Show Preview: Pucifier – A perfect Circle – and Failure – at The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – May 10 and 11, 2014
February 26, 2014
From deep in the heart of Arizona hails the ever illusive and mysterious Maynard James Keenan. He is known in Arizona for his being the owner and operator of Merkin Vineyards, but the rest of the rock world knows him as the front man and founder of such acts as TOOL, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.
He is also about to turn 50 and in a grand gesture KROQ is throwing him a 50th birthday party they are referring to as “Cinquanta”. The Greek Theatre is set to have many surprises as not only A Perfect Circle, but also Puscifer are set to play. Also on the bill are 90’s alt rock band Failure, who’s long sought out reunion has been 16 years in the making.
Failure doesn’t seem to have any new music in the works, but their old albums are slowly being release on Vinyl; Magnified being the most recent in November of last year. Meanwhile, Maynard has been busy prepping releases for both bands. “Stone & Echo” is a release of A Perfect Circles entire discography of 3 albums; Mer de Noms, Thirteenth Step and eMOTIVe, live and features new songs "By and Down," "Ashes to Ashes" and "Diary of a Love Song” as well as “Three Sixty” which is a best of CD release. “What is… Puscifer” is a DVD release that includes live footage from the Conditions of My Parole tour as well as an opening mockumentary. It has also been made available on both CD and Vinyl.
The Greek Theatre is the place to be for the two night birthday extravaganza May 10th and 11th. It is sure to be a weekend to remember as fans have been holding their breaths at the chance to see A Perfect Circle back on the stage after not touring in the US for 2 years.
Let’s not forget that Failure has been out of the spotlight for 16 years and surely have not been forgotten. Fans have long awaited the day that they will be able to hear “Fantastic Planet” live after disbanding only a year after it’s release. In an interesting twist of fate Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen joined A Perfect Circle for their first album once Failure called it quits and now the circle, as they say, is complete.
-Elody Nichole-
Big Wheel Contributor
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Interview with Qui
February 23, 2014
Interview by: Mindiana Jones
Big Wheel Contributor
The manly noise rock duo Qui is ready to bestow a new album, "Life, Water, Living" upon the world. February 25th 2013 will mark the release of the band's first full length since "Love's Miracle," their 2007 collaboration with David Yow (Jesus Lizard/Scratch Acid.) In celebration of this joyous occasion, Qui will hit the road for a west coast tour, kicking it off February 28th at The Satellite in Los Angeles.
They will be headed up the coast to Seattle with fellow hot and heavy rockers Moistboyz, and then cruising back down to LA on the solo.
Witnessing a Qui performance is a magical experience. Paul towers over his warm toned, tiny Gretsch set like a jolly fair skinned giant, while Matt eludes a subtle bear appeal, sway and sweating his heart out all across the stage, sensuously strumming his Gibson ES135. Qui melds together a legion of influences to create a sound that is notably Qui. Hints of jazz dashing up rock riffs, an awkward quirkiness, and their ability to perfectly fuse voices all emphasize their exclusive sound.
Recently Qui have been pushing the boundaries of bromance with their latest video, "Whateryadoin." The killer Qui track features a sensual bass line and silky smooth harmonizing vocals that blend together like a thick and creamy milkshake. The video delves into the hidden sexual tension that grows over years of being in a committed musical relationship, and shows guitarist Matt Cronk longing for special attention from drummer Paul Christensen. The video previews a track that will be on the upcoming "Life, Water, Living" release.
BW- So the music video is...
Matt-"Whateryadoin."
Paul- That song is going to be on the full length coming out at the end of February, "Life, Water, Living."
Paul- It is out on the 25th of February, and we start gigging the 28th.
Matt- You can order it from Cobraside, or from our site www.ihatequi.com It is a full length and going to be CD and LP.
BW- Is that what you recorded with Deaf Nephews?
Matt- Yes.
BW- Awesome, so this "Whateryadoin" video. You illustrate bromance quite well. Is this based off reality?
Paul- No
Matt- No...no.
Paul- No, I just remember thinking it would be funny to base a song off of that. With the years of people asking in interviews, peers, friends, contemporaries, you know...are you guys a couple? How often do you make out? How many times have you had sex? Stuff like that.
Matt- It has been hypothesized that we are gay for each other, but we are not.
