Hilarious.

I didn't know that this was being announced already. I'm stoked to do it again. It looks like we're going to have to eat candy canes and kick ass.

Red Cloud plans to put the old gang back together for a show later this summer
By Dave Herrera in Hearsay
Wed., Jan. 6 2010 @ 10:32AM

Just received word that Red Cloud (aka Red Cloud West), which has been on hiatus for quite some time now as its members devoted time to their other creative endeavors (Git Some, Bad Luck City, the Fire Drills, Ross Etherton & the Chariots of Judah), has plans to reconvene at some point this summer for a one-off show.

The revered live act, which features our own Jason Heller, will reportedly be playing its self-titled debut in its entirety with original bassist, Jeremy Ziehe (who now holds down the low end for Bad Luck City) in tow. If a single show doesn't sound all that noteworthy, you clearly haven't seen Red Cloud live -- or it's been so long you've forgotten just how epic the band can be. A date hasn't been set yet, but we hear that 3 Kings Tavern will most likely be the venue. We'll keep you posted.

The difference is that it won't be nearly as drunk. Sadly, I don't remember most of those shows. Those early shows were a hell of a good time, even if they were drunk and hairy and sweaty:

I Don't Know What I'm Doing.

I finally figured out DVD ripping, but I'm not getting the fiddle-dee that I'd like. Maybe there's a trick to YouTube that I don't know. If I figure this out, I'll "fix" it.

Like Goin' To Church

We made our offering to the music and radio gods this morning. Technical issues aside, I think that we pulled it off. Magical Trevor was hung-over, and Ross hasn't had enough sleep recently, so we were a really rough bunch. It was fun, though.

Once the podcast is up, I'll link through to it here (the audio link is up at the top of the page). Photos were taken, so those will probably wind up somewhere, too. Hopefully, Ross' impromptu noise session will make it out for public consumption, even if it didn't go over the air. I did get a BLC mention on the air.

The Route 78 West crew are really a fun group. Music has been bumming me out lately. Talking to and seeing people really excited about music (all different kinds) really was helpful for curing my bad attitude. I wish that I had been feeling a little better (I feel like I'm coming down with some crud), and could have gone for the "traditional" post-show margaritas (maybe next time). Jeff said that he has a bunch of bootlegged early RC shows that I'm interested in getting my hands on.

I feel like I've got a hangover, but that's impossible. I've certainly got a case of the dehydration. I require fluids and vitamins.

----------------
Now playing: Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down

Recovery Day.

I actually stuck it out and stayed for the whole show last night. I missed much of the first dude's set. I think that we did alright. BWC did a sloppy set, but they were still great (Joe apologized later for "being four hacks"). Nathan and Stephen did their thing, and got the crowd really wound up. I hope that those guys continue to make music around town.

I finally met Lance from The Flat Response. I've been checking out his nicely-done recordings from local shows for some time, and wondered to myself "what's this guys deal?" and "how come I never see a tape rig at shows?". As it turns out, he decided to record these shows because everyone tapes jam bands, and there's very little documentation for a lot of these small local shows. He seems like a pretty cool dude to me, and his rig is totally unobtrusive. I hope that he posts our set, because I really have little idea of how we sound live (the Red Rocks "tapes" are completely awash with reverberation).

----------------
Now playing: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cascade

Exit...Stage Left; The Spirit of Radio

I finally got my hands on some of the video from Red Rocks. Those fancy cameras really do a nice job. It's an eye-opener to see myself playing: I've got way better right-hand technique than I used to (lots of masturbating, I'm sure); and I'm still really uncomfortable with being stage right. I'm apparently a graduate of the Entwistle school of stage presence. The bass tone sounds huge, despite the shitty stage sound and truly surreal natural reverb. It's totally not like this:


But I do love the pretension involved in double-necked instruments. Hilarious. I need one of those bass/12-string rigs.

Last night, The Chariots of Judah had our radio debut on Folksplosion. Awesome. Now, I'm totally in a folk band. Actually, I looked through dude's playlist, and he has Devendra in there and the Billy Nayer Show, so it's a loosely-defined "folk show". It's radio, but not like this:


I need to get one of the jazz basses on-line. The white one really doesn't require much work to be in go mode.

Ahh...The Mighty Gig Bag

Another list. This is what I've been carrying with me to shows since the last pairing down of equipment (it's about to get paired down, again):

• 1 blue ballpoint pen (for signing the contract at the show, even though I like that done way in advance)
• 1 fine point Sharpie®
• 1 King Size Sharpie®
• 1 digital multi-meter
• black cloth hookup wire
• white cloth hookup wire
• 1 cheap 40-watt soldering iron (bought at Kmart years ago for $2; still my favorite)
  
• rosin-core solder
• .047mfd capacitor
• 2 aligator clips
• nut & lock washer for volume/tone knobs
• extra 9-volt batteries
• slip-loint pliers (large)
• needle-nosed pliers (large)
• Korg CA-30 chromatic tuner
• 3 screwdrivers with interchangeable magnetic bits
• philips screwdriver
• dial caliper
• 2 15-amp fuses
• VELCRO® cable ties
• 3 JJ Electronic ECC83 S vacuum tubes
• 3 6 1/4-amp fuses
• 1 long-shank, needle-nosed pliers
• 1 .050-3/16" hex wrench set
• 1 can DeoxIT® GOLD
• 4 Nite Ize L.E.D. DropLit™ jobbies
• 1 jeweler's screwdriver with interchangeable bits
• 1 Shure Beta 52A microphone
• 1 Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI
• 1 MXR M-80 bass d.i.+
• 1 1/4" to 1/4" cable coupler (gold-plated?!?)
• 1 big leather guitar strap
• 1 Boss TU-2 tuner
• 1 10' x 1/4" instrument cable (straight plugs)
• 1 18 1/2' x 1/4" instrument cable (straight plugs)
• 1 18 1/2' x 1/4" instrument cable (90°/straight plugs)
• 1 25' x 1/4" instrument cable (90°/straight plugs)
• 1 set D'Addario EXL160 (used, cleaned)
• 2 2' x 1/4" instrument cable (straight plugs)
• 2 6" x 1/4" instrument cable (90° plugs)
• 1 1' x 1/4" instrument cable (90° plugs)

I've Never Been Home This Early After Playing A Show.

This one goes down as one of the best damn shows that we've played together. Peppered among the unsuspecting, inappropriately-dressed cougars, were some of our superfans (who've heard these damn songs enough times that they know what the mix is supposed to be). The superfans (something like the SuperFriends) said that the sound was great. As far as "monitors," it was way sweeter than a certain sandstone amphitheater that I can think of. Actually, it was just like rehearsal, except not in a boomy concrete room, and with freaked-out-looking watchers. We're often much better at rehearsal because we're comfortable. Shania gets to experience the best versions of everything.

