Early August was pretty busy for me. I'm tired, but allow me to ruminate a bit!
Surplus 1980-KALX Saturday Night Live Show, Berkeley CA; 8/3/19
It's kind of a miracle that Surplus 1980 was even able to play this one, as members were tied up in various pursuits all day before our set. Hell, we didn't even get a practice in for this on! Thankfully, everyone arrived on time and able to perform. A really hot, tight set ensued, within the really tight and hot live room of KALX studios. I felt as though we played well; maybe a few gaffs here and there, but given the circumstances leading up to this show, all good. For me, it kind of redeemed the bad feelings from our album release show when only a handful of people bothered to show up. Our energy blasted those feelings away, at least for me. After our set, a really nice interview with DJ Cia Cia la Piratta happened, and that was fun too!
Below: Moe! sets up, Surplus 1980 getting ready to rip
Above: me and Cia Cia la Piratta, an incredibly nice person!
Feral Luggage-The Make Out Room, SF; 8/5/19
Back to the Mission, and of course another walk, with more of the same visions of the ever-changing SF. The development never seems to stop, but, thankfully, places like Revolution Cafe and the Make Out Room still stand. Feral Luggage, which is essentially Cartoon Justice with two drummers, had the third spot for this Monday Makeout event. After some really fine music from the Holly Martins and the Jason Levis Septet, we took the floor and delved into what Mika has termed Null Wave sounds. In comparison to the lively Jazz of the previous acts, we got into some slow, almost Dub-ey spaces. Jason Levis was kind enough to join us on second drum set. It seemed to take a few minutes for him to sync with me, but eventually that happened. An enjoyable set, and at about 45 minutes, kind of perfect, length-wise. Some people even stayed around for all of it! Alright!
Below: Feral Luggage on the floor of the Makeout Room (photo by Bill Wolter, thanks, Bill!)
Above: the whole set!
The Satanic Tambournies-Mercury Cafe, SF; 8/9/19
The name of this group has shortened, much to my disappointment! I really like the old moniker, but I guess it's tougher to get on a handbill. On a really nice, sunny afternoon in Hayes Valley, I was able to find a miraculously good parking spot, load in to Mercury Cafe with a minimum of hassle, and even take a hike up to Lower Haight for a bit. Really just a lovely couple of hours, there. It was also lovely to play some of Ben Paul's really nice original tunes, along with some great standards. We had a guitarist, Don, and a tenor saxophone player, Mish, sit in with us. Things flowed pretty well, and as usual, syncing up with Eli was a delight. We're a rhythm section! I missed a few cues, and possibly played a bit too loud at times, but, on the whole, a good couple of sets. Mercury Cafe is a fun spot!
Below: Satanic Tambourines with guests!
More shows coming up soon!
It's kind of a miracle that Surplus 1980 was even able to play this one, as members were tied up in various pursuits all day before our set. Hell, we didn't even get a practice in for this on! Thankfully, everyone arrived on time and able to perform. A really hot, tight set ensued, within the really tight and hot live room of KALX studios. I felt as though we played well; maybe a few gaffs here and there, but given the circumstances leading up to this show, all good. For me, it kind of redeemed the bad feelings from our album release show when only a handful of people bothered to show up. Our energy blasted those feelings away, at least for me. After our set, a really nice interview with DJ Cia Cia la Piratta happened, and that was fun too!
Below: Moe! sets up, Surplus 1980 getting ready to rip
Back to the Mission, and of course another walk, with more of the same visions of the ever-changing SF. The development never seems to stop, but, thankfully, places like Revolution Cafe and the Make Out Room still stand. Feral Luggage, which is essentially Cartoon Justice with two drummers, had the third spot for this Monday Makeout event. After some really fine music from the Holly Martins and the Jason Levis Septet, we took the floor and delved into what Mika has termed Null Wave sounds. In comparison to the lively Jazz of the previous acts, we got into some slow, almost Dub-ey spaces. Jason Levis was kind enough to join us on second drum set. It seemed to take a few minutes for him to sync with me, but eventually that happened. An enjoyable set, and at about 45 minutes, kind of perfect, length-wise. Some people even stayed around for all of it! Alright!
Below: Feral Luggage on the floor of the Makeout Room (photo by Bill Wolter, thanks, Bill!)
Above: the whole set!
The name of this group has shortened, much to my disappointment! I really like the old moniker, but I guess it's tougher to get on a handbill. On a really nice, sunny afternoon in Hayes Valley, I was able to find a miraculously good parking spot, load in to Mercury Cafe with a minimum of hassle, and even take a hike up to Lower Haight for a bit. Really just a lovely couple of hours, there. It was also lovely to play some of Ben Paul's really nice original tunes, along with some great standards. We had a guitarist, Don, and a tenor saxophone player, Mish, sit in with us. Things flowed pretty well, and as usual, syncing up with Eli was a delight. We're a rhythm section! I missed a few cues, and possibly played a bit too loud at times, but, on the whole, a good couple of sets. Mercury Cafe is a fun spot!
Below: Satanic Tambourines with guests!
More shows coming up soon!
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