WHEN PINHEADS (RE)UNITE...

On the night of July 26th, a magical event took place at The Marquis Theatre... the members of the legendary Denver band Pinhead Circus got together for a reunion show. After breaking up more than 6 years ago, there was a small army of fans waiting for this event to take place. With an ever-changing band line up, many fans wondered who would hit the stage. Past Pinheaders have gone on to join such acts as The Gamits, Rise Against, Drag The River and Rocky Votolato. This night, the line-up was a mix of original and newer members with Scooter James on vocals/guitar, Jordan Hauser on guitar, Trevor Williamson on bass and Dave Barker on drums.

Whiskey Kiss was scheduled to open the show, but due to a run in with the law, local writer Charly "City Mouse" Fasano filled in with some insightful and hilarious spoken word. Eyes and Ears took the stage next and kept the party going with their brand of guitar driven good ol' rock n' roll. Next up was local favorite, Sleeper Horse. Lead by the gravely vocals and drunken lyrics of Mike Herrera (The Blackout Pact), Sleeper Horse got the crowd riled up and ready. Then came Pinhead...

Charly got back up on stage and introduced a band that needed no introduction. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the boy's beginning in Golden, Co. As the foursome walked on stage, the crowd seemed to meld into one giant hollering animal. To kick it off, they played the fan favorite "Detailed Instructions for the Self Involved". Scooter and the gang played like it was 1988, and they were still kids. Pinhead went on to play an incredible set that had the whole crowd singing along and pumping fists. I would say the highlight of the night was their classic Carefree Metal Daze.

After leaving the stage, the boys came back for an encore that turned out to be a big party for their proud-to-be-Midwestern gang... the No Coast Death Squad (NCDS). One by one, NCDS-tattooed guys hopped up on stage and joined in on the vocals. It was pretty cool to see this group of friends come together for one night. Being there and watching the place explode made the whole night feel as if time stopped.
Thanks guys.


Charly "City Mouse" Fasano... sharing some insight into the world of Greyhound buses, dive bars and yuppies named Chad.



Chuck and Mike of Eyes and Ears.



Mike Herrera of Sleeper Horse... beltin' out the vocals.



Matty Clark... bass aficionado for Sleeper Horse.



Casey of Only Thunder... doing his best to piss off the band.



Josh Friedman... takin' over the reins for The Horse.



So talented... and yet so angry.



From the first song, Scooter and the boys gave their all.



Jordan on guitar.



Don of Eyes and Ears was tossed into the crowd for a little surfing. Good thing he had that Hawaiian shirt on.



Back on the ground, Joe from Only Thunder grabbed him up for a bro hug and photo.



Just a bunch of kids havin' fun.



A well-deserved shot for the Circus.



This superfan was diggin' the show... and knew every single lyric. Kudos, my friend.



Ryan of Love Me Destroyer (Scooter's current band) wasn't afraid to show some love.



Scooter and Trevor... backed by the No Coast Death Squad.



The NCDS boys redefined "gang vocals."



Trevor was having a great time... and let the crowd know it.



My favorite photo from the show.



In the background is crazed NCDS'er Dusty. If you don't know Dusty, you must not go out to bars in Denver.



Just like the good ol' days.



Unlike the sticker on Scooter's guitar (and tattoo on his hand)... the night was far from a "Rock n' Roll Disaster".



The end.


To see some videos from the night, check out my YouTube page. Remember to click "watch in high quality", it makes a huge difference.

YEAH, I LOVE PBR...

So what?! We were at the benefit show for Matt & Marie's (Ghost Buffalo) kitty at 3 Kings the other night, and wandered down to the basement to see Marie's art show. While we were down there.. Chelsea, Jason Randall and I found a bunch of PBR buttons. I decided to class-up the evening by adding them to my wardrobe. I know... I look good.

THE STUDIO IS OPEN!...

This week, Chelsea set up her ceramics studio in the basement and started throwing. It is so damn cool to watch her work and make these incredible pieces. Here are just a few photos from the first day... more to come soon!

BBQ, BAD HAIRCUTS AND BEER...

Last Sunday was an all-day BBQ show at the Larimer Lounge. The line-up for the day included skinny jean hipster asymmetical haircut jackasses with drum machines, pachouli stinkin' girl bands, Red Orange Yellow and Only Thunder. Needless to say, R.O.Y. and Only Thunder were the highlights of the afternoon. Plenty of friends showed up and the Miller High Life was flowing, so it was a good day.

I shot a few videos from Red Orange Yellow and Only Thunder, including Andy singing the Helmet classic Unsung. Here are some shots from the afternoon. Enjoy.

When we got there, the Only Thunder boys had already polished off 3 bottles of champagne and decided to tattoo their knuckles for the show.


Casey... reppin' LAKE SIDE.



Joe... showin' his CHOP SUEY pride.



Pedro... likes to BEAT KIDS.



ANDY... says FUCK R.O.Y.



Ethan... well, he's a PIG SLAYR.