Paul- So yeah, we thought it would be funny to sorta press the issue, and throw it in everyone's face.
Matt- Yeah, it's just a funny thing to do. It's like one of those...you know your sitting with your friends and someone gets the idea "Hey guys, wouldn't it be funny if..." we try to do all those things that we think of. "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if we had a song about how I want to have sex with you?" You know. We do a lot of that kind of stuff.
Paul- The most recent video we filmed stars the lovely Nicole as Goldie the clown. During the verses, she is lip syncing the vocals and then Matt and I are in the back ground wrestling in our tighty whities and its pretty hot...and during the chorus there are a bunch of still photos of her around town as Goldie. It's real icky.
Matt- It's hard to watch.
Paul- It is hard to watch.
Matt- It's because of how sexy we are.
Paul- It's definitely one of those things where we were like "Hey we should do that" OK let's do it.
Matt- It has been fun just doing every stupid thing we think of.
BW - So, this upcoming tour your out with Moistboyz?
Matt- We are just out for the first week, from LA to Seattle, then going out for a week on our own, making our way back.
BW- February 28th is at the Satellite in LA?
Matt- Yes.
BW- So I hear you have a special Greeting Card Release Out?
Matt- Yeah, that is called "No-Legs," and was actually some stuff we had recorded back in 03, with some live stuff from 05. We made a record that never got released, and then some of it got reworked with David Yow and put on "Love's Miracle." So we put that out in November 2013, and it came packaged in a handmade greeting card. People can pick it up at the gigs.
Paul- The Artwork is by David. It's pink.
Matt -You know, Christmas is just around the corner...
BW- Or Valentines Day?
Paul - Actually that would be perfect, you know it's pink, and you can write on the inside and make it hateful or welcoming, whatever you want.
BW- So Paul, if you were to send your band mate Matt this card, what would you write in it?
Paul- I would put a used banana peel inside, because when he would open the card, it would fall to the ground, and then, well... tripping... slipping and sliding all through the house... and then we he goes off camera KABOOM! You know, so that's what I would put in there.
BW- So is that a love felt or hateful greeting?
Paul- Oh, it's both...it's Qui. That's how we show affection to each other.
BW- What about you Matt, what greeting would you like to send to Paul?
Matt- Oh, I would probably put a nice note like "Hey Paul, no special occasion, I just wanted to say what's up. I hope your having an awesome day, I'll see ya at practice later, love ya buddy, alright later." Something like that.
Paul- His was an even bigger lie than mine.
BW- What are you guys working on right now?
Paul- Well we just worked on and recorded a little single for a release on Three One G, which will be out in April.
Matt- That will be a split with Secret Fun Club. Then, we have a ton of sorta half done songs, we keep trying to find time to get in and crank on. With playing gigs, recording, and working full time, it's been a little more slow going than we would have liked. We will have another batch of stuff soon.
BW - Where did Qui start?
Matt- We both grew up in Minneapolis, we met when we were like 16 in high school. We were buddies, but we didn't really start Qui until we moved to California when we were like 21 or 22.
Paul- Yeah, it was 2000, so like 23.
Matt- We sorta played together goofing around, and tried to get some things together, but when we moved out here is when we actually solidified what we were doing.
Paul- Yeah, we came out here and played with a few different people, but nothing really stuck...so after being frustrated with not gelling with a 3rd person we decided to be a two piece...and then gigs ensued.
BW- did you move to LA together?
Paul- We moved to LA together from Santa Barbra. Once we got down here, it was down to business.
BW- When you moved to LA did you live together?
Matt- Yep.
BW- Did you share a room, were times tough back then?
Paul- We had a one bedroom apartment. So I had the living room/kitchen, and Matt had the bedroom/bathroom. It was like one big room with a wall.
BW- Matt, you let him use the bathroom right?
Matt- Within reason....I mean I had a girlfriend at the time, and you couldn't get to the bathroom without going through the bedroom. So if we were in the bedroom making love, Paul would just have to take care of himself in the sink.
Paul- He let me use the bathroom, and I let him use the kitchen...pretty much whenever.
Matt- We lived together in a bunch of different places, and come Saturday we will be living together again.
BW- Well congratulations.
Matt- Thanks.
BW- So, as a two piece going on tour, tell me about road time bathroom breaks? Do you guys go in together or spread it out and take turns?