Apparently (I played virtually the whole set with my eyes closed), a little girl made her way to the "stage," and was looking rather stunned, according to onlookers. I hope that it wasn't during the "fuck" songs. We've been trying with these last few sets to build up to "Stealth" and "Blood Trail" since every BLC + unsuspecting public is an experiment. Apparently, they had some truly terrible shows before I joined the band (the Ogden; the burrito place). I really want to play a chicken wire country bar (there's a term for that, but I can't think of it) with this band, as well as a real juke (we'll have to go to 'sippi for that).

I did, however, have one missed note. A dude was doing flash photography (odd since the lights were on), and it totally got me for a beat. I had one measure of bizarreness on "Stealth" when the hands were doing their own thing for whatever reason (I was thinking about this leg/foot/ankle pain). I got right back on it, and I don't feel that bad 'bout it since the rest of the set was damn good.

Andrew Warner is my favorite drummer to play with, period. After all this time (starting in 2002 with the OG-RC), we generally play pretty damn well together, but tonight was really really special for me. The rhythm section was on like donkey kong, and I think that the rest of the band grooved (far out, man) on that. I love that guy. I can't imagine playing better with anyone else. I do indeed use him to make it sound like I'm playing with power. He's probably my best musical buddy. It was a trascendental set, rhythmically, for me. I hope that he gets that. Somehow, we were completely on the same wavelength for the fills [our art (improvisation) is in the fill, a la Ringo]. I love that guy.

Great fun tonight, for sure. I'm so done.

"The Night Before", Again.

We couldn't seem to get it in the right key. After a quick listen, we were golden. Since the show at the Denver Art Museum is a theme deal, we're breaking out a lot of slow ones that we don't play often (we haven't played "The Night Before" since February 29, 2008). I remember hearing BLC do it before I was in the band, and thought that they did a good version of the song. I think Mr. Hazlewood would be pleased with the BLC version. The video version is pretty funny:



Deep cuts is part of our theme.

The Internets Are Back.

Apparently, Qwest did "something" downtown, and knocked me off-line for the last week and a half. Luckily, zee telefono lets me somewhat keep up with email and stuff. I can finally do a "real" post here. My wrists have atrophied, though, and now typing hurts.

The big news is that the Film on the Rocks went fairly well. Personally, I'll take the monitors from the Gothic or the Ogden any day over what we endured on Wednesday. Those two were like listening to a CD. Hell, I'll take the Meadowlark "no PA reinforcement" over that crap. I couldn't hear much of anything except cymbals, and as a result, screwed one song up pretty good. I don't think that any of us were happy.

Hopefully, the resulting video and audio won't be too painful. Being live on channel two was nerve-wracking, but good exposure. If only we'd started the set with one of the "dirty" songs, right? It's pretty funny, though:

 

One of my major gripes is that I couldn't hear myself at all. Honestly, my rig is louder at practice. I was on "2", so that the monitors dude didn't get a hot signal. Every other DI-obsessed sound dude has plugged into the amp's DI, and not had a problem. This dude totally did, and the entire PA made an expensive sound. I turned down, and apparently, it sounded alright for the FOH, but it was almost inaudible on stage. I played too hard and thus, too sloppy to really feel great about the performance.

I'm looking into a decent passive DI box now. I should have gotten one years ago, but I never thought that I'd need one. The Ampeg preamp that I was running always did a nice job, and more recently, I was running the Mesas so hot that the only way to really capture that "amp on the verge of breaking" (number one broke down 3 times) sound was with a microphone.

So, I'm looking at DI boxes on the web this morning. The talkbass.com forum has more opinions than I'd like. It seems that the Radial JDI (which I've been happy to record with), the Countryman 85, and even the (gasp) Sansamp BDDI (I already have one of these and it's a little too icepick for me) seem to be well-liked. I'm really curious about the Whirlwind Director, but I can't seem to find much about it. If I really really was into sparing no expense, I'd opt for the Reddi Tube DI, but that's a little extravagant.

Shopping DI box specs is a lot like buying socks or underwear, I think.

Not Too Shabby.

Last night, the BLC did the UMS set fairly well, considering that 2/3 of the band was injured. The magic of pharmaceuticals was working for us.

I actually think that we killed. The crowd was into it, but more people were probably at the HD to check out the quitter bands. Uncle Chuck was stoked on our set, and he's seen this band longer than anyone. I hope that LA works out for him--he's worked pretty damn hard at what he does.

I realized that I actually know quite a few folks, too. Once a year, everyone comes out of their hobbit hole for the UMS, and it's cool to see some people and say high.

It was a good time, even if I had to work very early this morning. The oxycodone and soma are treating me well, even if I'm not so into doing much of anything. Hopefully, this injury will subside soon.

Caucasians Beware!

This is worth noting because I've had to keep it quiet for months. Conceptually, it's comedic because BLC and the general public are like oil and water.

The "Bird" Chord (I'm Just Like Clapton)

Back in the day, while watching a live Eric Clapton video, my brother and I realized that dude uses a lot of "bird" chords. Certainly, these are related to barré chords, but when Beavis and Butthead and watching, it's a "bird" chord. I thought for years that Clapton does it for the A-barré chords, but the cover of Slowhand (probably my favorite EC record--call me lame) reveals that it's a really serious G chord (with a high D...nice). I love the "bird" chords:



Doug Beam caught me with my eyes open last Saturday night. I've harassed him before, but this one is pretty good (NOT a D.Boon shot, thanks so much, Doug):



Clearly, I'm doing a "bird" chord (I'm watching my hands). Doug must've snapped me during "Choptank River", "Stealth", or "Accident". I'm in fifth position, without teeth-gritting, so it's probably at the coda of "Accident". I play a lot of chords in this band, so that the 'fuckin'' guitarists can do their 'banjo' stuff.

Damn...my past life's (one of 'em, anyway) hand-breakage is evident in that photo. I would've taken better care of my hands if I ever would've thunk that I'd be playing a stringed instrument.

If I could go back in time, I'd have a talk with myself.

Presidential? (show recap, equipment woes, etc.)

I don't see the resemblance, and it's sort of troubling me. I should've had more than one beer, then I wouldn't even care this morning.It was good to finally meet Katherine--having a face to put with a name is pretty wild. She's been really great to us, and I hope that the benefit was successful.

Our set was alright--we ended on a strong note, anyway. People love Girls of St. Maggie's Parish, and it's always cool to get a reaction from the first two notes. We had one near fail on the newest one. I hate that crap--you play beautifully during rehearsal, and just about eat shit on a stage. Oh well...we'll just have to work on that one some more.

The new speakers are a lot brighter than the blown Chinese set. It sounds really great soloed, but with the rest of the band, I miss the dull tone. I ran the gain up a little high, but I need to pull some of the highs out. Now that the 4x10" is mine, I need to figure it out. I'd like to do it up with Duratex, along with the electric grandparents. Once I get that project completed, I've been really interested in some DIY cabinet designs that are out on the Talkbass:



A 1x12" might be really cool. I've been looking at lots of smaller alternatives--I'm so tired of hauling big cabs around town. I'll be needing serious amps for later this summer, though, so I can't get rid of the big guns (both Josh and Greg are looking for extension cabinets). For bar shows, though, a little (light) cab that handles 200 watts is what I'm after, assuming that I'll get some PA support. I totally need to get one of them Radial boxes--I'm starting to prefer DI to FOH (gasp).

