Show Review: The Sess, The So So Glos, Fifty on Their Heels & Mermaid @The Che Cafe

Mermaids, originally uploaded by catdirtrecords.

Whenever my musical spirit is waning, I can count on a good bill at the Che Cafe to restore my faith. Such was the case last night, when I felt uplifted by performances by new gals on the block, the Mermaids (Lemon Grove), New York City's own So So Glos, the Sess and Fifty on Their Heels.

Thanks to Branden Atoms for being our show "sponsor". He's got a line up next week with Vision of A Dying World (Filter's undiscovered band of the month!), Get Back Loretta (they draw huge!) & the Atoms that should be dope!

The Mermaids, an all girl foursome from Lemon Grove kicked things off with an energetic bang. They brought their own posse- homies from the LG & one cat from Lakeside who did a super awesome crab walk. East County is quite the hot bed for underager ragers. Jakked Rabbits? Hello?

Mermaid is my new favorite band they have a style recognizable to fans of Bikini Kill and Mika Miko- alternative lifestyle friendly hardcorish punk. I think they need some more shows in the San Diego area! What a perfect opening band! They also stuck around all night and danced around, which was great. I wish more bands had their enthusiaism. I texted SESAC Josh mid show and told him to sign them up immeditately. Now I need to get them a show at the Smell! Ha! I can't even get Fifty a show at the Smell. But that's the vibe. At any rate, I'm sold.

The So So Glos were terrific. The consensus, post performance, was that reminded everyone of a little band you may have heard of- the Clash. Obv, that's a strange comparison, since none of us ever saw the Clash live, and frankly, the classic rock treatment that they get on 94/9 is enough to make you forget they were ever cool (cool, maybe, to your dad). But there was just something in the songwriting, the swagger, the energy, that just made me think "Clash." It also made me think "Rancid"- but obviously that would be Rancid from before Tim Armstrong was a sad joke. Maybe it's the fact that the singer plays bass.

I don't know. So So Glos are awesome, and it seems odd that I haven't read more about them from the New York City bloggers. But maybe that's because New York City music bloggers have terrible taste in music? I'll just through that out there. New York City music bloggers like to blog about Alicia Keys. Earfarm- you are the exception to that gross genralization. Maybe I'm not reading the right New York City music blogs.

The Sess... feel the majesty, you know? They are getting ready to tour up the coast with The Prayers & The Muslims & Los Angeles, San Francsico, Portland & Seattle- I'm putting you all on notice. You have an opportunity to check out three of San Diego's finest. They were great, AGAIN, last night. They have really rounded into form and seem very focused and together. It's the right time for them to hit the road, and I am excited for them, the Prayers & the Muslims. Spread the gospel.

Fifty played a good set- it was great to see the So So Glos singing along and the Mermaids dancing up a storm. Sigh. I wish more shows could be like last night's. It had a real family vibe. I really do enjoy attending shows at the Che. Too bad more UCSD students don't bother to come. UCSD students are soooo lammmmeeeeeee...

TONIGHT ONLY!

Beauty Bar San Diego, originally uploaded by catdirtrecords.

Come on out and check New York Cities So So Glos. They are the poop. With Fifty on Their Heels, DJ Edgartronic & DJ Sophie/CDW spinning new old french punk & new wave. Seriously, she has stuff you ain't never heard before.

(video) Ambrosia- Biggest Part of Me

(video) Ambrosia- Biggest Part of Me



I love how these guys are rocking out so very gently. Man that just gets me right here. Did I mention this performance took place in 1980? For real. Also, one of the guys from Can is performing at the Che tonight w/ Rafter & Dan from Kill Me Tomorrow. Check that out.

Oh, the Horror: Opening Night @ The Hard Rock Hotel in Downtown Hell

I swear, does Claire Madigan get combat zone pay when she attends parties like this? The "this" in question are the Rande (yes it's spelled with an "e") Gerber designed nightlife spots at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel & Gateway to Hell. My only question about this complex: Where, exactly, is the portal to the abyss? Wait, wait more questions:

1. Is the portal to hell inside the Hard Rock Hotel guarded by demons? A two headed dog? A THREE headed dog? Cats that breathe fire? A dragon?

