Stay Golden Bull

a late entry and yet i remember it as if it were yesterday ...

This was our first show at the splendid Golden Bull in downtown Oakland. It was an early Sunday show on a rainy Mother's Day, which one might imagine would be the kiss of death for a rock and roll show and yet the loyal rockers of our beloved East Bay still came out!!

Stay Gold Pony Boy was up first and we were welcomed by a generous crowd poised and ready for the onslaught. By the time we were done the crowd had been worked up into a frenzy by a patented Golden set an were left panting for more.

Next up were IfihadahifI from Wisconsin. We were excited as we had heard great things about them but nothing could prepare us for their amazing set. People talk a lot about dance punk these days and yet i hear no punk and little dance there - but Ifihadahifi delivers a large dose of both. It was like if the scary older brothers of that girl you are dating duck taped you to a chair and aimed a nord lead keyboard and some guitars at your head over a disco beat while screaming at you through a megaphone and you ended up actually liking it. They were awesome, very noisy yet very dancable and a ton of energy. Plus they were great guys and the crowd LOVED them!! A great act that all must check out when they come through your town.

To close out the night were noise rock empresarios Replicator. Though we've played some festivals and other strange gigs with these champions of the Oakland rock scene, this was actually our first "normal" gig with them. As always Replicator brought the big ole power trio rock as only they can, show casing some new material as well as the good ole stand bys. The perfect end of a perfect mother's day, with enough time to go home call the old crow before her bedtime.

Secret Love

A hearty "W00T!" to everyone who made it out to Thee Parkside for our first show of 2005.

It was good times: Gino, the sound guy, helped us sound better than we ever thought we could sound in a small room -- i.e. people weren't running for cover from SGPB's Horrific Onslaught© -- and we got to bust out our two newest songs, "Rock and Roll Welfare" and "Corduroy Pounder," to great effect.

Big ups to Skiffington for setting up the gig, keeping the bunny erect for the duration of their performance, and overcoming Manny's under-the-weatherness to pinch off a truly rocking set.

Ultimately, I'd have to rule that the March 20th holiday trifecta of Palm Sunday, the Vernal Equinox, and International Clitoris Day was duly and roundly commemorated in a manner befitting our noble station...

October Surprise

Going into our October 1 benefit for the French Fry Factory, we knew we were going to kill it. On top of having our colloquial shit together, we'd most recently endured a night of frustrated performance courtesy of Oakland's Finest and some irate neighbors. You could say that the Gold Pony was chomping at the bit...

San Francisco's The Nervous Breakdowns opened up the night with exuberant, oversexed style, peeling off a performance aptly likened by SGPB's P.F. Tug to "Peaches raping the Velvet Underground." In fact, they closed out their set with Peaches medley and a human pyramid that would've made Lynndie England blush...

Next up was yours truly. We played the set the OPD wouldn't let us play two week's prior -- and then some -- for an enthusiastic crowd and we had a hell of a time doing it. Buckley even did the splits.

Then came the aerobic trampolines and the raw rock stylings of The Hot Rollers. These ladies brought the party down from Seattle, fully decked out in early 60's style fast food uniforms, solid hooks that made people move, and a go-go dancing pep squad.

Skiffington closed out the evening and delivered a heavier sound than I'd remembered. With a group vocal assault, some suffocating-fish-flopping guitar antics, a rock-solid rhythm section, and songs about drug-induced sexual exploits, Skiffington reminded me why they're a band after my own heart.

If there was an overarching message to the performances at the French Fry Factory on October 1, it was this: ROCK CAN BE FUN.

Any way you want it...

Didn't make it to the Noiserock picnic? Too bad, sucker. You missed one hell of free show, not to mention some great BBQ action courtesy of Bill the Grill. Here's the official report:

Drum and bass combo Me Infecto opened the day with some of the loudest heavy rockin' I've ever heard generated by two people. They drew the only SFPD cameo of the day, and apparently earned Edinburgh Castle its first ever noise complaint the previous night. These boys are loud, and they rock.

Next up was yours truly, Stay Gold Pony Boy, and we did our very best to shame the sun from the sky with our bad man sounds. The sun was still there when we finished, but so was the crowd on the hill, so it wasn't a total loss...

So, there's this band from San Jose, El Buzzard -- big heavy sound, people. Black Sabbath at 78rpm. Did I mention heavy? How about big? Wow. They came up after SGPB, and they ruled. Ruleded. Rulerededest.

