Radio Radio Radio...

It's been a while!

2011-11-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Friends, family and readers of Radio Radio Radio who happen across my website either on purpose or while finding photos of your favorite bands--

Indeed, you've likely noticed that this page hasn't been updated in a while. If you know me, you know that it's because my priorities have shifted and I'm getting my creative yayas out in different ways.

What I'm busy with these days (aside from too many jobs, but that isn't anything new) is my business, Music Lives On, which I run with my partner, Gabe Pressure. You might already be familiar with my Rock Chick Designs brand, and that's part of what we do. Gabe's side of things is Pressure Drop Apparel. In all, Music Lives On is musically inspired clothing, jewelry and accessories with a focus on environmental sustainability.

In other words, we love repurposing, reappreciating, creatively reusing... whatever you want to call it. I like making shiny, new, wearable art out of old, well-loved records, instrument strings, cassette tape, and whetever else I can get my hands on (or my friends offer me). Rather than collecting dust for eternity in the back of someone's garage, or going into a landfill, we're breathing new life into items that have already lived their originally intended life.

We entered in the 2011 Economic Fuel competition and were honored to have made it into the final eight teams, winning $1,000 as honorable mentions. It's nice to get the validation of successful local business owners telling you that your business is on the right track. We took that prize money and put it right back into the business, finishing our legal paperwork, getting our first batch of Pressure Drop Apparel shirts printed and buying some other small equipment.

A couple of weeks ago, a handbag that I crocheted out of cassette tape was featured in a Wall Street Journal article on cassette tape culture. All that time spent getting my journalism degree, and my debut in the Journal is because of my art business!

Anyway, I hope I don't lose you completely. I plan on leaving the website up for the purpose of article archives, and my Flickr page will stay, as well. But if you've got some time on your hands and want to see what we're up to, check out Rock Chick Designs and Pressure Drop Apparel on Facebook, and here is a constantly updating link to my online store, which I'm hosting through Etsy. If you're not already doing your holiday shopping locally, please consider at least keeping it handmade.

Ska & Dirty Reggae Weekend, 2/4-2/5/11 [photos]

2011-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday morning and I feel like I'm 17 again -- smack dab in the middle of the all-ages third wave ska scene that existed around Humboldt County when I was in high school. Only this time I'm 30, and feel like I'm high on a weekend that involved two-tone ska band The Toasters, who played Friday night at the Red Fox Tavern in Eureka, and dirty reggae band The Aggrolites, who played last night at Humboldt Brews in Arcata.

Friday night's show, put on by Norm at Bad Kitty Presents, started out with Pressure Beat Soundsystem's DJs Rotten and Gabe Pressure (disclosure: the latter is my sweetie) spinning classic reggae, ska and soul, to get the dance floor moving. The duo spins similar selections every Monday night at the Jambalaya in Arcata, all on vinyl. The Smashed Glass played a nice (but possibly overly long) set of Irish folk-punk, then the Toasters came up and the crowd broke into a complete frenzy.

The Toasters (who basically consist of Robert "Bucket" Hingley and a cast of rotating band members, depending on the tour) pretty much have their live show down to a science. Lead singer and guitarist Buck knows how to drive a crowd wild, and played everyone's favorite Toasters songs. After the show ended, the crowd -- a lot of new faces who seem to have come out of the woodwork for the show -- left satisfied and in good spirits.

Last night saw a number of return fans, mixed with a lot of folks who even differed from the first night (Where are all these folks on Monday nights?). Unlike the Aggrolites' last stop in Humboldt, which was nearly two years ago, they didn't have an opening band this time around, but opted instead to play two hearty sets of their "dirty reggae," which is sort of a mix of roots reggae and punk -- high energy, distorted, and easy to sing along to. Both sets felt, in a positive way, like listening to a highly skilled DJ, who's able to beat-match from song-to-song -- one tune would end, and instead of stopping to wait for the obligatory cheers and applause, the drummer (who, incidentally, plays together with the Aggros' new, high-energy guitar player in a band called the Bohunks) would throw down a fill that worked straight into the next song on the playlist. Interestingly, while the Aggrolites have a new album (a compilation of a series of 7" records they've been releasing over the last few months on Young Cub Records) due out at the end of this month, the stuck to playing only songs from their first few albums. The energy stayed high (in so many ways) the entire night, and the room was muggy at the end of the evening.