Pumped Up About This One.

1190 has been really cool to us, and Katherine asked us to play a benefit months ago. We're all over the occasional benefit show. Even if this one's not a life or death deal, it's easily the best local station. See y'all there.

Into The Briney Deep.

Tonight, we begin tracking at Briney Deep mk. III (or is it up to V?). I'm stoked to be involved from the beginning, while important decisions are made. I'm glad that the voiceover work has enough of a break for us to do this. I've heard some of the SS stuff that's coming out of the room in an expidited manner, and it's the best stuff I've heard from Uncle Chuck.

Last night, I made it down to the Moonspeed show, and I'm glad that I did. It was completely worth the $4. When I saw 'em at the hi-dive, it was too small of a room for them. In a bigger venue, it's a lot less jarring. The sound at the Bluebird usually leaves a lot to be desired, but I really like a lot of the textures that they're building. It seemed to be midrange-infested from where I was standing. Do they even turn on the subs there? One thing that I want to hear from the Moonspeed is quiet, though. I know that the band can literally go to 11, but that has a lot less impact when it's all 8-11. They did it on their closing number (dropped down to maybe a 2 or 3 and crescendo), so I know that they can (and I almost shit my pants). It could've been bad sound engineering or my crummy hearing....I don't know.

I'm really looking forward to their record, which Jeff says should be done by the summer.

Ha Ha.

The payoff is totally worth it. Weird, but good as shows go. We made some new friends.

Sweet.

Not perfect, but not so bad for being a little rusty. I only had one fuck-up, on the 6-count ritardando on the stalker song (those are difficult to do sometimes, but when we all do it right, it's amazing). We scared some blonde girl with the "meaner, darker" new material. I was nervous that we'd fall on our faces with the new stuff, but it was pretty much on.

It was great to get back on a stage with my friends and freak at least one person out. The bartender was way into it, and we got shots. Whoot.

Like My YouTube Comment Says...

They played at the 15th Street Tavern on this tour!! It was fucking amazing, seriously. I wish that it went off on time (they re-strung the dulcimer that night on one of the three tables by the pinball machines). I had to leave mid-set so I could go to work later that morning. I should've toughed it out. That was a job that required thought, and it seemed reasonable at the time.

Better Than The Other Way Around.

Since I recently decided that I wasn't rock and roll enough, I've been working on my Rudy Sarzo moves, too. Oh well. Doug Beam took some great photos, and there's even captioning. From aversion.com. My bit is like this (the orange one really photographs well, I might have to keep her after all):

"Bassist Jeremy Ziehe is all substance and zero flash as he methodically drives the low-end of Bad Luck City's world."

Hee hee. Low end.

Number Three.

Now I'm done with rockshows until next spring, unless something unplanned happens. We intentionally didn't promote this one as the last until spring, but it was.

A. Tom Collins was really jaw-dropping (albeit a little sloppy), and I went into the show ready to be unimpressed. I'll be back for more, though.

Bad Luck City played a ferocious set that felt great to me. It's been a long time since I got my rock on like that (2004 Red Cloud Grand Junction--apparently an unfinished post, and probably better that way). Josh called it "high energy, even though no one showed up." Seriously, everyone there was like (or was) family--it was the same crew that turns up at the barbecues and corn mazes.

The truth is, I think that sitting in chairs and being stifled by the weird cinema experience really allowed us to get moving tonight. The next show should be epic.

We're all looking forward to working hard together for the next few months. We need to have a sit down meeting and pull the trigger on this shit.

Bad Luck City Blast (a repost, sort of)

Howdy! Bad Luck City is playing a live soundtrack to Bruce Bickford's claymation masterpiece Cas'l, at the Starz International Film Festival.

We have two dates booked, the first showing is November 15th at 2:45 PM, the second showing is November 16th at 9:45 PM. Both showings are at the Starz FilmCenter (in the old Tivoli building). Do some crazy drugs and rock out with us for a truly intense, at times, schizophrenic claymation movie!

Like this:



Thanks, readers! Hope to see you all there!

KC and the Sunshine Band?!?

While we were setting up (two hours before the allowed sound check time) last night, the rhythm section for KC and the Sunshine Band showed up. They were playing two doors down at the Gothic. I took one look at 'em, and knew that they were 'real' pros--there's an aura of cool (and a smell of weed) that comes off of cats like that. We gave 'em a disc, and told 'em to come back, and they did. They hung out most of the night, just chillin' with the folks.

They were real nice guys, and I hope that they enjoyed our set. I couldn't remember the KC hits, but I found 'em on the internets. The old live footage is awesome.

There's A Record Coming Out

Apparently, it's finished. I haven't yet heard it. I trust K completely, though--he wouldn't release crap. Shit...my last record had obvious bass fuck-ups, and I allowed it to be pressed. I played fairly well on this one, though.

It is a little awkward to hear stuff on MySpace (accidentally) for the first time. It sounds like us, though, and that's all that I think most recordings should be--an archive of a band at a time. Other people are into getting all artsy in the studio, and I can appreciate a lot of music that comes about that way. This, however, is us in late summer 2008 at the weather center. It's how it is at practice ('cept that's louder).

You can listen here. Click on that flyer for the details on the upcoming show (although the venue has changed it's name).

One Of These People Doesn't Belong At The Show (not a music post, just whining)

Why? Dig this (or watch me rationalize my anti-social):

• I don't even dig the social bullshit that comes with live music. I love love live music, but I really don't want to deal with people. I'd rather listen to the soundboard recording at home, honestly. So, obviously, I totally had to get the fuck out of there. Too many people were vibin' me out completely.
  

• Steve's cousin made an appearance (need to get that checked out--now that Manuel isn't in jail and Kip's not on vacation, I ought to be able to do that). Shittin' blood just ain't cool, my dudes, especially when you're at the show.
  

• After all, it should've been Neil's show. Next time, I'll just say 'no thank you.' It would've been different if he'd asked me. I feel entirely dirty. It was one of those things that at the time seemed like a good idea. My friends encouraged me, and they're pretty convincing (and mean well, I'm sure).

• I totally fucked up, too. All the energy drinks and lime green wristbands in the world couldn't have stopped that. I just ain't Rocks Tar material, friends. I can't even play the instrument after 20 years. In fact, I ought to just quit.
  

• I'm fucking tired. Getting up and starting work before the sun comes up and then having to drive fast and run all day makes for complete exhaustion.

Tomorrow, though, it all starts again. I just wish that I could live up to the tattoo. I'm so fed up with this shit. Seriously.

Surfin' Safari

I had to repost this, because I actually thought about it before I wrote it:

It's not often that Bad Luck City ventures out from our SoBro dungeon, but we totally are this Thursday, September 18. We'll be loadin' up the woody with all of our gear to play Surfside 7 in Fort Collins. We're all amped to play with our old school bros, Badman as well as the mighty Sweet Tooth Meat Tooth (aka Doug and Hayley from Monofog). Don't bail on us, because this one is sure to be bodacious, just like this video:

It's True.

Here.

Hee Hee, the UMS Write Ups, Part I

Over here, from Elana Jefferson, Bad Luck City's next door neighbor (she's a great cake-baker, and a forgiving neighbor).

This is great:

The Overcasters later delivered epic psychedelic new wave at 3 Kings, followed by a ballsy Bad Luck City performance that showcased these thoughtful rockers mining their gothic Americana for all its spooky loveliness.

Whatever, I just love that music is a personal experience, and hearing different voices is great.

Fucking Tired.

I think that I did good tonight. People seemed to be into it, at least. I can't feel my right hand now, though. The new set up seemed to perform admirably, and that made me comfortable about 2/3 through the first set. The second set was easy easy, although I felt like I was on the wrong side of the stage. Next time, I'll move.

On the way home, I had visions of schemes to get more gain, although the LPB-1 does a decent job. I think that tomorrow's (today's) outing with be to pick up some new preamp tubes. I have no idea WTF is in there, or how old they are. A new set of JJs can't hurt.

Playing a loud rig like that presents different problems, such as fucking infinite sustain. Dampening is not one of my skills--I do it somewhat, but I'll have to re-train myself. I turned down two notches for the OC set. The BLC set was the same levels without the booster, or extreme EQ.

A Good Show, Really

We played pretty damn great last night. I don't think that I missed a note. I need to work with the gain a little bit, because I did have some dynamics issues. Our new lower stage volume helps immensely with hearing the vocal monitors, but I need to get used to less saturation.

D was in rare form; whispering dirty things in my ear on stage. "The Blood Trail of Macaulay Culkin" was great. That's what it sounds like when you him.

The best part of the night for me was when a kid in bondage pants told me that our set was awesome while I packed up my stuff. I'm glad that I'm not the only one. We really need to push the Goth angle, because those kids really are ripe for something new (at least for them).

Steven Lee Lawson was great (I love that singer songwriter shit because it takes real balls to play with only an acoustic guitar to hide behind). Rosalie was not what I was expecting (the this is a kind of country show light bulb went on). I didn't realize that I had seen Action Packed Thrill Ride before, but I think that they opened for us at that Red Cloud BBQ show that I played with the boys last year.

Indeed, The Larimer Lounge got a "new PA" last week. Essentially, they've fortified the old one with more amplifiers and two 2x15" subs (six subs total). Unfortunately, one wasn't working, so we had to cope with five 15s throwing the lows. It's a drastic improvement. Not painfully loud, though.

Most people were at the Hi-Dive, I suppose. That's okay, though. I've been an Erin Roberts fan for quite a while, and I would've been there with the poor jaded hipsters, too.

I Think That I've Figured Out What The Appropriate Imagery Is For Flyers

Someone did a nice one, though:

The Official Version

Tom Murphy was right there on Saturday when the dude was coming unglued. Tom's excellent write up (excerpt below) comes from here (I'm an admitted plagiarist). I had no knowledge of the so-called "fire alarms."

Seriously, how was I supposed to hear/see 'em when I was fully engulfed in sound/fog?:

Overcasters setting the mood.

Overcasters really know how to set the mood for a show with their custom projections, stage lighting and fog machines set up to act in accord with the music being performed. And yet none of it seemed contrived, because all of it served to enhance the experience of the show and not cover up for shortcomings in the music. They performed five or six songs each with an elemental beauty and expansive voicings. It’s unlikely that Bar Standard typically plays host to music possessed of such dreamlike magnificence, live or otherwise.

Overcasters' set was comprised of great, controlled torrents of sound pouring from the stage like Echo & The Bunnymen bolstered by a cloned Will Sergeant, along with great lyrical one-liners from Kurt Ottaway, especially toward the end with lines like, “There is no time like the present, so better get moving” -- a reminder that life doesn’t wait for you to get yourself together before it passes you by. At some point during their set some guy came to the stage all hot and bothered and asked bassist Jeremy Ziehe about who was using “the fog pedal.” Apparently the fog machine had set off a fire alarm elsewhere in the building. But with their set almost over, it came to nothing.

After All Three....

Perhaps the greatest rock moment of my life was when that funny-talker (this isn't a politically-correct blog) asked me to cease using my "Fog Pedal." This was VERY confusing to me, since I don't have such a thing (I will re-paint and re-label the LBP-1 now, though--I require pedal-painting tips ASAP, friends). Apparently, Osama took it upon himself to call the fire department in order to shut down our fog machine. They brought a real fire truck to do this, but gave up.

The set was nearly flawless, even if Osama's antics overshadowed it. Overcasters made an impression, either way.

The Bad Luck City's set was flawed from the get-go. Kelly's bow got beer-infested at a prior gig, and now it requires a re-hair. She requires a medal for five shows in a weekend. Kelly O'Dea is amazing. Perry had some amp issues, but, eventually, we worked, 'em out. That set wasn't horrible, but was rather pale compared to the night before. I fucked up for a two or three count which is completely unacceptable. I am the worst player ever. I had fun, though.

After a sweaty sweaty day, LRC and I played naked foosball, took showers, drank screwdrivers, ate cold pizza, and watched Pee Wee's Playhouse on DVD. It was the perfect end to a (nearly) perfect Saturday.

One Down...

I'm one-third of my way through the weekend of rock, and so far it's totally fun. The Gothic crew did a good job on the sound (and actually ran a DI as well as a microphone on the mighty Horizon 4x10"). Devil masks, ICP makeup, and grinding dancers, oh my!

It was fun.

This Rocks

Apparently, Yessit has the show at the Gothic covered. 6/6 marked one year since I began my homework for BLC. I'm still happy in the band, too.

A Weekend of Rock

Three sets for me this weekend!

I'm stoked about this myspace bulletin, which I think is some of my best writting ever:

Greetings friends and lovers,

Friday night, Bad Luck City plays The Gothic Theater in Englewood for our first show outside of Denver. It's almost like being on tour, or not. Put on your kabuki makeup, and come down early because we're opening this one.

Saturday night, we're pleased to be playing The Westword Music Showcase at 8 p.m. at Andrew's on Lincoln (not our drummer's house). Come down and enjoy a silver bullet with us and all of the other great acts.

Details are at Westword.com.

Love,
Bad Luck City

Tonight's practice with the OC felt really good, even though someone wants to change his rig (fucker). The OC is "runnin' strong," all NASCAR style, though. That band plays at 3:30 at Bar Standard on Saturday.

This Is Fucking Great....

This Would Be Fun

From here. August is turning out to be quite busy. Anyway, I doubt that I'd be chosen--I sort of suck:

Rhys Chatham: A Crimson Grail, For 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version)
Commissioned by Lincoln Center for Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2008 (World Premiere)

In 2005, the New York composer Rhys Chatham was commissioned by the city of Paris to write a piece of music. The result was A Crimson Grail, a work for 400 electric guitars, which premiered at the basilica of Sacré-Coeur for La Nuit Blanche, an all-night arts festival. For its first U.S. performance, the work has been extensively revised by the composer for an outdoor performance at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, to suit the dynamics of the park's outdoor acoustic. A Crimson Grail will call on the talents of 200 guitarists (including 16 electric bassists), who will be selected from an applicant pool drawing on the many talents of musicians in New York City and beyond.

Guitar strings generously provided by D’Addario

Requirements for performing in A Crimson Grail:

1. It is necessary to be a competent guitarist with at least a rudimentary comprehension of standard musical notation. A bit of basic music reading is involved to be able to perform. All musicians participating will be assigned to one of four sections, each of which will have their parts provided in simple written notation and textual instructions, and explained by section leaders.

2. You must be able to commit to attending all three rehearsals, and all 12 hours of rehearsal time. Rehearsals will be held at a Manhattan location to be announced later, tentatively scheduled for 6 to 10pm on each of the following days: Tuesday, August 12; Wednesday, August 13; and Thursday, August 14.

3. This may sound obvious, but you must be able to commit to attending a day-long rehearsal/sound check and the performance on Friday, August 15. The approximate performance time for A Crimson Grail is 8pm, on a multi-artist show that begins at 7pm. You and your equipment will need to be in place prior to the start of the concert. The performance is outdoors, with guitarists on the perimeter of Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam. A rain location will be planned.

4. Each guitarist must bring his or her own equipment for all rehearsals and performance. This must include: an electric guitar or bass of good quality that stays in tune; a good quality amp (having a power rating of not less than 50 watts); a guitar jack (20 foot minimum); a guitar strap; a digital guitar tuner; a guitar stand; and a string changer. At the composer's request, you will need to re-string your guitar, guitar strings provided by D'Addario (www.daddario.com). Please note the following restrictions: No acoustic guitars. No hollow body electrics. No vibrato or whammy bars.

5. Sorry, but no beginners. Professional and semi-professional musicians will be given preference over amateurs.

6. This is an all-volunteer event. Due to the size and scale of the event, there are no fees or expense reimbursements for participating guitarists. The experience of being part of a once-in-a-lifetime performance…priceless.

Deadline to Apply: All applications must be received electronically no later than June 15, 2008.
Notifications: All guitarists/bassists selected will be notified by July 15, 2008.

Lineup

I just saw this lineup for the 6/14 shows:

SCHEDULED LINE-UP

OUTDOOR STAGE, 1100 Acoma

2:00 - 2:45 Chain Gang of 1974
3:00 - 3:45 the Heyday
4:00 - 4:45 Laylights
5:00 - 5:45 Swayback
6:00 - 6:45 Born in the Flood
7:00 - 8:00 Ra Ra Riot
8:15 - 10:00 Drive By Truckers


BAR STANDARD, 1037 Broadway

2:00 - 2:30 A Shoreline Dream
2:45 - 3:15 Astrophagus
3:30 - 4:00 Overcasters
4:15 - 4:45 Widowers
5:00 - 5:30 Red Orange Yellow
5:45 - 6:15 Astra Moveo
6:30 - 7:00 Cat-A-Tac
7:15 - 7:45 Hot IQs
8:00 - 8:30 Hearts of Palm


ANDREWS ON LINCOLN, 1111 Lincoln

2:00 - 2:30 Speak in Vowels
2:45 - 3:15 Vices I Admire
3:30 - 4:00 Epilogues
4:15 - 4:45 Black Lamb
5:00 - 5:30 Ghost Buffalo
5:45 - 6:15 Autokiniton
6:30 - 7:00 The Knew
7:15 - 7:45 American Relay
8:00 - 8:30 Bad Luck City


SUTRA, 1100 Lincoln

2:00 - 2:30 Rachael Pollard
2:45 - 3:15 The Wheel
3:30 - 4:00 Hollyfelds
4:15 - 4:45 (die) Pilot
5:00 - 5:30 Achille Lauro
5:45 - 6:15 Hello Kavita
6:30 - 7:00 Paper Bird
7:15 - 7:45 Ian Cooke
8:00 - 8:30 Bela Karoli


1114 Broadway

2:00 - 2:30 29th St. Disciples
2:45 - 3:15 Red Stinger
3:30 - 4:00 No Plot Kill
4:15 - 4:45 Lyin' Bitch…
5:00 - 5:30 Spools of Dark Thread
5:45 - 6:15 No Fair Fights
6:30 - 7:00 Horse
7:15 - 7:45 To Be Eaten
8:00 - 8:30 Conspiracy Assassin
9:00 - 10:00 Immortal Dominion


LA RUMBA, 99 West 9th Ave

2:00 - 2:30 Home
2:45 - 3:15 Filthy Children
3:30 - 4:00 Meniskus
4:15 - 4:45 Something Underground
5:00 - 5:30 Set Forth
5:45 - 6:15 Potcheen
6:30 - 7:00 Savage Henry
7:15 - 7:45 P-Nuckle
8:00 - 8:30 Kinetix


DC10, 940 Lincoln

2:00 - 2:30 Ichiban
2:45 - 3:15 F.O.E.
3:30 - 4:00 Dent
4:15 - 4:45 Spoke In Wordz
5:00 - 5:30 Debajo del Agua
5:45 - 6:15 Infinite Mindz
6:30 - 7:00 3 the Hardway
7:15 - 7:45 ManeLine
8:00 - 8:30 Pirate Signal


MILK BAR, 1037 Broadway

2:00 - 2:30 Tim Pourbaix
2:45 - 3:15 Jenn Korte
3:30 - 4:00 Tifah Al-Attas
4:15 - 4:45 George Inai
5:00 - 5:30 Jessica Sonner
5:45 - 6:15 Wrist Deep
Comedy Showcase
6:30 - 7:00
7:15 - 7:45 Dan Craig
8:00 - 8:30 Angie Stevens


DAZZLE, 930 Lincoln

2:45 - 3:15 Jason Vigil
3:30 - 4:00 Rob Drabkin
4:15 - 4:45 Reed Foehl
5:00 - 5:30 Joshua Novak
5:45 - 6:15 Gregory Alan Isakov
6:30 - 7:00 John Common
7:15 - 7:45 Tito del Barrio Malaga


Bar Standard Patio, 1037 Broadway

3:00 - 3:45 Brian Howe
4:00 - 4:45 Ivy
5:00 - 5:45 DJ Soup
6:00 - 6:45 DJ El Brian
7:00 - 7:45 Wesley Wayne
8:00 - 8:45 Michael Trundle

Two Face

See? I actually move on stage, and the OC has a website that I learned of today.



That Tom Murphy really gets some good shots.

Fiction Writting

Maybe I'm just an asshole, or jealous, or something.

The Widowers might prove me wrong at some point, so take this with a grain. For the time being, though, they don't do a god damn fucking thing for me. Their music sounds forced. I've only seen 'em twice, so maybe I'm way wrong. The write up that I read today within the Colorado Music Buzz really set me off because I was there too (here and here and here--biased show reviews), and I didn't witness any of this, dude:

"I visited Widowers at their concert on April 11th at the Falcon on South Broadway. Even though there was a generally rockabilly-themed crowd wearing Suzie Q glasses and elaborate pompadours, the band took to the stage in the post-grunge attire of greasy hair and vintage clothing. Yet unlike grunge, Widowers' performed with a modern passion and refined sound. "

I can only figure that David Pennington witnessed Tom Murphy for that description of the crowd. WTF are "Suzie Q glasses"--I searched the internets and didn't turn up shit.

More nonsense (the worst sentence in history; foolishness):

"With the immediate resources of location and a privately owned studio Opponent Processor, Widowers are able to commit themselves to their music, and the end result is rather impressive. There is an edge of professionalism."

Are you fucking kidding me, man?

Mighty flanger bass and beautiful below.
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Now playing: Siouxsie and the Banshees - night shift (live, warwick university, coventry 3-9-1981)

I Was In This Acid Rock Band Once, Part III

Thank you Tom Murphy for the footage. Thank you to Erin for a five-hour upload. Most of all, though, Thank you to Shane for the fuckin'amazing light show--you're our new secret weapon, dude.

I think that the clipping on the loud parts is mostly from Tom's position directly in The Electric Grandmother's kill zone (a fuckin' Nichols term). If Tom didn't wear 'plugs, I'd be apologizin', for sure. It could be the six 6l6s flexing, too--my master volume was half of what it is at practice if that's any consolation, TM (thanks for putting up with us for the last year and a half).

I Was In This Acid Rock Band Once, Part II

I'm thinking that we require a full-time light-artist after seeing the new photos from the Overcasters MySpace page. Perhaps Phil the Fan is available since the demise of the 15th Street Tavern?

I am dying to see that video, though. I had to close my eyes and count because of the fuckin' LED strobe--there was no "playing at the speed of light" to be done. I could still discern the kick drum with minimal monitors (thank goodness for a good PA).

The video that I saw on the camera reminded me of this:



The cam video was in color, though, and K looks more like a rock-and-roll-bad-ass (tm) than Syd Barrett ever did.

The bass looks HUGE in this one. Muchas gracias a Tom Murphy for this photo. I might have to use it for the ugly bass player gallery (I love the oil projection on K's shadow...Hey! Tidwell is in there, too):

A Good Show

At least that's how I feel about it. I had a bit of greasy fingers on one of the songs (at the 'bass solo' before the coda) and hammer on fatigue on the new rocker (still pulled it off, though). I'm thinking that stainless strings might help with the greasy fingers issue. I just need stronger hands for those first position hammer ons (or hammers on? maybe hamers on, like this).

Light Travels Faster were really nice and played some interesting home-brew gear. The music reminded me of long-format Minute Men with atmospherics, or something (I really don't know what I'm talking about, really). Good, expressive stuff.

The Widowers maintained their reputation. Need I say more?

What really sucks, though, is that dude forbade them to promote the Falcon show prior to their release show. Bands need to build a buzz before the CD show, even if it almost kills 'em. That means a live ban, seriously, folks. Maybe they're too young to not give into the show jonez.

It seems to me that the crowd was mostly there for the other acts and then thinned out for us. I'm not heartbroken, though. We played great, it seems.

Tom "Fuckin'" Murphy took some good-lookin' video and a great photo of me (at least it looked good on the camera--amazing, with a huge...instrument). If he'll ever will part with 'em, I'll link 'em in (PLEASE, all Roger Rabbit style).

Speaking of photos, I didn't see Doug Beam, though. I was hoping that we might make it to the DP (not really for double-penetration) Reverb. I'd have looked more obese anyway. Maybe I just missed him.

Fuckin' Tito even showed up. That dude is my best critic--shit he knows what great bass is about--check this band out. Jeff Waite is a sick player. He'd let me know if my band sucked. I heart Tito.

For me, the best part of the night--even better than playing a good show with my friends, was that a lot of very cool folks that I love were in attendance. Joan, Ted, Barb, Charley, Tito, Monkey Murphy (aka M & M), and most of all my sweetie, the mighty LRC. You guys all rock.

I've now been awake for 23 hours, friends (keyed up). I must eat dinner and pass out.

Critic's Choice

And, the last show for the foreseeable future for the OC.


Tom Murphy did a nice little write up over here. In the photo, I totally have tits, and the electric grandmother makes E look fuckin' tiny.

The Overcasters at The Falcon, 02-08-2008

Some fuzzy shots from here:

Show Post Mortem

The photos are in. I have that D. Boone look going on (fat man with a little guitar) in some of Doug Beam's photos. I've decided to do something about that, and it doesn't involve playing 36" scale bass guitars.

Jason Claypool took a bunch of color shots, including this one, which captures everyone (Andrew only by a stick, though):



Eryc Eyl did a nice write-up here. That guy rocks.

I love "confidence and charisma." That's code for "drunk on Stranahan's," I think. "The subtle pounding of Jeremy Ziehe's bass" makes it sound a lot like sex with the instrument in question, which it is, really. It was like an orgy, friends.

The highlight for me was The Pig Killing Song, with our "new and improved dynamics," which went over quite well. I have a jonez to write more with these people. They're awesome and, so far, it's way easy.

Greg reminded me of the Mexican midget that was threatening Ross at the K's China show with SCFS. I'd completely forgotten about that. Thank you, Greg, for helping me with that memory. That was a hilarious show.

On Like Donkey Kong

Very Funny

Tidwell found this one. We're only at the very beginning:
The Walkthrough

Clothes Shopping

Man, I hate shopping for clothes. This one reason that my closet looks like a super-hero's--limit the choices, and I can get ready in like thirty seconds.

I'm working on building up the wardrobe of decent clothes, though, mostly for the rockshows. I've allowed myself to get too big for any of my nice clothes. It would certainly be less expensive to just waste away to fit into the "skinny jeans," but I think that I'm pretty stable at the current weight.

This photo really makes me feel fat, though:



The show was pretty good, apparently. I need to do something more as far as my dieting goes. I so don't think that the stripes worked.

I'm dreading the shopping, really. In TX, I could just cruise down to the ropa usada, where you get to wade through waist-deep warehouses of clothes and pay a nickel a pound--I was describing this to LRC, and she had no concept of such a thing (a NYTimes article here). I got that cashmere overcoat there (for $.70), but I gave that to Matt Stemwedel (of Maraca 5-0 fame) back in the day. I wonder how he's doing often.

This record is really growing on me (it's only taken a year):
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Now playing: Grinderman - Electric Alice/Grinderman

Public Debut

Those Tarshack shows are excellent because it's like inviting people into the band's home.



This one feels for real.

EEK!

Man, I always look large in the photos. I have to count this show as a learning experience.



Hell, the light show looks better than the last one, though. The oil lamp must project from the side (that was accidental). Leaves and incense?!? Brilliant. We're on our way to being the next Phish, man. Need to get the smoke machine and sharks with fuckin' lasers on their heads.

