No Idle Hands Here
The Fringe Interview With Frank Kozik
Photo by Jonathon Miller
Frank Kozik is an art phenom in every sense of the word. In the late ’80s, Kozik’s eyepopping LSD trip like, day-glo rock posters brought his name into the forefront of the underground music scene. Having created posters for artists like Green Day, The Offspring, George Clinton, and many more, his work became infamous for both embracing and destroying pop culture icons.
As bands like the Melvins, Mudhoney and Nirvana emerged from Seattle with the rise of grunge during the early ’90s, Kozik posters could be found seemingly everywhere.
Eventually Kozik’s art moved into the world of toys, where he too has conquered. Collectors of designer toys have been praising his designs for years now. Dark, sarcastic, and brilliantly adult, the man responsible for reviving poster art has helped start an art revolution with artistic toys.
Numerous art books can be found featuring his work, and numerous websites from the U.S. to Japan carry his designer toy masterpieces. Do a search on the web and you’ll be amazed, I promise. Kozik was kind enough to answer some questions for us to help introduce himself to those who don’t know him, and those who already are obsessed with him.
FRINGE: According to Wikipedia You are “Credited with single handedly reviving the ‘lost’ art of the concert poster.”
How do you feel about that statement?
KOZIK: Although it was not any sort of goal or intent at the time, in retrospect it is accurate, for whatever that matters.
FRINGE: At what point were you able to quit the grind of a day job and make your living just off your art?
KOZIK: The fall of 1988
Photo by Jonathon Miller
FRINGE: What steps did you take to go from rock posters to toys, and why?
KOZIK: I was pretty tired of doing posters and the music business in general. I did the first few toys in Japan, just for kicks basically, and then realized it might be a popular form in the U.S. … and I liked designing them as well … So I made a concentrated effort to figure it out and start doing them as my main thing. It has worked out quite well.
FRINGE: You’re currently the top name in the vinyl toy world, how did to get to that point in your career?
KOZIK: Aggressive design effort, coordination with all the various toy companies, time invested in figuring out the back side of the business … manufacturing possibilities, distribution and effective use of the internet and message boards.
FRINGE: Explain the Labbit and how you come up with all the amazing ideas for your designs?
KOZIK: Labbit is the ID, basically. He’s a grumpy little misanthrope (labbitthrope?) and represents, basically, anti-kitty for me. I have way more ideas than could ever be realized. Ideas are easy.
FRINGE: How do you go about developing your toys?
KOZIK: One, determine a need: Which company? What size? What price range? What sort of character? Two, come to an agreement with the above. Three, puzzle it out with a pencil and graph paper, do some finished “hero” ink drawings for the package and textile use. Four, re-iterate it in final form in Illustrator, assign the patterns, colors etc. Do the box layout. Five, send that to the sculptor/ manufacturer. Six, back and forth with jpegs do refine the sculpt, etc. Seven, release.
FRINGE: What’s your opinion on the current vinyl toy scene?
KOZIK: Huge and growing. I really like the whole ‘custom’scene — very inspiring, very inclusive.
FRINGE: Who are some of your favorite artists right now?
KOZIK: Motorbot is killing it. I love Pete Fowler, Jarvis, Bounty Hunter, Gargamel….
FRINGE: What’s your favorite part of creating toys?
KOZIK: Seeing the finished toy in my collection. Attending SDCC is awesome as well.
FRINGE: You’re known for being interactive with your collectors and fans. Have you ever had any stalkers or crazies cause conflict??
KOZIK: I have had my share of fan mail and internet forum wierdos over the years, but they never seem to actualize their bullshit in real life.
FRINGE: What is your favorite project you are currently working on?
KOZIK: The large fiberglass pieces like the 30″ Mao.
FRINGE: What are your future releases?
KOZIK: Literally, there are hundreds.
FRINGE: How do you feel about the downfall of Tower Records, considering it carried a lot of vinyl toys?
KOZIK: No impact really. They were more a cutout outlet anyways, boutique is where it’s at.
FRINGE: Where do you buy most of the toys you personally collect?
KOZIK: From small stores,Internet sites, direct from artists, other collectors, yahoo auctions, japan, ebay.
FRINGE: If you had to start your career all over again, what would you do differently?
KOZIK: Buy a lot of Microsoft stock back when.
The One Where I Gush…
My husband and I both agree that we have a successful, happy marriage.
We were friends, we dated, we moved in together, we were engaged for four years, we got married, we were married for two years and then we planned on having a child together. When I write it like that, the real romance of it disappears. But in our heads we did things “right.”
Not that people who didn’t take the same steps as us are doing it wrong, but just that we did things right for us.