Here are photos from both evenings:

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White Manna, Hosannas, Gratitillium and Strix Vega 9-16-10 [photos]

2010-09-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

Mark McIntire of Gratitillium

Yeah, I'm working backwards again on photo editing and posting. That's kind of what time allows for in my little world.

Some bullet points about this show:

Local band White Manna is... loud. Totally different lineup than the last time I saw them, and they seem to be layering more noises on top of other noises. "Psych" for the sake of being psych isn't my favorite, but I get what the "psych rock" crowd sees in them.
Hosannas: Wow. A brotherly Portland duo, who sometimes play with a full band (their most recent album was recorded as such). Kind of chill, but without being boring.
Gratitillium: My surprise of the night, Gratitillium's bass play is Mark McIntire, formerly of Portland's No Go Know (in fact, Scott Taylor of NGK booked this tour for the band). McIntire described their music as sounding a lot like the shins, but I also heard some Vampire Weekend in there, and heard someone else throw Modest Mouse into the mix. The day after the show, I sent a track of theirs called "Monkey Play" over to KHUM, and Mike Dronkers has played it on the air a couple of times. If I had my way, I'd send the band back home from tour (after they played the Arcata date, of course) to get on recording their next album, but they've assured me that's next on the to-do list after returning from this tour and a short breather.
Strix Vega: I've watched/listened to this band move from clearly adoring everything Neil Young, to slowly start making the shift to the more psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd and the Doors (Could it have anything to do with bass/keyboard/gong player Andy Powell's job as a DJ at local classic rock station KWPT "The Point"? Or perhaps he loved the classic stuff first. Only Powell knows.). They've started playing some epic instrumental pieces that just break my heart. Oh, and they finished this show by moving off the stage, into the middle of the dance floor, and playing "Carson Iceberg Wilderness," off the band's "Estranged Meadow" EP (you can also hear it in the music player, at the top of this page), acoustic. Instead of drummer Jay Forbes' full drum kit, he played only a floor tom, and Powell did his keyboard parts on (I'm not kidding) my grandmother's accordion. What a way to end the show!

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The Interlopers and Wepeel 9/18/10 [photos]

2010-09-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Blue Lake crowd was in effect at the Alibi last night, for Portland punk band The Interlopers. Apparently drummer Jeff Cooley is from Humboldt, and used to work with a bunch of the Mad River Brewery folks, who are quite stoked on their recent awards at the Great American Brew Festival (Congratulations, guys!). The band started the night with high energy, opening for local Weezer tribute band Wepeel.

Weezer announced this week that the band is going to be going on the road in the next few months, playing only songs from their Blue Album and Pinkerton albums -- I think it's an attempt to win back their original fans (like me), who haven't been terribly impressed by the band's last decade-or-so of releases.

Wepeel feels the same way as many of those old Weezer fans, so they only cover songs from the Blue Album and Pinkerton. CJ, the band's singer started out last night's show at the Alibi by telling the crowd, "If you want to hear 'Island in the Sun,' leave right now." The crowd stayed (even through technical difficulties which found the bass player borrowing the Interlopers' bass player's instrument), sang along, and moshed. CJ's Buddy Holly glasses frames, a nod to the 1994 Weezer hit of the same name and the band's lead singer Rivers Cuomo, were casualties of one of the mosh pits. The frames now sit on a shelf in my apartment.

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The Solitary Men & Full Moon Fever 9/17/10 [photos]

2010-09-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Some say that tribute bands (and cover bands) are the death of the music scene. I would argue that since most of the members of the local tribute bands are also in other bands, this isn't true. What is true is that people love what they know (how else would Humboldt County support two classic rock radio stations, an oldies station, and countless other formatted radio stations?).

