tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82673618190357523842024-03-03T03:17:07.005-07:00Total BlogThe Total Blog is updated occasionally.Wantage USAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01967977620424298318noreply@blogger.comBlogger473125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-41960622972322855782017-01-25T15:06:00.001-07:002017-01-25T15:26:58.531-07:00VANEK UNLOADS 2016 BAGGAGE<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xQQG8ogYi9F-5fh20mpTEklRKhhTfLbCzuqnreHvXxVje-Qa1tfgeN0cHXA_HEh9XTB90tujQXLWt2xvDwTPuKuOYmc7TZj-uIfAC9zamslktjymn3-JmUAVSuWy99oKB1A2wgWLBno/s1600/Coady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xQQG8ogYi9F-5fh20mpTEklRKhhTfLbCzuqnreHvXxVje-Qa1tfgeN0cHXA_HEh9XTB90tujQXLWt2xvDwTPuKuOYmc7TZj-uIfAC9zamslktjymn3-JmUAVSuWy99oKB1A2wgWLBno/s400/Coady.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Business</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xQQG8ogYi9F-5fh20mpTEklRKhhTfLbCzuqnreHvXxVje-Qa1tfgeN0cHXA_HEh9XTB90tujQXLWt2xvDwTPuKuOYmc7TZj-uIfAC9zamslktjymn3-JmUAVSuWy99oKB1A2wgWLBno/s1600/Coady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Everybody knows lots was wrong in 2016 but musically for me there was some pretty excellent stuff that came to and happened in Missoula. <a href="http://bigbigbusiness.com/">Big Business</a> played at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebadlandermissoula/">Badlander</a> and were nothing but of bruisingly excellent. <a href="http://www.jonnyfritz.com/">Jonny Fritz </a>and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Best-Westerns-111851885605210/">Best Westerns</a> played at the Palace. Divers played at the VFW. Absu wore corpse paint and defiled the Palace. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/timmys.organism/">Timmy's Organism </a>and Wolf Eyes careened into the ZACC. Mordecai and Plastic Crimewave Sound blazed down the VFW. Purling Hiss erupted Stage 112. Danava and the Shrine dusted the Top Hat. I really got to see a such a great set of bands in Missoula this year that I'm running out of stupid verbs do describe them. And those are just the touring acts. The best Montana band I saw was when I was in Crow Agency for work, and I saw a Crow country singer named <a href="https://youtu.be/DFU4fSTFZi8">Sammy Hoops</a> on a flatbed trailer, with a pedal steel accompaniment. It was like hearing Neil Young for the first time or something. Chilled me. Back here in the Garden City, I had a blast seeing St. Balls play huge, self-indulgent psych jams, and that Dwarves cover band at the Bike Doc. around Halloween made me grin ear to ear. I remembered most of the lyrics to <a href="https://youtu.be/oGAyZbDJwsE">"Backseat of My Car"</a> which doesn't exactly make me proud.<br />
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I used to help with Total Fest and this was the first year we didn't do it since 2003. Mostly, that meant I got to do other pretty normal things like go hiking, and enjoy summer. It was sad too because Total Fest was easily as much about the hangouts as it was about the tunes and I missed all of that hanging out (seeing Joe Preston on a BMW motorcycle, drinking Dan Engler's beer) hugely. Fretting over attendance, money, logistics or drama weren't among what I missed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUzmfQBKhemaDaRVIvg-tetgmNps8mOPLsS8xvHflUGmz0sX574uhW7EshzgNDcGqpGPVrggc2KIGNzj4xKiaz3Hxy5b3hGWD5d8q0UGdg78PD6NkGxaV6j8F7mT8YzvqFoJ8a454oAQ/s1600/campdaze-2016promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUzmfQBKhemaDaRVIvg-tetgmNps8mOPLsS8xvHflUGmz0sX574uhW7EshzgNDcGqpGPVrggc2KIGNzj4xKiaz3Hxy5b3hGWD5d8q0UGdg78PD6NkGxaV6j8F7mT8YzvqFoJ8a454oAQ/s1600/campdaze-2016promo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp Daze</td></tr>
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However, 2016 did not want for music festivals around here. Of the fests I took in I think again I dug <a href="https://campdazemusic.com/">Camp Daze</a> best. I caught a night of it and had a blast. My favorite act was Vasas who play great, weaving rock, kind of like a less frantic Meat Puppets. I was stoked that Wes Williamson's and Jared Sayre's new Austin band <a href="https://goldleather.bandcamp.com/">Gold Leather</a> made the trek, and they pretty raging. I didn't get what Iron Eyes deal was, or rather, I think it just wasn't for me (an uncool 42 year old who wants a Treepeople reunion more than anything). As a dad with small kids my partying days are pretty well behind me and I didn't see anywhere near the entirety of these fests that I once would've. I did get into a little of it and I loved Camp Daze' mellow, hang-out vibe most of all. If I get to have one note for the comment box, it's for Camp Daze to take the plunge with a couple more gnarly, heavy bands. I love what Camp Daze does and think it's got real wheels under it now, and thusly I'd love to seem some the heavier weirdos from the northwest on its stages here and there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vCv2hM6XIm3DlRDFs1TJBmn9DLzs06hPkCJA4rQIeFwfcKeiPDwYTj6zTgbVn7hjhlqyGfclYsHUqsBcOLTQ3jJEyFG-YeZEDe_C5UejHI3PB4qsC-AazTNihE-Klnt4DdluDBCWNCY/s1600/31-exl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vCv2hM6XIm3DlRDFs1TJBmn9DLzs06hPkCJA4rQIeFwfcKeiPDwYTj6zTgbVn7hjhlqyGfclYsHUqsBcOLTQ3jJEyFG-YeZEDe_C5UejHI3PB4qsC-AazTNihE-Klnt4DdluDBCWNCY/s320/31-exl.png" width="205" /></a>Second up was the Badlander Complex's <a href="http://missoulian.com/entertainment/music/music-festival-pays-tribute-to-late-badlander-owner/article_d32951f7-851d-50f1-b474-6672cdaec515.html">Saudade</a>, which seemed a wee bit damned by its unwieldy name and latish publicity, but was otherwise hugely ambitious. Too few Missoulians checked it out, even with some solid headlining by Red Fang and Lee Fields. Hopefully that's just first year blues, and now that they're over the hump they get some momentum. Saudade has a lot of potential to rule, and needs to leverage any an all name recognition in year two and pay some more attention to its curation and it'll be a solid force. The hope I think was to have genre-geared stages, e.g. a jammy stage, a metal stage, a dance music stage, etc. and I think that approach didn't quite pan out as well as organizers hoped. The metal night was a success, but other stages seemed to lack audience. I hope that with the Palace's recent closing as a music venue that the festival won't be effected. It's noteworthy too that the Badlander folks made a sizable charitable donation on behalf of Aaron Bolton, the deceased Missoula musician, promoter and co-owner of the Badlander as part of Saudade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXPnPI6zzX4ZcFvbSx8HcZPnZmFQBIGd41eYB7ycvFtOMXD3em8wGBaB0hzDyS5CFbhqHBBvW_a8-OYhcaQBWw903Xj-NjYf3Oy7XO5p9F9nLC0KwUpsVYaBSiBuEz8xOxLORDrDwYsk/s1600/Wolf+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXPnPI6zzX4ZcFvbSx8HcZPnZmFQBIGd41eYB7ycvFtOMXD3em8wGBaB0hzDyS5CFbhqHBBvW_a8-OYhcaQBWw903Xj-NjYf3Oy7XO5p9F9nLC0KwUpsVYaBSiBuEz8xOxLORDrDwYsk/s320/Wolf+Eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolf Eyes</td></tr>
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I wasn't in town when <a href="http://www.plusonefest.com/">Plus One Fest</a> happened this fall, but I heard it had great bands and very few paid Missoulians in attendance. That may have to do with the fact that its organizer, Mike Gill who used to live here, no longer lives here. I mean, it may be my pre-internet informed, Generation X worldview talking here, but I still believe music promotion is 95% word of mouth, posters and hand-to-hand "<i>hey, this rad thing's coming up, here's a handbill</i>" kind of deal, compared to any other form of promotion. And that all really seemed to happen a little too late with Plus One, unfortunately. I get concerned that our town's good name in the live music and fan departments might get needlessly sullied if there are many more of these things that fail to reach actual paid attendees.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu9MG2wdsqLkdkdk5nT7tmqwW6YB_jyNEermSb0JCADt6n-zQle4XSpcs1nmvWwGbGbMmD1vRn__3vrwuIULz-5qV5oIEEp3N7YfF9KIrwVwfq1JVAkSVZezV9SQ2HFl1JJRuBAteBrc/s1600/a4081727924_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu9MG2wdsqLkdkdk5nT7tmqwW6YB_jyNEermSb0JCADt6n-zQle4XSpcs1nmvWwGbGbMmD1vRn__3vrwuIULz-5qV5oIEEp3N7YfF9KIrwVwfq1JVAkSVZezV9SQ2HFl1JJRuBAteBrc/s200/a4081727924_2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold Leather</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/erosionfestival/">Erosion Fest </a>also happened in the fall, this was its second year, and first time in Missoula, after launching in Great Falls in 2015. It unfortunately happened when I was away from town so I wasn't there, but the folks I talked with said it was a great event, and was well attended, with Acid King, St. Vitus and a bunch more doom metal acts converging and playing with heavy locals like Swamp Ritual and Stone Elk.<br />
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Back onto the subject of venues, it's interesting that recently two pretty solid bars with live music announced they were getting out of the business of live music altogether. First Stage 112 in the Elks Club and recently the Palace Lounge made a similar announcement that their show-hosting days were over. This seems to be ebb and flow of Missoula every few years. To me, speaking from the perspective of indie/DIY show economics: it's a tough racket to make work financially. Even when you've got a band with a built-in draw, there's very little wiggle room left in a door take after paying bands, sound and venue rental costs to cover even basic promotion costs, let alone luxuries like print advertising. In my experience in Missoula, there's a trend of starting a new show space out simply, and then ramping up the production values as a next step. Larger productions come with larger costs that in my experience quickly make modest DIY shows next to impossible financially.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRRwHC-Kk100kYBkO8inXdOWmdTauxoYPRYKx7JDkj3SgiGH3lgmknFRdxshETJObtPhv6BL8vE-GpX4hVEH-K78ggLW1N4ec-DnaFIMKkwbTjD4ejq4pEBziQZoYAmzO33mm0a5vLR0/s1600/9271070_absu-bastard-sapling--imperial-triumphant_t9e60451f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRRwHC-Kk100kYBkO8inXdOWmdTauxoYPRYKx7JDkj3SgiGH3lgmknFRdxshETJObtPhv6BL8vE-GpX4hVEH-K78ggLW1N4ec-DnaFIMKkwbTjD4ejq4pEBziQZoYAmzO33mm0a5vLR0/s400/9271070_absu-bastard-sapling--imperial-triumphant_t9e60451f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absu</td></tr>
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For example, a lot of good music can happen with a basic vocal-only PA, and many, many weeknight shows can't sustain a soundperson, and all of the mics, amps, mixers, monitors and between band nu metal that comes with one. A DIY promoter in Missoula regularly faced with the prospect of the having to pay a minimum of $100-300 for sound/room, and pay a touring band next to nothing, or coming out of pocket to make ends meet. Which seems like a totally preventable deal. I don't know exactly what the solution is, but I think it has to do with shows at great Missoula nonprofits like the <a href="http://zootownarts.org/">ZACC</a>, and more back-to-basics bar shows where bands are able to get all the door money, because the sound was a minimal vocals-only set up. Sorry to get into the weeds there, but you know, sometimes simple and cheap are the sustainable solutions and I think it's good to acknowledge the importance of simplicity, and not fixing what isn't broken.<br />
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<b>Here are the records I like most last year:</b><br />
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Modality: Under the Shadow of this Red Rock (House of Watts)<br />
CCR Headcleaner: Tear Down the Wall (In the Red)<br />
The Double: Dawn of the Double (In the Red)<br />
75 Dollar Bill: WOOD/METAL/PLASTIC/PATTERN/RHYTHM/ROCK (Thin Wrist)<br />
Nots: Cosmetic (Goner)<br />
Jonny Fritz: Sweet Creep<br />
Big Business: Command Your Weather (Joyful Noise)<br />
Purling Hiss: High Bias (Drag City)<br />
Yass: Things that Might Have Been (X-Mist)<br />
Helms Alee: Stillicide (Sargent House)<br />
Vaz: Pink Confetti (Learning Curve)<br />
Dead: Untitle (We Empty Rooms)<br />
Ngozi Family (re-issue)<br />The Plastic Harmony Band: Voyage of the AngernautAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-37806544248254518042016-06-15T10:50:00.004-06:002016-06-15T10:50:35.489-06:00JUNE 2016: TOTAL MONTH. HELMS ALEE, DARTO, BIG BUSINESS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY8AZCPo3DXlGPZVkqru_ITzJ8NRlQh3L7WY-GXLE_n7kaWDJc6v6p6Uh-u_o6Hd5p_I8UAhfNr1QXx4AD9XjO5qkST_dr8oHwgtPIGTtWhGVdpTfjHzW58zDBgleEkNhY6TlLVsQoZY/s1600/Big-business-Jared-coady-bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY8AZCPo3DXlGPZVkqru_ITzJ8NRlQh3L7WY-GXLE_n7kaWDJc6v6p6Uh-u_o6Hd5p_I8UAhfNr1QXx4AD9XjO5qkST_dr8oHwgtPIGTtWhGVdpTfjHzW58zDBgleEkNhY6TlLVsQoZY/s400/Big-business-Jared-coady-bw.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Business: Play Monday, June 27th at the Palace.</td></tr>
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June here in Missoula is a good month! We just got done with Camp Daze, which was a great blast of a fest, and we've got three great shows with some kind of direct Total Fest tie-in coming our way.<br />
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First up, this Sunday,<b> June 19th Helm Alee </b>is playing. Helms brings the fury, and I'd never miss 'em, ever. Spacious, but focused. Heavy, but pretty. You know, a band of paradoxes or something like that. And a great live band. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1192646640754133/">That's at the Palace, and it's this coming Sunday</a> at at 8:00 PM.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxeHnCf9A3mweDiqv3_tbmdlmfDJXmSmzSKymr_x5agvFL-NyTRQH6aak6ugYVMQNINTrG28jP9XE7K5HfejvAjmRjA6ZXo2m5eNAcrSpLbhgB3yEkpGhARr3I85gnhFr0BVqhkAIx9E/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxeHnCf9A3mweDiqv3_tbmdlmfDJXmSmzSKymr_x5agvFL-NyTRQH6aak6ugYVMQNINTrG28jP9XE7K5HfejvAjmRjA6ZXo2m5eNAcrSpLbhgB3yEkpGhARr3I85gnhFr0BVqhkAIx9E/s1600/imgres.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helms Alee play Sunday, June 19.</td></tr>