Everything flowed the way it was supposed to — naturally.
We’re completely in love with each other, with our child, and with everything we have. In the almost eight years of our relationship, we’ve never spent an entire day apart. When we tell people that, especially married people, they call us crazy, and say snide things like, “That won’t last, eventually you’ll get tired of each other.”
Yes, we get tired, but never of each other. Yes, we are far from perfect. However, we both have very fulfilling lives and we’ve made them fulfilling together.
We are (separately) very independent people, so don’t think we’re both codependent slags that need to have someone else to make us happy. That whole cliché “you complete me” comment doesn’t apply to us. We completed ourselves before we met and now we accent each other with just the perfect fit.
It may seem like I’m just gushing, but really I have a point.
We fell in love with each other for who we are, not who we were pretending to be.
My husband has this theory called “the threemonth rule.” At the beginning of a relationship you’re all about the person you’re with. Everything is new and fresh. You can’t get enough of them.
Then, as you spend more time with them, approximately three months, the true colors start coming through, and they may not be the original hue you thought you picked out of the crayon box. Instead you realize that person put up a front and now they aren’t who you thought they were. You fight or you cheat. You break up and move on.
We know a lot of other couples who aren’t happy with their lives or their significant others. My husband’s friends complain about their women nagging, not having enough sex, or how their kids stress them out. I hear from women about how their men don’t take responsibility, not having enough sex, and about how they never get help from their men with their kids. And now for my unsolicited relationship advice.
If you’re not happy, talk about it! Tell the person you love why you’re not happy and come to a solution together, a compromise.
Relationships are a compromise. You’ve heard this crap on Oprah. Use it.
If the other person isn’t listening or if you’re arguing instead of having a conversation, then counseling might help.
Counseling doesn’t have to be going to a shrink. Counseling can be a day at the spa, a long walk together, a date night, anything that soothes the nerves and alleviates stress together.
Our biggest success secret in our marriage is communication. We talk about everything. Even things we don’t want to talk about. This has made us each other’s best friend.
Another bit of BIG advice is never go to bed mad at each other.
Unsolved problems just pile up and eventually take over like the smell of bad trash. Even if you have to admit when you’re wrong it’s worth dropping a grudge instead of carrying it around in your relationship. These are just tips not prescriptions. I don’t know you or your significant other, and I’m sure-as-hell not a doctor. However, I am happy — happier than I’ve ever been in my life.
Got Secrets?
I have always been intrigued by people. I enjoy reading about many types of people; celebrities, musicians, serial killers, mimes, whatever. I like to look at what makes us all different, and what makes us the same. Sometimes doing this helps me to feel just a little bit more normal.
A friend of mine introduced me to something that fascinates me even more. It’s a little website called POSTSECRET.COM. (Thanks, Levitica) Here you will find a collection of postcards that will take you to the inner depths of humanity.
The idea is simple: find a postcard, write down your deepest, darkest secret…something that you’re too afraid to share with somebody that you know, and mail it in.
Everybody has a secret, right? Something that you’re afraid to share with others? After all, if you were to share your dark secret, what will people think of you? It’s scary, isn’t it? This gives you the opportunity to get something off your chest anonymously. Reading these passages are absolutely addicting, as they run a full gamut of emotions. Some are humorous, while others can make you cry. Some are light-hearted, while others are downright disturbing. Whether you laugh or cry, you will definitely find them to be captivating.
An example of something you might find would be, “I can’t tell my mom about the rape…she wouldn’t want to know. And it KILLS ME.”
Or, “I tell people that I don’t believe in God, when really, I just refuse to worship a god that would let my grandfather HURT me like he did.”
Powerful, right? There are a lot of light-hearted postcards as well, such as, “I once wrote an x-rated letter to a boyfriend that broke up with me before I could give it to him. I gave it to my next boyfriend.”
Someone even mailed in a portion of a Starbucks cup. On it, it stated, “I give decaf to customers who are RUDE to me.” There’s definitely a lesson to be learned with this one, right?
While some cards will give you the feeling of being kicked in the gut, others will make you laugh. Some of them you will probably relate to. All of them, however, will get you reveling in your own thoughts and feelings, as well as remembering some of your own secrets.
PostSecret.Com shows us that we, as people, probably have more in common than we expect. Yeah, maybe your hair is pink, or perhaps you listen to rap music, or maybe you don’t speak English.
There are thousands of things that make us different.
There are also thousands of things that make us the same. Perhaps if we spent less time pointing out our differences, and more time connecting with our similarities, this world of ours might just get a little better.