Paul- We typically go together every time.
Matt - Yeah we love it.
Paul- It's rare when just one of us has to go, and if just one of us does, the other guy has no problem going along with it.
Matt- We both drink a fair amount of Dr. Pepper and Earl Grey Tea, so every couple of hours its nice to just get out and stretch your legs and have a pee.
BW- Do you guys ever cross the streams?
Matt- We have in our life, but it's not something we do often.
BW- You mean it's not like a special pre-show ritual?
Matt - We are gonna do it for Paul's birthday.
Paul- Yeah we have... but it has definitely been years.
Matt - We're older...
Paul- Yeah, that's more of an early thirties thing, we're in our late 30's
Matt- Mid Thirties.....or late mid thirties.
P- Late mids....we're Late mids. My birthday is in like a month.
Matt- Which will put you at 37.
Paul- Which is not old...
BW- Have you guys ever had any musical injuries?
Matt- Yes. I don't have it so much anymore, but growing up I had bad tendinitis and carpel tunnel in my left hand. I don't hear so good, if I scream a bunch my throat hurts and I loose my voice so I have to rein that in. I have a bad back from being hunched over a guitar.
Paul- Dead hands, finger nail sensitivity, pelvis discomfort, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, numb lips.
Matt- Involuntary trembling....
Paul- I have hit my left knee, cut a finger open a few times. It was pretty cool in Europe I did that and there was some blood on my snare for like a week. It was pretty cool.
BW- Being a touring band, and coming from Minnesota, has there ever been a time where you guys had to cuddle, merely for warmth and survival?
Paul- That wasn't on the road...and we weren't in Minnesota... and we didn't need warmth. We've cuddled a few time over the years.
Matt- Sure, well you gotta understand were best friends, best friends of 20 years. Eventually your gonna cuddle, and it's not that big of deal, and it's not even a sexual thing...for me.
Paul- There was a time we were sleeping in the van somewhere in rural Nevada...or somewhere. Anyway we snuggled that night, it was kinda chilly.
Matt- There was that night in Utah, that horrible night in Salt Lake City where we didn't quit snuggle but should have.
Paul- Yeah, we got heckled by a midget, and one of the 3 people at the show that night offered his trailer for us to sleep in, so we slept on the floor of this trailer, which was about wide enough for one body, and a small L shaped corner, so we just kinda sporked each other.
Matt- That was a tough night. Also, the trailer was unheated and we were sleeping in these dirty giant military sleeping bags in Utah in the middle of December. And that God Damn Midget...
BW- How do you guys feel about hecklers, do you appreciate them?
Matt- Um...they are so seldom funny or clever. I can enjoy a good rejoinder with someone but it's just so seldom interesting that it's just like ahhh....shut up.
Paul- We used to be in a band called "The Gentleman Callers" which had a much more fun, drinking, rock n roll vibe, and that was sort of encouraged, and we got to do a lot of that with that band.
BW- Have you ever have anything thrown at you?
Matt- Yep. We opened for the Ataris in 2004 in San Diego, and it did not go over. Someone threw a golf ball it hit me square in the forehead.
BW- What makes you guys happiest as a band?
Paul- The writing process is what I take the most joy out of.
Matt- I would say preforming. I like the writing process too, but if I had to pick a favorite. I enjoy every aspect of all of it. I like humping gear, I like driving to gigs, I like all the admin work that goes into it. One of my favorite things in the world is getting in the room and making stuff up. But if I had to pick a favorite part of it all I would say playing on stage.
Paul- I like writing because when you have an idea that your excited about, you might sometimes have an idea of where it is going to go, but then you play it for your friend and it goes somewhere else. Something is created from nothing. I also feel it is the one things that is free about being in a band, you get to write songs. Everything else costs money but you can't get taxed for a song idea. You can do whatever you want with it. I guess I just like the thought of the possibility of where is this gonna take us. For instance, the last song that we recorded, it all started with this drum beat I had, and when I was first playing it and was jamming on it, it was kinda spazzy and jazzy. Then, through playing it with Matt it kinda got slowed down and became dancy, kinda 4 on the floor, and I would not of imagined it going that way. After recording it, it sounds way different than I ever would of thought. So I like all the transformations.
Qui will be hitting the road starting February 28th at the Satellite in Los Angeles. Check www.ihatequi.com for tour dates and links to their albums, including the upcoming "Life, Water, Living."
