Monday, March 9, 2009
dave mandel
I was watching the Throwdown DVD yesterday. there are soooo many good dudes in that video, but one of the funniest and most awesome is also one that i probably know the least out of anyone in that movie. Dave Mandel.
my first introduction to Mandel was from his zine, Indecision. It was a fucking great zine, huge with tons of amazing pictures and interviews with the biggest bands of the day. towards the end of his run publishing Indecision, he started doing mini-zines called CAN'T FORGIVE. they were more personal and i totally related to them, being an angsty-type teenager. i could tell that he was in the "hardcore elite" of the day, being friends with all of the big bands like Strife and stuff.
the first time i ever saw a picture of him was in Christine Doan's zine, STREAMLINE, where there is a pic of this unassuming dude with bleached hair and a letterman's jacket talking on a payphone. then, of course, there was the whole "Mandel can suck it" record...
i remember this concert called BOARD IN SOUTH BAY at Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Sick Of It All was playing. this smaller dude in a Youth Of Today tank top was pushing around the bro-type dudes who were ruining our fun, and someone leaned in and said "thats Dave Mandel"
i dont remember when i finally met Mandel. maybe it was when Throwdown got signed to Indecision. i remember him bringing Taylor Steele (the singer of 4 Walls Falling, not the film maker) over to softcore one night. we somehow became friends, and i remember my kid almost falling in his pool once.
the picture above was taken at Lazerstar, in Oxnard. i think Throwdown, possibly 18 Visions was playing, and there was a photobooth. we went a little picture crazy that night, and this picture is from a series where i made 4 different people jump in with me. i am very proud of this picture. the expression on his face is amazing.
i sent Dave an interview for All Over This Town about 3 months ago, and last i heard from Itow is that he is "working on it" and ill get it soon. should be interesting.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Poll Results -- Victory Records
Poll results are finished. We asked you, the reader, to vote for your least favorite of these Victory Records bands:
Bloodlet - 9 (21%)
Deadguy - 9 (21%)
Earth Crisis - 7 (16%)
Snapcase - 3 (7%)
Strife - 14 (33%)
Going in, I assumed Strife would win. Perhaps the wholesale sell-out of the band put a bad taste in a lot of mouths (didn't 1 guy stay edge?) Maybe people just don’t like the band; I know I never did.
Leave a comment telling us who you voted for and why.
Bloodlet - 9 (21%)
Deadguy - 9 (21%)
Earth Crisis - 7 (16%)
Snapcase - 3 (7%)
Strife - 14 (33%)
Going in, I assumed Strife would win. Perhaps the wholesale sell-out of the band put a bad taste in a lot of mouths (didn't 1 guy stay edge?) Maybe people just don’t like the band; I know I never did.
Leave a comment telling us who you voted for and why.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Useless Facts
I keep a list of every show I've ever been to. I think a lot of people do. I recommend starting one, as it's helpful when you're 31 and trying to remember something that happened 15 years ago. As I was browsing it trying to jog my memory for stories for this blog, I noticed that I'd been to 2 shows in the same day on a number of occasions. Here's some that caught my eye:
July 22, 1996 -- Disembodied, Endeavour, Enewetak, Collapse @ Stone's Church
July 22, 1996 -- Texas Is The Reason, Gameface @ HB Library
By the time we got to the Library, the show was long sold out. I think we bribed the door-guy with food instead of doing the usual sneak-in by climbing the balcony.
July 25, 1997 -- Ten Yard Fight, Battery @ San Diego Showcase (matinee)
July 25, 1997 -- Rocket From The Crypt @ San Diego Showcase (night show)
I think this was TYF's first West Coast show? Maybe not. Either way, the next day was the West Coast debut of Better Than A Thousand at the Showcase in Corona. We didn't realize how many people were into TYF and thought we'd be the only ones singing/moshing/diving, but Showcase went crazy when they played. We were psyched.
February 2, 2000 -- Farside @ Chain Reaction
February 2, 2000 -- Gehenna @ Showcase
Two of my all time favorite bands. I think Farside only played 2 or 3 shows after this, although the East Coast tour with Fastbreak may have occurred in there sometime?
June 28, 2000 -- Throwdown, Eighteen Visions @ Fireside Bowl (Chicago)
June 28, 2000 -- Jets To Brazil, The Explosion @ Fireside Bowl (Chicago)
The Fireside was almost unbearably filled with cigarette smoke when Jets To Brazil played. This was not the show where the beef with No Warning started. That was on December 29, 2001 when Throwdown, Bleeding Through, and No Warning played together at The Fireside.
November 18, 2001 -- The Mistake @ Chain Reaction
November 18, 2001 -- Limp Wrist @ Koo's
I'm not sure I believe this happened, but it's on the list so I'll list it until I determine otherwise.
