#47 The Terrace on 9-29-10

The Terrace is a Japanese restaurant in Pasadena with a good stage. We got the show thanks to a referral from artist Melissa Knowlton. She also borrowed an ebow for Wayne for the show.

The booker Vince was a very down-to-Earth guy. The bands who played with us were a bizarre assortment of sludge metal, surf-garage rock, indie pop, etc. There was a definite 'white trash' element at the show, and I'm not entirely certain which band(s) brought it. I don't know that that 'fans were shared' between the bands, but we did our work and enjoyed it. Good friends came to the show and we celebrated afterwards at the Yard House.

We played with Urrea, Moondog Orchestra, Black Guppie Sound and The Zermatts.

#46 La Bries on 9-28-10

(photo by some guy walking by)

La Bries used to be called 'The Scene.' I don't know if there was ever much of a scene there.

I raced to get things together for the show and get to the venue. I arrived at 7:20ish to set up for our 8 o'clock set time. Castro was already there, waiting outside the locked club. We all stood there and waited. The person who we booked the show with called and said we were supposed to be at the Rainbow Club in Hollywood. However, she was joking.

The owner arrived, and we quickly set up our equipment. There were no microphones set up though. The sound guy was 'on his way' and was 'never late before.' We waited. When he did arrive, we decided we would cut our set down so as not to drag the night on and on. After all, there were 3 bands after us and it was now almost 9:30.

The sound on stage was FANTASTIC, and the concise set worked quite well. Sadly though, Wayne broke his ebow.

We played with Julian Shah-Tayler, Charles and Model K.

#45 Mountain Bar on 9-23-10

We were confused about where to park, and where the club even was. We went around the and Francis opened the side door of the van. We changed our minds and went back around the block. The door was not fully closed, so it slid open when a left turn was made. My Ampeg SVT-3 pro bass head went flying out into the street. After a stunned exchange of looks, Francis dashed out into the street and watched a car fly over it, no damage. Then a second car ran over it. Thwack.

The casing had been crushed in on the side, but it worked fine for the show.

We played with Hot TV and Cola-Cola. A couple gents from Casxio came to watch, which was a pleasant surprise.

New Video: Let The Games Begin

Yes. The video has arrived, and this is pleasing to us. "Let The Games Begin" directed by Israeli director Lior Molcho. Perhaps a tribute to our fine city.

#44 The Mezz on 9-8-10

(photo by Amber McCandless)

The Alexandria Hotel is currently (apparently) a low-income apartment building. The second floor is a bar called the Mezz. The ceiling is rather low, having originally been the ceiling for the lobby below. However, this makes for a nice atmosphere. We played without any monitors, so much of the sound was generalized throughout the room. We played with Julian Shah-Tayler (who was releasing his double album) and the Clouds. The crowd was mostly there to see Julian. Despite being a cool night, it got rather warm in the room.

#43 Vu Ultra Bar on 8-29-10

I got a haircut before the show. I decided to 'try some stuff out' on my hair, and let my girl go for it with the clippers. The results were amusing and pleasing.

This trip back to the 'Vu Bar' was very nice. As said before, the art community up here in Santa Clarita is very supportive. It's an odd place, kind of remote, allowing for a lot of time to kill. I envision more metal bands popping up here than anything else, but I haven't confirmed this is the case.

We had a few deodorant samples with us (for reasons we'd rather not say here) so we gave them away, although Castro had wanted me to engage the audience in a 'dance contest' in order to 'win' the deodorant. The crowd was even more supportive than last time, and we received nice compliments on our tone choices on the Micro Korg.

Besides the art on the walls, and the art battle we played with the Oceanographers.

#42 The Joint on 8-28-10

I have a preconceived bias against a club like the Joint. I feel it is one of those 'sceneless' clubs, where bands think they will 'make it' by booking a 'showcase' where 'industry' will attend. We were pleased to be playing two nights in a row though.

The stage is very high, and this is great. The sound man was direct and to the point, and delivered FANTASTIC sound on stage.

This was the first show incorporating the Micro Korg. It made me feel like ditching the bass altogether and just playing keys.

I closed my eyes during the bridge of Sea Legs and when I opened them again most of the crowd had left. They were there to support the previous band.

Some of us lingered to watch the final band of the night, a thrash/metal band. They all looked the part except for their bassist. Not only did he stand there mortified, staring at his bass most of the time, he was wearing an bright red Incredibles shirt and baggy jeans while the rest of the band looked street/metal.

We played with A Flavor Of Love, Creature Company, Great White Buffalo and The Arsenal.