Next up were my personal favorite of the day, Greenlight the Bombers. We'll playing with these boys again in a couple weeks, and I couldn't be happier. Weird and precise, GLB kept a smile on my face throughout their set. They were having a great time, and just to make sure that even the thickest would know it, they slapped a Journey cover into the middle of their Helmet meets Drive Like Jehu set. Go check these guys right now. Really.

With the sun dipping behind Potrero del Sol's trees, the Moggs mounted the stage and unleashed a flurry of the dense swirling guitar over fragmented drums. An impatient audience member mentioned that this duo has had a record in the works for six months. After hearing them play their compositions, I understood why: these kids put a lot of care into their work.

And presiding over the last gasps of the day was none other than Oakland's very own Replicator. This was their first performance since Chris and his bicycle had a little run in with a taxi, and you could tell they've been chomping the bit to bring the rock again. It was great to hear the winners from "You Are Under Surveillance," and the new material was stunning. I like where the old Replicator is going, yes I do.

All and all, a great day. We win again.

The Sunday BBQ, unfortunately, didn't happen as both bands slated to play with us fell victim to circumstance and couldn't make it out. C'est la vie.

The Western Front

And so the first official Stay Gold Pony Boy tour came to pass . . . and it was GREAT!! Here is a semi-exhaustive, partially ecstatic, and entirely accurate account of the our travels up the western coast to spread meyhem and rock and roll to the unsuspecting masses. In short, WE HAD A BLAST!!!

Merch
The week before tour saw the golden pony furiously creating merchandise in a bid for your heart and the wallet that its attached to. Merch is where you make your money touring and so we spent the week leading up to tour furiously silk screening new SGPB shirts (with a new design) while also completing our limited edition tour EP "It Hangs Above You" which includes 6 songs from our upcoming record.

Sat, Aug 31st - FFF, Oakland - TOGA PARTY!
We began our voyage as all adventures begin: at home surrounded by friends. Our favorite venue in Oakland, the French Fry Factory, was kind enough to let us throw a special event - a !TOGA! party. We set-up and waited for the togas to roll in. Slowly but surely they came and all the bands were good sports about leading the way. I mean, if the band don't toga - then nobody is gonna toga!!

First up was Chutner Khan - I think someone took the brown acid . . . like someone put me in a time machine to 1969. A fitting entrance to the insanity of the evening.

Next up, you know how -> Da Bad Man, Pony Boy. SGPB took the stage and proceeded to do things in Togas that have, perhaps, never been done. Some of the highlights were watching a perplexed audience digest our newest song "Lady Nowhere", your very own PFT berating the audience for not wearing Togas, and an amazing display of psychic powers.

The Punks were up next. These guys came all the way from Olympia to spread the love and love they spread to a simultaneously entranced and confused audience. John Cage meets Samuel Beckett in the music section of Toys'R'Us. Exactly.

and then . . . The Mae Shi. If SGPB ever picks another name, it should be "WE LOVE THE MAE SHI". Now The Mae Shi are our good friends, but they are an amazing band and we'd love them even if we didn't. This was an extra-special show because their amazing record Terrorbird had just been released on 5RC that week and this was their unofficial record release party. They took the stage. The Byron Bros donned Transformer Sheet Togas while Ezra sported a zipdown flight suit complete with helmet and then, as if to up the ante, brad suddenly showed his butt. TOGA PARTY INDEED!! The Mae Shi then proceeded to tear down the house as only they can. Their set kicked ass and sounded great, one of the best times I've seen them.

to end the night, The Coachwhips began blasting from the other side of the room. I had to retreat to the sidelines to avoid getting my eyes poked out by the hordes of bouncing girls with spiky hair that attacked the stage. That John Dwyer guy is soooooooooo dreamy!! but man, can they rock!!! A locomotive of blues noise insanity heading straight for your jugular. Aside from the music, my favorite part was watching the carefully stacked empty beercan pyramid, built atop the amps, gradually tumble as the set went on.

. . . and so we bid our home and friends farewell for the open road.