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SkaWars 2014 – at Plaza de la Raza – Los Angeles, CA
February 8, 2014
With the 2014 SkaWars festival now in the books we take a moment to look back at all the festivities and excitement, that quite possibly made it the best SkaWars to date.
Hosted at the serene Lincoln Park in Los Angeles, SkaWars once again welcomed its loyal legion of fans for another day of non-stop music. Boasting over 25 bands in one day, the action and volume was fast paced and unrelenting from when the doors opened up until the last magnificent band of the evening. As Lincoln Park and its beautiful landscape made for a gorgeous and stunning backdrop, the venue itself was one of beauty and culture. Spacious enough to host the SkaWars contingency and then some, with ample room for vendors, merchandisers and a high vaulted stage making for excellent acoustics and a sense of grandeur not seen before with other SkaWars stages.
The set times, where as one would expect from a SkaWars bill: Short and Overlapping. Not necessarily a bad thing as this played perfectly into the banner headline of “Ska WARS” as a sense of bring your ‘A-Game’ hung over the stage throughout the day. Each band bringing something intense and finely honed, like a samurai’s sword or Jedi Knights Light Saber, no Jedi Mind Tricks needed, just water and more music. With Skank pits slamming from just after noon to just after midnight the ones causing the entire ruckus were as follows:
NOISE CORNER: SKAWARS STAGE:
East Side Agents Libertadorers
SkaKillnAnthem Paranoias
Mano Sucio The Steady 45’s
L.A. Crooks 2 Tone Lizard kings
23 Skunks Dub 8
A La Brava Matamoska
HappyDrunk Cartel Profesor Galactico
Ekolekua Mafia Rusa
LosKungFuMonkeys RedStore Bums
Café Con Tequila The Toasters
Hijos Del Sol La Resistencia
Dispenska Viernes 13
Rudo Movimiento Chencha Berrinches
The Delirians
Pachamama
As science and its inability to clone have shown us, we can’t be in two places at once—yet. So with that being said let us focus on the acts that truly set the bar for the evening and provided a few knock out blows along the way. The fury came early in the day as bands on both stages introduced fans to a taste of what they could come to expect from then on out. East Side Agents, Libertadores and The Paranoias all provided early excitement in their own right.
As Libertadores and Paranoias both brought a popular and high-energy brand of Skacore, as The East Side Agents brought something a little bit different in their approach to ska, even a surprising and really well done version of a popular Save Ferris tune. East Side Agents should see their spot on coming SkaWars lineups rise, as their notoriety should rise with it.
With L.A. Crooks and 23 Skunks holding down a respectable and high-energy set and pit, one of the bigger Local draws was gearing up for their set on the Main Stage. The Steady 45’s have worked diligently to put themselves near the top in the local scene alongside recording and banner mates The Delirians and Pachamama, all of whom represent the Steady Rock Groove Factory out of Whittier. As the weeks lead up to SkaWars a noticeable addition was being talked about all over social media, as The Steady 45’s have earned the respect of artists from Jamaica and
LA’s 90’s golden revival age. The word was out “bring your best traditional dance moves” and boy did the kids ever. Playing original yet firmly entrenched in tradition Ska & rock steady, The Steady 45’s manage to do something only seen maybe a spattering of times at a skacore show let alone SkaWars. Bringing the skank pit to a stand still as young fans danced around their bags and sweaters in a circle facing one another in true traditional fashion, dating back to generations of 60’s Jamaican dancehalls and Los Angeles’s Ska/Reggae Club scene. The evolution of the young Los Angeles Ska enthusiast was never more on display as it shows: sometimes you have to go back to the past to get to the future of LA Ska and Rock steady.
As is commonplace with a SkaWars Event, migration from one stage to the other is expected, even at times the standard. But with such a heavy bill it seemed the front row of the main stage was locked down for a solid chunk of the day. As Dub8 and their reggae roots synergy seemed to pleasantly surprise a lot of the younger fans not to familiar with roots or reggae. But one thing most music lovers are familiar with is The Doors as Dub8 threw a unseen uppercut to the ears of all in attendance with their masterfully done reggae rendition of the Doors ‘Five to one’ truly something to behold as LA’s older reggae circuit has come to expect from Dub8.