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<b>Next up, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dartowa/posts/1083201251722816:0">Darto</a>,</b> comes through here on their way home to Seattle from a string of dates in western Canada. Darto similarly skip traditional rock conventions and do whatever the fuck they want to. Which means that each of their records has got a whole different vibe to it. I like their heavy stuff, I like their soundtracky stuff, I like it all. I can't wait to see them again. They play an all-ages show on Sunday, June 26th at the ZACC. Zoo City Apparel is hosting that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtXIaYQ7H8_TxJBNHq354vvFAn1aF0-iokXYO3Gu4V3mwDFEzL5YEnZkFVJvyhz4YPMWlsSrmGvWn9fFWr5Lp1d9pcZrp6Vpz2Yy9PHZpXHoAKp7G5mtkkAkwae_ueOTPuTCRKPQ_wSU/s1600/static1.squarespace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtXIaYQ7H8_TxJBNHq354vvFAn1aF0-iokXYO3Gu4V3mwDFEzL5YEnZkFVJvyhz4YPMWlsSrmGvWn9fFWr5Lp1d9pcZrp6Vpz2Yy9PHZpXHoAKp7G5mtkkAkwae_ueOTPuTCRKPQ_wSU/s320/static1.squarespace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Darto play June 26, Sunday.</b></td></tr>
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<b>Finally, </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1074451442630244/"><b>Big Business </b>are coming on Monday, June 27th</a>. That show will be at the Badlander and is 18+. Local locos Holy Lands and Swamp Ritual open. Tickets $10 via Ear Candy, or through the show page. Big Business will be touring behind a brand new LP, which they'll have on tour before stores do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-30623358495762669192016-04-11T16:53:00.001-06:002016-04-12T16:20:19.953-06:00TWO TOTAL SHOWS THIS WEEK.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj89s11l0-7Vj9u6ua7zufD4r-YH7UD5pF6BcmxwNH-8FEbCSU96f4G3tW1RPq8PA-mu0y0r4fTfLdOB3vAiB9CaBY5UKD3UMKcXou16wDwc53xOS2DECnIVLohFN5gB6nL5cQg7s8sI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj89s11l0-7Vj9u6ua7zufD4r-YH7UD5pF6BcmxwNH-8FEbCSU96f4G3tW1RPq8PA-mu0y0r4fTfLdOB3vAiB9CaBY5UKD3UMKcXou16wDwc53xOS2DECnIVLohFN5gB6nL5cQg7s8sI/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absu. Nuff said.</td></tr>
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Everybody knows Marty, he's a show booking powerhouse, his baseball cap is rakishly allowed to be off-center, and he's a big part of keeping independent rock and roll happening in Missoula. This week, there are two pretty sweet shows happening, thanks to Party-Marty, the M-Dawg, uh, Minor Bird Records: Missoula's getting its first ever taste of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/officialabsu">Absu </a>and I think our third visit from <a href="https://diverspdx.bandcamp.com/">Divers</a>.<br />
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First up, Tuesday, April 12th legendary Texan deathmetalers Absu bring their decidedly brutal rage to town, and to the Palace in particular. Pre-sale tickets are available from Ear Candy in Missoula, and a good chunk of them will be kept at the door for y'all coming in from other places. Zebulon Kosted, Judgment Hammer and Shramana open.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImoeLXDGGrSp56_t-MKscrmjW0gxEt2TQs-MLAMVeB6ADsCNpkGkqzpzYxv5jsgMvzzE8HFwClbGD0_-V-zQwmB22K-HKk8S8Wizo1sZke5OXdnR581EsrD8zxexgVEiZMyS9XEuyhBE/s1600/images.washingtonpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImoeLXDGGrSp56_t-MKscrmjW0gxEt2TQs-MLAMVeB6ADsCNpkGkqzpzYxv5jsgMvzzE8HFwClbGD0_-V-zQwmB22K-HKk8S8Wizo1sZke5OXdnR581EsrD8zxexgVEiZMyS9XEuyhBE/s320/images.washingtonpost.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Divers. Slightly more said.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up, Divers were lots of folks sleeper hit of the last Total Fest. They have that special psy-band vibe, that comes from too much van time, too much time smelling each other's feet etc. And they just kick it out. Kind of like I imagine the Replacements did in their heyday.<br />
<br />
Divers play Thursday, April 14 with VTO, Wojtek and Sunraiser open. It happens at the VFW bar.<br />
<br />
Missoula, get to 'em.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-45730017839971133342015-12-28T14:51:00.000-07:002015-12-28T15:06:33.465-07:00VANEK'S TOP LIST OF 2015<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMeHsjKmZFiH5eADlpK5OEEgOIXRmiOVv8tgAK0rybpWyi36dxE9bNkzuVcpSHKA2ajGC0pEJ9cXbj-py4gbSzRG0VhJVlxR1I2DiqfJ1FLeW5Qr-f6zOCYVWVgqcoQ-bZieoB2YbWnE/s1600/ltc-.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMeHsjKmZFiH5eADlpK5OEEgOIXRmiOVv8tgAK0rybpWyi36dxE9bNkzuVcpSHKA2ajGC0pEJ9cXbj-py4gbSzRG0VhJVlxR1I2DiqfJ1FLeW5Qr-f6zOCYVWVgqcoQ-bZieoB2YbWnE/s400/ltc-.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This thing was on top of our year-end list.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2015 was a year that went by entirely quickly, but when I sat back to think about what new music stood out I came up with a decent list pretty quickly. In Missoula I think we were lucky to have a major renovation done to our largest real-deal, non-sports hall live music venue, the Wilma Theater, which had been in dire need of it. The Wilma was always a funky and sweet place, and while I tend to prefer my buildings well past their prime and dingy to new and shiny, you can only see Yo La Tengo so many times with sub par audio and not start to wonder. So, thanks to the Top Hat's Nick Checota, the place sounds and looks great and here's to a sweet roster in 2016.<br />
<br />
Additionally, this August's Total Fest was the last one, you can read about why <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/2015/08/thanks-everybody.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I think it was the correct way to wrap it up, and I encourage people to direct a good amount of their live-show attention to smaller and mid-sized venues like the ZACC, VFW, Palace and Stage 112, all of which are helping keep Missoula vibrant with affordable shows chock-a-block with great locals, and amazing touring national talent. <a href="http://campdazemusic.com/" target="_blank">Camp Daze </a>will happen June 2-4, 2016 and I'll be there.<br />
<br />
<b></b><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Long-Time-Comin-Lost-sounds-from-the-Treasure-State-100420110074475/" target="_blank">V/A Long Time Comin': Lost Sounds From the Treasure State </a></b><br />
Unquestionably, this double LP is at the tip top of my listening heap for 2015. This thing took Dave Martens (Best Westerns, Magpies, etc. etc.) many years to assemble, and his hard work digging up the great, never-released, or long-forgotten gems included on here speaks to a garage rock past in Montana that had scenes from Sidney to Kalispell and all points in between. It fascinates me that Montana bands were getting national air time and attention via the more democratized and culturally important radio. There are as many stories behind this record as their are bands, and the copious liner notes help contextualize all the great stuff that was going on about fifty+ years ago. The first pressing is selling through quickly. A+ stuff.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.dandeacon.com/" target="_blank">Dan Deacon</a> "Gliss Riffer"</b><br />
Dan's ideas continue to push electronic music and pop music in general, and I continue to really dig what he does, as indescribable as it can be.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/brokenagua" target="_blank">Broken Water</a> "Wrought"</b><br />
This great band just called it quits, after probably 8 years of doing it. I always found their sheets of sound mesmerizingly hopeful and great.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://ciudadlineal.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Ciudad Lineal</a> "El Nuevo Hombre"</b><br />
Spaniards (or I think actually Catelonians) Ciudad Lineal from Barcelona make decidedly 80s Cold War synth jams. Kid of Cure-y, I guess, but a little more awkward and eastern euro vibed.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://hammerhead.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Hammerhead</a> "New Directionz</b><br />
Duh. Hammerhead regrouped fully and officially this year, with Jeff and Paul's return to the snowy and windswept prairie of the north. And they self-released a full-on return-to-everything-you-loved LP.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://shahs.bandcamp.com/album/the-bodyguard" target="_blank">Shahs</a> "The Bodyguard"</b><br />
Missoulians Shahs released a great full length this year, and it's a progression from their mostly Tom Helgerson dreamy tropical synth to something a little more layered and complex. Sorry this sounds like Wine Spectator. Trust me, mon.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://ironlungpv.bandcamp.com/album/positive-energy-lp-lungs-070" target="_blank">DIÄT</a> "Positive Engery"</b><br />
Australian two-piece living in Berlin, making decidedly un-modern sounding and cold post punk/new wave. I hate saying the words "post punk" as much as you hate reading them, but I think they're pretty close to correct here. Damnation is this great. Heavily, heavily rotated.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://benvonwildenhaus.com/" target="_blank">Benjamin Von Wildenhaus</a> "II"</b><br />
As the title says, this is Benjamin Von Wildenhaus's second LP, and his first was a revelation. This one continues to mine the same great vein of subtle and wild, uh, <i>guitarscapes. </i>Uggh, right? Who said that word would be okay?<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://%20http//www.lanarebel.com/" target="_blank">Miss Lana Rebel and Kevin Michael Mayfield</a> "The Midtown Island Sessions"</b><br />
Most of these are in no particular order, but this record is my co-top record of 2015. We'd been waiting impatiently for the next phase of Lana and Kevin's output, following up on their excellent <i>A Real Subtle Beauty</i>, and this album rings true to all the greatness of their songwriting and performance abilities. Heavy rotation.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://ironlungpv.bandcamp.com/album/the-wild-animals-in-my-life-lp-lungs-064" target="_blank">Flesh World</a> "the Wild Animals In My Life"</b><br />
More stellar, depressed but frenetic kind of post punk, this time from somebody from Limp Wrist. I really dug this.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/swampritual/" target="_blank">Swamp Ritual</a> "S/T" </b><br />
Heavy Missoulians whose riff mastery became pretty clear in 2015. Riffin' bong-rock at its finest, with only a bass and drums behind it. <br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/weareshopping" target="_blank">Shopping</a> "Why Choose"</b><br />
British band whose sound is like a kind of modernized Gang of Four. Super LP.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://%20https//www.facebook.com/memphisnots/" target="_blank">Nots</a> "We Are Nots"</b><br />
Memphis band on Goner who played here. Niki saw them and gave me the CD, I loved it. <br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.sleafordmods.com/" target="_blank">Sleaford Mods</a> "Key Markets"</b><br />
British (I guess) hip hop that's so smart and political that it's kind of creating its own world around it and their documentary <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/21/trailer-sleaford-mods-invisible-britain-film-documentary-preview" target="_blank">Invisible Britain</a> is apparently great news too. Here's hoping that Big Sky Doc Fest or the Roxy get it next year.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://johncarpenter.sacredbonesrecords.com/" target="_blank">John Carpenter </a>"Lost Themes"</b><br />
Arguably, the thing I waited most anxiously for in 2015, and it didn't disappoint one bit.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://%20http//shannonandtheclams.com/" target="_blank">Shannon and the Clams</a> "Gone By the Dawn"</b><br />
I always have a blast watching this band. They're incredibly good musicians, and songwriters and something about them just makes them transcend so much of the rest of what's out there.<br />
<br />
Live:<br />
<b>Fireballs of Freedom at Total Fest.<br />Red Fang at the Palace.<br />Big Business at Total Fest.<br />Earthless at the Top Hat.<br />The Whip at Total Fest.<br />Dead at Total Fest.<br />Black Cobra at Total Fest.<br />Built To Spill at the Badlander.<br />Humpy at Total Fest.<br />Everyday Sinners at Total Fest.</b><br />
I think I'll need to get out of the house more this year.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-71792031671163894702015-10-05T10:45:00.000-06:002015-10-05T10:59:02.638-06:00HAMMERHEAD TONIGHT (MONDAY, OCTOBER 5) AT THE VFW<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVReYezUw5aAHGC126e3h_FDrelpBzpccbZC7uhDHHU5Wc0dXclHzMtEwREpFHJRUTbjQR24-UEoRrVaIyIO5maqkYqwsAl1_Um-QTkUuigNAbFiRh1pMNeGo-hKYFuS2K_gWmCrqL-l4/s1600/0003791556_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVReYezUw5aAHGC126e3h_FDrelpBzpccbZC7uhDHHU5Wc0dXclHzMtEwREpFHJRUTbjQR24-UEoRrVaIyIO5maqkYqwsAl1_Um-QTkUuigNAbFiRh1pMNeGo-hKYFuS2K_gWmCrqL-l4/s400/0003791556_10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hammerhead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 1990's were a curious time. Folks interested in underground music were hugely record label-conscious, or at least I and most of my friends were. You got a lot of stuff just because Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, or Tom Hazelmyer had put it out on their <a href="http://subpop.com/">Sub Pop</a> or <a href="http://amphetaminereptile.com/">Amphetamine Reptile</a> labels, respectively (or SST, CZ, Kill Rock Stars, Boner, etc.). I thought of places as having their own sounds. Seattle always sounded very much like halfway between Mudhoney and Gas Huffer to me. The Twin Cities sounded like Hüsker Dü, Boise like Treepeople, Olympia like Beat Happening, Ellensburg like the Screaming Trees. It didn't make a ton of sense in retrospect, but so it goes, right?<br />