The Road to Portland - Aug 1-3rd
After putting it down in the studio Sunday evening, we made our way to a safe haven in Weaverville arranged for us by the Homeland Security Department. It was nice to breath that mountain air and sleep in a realy bed. Upon waking up we were shocked to discover the following headling in the local paper:

"Possible Ban on Genetic Things"

Being genetic things, we were a bit worried - were we to be banned on our maiden voyage!?! Were my corduroy jeans, genes? Could I simply wear sweat pants and avoid the debacle? A perplexed Pony Boy hit the road and headed north after the first of many a chicken fried steak.

Monday night, we arrived in Portland at the home of our dear friends Jeremy and Desia. Expecting a simply floor to call our own, we were given a spacious attic filled with instruments, computers, and basically all the things we treasure.

Tuesday we spent leisurely walking around downtown Portland taking in the great sea port. We then were treated to one of Denton's patented meatfests. When I have a heart attack at age 30, please tell my mother it was Denton's fault.

Wed, Aug 4th - Manium Wherehouse, Olympia
We woke up Wednesday and made our way to Olympia. We arrived at the Calliope complex which is an amazing piece of land upon which a few houses are built and a wonderful assortment of fruits, vegetables, and animals are grown. A pretty inspiring communal situation full of people who welcomed us with open arms. Our friend Nathan, from the awesome band Wolves In The Throne Room, lived there and arranged our show - as well as the boys from Bee's Knees (check our upcoming shows with them!!). After meeting everyone and relaxing a little bit, we heads to downtown Olympia.

It just so happened our homies The Mae Shi were playing a house party down the street and so we grabbed some food with them and roamed the streets having a jolly old time. It was nice to be in a new place with old friends.

We returned to the Manium Wherehouse and met its owner, Dwayne The Dark Dentist. Dwayne is a Dentist in Olympia. He is also a goth. He also owns properties in Olympia and paints them black. It turned out that this was the first show evAr at the Manium Wherehouse which he owned. We were very excited to not only play it, but meet this local celebrity. Props also to Nathan and the boys for really transforming that room in a matter of minutes into an awesome space!!!

First up were Bee's Knee's. In fact, it was their record release party and it was very gracious of them to go on first!! They rocked and surpised everyone with their tight noise-pop stylings. God I hate trying to describe music, but I liked Denton's "Noiserock by way of Hüsker Dü and the Minutemen" description. good stuff !!!

It was then time for the Pony Boy. Being our first show on tour, we didn't know what to expect. Would they hate us? Would they be indifferent? Could we still play in the Pacific Northwest . . . I am happy to say that we brought the rock and they drank gladly from our chalice! I think I scared a few people during my serenade but we won them over.

Next was Oly's own Empire of Man. Pure, unadulterated, Power (Trio) Pop and I mean that in the best of ways. I was bopping my head with the kids and digging the tunes. A tight rhythm section and catchy songs. Good stuff.

Ending the night was Bacchus and all I could say is *WOW*. They were heavy and tight just like one of Denton's burgers. Yet another trio & these guys sounded like an army of 1,000 men. Super heavy and insanely tight AmRep-ish thunder. Like if Helmet smoked a bong load and didn't shower for a week. We fancy ourselves pretty heavy, but these guys took the prize that night. You'll be seeing more of them.

And so the first show went magnificently. Some great bands, great sets, new friends, and Dwayne the Dark Dentist even bought one of our CDs!!! Olympia rocks!

Thurs., Aug 5th - Grand Cen (I mean) Meow Meow, Portland, OR
Now this was a dooozie (or should I say douche). Long story short, our Portland show had a last minute venue change from Grand Central Bowl to the Meow Meow. Big thanks go out to AmyV and Malati for at least making sure we had a show in Portland. Everything was set for a great show with The Mae Shi, The Punks, and Channels 3 & 4 from B.C.

We arrived at the venue and hung out with the bands while conspiring how to make the best of the situation. Buck Wilde, technical wizard, helped fix the Mae Shi Van while we considered spray painting directions to the venue on the bowling alley that had scorned us.

The Punks opened up which included The Mae Shi's Ezra on bass while Tim got his haircut. I screamed mohawk, but he just got a tony hawk. Some stragglers had come in and The Punks ended with a rousing chant.

Now, the plan was that we were on next followed by The Mae Shi. Not many had shown up for the show, except some friends (including groupie #1 Heather who had flown up - GO HEATHER!!!), and so we asked The Mae Shi if they wanted to do a "versus set". Whats a versus set? It means we play one song, then they play one song.

