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September 9, 2007 - Towne Lounge (Portland)
I don't have much to say about this one. We played first. I had to
work at 5:00 AM so I didn't stay for the other bands. Everyone had
good things to say about The All Nighters.
They are a surf rock side project of Full Frontal Assault, a band on
Chris' label New Regard
Media. Another band played, but I didn't catch their name, which
leads me to my next thought: I don't intend to write about every band
at every show. If I don't mention your band, please don't take it
personally. (I'm saying this because it's happened before. Back in
Eugene, I failed to mention a band in a show journal and they got mad.
It was strange.) Chances are, if I don't write about your band, it's
because I'm lazy (I don't want to write a novel here), or I missed
your set due to my work schedule.
August 27, 2007 - Ground Kontrol (Portland)
Ground Kontrol is a bar filled with '80s video games. An arcade with
booze, what a concept. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. I
had to work late so I missed Thought Patterns and
most of Dateless' set. From what I heard, Dateless had a '90s East Bay
meets Mutant Pop sound. The Unlovables were on tour
from New York. Earlier this summer I listened to some of their songs
online. Those recordings were a little too sweet and non-threatening
for my tastes. But their live sound was more raw and urgent, so that
was cool. We played at the end. It's funny that this show was on a
Monday and it had a better turnout than most of our weekend bar shows
in Eugene. I don't want to make Portland sound like a utopia for
bands--it has its ups and downs just like any other town--but I have
to say Portland has treated us well so far. Tonight was a good
example. I'm sure The Unlovables were the main draw, but it's awesome
that the crowd showed up early and stayed for all of the
bands.
August 4, 2007 - Washington-Jefferson Park (Eugene)
This was an all-day show with about 15 bands playing in the park below
the freeway ramp. We didn't see much of the show, though. I just got a
new job in Portland so I spent the whole day looking for a place to
live. (I'm moving up there from Eugene. The rest of the band already
lives in Portland.) Meanwhile Matt had to work all day. We didn't get
to Eugene until about 7:00. I knew it was going to be a fun show when
we pulled up and saw the park filled with punk rockers and hobos. It
seemed like everyone was having a good time enjoying the bands.
Unfortunately we were too late to see Pirate Radio. Scott and I have
known their singer John for about 10 years. John always came to see
our old bands play in Eugene, and he would call my radio show every
week to request songs and chat about music. He was just a kid back
then, soaking up the punk rock wherever he could find it. Now he's
totally rocking in his own band. He gave us a copy of their new CD and
it sounds good--now go check them
out. Our set went well, until my strap broke and my guitar fell
face-down onto the concrete. I had to stop and re-tune, which I hate
doing in the middle of a set. Nothing kills the momentum like some guy
stopping to retune every string. Other than that, we had a lot of fun.
It was high time we played all ages in Eugene. Hopefully next time
we'll play with Pirate Radio. Thanks to John for the CD, and thanks to
the Rock Against Racism folks for putting the show together.
June 15, 2007 - Slabtown
(Portland)
We've been meaning to play at Slabtown for months. Our old buddy
Spinelli is one of the owners, and some other friends of ours are
working there. I had never been in this bar until Spinelli and his
partners bought the place. Apparently it used to be a hangout for the
Dandy Warhols and their hip entourage. Then it turned into a hippie
jam band bar. When Spinelli and his partners took over, they steered
it in a rock/punk direction. They've been having a lot of good shows.
Tonight I walked in as Fist Of Dishonor was getting
started. They ruled. This
article from the Willamette Week does a much better job of
describing them than I could. It has some videos too. We went on next,
followed by The Secretions. They hit
us with a mix of old and new songs, one after another, with barely a
pause in between. It was a satisfying night: good bands, good
friends... Nice to see the ex-Eugene crowd out in force. Thanks to
Jay, Lieuallen, and everyone at Slabtown.
June 8, 2007 - Satyricon (Portland)
A couple months ago Scott mentioned that "Matt's brother is in The
Queers again." To this I responded, "Huh?" as I've known Matt for a
long time and never heard anything about his brother being in The
Queers. It turns out Matt's brother played on about five Queers
records. He goes by the name Dangerous Dave. Tonight we played first
to a crowd of young kids. Before we knew it, the sound guy told us we
were out of time. The
Manges borrowed half of our gear. They are an Italian Ramones-core
band. They were pretty good live. I probably would've been way more
into them 10 years ago. The Methadones ended
up using some of our gear, too. I wasn't too into their music (though
I'm a big fan of their old bands). I
watched a few songs, then wandered back to our merch table to hawk 7
inches and T-shirts. When The Queers came on, they had a
crowd of all ages, literally: teenage punks decked out in full punk
attire, "normal" looking people in their 20s and 30s, a lot more
people than I expected in their 40s and 50s, even some little kids
with mohawks running around. One graybeard biker proudly informed us
that he "saw The Queers with Green Day back in 1990." The room was
packed full. The Queers sounded good---better than the last couple
times I saw them. Before the show started, the Satyricon staff asked
if we wanted anything from the restaurant next door. We ordered some
food and they brought it to us after the show. That was a treat. In my
10 years of playing in bands, this was the first time I've been fed at
a local show.
