So I didn't go to the Finches show. Drats.
The new Midtown Monthly is out and it seems pretty darn cool EXCEPT for the cover, which makes it look like some kind of weird fitness mag. But the content is really good, the art coverage is extensive in this one.
Speaking of local rags, I perused the News and Review and there was some intriguing stuff, including KW's review of Roxy. I am skeptical because it's owned by the people that own Lucca and it has a western theme(?), but her review makes it sound worthwhile to try it out. Where is it?
Spencer from Hella has some Hella harsh words for Sac. I thought Hella shows here were super crowded? Is that not true? Those words sting, but I'll confess I've never heard or seen Hella. I'm usually spending most of my time on Myspace.
This article on the Finches is supercool, mostly because JG makes a Brian Eno comparison and Carolyn told me that she has been listening to Taking Tiger Mountain almost nonstop!
What if I just don't want to go to a Hella show?
ReplyDeleteOr any show for that matter, Sure I have been known to go on the myspace but I also do lots of great things that aren't going to shows. I hate that attitude that if you aren't at this particular show you must suck and are sitting at home getting old and selling out. and for the record going to bed early isn't selling out, its actually super cool and subversive.
-natalie.....
Ya right, Natalie.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that I INVENTED going to bed early. I was doing that shit way before you. The HELLA thing reminded me of the Bananas who appear to be more popular out of Sac than in it.
-Heckamax
When Midtown Monthly showed up yesterday, it was right when Jane and Jane showed up. I thought it was a new gay magazine (or LGBT mag to word it correctly).
ReplyDeletetrue Max, you have been going to bed early from way back. I had to mature into it.
ReplyDelete-natalie
99% of all semi-to-well-known bands are more popular outside of their home town anyway - it's not that weird or specific to Sac. When a band tours & comes to your town, it may be now or never, but when a local band plays, it's always, "yeah, I guess I can see them next time". Unless the local band rarely plays their town - like the Deftones or something where it seems like a huge event here when they do play. I do see what he's saying to a degree since yeah, The Bananas are in that same boat - but the MySpace comment cheapens the observation considerably. Then again, that's just one of those quotable things you say in an interview & then when you read it you think "I guess I sound kinda lame right there".
ReplyDelete-miller
Roxy is on Fair Oaks near Loehmann's Plaza...
ReplyDeleteAlso:
McCormick and Schmick's opens to the public on Feb 19th.
-KD
I like that Hella just assumes we're at home on myspace when clearly we're at home watching Battle Star!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBattlestar!!!!
ReplyDelete-connie
i've tried to go to two Hella shows in Sacramento and Davis. one was completely full. couldn't even get in. the other show, they didn't show up for. so i guess they were too cool for me both times. but i did manage to see zach hill's art show at the fool's foundation. which was apparently cool enough for me.
ReplyDeletethat was a cheap shot coming from a local band that's been playing in sacramento for what, like 6 years now? in their early days, they were playing every single show at the capitol garage, like the 2K version of Pivot. not to mention members keep showing up in other bands over the years that played all the time.
ReplyDeletewhen good touring bands come through and nobody goes, that's another story but sorry - hella have pulled together huge shows for longer than most bands expect to, why does it seem so ridiculous for people to get bored of seeing them play their noodle-fest over and over and over again? kind of like, why do people think their fans will keep buying 5, 6, 7 albums of the same band playing the same stuff for a decade? oh wait, that's digital downloading's fault.
Addis Abba is hella good and hella cheap, expecially with hella people. This new Pissed Jeans LP is hella good. The Brainbombs are hella good.
Here's a link to a free Hella mp3 download, if you're interested in hearing what they sound like
ReplyDeletehttp://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/40781/Hella_Theres_No_666_in_Outer_Space
I'm listening to it now. It's been a loooonnnggg five minutes. I checked my myspace like 20 times already.
ReplyDeleteThe absolute finest way to ensure that your local shows suck ass is to play locally too often. My general rule of thumb is to never play locally (meaning within Sacramento County and Roseville) more often than once a month, ideally no more than 3 or 4 times a year. It doesn't help that my band is basically a novelty act--the problem with a novelty act is that the novelty wears off with too-frequent exposure, but even for a straight-ahead, no-nonsense, prop-free type of musical band the same rule applies. Don't play at home too often. It stops being special very quickly.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I made it out to any Hella shows, because I heard they were "math rock" and I didn't want to have to do any homework. Besides, I heard all the cool kids were getting into the staying at home scene and I wanted to copy them so they would think I was cool too.