So we set up all the amps on stage and us drummers jumped on and off the kit every other tune and we had the rare honor to play a versus set with the mae shi. Much like a Hawaiian Pizza, a strange yet tantalizing combination. Some people liked it, others would have prefered we played seperate sets - but I thought it was a pretty rad once in a lifetime thing that made the best of a potentially disastrous show.

Last up were Channels 3 & 4 from B.C. New Wavey dance-punk sans guitar w/keyboard arpegiating insanity. They ended the night on a high energy note and we pow-wow'd after the show to lick our wounds and look towards the sold out shows that await us.

Despite the screw-up with the venue and resulting poor attendance, there was still a lot of love from the bands. Plus our friends got to finally see us live, particularly Jer and Desia who had put us up for the week. All in all, we made the best of the inevitable "not so good" show which rears its ugly head from time to time. We'll get ya next time Portland!

Fri, Aug 6th -2nd Ave. Pizza, Seattle, WA
We woke up and drove to Seattle. What a cool city!! We were on the tail end of our travels and regretted not being able to spend more time in the fair city of Seattle. We did get to walk down to the ocean and walk around in the rain. Very nice.

2nd Ave. Pizza is a cool joint. A pizza place with a venue in the back. Most importantly, its an all ages venue which is our favorite kind! This show was arranged by our friends Gods Among Men and it was a great line-up with a good turn out. The kids were there in force from the get go and we sold lots of merch.

First up were our friends Caesura. They were a last minute add, but we were happy to see some familiar faces. They turned in a great set and it was nice to see a good turn out early in the evening. Next up were Archeopteryx, also from the Bay. We'd met them before, 2 really nice funny sort of shy kids. They took the stage and just ripped it up with their brand of insane prog screamo guitar/drum (ala hella or lightning bolt). Wow, you seemed like such nice guys!! Who taught you this dirty rock and roll!!!! They were awesome, in fact i've been listening to their cd which rules.

Next up where Gods Among Men. Now I've only seen them once, and a member was sick during that time, but they really seemed to turn it up a notch. They had a new viola player who rocked (viola + grind? they pulled it off!) and the crowd seemed super into them. I thought they had a great set and everyone seemed to agree.

And so SGPB straddled the stage. Earlier that evening, band friend and confidant Diego Snake made an emergency call to the Gold Phone to alert us that one of our finest bass players, sexual deviants, and inspirations for SGPB compositions passed away that night. I am speaking of the late great Rick James. And so it was a special night as we were able to dedicate "Rick James Hostage Crisis" to the superfreak.

So we got down as only we can and the audience went wild. It was great to see a bunch of strangers not only understand what we were doing, but actually like it - who woulda thought!?! We turned in a great set and immediately sold the most merch we had sold all tour. A triumph.

Ending the night was, Lesbian. The only thing better than their name was their music. SUPER HEAVY DOUBLE BASS PLAYER SLUDGE. These guys' sound was insane. Walls of amps. One of the bass amps was glowing red like E.T.'s chest. I was having total Electric Wizard flashbacks and these guys just brought the raw insane power. Great stuff and a way to tie up all the diverse acts on the bill.

Between you and I, this was the best show we played outside of the Bay. We were lucky: all the bands were great for all the shows. What made this one stand out were all the kids that came out, supported us, and bought merch. It was the perfect last show as we not only made enough money to pay for gas on the way back, but it reminded us why you go on tour in the first place. Seattle - YOU RULE!!

. . . and so we thanked everyone, packed up, and made our way to the lovely Bay Area. We had paid for gas and stayed at friend's places for free and so we returned triumphant in our book. Even more importantly, we made tons of new friends, heard lots of new music, and were able to spread the SGPB gospel. One small drive for man, one giant leap for Stay Gold Pony Boy.

Dogs With Hats

What a wild and awesome show!!!

New Expression 4: Summer in the City was a smash hit! I gotta hand it to our dear friends at lunchboxing.com, they really know how to put on a show! The lovely RX Gallery played host to a night of music, art, and video which all strangely seemed to make sense together simply because of how damned fun it was.

The night began with a rush of people. I mean, by 9pm, this mofo was PACKED!! Never seen nothin like it on a weeknight. These art kids really know how to show-up on time!

