One of our favorite Midwest American pop-punk bands, The Max Levine Ensemble, are going to be on tour this winter to come see all your pretty faces. And one of their stops? San Diego, 01/15/12, @ Che Cafe on the UCSD campus in La Jolla. Yup, good ol' Che Cafe! Fill-u-in info: these 3 dudes from Washington DC have been playing and recording DIY for almost a decade now and still never let us down when it comes to being a rad band!I've gotten to hang with them at other shows before and they're super chill and intelligent dudes. Here's one of their recent songs:
So since I'm telling you about this almost two months ahead of time, we hope you all come out and party like it's the apocalypse (lol2012lol).
Their winter tour page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/263440597029323/
Y no olvidar, Uno Viernes de Diciembre = Paseo de Todos! En 8pm en la Avendia Revolucion arco en Tijuana Baja Mexico!
Everyone's Ride! First Friday of December! 8pm at the Revolution archway in Tijuana, Baja Mexico!
El Paseo pagina de Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/233465670053809
I remember coming to one of Joyce Manor's first Che Cafe shows back in 2010. The band was opening for Big Kids and Koalacaust. Now, here I am again at the Che on November 23rd of 2011, a year later to see tonight's headliners, Joyce Manor along with touring band Lemuria. After maybe a year or less of playing shows, touring, and releasing EPs on their Bandcamp webpage, the Long Beach 4-piece group have spawned a widespread commotion of excitement in California's DIY Pop-Punk scene. Other bands opening for the evening show were Throne, and Calculator (Unfortunately I missed Calculator's set. Sorry guys, I'll fersure catch yours next time around).
Along with the opening band Throne receiving good feedback for their second show ever, the crowd literally went off the walls for Lemuria and JM while chanting along to all the lyrics, especially with how energetic both bands were (Lemuria's gonna bring back the pogo. Just ya wait and see...). Folks in the crowd were also stage diving and climbing on the ceiling rafters, a typical Che Cafe culture staple. After ending their 7(+?) song set with "Constant Nothing", it seemed that the crowd was nowhere near done rockin' out, and felt that the band ended too early. This spontaneously led to the crowd chanting the lyrics to JM's most popular closing song, "Five Beer Plan."
From what I overheard afterwards, fans were also upset that Joyce Manor hadn't at least played "Five Beer Plan" as one final encore song. Even though I chanted along lyrics with the crowd, I wasn't too upset as much as others over one song. Sure, it sucks a little that they didn't play that song, but they still played a decent amount of songs that people went apeshit for. So, my opinion is lost in the middle I suppose. I had fun overall.
And....last but not least.....PHOTOSPHOTOSPHOTOOOSS!!!!!! (What were you expecting? A free iPad under your chair from Oprah?)
Hope you enjoyed the article and photos. If you were there, *interwebz high five*.
Also this weekend, I'll be recording both an interview and live jam set with No Right Answers during their practice set at The Yard. Really cool guys and funDIY punk rock band. If you're curious in the moment:
Also, some news on an upcoming alley cat bicycle race I've heard of named "Tacocat" will be up here once I find out more info. If any SD folk know the details, email me using the one provided in the "Contact" page on this site so I can help spread the word and make it there with my bike as well!
In this day and age, who doesn't love body modification. It's an old-and-ancient-as-hell form of self-expression that has now hit and swarmed the mainstream life wildfire, especially in the SoCal and BajaCal areas (surf's up, braaah). Now imagine if these tattoos, say, had DIGITAL potential behind them.. something to break it out of its frozen 2D shell? Guess what, as of last summer, it's a freaking reality. As you see, we got a whole new generation of boundary breaking right around the corner. Crazy world, isn't it...
Basically, within a classic yet minimalist type tattoo with gears and roses, the tattoo included a barcode for smart phones to detect. Right as the phone reads the code, the phone starts playing a custom-animated video on Youtube based on the tattoo design.