Loni... just livin' the CUNT LIFE.



The best way I can describe the sound of Red Orange Yellow is "art noise". You really have to see them live to appreciate how good they are.









Andy found this flier at the bar. Hawk Attack is bound to be huge! Not only do they have a great name, cowboy hats, and obviously amazing graphics, but their MySpace name is HawkandRoll. Killer, bro... killer.



As usual, Only Thunder killed it...


... even though Pedro was wearing a doo-rag and flip-flops. That was, until someone yelled that you can't rock out in flip-flops. Thanks dude.

THE TRULY DIRTY SOUTH...

My buddy Coody from the band Ninja Gun was asked by Mass Movement magazine to write about one single event that changed his life. Here is his incredibly insightful and disturbing response:

The Death Squeal
I am a product of the American South. I was born and raised here on a farm in Southern Georgia. Every aspect of my life has been shaped to some degree by this place. It's a mixture of the extremely beautiful and the staggeringly profane. It's fried food and Jesus. It's somebody's granny saying, "Come let me hug your neck." It's blood, dirt, and diesel and a paycheck on Friday. It's racism with a smile. It's the heat.

Things move slower here and people's lives are governed by moral obligations and social expectations. There's a ready-made life just waiting for you. All you have to do is accept it and get on with it. Most folks do. You adopt the belief system of those around you and this guarantees that you will be accepted into "The Good Old Boy Network." You work the accepted jobs,you marry your girlfriend when she gets pregnant, you hate the right people,and best of all, you don't need opinions or ideas of your own. It's all laid out for you and life can be so easy if you don't step out of line. I was about 10 years old when I realized I was different.

It would have been a hot, humid summer morning in the late 80's. I would have been lounging peacefully on the couch my mom was so protective of. I was probably eating a fried bologna sandwich and watching Saturday morning cartoons without a care in the world. I've always been a daydreamer and it's always been a drag when someone calls me back to reality. On this particular morning that call came in the form of my father's gruff voice saying something like, "Put some clothes on. I need you to go help me cut some hogs." For those of you not raised on a hog farm, this phrase would translate to "I need you to help me castrate some male pigs." Now, at this point in my life I was vaguely familiar with the practice of cutting out a pig's testicles so the pork wouldn't stink, but I had never been asked to participate. With much reservation I put myself together and got in my Dad's big red '87 Dodge and headed down the road and through the field to the slab (big concrete slab covered with a tin roof and sectioned off into about 8 big pens with a long hallway going all the way down). The sticky South Georgia heat and humidity have a way of really bringing out the true essence of hog shit and on this day the slab was particularly foul. As the pungent odor filtered through me I fought to keep from vomiting. We climbed over the fence and into the pen with the hogs to be cut. My dad produced a few tools of the trade which included a scalpel, what looked to me to be a pruning shear, and some powder. I was told to grab them by their back legs and swing their torsos between by legs and hold them tightly with my knees and keep them steady so he could do the cutting.

Now I had been working with hogs my whole life and I knew the smells and the temperaments and tendencies of hogs, but on this day I learned something that transcends the boundaries of species. As soon as I grabbed the first one and the procedure was happening I experienced the most violent scene that I had ever been exposed to. My father yelling at me callously to "Hold him still damn it" while blood, piss, and shit shot everywhere. And then I heard it. The most primal noise ever created by man or beast. A vocalization so piercing that it cut straight through me and permanently adhered to my soul. The pure sound of urgency and desperation. The Death Squeal. It has haunted me since that day and I guess that's what put the rock n roll in me.

Urgency and desperation are the heart of the greatest rock n roll and in an environment that seeks to castrate and confine you sometimes you've got to squeal.

=============

After reading this, it made me think a lot... mostly about the fact that Coody should write a book about his life. Good job, dude.

ACOUSTIC GOODNESS...

After an afternoon full of beer and BBQ deliciousness at my boss's house, Chelsea and I headed over to the Marquis Theatre for a show. The line up was Casey James Prestwood, Chad Price and Rocky Votolato. We missed Mr. Prestwood's set, but got there just in time to see Chad (ALL, Drag The River) take the stage. Chad's stage presence is simple and quiet - not a lot of between song banter. He's there to play (and drink whiskey), and that is exactly what he does. This night also happened to be his birthday. He played both new and old songs, as well as one of my favorite Drag The River tunes, Medicine. Check out the video of it on my YouTube page - Medicine. He ended the set with Cathy's Clown by The Everly Brothers. It was pretty amazing.

Chad's set was by far the best performance of the night.

METH AND SPELLING DON'T MIX...

Chelsea sent me this photo of a sign from a friend's site in Eureka, CA. In case you've never been to Eureka... there is a bowling alley, teen pregnancy and a whole lotta meth. Happy travels.

DESIGN IS FINE...

Celeste enjoys graphic design... and it shows.

THIS MIGHT BE PIXAR'S BEST...

If you haven't seen WALL-E yet, then you haven't lived a full life. This might very well be Pixar's best film ever. Enjoy.