<br />
All that has largely faded with the advent of ala-carte song purchasing/stealing courtesy of the internet's "here's everything, no waiting necessary." and youtube to MP3 capabilities, etc. My point isn't to say anything was better about the old way, just to kind of set the tone for how Hammerhead came onto my radar. Missoula was somewhat of a stopping point between the Twin Cities and Seattle, and we hosted a lot of the bands who's music got released by Tom Hazelmyer's Amphetamine Reptile or "Amrep" label. We had the Cows, God Bullies, Janitor Joe, Steel Pole Bathtub, and probably several more I'm not remembering through town. And regardless of whether anybody knew anything about the band or their music, there was some kind of a cache that came with being associated with this label that had put out all this raw, weird, angry noise.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://hammerhead.bandcamp.com/">Hammerhead </a>were different, though. They had a paranoia and desperation about their music that just kind of set them apart, and made the others seem a bit like more of an act. Hammerhead were from Fargo/Moorehead, and came with the full-on endorsement of North Dakota transplants the Fireballs of Freedom who helped add to the super-human mystique that surrounded the group. It didn't hurt that Hammerhead were and are a spot-on tight power trio, with great musicianship, better tones and huge volume. They stopped playing or broke up, not sure what the exact story is, right at the end of the '90s. Jeff Mooridian and Paul Erickson went on to form Vaz, which has been very productive for the past 15 years, releasing some of the decade's best music, from my vantage point.<br />
<br />
Roughly five years ago rumors started that Hammerhead was reforming, if ever so briefly, to play the Amrep 25th anniversary show. They also used the occasion to record a few songs for an EP, called "Memory Hole." We got them out for a Total Fest set shortly after that, and they continued to play sporadically, recorded an album called "Global Depression" for Learning Curve. This summer they released a record called "New Directionz" and are doing their first tour in something like 15 years to support. They're coming out with the band <a href="https://quiband.bandcamp.com/">Qui</a>, who played with the Jesus Lizard's David Yow for a while. Both bands and Missoulians Naked Limbs play tonight, Monday October 5th at the VFW in Missoula. Show starts at 9PM, $6. Here's a nice video to whet your appetite.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1c9FPnXedY8" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-30292794063303555602015-09-30T12:15:00.004-06:002015-09-30T12:15:46.317-06:00RED FANG AND BEERS FOR THE ZACC, TONIGHT.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb-fhiIslkBJw9y5cI4wi7OdQ9N9JZpEKUtkP5C7ZpIUZKjm8bvneVPPJ8jo8lj7FSCvCfU3nDfvrmY2R1SYfVI5BHqWccgIkPAWZeMXB33V78Cn9Fs5EAHJuh4G30UaBr8dRLJiv9sU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb-fhiIslkBJw9y5cI4wi7OdQ9N9JZpEKUtkP5C7ZpIUZKjm8bvneVPPJ8jo8lj7FSCvCfU3nDfvrmY2R1SYfVI5BHqWccgIkPAWZeMXB33V78Cn9Fs5EAHJuh4G30UaBr8dRLJiv9sU/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Fang.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arguably,<a href="http://redfang.net/"> Red Fang</a> and beers go together like very few things. Like jalapenos and cream cheese and deep frying. Like chocolate and peanut butter. Like uh, coffee and donuts. Why do I always, only think about food? Well, like beers and metal too, right?<br />
<br />
Anyhow, tonight, Sept. 30th, Wednesday in Missoula City, Montana, Red Fang plays at the Palace, but not until after Total Fest's North Side Kettlehouse Community Unite pint night. We'll be giving any bucks we raise to our pals at the <a href="http://zootownarts.org/">Zootown Arts Community Center</a>, because they rule. Join us, won't you?<br />
<br />
The Kettlehouse event goes from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, on N. 1st St., at the North Side Kettlehouse. The Red Fang show doors open at 9:00 PM at the Palace Lounge, and there will be tickets at the door. It's gonna be a good time. All of it. So come and say hello.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrfeFIVe9ETtGgAutVLZ4vt5gk7a1GaNG2MYNLVjOxx1CQy5tyW0707TCL2yXM7eNsJsppBrMx_HqYITRTOCS2MgUNDu6RUX2FCswSRKhHtTJpE82OZCvk29CfWNhyIa5gwINMFLcbak/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrfeFIVe9ETtGgAutVLZ4vt5gk7a1GaNG2MYNLVjOxx1CQy5tyW0707TCL2yXM7eNsJsppBrMx_HqYITRTOCS2MgUNDu6RUX2FCswSRKhHtTJpE82OZCvk29CfWNhyIa5gwINMFLcbak/s1600/imgres.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ZACC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-63826056653899718632015-09-08T09:49:00.002-06:002015-09-08T09:57:57.599-06:00A PLACE SORT OF.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW_PqjN-UrbZCM6HQ5E63C9xQ5bUYY5U2HaKEmgPD967ifIbYH9mEXT3RAqKFSBMUrpJ936kYsi2w95cWdKzNE2jgA8v_tM8iBF3vubJO5hI4M1TzVFOOwQek1wGnC0133VscRUfI1Qc/s1600/smetanka.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCW_PqjN-UrbZCM6HQ5E63C9xQ5bUYY5U2HaKEmgPD967ifIbYH9mEXT3RAqKFSBMUrpJ936kYsi2w95cWdKzNE2jgA8v_tM8iBF3vubJO5hI4M1TzVFOOwQek1wGnC0133VscRUfI1Qc/s320/smetanka.png" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy Smetanka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Total Fest friend, musician, writer and filmmaker Andy Smetanka just announced that he's raising money for a new project: <i>the </i>documentary about Missoula. Yep, that's the correct article. He's planning to make <u>the </u>definitive film about this weird vortex where five valleys intersect. And my guess is it won't have much to do with trout fishing. I guess we also should add that he's the one responsible for Total Fest's cinematic debut, and only actual made-with-film Film that we know of about Total Fest. Total Fest Forever captures the important part of Total Fest that happened at the river, and in backyards: the hanging out, conversations, laughing, potato guns.. It makes us a little teary-eyed watching it!<br />
<br />
The film's <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1486916197/a-place-sort-of">crowdfunding page is here</a>, and deserves a generous action on your part. A large part of the Missoula we love has to do with people like Andy, who, god love 'em, really want to make movies about World War I (And We Were Young), Volumen, the Fireballs of Freedom, Bukowski Stories, and Missoula. We know you might get a little tired of us encouraging you to direct your business this way and that, mostly toward our sponsors and friends, but we do think it's a worthy thing. We actually think you should be eating at the Burns St. Bistro, drinking Black Coffee while listening to Ear Candy vinyl and wearing a Betty's shirt and thinking about going to Big Dipper, and then Kettlehouse while your Subaru gets fixed at Kent Bros. We truly believe all that. And, likewise, we truly believe that getting in as a shareholder on a Smetanka film is a unique and special thing. It's a modest budget in the grand scheme, and we think this is the art and culture that matters, and we sure hope you agree with that.<br />
<br />
This is Andy's second crowd-fund. The first was the beautiful stop-animation World War I epic <a href="http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/GreenRoom/archives/2015/04/29/review-andy-smetankas-beautiful-and-horrifying-and-we-were-young-imagines-war-in-silhouette">And We Were Young</a>, which debuted earlier this year and has been screening steadily since. So, Smetanka does what he says he's going to do and has a record of completing what he sets out to. He has officially stuck his neck out out to raise the modest sum of $25,000, largely to buy and process Super 8 film to make a movie about Missoula. We encourage you to spend what you can afford to make this happen. Thank you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmzXtlgE8nI" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-21450474810702785022015-08-31T17:05:00.001-06:002015-08-31T17:12:00.941-06:00THANKS, EVERYBODY<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPbFk0-2761T-jR5P2rhbDnXyZllwRMAw3WGev9ANI252jzWRPl6cn4ZYCFRChfkLXHP6ZIyeECsk-gMHpv5h8eKMOjEL6yk6h9C8CUOE7yAaqCtiO0GXP5FW4UveS73vTJanf6mREyw/s1600/Vaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPbFk0-2761T-jR5P2rhbDnXyZllwRMAw3WGev9ANI252jzWRPl6cn4ZYCFRChfkLXHP6ZIyeECsk-gMHpv5h8eKMOjEL6yk6h9C8CUOE7yAaqCtiO0GXP5FW4UveS73vTJanf6mREyw/s320/Vaz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vaz, picture by Amy Donovan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, it's been a week and a half and somehow my ears are still ringing. Is that normal? I wore earplugs! Anyway, we wanted to say thanks to the bands who played Total Fest. There were almost fifty of you and I think I got to see at least 65% of them this year, which I'm excited to say. We've all got our highlights reel, but mine's definitely chock-a-block with newcomers and old timers. Naomi Punk were a revelation. Shahs made me think of Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny. Hot Victory blew my mind. Jonny Fritz was amazing. Volumen never missed a beat. Humpy. Fireballs of Freedom. Black Cobra. Big Business. Big Business with Joe Preston playing Whip songs. Vaz. Hammerhead. Dead. Bad Future. Miss Lana Rebel. C Average. Clarke and the Himselfs. The Best Westerns. The Bugs... It's just a ridiculous thing to try to inventory.<br />
<br />
Before I get to far along, we've heard that lots of people didn't get to buy a shirt before we sold out. To remedy that, we're going to keep orders open for September, and place an order to be printed in early October. You can go to the <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/p/purchase-tickets.html">Total Fest Merch</a>. button up above if you want to get something you missed.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4vrgDI20GXD-4WRnoBhFTHVOLKM8QCfKe4ufn5Y6K5lhPrQqFy5Ce1VHkQnMTyJijPL9D83Eb9cMH_nyuQ0VUnQkz-aiNBycWw3JNvIb9VnR9vEG68TMqQWGiTsCtKYU-KUYfn_XEwU/s1600/Lana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4vrgDI20GXD-4WRnoBhFTHVOLKM8QCfKe4ufn5Y6K5lhPrQqFy5Ce1VHkQnMTyJijPL9D83Eb9cMH_nyuQ0VUnQkz-aiNBycWw3JNvIb9VnR9vEG68TMqQWGiTsCtKYU-KUYfn_XEwU/s320/Lana.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lana Rebel. Amy Donovan picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think most of you know Total Fest XIV marked our last year of doing Total Fest. Certainly, I've got mixed feelings about that. It's been a good run and some of my best friends, strongest relationships, and certainly favorite music have come from Total Fest. I wanted it to go out on a high note, vs. burning out on it, and starting to resent the work that goes into it. Thanks for understanding that. I'm sure at some point, we'll want to do something else, and we'll let you know. While we like to think that Total Fest was a "special" thing, I'd like to submit that it's something that a dedicated group of people can make happen very similarly, right here in Missoula. Or wherever, I guess. Our formula was this: keep your eyes on the mission (ours was: great music, short sets, all-ages, noncommercial, diverse), divide tasks, keep at it. Our final year I forced a rule called the Simplicity Test. It just said if it was too complicated, we didn't do it. I recommend that because often times you need to check in with the basics. Total Fest has leaned heavily on direct relationships with bands whom I've (and other organizers) worked directly for years, and I think in most cases folks trusted us to do what we said we would, which was promote the thing and get an audience there so the show was great.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt7SqUtkZlix4Bw0kWFHGrNogtQd_eQyMl5Q1ol_cg6nU_L-krNx4Km2_8stp1Huf6HVtlquUJzaUOWrUnwwrVNba62KbZ-5p5MhUqCDqXpviFWUnwQI1uGUZ69duQPrVH3zdzV-bWt4/s1600/JonnyFritz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt7SqUtkZlix4Bw0kWFHGrNogtQd_eQyMl5Q1ol_cg6nU_L-krNx4Km2_8stp1Huf6HVtlquUJzaUOWrUnwwrVNba62KbZ-5p5MhUqCDqXpviFWUnwQI1uGUZ69duQPrVH3zdzV-bWt4/s320/JonnyFritz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonny Fritz with the Best Westerns. Picture by Amy Donovan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If I'm allowed to editorialize a little, I'd like to encourage folks thinking about setting up a music fest to charge a fair price for good music. And you folks going to hear that music: pay what they're asking. Typically that's going to mean more than a standard punk show. It's hard being in a band, and nobody really wants to pay correctly. Show entry for DIY/punk/underground shows hasn't really adjusted for inflation ever. Cheapos still balk when I set a door price at $6. I was paying $5 or $6 twenty years ago to see music. It just means that bands you love are getting paid less in 2015 than they ever have been. That's bullshit and is unsustainable. You don't have to be in love with capitalism to know that there can be ethical business models, and at the core of that is setting a fair and competitive price that takes into account some of the input costs. With Total Fest, we never had a guest list, and the expectation always was that everybody has something to contribute. Either music, a volunteer shift, cash or some other support. If we were giving our time for several months as volunteer organizers, why exactly should somebody get in for free? I still love that.<br />
<br />
