Show Journal 2000-06-02
You know how long it had been since we played at EJ’s? 357 days!!! Almost a year. Amazing. Some faces have changed but it’s still the coolest club in Portland. I think just being back was there was the highlight for us. Tonight was Terry’s birthday (the booking guy) so a ton of people came out. The first band was ok, but their staged wrestling match was hysterical. Little Alien (the singer from the band) had a fight with The Million Dollar Dot Com man (Joe from the Silverkings). They hit each other with all kinds of stuff including crutches and plywood and finished off the match with a body slam through a table that was lit on fire. Pretty cool until the guy turned on the fire extinguisher and sprayed it everywhere. Everything in EJ’s was coated with a fine white powder. You could taste it and smell it. How awful. Anyway, that sucked pretty bad but our show went amazingly well. I think Justin is getting the hang of this rock star thing. Perhaps too much so judging from the fire lit on stage underneath him.. Naked Violence still rocks harder than you. I left before Scotty Kellogg and the Punk Ass Bitches, but I’m sure they were good. They have been every other time I’ve seen them.
Show Journal 2000-05-07
This was a big show with a lot of people. Everyone of them was more punk than me. Or does that make me the punkest one since I looked normal? Who cares. The Straightjackets were my favorite band this afternoon. It would have been Statch but their bass player got naked … again. The big news today was that this was our first show with Justin. In fact this was Justin’s first show with anyone. We warned him that it’s all downhill from here (read the previous review) but he doesn’t seem phased. My first show I was so nervous I couldn’t even stand it. Not Justin, damn fool is running across the stage and jumping off drum risers looking like a seasoned rock star. Thanks to Another State of Mind … see you in 6 more years!
Album Review
This is a well produced disc of revved-up poppy punk. The song-writing’s top-notch and the guys are great musicians. Dave naturally sings with confidence and Brian’s back-ups add even more harmony and sweetness to the mix. There’s some great songs about monsters, pimps and aliens, but the reminiscent “Radio” about friendship (and beer) and the emotional songs, like “Still the Same” and “Brand New Faces” are powerful and honest and really touch me. Beer Can Count: One. Kelly drew an amazing cover for the CD and penciled in a redneck clutching a beer can as he’s about to get hacked to pieces. (Beer Can Fanzine #3)
Show Journal 2000-04-29
I thought we played great tonight. We were super tight and we played three new songs. Too bad only a dozen people came out to see it.
Show Journal 2000-04-09
Tonight’s show was at the Paris so two things are assumed 1) not many people came and 2) we didn’t get paid. If you can look past that it was a pretty good show. One Last Thing (the band) totally rocks. They were really different and very good. The other two bands were pretty cool as well. Thanks to J Crash for the show hook-up!
Album Review
Pop-punk rock’n’roll from Portland, Oregon, I think. Their sound is like a very energetic Misfits mixed with the Ramones so get this “Misfones” influenced kinda thing happening (maybe even tighter). Kind of a stronger early Badtown Boys and Face to Face mix. Track #2 “Condescend” and track #8 “Golden Road” are harmony-induced songs that kept me tappin’ my toes over and over. I like this release a lot and I hope they’re around for at least a few more records. 12 songs that set my mood for the day! I can see this band on Fearless, Fat, Hopeless, Epitaph or Lookout! One of these days. Catch them before they do! (Flipside)
Show Journal 2000-03-25
Ok, here’s an unusual show report … nothing bad happened tonight. In fact the whole trip was oddly …. easy. For the first time in almost 6 months we didn’t have to pack the van in the rain. In just kept getting better from there. We got to the club on time, got good gas mileage on the way, had nice weather and Dave even remembered his cd player. The show was pretty cool and really big too. Rumor has it there were over 200 people through the course of the evening. It was cool seeing a bunch of old faces again (namely Dave and “the Count”) and we also got meet some new people which a nice change from the “I’m more punk than you” crowd we sometimes encounter. Dustin is still the coolest promoter on earth. Check this out … he gave every band considerably more than their guarantee of the door (which is unheard of), got us free drinks, cooked dinner for us after the show and even gave us a quiet place to sleep. Gotta mention the other bands … we already know that the Burning Cindy’s rocked, but JP5 stole the show. The fact they hosted a mullet contest in mid-set should say it all. As much as I try not to classify bands, I’ve always got a weak spot for girls with Flying V guitars, so I’m going to have to say that they rocked. Check them out sometime. Hopefully we can follow the trail of Dave’s broken hearts back to Richland some time soon.
Show Journal 2000-03-03
Well, it came and went, our last show with Lyle. I’m glad that his last show with us was a good one, because there is nothing worse than going out with a bad show. I’m kind of at a loss for words and don’t really know what to say about him leaving. I guess I just wish everything would have worked out better so he could have stayed in the band longer. There was nothing cooler than looking over and seeing him just pounding away on that guitar on stage. Unfortunately, when he leaves he’ll be taking our only shred on punk rock credibility with him. Oh well, we’ll all see him again on the 10 Stepping Jane’s reunion tour. As for the actual show, not too much too report. Peter Parker was pretty good, but I think playing to the wrong crowd. It goes without saying that Tenpin rocked. Thanks again Lyle.
Show Journal 2000-02-25
Thank god for Northern California. Our last show there was awesome and this one was even better. The place was packed, hot, loud and everyone just went nuts. Redding and Anderson have the best all ages crowds on Earth. You’ve got to respect a crowd that comes out to local shows, screams, dances, slams and tries to sing to a band as obscure as us. Totally cool show. The only down side to the trip was running out of gas on the way home. Dave swore that it ran off of good looks alone, but apparently he was mistaken.
Show Journal 2000-02-18
The first time we played at a strip club it was a novelty … this time was just kind of disturbing. I’m hope my days of playing here are numbered. Also, once again we didn’t get paid.
Random Photos