January 25, 2002 -- The Grand Elegance @ Orbit Studios
January 25, 2002 -- Innaway @ House Show
The Grand Elegance show was more of a practice with a few people there. It is, however, noteworthy because I drank beers with Rolan Bolan, Marc Bolan's son. I didn't have the cojones to ask about T. Rex.
February 22, 2002 -- The Starvations, The Grand Elegance, Thee Make Out Party @ The San Juan Train Depot
February 22, 2002 -- Innaway @ The Tiki Bar
The Grand Elegance killed it that night. The crowd kept requesting songs off the CDep, but the band just flat-out couldn't remember how to play them, even after several attempts.
June 14, 2007 -- The Hymns @ Detroit
June 14, 2007 -- Japanese Motors @ Avalon
I've probably done some combo of Detroit / Avalon / eVocal shows on the same night a few times. The list needs updating.
April 27, 2008 -- Mean Season, Love Thyne, The Mistake, Crushed On You @ Showcase
April 27, 2008 -- M.I.A. (w/ Jello Biafra singing) @ Detroit
I only made it for a couple Jello Biafra-fronted songs, so this only half counts.
There's probably more, but like I said, the list needs some updating.
Unrelated note: I once saw Blood For Blood, Blood Has Been Shed, and Most Precious Blood play the same show.
July 22, 1996 -- Disembodied, Endeavour, Enewetak, Collapse @ Stone's Church
July 22, 1996 -- Texas Is The Reason, Gameface @ HB Library
By the time we got to the Library, the show was long sold out. I think we bribed the door-guy with food instead of doing the usual sneak-in by climbing the balcony.
July 25, 1997 -- Ten Yard Fight, Battery @ San Diego Showcase (matinee)
July 25, 1997 -- Rocket From The Crypt @ San Diego Showcase (night show)
I think this was TYF's first West Coast show? Maybe not. Either way, the next day was the West Coast debut of Better Than A Thousand at the Showcase in Corona. We didn't realize how many people were into TYF and thought we'd be the only ones singing/moshing/diving, but Showcase went crazy when they played. We were psyched.
February 2, 2000 -- Farside @ Chain Reaction
February 2, 2000 -- Gehenna @ Showcase
Two of my all time favorite bands. I think Farside only played 2 or 3 shows after this, although the East Coast tour with Fastbreak may have occurred in there sometime?
June 28, 2000 -- Throwdown, Eighteen Visions @ Fireside Bowl (Chicago)
June 28, 2000 -- Jets To Brazil, The Explosion @ Fireside Bowl (Chicago)
The Fireside was almost unbearably filled with cigarette smoke when Jets To Brazil played. This was not the show where the beef with No Warning started. That was on December 29, 2001 when Throwdown, Bleeding Through, and No Warning played together at The Fireside.
November 18, 2001 -- The Mistake @ Chain Reaction
November 18, 2001 -- Limp Wrist @ Koo's
I'm not sure I believe this happened, but it's on the list so I'll list it until I determine otherwise.
January 25, 2002 -- The Grand Elegance @ Orbit Studios
January 25, 2002 -- Innaway @ House Show
The Grand Elegance show was more of a practice with a few people there. It is, however, noteworthy because I drank beers with Rolan Bolan, Marc Bolan's son. I didn't have the cojones to ask about T. Rex.
February 22, 2002 -- The Starvations, The Grand Elegance, Thee Make Out Party @ The San Juan Train Depot
February 22, 2002 -- Innaway @ The Tiki Bar
The Grand Elegance killed it that night. The crowd kept requesting songs off the CDep, but the band just flat-out couldn't remember how to play them, even after several attempts.
June 14, 2007 -- The Hymns @ Detroit
June 14, 2007 -- Japanese Motors @ Avalon
I've probably done some combo of Detroit / Avalon / eVocal shows on the same night a few times. The list needs updating.
April 27, 2008 -- Mean Season, Love Thyne, The Mistake, Crushed On You @ Showcase
April 27, 2008 -- M.I.A. (w/ Jello Biafra singing) @ Detroit
I only made it for a couple Jello Biafra-fronted songs, so this only half counts.
There's probably more, but like I said, the list needs some updating.
Unrelated note: I once saw Blood For Blood, Blood Has Been Shed, and Most Precious Blood play the same show.
The Orphans @ Mr. T's Bowl
I hadn’t even heard of The Orphans when my friend D asked if I wanted to go see them play around December ‘01. D knew of the band because she worked retail with the singer, Jenny. All she could tell me was they were a “punk” band of some sort – no description of style, sound, scene, whatever. Didn’t really matter, I was game.
The show was at Mr. T’s Bowl in Highland Park. In hindsight, it was probably one of their early shows, as the 1st 7” hadn’t been released yet.