I think a huge acknowledgement needs to go out to Missoula, and the people who patted us on the back, gave hugs, bought passes, came and had pizza, told their friends, and more than anything,<u> showed up</u> and came and had a good time over our fourteen years. Few communities are like Missoula, especially in its support for music, art, and a party. And I love those facts about this place.<br />
<br />
<b>Some things that make Missoula great:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3azXgtIIGmJqtzSJBcJaR9QM9AUyRijJBx7-QBwqfSoN4ZaseHQn6z2MPs6ZfQ_YP25IvYIwOwxfbgd4YvS7RgbiMvKJCiGJB0GPwfikdID-PC4vKuExAiJt0R3MKExmQdarv1YyB76Y/s1600/Volumen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3azXgtIIGmJqtzSJBcJaR9QM9AUyRijJBx7-QBwqfSoN4ZaseHQn6z2MPs6ZfQ_YP25IvYIwOwxfbgd4YvS7RgbiMvKJCiGJB0GPwfikdID-PC4vKuExAiJt0R3MKExmQdarv1YyB76Y/s320/Volumen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volumen. Amy Donovan photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.zootownarts.org/">Zootown Arts Community Center</a>. Nonprofit that has an all-ages show space, Girls Rock Camp and low-cost and free opportunities for Missoulians to make all sorts of art. They're a great organization, and if you do any charitable giving, we recommend adding them to the folks you support.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.earcandymusic.biz/">Ear Candy Music</a>. Is a record store, but also one of Total Fest's longest supporters. They've always sold passes and have never gotten paid for it. They keep their prices affordable, and maintain a very diverse stock. I think they are why Missoula is an exceptional place for Music, in lots of ways.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kbga.org/">KBGA</a>. Is 89.9 FM, kbga.org. Lots of great music, DJs and awesome shows are regularly getting pumped out on KBGA. KBGA's been behind TF since the first one.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://campdazemusic.com/">Camp Daze.</a> New, and in the same vein as Total Fest as far as nonprofit, volunteer run, and<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDGYyAHkRHo9gP19NicfoH89scqcVtn_n0Uk8roq4GbI0V0c-a4tLPJyTix3xks6ZvvYFc9D3Hn8ByTt1Fag2J8VH57vsBeKGaq8ujz6MIeRowxWl8XPZcbBh6Z9mg2WzUZNj3JASa7A/s1600/TF%255Bposters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDGYyAHkRHo9gP19NicfoH89scqcVtn_n0Uk8roq4GbI0V0c-a4tLPJyTix3xks6ZvvYFc9D3Hn8ByTt1Fag2J8VH57vsBeKGaq8ujz6MIeRowxWl8XPZcbBh6Z9mg2WzUZNj3JASa7A/s320/TF%255Bposters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Total Fest posters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
all-ages.<br />
<br />
Obviously, that's a ridiculously short list. And without all of our sponsors (all Missoula small businesses) listed along the right hand side of this page we would be a lot more modest affair. Please give them your business, if you can.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-31880726178533364292015-08-20T12:07:00.002-06:002015-08-25T19:32:37.288-06:00C AVERAGE, BIG BUSINESS PLAYS THE WHIP WITH JOE PRESTON, DAY PASSES.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW9TKP9sDlIpiZ9eUYgYygg8kQNASZeKsSHmmLW7X3RZe9N95bmqFifHgIRPJL3roZzB4HnDTd1rheET4ZwX7ZVw1zidaakgTPKpbUuar17p0PvLUO4jhbyYuqZSdVc3lMHpk1n1t2vo/s1600/caverage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW9TKP9sDlIpiZ9eUYgYygg8kQNASZeKsSHmmLW7X3RZe9N95bmqFifHgIRPJL3roZzB4HnDTd1rheET4ZwX7ZVw1zidaakgTPKpbUuar17p0PvLUO4jhbyYuqZSdVc3lMHpk1n1t2vo/s320/caverage.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C-Average</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jeez la-wheez, Total Fest is finally here! It starts tonight, Thursday at the Zootown Arts Community Center on North 1st St. in Missoula. That happens to be right next to the Kettlehouse's excellent N. Side tap room, so if you get there before 8:00 PM, have a beer! So, today: we've got two pretty "mega" announcements we need to make: the first is that legendary south Puget Sound metal blasters <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-Average/122145121195927">C Average</a> are playing Total Fest. Like the Champs were, C Average are a band of serious chops, hugely driving melodies and parts that K.K. and Glen and Tony could've/might've written, had they grown up in the land of tall cedars. And, it's got all of the excellent D and D and Tolkien references you'd expect.<br />
<br />
We emailed them out of the blue, and it took a while for the emails to get to the right address, but lo and behold, we got results! And how. If you haven't experienced what C Average does, take a minute and spin the youtube link down below. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. C Average started as an instrumental two-piece, and have recently added a bassist, and are transitioning into having a singer. So, expect so standard C Average, and some new material.<br />
<br />
Second up, we learned recently that Big Business will grab Joe Preston from the Thrones, and they'll be playing the the two songs from the<a href="https://youtu.be/aA--N-siFYE"> Whip 7" </a>that Wantage released. The Whip existed for about a year in the early 2000s, and were the first non-Karp project that Jared Warren and Scott Jernigan did <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJxK6Z8OsB69HI8UPNNLTWWP7us6J6XKfrb9XQY4zbiO-upIpZ496cccAsOGM6LuiSUj5qIyCmoZzya44hSip11BH-pMaO6nMk53H84MhLmIwBYLe3WeiQdU7OY9z4JJELSu9l55KjBA/s1600/24084_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJxK6Z8OsB69HI8UPNNLTWWP7us6J6XKfrb9XQY4zbiO-upIpZ496cccAsOGM6LuiSUj5qIyCmoZzya44hSip11BH-pMaO6nMk53H84MhLmIwBYLe3WeiQdU7OY9z4JJELSu9l55KjBA/s1600/24084_photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Whip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
after a few years apart with Warren in the Tight Bros from Way Back When. Joe Preston rounded out what has to be one of the essential and classic power trio lineups of all times. I got to see them once, and it was just barely enough. The band ended because of <a href="http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Scotty-Jernigan-1975-2003-Musician-remembered-1117029.php">Jernigan's death in a boating accident in 2003</a>, and his loss both from the drum stool and as a person is a hole in the lives of lots of us to this day. So when Jared from Big Business told us they were going to grab Joe and play a couple of Whip songs, it was a pretty emotional deal, and one we think makes a lot of sense as a tribute to Scott's life and the amazing music and memories he left behind.<br />
<br />
Finally, we will be selling full-festival passes and single entries at the main entry door of Total Fest each night. We'll also have a card reader at the door. See you there! Please give business to our sponsors, if you can. They help us immeasurably.<br />
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<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMTJ9gCLBS0" width="420"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-53836777225492423052015-08-13T12:10:00.001-06:002015-08-13T12:10:28.362-06:00UPDATES ROUND-UP.So, some big news here, we'll try to do it an condensed set of bullets:<br />
<br />
1) Opening night (Thursday, August 20) of Total Fest will be at the Zootown Arts Community Center and will feature art installations from Michael Workman, Lish Harteis and others, as well as great bunch of bands like Jonny Fritz with the Best Westerns, Miss Lana Rebel, and a bunch more!<br />
<br />
2) Did you see we've got a schedule up now?<br />
<br />
3) Some bands have been added recently, they are: Hammerhead, Sasshole, Humpy, Mike and Rick, Holy Lands, Midnight Hot Dog and C Average and Idaho Green. Jeesh, that's pretty bitchin'.<br />
<br />
4) Some bands have come off the schedule recently, they are: Weedeater (entire West Coast tour cancelled), Benny The Jet Rodriguez (broke up), Toys That Kill and the Underground Railroad to Candyland (medical emergency), Novacron and the Funeral and the Twilight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//giphy.com/embed/V0BIjUQRfl8tO" style="max-width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="480"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-47666459474275059002015-08-11T16:11:00.000-06:002015-08-11T16:11:04.170-06:00TOTAL LOCAL: HOLY LANDS<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://f1.bcbits.com/img/0005438523_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://f1.bcbits.com/img/0005438523_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HOLY LANDS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where do you begin with a band that seems to intentionally defy categorization? Here's the never-graduated-from-college try: Missoula's Holy Lands is, to me, equal parts prog-rock, <i>Red Medicine/End Hits </i>era Fugazi, Faith No More(?), Arto Lindsay's post-DNA work, and stoner psychedelia. Every song careens a different direction but somehow is anchored by their own weird amalgam of sounds. Every song is still <i>Holy Lands</i>, no matter how different it might be juxtaposed against the others. These guys are truly unique in a way I, and you, probably never expected. They're weird as hell and we're happy to announce they're one of our final invites to Total Fest XIV. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1175983469/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 470px; width: 350px;"><a href="http://holylands.bandcamp.com/album/the-paint-traders-union">THE PAINT TRADERS' UNION by Holy Lands</a></iframe>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-59939594769725913222015-08-11T10:29:00.003-06:002015-08-11T12:56:46.845-06:00AWW, RICK.<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Guest Blogger: Andy Smetanka. Photos by Dan Engler.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2d-X67s6EKTT-YHEhaVTBicE93qo690oO0xklc1qXso8HirlL-he9t1qZVPpf0p7WJUZSSX33Rz5ubd_eIMo7SLt5MBykNgyMICa7A2umKDGW9f0OjwHHB1KJQilKdh7clKIW7vPiq4/s1600/MandR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2d-X67s6EKTT-YHEhaVTBicE93qo690oO0xklc1qXso8HirlL-he9t1qZVPpf0p7WJUZSSX33Rz5ubd_eIMo7SLt5MBykNgyMICa7A2umKDGW9f0OjwHHB1KJQilKdh7clKIW7vPiq4/s400/MandR2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike And Rick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Until a few years ago
I carried at least one apple box full of old, poorly-organized
cassettes, virtually none of them with cases intact, from one house to the next
in Missoula, every time I moved. I'd been doing this for over twenty years
until I just said just said the hell with it: I'm not even going to look into
the box this time. Not going to get sucked in again. I'm just going to leave
the box out in an alley with a FREE sign on it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Have you ever found a lost or discarded collection (perhaps
in, ahem, a “cassette caddy”) of someone else's mix tapes and listened with
guilty pleasure to the unfolding psychological profile, in music, of a complete
anonymous stranger? I know I have. When I was ten or twelve, my dad found a suitcase
full of pow-wow cassettes in the parking lot behind his office: one-off
recordings of Crow, Kiowa, Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet drum music from
various Montana tribal gatherings throughout the '70s. Maybe eighty of them.
That blew our minds, mine and my younger sister's. We listened to lots of them.
We were also excited about recording things off the radio, but we promised our
dad we would not record over any of these Indian tapes. I hope that suitcase is
still in his vast collection of old stuff somewhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, somebody found my old apple box full, because the next
time I looked into the alley it was gone.
I felt confident and relieved in this great gifting of magnetized tape
to a random stranger—a budding young cassettologist, one hopes, who will keenly
tuck in—because I reckoned there was no longer anything irreplaceable in it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The irreplaceable has been gradually set aside. Over the
years and between moves, I've gradually sifted out anything Made in Missoula
and moved it to a separate and much smaller box. Hard choices: a couple of mix
tapes from old girlfriends or prospective girlfriends held on in that Missoula
box until that last fateful change of residence, but in the end it seemed sort
of lovely to turn those musical mash-notes loose into the world again,
anonymously, fluttering like windborne smooches, and each one a kind of spore
with another chance to find purchase. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83aNWQB1S-N02I19EiNtYc6lfhfZ-FJ1QSBbmjp81-K0DNog_96zEeu8AqAQtO4FvGBvFOgPPkF55tmQuWdoQCN-5SWqa9onQR8U8VRL8qYIukhHj0FPdOvOCfQPVFQb-44Ytig-BknM/s1600/obliojoes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83aNWQB1S-N02I19EiNtYc6lfhfZ-FJ1QSBbmjp81-K0DNog_96zEeu8AqAQtO4FvGBvFOgPPkF55tmQuWdoQCN-5SWqa9onQR8U8VRL8qYIukhHj0FPdOvOCfQPVFQb-44Ytig-BknM/s320/obliojoes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Strachan, Oblio Joes ca. mid '90s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But the Missoula stuff: I dug it up it last month while
moving again, and it's pretty much all I've been listening to for two weeks in
my new deluxe North Side garage studio/basic man-cave. What kind of cassettes
am I talking about? Let me name ye a few: a rare copy of the Oblio Joes' first
recorded efforts: the 1993 Christmas Break four-track sessions. It was clear within
a few seconds of popping it it into a tape deck that the recording was still
crispy and crunchy and perfectly preserved after its two-decade sleep. Right
beneath that, I found a cassette copy of Johnny Joe's four-track solo album, <i>Can't
Think What I'm Saying</i>, recorded under the name Johnny Apple. Not widely
released, to say the least, but it's great navel-gazing stuff. The first track
(it must be called “I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do Today”) is a favorite:
virtually guitarless. except for a lazily heroic solo that sounds like J.
