. It looked like a middle school dance, with girls on one side, boys on the other and everyone just waiting for someone to make a move. Fortunately that someone was Kill The Kids, who set up on the floor and tore it up as usual. Must be nice to play two nights in a row assholes! (Sorry, we’re still jaded after our ill fated trip to Bend last night!) Our set was pretty fun. It was hard to hear each other but some people knew the words so that was cool to see. Plus it’s impossible not to enjoy yourself with Kill The Kids in the front row. Thanks to the grange hall, those who helped make the show happen and all the new faces we met!
Show Journal 2006-02-24
I’ll begin by saying we were so stoked to play this show. Kill The Kids? The Confederats? Bend? All Ages? A house party? We had been chomping at the bit for weeks to play this show! Getting out of Portland absolutely sucked this evening. Dave and I got stuck at work late, so we ended up loading the van with two people which always sucks. Then it took about an hour to get to Justin’s and get out of the city limits. We were already an hour down when we hit Hwy 26. There was a huge accident that tied up all lanes of traffic outside of Sandy. When we got to the top of the mountain there was snow and ice which is always a treat. Question. If given the chance to kill someone and get away with it, who would it be? I had long pondered this question and after cresting the mountain I finally met him. It was a truck driver. I don’t know his name but he drive his 18 wheeler down the mountain ranging between 30 – 40 mph the whole way. I’m all for safety but the road was bone dry after 10 miles. There was a line of cars about 20 deep between us and the truck and many, many more behind us. This went on for an hour. Seriously. A full hour. People started losing their minds. People made multiple cars passes in the dark around corners. Other people wouldn’t let the passers back in because they wanted to pass too. It was insanity. I’ve never so many near accidents in my life. Every 2 or 3 minutes some asshole would finally try a ten car pass and have to slam on the brakes. At one point Dave got on our CB and started telling him “pull that big slow sun’bitch over”. If you know the drive down 97 you’ll appreciate this. You know the long straight away after coming out of Mt Hood Forest? We were at the far end of that (still behind the truck) and there were headlights lined up behind us the entire road. That’s literally almost a two mile backup. It was nuts. We finally got around him and started hauling ass to Bend. We were about two hours behind and were calling the promoter and other bands telling them to stall. Just outside the city limits we get a call from our friend PJ who informs us the cops arrived and the show it shut down. Fuck. We asked PJ to look for the promoter and tell him we’re coming to get gas money whether he likes it or not. I did not just sit in the van for 5 hours to lose money. We show up and everyone has bailed. We saw the venue (which looked killer) and heard from people that there were 200 kids stage diving and going nuts for Kill The Kids and that it totally ruled while it was going on. We met the promoter (Marty) and once we confirmed he wasn’t going to jail he hooked us up with some gas money. It always sucks not to get to play, but this was so close we could taste it (and in the venue even smell it). Despite my whining we are very thankful that no one got into too much trouble. There were a few underage drinkers that got tickets but that’s about it. That could have been real ugly for Marty and the house mates. The drive home was uneventful at best. In an ironic twist we actually got passed by an 18 wheeler going up the mountain. Anyway, it’s officially now been well over a year since we’ve played Bend. Before anyone says “you don’t play here enough” remember this one. It’s definitely not from a lack of trying!
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