Now we reach the heaviest of hitters in the LA Skacore scene, Matamoska, Profesor Galactico, Mafia Rusa, and Red Store Bums.
All have seen the biggest push from Evokore (aside from La Resistencia and Viernes 13) and rightly so. These young yet seasoned top tier acts have manage to take the local scene by the jugular and have no intentions of letting go anytime soon. Only further demonstrated by the flood of upcoming new releases to see national audiences via iTunes and other online shopping formats, Mafia Rusa and Matamoska to name just a few. As they gear up for new music to hit shelves one can only assume it can harness the energy that their live acts have shown for sometime. In the past this journalist has referred to Mafia Rusa’s stage presence as a kin to “Bats out of hell”. There is no barricade, amp, drum riser or anything else that these finely tunes young musicians will not climb and climb over all the while still performing in perfect harmony. As they perform fan favorite after one another drawing HUGE pits for ‘No Mercy For The Rude’ ‘
The Zed Word’ and ‘Party Squad’ their sets are truly that, a party. On the flipside to their beautiful recklessness is Matamoska’s high energy and BIG BALLS! Within the first couple seconds of Matamoska’s set you knew what you were in store for, sheer craziness and fun, as crowd surfing and stage diving complimented their already ape shit music and charisma even causing one fan to pass out. ‘Dia de los Muertos’ ‘Heroes with Beards’ ‘Flan’ and ‘Beer Goggles’ all kept the same energy and rhythm we soon hope to see on their newest cd release in April at The Whiskey A GoGo.
As the Toasters, La Resistencia and Viernes 13 comprised the “Early Bed Time’ headline acts, the show had been announced to be a sell out as those on the inside rejoiced in unison. Fans of Skacore No doubt are familiar with one of the true third-wave pioneering act from New York, Buck and The Toasters. Performing their already world renowned songs to another generation of appreciative and loyal skacore fans they touched on everything you could expect to hear Buck belt out with his trademark vocals. ‘Talk is Cheap’ ‘Two Tone Army’ ‘Weekend in LA’ ‘Pirate Radio’ and ‘Thrill me Up’ sprinkled their short yet compact set leaving none with the feeling of missing out as these have proven to be crowd favorites over the decades.
With La Resistencia and Viernes 13 being the dual-wielding acts most in the skacore scene would be familiar with, they easily garnered the largest pits and biggest ovations of the night and rightly so, they play and promote enough to have such a loyal following, unfortunately since photographers were barred from the surrounding stage for their two sets (for in house documentation) you’ll have to take my word for it. But don’t fret, as La Resistencia has two awesome shows coming up on March 1st at the Airliner and April 6th with Matamoska and Mafia Rusa at The Whiskey A GoGo.
For those whose Skacore fix was near insatiable they had veterans Chencha Berrinches to finish them off for the evening, coming out to a haunting intro and cheers of “Chencha, Chencha” they surely did not disappoint, the short yet devilishly wonderful set was just what was needed to maintain and carry over the already climactic energy for the two bands to follow.
Representing the Steady Rock Groove Factory, The Delirians and Pachamama bring two different yet pivotal styles to Los Angeles and The end of SkaWars 2014. As those with early bed times and those just too pooped out to hang, found out later Pachamama and The Delirians brought one of the more professionally crafted sounds to SkaWars.
With their popular roots and socially conscientious lyrics, Pachamama encompass more than just musicianship, they convey a message most skacore lovers are sadly missing, in that they bring true social unity and societies ailments to the forefront. Always thought provoking and feet moving Pachamama’s sound opens more than ears, it opens the eyes and mind to the world around you in true roots fashion others have seem to have forgotten plus with their tune ‘Rude boy’ it opened up the pit as well, even having a live artist paint throughout the set. As the popularity of traditional music in Los Angeles has become more and more of a sight along club marques, the Delirians have played one of the larger roles in today’s resurgence. No Strangers to the SkaWars stage, The Delirians prove you don’t need to growl or scream to cause a dance floor shakedown. Measured in their approach, the sound is clean and at the highest caliber.
These young men have performed with and for countless Jamaican legends past and present, they’ve packed numerous local clubs, Hollywood venues and even performed to an estimated 40,000 people on the pier with Jimmy Cliff just last year. Skawars faithful love these young men from East Los’ as their style is rooted in 60s tradition yet uniquely all their own. Skawars was truly one for the books this year, with an even card from beginning to end, all the artists had to leave home feeling like champs and counting down the days till the next throw down.
