Let’s talk about local music…
It’s been a while since I talked about local music on my blog. Not because I haven’t seen any great local music lately-- because I have. I saw Karmahitlist and Rocky Nash at the Montgomery World Plaza on Halloween weekend. I saw the Filthies, Myndsick, Rocky Nash and My Dysfunctional Me play the Rabobank Arena at the Saturday night Condors home games. I saw Nunez, Norfolk, the Dalloways, the Filthies, Fatt Katt & the Von Zippers and Mento Buru play a great acoustic show at Lengthwise Brewery for NL Belardes’ Lords: Part One book release party. I saw the Filthies play McGees. I saw Dante Esperanza and Los Angeles band World Wide Spies at Azul’s. And I saw the Rumor and the Filthies at Vinny’s.

(Gee when I list them all out like that… that’s a lot of great local music in the last month!)

I love music. And Bakersfield has a lot of great local bands and music that I love. I enjoy writing about local bands that I love or music that moves me. So why haven’t I written about these shows and local music lately on my blog? Specifically, because I felt like I was saying the same thing over and over again when I wrote about local bands. I mean how many times can I scream from my blog that “I love Karmahitlist” or that I think the Filthies are a great rural rock punk band or that Norfolk is the kind of music that Bakersfield should be making, or that the Dalloways California dream pop music is unrivaled before it makes a difference in the local music scene? Although I enjoy attending local music shows, I don’t claim to be a local music scene writer or the media. The Bakersfield music scene already has three great scene writers in: NL Belardes, Jesse Rivera of Illpressed and B.U.M.S.

I had a discussion with Seantastic of Karmahitlist back in September regarding why I write about the local music scene. He asked me that direct question. He wanted to know my motive for writing about the local music scene. I told him:

“I don’t claim to be, pretend to be, or act like the media. When I write about music or a local band on my blog it is because I love their music and their music affected me, moved me. My blog is not specifically about the music scene; it’s about me and my experiences. So when local music or a band makes it onto my blog it is because I love the music and I want to express that.”

He respected my answer and went on to say: “Good! I don’t want bands to start taking advantage of you and asking you to review them all the time. You’re too nice for that.”

I will say that no local band has ever taken advantage of me or asked me to review them. But some have expressed their appreciation of what I have written about them. And I enjoy the feedback from the bands when I receive it. I’ve continued to show up at local music shows and write about them until recently when I’ve found myself struggling for new words and new ways to write about the local music scene.

Why does any of this matter you may be asking. Even though I don’t claim to be a local music scene writer the way NL, JR and B.U.M.S. are, I have written enough about the local music scene to appear high up in a google search for local Bakersfield music. Last Saturday I received an email from a man at Dead-Beat Records out of Los Angeles, CA. He wrote:

“Hi Matilda, I am searching the web right now for any Bako happenings tonight and came across your blog. I’m going up there this evening to hang with an old friend and both of us are into punk and rock n’roll. We’re lookin’ to check out a show up there tonight. I know some classic rock band called Time Zone is playing. That’s all I heard. If you know of anything else going on, that would be great…”
Thanks
T**

Dead Beat Records
P.O. Box 283
Los Angeles, CA 90078/USA
Web: www.dead-beat-records.com

I checked the local music scene writer’s sites for show information and wrote him back:

“Thanks for finding my blog and taking the time to write me a note. As far as a punk and rock n’ roll show tonight, I believe there is one going on at Vinny’s Bar on Union. Here is a link from B.U.M.S. (Bakersfield Underground Music Scene) to a write up on the show and a list of the bands playing. Also you could check with NL Belardes’ website, he is the premier music and art scene writer for Bakersfield. Another music scene writer in Bakersfield is Jesse Rivera of Illpressed. I believe his site is down at the moment but will be back up soon if you want to check him out at a later date.

Hopefully this information is helpful to you. I might head out to Vinny’s myself, so if you’re there introduce yourself and say hello.”

Unfortunately my plans changed Saturday night and I didn’t make it out to Vinny’s. I had however, been there the night before. I was pleased to find an email from the man from Dead Beat Records the next day saying that he did make it out to Vinny’s.

“Hi Matildakay, thanks for the tips. I got your email right before I left. We ended up going to that show at Vinny’s. Flatline were really good. I asked a few people if you were them, but no dealio, so I assume you didn’t go. Anyways, I might be heading back up in a few weeks, so I’ll see if you know of any good gigs then.”
See ya
T**

Dead Beat Records
P.O. Box 283
Los Angeles, CA 90078/USA
Web: www.dead-beat-records.com

I don’t know anything about this man from Dead Beat Records out of Los Angeles or if anything will come of it, but I know that writing about the local music scene on my blog allowed a few local bands to be heard by someone in the record industry and that is pretty cool.

After realizing the power of the internet and that what I write about the local music scene helps the local music scene in a small way by getting bands names on the internet search engines-- I would like to share a little bit about what I loved about the local bands that I’ve seen in the last month.

