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October 31, 2004

Demolisten Derby

Rules for Demolisten Derby
1. American built cds only!! Vinyl lps and 45s okay if approved in advance. No trucks, convertibles, jeeps, vans, suburbans, utility vehicles, or corvettes.
2. After the derby, all cds must be removed within two hours of completion.
3. Helmets will be inspected and must be approved. Full face is highly recommended. All drivers must wear long sleeve shirt and long pants. Gloves and firesuit are recommended.
4. If applicable, air bags must be disconnected and removed.
5. Exhaust will be allowed through the hood. Pipes will not exceed roof height. Headers allowed. No open manifold. Must have exhaust pipe exit under floor.
6. Painting: must be presentable. No profanity, nudity, etc. Offensive language/pictures will be disqualified.
7. Singers who do not make contact within 20 seconds of start will be disqualified. Scorers will time those who no not make contact. If you stall you have 20 seconds to get started. No exceptions. If you are disqualified you can not re-enter. Those found to be in violation forfeit all money. No exceptions.
8. No alcoholic beverages or illegal substances allowed in pit areas.
9. Entry and inspection start at 3:00pm.
10. Decisions of race officials are final.
NO PROTESTS ALL SCORING IS FINAL

Every so often, Miss Jen gives me a bunch of demo cds and makes me listen to them. This time, I waited until Kevin Stockdale and I were on a road trip up to KDVS for the UC Radio Network Conference and forced him to play the Demolisten Derby with me. All conversations are true. None of the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Wolfgang Bang - Thankfully, there were only three songs here, because Kevin threatened to "turn this car around" after the third song. We liked the guitar, but the whiney vocals were annoying a la Tony Cadena (of the Adolescents) but not in a good way. None of the songs were catchy. A total breakdown with no impact.

Sweatergirl - "Low Bridge Near the South Fork" - even though there are twelve songs here, it's a demo. Very Green Day-esque, if you like that sort of thing. Way better than the Wolfgang Bang cd. We thought it was fun, pop-punk but needed to be more riffy; there was really nothing here to grab on to. Still standing after the first round, even without a roll bar.

2 Ton Turtle - "I can't hear the vocals; turn it up." "It IS up - maybe the singer's shy?" "Doesn't the singer sound like Lene Lovich to you?" "Oh, it's a woman?" At this point, Kevin offered to throw the cd out the window, which I said was littering. "Well, if we throw it out the window, it's littering - but if we keep it in the car, it's poisoning." Disqualified for sucking gas so badly.

Girly Freak Show - "Hey, this band sounds like the Waitresses!" "Yeah, they wish." This band combined parts of the Divinyls, Bachelor Party (1984) and Doll Parts by Hole, then welded them together. Good if you like that sort of thing. Still standing after the first round, but knocked out of the arena by Sweatergirl.

Billy Talent - As Kevin says, "If you have to tell us you have talent in your band name, maybe you don't." They sound like Incubus.

Pistol for a Paycheck - "Into the Arms of the Mother of Hate" - I didn't like this band's guitar tone. Kevin liked their funky syncopation (he's a drummer), but I didn't, because it reminded me too much of a poor man's Primus, or maybe Liquid Jesus. As Kevin put it: "If I had to watch this band, I'd walk out."

Frogdog - "Boy, you can tell with a name like Frogdog that they're never going to make it out of the pay-to-play circuit."

Posted by DJWanda at 1:25 AM

October 30, 2004

Slim Cessna's Auto Club / Legendary Shack Shakers at the Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA - Thursday, October 28, 2004

Mighty is the powerful band that can make me leave my happy home and the creature comforts of my three cats and venture out into the cold. We're talking strong stuff indeed! But the double bill of Slim Cessna's Auto Club and Th' Legendary Shack Shakers was too powerful to resist. Equal parts tent revivalism and old time blues, these are two of my favorite bands on the circuit right now, and they made my trip to the cold dark capitol of the Northwest completely worthwhile.

We flew up to Seattle for no other reason than to see these two bands together, but decided to make a bit of a holiday out of it by staying for 24 whole hours - a record-breaking vacation for us. We splurged and stayed at Kimpton's Hotel Monaco Seattle - this is a beautiful hotel and I highly recommend it - the whimsical decor was warm and welcoming and lifted my spirits, considering that it was about 51 and raining the entire time we were there. The pet-friendly hotel ensures that you'll meet lots of critters in the hotel, and if you don't bring your own pet (we didn't), they give you a goldfish to keep you company (ours was named "Charito," or "little Charo" for all you gringos out there). The first day we rented a car but ditched it almost immediately for a walking tour of the Space Needle (the Space Needle Cam lets you see that it's foggy and raining all the time!), Experience Music Project, Sci Fi Museum, and Pike Place Market (via a cable car in the rain). After a quick nap and hot showers, we cruised by Doc Maynard's (where the Irish Brothers had played last weekend) in Pioneer Square, scarfed down some pizza, and drove over to Ballard, where the Tractor Tavern is located. My imperfect radar meant that we only got a little lost, despite Big Kev's directions, MapQuest, and a host of other directional aids. But we made it!

The Tractor Tavern is one of those legendary places where everyone has played. It's a cross between Alex's Bar and the Doll Hut with a vibe all it's own. Some people like to take a motorhome across America, visiting the sites; I like to visit famous bars.

Despite the rain outside, the club was warm inside (with coat check! one of my favorite things!) and despite the smoke (yes, you can smoke in Seattle clubs), we inched up close to the stage so I could get pictures for all you folks (I'm nothing if not dedicated).