April 6, 2007 - The Red Room (Portland)
This was a small show out on NE 82nd. I didn't know what to think of
the first band. They were a trio playing arty experimental music. I
wouldn't say I disliked it. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it.
Hey, I have simple tastes. The Lucky Stiffs from San Francisco were on
next. For some reason I expected them to be a streetpunk band. (I must
have confused their name with The Workin' Stiffs.) I heard someone say
they'd been on tour for two months, and it showed---they were tight as
hell. Their music reminded me of 800 Octane and Compact 56, but with
more Bad Religion-style harmonized vocals. By the time The Decliners
played, the crowd had grown a little, and people were making their way
up front to stand in between the tables. Tables?! Yeah, the whole
place was filled with tables, even right in front of the stage. There
wasn't much room to stand. We had fun playing. It's always a boost
when people we've never met are coming up to the stage and rocking
out, especially at a small show like this. Afterwards we shot the
breeze with The Lucky Stiffs. They were a friendly bunch. The next day
I stuck around in Portland to do some recording in Scott's basement.
We've been working (gradually) on a new 7 inch and (we hope) a
full-length album. Scott will probably have more to say about that as
we get closer to being finished. Right now we're in a lull with no
shows booked... mainly due to vehicle problems. Hopefully we'll play
at Slabtown in the next month or so.
March 23, 2007 - Cafe Noir (Salem)
Our last show in Salem was fun, but this one was ten times better.
This little cafe was packed full of kids ready to rip it up for every
band. Cold Dead Handz played
raging hardcore punk with finger-tapping guitar leads; fast and mean,
the way it should be. We played next and had an amazing time. People
were rocking out, jumping and flopping all over the place. Others were
down on their knees, playing air guitar, and giving us "the forks" and
the "solo fingers." Of course I start thinking I'm a bigshot, so I
stand up on a chair to play the solo in "I'm Not An Idiot." As the
solo ends, I decide to jump off the chair (because, you know, that'll
look cool), and what happens? My strap comes undone and I almost drop
my guitar. We finished the set and people were shouting for one more.
The Funhouse Strippers gave us the thumbs up so we broke into "Friday
Night." By the end of the song, Scott and I were strumming each
other's guitars while the crowd piled all around, it was chaos. What a
fun time. We owe a big "thank you" to The Funhouse
Strippers for the show. They tore it up and left us humbled.
Thanks to everyone for coming and rocking out. And thanks to Joe for
everything he's done for this band: taking pictures, videotaping
shows, driving me to shows (since my van broke down), helping us carry
equipment, etc. He does it all. Come on, let's have a round of
applause for Joe "the fifth Anxiety" Dickerson.
March 17, 2007 - Wetlands (Eugene)
It's been a couple years since we played at the Wetlands. We (The
Anxieties and our old bands) played here a lot back when Evin Marshall
was booking shows. I've always liked this bar because it's smaller
(easier to fill), and the stage is lower (closer to the audience).
It's more intimate than, say, John Henry's or the W.O.W. Hall. And of
course Evin always treated the bands great. Apparently there's a new
person booking at the Wetlands. I thought it was cool that she only
booked three bands for this show. When you have four bands on a bar
show, it usually sucks to play first or last. But when you have three
bands, it's more relaxed. The bands are in a better mood because the
first band doesn't have to start too early, and the last band doesn't
get stuck playing a super-late set after half the bar has cleared out.
It was good to see The Wobblies again.
Big thanks to those guys for rocking us three times in the past month.
Thanks to Tristan, Sam, and everyone else who came to see us. And
thanks to the crazy drunk guy. He insisted on plying us with drinks
after we played. The guy was a champion boozehound, he wouldn't stop.
