Them Slack Jawed Sons of Bitches || Nashville Pussy || The Blank Club || February 9, 2013

Last Saturday night The Blank Club delivered again with another great show.  I've seen Slack Jaw a bunch of times and I've seen Nashville Pussy many times too.  Both bands delivered great sets.  They crowd ate up the energy these bands were giving out.

To start off the night local yokels, Them Slack Jawed Sons of Bitches, gained the crowds attention with some rim shots, light picking and a sweet steel slide.  After that attention was gained, song two blasted into the realm of "rubber burnin' honky tonk".  Too punk to be country, but with the solid addition of Mr. Vaughn on pedal steel they never lose their country roots.  Basically, they just plain and simply rock.  And with newer addition Mr. Smith on bass guitar this quartet is really gelling as a whole.  They sure surprised the hell out of the crowd who came for Nashville Pussy!

However the majority of the crowd came to see The world famous Nashville Pussy.  That name has so much balls attached to it.  Give them props for that alone.  Now if you have never seen Nashville Pussy, I have to say if you like live rock and roll music, this should raise a few notches on your priority list.  This band has been one of the hardest rocking bands for years now.  People should stand up and take notice.  And to boot, a marriage has stayed whole through it all.  Pretty crazy if you think about it.  If you ever want to get a good lesson in the business of rock, check out the film "It's a long way..." that came out in 2010.  Nashville Pussy only hit the tip of the iceberg on what band business is all about.

There is one singular reason that these energetic middle-aged musicians still rock; they truly enjoy performing the music.  It shows with the energy that is them.  Again, another great show.  Thanks for coming to town.  And if that is not enough to convince you, the last time they came to town they opened for ZZ Top. Billy Gibbons must love them too.


To wrap it up, it is always so nice to see an affordable show in a comfortable atmosphere and have no problem getting a drink.  Many local shows do not have the crowd that these bands brought on Saturday night, but still I have to thank the owners for staying open and continuing to put up good, original traveling (and local) bands for those who have interest in seeing something different.  Thank you!  Here are some pics and videos of the action Saturday night.  Enjoy!  All photos by Jim Brick.  Thanks Jim!

El Buzzard || Flying Off With The Scraps || Hidden Rock'n'Roll p. 9

 
I had been contemplating why I wanted to write about El Buzzard since the inception of Lofi San Jose.  They have always been on the short list of 408 bands that I wanted to document.  I couldn't  really put my finger on it.  I only saw them once, about 8 years ago.  They opened for someone at the Blank Club; but they were the main attraction.  Then I found out that Josh Santaga was throwing himself a 40th birthday party and his two former bands, Curbside and El Buzzard were going to play.  I was stoked. Beyond stoked.  I wanted to re-evaluate El Buzzard in a new perspective.  Last night they played and they kicked some major ass.  What a treat to see them again.

check out that drum kit!

A few months back I started to write this piece.  I began to re-evaluate why I was writing this post.  El Buzzard must be explored deeper.  Why does this band resonate in my consciousness?  I only saw them once.  Why?  I must dig deeper.  Upon digging deeper into the thoughts concepts and perspectives of El Buzzard I found their simply, yet informative website.  A place where you can download all of their music for free.  I did just that and then placed it on heavy rotation in my Ipod.  The low fidelity music was great.  A chanting tribal blast of adrenaline.  Gringa is a must, however they all have some hits and some misses.  The misses basically fall into the category of background static, however the hits are a true onslaught of tone.  And what better way to see & feel the tone than in a live performance.  They are a POWERFUL band.  Big and bad.  That is what rang the truest in my memories and was re-awakened again last night.  They came out of the gates like a seasoned band who just wrapped up a 50 date tour, not one that has been sitting idle for the last 5 years.  What a true joy to see them.  I captured a video, but it doesn't do the live show justice.  It just allows a glimpse into what El Buzzard is/was.  My advice, if you see that they are playing go out and check the live show.  I'll be there!


Let me wrap up this post with an evaluation of the whole show last night.  It was Josh's birthday bash, so in regards to that he brought Curbside out of retirement as well as a band called 4Banger.  Both bands had not played in a while either but they sounded great.  Curbside has a lively frontman in Sean Bjordahl, and really got the crowd going.  They were before my time moving to the southbay, however it seemed like the veteran crowd really really dug the noise.  Shawn Packer was filling in on Bass and their drummer was a sheer join to see live.  You wanna talk about a live, snappy, quick punk drum sound....this dude was the backbone in Curbside.  Truly amazing that he still has the tightness after 20 years.   Here are a couple of videos of the other players.  All and all a really good night!

