Cell Phone Cameras Suck. CLUTCH does not.

My article about the Maryland band CLUTCH came out on Thursday in the Independent (who have a fancy new website). Hopefully you read it. I also reviewed John Doe and the Sadies (their Country Club record, which I still spin regularly) as well as a release from a guy named John Shipe (Yellow House which, while good for what it is, isn't enough of my thing that I'll actually come back to it).

Anyway, last night was the Clutch show at the Wilma. I intended to take my camera, but security was being really uptight about them. I was a little disappointed, as the plan was to sit in the balcony rather than fight it out in the pit, and I was curious to see if I could get any decent shots. So I tried a few with my phone camera, which merely underscored that 99.9999% of pictures taken with cell phones are awful. I had thought that before, but after seeing a ton of images people uploaded from the San Diego Comic Convention over the weekend, the point was driven home. Hard. The rest of this post will prove my point.

LIONIZE opened the show. I'd never heard of them before. They're from Silver Spring, MD, so maybe they're friends with Clutch, who knows. They were good enough -- good musicians, bass player had great tone, the singer had a great voice and played an SG, the keyboard player wasn't annoying and delivered some nice vocal harmonies, and the other guitar player . . . well, hard to tell what he was bringing. He played a Les Paul, which is always a good sign (even though some dumbass in Great Falls once assured us that the Gibson Les Paul is the worst designed guitar in the history of music), but didn't seem to do much more than stand and stare at his pedal board.

I liked them for about a song. After two songs I turned to Julia and remarked that they should just stay in Missoula, because in a matter of a couple weeks they would be billed as the best band in town and playing every outdoor event the city can dream up. Each song started out favorably enough with a good riff, but then every fucking time would resolve into the same bullshit reggae beat. I really hate that. Reggae is as tired, if not more tired, than blues. I was ready to gouge my ear drums out by the 4th song.

They'd be superstars here.

Shortly after I discovered the guy whose legs I was trying to break every time I leaned my chair back belonged to none other than Josh Vanek, impresario of Wantage Records. Josh is a fine man. Pleasantries and rock talkage were exchanged.

Baroness

No, not the one from GI JOE, I'm talking Savannah, GA's BARONESS, who were up next. I was eager to see them. I own their most recent record, Red Album, but don't listen that much. I've heard good things about them live, and they lived up to my expectations. They pulled the atmospherics of the music off in a live setting better than I expected, which was cool. I also thought their Bad Cat guitar amplifiers sounded great; a red half stack stage left, and a green one stage right. Bass tone was disappointing, though. They were energetic, and the crowd seemed to dig them.

See how shitty those pictures are?

Anyway, two other things about the band are of interest to me. First of all, singer/guitarist and all around main dude John Baizley is also an artist. He does some cool stuff, designs all the band's artwork, does it for other bands, etc. They had a bunch of prints of his work for sale at their merch booth, which I though was great (I love non-typical merch offerings, like the BBQ Sauce offered by the band DIXIE WITCH). Here are a couple examples of his stuff:

The other thing is the second guitarist, Pete Adams, also plays in the band VALKYRIE, who is awesome. They've release a couple fine records which are more classic hard rock/metal influenced with fantastic duel leads ala Thin Lizzy or Iron Maiden. I'd like to see that band roll through here!

Clutch

This picture makes it look like we were way the hell away, but we really weren't. The balcony at the Wilma is pretty cool, it's like being almost on top of the band. A good vantage point to watch not only the band but silly drunks down front. It was also a perfect place to view JP's mad drum skills.

There's nothing to say about the mighty Clutch that I haven't already said. They are just a tight, groovy, well-honed rock outfit that does everything right. I like everything about them -- no bullshit, great players, no rock star attitudes. The music is heavy but has a lot of melody and groove, and Neil Fallon is one of those rare singers who sounds better live than on record. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I'm going to go see them again in Salt Lake in September, when the opening band is WINO. Yes!

Jean-Paul Gaster, Rock, Writing and the Moon

Hard to believe a week ago at this time I was around Bismark, ND, en route to play a show in Fargo. That little whirlwind rock trip, while freakin' long, turned out to be pretty fun. I was pretty lame about taking pictures, though. Here's one of a big truck parked outside the fairgrounds where the Morris show took place. I dedicated our song BIG RIG, from our 2002 debut album Get Mad, to it.

We drove 17 hours straight to get home; I was settling in at about 1:00 AM Monday morning. Monday evening was the 3rd week of the novel writing workshop I'm taking through the 406 Writers Workshop. It was another excellent class. We decided to change the format a little bit. Rather than meet weekly, we are going to meet once a month for the next 6 months and make it more of a full novel class as opposed to a first chapter. I am quite pleased with that, knowing that I will be expected to have at least one chapter a month ready for others to read well into the winter. Deadlines are excellent motivation.

Of course I think that's too much time. I figure I can do two chapters a month on that project, and still keep my pulp serial novel thing I'm working on running at 1-2 chapters/month as well. Maybe it won't all be polished, but I think the first drafts are just about getting them written. Less than that feels like a waste of time. The people I respect most that are writing for a living the kind of stuff I relate to are way more prolific out of necessity.