A new collection of postcards is published each Sunday on PostSecret.
Com. If the twenty or so cards per week aren’t enough to whet your appetite, there are a few PostSecret books available as well. They are great to have around the house, as they always spark very interesting conversations. Once one of your friends picks one up, they probably won’t put it down. Yes, it’s that addictive. (Thanks again, Levitica) PostSecret.Com is almost like going to confession. Letting your secret out is very therapeutic, like a cleansing of the soul.
Another card shared, “I feel like that people who wrote secrets to you are the closest friends I have.”
Comments are often left by other readers, which at times are just as profound as the cards themselves. One such comment read, “It’s funny how losing everything helps you find yourself. So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has believed rumors, hated me, tormented me, screwed me over, and abandoned me this year. You made me who I am, and I finally love myself.”
Funny, sad, dark, disturbing, amusing, happy, profound, it’s all here, and then some. Stop on by and take a peek. Let me know if it helps you to feel a little bit more normal. Also, let me know if you get hooked.
The Pierced Revolution
By
 Matte Erickson & Tod Almighty |
Matte Erickson is wearing a loud t-shirt that says, “I Love Sharpass Needles”. He has oneinch gauged plugs in both ears and tattoos decorated on all four limbs. You’d think he’d give me a firm grunt of “hello,” but he is genuinely sweet behind his spectacles and burley mustache, and at the end of the interview he politely asks if I’m in need of a new piercing.
His office is sterile but friendly, and adorned with too-cute pictures of his beloved Bulldogs, and hilarious signs like, “Do my tattoos make me look fat?” … “Pimpin’ Holes” … and “You Pierced Your What?”
He’s the guru piercer at Fairfield’s Alpha Omega Tattoo and Body Piercing Shop and isn’t at all modest when it comes to his qualifications. With twelve years under his professional belt and a 9-year co-owner of the successful business, Matte admits there’s only a couple of “sketchy” body parts he won’t pierce, including eyelids and the uvula (that hanging-ball thing in the back of the throat). Otherwise, the sky’s the limit for his customers.
With eleven pierced parts of his own, Matte’s position on the piercing culture is that it “basically transcends culture because everyone’s getting them done, from the teen punk rocker to the soccer mom.” And while there’s still the notorious subculture where people get lots of heavy work done, today’s pierced person doesn’t fit into a specific mold.
One of the coolest things a professional piercer gets to do is attend a piercing convention. Besides being able to check out the extremely pierced attendees, bringing back lots of new jewelry to the shop, one gets to learn a wealth of new industry tips, hone skills, and get recertified on first aid, CPR, and blood-born pathogens courses.
Fellow convention attendees.
Matt was fresh from his visit to the 12th annual Association of Professional Piercers convention at the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas held April 30- May 4. This industry-professionals-exclusive convention welcomes over 600 pros a year, costs a mere $300 to attend, and is loaded with talent, and plenty of celebrities in the business, like Steve Haworth, Jesse Jarrell, Elayne Angel, and Fakir Musafar.
With a Hawaiian Luau theme this year, and great food and drink, Matte hailed the “Splash Bar” as his favorite activity, a tradition experienced by 50-100 pros exchanging industry info and catching up on old times while hanging out at the bar. He says, “Most of us have known each other for years and only get to see each other at this convention.”
When asked if he had seen anything super crazy, Matte described the new “surface anchor” piercing, which is basically a single-point piercing that can go anywhere on the body by anchoring into the skin via the “foot” and the body healing around it.
 Piercer; Peck |
What’s popular now? He said, “Definitely the nostrils, although I couldn’t help but pry about the stretching craze. “Plugs or ’stretched lobes’ just look really cool…I saw one guy from Austin, TX who had over sixinch plugs!”
He recommends that first-time customers “don’t shop by price,” and that parents should let their child express themselves since the worse thing that can happen is they’ll take out the jewelry and have a small scar. The most important thing to worry about is making sure their kids are doing things safely.
As far as Matte’s plans for the future, he laughs and says, “Well I plan on coming into work tomorrow.”
Raising Cain With Planes Mistaken For Stars
Planes Mistaken For Stars
Two years ago when the onslaught of Myspace’s popularity took hold of the music scene, I discovered a band from Denver, Co called Planes Mistaken For Stars, recommended through a friends blog. I found their album “Up in Them Guts” online. Since the day the cd arrived at my house, it has not left my car’s cd booklet.
Their aggressive and atmospheric menu of post hard core satisfies the connoisseur’s palette most delectably. From raspy, moody screams to high driving melodies, sludgy guitars to speedy punklike anthems the band covers all bases.
