Stoked is one word that explains how I felt when Dave Hause gave me the thumbs up Thursday that he would play the Gurley House in Akron with his current tour mate Cory Branan.
A few weeks back, I noticed the the guys had a one day break from touring. Since they for whatever reason had no Cleveland stop, I asked them to play a house show. They were all about it. So, with short notice, I reached out to the Gurley House in Akron and asked if they were down for a show. Once I got their OK, they helped me recruit two amazing local bands, Signals Midwest and Harvey Pekar, to jump on the bill. It is going to be an awesome night.
Dave Hause is most commonly known for being in the amazing punk rock band The Loved Ones. Hause also has been doing the solo thing for a few years now (more on that in an upcoming interview I did with him). He dropped an amazing full-length album earlier this year titled Resolutions that everyone needs to hear.
Cory Branan is a singer / songwriter from Mississippi who has just an amazing voice and sound. Branan has worked with Lucero in the past on their albums and vice-versa. His name is actually dropped on the Lucero song “Tears Don’t Matter Much”. If you have not heard of him yet, you are missing out.
With such short notice though, I need everyone to please spread the word. I would love to have a nice turnout for these guys. If you plan on going, bring some cash for donations.
Special thanks to Jeremy of the Gurley House for hosting the show on such short notice and also to Corey for making the above flier. Also big thanks to Signals Midwest and Harvy Pekar for agreeing to play.
This is going to be a really fun show so you should all come on out. What else do you have going on a Thursday night in December?
Maybe it was the excessive beer intake last night, but I woke up this morning to the strangest dream I have had in a while. Not to bore you with details, but the dream ended with me in a convertible telling Ryan of Cincinnati/Detroit pop-punk act Mixtapes about this other dream I had within the dream that involved a James Bond like India adventure. He looked at me like I was high and then got mad at me when I asked him what it would take for him to sing me some Wooky Stax.
I took that as a calling today to write a little something something about Mixtapes as well as their alter ego known to many as Wooky Stax.
For those of you who do not know of the pop-punk act Mixtapes, you my friends are missing out.
The male and female front-kinda-sorta-duo sing about everything from thinking that Strung Out is a “mediocre version of the skate punk 90s” to not staying up all night and just kicking it at home drinking Diet Coke. The band is unique in that they are not looking for the fame and do it for fun (well at least I think they do). Most of their material has been released for free on the interwebs through various sites and they never seem to stop touring. They also have a handful of 7″ vinyls out for all you collectors out there.
They are a prolific band you need to check out. I’ve seen them live a couple times and it is a riot.
Wooky Stax is Mixtapes’ alterego rap project. I do not care what anyone says, I love it. It is far from the greatest hip hop and probably was created as a joke to the ever so hardworking rap music industry (can you sense the sarcasim?). Ryan and Maura do their best to rap over samples and honestly…it’s kind of catchy and it’s hella free.
Punk rock is not dead. I say that a lot recently because I know it’s true and there are still bands out there releasing honest, wholesome punk rock albums for the sake of just doing it. They are not looking for money or fame, just a good time doing something they love.
Here is where I now introduce a punk rock band that I like right? Well you are half right.
Recently I had the chance to talk it up with Christian Martucci about his new band as well as some of his amazing past. If anyone has lived a punk rock dream, it’s Martucci.
Dylan Howard, Pat Kim, & and Chris Martucci
BHP: Your new band, Thousand Watt Stare, has an EP dropping next month. What can you tell me about this new project you’ve created?
CM – We just love to play music and have a good time with it… I’m very happy to play with these guys. No ego’s, no pressure… It’s a breath of fresh air.
Why the change-up in sound from previous bands you have been in?
In Dee Dee’s band it was Ramones songs, Black President was all Charlie, and The Chelsea Smiles were more of a straight rock n’ roll band… I’ve had the Thousand Watt Stare stuff in my head for years now. It was just never anything that would work with the other bands. I’m glad they’re finally seeing the light of day.
So how did you hook up with Unwritten Law’s Pat Kim and Dylan Howard?
PK played with Black President early on when Hetson was still in the band. We had a great time hanging out back then and always kept in touch. When Black President ended and it was time to start something new, I called Pat and we started jamming. He brought Dylan on board and two weeks later, we started recording.
Why did Black President disband anyways?
I think Black President had to break up… When you consider some of the guys schedules, it doesn’t really allow them to go full steam a head with a side project. The thing with that band is that it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a cover band to blow off steam. That was actually my favorite part of doing it… Looking back I’m actually really surprised we even made the record. It wasn’t meant to have a long shelf life. I think of it more as a psycho that everyone cheated on their bands with for a few years.
As you already mentioned, you;ve worked with some heavy hitters in the punk rock world including Bad Religion’s Greg Hetson and Dee Dee Ramone. How did those opportunities come about?