The Solitary Men (a Neil Diamond tribute) and Full Moon Fever (a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute) have this figured out. And finally, after months of both bands playing around Humboldt County, they played together on Friday night at Humboldt Brews.

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Baltic Cousins 9/13/10 [photos]

2010-09-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, even more than Baltic Cousins' "folk-punk" descriptor, I was most excited to see the new band that Brad from Bellingham, Wash.'s now-defunct Black Eyes and Neckties is up to. I didn't expect the electric violin as part of the new trio (perhaps that's what makes it folk?), and I dug it.

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Rockabilly Night 9/13/10 [photos]

2010-09-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

My buddy Gabe Pressure, and his friend and fellow DJ Rotten, started a weekly rocksteady night at the Jambalaya, this Monday. Some initial issues with the sound got things off to a slow start, but the few folks who did hang out throughout the night had a lot of fun.

DJs are a challenge for me to shoot, so I played around a bit while Gabe was spinning.

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Haymarket Squares 8/20/10 [photos]

2010-08-31T02:08:00.000-07:00

The Haymarket Squares are described as punkgrass -- how could I *not* check out their show at the Jambalaya? Back to my thoughts on terrible used lighting, this was a three-piece band that was lit up by red, blue and green spotlights, from left to right. The blue spotlight was the least offensive (again, red is color, not light. And green? It makes everyone look like the Incredible Hulk), so I switched to shooting mostly in black-and-white, for the time I was watching this band.

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Eyes Anonymous 8/20/10 [photos]

2010-08-31T01:53:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of night is the one that offers multiple shows within walking distance of each other. Friday, Aug. 20, was one of those nights.

And I'll let you in on a little secret of most of my black-and-white photography:
My most often-felt complaint about the local venues, as much as I appreciate all of the shows they put on and various egos and bad behavior of band members and patrons, is terrible lighting. Places like the Jambalaya and Humboldt Brews (Arcata Theater Lounge, too) have the potential for excellent band lighting, but they almost always have a sound person (read: not a lighting person) who's also in charge of running lights. Usually this person flips on the red light which, as a photographer, translates into color, not actual light. So either I have the drown out the mood lighting with my big ol' flash, or take the photos in detail-killing red, and edit them into black-and-whites later. Now you know.

This is Eyes Anonymous, a fantastically fun, local, '80s tribute band, which makes me crave karaoke like nobody's business. Luckily, they don't mind when the crowd sings along loudly to their take on Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Above is the lovely Leah Crenshaw, walking like an Egyp-shee-un.

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The Anomalys 8/19/10 [photos]

2010-08-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Mike, I found out yesterday about this punk show that was happening...yesterday (Yeah, I don't know how I overlooked that in the Budget Rock Night e-mails)... at the Jambalaya. The Anomalys (give 'em a break on the bad grammar, they're not from 'round here!) are here from Amsterdam, and just played a show in Portland with The Spooks.

Great show and extra points for the guitar player who gave me his drink ticket ("Oh, I've drank enough alcohol on the tour!") in trade for my buying their CD. It was a total win-win for me!

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Donny Barnyard & Sarah Blackwood 8/17/10 [photos]

2010-08-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah Blackwood is the singer of The Creepshow, but her solo act is nothing really like her band's psychobilly-without-the-fake-blood-sound or look. On her own (actually with her sweetie/backing one-man band Daniel Flamm), Blackwood is actually straightforward country, with a little bit of rock thrown in for good measure. Her love songs? Beautiful.

Donny Barnyard was booked to open the show, but when I showed up, I was pleasantly surprised to see a darned-near all-star backing band up on stage. Playing with Donny: Claire Reynolds on vocals and guitar, Colin Vance and Alanna Goldsmith on fiddle, Jake-o Wiegandt on guitar, Chuck Johnson on bass, Kevin Stach on guitar, and Paul DeMark on drums. I hope to catch this mish-mosh of local talent together again soon.

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The Spooks 8/16/10 [photos]

2010-08-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

A few shots from the last Budget Rock Night that'll happen at the Jambalaya -- it moves to the Alibi, next week. This is The Spooks, a sort of psych-surf rock band from Philly. They made me think a little bit about what it might have been like to watch a band in the '60s -- I think it was the way lead singer Wil moved while he played guitar -- dig up a Beatles video to see what I mean.

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The Solitary Men & Magnum 8/14/10 [photos]

2010-08-19T00:34:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was sort of like a Battle of the Tribute Bands, with Full Moon Fever -- Humboldt's foremost Tom Petty tribute band -- in Arcata, and The Solitary Men -- the area's premier Neil Diamond tribute -- in Eureka.

Both shows (I heard) were really fun, and here are some shots of The Solitary Men and Magnum at Nocturnum in Eureka. It was a benefit for Eureka's new (coming?) pirate radio station, lest you think that folks dress up like pirates for no good reason (Well, this is Humboldt...).

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Dewi Sant & These United States 8-10-10 [photos]

2010-08-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a month it's been! I turned 30, got to claim every awesome event from the Folklife Festival to roller derby to Crafty Mavericks Summer Craft Extravaganza as my birthday parties, then started off August with a week as a counselor at North Star Quest Camp, and a whirlwind trip to Seattle, where I finally visited the Experience Music Project and saw the Kurt Cobain and Andy Warhol exhibits at the Seattle Art Museum. I have no complaints with my life.

Upon our return from Seattle on Monday, I got over to the Jambalaya in time to check out Rodents of Unusual Size, a super fun punk band at Budget Rock Night, but was too tired to grab my camera on my way out the door (I literally walked into my apartment, dropped my suitcase and walked back down to the Jambalaya... didn't even stop to check my e-mail).

Tuesday night was my first time in more than a week, where I actually got to hold my "real" camera (not my point-and-shoot) in my hands, and it felt amazing. HumBrews played host to Dewi Sant -- a band whose members hail from Seattle, Minnesota and beyond -- and These United States, from Washington, DC. I brought home CDs from both bands, and have listened to them on repeat since that night. They're dreamy.

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Scene Noir 8/3/10 - The Solitary Men

2010-08-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Monica Topping
Tri-City Weekly

Over the last couple of months, I’ve let my love for our local Neil Diamond tribute band, The Solitary Men, be known. If it wasn’t enough that the original lineup of the band features members of some of my other favorite local bands of present and past, like Strix Vega, Que La Chinga, and the Great Salvation, the band is actually really good, and not just in an ironically hilarious way.

Before the Solitary Men had played their first show — a benefit for Six Rivers Planned Parenthood in early May — I sat down with singer and guitar player Bret Bailey at a local coffee shop, and I asked him why he was doing this. The audio fell by the wayside and I just finally found it.

A founding member and singer for local bands Que La Chinga and the Common Vice, Bailey grew up listening to Neil Diamond’s greatest hits album, which he figures has been embedded into his subconscious since he was an infant. At some point in the latter band’s life, Bailey had even considered turning it into a Diamond tribute — which he feels is far more dignified than calling it a cover band — on the side, but never got around to it.

“Vocally, I’ve always felt like I have my limitations,” says Bailey, “but I’ve always been able to do this semi-decent version of Neil Diamond.”

“‘Sweet Caroline’ has always been kind of one of my staple karaoke songs,” he says, “and there was once at Blue Lake Casino a couple years ago where I did it, and several ladies approached me afterward, and they were just gushing. They said that they had heard a Neil Diamond tribute band — probably a cover band — play a couple of weeks previous and that I did a better job, so it wasn’t like right away that I was like ‘Ooh, I should start a tribute band.’ It was like a funny idea that all of a sudden came into [fruition].”

Earlier this year, while hanging out at a local drinking establishment, Bailey brought up the idea of playing Neil Diamond songs to keyboard player Jorden Goodspeed — another former member of the Common Vice — and guitar player Ryan McGonagle of the Great Salvation and numerous other local projects.

“They seemed really stoked on it, and I kind of thought it would be one of those things where the next day happens, everyone’s sober again, and then they’re like ‘Well, whatever,’” says Bailey, “but they weren’t actually like that, so we started practicing acoustically.”

Common Vice drummer Clinton Smith joined in, and Bailey went on the search for a bass player. Strix Vega’s Andy Powell said no, the first two times Bailey talked to him about the Diamond tribute, but when he was asked a third time, he gave in.

Bailey’s first order of business for The Solitary Men was making sure all of his band mates — all Diamond fans of varying degrees — were familiar with more than just the greatest hits. The band’s set list includes everything from the most well-known tunes — “America,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Cherry, Cherry” — to more obscure tracks like “Dry Your Eyes,” which Diamond sang in the film “The Last Waltz.”

“We’re a tribute band and I think that there’s an expectation placed on us by certain individuals, like whenever they think of Neil Diamond, it conjures up this kind of Vegas cheesiness where I’m going to be wearing some white suit with chest hair glistening with sweat,” says Bailey, “and we might incorporate a little bit of that, but that’s not our primary focus.”

“We’re mainly looking at paying tribute to him as a songwriter — he wrote some really beautiful, yet simple, songs — and him as a performer. So we’re more interested in focusing on that, as interpreted by a rock band and all of us, individually.”

The Solitary Men play this Saturday on the F Street boardwalk in Eureka, during Arts Alive, then next Saturday, they’ll be at Nocturnum with local rockers, Magnum, in a show that benefits Eureka pirate radio efforts.

Monica Topping is the weekend mid-day DJ and host of the Slug Festivities Guide on 94.1 KSLG-FM. She loves singing along to The Solitary Men, but tries not to be too obnoxious about it, from the audience. She can be reached at Monica@kslg.com and through www.RadioRadioHumboldt.com.

Scene Noir 7/6/10

2010-07-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Monica Topping
Tri-City Weekly

In the week following the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, when only a few people came out to that Monday’s Budget Rock Night at the Jambalaya, the joke was that Arcata would likely be too hungover to move for a while.

But a couple of aspirin and a whole lot of hydration (perhaps also a hair of the dog) were the cure for that sunny day a couple of weeks ago and Arcata seems to have recovered, and possibly even become more energetic.

This week is one of those where I stock up on energy drinks and try to get a quick nap after work, each day, because to miss any of what’s happening would be a crying shame.

Depending on when your Tri-City hits your porch, you might still have a chance to get out to Budget Rock Night at the Jambalaya, this Monday (July 5), which features punk rock legend Kevin Seconds, who was the front man for the band Seven Seconds. It may be true that Humboldt has seen a lot of “that one guy from that one band” syndrome as of late, what with Lou Barlow a couple of weeks ago, a member of the Melvins at the Alibi in the past week, and Greg Ginn of Black Flag a few months back, but whether you’re a fan of Seconds for his solo work of his band’s music, it’s hard to beat the $3 cover.

Wednesday night, The Coup hits Humboldt Brews with some funky political hip-hop, delivered by front man Boots Riley and his five-piece back-up band. If you didn’t make the trek down to the Mateel to see The Coup play in December, don’t miss this opportunity. Riley and his band re-define what a live hip-hop show should look like, in part because the other half of The Coup, DJ Pam the Funkstress, doesn’t tour with the group (she stays back in the Bay Area, focusing on her catering business), and also because Riley’s band, comprised mostly of Oakland musicians who have known each other and played music together since they were children, are given free reign to be themselves and show off their skills on-stage.

Tickets for The Coup show — the first date of a short West Coast tour — are $22 in advance and available at the Works in Eureka and Arcata. I wouldn’t be surprised if it sold out.

Thursday night, local bass player Norm Crawford as Bad Kitty Presents brings The Rocketz to Eureka’s Red Fox Tavern. The Orange County psychobilly band will be playing with Hotrod Hillbillies, who describe themselves as “cowpunk” from Austin, Texas. While we don’t tend to have many rockabilly bands based in Humboldt, Crawford keeps the scene vibrant by bringing through some really great touring bands. And if stand-up bass and classic cars aren’t a good enough reason to get you out of your house, consider it an excuse to dress up — dudes in their dress jeans and their hair slicked back, and ladies in cute dresses and heels — I’m inevitably under-dressed for these shows, but they’re a lot of fun, nonetheless.

Once the weekend comes, hopefully the weather is amazing and sunscreen is abundant for the annual Mad River Summerfest, held at Pump Station #1 on West End Road in Eureka. The all-ages, free event runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the local beer garden benefits the Annie and Mary Rails/Trails. Music that day will include a really fun mix of bands like Ukesperience, the Lowdown, Akabella, the Fickle Hillbillies, the beautiful and resilient Courtney Weaver and one of my new favorites, Full Moon Fever — the new Tom Petty tribute band, which includes members of Strix Vega, The Nucleus and Yer Dog — as well as adorable hippie child/silk dancer, Gingko, who will blow your mind.

Mad River Summerfest will be followed by an after party at Humboldt Brews, with Ukesperience, for the 21-and-over crowd.

Happy summer, and don’t forget the sunscreen and hydration! You’ll thank me later for the reminder.

Monica Topping is the weekend mid-day DJ and host of the Slug Festivities Guide on 94.1 KSLG-FM. She also runs RadioRadioHumboldt.com, where she has posted the result of an interview she did with Boots Riley of The Coup, who talked about the time he worked as a telemarketer. She can be reached at Monica@kslg.com.

Full Moon Fever & Eyes Anonymous 7/4/10 [photos]

2010-07-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

When I found out that I wasn't going to be doing any live radio station broadcasts this year, I was pretty stoked that I'd be able to be at the Arcata 4th of July Jubilee all day... at least from opening (new Tom Petty tribute band Full Moon Fever) 'til near closing (local '80s tribute band Eyes Anonymous). I did do some time in the KHSU radio costume, which probably staved off a bit of the sunburn I would have ended up with. Thank goodness.

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Hellbound Glory 7/4/10 [photos]

2010-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

How is this the first time I've seen Hellbound Glory?

Hellbound Glory, Reno's scumbag country band, played four shows in three days, this weekend, and apparently a couple of their members couldn't stick around for the full weekend. So three members of local band Rooster McClintock -- Jake-o, Nathan Benbow and CW -- sat in on lead guitar, drums and backing vocals, respectively.

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North Coast Journal birthday 7/3/10 [photos]

2010-07-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Journal!

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The Coup - Wednesday, July 7, 2010

2010-07-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Monica Topping
Radio Radio Radio

Boots Riley is working on making a movie — one where he is the main character, and the plot is inspired by his time working as a telemarketer, which is one bit of information that rarely makes it into Riley’s biographies, as written by other people. The soundtrack to the dark comedy, titled “Sorry to Bother You,” will be the next, highly anticipated, album from The Coup, whose last record came out four years ago.

Riley sees his skills as a salesperson as closely tied to those of a lyricist.

“A good salesperson figures out, in a very different way — in a very exploitative way — what it is that the person they’re talking to wants,” says Riley, “and where’s the bridge between the thing that they have and the thing that the person wants.”

His first job, in his pre-teen years, was going door-to-door to sell newspaper subscriptions., which is where he was forced to listen to people, to figure out the best way to get them to buy his product.

“When you write, you’re trying to figure out the best way to relate an idea, if it’s a grand political idea or an emotion,” he explains. “Doing telemarketing or any other sales, to be good at it, you’re doing some of the same things. Unfortunately, it was the worst kind of prostitution of my talent, but that’s what I started out doing.”

Riley’s political inclinations, which is where his energy was focused, starting as a teenager, were shaped while hanging out at neighborhood meetings, hosted by his parents — radical community organizers, in Riley’s own words. Neighbors would come over to the house and talk about trouble finding jobs, or how were trying to talk the landlord down the street into not evicting a family living in one of their homes, and the meetings would end with everyone playing games or listening to Stevie Wonder, Ohio Players and Sly and the Family Stone records.

“Their meetings didn’t look like meetings to me, at the time,” says Riley. “And that’s because these meetings weren’t separate from everyday life. I lived in a house that always had a lot of people coming in and out of it, and being part of our daily household life. It wasn’t just an abstract idea of community — it was actually people who lived in the neighborhood.”

The struggles the neighbors were involved in were personal and local, which translates into how Riley, as the main lyricist for The Coup, gets his own points across.

“I talk about all these grandiose ideas through everyday struggles,” he says. “So what I listen to are people talking about trying to survive. What I listen to are people thinking about how they’re going to spend their life. And I listen to the fact that most people are stuck in the mode of figuring out how to survive.”

Riley’s life as a lyricist and musician started around the time he was 17 or 18 years old, finally writing down the words he was rhyming in the first incarnation of The Coup. It’s not until the group’s second album came out, though, that he feels like he started growing as a writer and political advocate.

“I got better as a writer because on my second album, I decided I’m not going to use the words ‘communism,’ ‘socialism,’ ‘capitalism,’ ‘exploitation’ — any of these catch words. I’m going to say it all by talking about what’s going on in the world and not trying to consolidate these ideas into these catch phrases, which don’t usually even mean anything to the people using them, anymore.”

Using those catch phrases, Riley asserts, means never getting his point across.

“All you’re doing is using signifiers that put you in a certain category,” he says. “It’s like walking down the street dressed in black, with a black bandanna around you and a gas mask and you look like a black anarchist, but you’re not getting your idea across to the people seeing you. You’re just putting yourself into a certain category.

“And even if people are agreeing with you,” he adds, “they’re not relating to you. I want people to relate to me, and not just agree with me.”

Riley and The Coup take their message on the road for a short West Coast tour, starting next week in Arcata. For anyone who made the trek down to Redway in December to see the group at the Mateel Community Center, much of the live lineup will look familiar.

For the past few years, DJ Pam the Funkstress has stayed involved with her group’s recording sessions, but stays off the road to spend time focusing on her successful Bay Area catering business. On the road, Riley is joined by vocalist Silk-E, drummer Quebec “Q” Jackson, guitar player B’Nai Rebelfront and keyboardist LJ. This tour will also introduce the group’s newest member, bass player Marcus Phillips, who fills the shoes of Dewey Tucker, who played The Coup’s Mateel show in December. Barely a month after that show, Tucker was shot and killed on his way to band practice in Oakland.

The decision to bring Phillips into the touring band was an easy one, says Riley, who explains that unlike a lot of other big city music scenes, toward which outsiders migrate, Oakland’s musician pool is made up of players who have known each other most of their lives — they can duplicate each other’s styles.

“I could never replace Dewey, as a person,” says Riley, “and that’s the thing. It never was a problem for me as far as musically, but it was a problem for me, personally. It was a problem for all of us, personally. His good friend and our good friend, Marcus, is going to be playing the bass.”

About a month after The Coup’s tour, Riley will be out on the road with his other current project — a collaboration between himself and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello — called Street Sweeper Social Club. They'll play the Van’s Warped Tour in San Diego on August 10, then hit Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C. on the Rock the Bells tour.

Before he switches gears, though, Riley says he and The Coup are looking forward to playing for new and old fans in Arcata, which hasn’t happened for a few years. What Riley hopes will happen is that hip-hop fans’ notions’ of what a live hip-hop show should look and sound like will be shattered when they see The Coup with a full band.

The Coup plays Wednesday, July 7, at Humboldt Brews in Arcata. The show starts at 10 p.m. with Rude Lion Sound and other guests. Tickets are $22 in advance, available at the Works in Eureka and Arcata, and online at www.eventbrite.com.