The band is a workhorse. In 2004, to support their release on No Idea Records, they took on six separate tours covering Europe and the U.S. with bands like The Ataris, Cursive, Against Me!, Dillinger Escape Plan, Hot Water Music and High on Fire.
After announcing a deal with Abacus Records, they released their most current album “Mercy” on October 3 of last year.
Currently on tour with Mastodon, Cursive and Against ME!, they hit the Warfield in San Francisco on May 2. They opened the show and put on one hell of a performance. Hair and guitars everywhere! Vocalist/guitarist Gared O’Donnell has a stage presence that I can only describe as a “swagger.” Seeming so confident and commanding on stage, I was quite nervous to sit down, for fear of an ego. I was quite presumptuous.
After their set O’Donnell sat down with me backstage and gave what has become my favorite interview yet. He’s a very level-headed and personable musician, it felt more like a conversation with a new friend rather than just an interview with a singer I admire.
FRINGE: I read on your website that you’re originally from Peoria, Il.
O’Donnell: Yeah, we moved out about nine years ago to Denver. We had kind of a mass exodus. Peoria is great to be from, but not a great place to stay.
FRINGE: How was recording your last album?
O’Donnell: It was hard. I’ve never worked on anything harder in my life, other than my relationships. It was trying. But it feels good to build things. It feels great to work with your hands and with your head.
I think we’re all happy with it, we worked with Matt Balis, who is done Isis, Mastodon and Botch, and some really amazing records. He’s no lightweight. It’s good, it’s what we needed to stay a band.
FRINGE: What do you feel are the differences between “Up in Them Guts” and the new album?
O’Donnell: With the new album we kind of trimmed a lot of the fat off.
It’s a little but more immediate. In my opinion, none of our records have been too immediate. You can’t put on any of our records and just be like “Oh I get it.” It takes a little bit of digging and in a certain respect is a bit esoteric. I feel like this record is the closest to immediacy that we’ve come. I think that it’s subversive and layered. It takes a minute and then things start popping up. Overall goal, especially for our next record, is I want to write something that people can attach themselves to and start singing a long to rather than being like “Holy shit! What are these awful words?”
FRINGE: I sing along to “Up in Them Guts,” especially the song Spring Divorce.
O’Donnell: That’s a hard one to sing. It’s pretty frantic at the end and high. But, thank you!
FRINGE: That’s what I like about it, it’s a little different from the rest of the singing you do on that album. Reading the lyrics makes it even more intense, the lyrics throughout the whole album are very intense and seem personal.
O’Donnell: Yeah, it’s a double edged thing. The reason I picked up a guitar was to have a reason to write words. I don’t consider myself a poet, poems are not something I sing. It gives me an excuse to exercise some demons. I guess everything is based on a true story, but some lines are blurred there and there are some exaggerations, that’s how the human psyche is anyway. Sometimes you just find yourself in places where everything is really heavy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true. Sometimes you’re there, but in writings songs I kind of write the worse case scenario, I think it’s more of the worse side of me, the ugly side of me, so I’m not that guy in real life.
FRINGE: So, it’s like therapy for you?
O’Donnell: Absolutely that’s what it is. If I can get it out in songs then I’m not going to be a nasty bastard. I guess the songs are kind of a warning, kind of a threat for the person I could be but I’m not.
FRINGE: Are you a guitar player before you’re a singer?
O’Donnell: No, playing guitar just totally happened to me. It’s a vehicle for me to write. I’m miserable at guitar. I’m faking my way through the set.
FRINGE: Have you gotten a lot of underground press?
O’Donnell: I don’t know, this is my job, I just don’t get paid. I think in certain respect it’s kept us honest. We don’t have a whole lot of smoke being blown up our asses. All we have is each other, in that respect, it keeps us honest.
FRINGE: Is touring more important to you than recording right now?
O’Donnell: No, we love (touring). We’re getting a little long in the tooth with this. It’s getting a little harder to go out. I think we’re trying to be more strategic, less touring, but make it have more of an impact. We all have a lot of other shit going on. One of the scariest things is thinking that this band might end someday is the idea that we have all of these friends spread out all over the world, and this could be the last time that we sit and talk in person. It’s weird and a difficult but good question. That’s like picking between your mom and your dad. The band especially this band is a finite entity, eventually it’s going to end.
FRINGE: Is that scary for you?
O’Donnell: Yeah it’s absolutely scary, it’s terrifying.
FRINGE: What will you do when the band ends?
O’Donnell: Keep on keeping on. Live my life, write music.
FRINGE: Are you passed the point of thinking that the band will pay the bills?
