Charging Shipsterns

I hope he made it!

Richie Jackson

This guys is insane! Very artistic.

Surfing Injury

Out the door early Saturday morning and down to OB. Pea soup fog, so I can't see what the waves look like, but there is no wind and the bouys didn't indicate 2x overhead. Suit up with some trepidation, but time is short and need to get wet. A dozen duck dives later I'm out and to my relief see a few others bobbing around. Waves are sloppy and a little overhead, but not horrible. Spin around and catch a nice left. Paddle back out and catch a nice overhead right. Pump down the line backside and see that it is going to explode in front of me so bottom turn and thankfully get over the back of the wave with my board flying in the air. Come up and conk. Hurt a little bit but not too bad, but then notice blood is dripping down my face. I put my hand on my hood and it is covered in blood. Oh shit! Immediately think SHARK BAIT!!! Paddle like a madman for shore with blood continuing to gush down my face. Man, what the hell did I do?! Must be the fin came down on my head. Get to shore, pull off my hood and blood continues to gush. Use my hood to apply pressure and run to my car. People looking at me in horror, but no one offers to help. Get to the car and try to call E to see if his women Dr Yang can take a look at it. Can't reach him so decided to drive home. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped, and I didn't feel too bad. Nurse Mary that lives upstairs is home, so ask her to come down and take a look. She says it my scalp is sliced open and advises me to go to the ER. Not looking forward to low priority ER wait but have the wife take me. Surprisingly I get in in less than and hour and get some staples in my head and check out. Time to get some new Proteks!

Maserati and Mono @ GAMH

Got in around 8:30 and the place was really empty. Maserati started soon after. I had only recently checked their stuff out and dug it, but after seeing them live, I appreciated them so much more. They are kind of a mix of Battles (the preclude Battles though), Pink Floyd and Mogwai. They were showered in this trippy combination of black light with a touch of pink that reminded me of Dario Argento films. Gotta get more of their stuff for sure. I worried that they were going to make Mono look bad, but that wasn't the case at all! I have been listening to their new one, Hymn to the Immortal Wind, quite a bit and was excited to see it live. Wow, so much emotion. There were multiple times during the set that chills were running up my spin and that is rare for me. Bummed that I didn't get to see their entire set when I saw them open for High on Fire last year. Looks like they're playing their tenth anniversary show in Japan around Christmas with a full orchestra! Hope that shows up on Youtube.

SF Street Food

My wife is from Taiwan and loves street food. We are so stoked that this movement is catching on in SF. I ran across this site that has the tweets of the various street food vendors around SF.

http://www.findsffoodtrucks.com/

Went to the Chez Spencer converted taco truck a few weeks ago and enjoyed some curried frog legs. Yum!

Some Bands I've Been Checking Out Recently

Yob
Nadja
Maserati
Subarachnoid Space
Sun O)))
The O Sees
Absu
The Enablers
Japandroids
Candy Now
Banner Pilot
zu
Death (the 70s Detriot Band)
The Sword
Torche

Sleepless Nights

Brawndo!

D4 @ BoTH!!!

Made it to BoTH at around 9:30pm. Packed house but surprisingly not sold out. The last opening band was playing (Riverboat Gamblers). Matt and I made our way up to about the middle of the venue next to the merchandise. Some guy bumps me from behind and almost knocked my beer out of my hand. It was Patty Costello bass player for D4 buying a record at the table. The merchants refused payment. They handed him a piece of cardboard, and he proceeded to draw an interesting sales sign to accompany the one that he had obviously drawn earlier.

They played a great set. A good mix of the new stuff and the classic D4 anthems. Patty was cracking me up with his signature banter. You could tell they weren't well rehearsed though, with some of the songs running really slow and sloppy.


Patty had some clippers and started shaving parts of his head and offered to give other people a hair cut too. Some girl with dready looking hair and another dude with shoulder length hair took him up on it. Then near the end, he wiped down his pants and started shaving his balls! These guys are so damn fun to see live!

Gang Shootings in My Hood Over the Weekend

There goes the neighborhood again. One 2 block from my house. Sucks!!!

"In the Mission District’s third homicide this year, two people were killed in a Sunday afternoon shooting at Papa Potrero’s Pizza at 24th Street and Potrero Avenue. Police believe the shootings are gang related.

Both victims were shot in the restaurant, according to witnesses. One died in the hospital and another died on 24th Street between Hampshire and Potrero, according to witnesses."

http://missionlocal.org/2009/09/shooting-at-24th-and-potrero/

Torche / Boris Split!

Blown Away by Propagandhi!

Met up with Matt last night to see Propagandhi. We got a beer and planted ourselves on the right hand side of the stage about 10-15 feet away. They opened with Potemkin City Limits which is probably my favorite song on the new album. I didn't realize that they have an additional guitar player. A great move on their part. It made their live show so much better and fuller. Plus, it was so fun to watch the new guy play the insanely, intricate guitar riffs. They played a solid 2 hour set that seemed so short and left me wanting more. Oddly, Todd didn't sing. Even his own songs. Maybe he had laryngitis.

Last night I was thinking back to the first time Matt and I tried to see Propagandhi. We were in college at MSU and heard they were playing over in London, Ontario. Back then, they refused to play in the US, so we had to make the 4 to 5 hour drive from East Lansing, MI to see 'em. Well, we showed up at the venue and there wasn't anyone there. They told us that they moved to another venue near by, but that Dayglo Abortions was playing tomorrow night. We got to the other venue only to find that it was sold out and we couldn't get in! We pleaded with the door man, but he wasn't letting us in for anything. We peaked through the blurry window and caught a few songs.

Pelican at Slim's

It’s 10:15 pm. Nextbus says 9 coming in 15 min. Walk out to the bus stop next to the methadone clinic. Wait in the dark with nobody around. Check phone and Nextbus reads 20min?! Getting sketched out…hoping a cab will come by soon. Get a text from Matt saying, “Where are ya? They’re going on!”. Shit! Contemplate getting my car but too drunk to drive. Finally, a cab comes. Reach Slim’s in 10 min. Cab is $7! Grrrr. Make it inside. Packed Thankfully it’s all ages, so I’m not the shortest person in there and can see the band well. Only missed a few songs and they played for about another 45 min. Sounded really good for Slim’s. Guys in the band are young. Good to see some instrumental metal. They rocked. Visions of pelicans catching the air pocket of waves while out surfing. Head to Paradise Lounge for a drink afterwards. Matt get’s us in for free. No live music and really bad DJs. Only highlight was a hot chick in a bikini dancing in a cage. What the hell happened to that place?!

Electric Masada

Caught Electric Masada last night at Yoshi's in SF. First time at Yoshi's in the City. Awesome place. Totally modern and sophisticated. Sushi was good. Got seated just as Zorn was introducing everyone. A little bummed to be looking at Zorn's back the entire time. Man, they completely killed it. Surprisingly very similar to the live album At the Mountains of Madness. Blew my mind to see so many amazing musicians packed into a tight little stage. Zorn was directing most of the time but would occasionally rip out a signature, speed demon, squeeling solo. Marc Ribot on guitar. Three drummers ripping. A Jewish Bitch's Brew. I was spellbound almost the whole show. Well worth the steep $50 ticket price.