After some short announcements and films from the Lunchboxing crew, Telecommunications took the stage: imagine 2 kids with keyboards & laptop and a third out front bouncing around the crowd with a microphone doing top 40 covers over their own electro reworkings of the tune. i was digging their cure cover, but when they did "Explosive" from the Chronic 2001 i almost lost my mind! i have never heard anyone tell me to "gobble a dick" so sweetly in all my life!

Next up was more Lunchboxing videos. Though I was furiously setting up, I must say - I thought "The Lunchboxing Guide to Shit Talking" cracked me up without even seeing the visuals!!

After a furious 7 minute set-up, THE PONY BOY, began blasting from the corner of the room. While some ran for cover, others pushed forward - like any battle. We played a lightning fast 25 minute set to great rapture by the audience. I saw the horned hand rise from the audience more than a few times during our set and were later christened "Drive Like Jehu meets Black Sabbath", which is a compliment in my book. We definitely won a few fans over and were delighted we received such a great response at such a special event!

We were followed by more video from Lunchboxing. This time, all I have to say is "Dogs In Hats". Pure Genius. My favorite was Captain Sweet Nuts, but you gotta see it. Check lunchboxing.com for a copy soon.

To end the night was oakland's very own hip-hoppers Meanest Man Contest. Armed with 2 MPCs, guitar, and microphone - these guys killed it. The MC'ing was tight but I have to say I was totally blown away by their beats!!! Wow. It was like flying into outerspace propelled by an army of kicks and snares. Thats what I'm talkin about.

. . . and so the night slowly faded into the drunken dancing and partying which isn't supposed to happen on Thursday night but always seems to. A great night. Thanks to all of the above as well as all the other artists, DJs, and most importantly you people who showed up!! Another triumphant night for Stay Gold Pony Boy . . .

Caffeine and Clamor

Thanks to everybody who came out and rocked out Sunday afternoon. It was a great time!

Grazer came correct on their maiden voyage -- their baroque emotive compositions were a perfect complement to the warm Sunday afternoon. And, of course, the Gold Pony barreled through a set of pure rock fury which, surprisingly, elicited only one call from an irate neighbor.

Many thanks to Mama Buzz for graciously hosting our little sonic soirée...

Club Awexome, 5/21 -- Buttered Angels, Pot Roast

Thanks to everyone who came out for the gig on Friday, and thank you to Conan for setting things up.

It was a real bummer that Sinombre had to drop off the bill because of circumstances beyond their control (we'll have to join forces in the future), but the evening managed to remain a fun affair, with the auricular experimentation of the remaining acts occuring at a leisurely pace...

First, Pidgeon came through with their bludgeoning brand of questionable wholesomeness (how Micah screams like that, I dunno). These kids have a record coming out soon, and from the sounds of the three song demo they were handing out, it's going to be a good one. You'll want to keep your ears peeled for these guys.

Next, SGPB turned out a solid set of our trademark hard-rocking peasant drollery, debuting our newest composition, "E.S.P." Lord Negatron powered through his bronchial infection with much aplomb -- he only coughed at the most appropriate moments; P.F. waded into the audience to wrestle a Snake; Buckley's penchant for whirlwind jumping split kicks was in full effect; and I managed not to pass out while screaming at the end of "Ouroborus" -- barely.

All-in-all, it was a rather satisfactory evening.

Club Awexome happens every third Friday at Edinburgh Castle, and Stay Gold Pony Boy strongly encourages you to avail yourself of the sonic plunder therein attainable...

At The Hands of The Hands of The Wolf

I pity the fool that missed our show this last Saturday at The French Fry Factory. It was off the hook!! Definitely one of the strongest line-ups of all time and one of the cooler venues. First off, thanks to the dudes at The French Fry Factory for letting us use their space for the show. It was nice to play a more party-like atmosphere than your typical bar.

The night began with much setting up and testing of the brand spanking new P.A. system which I shall now anoint "The Pony Express". Slowly the seething masses leaked in the door and by that time our equally awesome and spanking new friends The Weegs were set-up and ready to go.

How to describe The Weegs? Seething vocals, stabbing synth lines blending perfectly with the electric guitar, new-wave no-wave wave-wave. I dunno, words never help much with music but suffice to say they totally rocked and had the crowd flipping out. They started the night out on a high point and, might i add, looked pretty good doing it (nice gym shorts!). Weegs - you rule! Go to their site now and check our some music or some of their upcoming shows!