There were tons of drunken brohams and hoochies at the show (no
surprise, being St. Patrick's Day). Methinks the people who came to
see the bands were vastly outnumbered by those who came to win ski
lift tickets, scarf down jello shots, and watch highlights from the
NCAA playoffs. But you won't hear me complain. I don't think we've
ever been paid this much at a show. Normally we don't see much cash
from shows (and that's OK, we don't expect to make big bucks playing
this kind of music), so tonight it seemed like we hit the jackpot.
Thanks for the cash, drunk frat guys! Scott's van could definitely use
it.
March 17, 2007 - KWVA broadcast (Eugene)
We played twice tonight, first at KWVA and later at the Wetlands. KWVA
is a college radio station in Eugene. I used to be a DJ there. Tonight
was my first time in the station since they updated the equipment.
Whoa, it's all sleek and modern now. When I was a DJ (1999-2002), we
were still using clunky gear from the '70s. Tony and Kirsten, the
hosts of the Bakers Ball radio show, were
great. They do a local music show. A couple times a month they have
local Eugene bands play on the air. Technically we aren't "local," but
we do have roots in Eugene. Maybe I should explain. The Anxieties
formed in Eugene and were based there for about three years. Last
summer Scott and Matt moved to Portland. That's where they found
Chris. I still live in Eugene, so I'm always driving up to Portland
for practices and shows---er, I was until this month. I haven't been
at any practices lately because my van isn't running, so it's a good
thing we had this chance to warm up before the Wetlands show. We
didn't talk much, we just played for about a half hour and tried to
work out the kinks in our new songs. Thanks to Tony and Kirsten for
having us on the air. As soon as we finished, we threw our stuff back
in Scott's van... and the van wouldn't start. Matt made some calls,
tried to find some friends who could drive our gear to the Wetlands.
(Thanks to Tony for offering to help, and thanks to Tristan for
showing up.) Then somehow the van started and we sputtered over to the
bar.
March 10, 2007 - Jolly Inn (Portland)
This was not our finest moment. I haven't been able to practice with
the band for a few weeks, so I was a little rusty. Scott and Matt were
having technical difficulties with their amps. Ehhh, we weren't
terrible, we sounded alright, but it's frustrating when we KNOW we can
sound better. The Decliners took me by surprise. Earlier, some people
told me to expect a grunge sound. I was also told that they listed
Floater as an influence. Floater? Uh oh, I had a bad feeling about
this. A grunge band influenced by Floater... makes me think we're
about to be assaulted with some Nth generation grungy "new rock" in
drop D tuning; the kind of stuff you hear on KNRQ or KFLY. Well, I'm
an idiot. As soon as The Decliners started playing, I realized I had
them pegged all wrong. To my ears, they had a real 1980s Northwest
"proto-grunge" feel. They reminded me a little of The Wipers, but with
more Ron Asheton-style wah pedal riffage. Pretty cool. I'm looking
forward to seeing them when we play together next month.
February 17, 2007 - The Jolly Inn (Portland)
This was probably the biggest show we've played so far in Portland.
The bands set up on the floor and let it rip. It was the best kind of
show: everyone's having a good time, people are packed in, standing
right up front, rocking out, and sloshing their beers around. The Bad
Backs played first. I didn't see them, as I was sitting in a booth in
the other room talking to some friends. That's how Portland is for me.
Every time I come up here, I run into people I haven't seen in ages,
we get to talking, and I miss half the bands. I guess if I'm going to
write a show journal, I should spend more time watching the bands and
less time flapping my gums. Even though I didn't see The Bad Backs, I
did hear them, and they sounded good. We were on next. We started off
shaky but after a couple songs we pulled it together. Overall I
thought we played better than last night in Eugene---we were much
faster and tighter tonight. It was fun playing for a crowd of people
who had never seen us before. After we played, Kathryn and I decided
to cut out early. We were both tired, and we had a two hour drive to
get home, so we took off. I hope we play with the Muddy River
Nightmare Band again soon. I was sorry I missed their set. At
least Chris, Matt, and Scott stuck around. Thanks to Ben for coming
and hanging out.
February 16, 2007 - John Henry's (Eugene)
This was The Anxieties' first show in Eugene in almost a year. The
band's last show here was in... the spring of '06? That was before
Chris and I joined the band. Tonight PB Army went on first. They
played fast and solid as always. It was good to catch up with those
guys. I hadn't seen them in a long time. The Funhouse Strippers were
next. It was their first show in Eugene and they ripped it up. I have
to say it's a bit daunting to play after them. You know how some bands
go crazy onstage, jumping and shaking and moving all over the place
without missing a note and making it look effortless? The Funhouse
Strippers are one of those bands. They're a hard act to follow! We
played an entire set of new songs. Our friends in Eugene have heard
the old songs a hundred times, so we figured we'd give 'em something
new. After us The Wobblies got up
and slammed through a furious set. The last time I saw them, their
bass player had an acoustic bass (plugged in). I thought that was a
cool/unique approach, but this time he played an electric bass and it
sounded a lot better. I was also digging the drummer's minimalist kit.