Mascis playing through an itty-bitty Peavey Rage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have these things on CD as well, but tape is way better. It's
got muscle and period authenticity. The wearisome debate between MP3 and vinyl
etc. etc. completely discounts the fact that some music is best heard through a
shitty tape deck, be it in a man-cave or a weaving Subaru driving up to the
sledding hill after the bars all closed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKAHsn0ac4miBjJBNDq5CezzVkJ2298yN8L-nO2SUc1rxsl7aFypT9KNDGboQ4oXpA5ZoFyRfgV-aNvP9CU6uD7rjqiXKvVwIs4bM4DO1ucQ7JfS7t5ev32HRwYi6Uibil28Nta91F1I/s1600/humpy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKAHsn0ac4miBjJBNDq5CezzVkJ2298yN8L-nO2SUc1rxsl7aFypT9KNDGboQ4oXpA5ZoFyRfgV-aNvP9CU6uD7rjqiXKvVwIs4bM4DO1ucQ7JfS7t5ev32HRwYi6Uibil28Nta91F1I/s400/humpy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpy. Denis O'Brien, Andy Smetanka and Dave Parsons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Also rescued from oblivion: rough cassette mix of songs from
the unfinished (i.e. barely started) 1999 Humpy LP, with vocals on about half
the tunes. Also a copy of the <i>Povstock!</i>
compilation, featuring a couple songs apiece from the nine or possibly nine
million bands that played a chaotic all-ages benefit show for the Poverello
Center in February, 1994 while just down the street Roxy Theater was burning to
the ground. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Also: The only existing recordings (so far as I know) of
Bastard Squad and the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (two bands, although it would
be a good name for just one band). A tape marked “Fiorello” in handwritten
block letters that turns out to be a boom-box recording of a Phantom Imperials
practice. The only song I could name was “O.J. Simpson,” but it all sounds
fantastically loud and noisy<i>--</i>again, like it's just yesterday and you
didn't mean to interrupt practice, you just wanted to drop by and pick up some
handbills for this show coming up. Heart Breaker! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-u_6aORkBUYxZmiFmembRdIypQkiJ5q_CnyeSvJFV56S5QuveorPZ35K26hKot0we8kBbJRVXQ_Xbk9PGT9TQ2avJMcwPSwkL-qv3V31egekhKSKzmTKmsDmr0azW1LFwymuDHDGPUVM/s1600/Humpy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-u_6aORkBUYxZmiFmembRdIypQkiJ5q_CnyeSvJFV56S5QuveorPZ35K26hKot0we8kBbJRVXQ_Xbk9PGT9TQ2avJMcwPSwkL-qv3V31egekhKSKzmTKmsDmr0azW1LFwymuDHDGPUVM/s400/Humpy1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Treasure, I'm telling you! The oldest of these cassette recordings
predate, by two or three years at least, any of our wildest notions that a
Jay's band could make a CD. Records seemed more within the realm of
possibility, but expensive, and recording options were few compared to today. Most
of us weren't familiar with the process, didn't relish the idea of paying for
it, but were grateful when a couple of people (Abe Baruck in particular)
finally came along and said: Hey, I can do that, and cheap! But at some point
everyone recorded themselves on a boom box, and in many cases there's still only
that one copy. I seem to have a lot of those only-one-copies in my small collection;
I'm happy and relieved they've survived two decades of indifferent storage
while they were in my care, and I look forward to returning many of them to
their original creators at the year's Total Fest--with the condition they burn
me a CD copy in return. Once, or if ever, they figure out how to do that. On second thought, maybe I will just hang on
to them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So. I am gradually arriving at my point. In listening to all
of this vintage Missoula rock glory (the better to get primed for the last TF,
of course), I'm struck by how many good songs Missoula bands wrote in the '90s
(and here I must also mention the <i>Rat Boy's Choice</i> cassette by
old-school, pre-Jay's hippie misfits Judy Rosen Parker, which continues to
amaze). More so, that all these bands seemingly wrote and played them under the
understandable assumption that few people outside the valley—indeed, outside a
very small group of locals—would ever hear them. Struggle to imagine this,
young people: we didn't have bandcamp or the internet at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's debatable whether the mass distribution of music by internet
has diluted away any discernible trace of a regional sound to set Missoula
apart from Any Other College Town, USA, but then, it isn't accurate to say
there was any particular Missoula sound back in the 1990s, either. I suppose we
all aspired to Fireballs of Freedom levels of showmanship and reputation (“greasy”
was about the highest accolade you could hang on a rock band in 1995) and
envied the Oblio Joes their gift for girl-hypnosis, but taken together it was
more like a defining <i>spirit</i>. In Jay's Upstairs, at least, between 1993
and 2000 or so we had a unifying place—had it all to ourselves, in fact—where
just about anything was allowed to thrive. As long as you rocked <i>somehow </i>and
weren't a bunch of dicks, you were in. A lot of people still think it was some
elitist rock clubhouse, but really it was as simple as that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Almost of these old “Jay's bands” had at least one signature
song, a crowd shout-along or a standby set-closer by which to flicker on in
Missoula rock posterity. But not just every Jay's band had a bona fide <i>anthem</i>.
That's true of bands everywhere, of course. How do you describe an anthem? I
dunno. But you know it when you hear it, and wherever in the ethers anthems
come from, not just every band manages to summon one. You don't just sit down
and write a rock anthem, do you? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zYLasEP8Gn-IycoJhffS9KPPsZ122Obii_wH65QRwOcbmimlVxcbvRrrgn_yfx_LTTZS5JAbESc9OPr9QyTx1kOF1Jhxi6jxostjMNh5qlxkPo_FnIrD5eTdsKxRsI7x9KLnBfdW-jw/s1600/obliojoes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zYLasEP8Gn-IycoJhffS9KPPsZ122Obii_wH65QRwOcbmimlVxcbvRrrgn_yfx_LTTZS5JAbESc9OPr9QyTx1kOF1Jhxi6jxostjMNh5qlxkPo_FnIrD5eTdsKxRsI7x9KLnBfdW-jw/s400/obliojoes1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oblio Joes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Perhaps it's a problem of abundance. Take the Oblio Joes. This
is just my personal bias, of course, but as much as I love the Obes,
particularly their early days, no one song of theirs stands head and shoulders
above the others as a crowd-unifying anthem. In any set, the Oblios had at
least five songs that were anthems if only for the evening—tunes that were just
woozily, belovedly, 100% perfectly <i>them, </i>but supplied the soundtrack to
our own lives at the same time. On any given night at Jay's between 1993 and
1998, just about any Oblios song might ring like a personal anthem to whatever
you happened to be feeling. One of my happiest memories of Jay's is one of
bringing a new girlfriend (a non-scene type, which was how I preferred to keep
things) to her first Obes show and feeling the squalling guitars of “<a href="http://obliojoes.bandcamp.com/track/in-love-and-insane">In Love and Insane</a>” washing over us, just for us, whacking our ears and hearts and
genitals with a giant romantic indie-rock tuning fork! I can tell you with
certainty that “In Love and Insane” is exactly what it sounded like to fall in
love at Jay's Upstairs in the fabled Summer of 1995. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then again, “Sometimes I Wish You Were a Girl,” another
crowd-melting Oblios show-ender from that era, was actually an ecstatic testament
of Platonic love between Johnny and Stu. Never mind: it still had the most
joyous audience vocal participation of any song in its day. Still, if I had to
nominate one Oblios tune for special anthem status, it would be “Space Opera,”
a song set in space that nonetheless taps into an intangible but very earthly
longing, and adds a guitar solo that peaks in a shower of starlike twinkles. I
can see I must move on here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You'd think a band as swaggeringly self-aware of its own
mythology in the making as Fireballs of Freedom would have anthems by the
bagful, and to a certain extent you'd be right. Most Fireballs of Freedom songs
are, of course, anthems to the Fireballs of Freedom and their exploits, and
their lyrics would probably read like an encrypted version of every side-splitting
band story Kelly Gately has ever told you—if only, you know, you could tell
what in the world the brother was singing about. (Gately, for the record,
insists he has handwritten copies of all his lyrics.) For me, Fireballs songs
are anthemic only in those places where Gator's worldview is somehow made
available to me (to be fair, I'm terrible with picking out lyrics in loud music),
and on that score there's no touching the chorus of “<a href="https://youtu.be/3giLbNGMwT4">The Dart Song</a>,” which is
as anthemic in its celebration of youth and freedom and the right wheels as a
chorus can be: “When I'm driving down the freeway/I always get stoned/When I'm
driving in the Dodge Dart/I'm always at home.” In my alternate rock universe, Fireballs
of Freedom write the music for all Super Bowl advertisements. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At this point, having dispensed with my two cents re:
anthems, you might be asking yourself if I would nominate any songs by my own
band, Humpy, to be considered for this status. To the extent that one can make
these calls about one's own band, I would say: No. The song most attached to
us, the one with the loudest sing-a-long factor and almost invariably our last
song of the night, is the rare song we did not actually write ourselves: “You
Make Me Sick.” Anthemic it might be; ours it was not, despite the fact that we
undeniably put our stamp on it. We didn't even hear the original version by<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyrqEffk5A8&authuser=0">Satan's Rats</a> first: We had a cassette copy of a soundalike version by the
German band <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4yGKdiDMk&authuser=0">Upright Citizens</a>, passed to me on a trip through northern Finland
and Norway by a gaunt exchange student named Jörn, and the reason the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qRvfwnR5mA&authuser=0">Humpy version</a> came out like it did is probably that we only ever listened to it
together once. Unfortunately, I never
bothered to learn the lyrics—or, indeed, any consistent lyrics at all—which
shortcoming alone must disqualify our version from top-tier punk anthem status.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK9546jG9F9Nfxk0weN-uRzqt6fZc5n17haTU5SH2B-MOLHGwZdu3m7gpvSb3Tc_7zdELmZNsEkpfrNMaRrMJ-5XEfbLQ7Bu08GvhxCWjV2eIgFBkPBZBpGyqM8usTzBbPouwKfcc1NM/s1600/MandR1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK9546jG9F9Nfxk0weN-uRzqt6fZc5n17haTU5SH2B-MOLHGwZdu3m7gpvSb3Tc_7zdELmZNsEkpfrNMaRrMJ-5XEfbLQ7Bu08GvhxCWjV2eIgFBkPBZBpGyqM8usTzBbPouwKfcc1NM/s400/MandR1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike and Rick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To the point, then: There is really only one Missoula song,
in my estimation, that transcends the personal and the microcosmic and the
self-mythologizing and really reaches the rarefied atmosphere of the regionally,
if not quite universally, anthemic. That song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tjjjjjjjames/sunset-on-evaro">“Sunset on Evaro,”</a> by Mike and
Rick. Not a duo, Mike and Rick was/is
actually a three-piece, with none of its members named Mike or Rick. They are,
in fact: Tim Graham (guitar, vocals), Joe Mudd (bass, vocals) and Dave Knadler
(drums, vocals).<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the halcyon mid-to-late '90s they inhabited, Mike and
Rick's aesthetic seems to have reached them by budget time machine from the
Missoula County Fair, circa 1985: local culture at its most gleefully trashy,
fast-forwarded for ironic rockist reconstruction in 1997, complete with
name-checked Z28s and some crayzee weerd-spelled titles on tha
Prince/Slade/Poison typp 2 boot . Not a gimmicky band by any stretch, but
definitely into exploring territory equally authentic to Missoula and its
environs. By the time they released their own CD in 2000, W<i>ho's Gonna Kick
Your Ass vol. I</i>, their penchant for riff-rockin' arch-drollery had whisked them quite away from
any familiar trucker-chic trappings of retro irony to follow, of all things, in
the steps of Lewis and Clark with a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek retelling of
the slogging Expedition as a lonely, horny effort with an unaccommodating
Sacajawea everyone's only hope of heterosexual coitus. And just in time for the
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial! “<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_Kev8TFrQPeWFiOXNjbWNpQndZZ0NhaDZ1dVFOTXF4REln/view?usp=sharing">Pride of America</a>” is also an anthem of a sort, a
damned catchy and daringly irreverent song (given the bicentennial milieu), and
pound for brilliant pound probably the Mike and Rick track I most admire. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But, like I say, nothing quite compares to “Sunset on
Evaro.” From the molasses-thick opening guitar blast, it is anthem WRIT LARGE,
rolling on unstoppably through hand-clapping, foot-stomping singalong to a
shaggy jazz-chord comedown. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Evaro, of course, isn't a place where you'd think to go to
watch a sunset unless you lived there, and very few people do. It's a little
cluster of a town at the top of Evaro Hill, north and west of Missoula on
Highway 93, and for that reason a kind of first landmark when you're getting
out of town and headed on northerly adventures. In Mike and Rick's case,
probably in a fully tricked-out stabbin'-cabin of an orange shag-carpet lined
Ford van with sunsets airbrushed on the sides. In any case, the sundown is more
figurative than literal, here, used more in the sense of curtains falling on
something. The protagonist seems to be leaving Evaro to start his life again
elsewhere---in Turah, to be precise, which is just priceless. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPYdy5ulfywvZXjjmfS1mIOwH6AMhmOSt4nNFhKal6BjKawda7CbkJcpwtCSf7dILZF14tScGtbj0yrIhm7t1l9yMcKeofHsBWG6e8nAF0uIvDDMNs88LVb64mOsaC8AcIXBPhtXMFxk/s1600/MandR3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPYdy5ulfywvZXjjmfS1mIOwH6AMhmOSt4nNFhKal6BjKawda7CbkJcpwtCSf7dILZF14tScGtbj0yrIhm7t1l9yMcKeofHsBWG6e8nAF0uIvDDMNs88LVb64mOsaC8AcIXBPhtXMFxk/s320/MandR3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike And Rick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's the almost haphazard mention of these places (plus the Wilma and the Oxford Cafe--“No
better place,” goes the triumphant chorus, “to get fucked up!”) that hints at
the mystical alchemy of how anthems are made. It hardly sounds fussed-over;
from the opening chord, you simply ride along with Mike and Rick, almost like
they're extemporizing their private tour of the town and its environs, the
places fixed in our local and mental geography—even unassuming old Evaro. If
you know the places—and all Missoulians do—you become passenger, participant
and proud booster in the musical version. And even if you forget the words once
or twice, there's the chorus to redeem you: “Sunset on Evaro/Keeps calling me
to my home...” <o:p></o:p></div>
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To redeem us all. You will never hear a Missoula crowd sing
along louder and more ebulliently with one of its own. We're home and we know
it (even those who no longer live here), and this is the song that sums it up perfectly.