Next was us, your very own Stay Gold Pony Boy!! I was told that the skits were exceptional and we turned in a strong rockin set. We also debuted our newest tune "Rick James Hostage Crisis" to good effect. Thanks to Jeff from The Mae Shi for handling sound!

Speaking of which, next up was our friends The Mae Shi our favorite Los Angelean band. WOW is all I can say. I'm just happy we went on before they took the stage. These guys put out an amazing energy that you gotta see to believe. We always have fun playing with them, but I thought their set was exceptional. The entire crowd was dancing their ass off and all I could think about was how damn danceable they were still rocking. Those kids are really on to something. Rocking on moment, blasting the crowd with laptop noise the next, and suddenly they are all whooping like a tribe of angry gorillas and then back into the another crazy tune. its like inviting a tamanian devil to your birthday party. fucking amazing!

To close out the night was Caesura. I had never heard these guys before and thought they ruled. Supa-tight power trio rock. I was really impressed with the wall of sound these 3 could pull off and could tell they have been playin together for a while. All in all, they were the perfect act to top the night off as I felt they incorporated a lot of the styles of the bands that had come before them. Radicool!!

Lets not forget DJ Megaweapon!! he did an awesome DJ job, totally catering to the audience and each band. shit, he even did like some Greek wedding song which I thought ruled. Also, to those who were there, we know you are on his Friendster list - just admit it - its something to be proud of!!!

So there you go - a really excellent show. We hope to return to this venue soon and play with these bands again. Thanks to the bands and everyone who came and shared a great night with us.

To the future!!!

Edinburgh 3/05 -- Kong of the Donkey

As could well have been expected, Stay Gold Pony Boy's 2004 Bay Area debut proved to be a rather chaotic affair. The bands all played excellent sets -- Early Lines aggressive poppiness was augmented by their members' ability to play every instrument; Roma 79 displayed their agile atmospheric sensibility to great effect; and Heaven is a Hotel bludgeoned their way through the witching hour. When SGPB finally commandeered the Edinburgh stage sometime around 1:15 am, Lord Negatron and Denton both enjoyed some good-natured sparring with their respective rigs, the Pony Boys played a highly accellerated iteration of their set, Denton was accused of abdicating on his tight pants obligations, Buck Wilde demonstrated his uncanny flexibility and acrobatic nature, and an audience member burned himself on the crossed wires of an SGPB stage prop's amputated battery pack after attempting to steal away from the premises with said contraband. He later made off, alternately grimacing and scowling, with the offending batteries; their fate is still unknown.

Thanks to everybody who came out and stayed out until the wee hours of the morning to watch the Gold Pony gleam...

Zen Sushi -- Act like you knew. Forget what you heard.

Well, goddamn if Los Angeles didn't play host to the best SGPB outing yet! If you weren't there, you can't say we didn't warn you. The fateful evening started out nicely with the pristine psychedelia of The Moon Upstairs. The energy level was then ratcheted up not a few notches by hard-driving three piece The Thornbirds. Their melodic and sensitive brutishness had every lady in the room pining to be the subject of their songs. (Well, except for that song about the guy who ran over another guy with his car.) Stay Gold Pony Boy followed in good form, harnessing the tension of the all-too-long preceding week to a powerful whiplash effect. We opened with a surprise song that you don't get to know about if you weren't there (come to the next show, sucker), we closed with our newest tune, "Midnight Frankenstein" (a vicious ode to the glories of bedroom experimentation), and the creamy Slavonic Center of the set consisted of perhaps the most energetic renditions to date of SGPB's heart-rending compositions. As if that wasn't enough, Troy Taroy then mounted the sweaty, exhausted stage and sonically humped their way to an Elvis Costellan climax worthy of note even in the land that plays host to Chatsworth's cottage industry. It's a good thing Zen Sushi's walls were padded.

