Barney Cauldron at the LiPo Lounge, 9/25/10

The LiPo Lounge in San Francisco is probably the most ignominious spot for bands to play at, seeing as that it's pretty much a "you book it, you rent it, you run it" affair. I am totally OK with that. I like having control that way. I think most musicians want to have a big deal made of their trip, and all of the accouterments that go along with "the show" seem to add to the fantasy. As for me, I'd really rather do it myself.
As such, BC booked it, schlepped the pa over, strung lights (anything to make that dank basement a bit less gnarly), and played with two great bands (the Midnight Snackers and the Grains).
I actually played less drums at the show, instead focusing more on vocals.

BC bassist Dan Kennedy suggested that there was a "darkness" to the proceedings, and I had to agree. Perhaps a result of having to do a lot of the dirty work ourselves? Possibly. Still, it was a fun show.

Barney Cauldron plays the LiPo Lounge in SF, 9/25/10

Another great flyer by Scarp Home! We will also have t-shirts for sale!

Above: Yours truly modeling t-shirt with Barney Cauldron logo. I did the initial design, BC bassist Dan Kennedy made it awesome, along with doing the silk screening.

Barney Cauldron
Grains
The Midnite Snackers
LiPo Lounge
916 Grant Ave.
SF CA 94108
$5
21 and over

Session work, pt. 2-Scorpios

Scorpios was originally on a solo CD by George Earth. I heard it and immediately loved the surging synthesizer line. On a whim, I asked George if I could produce a new, more drum-heavy version of the tune. The idea was to build up a "wall of drums" around that heavy synth line.
George gave me the OK, and I spent a day in April of 2008 at John Axtell's SOMA, S.F. recording studio building up drum and percussion parts for the new version. The middle part, where all of the drums fade out, and an electronic whine leads them back in, was heavily inspired by Brian Eno and his Oblique Strategies.

https://archive.org/details/scorpios-re-mix
 

One result I had hoped for from this process was the re-invigoration of Shards, but with George being in L.A., and me in Oakland, that turned out to be untenable.

Above: Flyer for first Shards gig. I love the graphic that I designed. It was inspired by Magma's logo.

Session work, pt. 1-Torch Songs

For a few months in 2003, I thought I could make a living playing drums. Using the few connections that I had within the S.F. music scene, I managed to get a few gigs doing session drum work.
The songs here were from one of such gigs. They were written, arranged, and produced by Allison Lovejoy. Recording was done at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.
Allison played piano and sang, Paula O'Rourke played bass, and I played drums. Paula and Allison are both great musicians, and I was really inspired to be playing alongside of the both of them.
I still love these tunes, along with the performances on them, and wonder if they've ever been legitimately released.
http://soundcloud.com/mark-pino-on-drums/allison-lovejoy-foxglove
http://soundcloud.com/mark-pino-on-drums/allison-lovejoy-smoke-rings
http://soundcloud.com/mark-pino-on-drums/allison-lovejoy-i-did-it