  4Banger

CURBSIDE

Diarrhea Planet / Jeff the Brotherhood || The Blank Club || Oct. 16, 2012

Ah, to feel young again.  Any time that I am blessed with the strength to rally on a Tuesday night, I am stoked.  Especially when the real treat is a couple of hot bands from Nashville, TN making their way through San Jose winning over fans one orchestrated note at a time.  This is a simple description of what was bestowed upon my eardrums on last Tuesday.

Diarrhea Planet are an onslaught of guitars.  A true orchestra in every sense of the word.  A rhythmic based band built on simplistic tunes that show their true colors in a live performance setting.  Yes, there is noodling.  But is done well and doesn't take center stage.  Whenever you get 28 strings all up on one stage...that could equal a lot of "ego" strapped around 5 dudes necks.  In other words, upon first appearance you go, "this could either be really good or really bad".  It was awesome.  They have worked through their material for the live show and come across textured and full of energy.  No wanking here.  Plus, you can tell that they truly love playing together.  It really shows that they are up there to have fun.  They blistered through a 45 minute set winnings over the locals.  I told myself there was no way I could buy a shirt that says, "Diarrhea Planet".  But song by song they won me over and adding money to their commission on the sales job they laid forth.  Good job Lads!

Next up was the headliner, Jeff the Brotherhood.  These guys have been getting a lot of attention lately in the underground music world.  And rightly so.  They have worked hard at their craft.  Youtube them.  It shows in their live performances that they have played together for a long time.  Hell, they are brothers by birth.  Tuesday night they came out guns a blazin' with stage theatrics and a whole routine.  My only complaint would be they seemed to run out of steam for a midweek non-premium city show.  It is a lot of hard work touring around the countryside trying to spread the word of your own creative forces.  And being a two man outfit (minimized by the fact that the guitar only has 3 strings on it) you don't get much support from the outside world when needed.  Comparing it to DP, one guy can have an off night and nobody in the crowd may notice.  In JTB, if one guy has an off night, the set is fucked.  Well, maybe that is a little strong, because they still were a treat to see live.  And they finished really strong.  However, compared to DP, who had the energy of a mid-level manager

after a two-week Hawaiian vacation, it'd seemed that JTB went a little flat about half way through.  Flat or not, thank you both bands for making your way through San Jose.  Music fans around here really appreciate it.  And you can tell it is working.  My favorite line of the night from JTB, "Hey is that one guy who was the only person in the audience the last time we played here in the crowd tonight?"  The joint will be full next time, JTB.

Rev. Horton Heat & Supersuckers || Always a hit || The Blank Club, SJ, CA July 18, 2012

Photo by Jeff Okubo

 I am not getting any younger.  With that age comes the dread of a bad nights sleep....especially mid-week.  Still, some things are worth rallying for on a week night.  One of those would be either of these two bands.  They got their shtick down tight and they are fun to see live.  It was my fifth time seeing the Supersuckers and my fourth time seeing the Rev.  Still, good as always and having fun rocking the crowd.  The last two times I saw the bands was at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz and the now defunct Voodoo Lounge in San Jose.  It was good to see them back in a much more intimate setting like the Blank Club.  I feel so lucky to see such good musicians so up close and personal.  Ah, all on a Wednesday Night.  Enjoy the videos.....

Shit's getting good || Dirty Pillows/Trashkannon || Caravan Series

Last Friday night at the Caravan was a real treat.  The two bands that played there really blew down the sweaty doors with raw power and energy.  It was real fun to watch.  My buddy Jeff wanted to help me celebrate a major victory.  What else better way to do it than ride down to the Caravan on a beautiful friday night in San Jose, Ca and wash down some cold, cold beverages and enjoy a true show....all for the low, low price of free.

Dirty Pillows opened up the set.  I saw these guys a few years back and I had been meaning to catch them again.  I loved their raw, energetic sound.  Still, you could tell that they were fresh out of the gates and needed some time to gel.  They have gelled.  They sounded very confident.  And in a two piece band the one thing that you cannot lack is confidence.  Unfortunately I only caught the last three or four tunes but they were all great.  Their closer "Happy Trails" was torn to bits by them two...with an incredble breakdown and the end.  It did exactly what you want a breakdown to down...leave the kids for wanting more.  I will definitely look forward to an entire set set time I see these guys.