40th St. Wherehouse - Shevel Record Release

Yet *another* awesome show. This was out first time at 40th St. and we loved it. Gracious hosts, nice intimate vibe, lots of falling over and amp tipping, and the crowd was awesome. I don't think i've seen so many strangers at an SGPB show getting so into our set evAr!?! First off was Black Ghost who brought their 2 manwoman maelstrom to the crowd with a vengeance. As we were setting up, Cartographer staged a guerilla show. Nice! When he went into 'reign in blood' I felt like I was gonna lose it! Next came lil ole us. We got a great reception from the crowd and had lots of fun including knocking our amps over and some high flying stunts by our beloved Buckley Wilde. Next up were Electric Turn To Me from New York. Despite some technical problems with a keyboard (I actually liked how it sounded 'broken') they sounded great with alternately dreamy and ass kicking songs that were catchy and full of energy. Lastly were the undisputed stars of the night, our friends Shevel Knievel. They turned in a great performance featuring a nosedive through a mic stand, the sounds of alien abduction, and a generous helping of slag in support of their newly released album, Bull Wevel. Great bands, great night!

Edinburgh Castle - Bands Against Bush

Another good show, this time for a good cause. Thanks to Conan Neutron for the show and the mention on KUSF where they actually played Soft Weird Touch - AWESOME!! We went on first and gave the crowd what they came for. According to the audience it was one of the best sounding mixes (thanks Conan!) we've had and we were very happy with our set and completed trilogy. Next up was Seattle's Gods Among Men who tore it up complete with e-bow and some good stories about their westcoast tour. They said they weren't as entertaining as us, shaahhh right!?! Finally came Black Ghost. I didn't know such nice kids could make such big rock. We are looking forward to playing with them at the Shevel record release party. Good stuff, Good stuff. We like the Edinburgh and will definitely be returning so keep your eyes peeled!

Touch The Cusp

Ohh my goodness gracious! I must say, in all honesty, this may have been the best line-up we have played with thus far. First it began with the insanity of Fireworks, if you clicked on that link I doubt you need further explination. Out of control people! Then came the Los Angeleian wall of sound colloquially known as The Manifolds. Two drummers and catchy riffs, all I could think of is James Brown in the late 60s with 2 drummers but thats my problem. They not only rocked, but they made me feel young again. Next came our dear friends The Mae Shi, also from city of angeles. They tore the place down with an unbelievable amount of energy. I can best describe them as "a firefly caught in a jar joyfully accelerating towards their own death as they bash their head against the glass with abandon". If I didn't like them I would have called 911 because I know that much freaking out and pure apeshit rock'n'roll is illegal. Then, it was our turn. The competition was stiff, but we proudly debuted our completed Thrillogy and our new leaner/meaner/keener set to good effect. INDIAN PRINCESS CAMP!!! Finally, came our dear friends Experimental Dental School to close out the night. Having just completed their U.S. tour in support of their new album, EDS sounded like a million bucks. They have to be one of the most original and interesting bands out there as well as some of the coolest people in the world. Don't forget, they headlined our first San Francisco show - you rule EDS!!!!

Most striking though, was the pure love that was in the air that night. 5 bands, swapping merkins. It was wonderful, really. I mean, I don't want to get all soft on you or anything but I haven't felt that much love since I watched Sonny & Cher do a duet. We are gonna have to do this again sometimes soon [GROUP HUG].

Kimo's

Good Show, Good Show!! Played again with our pals Shevel Knievel and our new pals Outline Kit. We started the night with our new "Hit-it-and-Quit-it" half hour set of nonstop maximum r'n'r where we debut'd yet another new song - the third in our trilogy - to great effect. The women of Shevel took the stage next and kicked some ass. They have just completed their debut album (out soon) and you could tell that they were super tight. Lastly, Outline Kit took the stage and knocked the socks off of everyone with their hard rockin and melodic vocals. Lots of sound for a trio. The line-up was great and we'll definitely be playing with both bands again. In the meantime check out their websites and shows!!

Sadie Rawkin's Dance

THANKS TO ALL FOR A GREAT NIGHT!!!
First off we have to thank our Principle C.S. Poustane for hosting the night. He was incredible. All the bands sounded great: Shevel Knievel, Boyjazz, and Century Schoolbook. We have to also thank our home away from home The Stork Club as well as Kitchen Sink Magazine for helping support the night. This was a triumphant show and SGPB was glad you joined us. Check back soon for some pictures from the night as well as a massive website redesign! See you at Kimo's!

Voodoo Lounge w/Spootnik

Thanks for a Great Show at The Voodoo! 4/12

The crowd ruled, the sound ruled, and the first act of our play was well received.
SGPB would like to thank:

Everyone who came
Spootnik
Pat the Soundman for making us sound like $1 Million