-Gio Van Dam-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter
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The Lions – DJ Boss Harmony – at La Cita – Los Angeles, CA
February 6, 2014
On a seemingly normal Thursday night in Los Angeles reggae lovers came out in droves for an evening anything but normal. With temperatures finally reaching a more familiar chilly atmosphere, warmth and shelter would be provided by La Cita in los Angeles, as well as be our venue for the nights celebration. Thursday February 6th marked what would have been Robert Nesta Marley 69th birthday.
Lovingly known as Bob Marley, Tough Gong and a bevy of other names we joined together to celebrate the man and his unquestioned mark on music, culture, humanity and world politics. Sadly decades later younger audiences may only tie his visage to a handful of songs and marijuana, but on those truly touched by his life and influence February 6th marked a true embodiment of unity and one love.
As folks gathered together around one another like a pack to dance away to DJ Boss Harmony (Punky Reggae/DubClub) and his always world class selections, another Pack was ready to inhabit the cozy La Cita Bar for the evening. The Lions, a reggae super-hero ensemble, comprising top tier musicians from Los Angeles including (to name just a few) The Expanders and Hepcat, was primed and ready to mesmerize the now jam packed bar. The Lions have wasted no time in placing themselves atop the Los Angeles and national reggae scene, with two albums including last years hugely popular ‘This Generation’ that saw it soar to the very top of the Billboard Reggae Charts garnering acclaim from all corners of the music industry.
With that very same seemingly endless momentum, The Lions launched into their set with their brand of original and creative reggae music. With so much talent the tiny stage couldn’t contain all the members of the band, as the one-of-a-kind, three-part harmony of Alex Desert, Malik Moore and Black Shakespeare emphatically enthralled those close enough to dance along side them. With over fifteen scorchers burning through the amps, The Lions roar was welcomed and adored, masterfully crafted songs like ‘New Girl’ ‘Roll it ‘Round’ ‘Ethio-Steppers’ ‘Tuesday Roots’ possessed all within ear shot as the hips swayed and drinks emptied all in a wonderful tizzy of precise horns, soul scratching guitar work and the synonymous key work of Deston Barry.
Ending the night on the Wildly popular ‘This Generation’ and ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ The Lions and countless others continue to pick up the pieces in the Los Angeles reggae scene left behind by the early departure of Mr. Marley, harnessing his message and injecting new life and love along the way. The Lions pedigree (pun intended) is of the highest caliber and should be viewed in its natural environment: roaming the stage under the bright lights, proudly displayed for all to behold and enjoy. With the band back in the studio working on a brand new LP fans wont have to wait too long to enjoy The Lions once again, as March and April signal the release of ‘This Generation In Dub’ mixed by the Dub Club’s tom Chasteen to be released via Stones Throw and live performances at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach in March on the 7th and more to be confirmed soon.
Don’t miss any opportunities to see what most in Los Angeles have come to expect from these men over the years. Be sure to purchase their last album ‘This Generation’ at reputable locations and retailers like Amoeba Records and Amazon.com.
-Gio Van Dam-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter
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Mad Caddies with illScarlett – at El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
February 4, 2014
The Mad Caddies turned The El Rey into a giant Punk Rock pirate party February 4th. Their Tuesday night tour kick off was filled with sing-alongs, circle pits, and crazy crowd surfers.
Fans were stoked to get a taste of two new songs from their upcoming album, and be treated to hits from albums past. The Caddies even took some special requests from their enthusiastic fans. The show was a non stop Punk Rock fun time for both the bands and the audience.
The night started out with Toronto Reggae rockers illscarlet. The four piece have a sound that melds Reggae grooving bass lines with bass drum heavy rhythms, throws in some driving Punk riffs and catchy intermingling vocal styles. illscarlet is one of those bands where each song is a little different, a little unique. Some tunes had a laid back chill groove, some a taste of Punk angst. Sometimes the vocals were smooth and harmonizing, sometimes there was a touch of gnarl reminiscent of Bradley Nowell. The crowd really warmed up to illscarlet, and were continuously drawn in towards the stage throughout the set. illscarlet had a great intensity as a band and was a strong fit for the opening slot.