2. Does the Sweetwater Saloon employ Succubuses?

3. Is the Moonstone Lounge managed by evil druids?

4. Does Nobu serve raw baby soul? Raw baby flesh? Cooked baby flesh?

I believe further investigation is merited. Suffice it to say, I will find the portal to the evil underworld buried somewhere within the Hard Rock Hotel. That is my pledge to you, the reader.

Recently Read: Desert Solitaire; A Nation of Counterfeiters; The Tokyo Look Book

Books Discussed:

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States by Stephen Mihm
The Tokyo Look Book: Stylish To Spectacular, Goth To Gyaru, Sidewalk To Catwalk by Philomena Keet (Author), Yuri Manabe (Photographer)

After I finish a major book, like, say, Thomas Pynchon's "Against the Day", I invariably enter a period where I just drift randomly from book to book, no rhyme or reason, just readin'. That was my November, mas or menos. I try to keep at least one trade paperback in my office at all times, I pack it in my brief case, take it with me to court and to jail and read it during "down time". That was the fate of Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire." It fulfilled that function well. Desert Solitaire is an episodic series of chapters about Abbey's time spent as a summer park ranger in the canyon lands of Utah. Abbey is well known for his strident environmentalism, and Desert Solitaire has endured as a classic of environmental literature. As Abbey himself points out, numerous times in his own book, the literature about the american desert is small, so it's not that big a task to say something like "I'm going to read every important book about the american desert." You're talking five to ten books, tops.

And Desert Solitaire belongs. In fact, it may be number one in that category since it neither an 19th century exploration narrative nor the work of a minor 19th century american novelist. Abbey is frank about his contempt for modern american life- he hates the tourists with their winnebagos, the government with their plans for park development. Abbey is an apostle for the "leave it the FUCK ALONE" style of existence- it's no wonder he was an icon for the hippies. I found his misanthropy enduring, and while I'm quite sure I WON'T be reading the Monkey Wrench Gang anytime in the near future, I enjoyed his musings on desert life.

The Tokyo Look Book exists in a parallel universe. Really, it's more like a parallel galaxy? Parallel dimension? Tokyo street fashion is hardly an unknown quantity- for chrissakes- Gwen Stefani took care of that on her last record. Like the well known "Fruits" compiliation, the Tokyo Look Book is a compilation of Japanese street fashion produced for an american/western audience. Given the amount of time it take to, you know, make a book it's hard not to think "gee, but what are they wearing now???" as you read this book, though the copiously researched written element to this particular volume distracts the reader a little from questions of timeliness. At this point, I'd be more interested in learning about street fashion someplace other the the shibuya district of Tokyo. I mean- I GET IT ALL READY!!! But where the Fruits compilations are all pictures, no text, the Tokyo Look Book explains and gives context, I suppose it deserves a commendation for that, but not a hearty commendation. It's a decent coffee table book, let's say.

Stephen Mihm's "A Nation of Counterfeiters" is a true rarity- a serious work of scholarly history that is first rate both in terms of histriographical method AND style of writing AND original at the same time. Mihm chooses a topic that has been largely obscured from the view- the period prior to the American Civil War, before the Federal Government got into the money making buiness. During this period, states freely chartered banks- dozens and dozens of banks- to make their own cash money. Predictably, much counterfeiting ensued. This book is their story and I was shocked to learn that no one has ever bothered to write up this interesting intersection of crime and history. I mean, it's a a romantic topic, am I right? It's like- movie quality. Mihm organizes his discussion around real life characters- mostly the criminals who made a mind- literally- made a mint- though he incorporates the people who were charged with stopping the crooks.

Most interestingly, Mihm raises the idea that the line between counterfeit and real money- at least at this time and place- was pretty indeterminant. The absence of a central monetary authority meant that citizens had to be content with whatever currency they could their hands on, and a good counterfeit bill of a a strong bank was, in many ways, better then the real bills of a weak bank. Counterfeiters often provided a valuable service in frontier communities (we're talking about the upper new england area and the old midwest, here) where cash was scarce. I was riveted by A Nation of Counterfeiters. But then again, I'm a big nerd.