Live shot(s) #152!

 

Black Flag came back to Tucson on 12/29/2024, appearing at 191 Toole! They played their asses off for the people and the people loved them as always. Their rhythmic feel was a bit more amped up than the last time that Disaster Amnesiac saw them; their stop/start syncopation was physically moving and mentally dramatic. Greg's solos were ripping, Mike Vallely is the best Black Flag singer ever, it was a damn TIME and those that were there all knew it. A hell of a party in Tucson on a Sunday night. Shit yeah. BLACK FLAG!!!!!

Below: mostly blurred shots because I was dancing around like a foolish person. 

 

I guess that it's too late to expect new music from Black Flag but that's OK. Going crazy as Greg Ginn and Mike Vallely and the rhythm section that they have do their thing is plenty enough. Hopefully they swing into Tucson again soon.

Some murals in San Jose CA.

 

Over the Christmas holiday Disaster Amnesiac traveled to San Jose California in order to visit family (get well soon, mom). I stayed at a house located at the outskirts of Japan Town in particular and downtown in general. Early morning walks within the area revealed a civic center that felt like some kind of totalitarian harsh-scape, Silicon Valley triumphal corporatism, and, on the brighter side, many skillfully executed murals. These latter are a point of pride for the city of San Jose and it's obvious why that's the case. San Jose's mural game is strong! Below are a few shots that were taken with my phone. 

Below: discrete element within a larger Japanese Pop Culture subject. It just fits on the West Coast.

Above: downtown San Jose right off of First St. Astute insertion of the color wheel.

Below: discrete elements within an entire wall of drips. There is representational imagery within this mural, but Disaster Amnesiac found this portion, with some kind of "commentary" much more compelling.

Above: more strong drips within a letter matrix. 

Below: The Texas to California migration informs many goings on within the latter state. I'll bet that bar-b-q lovers find this place to be much to their liking. 

Above: incredible show stopper mural. This one may have been produced by a brother team that gets a lot of love from the various Pop Surrealism mags such as Juxtapoz. Disaster Amnesiac could be mistaken here, but the elements point to them. 

Along with seeing such great art, it was also very enjoyable for me to be able to tune in to KFJC in the car that was lent to me. That station still rules.

Random shot!

 

Weather vane atop Chez Amnesiac (2017-2021). It was on the roof when we moved in. I hope it's still there now, but who knows.

Live shot(s) #151!

 

All shots from Wave Archive Tucson, 12/15/2024. Headliner act on this flyer cancelled, so no photos of them. Was looking forward to hearing a band from Colorado!

Below: Igloo Martian. Return to the Cave (((of words))).

Above: Bryan Day over from the Bay. First time Disaster Amnesiac has seen Bryan since 2019! What a long tough five years. Newfound granular aspects from his ever-developing rig. Bryan went deep in Tucson. 

Below: Bedtime Reverie. Last minute fill-in spot. New member is a live painter. Added a certain grounding to the proceedings, as if we were all assembled within an actual bedroom; the music is still deep into psychic shadow realms. Second gig! 

Wave Archive is rad, more shows happening there with some frequency! Get over there!

Post Script: RIP Zakir Hussain. Disaster Amnesiac adored his playing on many Axiom Records releases. Gone too soon.

Clarke Robinson-Industry & Indifference; self-released, 2016

 

It's recalled by Disaster Amnesiac that I grabbed a copy of Clarke Robinson's Industry & Indifference just as it was released in 2016. Clarke was a very intriguing dude on the SF Bay Area Noise scene, and I do know that it was with some enthusiasm that this cassette was purchased. Pretty sure that a plan to enthuse about it was in the works, but for whatever reasons, the plan only ever reached the conceptual stage. Here we are now, a couple of societal meltdowns later, and Industry & Indifference emerged from the box of tapes that is stuffed into a corner of mi casita pequena, and I figured it's high time to act upon that dated plan. Two tracks of the same names as in the title were freely improvised on a modular patch synthesizer. You know the type: multi-colored wires that stretch from small inputs to other small inputs, dials, and knobs, all encased within some kind of funky containment. The sounds that emerge from these types of rigs are always highly abstract, characterized by colorful tones and odd glitches. Robinson produced very percussive soundscapes, sometimes interrupted by more open ended tonal fields. Both Industry and Indifference are full of mysterious vibes. The former presents thickets of of hard edged sounds, pauses briefly to regroup and then whirls out of control for a lot of its duration. Industrial Music can be heard as some kind of significant influence on side one, especially when one hears the sound of bombers mid-raid, cruising over Laos or Dresden with their evil payloads. That latter has a brief intro of Glitch Core tones before settling into a more pure drone, and alternates between quiet and loud passages, all the while giving fascinating sine waves and split tones that color the mind. Glistening sounds break through and then lead into a fade. On Industry & Indifference, Clarke Robinson made really big sonic moves with a rather small rig, all of them done in a spirit of pure d.i.y. discovery. Fans of Noise are encouraged to seek and hear them. Hopefully Clarke is still following his vision.