Slim Cessna's Auto Club opened the night, although either band could have opened - they are equally matched for brilliance. The crowd seemed eager to see them, as it appears it's been four years since SCAC were in Seattle. Ripping through almost all the new songs on their cd, "The Blovdy Trvth Peace Tenent", Slim and Munly managed their special brand of gospel, yodel, country, preaching, and dancing (although only the spiritual kind, while possessed of the Holy Ghost).

Th' Legendary Shack Shakers were up next, with their usual brand of hoedown (or should I say "lodown"?) hillbilly hijinks and Southern Goth mayhem. Like Flannery O'Conner on crack, but in a good way. And the Colonel JD may be the only man I know that can - and does - wear lederhosen. Yes, folks it's a carnival for the senses, it's the sense of the carnival in all of us. You will want to give up all you own and join the band, or at least the street team, when you hear Th' Legendary Shack Shakers.

After the show, I bought all the merch they had (well, all the merch I didn't already have). Munly even convinced me to buy his two-cd set, Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots, which is by far the scariest cd I have ever owned. I will only listen to it during daylight, and the accompanying dvd of "images" is really intense. Faulkner meets Harper Lee meets Cormac McCarthy, if you know what I mean. And if you don't know what I mean, be glad. The cd is very good, really.

I don't know how to describe the music of these two bands - country Goth seems too simple - tent revival hillbilly seems to complex. And yet, there is something going on with these bands that is wonderful in its energy and dangerously interesting in its lyrical reliance on old-time religion. As a writer, I'm told I overanalyze everything, so I'll let the music speak for itself. If you're intrigued (and you should be), find the cds or go to the websites and take a listen. See if you think these bands are worth a trip to Seattle.

Posted by DJWanda at 11:57 PM

Split Lip Rayfield at the King King in Los Angeles - October 22, 2004

What’s the best gauge of how good a band is in concert? You might be surprised to learn that it’s the merch table. Seriously. If the band has just a couple of CDs and t-shirts for sale, it’s not necessarily an entire lost cause, but if they are selling everything from pencils to pot holders (and I’m talking about the ones you use in the kitchen to help you cook), you can usually count on an awesome show.

Such was the case with Split Lip Rayfield at the King King in Hollywood on Friday, October 22. A fantastic selection of creative souvenirs and Split Lip’s expected excellence made for a good time.

Idaho Falls must have been the first band on stage, but I can’t be sure, ‘cause I missed them. It’s now a dream of mine to see Idaho Falls in concert, because I’ve spent the last three years arriving at their shows after they’ve gone on stage. I really want to see this band!

I arrived in the middle of the Weeds’ set. I couldn’t understand most of the vocals, but the lead singer was very engaging and sported the best “socks ‘n’ sandals” set I’ve ever seen.

Up next was LA’s own Mike Stinson. I never really got into his albums until I saw him live a couple months ago at Spaceland. His CDs just don’t do him justice. If you’ve been passing up seeing Mike Stinson, stop. Go see him live. You won’t regret it.
At last, Split Lip Rayfield took the stage. They must have played for an hour and a half straight. These guys are beyond talented; their fingers seem to fly as they pluck their instruments (I believe the proper term to describe their music is “Thrashgrass”: really, really fast bluegrass). They don’t like to talk, they just wanna play. I think what I love most about Split Lip (other than the gas tank that serves as their bass: c’mon, how country is that??) is that they are a band, and not just a lead singer and “everybody else”. You really get the feeling that they’re very democratic, that there is no band member more important than anyone else. It’s very refreshing.

And to top it all off, at the end of a very entertaining show, there was the merch table. It was irresistible. I spent way too much money. At least I have a head-start on my Christmas shopping now.

- By Vicki Pepper

note: Because I didn't have my camera with me, these pictures were taken by Wanda back in May at the Bottom of the Hill.

Posted by DJWanda at 11:23 PM

October 10, 2004

CD Reviews - SLF, Descendents, Swingin' Utters, Redheaded Yetis

By Kevin Hillskemper

Stiff Little Fingers
Guitar and Drum
Kung Fu Records

What’s wrong with Stiff Little Fingers? Don’t they know that at their advanced age, they should either be gumming cold mush in some gloomy old folks home or recording three-hour concept albums based on The Bhagavad Gita?
It’s a good thing that they still have their teeth, because I like this album. It’s full of good, fast, catchy songs with plenty of bite. There is also some bile and some backwash, but in a good way. My favorite songs here are “Guitar and Drum”, “Strummerville”, “Dead Man Walking”, and “Who Died and Made You Elvis?”
It’s all pretty good. It’s not as hard hitting as “Inflammable Material” but what is? It certainly beats a bowl of cold mush.

Descendents
“Cool To Be You”
Fat Wreck Chords

They sound just like they used to, unless you listen to the words and delve for recurrent themes. About half of the songs here (I didn’t count) mention grown-up, domestic type situations like relationships, marriage, and parenthood. They’ve always been pretty autobiographical in their songs and I’m glad they still are. It’s good that they’re keeping in touch with their own demographic and original audience.
Don’t worry – they haven’t turned into The Ozzie Nelson Orchestra or anything. They still write songs about farting (“Blast Off”) and being school misfits (“Mass Nerder”) so younger Descendents fans will not be left out.
Note: The song “Merican” sounds almost exactly like Bad Religion – all it needs is a couple of two-dollar words.

Swingin’ Utters
“Live in a Dive”
Fat Wreck Chords

More rock. Less talk.

(cover art not available)

Redheaded Yetis
(Demo)

Six songs in seven minutes and twenty-three seconds – this is good stuff. Not amazingly innovative or original but that’s what I like about it.
“Gasoline is the Devil’s Blood” is not only the best title on this demo CD, but it’s quite possible the best song title of all time.
Write them letters and tell them they’re great:
Redheaded Yetis
PO Box 2469
Fort Collins, CO
USA 80522

Posted by Big Kev at 4:40 PM