Your guess is as good as mine… I wasn’t having good luck where I was, so I saved up $600, packed a suitcase, one guitar and just moved from Philly to LA in ’99. I only knew one person out here and was sleeping on his couch. He introduced me to Stefan Adika. Stefan was playing bass for Dee Dee at the time and asked if I’d like to come down and play. I ran home, went over like 30 something songs and showed up at the rehearsal room that night… Dee Dee had NO idea I was coming down and was a little freaked out… He looked at me and said “So, what are you gonna try to play guitar or something?” I didn’t know what to say.
He was one of my biggest hero’s. I just smiled like a nervous idiot, plugged in and we played “Rockaway Beach”. We got done, he looked at me and was like “OK you better sing the next song now… ‘Chinese Rocks’… 1-2-3-4!” “Alright I think we better go to ‘South America’ now…” The whole time I was standing there I couldn’t believe I was playing with Dee Dee Ramone. That feeling lasted the entire 3 years I was able to do it. Everything about him was for real.
The thing with Greg happened from when Black President was still a cover band called Shithead. We had Marc Diamond from The Dwarves playing with us and… I can’t remember what happened. I think The Dwarves had to go on tour, so Charlie told us Greg Hetson wanted to do it. I actually thought he was kidding at first. Next thing you know, he’s at rehearsal playing Dead Kennedy’s songs with us. I really like Greg a lot… Awesome guy and as down to earth as they come…
You started touring recently around California . Any chance of a nationwide tour any time soon?
No definite plans yet but we really hope so…
Your previous bands toured a lot over the years. Who were some of your favorite bands to tour with?
Bouncing Souls, TSOL, New York Dolls, Social D, Backyard Babies… There are so many but those are the ones that stick out the most for me. They are all very good people.
For the punk rock lovers out there, can you tell them why they should check out Thousand Watt Stare?
The punk rock I like is the kind where there aren’t any rules. In the 70’s punk didn’t have a defined sound yet, that’s why I think it was a great as it was. Television, Dead Boys, Ramones, The Clash, etc. None of those bands sound like they should be in the same genre. I think you should check out Thousand Watt Stare because we don’t worry about those things either… It’s just honest rock n’ roll.
Update: Contest is CLOSED! Congrats to Gretchen for snagging up the Those Darlins prize pack courtesy of Oh Wow Dang Records! Have fun at the show!!!
I have a pair of tickets to the upcoming Those Darlins show at the Beachland Tavern on 9/21 for one lucky winner. I will also toss in freshly pressed copy of the their recently released Night Jogger 7″ as well. See below for how to win…
Those Darlins are back at it again. The trio of fine, fun ladies and drummer Lynn are back on the road looking for a good time nightly in various cities across the good ol’ USA. Recently the band dropped a split 7″ featuring a new Those Darlins track on one side and a Funstix track on the other. This is just a small taste of their new album which is scheduled to drop in early 2011.
Head over to the Those Darlins revamped web page for a listen at both tracks and even score yourself a free download of “Night Jogger” for a limited time.
Better yet demand that all of your friends head up to the Beachland Tavern with you on 9/21 to check out these country/punk darlings and Turbo Fruit. It is going to be a good time and your help is needed to bring the party. If you do not, you are missing out. How do I know? Because I have been there, done that, and would not mind doing it all over again – in fact I will be there (please hold your comments). Their shows are not to be missed so just get your butt up there ok?
So how do you win?
All you have to do is comment below and make sure you enter a valid email address. One winner will be chosen randomly to win a pair of tickets to the 9/21 Cleveland show and a 7″ of Night Jogger.
This is for the Cleveland, Ohio show only so I need to keep this contest local. This contest was made possible buy the amazing folk at Oh Wow Dang Records. I will pick a winner on this Saturday Monday evening, so hurry up and throw down a comment!!!
Tour Dates (in case you were wondering…):
SEPTEMBER:
9/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl #
9/11 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle #
9/12 – Myrtle Beach, SC – Island Bar
9/14 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 #
9/15 – Washington DC – Black Cat #
9/16 – New York City – Bowery Ballroom #
9/17 – Cambridge, MA – T.T. the Bear’s #
9/18 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl #
9/19 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie (early show) #
9/19 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie (late show) # 9/21 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern $
9/22 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall $
9/23 – Pygmalion Festival – Champaign-Urbana
9/24 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill $
9/25 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon $
9/26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue @ 7th St. Entry $
9/28 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown $
9/29 – Lincoln, NE – Lincoln Calling
9/30 – Kansas City, KS – The Record Bar $
OCTOBER:
10/2 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
10/7 – Dallas, TX – Sons of Hermann Hall %
10/8 – Austin City Limits Festival
10/8 – ACL After Party @ Emo’s +
10/9 – Laredo, TX – Old No. 2
# W/The Strange Boys & Gentleman Jesse and His Men
$ W/Turbo Fruits
% W/The Soft Pack
+ w/The Black Lips