Then Trashkannon comes on.  I thought I had seen them in the past, but if I did I must of been out of my head or something.  This group is a powerhouse of music and it is heading straight for the jugular.  The great thing is they were missing two players that night too.  Usually there is a different musician on bass and an additional guitarist.  For the night the rhythm section was held down by two members of the Whiskey Avengers. These guys are real musicians.  The powerhouse call and response vocals put on by the singer and bass player were great.  They busted out some great punk rock cracks like calling the dude in the front row with a long beard a Gillbillie.  But the main force was the package of music they brought with them.  They definitely had a packed Caravan, rocking and a rolling through their setlist that comprised of what I believe was some originals and some covers.  I happened to capture two covers.  One of the best is their
spoof of the Weezer tune "Beverly Hills" except with a home town twist changing the lyrics Naglee Park and all the shenanigans that go on in that part of town.  There is a great sampling of it down below in the video section along with a great rendition of the 4 Non Blondes song, "What's Up".
Most of all, I would place a high recommendation on paying money to see either local band.  They are really, really getting good.  Fun night!

Trashkannon sings "Nagalee Park"
Trashkannon sings "What's Up"
Dirty Pillows sing "Happy Trails"

Melvins vs. Unsane || The Blank Club -SJ, CA || April 11, 2012

One year in college I was working at the radio station and I was assigned to play a 3 hour rock block of the Melvins.  I relived that memory last night, except in technicolor.  Sonically their original sound blisters your soul.  It is good, articulate rock and roll with a middle finger directed straight toward the upper class.  All with such bad ass style that keeps people coming back again and again for more loud, destructive art.

Buzz and Dale may be the founders however it is definitely a sum of the parts.  These are not the Melvins I was introduced to almost 20 years ago.  They have evolved into a hard-rocking machine that draws from everyone in the band.  A prime example of that is the utilization of all their voices, building dynamics through a song...let alone their "Stripes Inspired" chants.  The addition of another drummer hits you harder across the face, and let's just face it....it is completely showing off.  Two mo' fo' bad ass drummers that played a long night last night, filling in for the opening band Unsane, due to their drummer having a hip injury.  Go figure that this too was a hard hitting set.  I had heard of these guys back in the 90s, but some bands just never got a good listen during those pre-internet days.  I was really glad to experience them the way the need to be experienced; live and in person.  So heavy and hard but with the beautiful juxtaposition of sweet Fender Tone!  Yes, you heard me right.  The guitarist rocked a Tele (which looked pretty damn stock) hard into what appeared to be a late 60s Fender Dual Showman.  A true workhorse of an amp and this guy gave it a good run for it's money.  They had an interesting touch of blues too.  Definitely the most over-the-top, hard-rocking blues I have ever seem.  Anybody who busts out a metal slide and harmonica loves the blues.  And it was very apparent last night.  A really unique sound. I don't know what else to say about Unsane, except- 1) I need to do a little more research on the and 2) Go see them Live!

Both bands cannot really be truly captured and appreciated recorded.  Why?  Because what they do cannot be spliced together inside a computer or on analog tape and then spit out.  They do their work on their instruments and in front of a crowd.  And that is why I keep coming out to see it.

Still, I must include a sampling of this onslaught at the Blank Club last night:

Sometimes it is just hard to Rally || February 3, 2012 || Caravan Series

Friday night can be tough.  Especially as you age, which is inevitable in all of us.  Weeks drag, winter nights are dark and cold...listen to me?  I am bitching and I live in California.  Shit, I think it was in the 70s here yesterday.  After work I had 20 minutes on the couch with feet up in the air listening to tunes.  I was ready to roll.

I also find it hard to bitch with the Caravan being a less than ten minute car ride doorstep to doorstep.  Still, it is so much easier for one to sit on the couch and plug into god knows what electronic gadget, than get your ass off the couch and go out.  So, along with myself, I applaud all you people who went out on Friday night.  I applaud you all the more for making it down to the Caravan and listening to the music of The Pinks, Bibles & Hand Grenades and Them Slack Jawed Sons of Bitches.  I apologize for some who had to wait in line and missed some of the set.  Especially on a Friday night.  Warm days always help.  Rainy nights tend to hinder.  Either way, hopefully you can all make it down some other night to join in on the fun of live original musicians that tend to be local day-job yokels.  Here is a little taste of last night: