The Dangers of Austin, TX.

I’m a quiet guy, I keep to myself and prefer a dark empty bar to pretty much anything. But, I guess that doesn’t really work in Texas. I’m pretty sure I invited a couple of bands to crash at my pad the next time they’re on tour. I think I was adopted by a really sweet family, puked in my new friend’s guest bed and offered the valet guys at my hotel a beer from my six-pack.

Maybe things got a little out of control. Eating at every place I’ve seen on episodes of Man vs. Food or Diner, Drive-ins and Dives was only the beginning of my excesses. My concern about liquor not being sold until noon on Sundays was unfounded and left me near death at the airport bar explaining  to a very inquisitive lady what Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, was all about. In the end it all worked out well. I shot some pictures, ate a lot of food and drank too much. I’m glad that no one took a swing at me, I wasn’t arrested and I wasn’t hospitalized for heat stroke or liver failure. As I drank a tiny bottle of Glenrothes on the plane back to California I reflected on my week in the Lone Star State and thought to myself, “America, Fuck Yeah!”

Still, I do wish I could remember the names of the bands I saw.

Listen To: GAMERZ

I am the last person who would ever advocate video games or podcasting. But I cannot stop listening to GAMERZ. Two music nerds review popular films and the latest in Video games with hilarious asides related to punk music, girls,touring in bands and their unsavory vices (diet coke and licorice.)

Click the pic for a link to the show.

Notes from the Underground.

A few more  Punk flyers from the mid-late 90′s. The first flyer in the series is from a band I sang for in high school, Sarah Abrams Attack Tank. Members would go onto form Miracle Chosuke and Bad Dudes. Our band manager Damian Edwards would go onto play in Crystal Antlers. The Swing Kids show at Koo’s took place after a group of us held our own show in a garage featuring San Diego’s Swindle and L.A.’s Nuclear Society. Following our garage show we piled into several cars and all showed up to see one of Swing Kid’s last shows before members went onto form The Locust.

Keeping Notes.

This note made my night.

Notes from the Underground.

Looking through high school photos and writing I came across some old punk flyers. If you came up as a part of the punk scene in the late 90′s in LA or OC these should put a nostalgic smile on your face. The second one down for the (Le) Shock/ TTauri show was from the early days of The Smell. When the venue was on Lankersheim. I like that who ever made it says, “THE SMELL Somewhere in North Holywood but where? your guess is as good as mine.” More flyers to come.

Keeping Notes.

I’m a sentimental person. If you left a note on my doorstep today You could probably find me in ten years and I’d still be keeping that note somewhere between the pages of a paperback or in a drawer beneath t-shirts and socks. Tonight my friend Devynn left me a funny note at work and I started thinking about all the notes people I care about have written me. I got home and started digging through boxes and shaking out my books. I couldn’t find most of them but I know I’ve got a bunch lying around so they’ll show up on here in increments.

Listen to: Wyo Stars

It really is incredibly difficult to say anything positive about Orange County based bands but Wyo Stars make up for a lot of their peer’s short comings with their new vinyl release “Basuco Spells.” Following their 2008 “Party,” LP the band blends the finer elements of classic and avant rock to the end result of sounds that are melodic, heavy and light as air all at nearly the same time.  As with their “party,” release the cover art is done again by (my brother,) LA artist Brian Villanueva-Mendez.

Christmas morning on a dirt road.

Failures.

A trip to the Ortegas ended badly when my trail bike fell off a friend’s roof rack and was demolished by a passing SUV on the freeway. It’s been a rough month in my sporting career; starting with cuts, scrapes, bruises and a sprained wrist.  Ending with the demise of my bike.

The Space Tortoise.

I’m lucky in the sense that I’ve been able to maintain friendships with most of my childhood friends and I’m constantly awestruck and inspired by their exploits and the paths they’ve taken in life. This week I had my old friends Toph and Aaron at the house. Aaron’s what I’d refer to as kind of a  ”Namaste dude.”  He goes to burning man, sews his own clothes, walks on stilts and is actually an extremely talented crafts man. He’s used an old pick-up truck to construct a monstrous puke green camper he and Toph have dubbed; The Space Tortoise. It’s equiped with a waterfilter, sink, mini solar powered fridge and a bed- they drove comfortably down from Oakland.