It was concluded at the MM writer's meeting this morning that this month's cover is highly man-tastic.
Oh Dear Jesus! Why would make they music like this and not have it be about King Arthur, or Mythical Lands of Dragons and Ladye's Fayre. Actually why would anyone make this music at all. The Les Claypool of drums but without the "hooks".
ReplyDeleteHella, you motherfrackers...
ReplyDelete- Starbuck
is it ever going to be possible for midtown monthly to have a meeting that i could go to? I know you guys are just sitting there making fun of me and doing imitations of me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mark, the dude hella sounds like he's spoiled. Try playing in bands for 20 years when people local or otherwise don't swarm to see you. But like Miller said, he probably didn't mean to sound so bratty about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of swarming, San Kazakgascar plays the SicAlps show on Saturday. Last Jed plug for awhile - I promise.
Hella footnote: When I went to UCD years ago, people would always know I was from the Bay Area by my constant use of the word "hella."
Jed
Huh huh, Kaiser said "noodle fest."
ReplyDeleteI misread the title of this post at first and thought you were gonna write something about Finnocio's. Man, I wish we could have gone THERE last Saturday night, after Joshua's dinner...
http://www.queermusicheritage.us/oct2002f.html
how many norcal punx DOES it take to screw in a lightbulb?
ReplyDeleteThe running joke at the gothclub where I DJ was that people didn't show up until 11:00 because they were watching BSG and then needed another hour to do makeup, although with the move to Sunday nights I don't know if that excuse still applies. I do know that when I show BSG episodes on the projection TV at the club people get very fixated on it.
Hey there--
ReplyDeleteLate 90`s/early 2000 outta town bands always seemed to have a hard time drawing.The two White Stripes show at the press didn`t draw alot of folk--maybe twenty at the most.Nicki Sudden brought a more out of town crowd than an in town crowd along with 4 other touring bands..I put two locals on and he was pissed.The Real Kids didn`t draw and it was the Pretty Girls that brought the draw in.A can of mace almost brought that show to a close.I have a live tape of the mayhem somewhere back in the states.A Frames/Karate Party show was sparse too with a potted plant thru the window and my retirement from that place.The best show there was Los Otros who play a set of mexican traditional music and then a rock set.The amount of different types of people astounded me and i wished more for a scene like that.Ironsides had Moe Tucker with Magnet.She played something like kettle drums to a mid size crowd.The silverlake scene invaded in 89` with Popdefect who we`re great but never more than 50 people would be there at the shows.Later came Drill Team and Masher..Drill Team did seem to bring folk but they had a label behind them.All Masher had was a Flask and a cheap van.A show with the Curbfeelers and Popdefect would be thinly attended of course.Thin White Rope a band that toured the Soviet Union(by train)and filled fillmore size clubs in the uk would play a house party in Davis.Here`s a band i read in pulse playing a party with a keg of pabst-awesome!!!Anyways bands like the Real Kids didn`t come back(but lazily did) and bands like Popdefect always came back cause they made buddies--had some fun ya know.Man oh man is !!! getting big!!I saw the louden up now video on YouTube..They sound certainly different from what i remeber.Maybe more slick and some folk are very harsh with reviews on Amazon.The even newer song(heart of hearts) sounds more dance and to me it reminds of a speeded up Happy Mondays.Maybe it`s just the hat nick is wearin` on the heart video.He sure can dance!!!I give em` props.Anyways it was funnier playing out of town than in town.Meeting new folks and seeing new things.People always seemed happy and welcoming while touring especially the small towns.The big ones were total rock star ville.Yo La Tengo is in Fukuoka on the 24th..$60.00 ouch(not without a famous fukuoka yatai visit)!!!I wonder how much !!! is???Check out the band called Velocityut on myspace.There from Nagaski and they hella kick ass.The songs are like a minute long--lo fi,noisy with a keyboard with a ton duct tape around it.Has anybody read aleksander solzhenitsyn "cancer ward"--so far so good...bein busy --jay
Dear Hella,
ReplyDeleteHi! Quick note - you guys are Les Claypool's backing band. The end.
-- Patrone