We arrived at Mr. T’s which I remember being some combination of restaurant, bowling alley, and bar, although my memory isn’t real clear on this. The scene showed good potential for an interesting show -– punks, hippies, Hessian types, art schoolers, some greasers. Soon after arrival we met up with a few of D’s all female co-workers who were funny, witty, and purposefully obnoxious in a good way. Another good sign, I thought. As we drank a few beers, I saw Phil from Gods Iron Tooth, who I hadn’t seen in awhile so I went over to say hello. Turned out he was the roadie for this at-the-time unknown-to-me band The Orphans. Yet another promising indicator.
Some stoner-metal type act played first, I think. Maybe a surf-garage band played, too? Don’t really remember. Any memory of these bands was soon to be completely eclipsed.
The Orphans take the stage and immediately begin tearing the place apart. If you saw ‘em, you know what the live show was like. Iggy Pop meets Darby Crash meets The Avengers vibe. Jenny going apeshit, rolling around on the floor, hiking up her dress, licking the mike, being overly obnoxious. Wade, drunk, barely playing the bass – more of just a smashing on the strings with his fist and getting bloody. Dan and Brandon holding the whole thing together.
Again, if you saw The Orphans, you know Wade had a proclivity for a few things: (1) getting bloody; (2) smashing beer bottles on his head; (3) breathing fire. A lot of bands breathe fire. It’s nothing new, but a fun gimmick at times. So Wade fills his mouth with alcohol, covers the bass stock, lights the stock on fire. But, here's the catch. Instead of spitting the alcohol up into the air like every other band I've seen who does this, Wade aims at the audience and spits fire directly in the face of one of the guys from the opening act. Wow. I’m pretty sure his hair caught fire. He may have fallen down. At some point he recovers himself enough to run to the back of the place, presumably to the bathroom to wash off his face. At this point, I’m impressed.
A few songs later, who reappears in the crowd? Fire victim. He immediately rushes the stage, tackles Wade, and starts punching him (or trying to punch him, I couldn’t really tell what was happening). Out of nowhere, Phil appears from the side of the stage and starts destroying Fire Victim. First he gets burned, then beat up. Not this guy’s night, that’s for sure.
I think the show ended at this point. Didn't really matter. I left thoroughly impressed, and with a new favorite band. I would go on to see The Orphans a ton, but nothing was quite like that first night. Well, maybe the time at the Prospector when my same friend D became the victim of Wade’s fire antics and had her hair catch fire. She was too drunk to notice, so I think Jenny put it out while continuing to sing. Classic.
The Orphans "Last Show" flyer:
The show was at Mr. T’s Bowl in Highland Park. In hindsight, it was probably one of their early shows, as the 1st 7” hadn’t been released yet.
We arrived at Mr. T’s which I remember being some combination of restaurant, bowling alley, and bar, although my memory isn’t real clear on this. The scene showed good potential for an interesting show -– punks, hippies, Hessian types, art schoolers, some greasers. Soon after arrival we met up with a few of D’s all female co-workers who were funny, witty, and purposefully obnoxious in a good way. Another good sign, I thought. As we drank a few beers, I saw Phil from Gods Iron Tooth, who I hadn’t seen in awhile so I went over to say hello. Turned out he was the roadie for this at-the-time unknown-to-me band The Orphans. Yet another promising indicator.
Some stoner-metal type act played first, I think. Maybe a surf-garage band played, too? Don’t really remember. Any memory of these bands was soon to be completely eclipsed.
The Orphans take the stage and immediately begin tearing the place apart. If you saw ‘em, you know what the live show was like. Iggy Pop meets Darby Crash meets The Avengers vibe. Jenny going apeshit, rolling around on the floor, hiking up her dress, licking the mike, being overly obnoxious. Wade, drunk, barely playing the bass – more of just a smashing on the strings with his fist and getting bloody. Dan and Brandon holding the whole thing together.
Again, if you saw The Orphans, you know Wade had a proclivity for a few things: (1) getting bloody; (2) smashing beer bottles on his head; (3) breathing fire. A lot of bands breathe fire. It’s nothing new, but a fun gimmick at times. So Wade fills his mouth with alcohol, covers the bass stock, lights the stock on fire. But, here's the catch. Instead of spitting the alcohol up into the air like every other band I've seen who does this, Wade aims at the audience and spits fire directly in the face of one of the guys from the opening act. Wow. I’m pretty sure his hair caught fire. He may have fallen down. At some point he recovers himself enough to run to the back of the place, presumably to the bathroom to wash off his face. At this point, I’m impressed.
A few songs later, who reappears in the crowd? Fire victim. He immediately rushes the stage, tackles Wade, and starts punching him (or trying to punch him, I couldn’t really tell what was happening). Out of nowhere, Phil appears from the side of the stage and starts destroying Fire Victim. First he gets burned, then beat up. Not this guy’s night, that’s for sure.
I think the show ended at this point. Didn't really matter. I left thoroughly impressed, and with a new favorite band. I would go on to see The Orphans a ton, but nothing was quite like that first night. Well, maybe the time at the Prospector when my same friend D became the victim of Wade’s fire antics and had her hair catch fire. She was too drunk to notice, so I think Jenny put it out while continuing to sing. Classic.
The Orphans "Last Show" flyer:
Monday, March 2, 2009
chris girard's house show
sometimes there are hardcore shows that are the stuff of legend.
one hazy weekend afternoon in south county, a legendary show happened. anyone in attendance will attest to this. in a mild mannered suburban home, the spectacle of THE MISTAKE and MATOE was unleashed.
ive asked a few people to try to put to words what happened at this show, and i receved this from Austin Cherness, or "Austin without the liprings" or "south county Austin"
chris gerard lived with his mom in a nice house in laguna niguel. he decided to have a show with the mistake and matoe. i think the mistake and matoe kind of always had to play together. this was one of the first shows where matoe werent pirates, and it was pretty much a let down. this was in his garage and it was pretty much all south county kids, with the exception of the mistake and a few friends. this was the begining of the short lived "riot mosh", and man was that fun.
what made riot mosh different from regular moshing? well, riot mosh was more wwf instead of karate. also it was just trying to do the most over the top stuff you could, like elbow drops and baseball slides and body slams and stuff. it was always aimed at friends though, because nobody else really understood it. due to riot mosh, i will forever have a busted shoulder. i messed it up in a wall of death gone wrong, and as it was healing, aria decided it was a good idea and body slam me right on to it.
anyway, the mistake played and it was mayhem in the little garage. i wish i still had pictures, if only to post mikey v's flock of seagulls hair from the show. and i think he had construction gloves on. the mistake usually finished sets with the "where's my foot" song, and its a great pile on part. well, it usually is, but this time was different. a lot of times, there would be 1 or 2 shoes thrown on stage...well, i dont know WHY or HOW this happened, but there was a giant bucket of shoes in the garage just waiting to be thrown. so all of a sudden, the pile on doesnt happen, and it turns into a fucking battlefield of shoes. like literally, at least 20 pairs of shoes being thrown full force at each other in a tiny packed garage. i think jav still has injurys from this.
anyway, it was a great show. probably better than when matoe played at this kids house and we had a bounce house mosh sesh and then people were moshing with sledge hammers and axes.
after the show we went to in n out and greg cuchissi carved slayer in his arm to show how metal he was. i asked him to see and i poured a pack of salt on it. the end.
one hazy weekend afternoon in south county, a legendary show happened. anyone in attendance will attest to this. in a mild mannered suburban home, the spectacle of THE MISTAKE and MATOE was unleashed.
ive asked a few people to try to put to words what happened at this show, and i receved this from Austin Cherness, or "Austin without the liprings" or "south county Austin"
chris gerard lived with his mom in a nice house in laguna niguel. he decided to have a show with the mistake and matoe. i think the mistake and matoe kind of always had to play together. this was one of the first shows where matoe werent pirates, and it was pretty much a let down. this was in his garage and it was pretty much all south county kids, with the exception of the mistake and a few friends. this was the begining of the short lived "riot mosh", and man was that fun.
what made riot mosh different from regular moshing? well, riot mosh was more wwf instead of karate. also it was just trying to do the most over the top stuff you could, like elbow drops and baseball slides and body slams and stuff. it was always aimed at friends though, because nobody else really understood it. due to riot mosh, i will forever have a busted shoulder. i messed it up in a wall of death gone wrong, and as it was healing, aria decided it was a good idea and body slam me right on to it.
anyway, the mistake played and it was mayhem in the little garage. i wish i still had pictures, if only to post mikey v's flock of seagulls hair from the show. and i think he had construction gloves on. the mistake usually finished sets with the "where's my foot" song, and its a great pile on part. well, it usually is, but this time was different. a lot of times, there would be 1 or 2 shoes thrown on stage...well, i dont know WHY or HOW this happened, but there was a giant bucket of shoes in the garage just waiting to be thrown. so all of a sudden, the pile on doesnt happen, and it turns into a fucking battlefield of shoes. like literally, at least 20 pairs of shoes being thrown full force at each other in a tiny packed garage. i think jav still has injurys from this.
anyway, it was a great show. probably better than when matoe played at this kids house and we had a bounce house mosh sesh and then people were moshing with sledge hammers and axes.
after the show we went to in n out and greg cuchissi carved slayer in his arm to show how metal he was. i asked him to see and i poured a pack of salt on it. the end.
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