He only had a snare and kick drum (no toms), and a few cymbals. I was
surprised at how loud they were for a trio. They were the smallest
band of the night, but also the loudest by far. They sounded huge! I
can't remember the last time I had this much fun playing a bar show in
Eugene. Thanks to our friends who came out, it was good to see
everyone. And thanks to Billy for the recording. Side note: We aren't
playing at the Downtown Lounge on March 2nd. We have no idea why they
put our name on the flyer. (No one from the Lounge has even contacted
us.) Our next show in Eugene is March 17th. That night we'll be
playing live on KWVA around 8:00, then we'll be playing at the
Wetlands sometime after 10:00.
February 3, 2007 - Tonic Lounge (Portland)
I didn't see much of the first two bands. I was in the other room
yakking it up with a good friend who just came back to Portland after
working in Bermuda for three years. From what I saw, the Colonial
Vipers played snotty garage punk and The Flux Capacitors had a faster
early '80s punk sound. We played next. Good to see a lot of friends
and new faces up front. Things got a little crazy when Ryan Manhole
and some other guy started throwing their hats and clothes at us. I
thought we played well, but I wasn't sure about my guitar tone. I was
experimenting with new settings on my amp. In the past I always played
through the lead channel. This time I played my rhythm parts through
the clean channel with the gain cranked up. Then I hit the footswitch
to play my leads with more sustain. I don't know if I've dialed in the
best tone yet. (I'm trying to find a tone that complements the bright
Fender sound coming out of Scott's amp.) If anyone has an opinion on
our guitar sound, let us know what you think. Was it too muddy? Too
bright? Any feedback is welcome, good or bad. After we played, the
Thought Patterns hustled onstage and rocked our asses. I liked all
their songs, but I think my favorites were the last three, especially
the one in which the guitarist and bass player switched instruments.
That song was heavy. OK, maybe "heavy" is an odd word to describe
them. Let me clarify. I don't mean "heavy" like detuned
sludge/crust/nu hardcore thug shit. I mean "heavy" like the Stooges'
Fun House. Thanks to everyone who was there, and thanks to Joe
for videotaping the show.
January 5, 2007 - Cottage Grove
Alright! Good to play in Cottage Grove again. The Anxieties' last show
in Cottage Grove was about a year ago. I wasn't in the band then, but
I was at that show. It was a great show last year, although the venue
was a shithole (literally a shithole... Hippie crustpunks were getting
stoned and letting their mangy dogs shit on the floor). The show
tonight was in the same building but it had a new name (and new
owners?). It was in much better shape than last year. There was a
rowdy crowd and a sense of enthusiasm in the air that you only find at
all-age shows. The Birth Defects sounded
great. They are kids from Cottage Grove playing four-chord punk with
chanty choruses and gnarly guitar solos. Our old drummer Dylan teaches
math at their high school, and we'd been meaning to play with them for
a long time. Two other bands from Portland were booked but they never
showed up, so the show ended early. That was fine, it gave us time to
go hang out with Dylan. Thanks to the Birth Defects for setting it up,
and thanks to all the Cottage Grove kids for coming out.
December 19, 2006 - Dante's (Portland)
The Hillstreet
Stranglers from San Diego came through on tour and asked us to
play. I don't know how they heard of us, but I'm glad they got in
touch because they rocked the daylights out of us. Very thrashy primal
punk with lots of slashing guitar work. Two of them traded vocal
duties while another two guys switched off between guitar and bass,
and the drummer kept it moving fast as hell. We had a good time
playing. Nice to see a lot of ex-Eugene people at the show. Hey, can't
forget about the Funhouse Strippers. It was great seeing them again,
they rocked the roof off the place. Looks like we might play a couple
more shows with them in January and February--cool.
December 3, 2006 - Billy Ray's Neighborhood Dive (Portland)
We were invited to play by the band Thought Patterns. I
liked this place a lot. The bands played on the floor with the crowd
pressed right up in our faces. It felt like a basement show, only with
a jukebox, pinball machines, and old video games everywhere. I didn't
catch the name of the first band. They had the drummer from Thought
Patterns on bass and vocals, playing crazy tunes with hillbilly bass
lines and guitar riffs that reminded me of old-timey circus music. We
played next and I think it went well. Good reaction, we had fun, etc.