In my office, though, getting anything done at all can be a challenge, given the other denizens that tend to lurk here.

Talking with Jean-Paul Gaster

In addition to writing a novel chapter this week, I also wrote 2 record reviews for the Independent and a 1000 word article on the band CLUTCH, who are playing the Wilma on 7/26. Clutch is a fantastic band with arguably the best rhythm section in the business. Their latest record, Strange Cousins from the West, just came out on Tuesday and it's great. As part of the piece I contacted their management and got to interview their drummer, Jean-Paul Gaster. He was a pleasure to talk to. I like talking to fellow musicians who are actually making it happen. I don't want to say to much since everyone will hopefully read the article when it comes out next week, but JP was cool. Not only that, he is the drummer for my friend Wino's solo group, so we got to talk quite a bit about that.

JP is also Julia's favorite drummer. She was jealous when she found out I got to interview him. Here's the exchange we had, which cracked me up:

From: "LaTray, Julia M"
Date: July 15, 2009 9:54:37 AM MDT
To: "Chris La Tray"
Subject: RE:

I'm so jealous. You make sure and tell him something. You tell him
he's my favorite drummer, above Dale Crover....the way he lays behind
the beat and looks like he could be making a pancake breakfast back
there while he's holding it down....it's scandalous.

>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Chris La Tray
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:49 AM
>>> To: LaTray, Julia M
>>> Subject:
>>>
>>> I'll be interviewing Jean Paul tomorrow. That should be cool.

I did relay the message to JP and he got a kick out of it. Here is what he had to say about getting ready to make a record, a bit that didn't make the final article:

I think one thing that has happened over the course of the last couple records is I think we are going into the studio a little more prepared. I have a little home studio that we use as our jam pad and we pretty much record everything. Everything we do, whether it’s a new riff that we’re kickin’ around or if it’s gonna be the final version of a tune, before we hit the road – we record all that stuff. So I think going into the studio we’re a little bit more prepared. We usually have something demoed out that pretty closely resembles what the final song is going to be . . . and we have also made a point too to have hit the road for at least a couple weeks to play the new songs live, and that has a lot to do with the way the songs come together in the studio.

And here is what he had to say when I asked him about recording, and why, since they are so DIY about everything else they do, do they even bother to use a producer at all:

Well, having a home studio, for me, is very educational in a couple ways. First of all you sort of learn what it means to record, and there’s so many things that go into recording whether you talk about microphones, mic pre’s, or you’re talking about whatever format you’re recording to whether you’re talking about using tape or you’re going straight into the computer – there’re a lot of variables there, and it’s really exciting when you first have all those tools available to you. What I learned over the years is the more I learn about recording, the less I’m able to actually do it. By that I mean it’s impossible for me to cut a drum track that ultimately is going to be an album when I’m also the guy setting the microphones up, working the levels, and keeping track of tempo and things. It’s really fun to record demos – I love when the guys come over and we just kick around ideas or sometimes we’ll make loops of things and maybe Tim will play to that and we’ll get some ideas from that. There’s a lot of experimentation that can go on in the pre-production process. But when you actually get in there to actually record the drum tracks, I realized a few records ago that my primary job there is as the drummer, and it doesn’t really make sense to do both jobs because I can’t really do it very well. I think there are guys that can do it, personally I’m not very good at it.

Maybe that stuff isn't interesting to anyone but people like me, who just get a real thrill out of other people's processes when it comes to art (which is probably why half the stuff I ask these interviewees never make the final piece), but I dig it. I like hearing about it, and I like talking about it. Clutch. Hell yeah.

Finally. . . .

If you are going to go see a movie, skip Harry Potter and go see MOON. It's awesome.


MOON: Movie Trailer - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

Julia's Big Mention!

Congrats to our friends at Betty's Divine on winning 3 categories in the Independent's 2009 Best of Missoula issue! What's cool is Julia gets a mention in the little blurb that accompanies it!

Fashion and Beauty

Best Boutique
Best Men’s Clothing
Best Women’s Clothing: Betty’s Divine

According to the Indy’s readers, Betty’s Divine has solved the problem of shopping as a couple, serving the fashion savvy of both sexes. The lady wants a stylish, locally made bag from Donkeygirl to go with her Free People top? Betty’s has it. The dude’s neglected his laundry too long and needs some choice UZI tees ASAP? Betty’s has it. Forget traipsing from store to store catering to individual tastes. Betty’s is Missoula’s one-stop choice for clothing, and takes both categories for the second year in a row.

We're Heading Out to the Highway, We Got Nothin' to Lose at All

Haven't talked much lately about goings-on in LAZERWOLFS land, mainly because we've been busy with other things. This afternoon, though, we are loading up the gear and heading out for a couple shows; one in Fargo, ND and the other in Morris, MN. Should be fun! This is a bit farther than we would normally choose for a weekend run (driving home Sunday in one shot will be brutal), but at least we are getting paid enough to about make it a wash. That's always a bonus. I've had a major chip on my shoulder lately concerning Rock; hopefully this will be a good opportunity to sweat some of that off.

Ah, gee, Saph. Any elemental freak with metamorphic powers and a crush on you woulda done the same!

Today saw the launch of a new project from DC COMICS that has been buzzing for a few months now. It is called WEDNESDAY COMICS, and it will be appearing every Wednesday (that being the day that new comics are released every week, just like music and videos are released on Tuesdays) for the next 12 weeks. Here's a simple description from their own press release:

WEDNESDAY COMICS is unique in modern comics history: Reinventing the classic weekly newspaper comics section, it is a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a sprawling 28" x 20" tabloid-sized reading experience bursting with mind-blowing color, action and excitement, with each feature on its own 14" x 20" page.

I was eager to pick it up and check it out. My thoughts? In a word: AWESOME!

What you get for your $3.99 are 15 separate strips, each getting a page of their own, written and drawn by some of the best names in comics today (dig the list here). We're talking Batman, Superman, Kamandi -- The Last Boy on Earth (a Jack Kirby creation), Metamorpho . . . the list goes on. The stories are pulpy and fun, and they all end on a cliffhanger. It's just great stuff! Hell, I like how comics have gotten darker and more adult, but it is also a blast to hearken back to something a little more innocent and fun. Kudos to DC for going out on this limb the way they are. I hope it succeeds stupendously. Given a lot of the coverage in many places, the buzz so far is high. It's even getting a run in USA Today. It is well deserved.

One thing I love is how the comics look on this newsprint. Fantastic. Go to your local comic shop and pick it up, while supplies last!

Turok Land

Sid is back making movies again. What a dork. But this kills me. The scene where the "monster" is shown retreating into his lair literally almost had me fall off my chair laughing so hard. For the uninitiated, while originally a comic book, Turok is now most recognized as a first person shooter video game where you blast dinosaurs and stuff.




Finally, I wish I'd seen this on the 4th. This kills me too. God, I love a lot of stupid shit!

Drums, Beasts, and Crime Scenes

111th Annual Arlee Celebration

Last weekend for the 4th of July, at the last minute Julia and I changed our original plans and decided to head up to Arlee for the Powwow instead, with plans to just find a place to camp somewhere in the Mission Valley. We left late afternoon/early evening and headed straight for Arlee. We got there some time after 5:00; the road construction on 93 sucks! We went through the front gate and asked the attendant there -- after assuring him we had no weapons, drugs, alcohol or fireworks -- where we had to register if we wanted to camp there. "You don't hafta register," he said. "Just find a spot and camp wherever you want." So that's what we did. I loved the fact that there was no bureaucratic bullshit involved in staking out a spot to sleep. Huzzahs for rural America!

We watched a little basketball, a lot of dancing, crowds of people, browsed through the vendors, ate some fry bread . . . it was a gas.

I even shot a short video of part of the 7:00 PM Grand Entry, which I uploaded to YouTube:



Julia was marveling at the clothes and costumes, of course -- particularly the beadwork. The artistic level to create these costumes is high. And then she pointed out one image that made me cringe -- the Nike Swoosh embroidered into this young woman's costume.

This was troubling to me. As much as I enjoyed the experience, I have a lot of mixed feelings whenever I visit the rez. I lived there for 5 or 6 years, and those mixed feelings have only grown. I'm kind of kicking them around in my brain as something to write more of an essay about. Suffice to say I totally understand what moved those young radicals to start AIM back in the 70s. I think we need a little more of that.

We did camp out right in the middle of a big field with other tents and teepees all around. It was great falling asleep to drumming, watching the sky, and feeling a cool breeze. And no mosquitos (which are thick in Missoula this year)!


The Bison Range

We got up in the morning and headed north to cruise through the Bison Range before it got too hot out. I try to go at least once or twice a year -- it is one of my favorite spots on the planet.

Here are a couple looks at the Flathead River Valley from the top of Red Sleep Mountain.

It wasn't long before we got into some bison.

Lots of pronghorn too.

Got a picture of a cow elk. We also saw a big bull on our way up Red Sleep, but he was moving into the trees so I didn't get a picture of him.


This grasshopper hopped on board for a while as well.

We also saw plenty of deer and lots of birds too. No bighorn sheep, bears or rattlesnakes, though, all of which I've seen various times over the years. I love going there. I'll be back for sure in the fall, when the bulls will be bugling.

McDonald Lake

I wanted to stop by McDonald Lake in the Missions for a little recon, as I just wrote a scene in a chapter I am working on in my novel workshop that takes place there. I've been there several times. It's a beautiful spot, and if you drive up beyond it there is great hiking too. In my story a couple assholes get gunned down here too!

We wrapped things up with a stop at Lynn's 2 drive-in in St. Ignatius (Lynn's 1 being in Ronan, of course) for milkshakes. I had a pizza burger too.

It was great to get away, even if for less than 24 hours. Whenever I get away like this, then come home to chores and responsibilities and all that bullshit, I am reminded of this quote:

"I like it here fine. Maybe that's part of it. I just didn't want to come back and fall into the same old way of living a life that I know has got to change. Maybe it was a taste of freedom." -- John Francis from Planet Walker

It was a good weekend.