O’Donnell: I try not to think about it, because then you start thinking about what you could do differently. As soon as it’s no fun anymore, as soon as it feels we’re just going through the motions, then we’ll be checking out.
FRINGE: Do you feel you’ve reached the goals as a band that you set for yourselves?
O’Donnell: I try not to set goals. It’s all been kind of a blur. I am proud of what we’ve done. I’m amazed and inspired daily at amazing places we’ve been and the amazing people we’ve met, shit you can’t even make up. At any rate, I’m going to be a cool grandpa. I’ll have a lot of kick ass stories.
FRINGE: How has the new label been treating you?
O’Donnell: They’re good guys (seedily looks over at tour manager.)
FRINGE: Are you getting the promotional support that you want?
O’Donnell: No. I don’t know. I know we’re on the road.
FRINGE: What would you like to tell people who’ve never heard of you before?
O’Donnell: Take care, take care of yourself, take care of each other. Stay honest. There’s not enough left of (honesty) any more. Whether you’re talking about the music industry or whether you’re talking about day to day life. Not enough genuine people, not enough love.
Impaler @ On The Y, 04/27/07
Impaler, a metal/shock rock band from Saint Paul, Minnesota, played at Sacramento’s underground metal bar On the Y. The band has been together for over 25 years, and even though it was my first time attending one of their shows, many Sacramento Impaler fans had been waiting for their return. Grant, who works at On the Y, had been very excited about this show and aimed for a bloody, zombie theme for the evening. Many beer-drinking fans began to fill the bar, wearing tattered clothing and lots of fake blood.
Between watching the opening bands play and socializing in different areas of the bar, I saw the band getting ready for the show. In addition to getting strapped into their spiky attire, I could see some of the members working on the stage props off in the distance. I was anticipating their show.
The band was very friendly and seemed quite relaxed. Members include Bill Lindsey on vocals, Commander Court Hawley on bass, Kyle Skogquist on guitar, Tom Croxton on drums, and Dr. Corpse, who is in charge of assisting the band with destruction and madness on stage.
When it was their turn to take the stage, everyone gathered around, anxious for the action to begin. They opened with “Angel of Misery”, which is from their latest release “Habeas Corpus”.
Songs from their many previous releases were also included in the 14-song set. They sounded amazing, and with years of experience, their show seemed effortless.
Dr. Corpse, who was dressed as a demented doctor, held his own as a sideshow to the music. Armed with fake blood, he made quite a mess on stage, much to the fans delight. I recall him spitting on the ceiling and letting a long, thick stream of it dangle down into his mouth. As disgusting as it was, everyone seemed to become even more excited! During one of the songs, he brought out two posts with fake human corpse heads on it. The crowd cheered them on and encouraged more madness! Bill Lindsey and Dr. Corpse began to gnaw at the neck area of the heads and more fake blood began to spew everywhere. They began to pull at fake veins and other stringy innards that were placed in the neck of the corpse head, chewing at them and causing even more of a mess! It was quite entertaining to watch, and my previous curiosity about the stage props had been answered.
They closed with “Shock Rock”, and their wild and crazy antics continued. Dr. Corpse proceeded to beat Bill Lindsey to the ground with a fold-up chair as the music continued to play. He, then, pulled Bills “intestines” out and paraded around stage. Soon afterward, Bill got up and also attacked Dr. Corpse with the chair, making sure to end the show with all the brutality, gore, and excitement that the Impaler fans had longed to see.
After the show, the band stayed around to socialize with the fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. They had a lot of great items at their merchandise table, including shirts, posters, and CDs.
Overall, I was very pleased with the show. They had amazing stage presence, they sounded awesome, and being that they are a bunch of really nice guys, I can see how they have attracted so many fans over their many years as a band. They definitely gave everyone there a night to remember and I am anxious to see them again!
Stop, Drop, Punk-N-Roll At G Street
In the cozy town of Davis, CA exists a place where punk lives in a new form dubbed by promoter Casey Sharp, as punkn- roll. On Saturday, May 26th three bands took the stage at the G st Pub, leaving no “punk-n-roll” stone unturned. If you have never been to the G st Pub I highly recommend it. The sound was as crisp as a freshly pored bowl of cereal, and unlike most smaller, club style venues, the sound was not too loud or over-bearing. The college town setting provided a well balanced blend of young guys and girls out to have fun, drink, and bask in the warmth of some in your face punk rock. With a full bar, pool, darts, and other fun drunken games, and live music the entire night can easily be spent here without a moment of boredom.