The Mad Caddies hit the stage at 10pm and immediately lived up to their reputation as being a good time, fun and carefree live act. Trumpet player Keith's excitement on stage makes the trumpet seem like the most Punk instrument you could ever pick up. Vocalist Chuck looked sincerely overjoyed with the crowd reaction, and humbled by all the positive energy the audience was giving back to the band. His dynamic vocals filled the room and invited the whole audience to sing along.
The Caddies have their set down. The whole band is solid and on point, and they preform with a lively and passionate zeal. The current rhythm section features original drummer Todd Rosenberg on drums and newest member Graham Palmer on bass. These two held it down and were a rhythmic brick wall. We also saw Dustin Lanker on the keyboard, assuring that "Weird Beard" had that signature accordion, and adding an amusing layer to the Caddies live sound.
All Caddies fans know the most recognizable horn section in Punk Rock today consists of Keith on Trumpet and Eddy blaring his trombone. These brass bad asses give spit valves and toilet plungers an unexpected sex appeal and get the young ladies swooning. They are casual and cool with their fills, careful not to over shine when the song is more guitar or vocal driven, but showing off all their skills on horn heavy songs such as "Monkeys." This show was extra special for Eddy, who is a Los Angeles area native and received extra love and attention from the fanatical audience.
The backbone of the Caddies' sound is the signature guitar styling of Sascha. His subtle yet driving Reggae influenced style lays a great foundation for the vocals to play with, and he is an ace at writing catchy solos that seem to never escape your head once heard. It was also great to see Chuck picking up his guitar for some new tunes and hits from their 07' release "Keep it Going."
The audience was thrilled when Chuck offered a time for requests, and "The Gentlemen" and "Macho Nachos" were played for a very receptive, flowing and cheerful crowd. The atmosphere of the night was friendly and upbeat, with a wide variety of people, young and old. After a killer rendition of "Distress," the Caddies tried to leave the stage but it wasn't that easy. Clapping and chanting drew them out for a couple more, ending on the party time drinking hit "American Badass."
The Mad Caddies are about to drop a new full length record this spring on Fat Wreck Chords. Los Angeles got a first hand preview of good things to come. The Caddies played "Brand New Scar" and "Shot in the Dark," both set to be released at the end of April. The crowd was moving and grooving through both new tunes, and each one got a hearty round of applause. Keep an eye on the Caddies this spring and be ready to snatch up a copy of the new album.
More photos of the show can be seen HERE
-Mindiana Jones-
Big Wheel Contributor
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Band Spot Light: A Pretty Mess
February 1, 2014
Its no secret that the underground Punk Rock scene is a tough market. There are many die-hards that still attend Punk shows, but let's face it, the scene just isn't the way it was in the 80's. One band is on a quest to keep the spirit of Southern California Punk alive and that is exactly what they have been doing for the last 8 years.
Lead singer, Dee Skusting, formed A Pretty Mess in 2006 and since they have been steady on their path to "reclaim the the underground scene". Meghan Mattox, who is also known for playing in a band you may have heard of called Naked Aggression, provides sick baselines, while Dirty Dan shreds lead guitar and Aaron Austin kicks ass on drums. The rhythm section coupled Dee's powerful vocals, makes for a performance that will grab you by the balls and have you eating out of the palm of their hands. A pretty Mess delivers a new spin on the classic Punk Rock sound we all have come to love, while still maintaining their own style.
Even though this band has only been around for less than ten years, A pretty Mess was invited to share the stage with old school Punk heavy hitters Bad Religion, T.S.O.L, Youth Brigade, Sin 34, and The Grim at Gary Tovar's GV30 (Goldenvoice 30th Year Anniversary) concert in December of 2011. It was a true testimony to the respect they have gained since the bands inception.
Releases by A Pretty Mess include "We Are The Damaged Youth (2008)", "Filthy Poor (2011)", and their most recent "Wasteland". You can give the albums a listen as well as order a copy HERE
A Pretty Mess have some awesome shows lined up in February, so if you're in the Los Angeles area, you definitely want to mark you calendars! Also if you plan on attending Rebellion in Blackpool UK this year, keep an eye out for their performance, you won't want to miss it.
http://www.reverbnation.com/aprettymess
https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Pretty-Mess/154296944666
-J.Moncrief-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter
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