Random shot!

 

Idaho Falls, ID July 2020. A moment of mental peace within an era defined by societal terror and fear.

These Primus drummer audition videos though.

 

Aside from watching the emotional melt downs post 2024 United States of America Presidential Election, Disaster Amnesiac has been digging on the ever growing crop of Primus drummer audition clips. Details regarding the genesis of the former should be obvious and merit little comment. Anyone paying attention to music during this time will surely be aware that anyone can be replaced. In a way, that's a testament to the effectiveness of instrumental study as a living tradition. So many proficient to other worldly musicians playing out there! It's a cool thing, but also much more interesting than the fate of an established long term professional Rock Band. Not that there's anything less than impeccable about Primus. A great band, made up of very skilled players that also managed to write, tour, record, release and successfully market their sounds within a seemingly limitless swath of the world. You just have to love that. Still, sometimes established ventures are more fascinating for their peripheral occurrences.

Last night Harold Of the Rocks was streamed at this very desktop (operating system getting wonky tbh). Disaster Amnesiac took note of the release date for Suck On This! and recalled going to what may have been a release party for the album: the Omni in Oakland, November of 1989. Recall seeing the Limbomaniacs on the bill and grooving out to the then new Paul's Boutique. Primus had already become a big deal band in the East Bay, that much was abundantly clear. The East Bay is damn tough too. It's pretty easy for people to give zero F's in the Bay. It wasn't just the band's one nerd or dork hanger-on shouting out the lyrics to multiple songs during their set, let's put it that way. That room was stuffed with people that loved the music being played. The memory of that show being a really moved and moving experience for audience and band alike has not been forgotten. It was cool to witness a band that was about to break out and break out we're talking: B-I-G. Fugazi had that same feel, but there were much different dynamics at play. Les Claypool and his pals were on their way to something awesome and doing it in an original way, much as Fugazi, but with a more Official Music Business veneer. 

No other band can ever sound like Primus. Primus is a band that influences. Probably a mixed blessing. At least, that was how a musician that I knew felt. J and I would get together and play with some other dudes; these dudes would mention aspirations towards getting sounds either exactly replicating or very closely replicating Primus. Thirty five years later, that's probably going to still be the case within many nascent band situations.That is is a no-brainer, due to the stated reasons.

Regarding the audition clips that are being loaded up to YouTube they provide evidence of a glut of fabulous drummers within the realm. Tons of guys showing proof that they know cuts all across the lengthy Primus catalog, knowing them to the point of being able to gracefully navigate their odd twists, subtle nuances, and balls out huge riffage passages. Mostly very large drum/cymbal kits are shown. Within the context of Primus music that is not sin and makes a lot of sense. Tim Alexander is a musical searcher who is always trying out new combinations of sound sources and rhythms. Again, the Influencer thing, and he can pull it off as can Larry and Les. One brave drummer submitted footage of himself playing a four drum/two suspended cymbals/hi-hat combination (BRAVE move man!), but for the most part Disaster Amnesiac has seen drum sets that would take a minimum of thirty to forty minutes assembly within the most forgiving of circumstances. No girls yet though? Sheila Bosco? Fliss Kitson? Where are you? Shit, now that I'm thinking about it, where is Moe! Staiano's audition tape? If you see that, please send it my way. 

It must be admitted that Disaster Amnesiac has also pondered how the Primus audition video has been received by the band and its management. Are Claypool and Lalonde texting each other with admonishments to dig on certain of them and goof on others? Is Tim involved in an advisory capacity? How much time does the band have before they make their decision on the right drummer? Will they live-stream a reveal video, wherein they play a set of select tunes? Which tweeting services will bear the news? 

No doubt most of the 'fellers involved with Primus will have other activities lined up as ways of filling time before the band's next engagements. Disaster Amnesiac will continue watching this interesting development from one of THEE San Francisco Bay Area bands. They have enough San Pablo Bay salt and grime to assure that fact.