Cobra Skulls
Photo by Ashley Kenny
The night’s show was kicked off by the “Cobra Skulls,” who popped into action immediately. They had no slow intro songs, or boring speeches: just punk-n-roll. It was almost as if they were waiting for the starting gun to go off, and after that first pop of the snare drum the “Cobra Skulls” raced to win over the crowd. They alternate a few styles, which stir up the mix just enough to keep listeners interested without losing their foundation in punk. Moving seamlessly from punk to ska, and then to a spanish style rock, this tightly knit trio performed a variety of music effortlessly; branching out they managed to stay close to their roots.
Next to shock the crowd came “The Grannies,” and their name is not just for kicks.
These five grown men, covered in tattoos, came to the stage dressed in full costume as, you guessed it, grannies.
 The Grannies Photo by Ashley Kenny |
As the growing crowd moved closer to the stage with every song, they all got a piece of vocalist comically dubbed, “Wheel-Cher,” who rushed the crowd at the very start of the show. Climbing tables and chairs, sexing their instruments, the crowd, and whatever else they could to add shock value, these good ole grannies used everything around them as a stage prop. I kept thinking this was similar to a “Gallagher” show in the respect that if you don’t want to get wet, don’t sit in the front row. I have never seen grannies move like this before, and if it weren’t because their music was so obnoxiously entertaining, I’d say there was a reason why we leave granny at home. This band is out to shock and offend the weak at heart; after the show I got a chance to speak with the band. I asked them if they ever get a negative response for their over-the-top theatrics; they replied as any true punk rocker would: “When we think they are offended or turned off, we do it even more.” If you can’t take the heat get your ass out of the kitchen was the attitude expressed by the band, but if you can take the heat you will be guaranteed a great performance chalked full of guitar goodness, and fantastic theatrics.
 The Grannies Photo by Ashley Kenny |
The show ended with fireworks, as we celebrated our independence from horrible punk copy cats as the band “La Plebe,” a spanish phrase meaning the common man, took the stage with electrifying exuberance. We’ve now shifted from the delightfully obnoxious to the incredibly energetic vibrations of “La Plebe,” and the crowd embraced this change with open arms and dancing feet. It is impossible to sit still while these guys are blowing brass, rockin’ guitars, and hollering alluring spanish lyrics. At times I found it a task to pinpoint the front man in the “La Plebe” because they all took a shot at the microphone. Whether it was vocals coming from the bass player, the guitar player, or their very talented brass section, these guys hit you a tsunami of sounds. I throughly enjoyed this band, and they made a fantastic closing band for a show of this caliber.
La Plebe
Photo by Ashley Kenny
In all, I was impressed with the show put on by all these bands. While punk rock is not my favorite style of music, I surely appreciated what these bands brought to the stage. I downloaded La Plebe’s album, and I love it! This one show has changed my impression of punk in its entirety and perhaps somewhere inside me now lives a small punk child soon to grow into a full fledged fan of the genre: two extra points for the conversion.
Misfortune on the Ohlone Trail
Robert Frost tells us that: “…Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
Well, I took the road less traveled by and I got f–n’ lost. My buddy Scott and I were long overdue for a trip into the backcountry. Some reservations, a quick trip to the grocery store and we were ready to go.
Day 1
What was supposed to be an early rise and about twelve hours of fishing turned out to be a half day of work and a half day waiting for a ride.
I only made it to the park 30 minutes before my hiking buddy, Scott, was supposed to meet me at 7:15. He found me at the ranger’s kiosk, snoozing while leaning on my pack. We only had two miles to cover that night — two very steep, very humid miles. We made quick work of setting up camp and cooking dinner. Dehydrated food is not exactly five-star cuisine, but after a couple miles hiking in the dark, even the partially hydrated bits of turkey were appealing.
Day 2
We drug out of bed early and made breakfast; more dehydrated food in a bag, followed by a good cup of Joe. Coffee is never an option. I meandered down to the Boy Scouts we were sharing a camp with and offered their leaders a cup of that magic black elixir. Over our early morning cup of go juice, Scott and I swapped lies with the adult leaders of Troop 1811 from Walnut Creek.
We set out in high spirits, which were quickly dampened by that hollow clicking that makes your blood run cold. I was just a couple steps away from a trip to the E.R. thanks to our friend the rattlesnake.
When our hearts calmed down and we were able to continue on, I heard those disasterous words, “Oh, Shit!!” Scott’s knee decided that it was time for a rest. We wrapped the knee and Scott marched on. Instead of the next trail marker, we found the boundary fence for the Ohlone Wilderness. It was too dark to find our location on the map and we were down to 16oz. of water. Not wanting to be the next day’s news story, we stayed where we were at.