I'm learning a lot about loud warehouse self-production. Seriously, I've learned a lot from the Kaptain. He's like this old DIY guy, really. No one does stuff like this anymore.

Here We Go Again

Should be a good time, y'all. No knife throwing this time, though.

Show Post-Mortem; Gear Gripes

It wasn't horrible, but not perfect, either. I was fucking stunned when some people thanked me during dinner with my sweety (across town) later in the evening. That was really strange for me. I think that I maintained my coolness and was pleasant.

I had a moment of unfocus during "Love, It's Not Working." I was getting far too into it. The tempos were agonizing on some of 'em. It made the BLC feel like speed metal. A guitar player missed a few critical pickup notes on a solo (put on your surprised face). I missed loud drums a lot, seriously. All in all, though it wasn't too bad for two full practices and one power trio practice (that one sounded great).

Three shows in the last month or so with three different bands...that's pretty good in my book (the rules).

Post-shows gear gripes:

My SWR 1x15" sucks (we all knew this). That one is relegated to practice cab status. I don't even trust it to deliver after it fucked me on that recording session. I hate that. I can't hear it on stage.

I can't bitch about the electric grandmother too much. She's served my dumb ass well for years. I ought to check the speakers, though. Kurt wanted to do that a while back, and since they're the originals, it might be a good idea. I hate my lame tolex repairs. It's a little lacking in the low end, but kicks like a mule. If I replace speakers, I think that I'll put a couple of different kinds in there.

My Acoustic Control Corp. 406 (that ugly ass 2x15" that used to be in PMFS) sounded really smooth and nice with a little string noise; just how I like it. Apparently it was shaking clothes 20' out (just how I like it). I might transition that one into the OC when no one is looking. It needs work, so I'm moving that up in my projects list. Many of the bass players on the lists seem to be doing the Line-X thing for durability. I can dig that. Tolex gets hurt too easily, and Ozite isn't even an option if you have pets (although I've fired cat junior, feline number one is still here, for a time). The sound guy, Don, accused me of being "one of the loudest bass players in Denver." Also, he said it was a "killer rig." Awesome.

My Booger was solid, although I need to get it into a shop to fix those 4-ohm outputs and punch it up with some 6550s (probably while the mighty Tarmints are out conquering the west coast). It's not loud enough for the OC, and I'm so not into solid state sounds. If I can eek out 50 more watts, I'll be cool, at least until some damn fool guitar player gets a bigger amp or a new booster pedal. I really could get a couple of big amps going just for the OC.

My Orange One needs some help--American made is too weak for my playing, apparently. She's going to get a new brass nut, a new bridge, and new pickups (duncans or rio grandes, most likely) when she's not looking. Okay for BLC, awesome for the OC, but it wasn't the right bass for 4 a.m. because the g-string is too bright. I should've turned down the treble, but I wanted crunch for the loud part. Ah, hindsight....

I need to get a bypass box for the tuner. I've seen schematics on the internets. That pedal is a little tone-robbing asshole, and the output jack is all fucked up (too much beer).

Got some bass projects, for sure. That'll keep me amused on the cheap for a month or so.

Sometimes, I Surprise Myself

If y'all are looking for something to do on Sunday, why not head down to the Larimer Lounge for the notorious O.G. Red Cloud (west) minus one plus two show? If I weren't playing, I would go see it, because three of my favorites are playing between four and seven. Very curious what the new Ghost Buffalo lineup sounds like. Tornado Alley has some songs that take me back to a more carefree time in my life (I was really high).

As far as the OGRC(w)-1+2 goes, the tomahawk has been buried, and it's actually sounding really good. It's a pleasure to play with those boys again, even if I had serious reservations. Three guitarists makes those old songs border dangerously on jam band territory, but I think that Andrew and I can hold it together against The Shaman's minions. Get out of the tepee, break out the peace pipe and come experience some old songs (and a new one) with my old band (and some new guy). It should be fun, if not a drunk, time. None of us will imbibe the ritual orange juice and antifreeze beverage (prior to playing).

I can't remember Red Cloud ever playing a show completely sober back in the day. The Chief will not make an appearance, Allah willing.

The line up goes something like this:

11:00pm Mondo Generator
10:00pm Black Lamb
9:00pm Invisible Orange
8:00pm No Plot Kill
7:00pm Nightshark
6:00pm Ghost Buffalo
5:00pm Red Cloud West with Mike Neff
4:00pm Tornado Alley
3:00pm Action Packed Thrill Ride
2:00pm Bastard Trash

Yo! Here's some free tickets to print:

Unbeknownst To Me, I Was In This Acid Rock Band Once.

I hope that y'all are snowboarding on reality.

I have to copy and paste these (emphasis removed) reviews so that I have a record of the buzz from the first show to read years from now. They're mostly complimentary, I would say. It's quite amusing to me that the perception is that we're so psychedelic (that's the name of the record).

Linda Ruth Carter:

countdown over

expectations uncountable. zero disappointments. I wrote that on the Overcasters Myspace page early this morning within hours after their first public show.

The September 1 show at the Tarshack promised to be a memorable event. There was: artwork (equal parts beautiful and eerie layered glass paintings by Monofog's Doug Spencer); the world famous DJ, Tyler Jacobson (who didn't like my musical requests but played them anyway); knife throwing demonstrations (yes, really, knife throwing, and no, no injuries); the always interesting and and ever eclectic sounds of Pee Pee; and the formidable and impressive sounds of the hard working Mothership. All this would make for one good night if it ended right there, but at the top of the night was what I was most anxious to witness: the debut of the Overcasters.

I've been waiting patiently for a good many months to hear this band. Well, actually I've not been entirely so patient. Hearing about these songs for weeks (and weeks) but never having the opportunity to hear an actual note of any one of them...I began to get a little tetchy. I teasingly dubbed them "the Overpracticers."

But it was worth the wait. Over-rehearsed they are not. Talented and together is what they are...the result of time and effort well spent. Erin and Jeremy construct a rhythm section so tight you couldn't slide a piece of onionskin paper between the sounds then John and Kurt's guitars make a palpably dynamic layer floating just above that. You find yourself moving without thinking about it. And the vocals--lemme just say to those who've only heard Kurt sing a Tarmints song, you might be astounded at the downright pretty treatment he can give a song.

As happy as I was to finally hear them for the first time, it feels like I'll find more to love with multiple listens. And I hope that number will be beyond count.

Tom Murphy:

Overcasters (1): It might be a bit premature and biased for me to write about this band since they really have only played one show. But it's kind of a cool supergroup instead of the usual lame kind. In their line up are: Kurt Ottaway (Tarmints, Twice Wilted), Jeremy Ziehe (Bad Luck City, Red Cloud, Mr. Madonna, See Cities From Space), Erin Tidwell (Cowboy Curse, The Hot House and Tobias Jupiter/The Flashbangs) and John Nichols (Shrill, Munly, Tiny Television and The Birthday Girl). What kind of music? Like Echo & The Bunnymen with more rock and roll mixed in. More psychedelic and of course there's Kurt's signature sometimes quavering but always assured vocals. Great band in the making. But Kurt doesn't tend to fuck around with his projects. He may be my roommate but long before that I knew he was one of those people who if he's going to do something like a band he's going to do it really well or not bother.