So simple yet so "Holy crap - look how far we've come!!!" at the same moment. I mean, this is a whole new (or at least modernly customized) way of self-expression via body modification. It's both physical AND physic-absently part of the vast, endless internet network sea. It's funny that I found the day right after watching The Matrix for a millionth time ever. I guess reality might just head in that direction... hopefully without all the machine-apocalypse crap.
Growing up, I watched a lot of classical movies with my family, even movies that my parents grew up on. One of my favorites out of all of them, of course, is Grease (1978) starring John Travolta (pre-scientology lolz) and Olivia Newton John.
(I have to admit, Sandy could've laid off the hairspray and makeup in the end of the film....)
There's quite a few things that keep my childhood heart glued to this movie enough to buy it on VHS from Goodwill, now that I'm having to build my own movie library away from my parent's home in Temecula. First and least important outta them admittingly, the theme+story+acting is visual orgasm for me. I remember as a kid LOVING the fashion sported by both the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. It was not only a club symbol, but also like a personal statement of their attitudes and where they come from, to show that they think more outside the box than most sheltered high school graduate minds surrounding them during their last year to be kids, rule the town, but also decide where to go with their lives (Ahhh, you were expecting more like a Jersey Shore plot? Noooope.)
Secondly, as I just mentioned, where to go with our lives when the crossing line's just inches away. That's one of the biggest questions and lessons behind the story plot. Priorities, putting behind old childish games, swinging or keeping the one you truly love, consequences, understatement of differences between each other. It's all that gravy that we get dump-fulls of between the ages of 17 and 20. Therefore, being almost 20 now along with having dealt with similar lessons from the story, I find myself connecting and sympathizing more with the characters and their issues than before when I was just in 3'rd grade.
Last but not least, music! As some may already know, the 1978 film was a movie version of the 1971 stage play. In my opinion, they did a brilliant job with replaying the musical pieces. Call me a nerd all you want, but if I could be swingin' on the Rydell High dance floor and tap some T-Bird ass, I would in a heartbeat. JUSSAYIN'.
So if you dig the points I'm trying to get across, check out this film or the stage performance next time you need a good ol' classic fix! That concludes Episode 1 of my VHS diaries. You're welcome.
Joyce Manor w/ Lemuria, Calculator, and Meseta. 9500 Gilman Dr, 92093, on the UCSD campus in La Jolla. I'll be there also taking photos of all yo pretty faces! 7:30pm, $8. Be there early!
No solo fue pasado nueve el final "Binary Day" para el proximo siglo, lo fue tambien el noches de la Crystal Castles en Tijuana para el uno tiempo!
Despuésansiosamenteesperando en la colaytoda la nochepara elCCcabezas de cartel, todo el mundose volvió loco.Como de costumbre,la banda diotoda su energía, no importasi el sonidosalióperfectoo no, quemantuvo a la genteintensamentepublicitado.Miúnica queja fue queeveroneen la multitudestaba más centrada enun festival deempujara tocarAliceno sólobailando ydisfrutando del espectáculo.Durante la canciónencorefinal,Alicecomenzó aencendercigarrillo de marihuana...otroconjunto...y otroconjunto...sin parary se mantienea repartirloscomo miembros degrupocomo sea posible.Eracasi como si hubieramanera de decir,"estamos muyfresco,vamos aentrar ensu club yayudar a todos ahacerlas reglas de subesoen el culo".Absolutamente brillante.
Got some photos from last Wednesday evening's rad RVIVR show at the Che Cafe Collective on UCSD campus. Awesome posi-hard-punk tunes from RVIVR (Olympia, WA) with brutal anarcho-ska-punk Eskera (San Diego, CA) , awesome people (except for one douche armed with firecrackers), awesome fun. They're also a friendly bunch of dudes/ettes to hang with after an intense set. I would provide a longer word review, but it's 3am and I've been up all night with school and photo-editing. Perhaps I'll add more onto this post soon if I find time around the huge Crystal Castles en Tijuana hype. Until then, PHOTOOOOOSSS!!!