Day 3
I crawled out of the tent and woke Scott. We made our way, slowly, to a watering hole and then to a trail marker with cell phone reception. I called the East Bay Regional Parks general information number and found my way to through their prompts to the police dispatch. First words out of my mouth, “This is not an emergency.” The last thing we wanted was a helicopter ride. We settled in for what we expected to be a long wait. I had just begun to doze off when I heard the hum of a Chevy 350. Officer Larsen brought his truck to a stop, jumped out and hefted our packs into the back. I have never been so happy to see a cop. Not a bad trip, overall. We’re both alive and Scott will heal. People keep asking if that was my last trip. I just smile and say, “I’m thinking, something near the beach next time.”
Point Reyes, here I come.
Musical Diversity Defined With Paul Slack
There are three great bands you should know about. The first is San Francisco’s And A Few To Break. Their sound is dramatic and haunting, while being powerful and dark. It is the type of heavy that drowns instead of crushing. The music these guys make smolders as much as it rocks. Their songs remind you that, in the end, it’s just you, your thoughts, and the dark — but in a good way. The music a brilliantly mad painter would listen to right before he blew his brains out on to a canvas.
The next is Sacramento’s Swims. A two piece (drums and bass) that’s sound is bigger and any of the current three guitarist, three guitarist and a keyboardist outfits. Besides, if a band has three guitarist, all playing the same thing, what’s the point? Swims is like a light at the end of a tunnel, the yin to and a few to breaks yang. All the same glory without reminding you that all your glory will cost you. The music jumps and amazes. A sound you can get lost in, you’ll want to get lost in.
The last is Napa’s Planets. This band is what artrock should sound like, bold and uncompromising. Their music will prove to you that you can’t break the rules in music, because the truth is there are none. Songs that will make you think as well as feel. “Maybe music isn’t the notes, maybe it’s the space between the notes!” The type of sound that will have every kid with and instrument trying to play in 7-8th into 2-3th back into 7-8th into 8- 13th … So why I’m I telling you about these three different bands from different towns? They also have some key things in common. They all have toured, they all have albums and EP’s out, and they all have the same bassist. That’s right, while your lazy ass is thinking of what fun being in a rock band would be, Paul Slack is living your dream three times over. And on top of that, all three bands are great. Fringe took some time to talk to the man who is turning out to be the sonic lynchpin between the capitol city, the wine country, and the dark city by the bay …
FRINGE: What’s new with Swims and a Few to Break? Any new songs or albums on the way from either band?
SLACK: And a Few to Break was just in the studio cutting a two-song, seven- inch at the tiny telephone in San Francisco. In the mean time, we’re still playing shows, keeping busy promoting the ‘procession’ album. With Swims, we’ve just been writing new songs for the last few months with a little different twist on them. Getting ready to play shows again real soon.
FRINGE: You have a new band you’re in called Planets, another drum and bass rock band. What kind of sound does Planets have versus Swims sound?
SLACK: Planets is a more gritty, dirty, intricate sound — a lot faster, a lot more thought out, a lot less groove and more measures, scales and all the goodies, mathy. They are really pieced out, were as Swims tends to be more rhythmic, not just a whole bunch of short ballads. Also with Planets, we got a whole visual aspect to it. We’ve got a whole visual performance we do while we play, so it’s not just watching two dudes playing drums and a bass. There’s going to be all kinds of good stuff going on at a Planets show.
FRINGE: Having three bands that are all doing shows, recording records, etc, do you find it hard to balance them? Or maybe a better question is, are all three bands your prime project? Or is one your main thing and the other two side deals? Or vice versa?
SLACK: No, they’re all the real deal for me. I give equal time to all three projects. There’s always down time in whatever band you’re in. If you only practice two days a week in one band then that leaves five free days for the others. I like to play as much as I can and keep busy. As of yet, none of the bands are playing shows everyday, so I like to dedicate as much of my time as I can to all three.
FRINGE: Why start a third band? A need? Happenstance? Why another duo?
SLACK: I was looking for something different. It’s was never a plan to be a duo, Swims or Planets. With Planets, we had a guitar player for a while but it just didn’t work out. It was to hard to try and hit the market again looking for a guitarist who was into what we were doing. It’s hard enough just to find people to play with as it is. So we just stayed a duo.
And being that we’re both from Napa, time was a lot more open for rehearsing and stuff like that. We were able to get things done fast.
FRINGE: After listening to Planets, I did think it was a lot mathy of a sound, and a few to break. Swims also has a mathrock feel but is much richer in the melody and rhythmic. Would you consider yourself a mathrock bassist or just a preference to it? And really, what does that term ‘math-rock’ even mean anymore?