Fall the Giants & Kingdom of Magic 6/28/10 [photos]

2010-06-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Another Monday, another Budget Rock Night. I figured it was a good sign when I walked in the door and the DJ (Shattered Skull Sound System) was playing some punk rock, but that of course segued into some stuff with Cookie Monster vocals, and I popped in my earplugs (yes, I was finally smart enough to remember to throw earplugs in my camera bag) and waited somewhat patiently for Fall the Giants to start.

Local guys Fall the Giants encompass the things I like about metal music -- technical prowess, volume -- without having to deal with imperceivable vocals. Their entire set only consisted of probably five songs, but they were interesting and lasted nearly 10 minutes a piece. I dig these guys.

Kingdom of Magic is described as stoner-doom from Colorado. When they set up their amps, followed by stage lighting that *only* lit up said amps, I thanked them for the opportunity to get some nifty silhouette shots, and get home before midnight to start downloading photos. Without visible faces and hands, I had no need to stick around through the entire set, but I'm happy with the shots I did get of all three band members.

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Full Moon Fever 6/26/10 [photos]

2010-06-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

T'is the season for tribute bands (see my Scene Noir from last week), and who better to revere (other than Neil Diamond, of course) than Tom Petty?

Full Moon Fever -- with Pete Ciotti and Piet Dalmolen of The Nucleus, Pat Quinn of Yer Dog, and Jay Forbes of Strix Vega -- made its debut last night at the Jambalaya, to an enthusiastic crowd. The band played a long set of Petty's hits, as well as some b-sides, and ended the set with an offer for folks to visit their Myspace page to make requests for their upcoming shows.

Rumors of a future casino lineup featuring both Full Moon Fever and Humboldt's premier Neil Diamond tribute band, The Solitary Men, abound, but Full Moon Fever is confirmed to be playing at the Arcata 4th of July festival at 10:15 a.m. and the following weekend, July 10, at Mad River Summerfest (beware the terrible website, but keep an eye on it for updated lineup information).

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King Salmon Duo, Mister Moonbeam & Lou Barlow + the Missingmen 6/24/10 [photos]

2010-06-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

Last time Lou Barlow came through Humboldt, he played in the basement of the Eureka Vet's Hall. Smoky, stuffy and packed with people, the moment he started playing, the sound hit me and I remember getting nauseous. Thinking it more important that I find fresh air, ASAP, I missed most of his set. What a bummer.

Last night was my second chance at seeing Barlow play live. This time, local bands the King Salmon Duo and Mister Moonbeam opened the show, and Barlow had Mike Watt backers The Missingmen (Tom Watson and Raul Morales) as his touring band.

After sound checking with Hannah Montana's "Best of Both Worlds," Barlow played a few songs on his own, then called up Watson and Morales to join him for the rest of his set, which ran right up until Jambalaya management turned the house lights back on shortly before 2 a.m.

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Christian Mistress 6/21/10 [photos]

2010-06-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

There's somewhat of a misconception that the Jambalaya's Budget Rock Night (every Monday) is only metal bands, but thankfully, that's not true. This week (and next week) however, metal reigns over the Jam, and while metal bands have to try a bit harder to impress me, I had to check out this week's band, Christian Mistress, from Olympia, Wash.

I can't necessarily explain why I'm not easily impressed by female folk singers, but female-fronted metal bands are a lot more likely to get me out of the house than a male-fronted band. Maybe it's because women are less likely to let out the Cookie Monster growl? I like a good melody, so that may have something to do with it.

Whatever it is, this is Christian Mistress:

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Magnum & Zepparella 6/19/10 [photos]

2010-06-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Post-Oysterfest on Sunday, Zepparella and Magnum packed the Arcata Theatre Lounge with recovering/sustaining drunk revelers. My words have little meaning when trying to describe a Zepparella show (holy hell, those ladies freakin' rock), and Magnum was a blast, as always. Also, the jazzercise videos on the projection screen during the Magnum set? Brilliant.

As for how my day went, I actually started to get my Oysterfest hangover before I went to sleep. Arcata knows how to throw a party, if there was any doubt.

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