Missoula, this is your anthem!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>Mike and Rick songs</b><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_Kev8TFrQPTkNXUXN1bk9iT3BCdFNyQ0stYkVwTWRweTRj/view?usp=sharing">Garden City Woman</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_Kev8TFrQPbTlaWHIwTzQ0bGdyRW5oVDRfekdWd0RrNnVn/view?usp=sharing">Falstaff</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_Kev8TFrQPVzM2SjFnNlpnR2hRQXo1NmE0OGtQZjlZV0Nj/view?usp=sharing">Cobra Glow</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-28460128938189646562015-08-10T16:36:00.000-06:002015-08-13T17:18:50.440-06:00IDAHO GREEN."Punk" and "Billings, Montana" typically aren't three words that get paired up that, <i>errr</i>, regularly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZJHaZawGtfMENks8dq7YZ6mdhpGK-w_eZAgq8v2EbUTxwec0jAWDcH-Xu4bODlZVofNVHLTBojIozSj39-g2CqTMBIhlDCgovJE6beOnEKuCZJW33ZGKjpyNvgZp-sGlFAjlFU7Tf2Q/s1600/IdahoG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZJHaZawGtfMENks8dq7YZ6mdhpGK-w_eZAgq8v2EbUTxwec0jAWDcH-Xu4bODlZVofNVHLTBojIozSj39-g2CqTMBIhlDCgovJE6beOnEKuCZJW33ZGKjpyNvgZp-sGlFAjlFU7Tf2Q/s400/IdahoG.jpg" width="400" /></a>Montana's "Magic City" is a place of commerce, a place of Republicans, a place of canyon rims, a place of lots of things, but one doesn't typically just kind of think, <i>"Jeesh, Billings. What a town for some punk music!</i>" And I guess I should qualify that by "one" I mean "I." But, Billings has got its good music, frankly. The guy who wrote "<a href="https://youtu.be/MlkKB1JlbFg">Hippy Hippy Shake</a>" is from Billings. His name is Chan Romero and he's got that track on Dave Martens' soon to come out Lost Sounds Vol. 1 compilation!<br />
And then there was <a href="http://richarddreyfest.blogspot.com/">Noise Noise Noise</a> and the Budgets from out there, who were both really great. And Megagiant. Unquestionably, Billings has got some weirdos bashing out some tunes. And for that, we thank them. It's a tough <i>row to hoe</i> in a place like Billings, with its nu metal and new country obsessions and car show culture.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A couple of years ago<a href="http://richarddreyfest.blogspot.com/"> Richard Dreyfest</a> came around, and it was the <a href="https://idahogreen.bandcamp.com/">Idaho Green</a> fellers, and a handful of others that made it happen. I've never been out, but both Marty and Kate have, and they report it's an absolute blast of a time, with great tunes, good vibes and plenty of parking. The set of bands they put together for this year's Dreyfest was awesome, and the vibe was thoroughly all-ages and DIY. Sort of just popped out of virtually nowhere, too. all of a sudden, you were thinking, <i>"Man! This isn't nu metal! What's up, Billings?" </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And, anyhow, that's my way around an introduction to Idaho Green, with whom TF just inked up some contracts. Idaho Green play something akin to the of shambolic high plains pop punk (Godammit Boyhowdy, King Elephant, Reddmen, Noise Noise Noise) that I've grown to both accept and love! When they put out their first 7", they were kind enough to send one over the the Wantage HQ and I was pretty thoroughly blown away by the fact that the band was pretty tight, played short songs, and had their thing pretty damn well dialed. That's what you call a debut, as far as I'm concerned. Roll all that forward by six or so years, and Idaho Green is a force!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-3099394306265688492015-08-05T16:10:00.002-06:002015-08-05T16:10:37.558-06:00HAMMERHEAD.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqJhsYrGVOUH6uDcQiIiRx5jupIoQ-Uhi-04AvhWcV_pD8EgQhU1jYPgF9GHCrgR70XFB9Qb_7yLibct6d4lDNrjtc7w7BZmOb0kAEUwElGdJrcSMkGGP3OCuu2f2aMzJmxAUwh-l2FY/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqJhsYrGVOUH6uDcQiIiRx5jupIoQ-Uhi-04AvhWcV_pD8EgQhU1jYPgF9GHCrgR70XFB9Qb_7yLibct6d4lDNrjtc7w7BZmOb0kAEUwElGdJrcSMkGGP3OCuu2f2aMzJmxAUwh-l2FY/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hammerhead ca. 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When you've <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/2011/06/hammerhead-vaz-bring-plains-thunder-to.html">already written a piece</a> about one of your favorite bands of all-time, and tried to provide as much context and explanation as possible, it makes the task of writing up the band for a second time a little bit interesting. <i>Whoah is me</i>, right?<br />
<br />
So, in addition to being an excellent '90s vintage noise rock stalwart, <a href="https://hammerhead.bandcamp.com/">Hammerhead </a>is very much a current band disinterested with comeback circuits and just playing their <i>"hits</i>" from twenty years ago. That said, as a man just as subject to bouts of occasional nostalgia as the next, I've got to say that I played most of 1994's "Into the Vortex" on my radio show last week, and it's every bit as good as I remembered. There was one LP that followed it (1996's Duh the Big City) but I've always had a special place for the focused desperation, amazing bass and guitar tones and drum sounds, and overall momentum of "Into The Vortex." It's for my money, as good as AmRep ever got. It's a great album that captures most of the amazing live power that Hammerhead commands.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmnuV_CUTeJG1AwymJnBn4_HJR5E3ifinzsOG4dx9hRtM_RoT1bRrkens_MDT_lqSB3xixIodTuGFMZwkRuc4lVCJgMBgQIRebqEENrhETWfj3iLorsZdhnZ-ZTnKt37txOGc9fVEXA0/s1600/hammerhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmnuV_CUTeJG1AwymJnBn4_HJR5E3ifinzsOG4dx9hRtM_RoT1bRrkens_MDT_lqSB3xixIodTuGFMZwkRuc4lVCJgMBgQIRebqEENrhETWfj3iLorsZdhnZ-ZTnKt37txOGc9fVEXA0/s320/hammerhead.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hammerhead ca. 1994</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since 2010, Hammerhead has released a couple EPs, (Memory Hole, etc.) and is on the verge of releasing its second LP called "New Directionz." I'm just a few listens into the new LP, but it's all Hammerhead, MXR distortion and weird high plains space desolation rock, done impeccably well.<a href="https://hammerhead.bandcamp.com/track/sector-5"> Sector 5</a> is pretty spot-on "classic" Heammerhead, and honestly I like every bit of the new LP.<br /><br />As an update, Jeff Mooridian and Paul Erickson recently moved themselves, and their other band Vaz, back to the Twin Cities where third member Paul Sanders lives. So it will be interesting to see Hammerhead again with the benefit of regular practice space availability.<br />
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So, we'll leave it at that. Total Fest is honored, stoked and happy, all simultaneously, to be offering Hammerhead up this year. See you there. Neck stretches, limbering up, etc. to commence now.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SOTDbKbAI5M" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-58480371623680797812015-08-04T09:49:00.000-06:002015-08-04T09:49:49.192-06:00JONNY FRITZ<i>Guest Blogger: Izaak Opatz</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nKJS91p3b8ZFnd2HRKc5eRfuFsYJgIjhRT0nGMpBx_Hv5T_BqUQVDqeb3XGtpOwquPncaVkjxEE2MvY73X4aLcPGBMnPsxxoWnCWE190rWjC67BY5RBDTAwKLghI3e2pGc9tladiboc/s1600/Fritz.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nKJS91p3b8ZFnd2HRKc5eRfuFsYJgIjhRT0nGMpBx_Hv5T_BqUQVDqeb3XGtpOwquPncaVkjxEE2MvY73X4aLcPGBMnPsxxoWnCWE190rWjC67BY5RBDTAwKLghI3e2pGc9tladiboc/s400/Fritz.png" width="400" /></a>I first encountered <a href="http://jonnyfritz.com/">Jonny Fritz </a>(then Jonny Corndawg) at a screening of Stray Dawg, a short documentary that captures Jonny's wry, exuberant personality and his unique and self-wrought life, as he trains for a marathon and tours the country with a guitar and amp strapped to his motorcycle. I happened to watch Stray Dawg at the <a href="http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/">Big Sky Documentary Film Festival</a> just after seeing a long documentary about a grueling year in the life of the dour violin wunderkind Andrew Bird. Many of my friends swooned at Bird's virtuosity and tragic manner, which evoked that of a sickly, cloistered 18th-century composer, but it really got me down about the pleasures of being a musician.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIClcOFqz2FSdYXd7VxEWqSXLuoLA6VMSfxcP878AQkHJkCK2Cgq1Cvkb5j3wKRbqdlGZMj4OUlGU_2xIDJcOlfTx-0OPIBPz6omnsZONIpE3ERQliJ2qfIhMJaIZAa1vxIqWwLWvY62E/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIClcOFqz2FSdYXd7VxEWqSXLuoLA6VMSfxcP878AQkHJkCK2Cgq1Cvkb5j3wKRbqdlGZMj4OUlGU_2xIDJcOlfTx-0OPIBPz6omnsZONIpE3ERQliJ2qfIhMJaIZAa1vxIqWwLWvY62E/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a>Jonny lives his life in stark and refreshing contrast to this somber vision of the artist at work - from rollerblading from Philadelphia to New York, performing prostrate at Bonnaroo in a neck brace, or dancing in front of a desert sundown with Roman candles blasting off in his hand (see his music video for "Goodbye Summer"), Jonny always looks like he's having so much fun. His music is immediately approachable (if you have the stomach for off-the-wall double entendres about cunnilingus) and no less intelligent - the first song of his to get stuck in my head and grab me lyrically was "Exercise", a country song that features the line "Drink water and juice with a little slice of lemon/ eat a raw clove of garlic every once in a while/ meditate, appreciate, learn a foreign language,/ and understand that immigrants have the hardest lives". As with my favorite country singers, from Roger Miller to John Prine to Johnny Paycheck to Dwight Yoakam, Jonny rejects the notion that his songs have to be either funny or serious - each song, whether about heartbreak or longing, dogs or trucks, is imbued with humor, and not just for the sake of a laugh, but simply because humor is the language Jonny uses to connect with and color his world.<br />
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Jonny Fritz plays Total Fest's opening night, <u>Thursday, August 20th at the Zootown Arts Community Center.</u> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Best-Westerns/111851885605210">The Best Westerns</a> provide the backing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_TY7lVT03srEdlb28sSFpSxCFDO7KVSv1wc7u6pzP-WnVkfF01j7TVjEQE-vaoTNkuxIlavYE6oOZXR_WY8zFCXElc0iwRpYVvBzUhpFiLPHhE90E69UXqtSPoqRFJaX571PYYEzN5M/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y2_RIg0vZPQ" width="560"></iframe></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-64555852503745110612015-08-03T11:33:00.000-06:002015-08-03T11:38:45.978-06:00DRINK BLACK COFFEE, (POTENTIALLY) WIN FULL-PASS, THIS WEEK ONLY. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoIAQxorhlhr0OuAMSl6kNehmgjEAZimDDOFTP6CuXDClmXiFNV7zXE6PPXCJZrBCJgjjjqJuefmRrvxhqcP6jzqUKbO2ZYH4dYXzNuGHuJKFM-w8AlOjOjM-aq8ZGMxPQbnWebZqFDo/s1600/BCRC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoIAQxorhlhr0OuAMSl6kNehmgjEAZimDDOFTP6CuXDClmXiFNV7zXE6PPXCJZrBCJgjjjqJuefmRrvxhqcP6jzqUKbO2ZYH4dYXzNuGHuJKFM-w8AlOjOjM-aq8ZGMxPQbnWebZqFDo/s400/BCRC.jpg" width="400" /></a>Since they opened their doors, which seems like maybe getting on 6 or so years ago, <a href="http://www.blackcoffeeroastingco.com/">Black Coffee Roasting Company</a> has generously given Total Fest a pretty significant bunch of cash and coffee. But, fundamentally, I think if you need a reason to drink Black Coffee, you should look no further than the product they offer: that's locally roasted, small-batch, organic coffee. And, I'll go one step further and say Black Coffee took me, a guy who thought of himself as a coffee fan, to a whole new level of enjoyment. Their stuff is simply more fresh, more delicious and more varied than any roaster for miles and miles in any direction.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaCWPvXnjvizSpL-p8LLJL7VAzZca5lhwJU8Gnkv8sPpNYtLxWjb9-pDc4WGyirp3_JUxUbKa8L1NdE7aLApdsZS0-NMeA1Wr-NrVaiFrcTRBbWkV_3VxP7OpaWET7fRE5sD2eSVJi_Q/s1600/IMG_4165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaCWPvXnjvizSpL-p8LLJL7VAzZca5lhwJU8Gnkv8sPpNYtLxWjb9-pDc4WGyirp3_JUxUbKa8L1NdE7aLApdsZS0-NMeA1Wr-NrVaiFrcTRBbWkV_3VxP7OpaWET7fRE5sD2eSVJi_Q/s320/IMG_4165.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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So, what's going on with them and Total Fest this year? Well, Black Coffee typically does a special roast called Total Black to help celebrate Total Fest. They've done that again this year, and it's on sale currently in Missoula. Also, if you stop into the shop, which is located in Missoula at 525 E. Spruce, and buy a bag of Total Black directly from the source, you have a pretty strong chance of winning a full Total Fest pass in your bag of coffee. They're releasing five of the Total Fest Golden Ticket this week, and the only way you can win one is to pick up Total Black from the source.<br />
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That's only happening this week, Monday, August 3rd through Friday, August 7th. You know what to do.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-61479411202113356612015-08-01T12:29:00.002-06:002015-08-01T12:30:14.576-06:00MOSTLY-GIRL PUNK PARIAHS: SASSHOLE<i>Guest Blogger: Becky Hensley</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad8DYBV0JOvYOH3bCquDE-qBc6gJf28o7RPFvHh4bEyxaC86Wp5DCY_DZETOA-LV_sN6pIos7EMyaXfZADqh-Z8DRBaBSR0f8RGrn2fEEqNy8j8L74oOxVPzeTgE1eGa9krjKzHsr7mw/s1600/sasshole1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad8DYBV0JOvYOH3bCquDE-qBc6gJf28o7RPFvHh4bEyxaC86Wp5DCY_DZETOA-LV_sN6pIos7EMyaXfZADqh-Z8DRBaBSR0f8RGrn2fEEqNy8j8L74oOxVPzeTgE1eGa9krjKzHsr7mw/s400/sasshole1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="line-height: normal;">Moving to Missoula was a transformative part of who I have become.<br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I
was coming down off some seriously bad vibes from living in a small
town in Wyoming and the only answer seemed to be moving to Montana and
shacking up with my boyfriend who had moved there months earlier to live
with his brother.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I didn’t know it at the time, but I was moving to the Volumen house. The first one, actually.And
from the moment I pulled my car into the city, packed with everything I
could fit in a beat up ’86 Buick Century, life was different.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">My
gut told me that the boyfriend wasn’t going to pan out, but I stuck it
out hoping I’d find a friend or two to help make sense of staying in
Missoula.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">The Volumen dudes suggested I meet up with Sasshole.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">A
phone call came in, ”Meet us at Squire’s Pub” - I could hear laughing
in the background and for a moment I felt like it might be a prank.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I had heard about these Sasshole ladies and what I had heard scared the living shit out of me.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Stories
had filtered through emails from my boyfriend about these women. Kia,
Jen & Milli would go harder and faster than anyone else out there.