KARMAHITLIST: What can I say that I haven’t already said a hundred times about Karmahitlist? I love their music. I love their stage presence. I love to watch Seantastic perform. But what was unique about Karmahitlist Halloween weekend is that it was the first time they had played together since Seantastic broke his ankle and they were still amazing. Seantastic put on a fantastic show wearing a brace on his broken ankle; you couldn’t even tell he was injured because he poured his all into the performance.

ROCKY NASH: I saw Rocky Nash at Montgomery World Plaza and at the Rabobank Arena for the Condors game. I love Rocky’s style! And at the Rabobank she was sporting a brand new rockin’ hair doo. The more I hear Rocky Nash, the more I like Rocky Nash. Their Bobblehead Hockey song is a great addition to the Growing Up Fighting Bakersfield Hockey Volume 1 CD coming out this month. But the thing I love that Rocky Nash has added to their set is a three-part drum number performed by Rocky and Preston Nash and Cesareo Garasa. It’s absolutely fabulous! And it sounds really great in the Rabobank Arena.

MYNDSICK: Myndsick rocked the Rabobank Arena. The people loved them! Everywhere I looked in the Rabobank people held up Myndsick bumper stickers while they played their hockey song Born to Fight from the Growing Up Fighting Bakersfield Hockey Volume 1 CD for the Condors and the crowd.

MY DYSFUNCTIONAL ME: This hard rocking screamo band also rocked the Rabobank Arena on a sold out Teddy Bear Toss night. I loved that the band got in the hockey spirit and wore Condors jerseys while performing their hockey song I hit an NHL
Star.

THE RUMOR: Vinny’s was the first time I had heard punk rock band the Rumor and they were extremely energetic and played their power punk music to perfection for the punk rock crowd in attendance.

THE FILTHIES: I already wrote about the Filthies rocking the Rabobank Arena and let me say it was amazing to see one of my favorite local bands perform to that large a crowd at the Condors game. Their hockey song Condorstown for the Growing Up Fighting Bakersfield Hockey Volume 1 CD will fast become a Condors anthem. When the Filthies played McGee’s they had great energy for a new crowd. I loved that the diehard Filthies fans didn’t let a dress code stop them from seeing their beloved band. And the Filthies at Vinny’s had a great time playing to their punk rock fans. But the Filthies acoustic performance at the Lords: Part One book release party at Lengthwise Brewery was completely original and refreshing. I loved hearing my favorite Filthies songs performed in a new way.

NORFOLK: I absolutely love Norfolk’s music! James Ratliff is a very talented musician. He performed an acoustic set at the Lords: Part One book release party at Lengthwise Brewery that was amazing. I am convinced that Norfolk’s music is the kind of music that Bakersfield should be known for. I recently heard an amazing Norfolk ballad that was so beautiful musically, lyrically and emotionally it almost brought me to tears. I can’t wait for Norfolk to make a CD so I can listen to their incredible music all the time.

THE DALLOWAYS: I can’t seem to get enough of the Dalloways music. I listen to their CD Penalty Crusade all the time. I get lost in their California dream pop music and their lyrics. I literally spend hours and hours lost in their music every week. I keep telling Gary Enns of the Dalloways that I’m being brainwashed by his California dream pop music. He always responds by saying: “Good. The subliminal brainwashing messages we implanted on the CD is working! And we can't think of anyone else whom we would like to brainwash but you!” His and Nico Rhodes acoustic performance at the Lords: Part One book release party at Lengthwise Brewery was amazing. They even performed two new songs! I can’t wait for the second installment of brainwashing California dream pop music from the Dalloways.

FATT KATT & THE VON ZIPPERS: This rockabilly band’s acoustic performance at the Lords: Part One book release party at Lengthwise Brewery was the first time I had heard them perform their complete set. Let me just say that Fatt Katt & the Von Zippers are amazing! They really know how to work a crowd. I told Les Paw bass player for the Von Zippers that I loved their music and he said: “Wait till you hear us electric!” I can’t wait to hear them at the Rabobank Arena performing their hockey song that will be a night to remember.

MENTO BURU: Ska King Matt Munoz and Mento Buru put on a great show at the Lords: Part One book release party at Lengthwise Brewery. They had the whole crowd into their music and even dragged NL Belardes on stage to play maracas with them. Mento Buru went on to play one of their never-ending sets that everyone enjoys. They have so much music they can play forever it seems. I love to watch them perform and watch the crowd while they’re performing.

DANTE ESPERANZA: I heard the tale end of Dante Esperanza’s set at Azul’s recently and was amazed at the difference in their music since the last time I had heard them. They’ve added a violinist to their band and it really broadens their alternative country/cow-punk sound. I wish I had arrived in time to hear their whole set.

And finally WORLD WIDE SPIES: Los Angeles band World Wide Spies came to Bakersfield and played at Azul’s recently. This is a group of cool guys with a cool hip look that rivals the Dalloways. But its their music that speaks volumes. This is one talented band that is going to go to Another World. I’ve been listening to their CD ever since that night and I just can’t get enough of their sound. Their coming back to Bakersfield on December 30th everyone should go out and see them.  posted by Matildakay at 9:34 PM