Angora Holly Polo:

The Overcasters

Despite the knife-throwing in the front yard, the vibe at one of Denver’s most infamous artist living areas was comfortable the night of September 1st. Families talked, people ate cookies. It was a typical day at the Tarshack, though it had changed in the past year.

The Tarshack is a stark warehouse that several musicians call home. With the convenience of living without neighbors in an industrial area, the Tarshack sometimes opens its doors to a live music experience that’s unique and intimate; each local show is capped off with the Tarmints, a band that plays dirty, black-stained rock kicked around by the tortured growl of Kurt Ottaway. They only ask a suggested donation, bring your own booze, be polite, and leave the bulldozer out front alone.



Just over a year ago, moments before running through the crowd like a banshee and scream-growling from atop the donations table in the back, Ottaway introduced a song with a ranting speech: it was about making music because he doesn't have a wife, and he doesn't have a TV, and he doesn't drink, and he doesn't have a designer jeep to drive over to his girlfriend's house that he doesn't have. Not much of that has changed since then, but for one thing:

In a series of moments clearly designed by the rock gods, Ottaway found his soul mate in one who could be considered his only equal in rock-your-face-off energy (locally, at least): Erin Tidwell, the fire-haired drummer behind political Indie poppers Cowboy Curse, and a slew of other projects.

They secretly formed their relationship behind closed doors, and then formed a local supergroup in a similar fashion: behind the tightly-closed doors of the Tarshack, they created the Overcasters with Jeremy Ziehe from Bad Luck City (formerly in Red Cloud West) and John Nichols, who played with Munly. It was rumored that Ottaway wouldn’t reveal their new band until everything was absolutely perfect. All the while speculation churned outside their walls so that it was almost tangible: would the Overcasters sound like the Tarmints? It was assumed that the combination of such musical talents would combine into some great otherworldly musical combustion.

Then Ottaway suffered debilitating injuries from a motorcycle injury. His recovery dictated they push the unveiling off further. Even days before the first Overcasters show, Ottaway almost chopped off his fingertip in a motorcycle sprocket. After such a wait, presumably, nothing could stop him from playing.

The public return to the Tarshack September 1st was shocking in its familial comfort: the once-barren warehouse was now warm with paper lanterns, lit-up stars, painted red by Tidwell. It felt like a home, with Ottaway and Tidwell’s families hanging out. Monofog’s Doug Spencer exhibited art work – there was even a gallery room set aside – and Tyler Jacobson from Lipgloss DJed. People lined up to try out Spencer’s knife-throwing interactive art project (this still is the Tar-shack). People sat on the floor to watch Pee Pee’s slap-dash, whimsical porch jams. Then Mothership sent vibrations and chills through the entire warehouse with their vibrant, guitar-driven space rock.

And then friends, family, and fellow musicians gathered inside for the Overcasters to begin. Erin Tidwell’s father glanced at the door anxiously, watching the room fill up.

The first song churned along without vocals, a cool melodic body of water that would put out the fire behind Tarmints’ fury. The visual spectacle was equally calming: projected bubbles of light languidly floated over the red-headed Tidwell, adorned in a black and white ‘60s top. Ottaway’s biker growl smoothed out into a haunting, Win Butler-esque yell, a more accessible version of that vocal summoning of inner demons. They fell into characteristic Tarmints fits, black blues, grinding rock; but always settled back into cool, calm waters, calling more from the psychedelia of the ‘60s, and the echoing guitar sounds of post punk. The crowd was mostly silent throughout the show, either calmed or awed. Ottaway sarcastically thanked the crowd for being so polite. When the show was almost over, Ottaway went around and introduced the band. He introduced Ziehe and Nichols. When he got to Tidwell, there was no need for lengthy introduction; he simply instructed the crowd to listen to the next love song.

About that show...

It seemed like more than a few people stuck around. We played a great set, in my opinion. We need to work out a production bug, and work on those bogus switches. I had a good time. I've heard some ridiculous commentary since the show.

Locked and Loaded

On the eve of our debutante ball, things are going quite well. It appears that at least some people are as excited as we are to do this thing:

1401 Zuni, denber, 9-1-07, 21:00 sharp

I found a nice little write-up for the show over here (worth clicking). I know fucking nothing of the alleged myspace nonsense:

Father Guido suggests you go to the Tar-shack Saturday night for Overcasters, Mothership, and Pee Pee. This super group has been practicing and rehearsing and probably learning karate and making evil robots and unlocking the key to enlightenment, I don't fucking know, but they've been behind closed doors for what feels like forever.

They've been making hilarious claims on myspace, posting bulletins that say "Knife-throwing exhibition" and "THE CALL OF CTHULHU." Good God! It sounds exciting.

Tyler Jacobson is DJing! Artwork by Monofog's Doug Spencer! Gah!

The tension is killing me! What will you sound like, Overcasters?!

Another one:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: TYLER JACOBSON DJs THE OVERCASTERS, MOTHERSHIP & PEE PEE SHOW

Tyler DJs Overcasters, Mothership & Pee Pee show

The night that the Overcasters are unleashed on the world, Tyler will be providing the soundtrack to the in between times. 3 bands, 1 DJ and 1 art show. Be there to say you were there.

The build-up is getting to me a bit.
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Now playing: The Cure - Secrets

And For My Next Trick...

Coming off of the BLC show, still. The mighty OC is finally ready to rock y'all out .

Mighty Meaty
Wildly Weedy
and sometimes...pee-ey

Whoot, here it is:

1401 Zuni, denber, 9-1-07, 20:00-ish

Relieved.

I didn't fuck up too badly this evening. The whole band almost had one wreck. I hear that it sounded good. People seemed into it. I was glad to see a lot of friendly faces--too many people to list here. I got some good feedback.

Sort of been on a $WAN$ bender lately.
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Now playing: Swans - Breathing Water

Shitting Bricks?

On the contrary, K, Bad Ass Steve is visiting tonight.

I'm mostly nervous because this is a sort of high-profile show. If I can get through the first song, everything should be cool for my 'comeback' show. At least I have some good friends that have attempted to cool me out:

Ross claims that "you can't embarrass Bad Luck City."

Kurt says that I know enough about music theory to get through it. (gasp)

Erin is jealous that Bad Luck City rehearses sporadically.

LRC has been really sweet to me since I started freaking out last week. She's usually sweet, though. Chick requires some flowers soon.

I'm glad that it isn't math rock. I've decided to go with the smaller, less audible compact cab. Part of my reasoning is to curb my menacing elephant timbre; part is to conserve space with many bands playing the venue. As long as it doesn't fuck me (which the SWR has), it should be alright. The new cab simply isn't done yet.

i Dig this now playing shit. I need to fix the template.
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Now playing: Swans - You're Not Real, Girl