They’d put cigarettes out on your face, drink you under the
table…literally, and if you couldn’t keep up…GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE
WAY.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju52TxKq8zgIFAOYw12iK4PbZJrc6xTBEdICOApOdT_Iqrj_Sexp3V4UVvheT3Fptwz0jmqKb7prM2PPvlpd5hH_lezdD6cybNBlmmNAeOnzceJPjNKSGPixH5V_pC90iwdOnM2Pv-m3c/s1600/sasshole2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju52TxKq8zgIFAOYw12iK4PbZJrc6xTBEdICOApOdT_Iqrj_Sexp3V4UVvheT3Fptwz0jmqKb7prM2PPvlpd5hH_lezdD6cybNBlmmNAeOnzceJPjNKSGPixH5V_pC90iwdOnM2Pv-m3c/s320/sasshole2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="line-height: normal;">Sitting
across from them, I was nervous - trying so hard to be cool. They wore
chokers, smoked cigarettes, wore ringer tees paired with sparkling
vintage jewelry, and swallowed back bottles of beer in such an elegant
and effortless way.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">They
were rebel girls. They encapsulated every part of how I had idealized
Riot Grrrl culture and they were immediately the queens of my world.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">After
our first encounter, I found a home with these weird and wonderful and
sometimes fucking terrifying women. They made me laugh, got me into
parties, shared their beer with me, and became my very best friends.
They supported me to pursue boys and be confident, they didn’t get mad
when I puked on their butts or slept on their couches, and whether they
knew or not, they enabled me to grow into an empowered woman.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">They were passionate about their lives and they lived every moment like it was about to explode.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">This passion and insanity plays into every part of what Sasshole is as a band.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Sasshole
is silly, horrifying, offensive, dark as fuck, and always irreverent.
They never take themselves too seriously, but you can always tell when
they’re proud of the arrangements they’ve put together or a song is
particularly well crafted. Because that part is important too…but they
don’t really care if you know or not.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Kia’s
voice is urgent and mewling and it’s sexy as hell. Her stage presence
feels a little off beat, but always ends up connecting with the rest of
the pieces of the band.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Milli
is a force to be reckoned with. Her rock stance on lock, she plays her
bass hard and she stares down the audience. Her voice punctuates the
places where Kia’s falls away. She’s a powerhouse.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4U-d4-6Ivz51mP5RORzbv9qb4qhGejlwzbfhEUji9xtCxX7jpjadq5IRvPJO83RWql78wOQgn-REkKJtS_NC83kFgazx5IFE9w61pozDx47g3Ptty1xAl2KVBqlr5sFlgogFX1U4Miw/s1600/sass+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4U-d4-6Ivz51mP5RORzbv9qb4qhGejlwzbfhEUji9xtCxX7jpjadq5IRvPJO83RWql78wOQgn-REkKJtS_NC83kFgazx5IFE9w61pozDx47g3Ptty1xAl2KVBqlr5sFlgogFX1U4Miw/s320/sass+poster.jpg" width="249" /></a><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Girl
drummers rule and Jen is no exception. She kills it and manages a
flourish or two while rocking a serious brown lip and throwing her curls
around. She is cute and dangerous and doesn’t have anything to prove.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">And
although I’ve fan-girl’d the heck out of the ladies of the band, Dave
is one of my favorite guitar players in Missoula. He’s serious and
deliberate and he shreds. He’s the straight man, literally, to this
wiley crew and it’s always a treat to hear Dave shout along with Kia and
Milli.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">To say Sasshole changed my life would be an intense understatement. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">People
talk about the soundtrack of their lives and I can say without a doubt
that the music scene of Missoula in the early 2000s was mine.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I
tried to use the present tense to talk about Sasshole as a band because
in my heart they never broke up. They never took a break for kids or
jobs. They’ve always been a band to me. And even after this last show,
they still will be.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;" /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I’d
recommend you not miss their set at Total Fest this year. And don’t be
surprised if you end up covered in corn or peanuts or kitty litter.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">It’s happened before.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/lee.conway.56/videos/194204097291668/">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lee.conway.56/videos/194204097291668/">sassholereunion</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">Ladieeees and gentlemen! Preeeesenting: JENNIFER LEAH TACHOVSKY and her band!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.7199993133545px;">Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lee.conway.56">Lee Conway</a> on Saturday, April 30, 2011</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-61617673734812168082015-07-29T16:26:00.001-06:002015-07-29T16:26:22.610-06:00HUMPY.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQllZRzpgJ9WYVQJRLvMNi2bpcxv-Ngk95HcaHYRxy5AUyLpsxQPIDlxGvceABH-tEHhIXbRc-s7_IBSyS1By77Jtz_r_zAEGPjmqXcKWRtOKj_uKjMVSQrHI4PA8-8DO1dp94UJvUDU/s1600/Humpy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQllZRzpgJ9WYVQJRLvMNi2bpcxv-Ngk95HcaHYRxy5AUyLpsxQPIDlxGvceABH-tEHhIXbRc-s7_IBSyS1By77Jtz_r_zAEGPjmqXcKWRtOKj_uKjMVSQrHI4PA8-8DO1dp94UJvUDU/s400/Humpy.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back when I was a wee lad of eighteen or nineteen years, in about 1992, newly arrived in Missoula, wet behind the proverbial ears and taking my first set of classes at UM, there were a handful of interesting punk and underground bands going<i> </i>in a time that otherwise you couldn't really toss an Oly stubby without hitting a dreadlocked, Birkenstocked, Phish-logo'd New Jersey license-plated Four Runner-drivin' bro 'round here. Luckily, these culturally resistant types were charting their own courses, going against the prevailing grain of the time doing their own thing, irrespective of audience size, whether many folks really cared, money, or whatever else sort of extrinsic gains there might have been.<br />
<br />
Bands like the Phantom Imperials, Judy Rosen Parker, VTO, Hughes, Sasshole, The Banned, Honky Sausage, the Jolly Ranchers, the Oblio Joes, and Humpy (etc.) defined my first handful of years in Missoula, and had it not been for them, god knows if I'd have fallen in love with the place like I have. There also was a classically jerry-rigged and decrepit place called Jay's Upstairs that was centrally located, and which regularly hosted all kinds of weird stuff on its stage, including the first two Total Fests.<br />
<br />
And as I broadly dismiss these '90s "hippies" I don't want you to think I'm a stunod who doesn't get that the original hippie movement was a countercultural, antiwar outfit with some great music associated with it. I'm just saying there was a particularly annoying set of entitled youths in Dead and Phish wear, primarily, roaming places like Missoula in the 1990s, and their contributions were of a somewhat limited scope. That's all I'm saying. Thankfully, Missoula's always had that kind of counter cultural vibe around, in the early days from the hippies, artists and weirdos, and more recently from artists, musicians, punks and weirdos. But anyways, in those days, there were a lot of folks in love with jam/cover bands and with a kind of Dead breakup hangover, crowding bar stages from Boulder to err... Ballard. And Missoula had its fair share of whatever that deal was.<br />
<br />
In the middle of it all, there were some dudes from unlikely zipcodes like Havre and Billings who had located each other at UM and decided that their shared interests in SST bands, Australia's Sheaf Stout beer and noisemaking made them well-positioned to<i> band up</i>. And lo, <b>Humpy</b> was born. Their lore has it that for a while, they had two or three members simultaneously playing guitars and bass through the same cruddy Sunn amp, and used a soup ladle taped to somebody's foot to provide rhythm before they figured out a drummer... who knows how much of that is true, but it makes for good copy, eh? Humpy's music had a least three pretty distinct periods, the first of which was punctuated by the extremely woody bass-tone of Denis O'Brien. That period featured some pretty wild and diverse rock and roll. Occasionally they'd hunker down and knock out a ripper, but the band was very comfortable making its own distinct and varied racket.<br />
<br />
Over time, longtime Jay's Upstairs sound reinforcement officer (and former Texas deathmetaler, and Kiss <i>memorabilist</i>) Justin Lawrence became bassist, and Humpy grew into a pretty straightforward, excellent hardcore band, and always played fast. But it didn't start that way. Humpy's done a handful of post-break up shows over the years, but when they brought Denis O'Brien out of the dugout for the Jay's reunion show (organized by Lawrence) a few years back, health problems kept the line up from getting to play live. We at Total Fest sure hope we can reconcile that this year, and are stoked to get to see that very first lineup one more time.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://onebaseonanoverthrow.blogspot.com/2012/06/dont-bother-getting-your-hopes-up.html">Here's a nice piece</a> about Humpy, and some lyrics from Dave who runs One Base on an Overthrow.<br />
<br />
This below may be all you need to know about Humpy:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9g_8XyxFOqo" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-20545489560461133372015-07-28T21:00:00.001-06:002015-07-29T19:09:39.091-06:00CULT LEADER BECKONS <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideFlQbDbLAAtKKb16b11kRHR0x5n-RVrb1Pg7zZVnCxoR-n4hma3lu9K0zMqFpf3HQhBDgC7UygG6kB9xGxqTJ6OJCsdC0ENas5ZD0BUDC5_Ha1emAazStr65EPhCB629MI0WLjT_Saw/s1600/cultleader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideFlQbDbLAAtKKb16b11kRHR0x5n-RVrb1Pg7zZVnCxoR-n4hma3lu9K0zMqFpf3HQhBDgC7UygG6kB9xGxqTJ6OJCsdC0ENas5ZD0BUDC5_Ha1emAazStr65EPhCB629MI0WLjT_Saw/s400/cultleader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not to be all Wikipedia or anything,
but when you tag yourself as "progressive crust," my ear
hair perks up. You're willingly throwing yourself into the ring with
some of the best bands in the history of the planet, (quibble if you
want) Crass, Nausea, Antischism, Neurosis, Disorder, Disrupt,
Discharge, Tragedy, Man is the Bastard, Capitalist Casualties, Iron Lung, No
Statik, Replica, Exilent, etc. I've obviously dated myself with this
list, and, admittedly, this is a shallow list and maybe some of those
stretch the genre, but we're not really concerned about that. Crust
is one of those mesmerizing genres that even with the weight of
consumerism trying to appropriate its aesthetic, the music
continually shuns the shackles. Big talk ... maybe. Seriously,
fashionistas may adopt the drapery, but there is no way the
lifestyle, the ethics, or the music can be easily translated into
something that your Screeching Weasel or Katy Perry fan is going to
embrace.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At its best, crust serves to keep the
rest of the punk rock / DIY community honest. Enter Salt Lake City's
<a href="https://cultleadermusic.bandcamp.com/">Cult Leader</a>. They're brutally honest, unapologetically heavy, and trench-tested
dissonant hardcore. Pushing at the boundaries, Cult Leader moves away
from the straight up political by turning it inward, allowing for
their individual perspectives to do the talking more than the, at
times, canned and often repeated slams against an opaque and distant
system. As always, it's refreshing the more abrasive it is, openly
challenging you to embrace and live the ethics you've chosen. With
tracks ranging from around a minute to close to seven minutes, they
span the entire crust spectrum. You get it. I know. You wouldn't be
looking at this if you didn't. Whatever my family and friends listen
to when they throw my ashes into the proverbial wind or off the
proverbial cliff, you can bet the aggressive, no-prisoner, oddly
pacifist, atheist-in-a-foxhole blend of bands like Cult Leader will
be on the playlist.
