Gig Archives: 1997
(Disclaimer: this may be incomplete or inaccurate)Wednesday, January 1st, 1997 New Year's Day barbecue at the Bottom of the Hill. Weird gig and an unusally
good crowd for NYD (or a weekday). Fish or Fry played first, then Ebola Soup, then us. Kinda fun. Too bad Erik's going to be leaving town again so soon.
Saturday, January 4th, 1997 Big show at the good ol' Stork Club. Too bad me and Erik were sick as dogs.
First act was Down River, then Torid Anos, then some one-man-act
I don't remember as I sped home real quick to gather my health a minute,
followed by Ninewood, and then finally us. Usually after I play a gig
sick I feel a little better, but not this time. Still, the place was packed, so
I enjoyed the social scene before going home and crashing.
Wednesday, January 15th, 1997 with 49th Street Franklins: Another random fun gig with my housemates doing fake book type jazz covers,
this time on some off-night at the Starry Plough. Friends came to witness the
spectacle. I was playing guitar but managed to cheat enough during my solos to
make it sound like I know what I'm doing on the instrument in this style.
Friday, January 31st, 1997 We began this calendar year's batch of shows by trekking out of town and playing a fun set at the Experimental Media Research Laboratory in Sacramento, California. We more or less headlined the gig, performing after the churning, cash-register abusing Instagon from Los Angeles and the scrumptious, hypnotic Turk Knifes Pope from Sacramento (now of the Bay Area). Our set included elements of noise and chaos never before heard by our Bay Area crowds, and the very open-minded EMRL audience ate it all up. Afterward, we were treated to free veggie hot dogs. Good vibes all around. During the van ride home, all three of us decided this show earned a hearty "thumbs up."
Saturday, June 14th, 1997 After a long hiatus during which we focused our energies on the recently completed but as-yet unreleased CD Party at Ilan's, we played a low-key set at the Compound Eye, a hip art gallery in the ever-so-industrial Emeryville. The studio was open to the public this fine day, though the hummus-to-people ratio inside the main gallery remained quite high. On the bright side, we played a lovely ambient set, utilizing a pared down set of instruments. We were also joined by Kate Lyst on tablas and Scott Looney on bric-a-brac. Though we reached no new planes, we made a well-paced sequence of noises which made everyone involved, including the few listeners, a little bit happier to be alive.
Saturday, July 19th, 1997 My first gig subbing on bass in this tribute band celebrating Herb Alpert
and the Tijuana brass. There was a sub on drums, too, making it a bit
nerve wracking, as well as it being some kind of high profile party event
outside in some Napa courtyard. But it was fine, even though I was playing
fretless, and even though my glass of water spilled off my amp during the
first song and I stood in a puddle the rest of the set.
Wednesday, July 23rd, 1997 with 49th Street Franklins: Played a gig at Cato's Alehouse with my housemates (Jenya, Vicky, and Crissy).
Threw together this guitar/bass/drums/vocal jazz quartet for laughs. A lot of
fake book stuff. Hard to be heard over the people at the bar cheering the
television broadcasting the important sporting event.
Saturday, October 18th, 1997 This show, put on by 7 Hz Productions at the Phase warehouse in San Francisco, was originally intended to be a week earlier when Matt would not be on tour with his nationally acclaimed slow-angst trio Mumble & Peg However, due to logistical fuckups and a completely unnecessary punk festival scheduled nearby the same day, the show got bumped forward, so Matt couldn't play. After the tears subsided, Jai Young and Mark got their heads together and decided to do the show anyway, and enlisted the help of Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Faxed Head, Nottingturd Fan, Scourge, Three Doctors, Forms, etc.). As well, Matt recorded a full 50 minutes of himself on drums straight to DAT for this JOB mutation to utilize during the performance. And what a performance! The whole shebang included Chicago noise giant Illusion of Safety and local techno-mindfuck hero Thomas Dimuzio in separate sets and intermingled duos, the most notable being between the IoS and Mark. The high point occurred at the end of the JOB set when the volume and intensity had reached its maximum point, and with a surge of adrenalin Jai Young launched for the power strip and unplugged it, sending the entire venue into frenzied silence. Aaah... Mark forgot to press record, by the way.
Wednesday, November 5th, 1997 JOB potentially performed for millions of people as they played the Wednesday Night Live radio show on KZSU (90.1 FM). Having missed dinner, Mark and Matt inhaled Jack in the Crack chicken sandwiches, fries, and Cokes mere seconds before performing. Because of the sudden influx of grease, sugar, caffeine, and sodium, the set revealed a firey and energetic side of JOB, which the gang at the station, and possibly listeners throughout the Bay Area, thoroughly enjoyed. Click here for a transcipt of the quackful interview with Secret Agent. In short, a great show with little to complain about. Jai Young got a flat on the ride back to the city, but band unity prevailed and we changed that fucker in no time. Viva JOB!
Thursday, December 4th, 1997 Herb played at the Last Day Saloon in SF. Raining. Windy. Feared for the
health of my bass cabinet. Some (early) Beatles cover band played first
Good but whatever. No audience. We played. Very loud, but I brought
earplugs - smart move. New sub keyboardist made me nervous. Got paid $5 each.
I thought there was going to be a guarantee. Stumbled down the stairs
while loading out, protecting my bass cabinet from hitting the ground
by having it land on my fallen body. How embarrassing. Still raining as
we left. What a miserable show.
Friday, December 5th, 1997 We played the Starry Plough, opening first before Ninewood and
Eskimo. Standard show. This was the first Eskimo show with their new bassist,
Matt Small. Matt's a true goofball, and Eskimo is quite goofy. Perfect fit.
Thursday, December 11th, 1997 with Fire-Taiko: Played with Jenya's as-yet unnamed Fire-Taiko group at the Transmission
Theatre in SF, as part of the usual chaotic Vaccination party-show, this
time celebrating the release of Charming Hostess' CD. I got to play some
lead parts, even a solo on Brian Grimm's Shimi-Odaiko, and got to hit
Karen's gong at the end. Fun and well received by big audience.
Saturday, December 20th, 1997 We played "Saturday Night Live" on KALX (UC Berkeley's station).
Small live room. Mixing board in the live room. Chuck in one corner, Erik
and me in the other. Played terribly for an hour. Pointless. Worth forgetting.
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