SLACK: I don’t know. As far as math-rock goes, I think it’s a generalization of a lot of different types of music. If you were to ask the drummer for Planets, he’d probably say we’re a math-rock band. But I don’t really know what that means. (Laughing) I never really did, except maybe the idea of complex movements, things using more that four-four timing and standard measures and scales, things that are very musically diverse.
FRINGE: Swims has the distinctions of being signed to two different indie labels, in two different countries. How did that come about?
SLACK: Both times they found us. A French label sent us an email saying that they wanted to pull our E.P. out in France and Europe. So we checked out the label and did some research and they sent us a contract. We had it checked out and it was a good deal for us so we signed it. Same thing with the Japanese label, but instead of us sending them are masters and repressing the E.P., they just bought a bunch of copies from us and sold them in Japan. That was a little easier to do. They just paid for the CD. And there were no contracts involved.
A Difference In The Scene
By The Walls Of Club Retro
Nothing around here seems to fit into any category — and that even goes for me and my other three walls. Somehow there’s a group of heavy hitters dancing in a mosh pit in this hollowed out church building. Somewhere inside are words of love and life being spoken to people, while somewhere else there is a singer screaming bloody rage into the faces of other people. Signs all over me say that this is really just a clever ploy to get you to encounter Jesus, but all I see coming and going are pierced and tattooed animals roaming about. And if walls could speak this is probably a bit of what they would claim. But if you’ve never heard of Club Retro than this would be a foreign language, because even though it’s a little building in Orangevale off of Hazel Ave., it is still something that you’d have to see to believe…
True, Retro has been guilty of making quite a few splashes in the scene; a couple with the surrounding community, one or two with the county, and more then enough in the hearts and lives of all who pass through.
Within the four walls of this humble abode there is a lot more going on then what meets the eye. Like something different for a change. Local and national bands alike breeze through Retro whenever they get the chance to and are all treated with the same royalty — with vip room access, flashing lights, booming sound, and even Friday night meals now. All the bands that rock the stage come from different backgrounds, different directions, and different purposes. Everything from The Chariot to Anathallo, acoustic to hardcore, rock to rap has bounced around the four walls to make Retro what it is. This is all mostly due to the same sort of variety that any radio station or music store is influenced by the people.
At Club Retro the people are what it’s all about and that’s what it’s always been about since its very conception. The very style of Retro has even been a unanimous decision made after four years of hosting shows and all sort of special events like SN&R’s Jammies, the fundraiser Invisible Children, and numerous others. The club’s founder, Matt Oliver, whom is also the youth pastor at Family even says that Retro “isn’t just another venue, it’s a community” and quite a different one at that.
Surely what sets Retro apart is the close relationship that it carries as a living breathing place and not just four walls. Sure the food is filling, the music is great, and for four nights a week it is a place where many gather, but deep inside and underneath the average exterior is a warm and living life that pumps throughout the place. The staff of Club Retro come for the people (voluntarily and unpaid), the bands come for the people (voluntarily and paid), and the whole building’s purpose is to serve the people. Most don’t just come because it’s a cool, hip place to hear some tunes and meet some people but because of the love that fills the place as well; which for most, sadly, is something rare and different in itself. That was the whole idea from the very beginning. Matt and the rest of the Family staff just wanted to find a way to connect with the community around them and Club Retro is the child that makes that happen. Sure, it may look weird and estranged, it might sound like a catastrophe singing to an orchestra at times, and it probably does have more stripes and colors than the animal kingdom, but it does serve its purpose. Every Wednesday night the spark that beats the heart, ironically called Heartbeat, is where all the veins that make it all happen come together, still tattooed and pierced, with music still loud and violent, and join in for something much greater than themselves.
In all reality Club Retro is just something that rides upon the back of something much bigger and much different then anything else out there.
On Wednesday nights people can come and find a purpose and destiny that cannot be shaken by the world outside or contained by the four walls inside. When asked about the aim of this seemingly small yet radical movement Matt replied, “We have desired to create something raw, passionate, and real, because we have been tired of being fed regurgitated music and worship that has been decided for us by some organization. That doesn’t work for this generation. This generation, this community wants something real, something different. So we found it! And real is dangerous. Real is raw and it exposes. It exposes who we are and what is behind the curtain. It requires truth and for us to look inside and see who we really are.”
That is not something that you will find on stage at any other venue. But, like I said, it is something that you will have to go and see for yourself. And just as I tell everyone that I invite to come to a show or otherwise, “if you come I promise you will be changed, but … if you come I’m warning you, you will never be the same again.”