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So that's it. I used a band to massage
my ego. Rather than writing while I listened, I strolled down a few
soggy / foggy memories of alleys and skateboards, of venues with
shoddy doormen, of basement and backyard shows, of friends that I've
lost contact with or lost completely, of those bands that lasted a
minute or those Wordsworthian bands that didn't end soon enough, of
the countless the-world-is-going-to-be-okay-because-we're-still-angry
smiles that bands like Cult Leader bring to my face. Why every
cynical remark I make is layered with hope. In the end, it's not up
to me or you or some blogger to tell you what's up; it's up to the
music. Cult Leader shreds, and they aren't about to let you wave some
anarcho-banner or flaunt your patches without coaxing you into
feeling why reality is worth it, why unhinged anger and
frustration have a place, or why we all feel that faint glimmer of
hope when music offers you the potential that everything cannot be
commodified. Thanks for shattering our shackles, Cult Leader.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_lA56O9vIN8" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-84522751732919192532015-07-23T17:24:00.000-06:002015-07-29T20:02:47.169-06:00TOTALLY HUNGRY? SAY "YES" TO TOTAL FEAST<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvexT3bUft1BYsjTNx0GKJP_16x7PdCtJ7q5WPz5VYjHxo7Xe7avI9kc7UrYvzlE1TpHyGIA3YXrINHqNn3jUiEQRoPxdlJjN5naX-fJwGfRuv6037GkC2XuTimi6C8AvxhFEiG8-324/s1600/biga4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvexT3bUft1BYsjTNx0GKJP_16x7PdCtJ7q5WPz5VYjHxo7Xe7avI9kc7UrYvzlE1TpHyGIA3YXrINHqNn3jUiEQRoPxdlJjN5naX-fJwGfRuv6037GkC2XuTimi6C8AvxhFEiG8-324/s320/biga4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Marshall's dank pizza place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the final year of Total Fest and that also means that yes, it's time to announce our final Total Feast. This is something we've come to look forward to every year. It's a time where we partner with one of our most stalwart supporters, <a href="http://www.bigapizza.com/">Biga Pizza</a>, and go nutz with an all-out all-you-can-handle pizza buffet. This year, all that pizza sets you back $12 and it runs from 5pm to 8pm. Know that a big portion of those proceeds goes towards making this last best fest something to remember. We're still a non-profit, volunteer-run enterprise so we rely on fun events like this to pay all those bands you can't wait to see.<br /><br />Biga is one of our (and Missoula's) favorite restaurants in town. The place is run by <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/2015/06/volumen.html">Volumen</a> and Bavon and Egg member Bob Marshall and he's been tossing brick-oven-pizza for years now. The menu has some pretty creative topping choices (the Flathead cherries, the marscapone, all so so good) but they're just as solid with your regular sausage, pepperoni, and cheese. There's always been a few gluten-free pizzas popped out for you celiacs and there will be plenty of salad for all you Yoga instructors. We love Biga and we're extra super totally elated to be doing this again, even for the last time.<br /><br />To reiterate: TOTAL FEAST runs from 5pm to 8pm on Sunday, August 9th and like I mentioned earlier, it's only $12 for all-you-eat pizza and salad. PBR is available as well as Biga's regular beverage menu. The Ole Beck VFW Post #209 is available next door for overflow seating and booze-drinks for the 21+ set. This event is 100% FAMILY FRIENDLY and we can't wait to see you there.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-69977933034398656502015-07-22T13:57:00.000-06:002015-07-29T20:04:37.059-06:00BLACK COBRA.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83_-AtRpSQbYBIT8cNkQqvh1zdXA8Qhqjl2o7XJpFd127LbIXLkIEWVDDmwnQ0-JPUNI2Lhk_SV5gSg0mhQokj5hNgYN7bB-MWlZgLmhLuBFTx1QRRlV233dTBHbzzdVdAphTNMSWnQc/s1600/black_cobra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83_-AtRpSQbYBIT8cNkQqvh1zdXA8Qhqjl2o7XJpFd127LbIXLkIEWVDDmwnQ0-JPUNI2Lhk_SV5gSg0mhQokj5hNgYN7bB-MWlZgLmhLuBFTx1QRRlV233dTBHbzzdVdAphTNMSWnQc/s400/black_cobra.jpg" width="400" /></a>My introduction to <a href="http://blackcobra.net/">Black Cobra</a>'s music in any real way is thanks to the Total Fest Record Swap. <br />
<br />
That's our Saturday fandango at Big Dipper Ice Cream on Higgins curated by Bryan Ramirez and which features amazingly delicious and hugely gratis iced coffee from B<a href="http://www.blackcoffeeroastingco.com/">lack Coffee Roasting Co</a>. Typically, there's around ten or fifteen folks with anywhere from 25 to a few hundred LPs and other formats they're looking to offload at low, low (Lolo) prices. I'd read a fair amount and heard of Black Cobra, and they even canceled last minute with Torche on a house show at Niki's old place on Front Street. To be fair, this was probably 2004ish, I think it probably was a thirteen hour drive from their starting point to the show, and the show might have paid each band $63. So, really, it's water under the bridge at this point, dudes. #WUTB.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwNjmzQoERDoqDi6crBk7Gp-x6To0QTX2jZpVKX6bWPy9bpnHuM_l7VjWRlFax9sKanz897P2bqR92WzO2l7e1qDmnWmSYHBUYaRNgGUxGkdUJ2mhm0XGyp98t_Cgtwp6LUzx-E7tyz8/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwNjmzQoERDoqDi6crBk7Gp-x6To0QTX2jZpVKX6bWPy9bpnHuM_l7VjWRlFax9sKanz897P2bqR92WzO2l7e1qDmnWmSYHBUYaRNgGUxGkdUJ2mhm0XGyp98t_Cgtwp6LUzx-E7tyz8/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>This just got into a weird tangent. <u>All of it in good fun</u>. Back to the seriousness: So, I'd heard of this Black Cobra band. A two piece with a huge sound. Playing metal. Big sound. Great band. But I hadn't picked any recordings up. So it was a Total Fest Record Swap. Maybe six years back now, and somebody showed me their pile of records. Among the stack was Black Cobra's "Feather and Stone." I picked it up for six bucks or something, just thinking, I need to check this out further. I remember distinctly the gnarly, feral metal that started filling the room when I first played it. Jason Landrian's guitar tone is so excellent. Unprocessed, gnarly and just right for the songs. It's the kind of tone that once you hear it, you kind of start judging other metal by. I think the only contemporary band that touches it for my money is <a href="https://youtu.be/VzvfQtUCkWc">Megasus</a>.<br />
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Between Rafa's drums and Jason's riff's, it's hard to deny the sheer <i>burl </i>that is Black Cobra. And that's why they're playing Total Fest XIV, man. Okay?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LE9Hhwp_gbs" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-74907386971063856712015-07-20T15:43:00.001-06:002015-07-20T15:48:55.269-06:00TOTAL MIXTAPES <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mixcrate.com/img/ugc/covers/1/3/133892_l.jpg?v=616201220" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mixcrate.com/img/ugc/covers/1/3/133892_l.jpg?v=616201220" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're the kind of person that enjoys convenience or just the satisfaction that comes from consolidating everything in one place, today is probably the best day of your life. We've put together three mixtapes featuring the majority of our Total Fest lineup for this year. They're not really tapes, we know, but they're streaming online so if that's the kind of the thing that totally floats your proverbial boat then hell, we're here for ya. Each mix is loosely based around a genre or two and we tried to make each one have a sense of flow because, well, half of the Total Fest committee is made up of radio DJs and that's something we care about.<br /><br />Yeah, we're aware not every band playing Total Fest this year is on the mixes. We'll be posting more stuff like this in the future so no worries, we wanna make everyone part of the party. We'll keep you updated like we always do from this blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here they be:</span><br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=536275961/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 470px; width: 350px;"><a href="http://totalfestmt.bandcamp.com/album/total-fest-xiv-mixtape-1-heavies">Total Fest XIV Mixtape #1 (Heavies) by Total Fest</a></iframe><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2204530392/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 470px; width: 350px;"><a href="http://totalfestmt.bandcamp.com/album/total-fest-xiv-mixtape-2-weirdos">Total Fest XIV Mixtape #2 (Weirdos) by Total Fest</a></iframe><br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1668255627/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 470px; width: 350px;"><a href="http://totalfestmt.bandcamp.com/album/total-fest-xiv-mixtape-3-punx">Total Fest XIV Mixtape #3 (Punx) by Total Fest</a></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-8974193778017289692015-07-15T09:18:00.001-06:002015-07-15T09:18:23.521-06:00TF PRE-BLAST: SHANNON & THE CLAMS, IS OKAY, SHAHS, MIDNIGHT HOTDOG 7-19-15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2015/06/15085856/Shannon-640x427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.stereogum.com/uploads/2015/06/15085856/Shannon-640x427.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excited for Total Fest but wait to start having fun with us? Don't worry, we like throwing pre-parties or "pre-blasts" a few times a summer, and we're extra-special stoked to tell you about this one. The Ole Beck VFW Post #209 (a Total Fest venue) is hosting California's Shannon & The Clams (themselves Total Fest alumni) this upcoming Sunday, July 19th. If you're unawares as to the kind of music these Clams make, well, it's somewhere between doo-wop, garage, psych, surf, etc. etc. They've got a ton of killer tunes and we just love it when they visit. So so so much fun.<br /><br />We're feeling pretty special that Shannon & The Clams included Missoula on their summer mini-tour. They're releasing a new LP in September and will be traveling full-on about that time but yeah, it's pretty sweet they wanna stop in in July. Missoula seems to go ape for these Clams and we're right there with you.<br /><br />Joining Shannon & The Clams are locals Is Okay, Shahs (playing Total Fest this year), and Midnight Hotdog (the first show from Total Fest alumni Adelaide and Mikki of Needlecraft as well as Max Bauerly from Slut River). We're hoping this blast will get you folks in the mood to totally party with us in August.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PERTINENT INFO: <b>Shannon & The Clams, Is Okay, Shahs,</b> and <b>Midnight Hotdog</b> play the <b>Ole Beck VFW Post #209</b> on <b>Sunday, July 19th</b> at <b>9pm</b>. Advance tickets are <b>$8</b> from Ear Candy Music or <b>$9</b> from <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/p/purchase-tickets.html">Total Fest</a> (there's some fees related to online sales). Tickets on the day of the show are<b> $10</b> for those 21+ or <b>$15</b> for those 18-20.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-63715223378117278262015-07-11T13:53:00.000-06:002015-07-11T13:53:00.560-06:00FOREVER BLISSFUL, SHELLSHAG RETURNS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Long time duo, all around awesome
folks, and DIY stalwarts, <a href="http://www.starcleaner.com/revenge.htm">Shellshag</a> continue to breathe fresh air
into their lo-fi, poppy bursts. If you're not in the know, John and
Jennifer have been playing together since (at the very least) 1997. Their records and shows have provided us with an intimate glimpse
into their relationship. Each song is steeped in playful honesty,
which really translates in their live performances as they face one
another, singing into self-constructed "Y" shaped
microphone stand. Their dialog is transparent in their harmonies, and
live it takes on a jubilant nature all its own. They continually
build on each other, crafting an infectious energy that hasn't
dwindled after all these years. John's guitar and odd baritone voice
pair perfectly with Jennifer's belts of sleigh bells, snares, and enthusiastic vocals.
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There's something about two pieces that
always makes me smile. Sure there's less pretense and the music is
boiled down to its most essential components, but it also allows for
more space for personalities to take hold of the music and erases the
boundaries between music and musician. Shellshag erases it further,
merging their personal lives into their songs and performances. Maybe
it's because they've been living it for almost two decades now, but
there's an immediate hook to their songs that matches so well to the
humble and quirky duo. Their songs play out all the aspects of a
relationship -- the good and bad, the cheerful and somber, the
dedicated and flippant moments that make it all worth it. It's a
simple formula, but one that lies underneath all of our lives.
Remember why you smile. Smile often with as many people as you can.
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It's been a bit since Shellshag played
Missoula, but we're super excited that they pulled off a yeoman-like
effort to play Total Fest this year. Who knows, maybe we can talk
them into playing a baseball game with us on Sunday -- provided we
all don't just sit at the river.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267361819035752384.post-60567340303849168392015-07-06T17:26:00.000-06:002015-07-29T14:34:15.621-06:00WEEDEATER: GOLIATHS OF DOOM SOAR TO TOTAL FEST.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_EBqN7pk5aLZffzDNVjbeV81aOMLkKsAHHFhHJGpoiOSbH0-RtyR-iHfU_8m-68Nq8NuTR-8anEg4hnjtnJytGDn_Ylc6gpmSzVpyJxk79njbquKqfU7p1FEi63QNv2gp-1YLd-bCn0/s1600/wdeater.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_EBqN7pk5aLZffzDNVjbeV81aOMLkKsAHHFhHJGpoiOSbH0-RtyR-iHfU_8m-68Nq8NuTR-8anEg4hnjtnJytGDn_Ylc6gpmSzVpyJxk79njbquKqfU7p1FEi63QNv2gp-1YLd-bCn0/s640/wdeater.png" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weedeater.</td></tr>
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We just (7/28/15) received the following bad news from Weedeater's booking agent, Erik Jarvis from Tone Deaf Touring:<br />
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<b><i>"All of us in Weedeater camp sincerely regret that we <u>cannot</u> make it to Total Fest this year. The organizers were great and we were very much looking forward, however for reasons beyond our control we had to postpone our whole western tour, including this show. We know it will be a fantastic time and we hope to see you there next year!"</i></b><br />
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Something about the south and the doom. It's like Birmingham in the late sixties or something. What is it? The zeitgeist? The water? Fried food? The air? Other elements? I, mean, it's the people, obviously, but you know what I'm saying. What <i>else</i>? I guess humidity, whiskey distilleries, good pot growing conditions, disaffection, and strong musical traditions and you've got some of the country's most fertile, err, topsoil for this stuff.<br />
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I think filthy Jim Anderson's responsible playing me my first <a href="http://www.weedmetal.com/">Weedeater</a>. It was their <a href="https://youtu.be/wDEYN96GlUA"><i>.... And Justice For Y'all</i></a> record, which still kills me.<br />
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Weedeater basically are about slab after hefty slab of riff, pounded home with drums, bass and growled over by a man possessed. They're from Wilmington, NC. They've been at it solidly since 1998, have got through some lineup changes, but really it's steadily been the same, deeply satisfying stuff since they started, and they've just mined deeper and deeper into the riffs.<br />
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Lots of <a href="http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2015/06/dixie/">good interviews</a> out there with "Dixie" Dave Collins, who also was in the weird and excellent 90's group Buzzov'en, who along with some other southern groups like Eyehategod and Acid Bath, etc. were some of the first to get called "sludge" metal. You know, if you're into the historical side of all this stuff. You can still get passes <a href="http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/p/purchase-tickets.html">for Total Fest here</a>. We'll see you in August, right?<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=204530929/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3297078193/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://weedeater.bandcamp.com/album/goliathan">Goliathan by Weedeater</a></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12047911090755010940noreply@blogger.com0