Thought Patterns, whoa. Talk about a solid band. Some of them used to
be in The Minds. To my ears they sounded a bit like The Minds, but
less new wavey and more vicious. A great punk rock band and nice folks
for sure. Thanks to Billy Ray's and the Thought Patterns for the
killer show. Whew, the past few months have been an exciting time for
us. So far every show with this new lineup has been a blast. We're
glad to finally get out there and play and meet some like-minded bands
in different towns. So far we've been lucky. We've had good turnouts
and the positive feedback at these shows has kicked us into gear. It
seems like we all have a renewed sense of ambition.
November 18, 2006 - The Ike Box (Salem)
I hadn't played in Salem for a few years, but every show I played here
with my former bands was totally wild, so I had a feeling this show
would be good. Tonight was our first time at the Ike Box. Apparently
it's a community youth center, coffee shop, and all-age venue rolled
into one. Good-sized room, nice stage, cool place. Someone mentioned
that the Ike Box is affiliated with a church. Normally that's a huge
turn-off for me, but I didn't see any church-related stuff at the
show. So if the venue really is run by a church, I commend them for
not shoving religious propaganda in people's faces. The first band was
from Eugene. They were... not my thing. We met up with The
Funhouse Strippers and followed them to a nearby watering hole.
They are a Salem band, and a friendly bunch of people. I missed Righteous
Animal's set because I was off socializing. I'm listening to the
songs on their myspace page right now, and they're good--equal parts
Detroit proto-punk and early Sabbath. The Funhouse Strippers played
next to a packed room. They had a Chuck Berry/Real Kids-influenced
rock'n'roll punk sound, and the kids ate it up! I haven't seen a band
work a crowd like that in a long time. We played next. We were all
pretty spent after getting our faces rocked off by the Funhouse
Strippers, but our set went well and the kids were cool. Thanks to all
who came and the Funhouse Strippers for setting up the show. Glad we
got to meet them. It's always exciting to go play someplace new and
befriend a band that's on the same page musically. I hope we play with
them again soon.
November 11, 2006 - Infringement Records/Centaur Guitar
(Portland)
Three months later... our first show with the new lineup. This show
was a party for the one-year anniversary of Infringement Records and
Centaur Guitar (a cool store on NE Sandy). It started early in the
afternoon. I think The Bugs were playing when we walked in. They were
a two-piece, guitar and drums, rockin' out some garagey tunes. Another
band was added at the last minute. (The Decliners?) Kathryn and I
ended up hanging out at the bar next door, catching up with friends we
hadn't seen in a long time. I probably should have gone easy on the
beers because I was a little woozy by the time we played. My guitar
playing was kind of sloppy, but the rest of the band was right on the
money. We had a blast. We played five new songs and a bunch of old
stuff. Chris did a great job on drums. We're glad to have him aboard.
It looked like the crowd was having a good time, especially Ryan
Manhole--he was rocking out like a champion! Thanks to Conor for
inviting us to play, and thanks to all our friends who were there.
August 19, 2006 - Berbati's Pan (Portland)
A local promoter asked Scott if we would play this show with The
Secretions. Of course we wanted to--The Secretions rule! One problem:
we only had half a band. Matt (bass) couldn't play this show, and we
were still looking for a new drummer. So our friend Joe volunteered to
fill in on bass, and Dylan Auf Kilter came out of retirement to play
the drums. Kind of a strange bill: three touring bands and us. We are
brand new to Portland so you might say there were no local bands
playing tonight. For some reason the venue was charging 8 bucks at the
door. Wha?!? Maybe I'm just an ignoramus from Eugene, but $8 seems
expensive for a punk rock bar show. On the plus side, the people who
ran the club were good to us, the sound was mixed really well, and
everyone was having a good time. Ashtray came from the Bay area. They
played snotty primal punk with dual male and female vocals. Pretty
cool. Final Summation had more of a streetpunk sound. They played
tight and fast as hell. The Secretions had a new
guitarist and they totally rocked. We've known them for a few years
and it's always a party when we get together. They are one of my
favorite modern-day punk bands. We played last and felt good about the
set. Hell, it was the most fun I've had playing a show in over a year.
All the bands were cool. We had a good time meeting and hanging out
with them. Every band stayed for every other band's set. That doesn't
always happen at bar shows, so it was a treat to see everyone standing
right in front of the stage. Thanks to everyone who made it to the
show.