Album Review Three-Way! Misery Index, Zoroaster, Hazzard's Cure

Misery Index is a band currently destroying its competition. Not considered a new band, but not an old band either. What makes this band stand out in this current state of junt-junt, pig squealing 'core' bands is that this band, to me, is of the olde guard. Founded by basically the 'Destroy the Opposition' line up of Dying Fetus (A band that helped write the book most new bands jerk off with), this band comes from an era of Death Metal where people were writing technical music that still had a song in it. This is why Misery Index remains a cut above your Job For a Cowboys and your Faceless'.

Their latest effort, 'Heirs to Thievery', is another collection of outstanding songs. Initially it felt like the band took a step back from their previous masterpiece, 'Traitors', but they didn't. 'Heirs' is by no means a subtle album. After listening to it a few times you'll hear all the intricacies. What you do hear first brutal hardcore fused death metal. You're not smacked in the face with a swarm of 1,000 riffs you can't even wrap your mind around (see: A.D.D.). Instead you're pounded by crunching riffs that don't whiz by you. 'The Spectator' is probably one of the more catchier songs as it almost feels like a DM band writing a hardcore song, not the other way around. Lastly, there's several guest vocals from the likes of Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan and Dying Fetus main man John Gallagher. While a nice treat for fans, unless you know what song they appear on, and listen closely, you won't notice. Great Album.



The last few years have been great for Georgia's heavy music scene. Last year brought epics from Mastodon and Baroness. 2010 has already provided listeners with new tunes from Black Tusk and Harvey Milk, and a new Kylesa album is on the way. However, Zoroaster's new jam, 'Matador' is probably my favorite thus far.

Critics in the past have called these guys Atlanta's loudest band, and for a good reason. 'Matador' is a loud fucking album. The opening segue in the first track, 'DNR', grabs your attention and then slows down to a cosmic mountain groove. Right away you get the sense that this album is going to rock. The vocals on this album sound like they were recorded deep in a mountain while the music was recorded on the moon. This album probably wouldn't be as loud is Zoroaster wasn't playing these songs, or maybe not. Don't get me wrong, the riffs are heavy, but they manage to play them with a certain finesse. Elements of this album remind me of Electric Wizard when they're rockin' out. This album creates a giant wall of sound, but also has such clarity that you can actually hear all the notes. 'Black Hole' is probably one of the more stand out tracks for me, it's not quite like the rest of the album but it fits right in. It has the elements of crushing southern sludge, but blends it with hints of an almost black metal riff from outer space, but not really.

Simply put, Zoroaster accomplishes many things I wouldn't expect from bands in the genre. They have a great ear for riffs and song writing. If you haven't heard this band, or are looking for something new and heavy, go by this album right away.



Hazzard's Cure is a San Francisco band comprised of some local folks you may or may not have heard of. Members include Shane of Walken fame; Chris from Floating Goat; Clint, Sludge's answer to Neil Pert; and some guy named Leo (sorry). Chris gave me their crushing three song demo, and here we go.

The opener has Chris's charging guitar work written all over it. Immediately you can tell this guy loves Matt Pike, but not too much. Clint's drums are all over the place. Sometimes I'd wish he'd bang on the cymbals a little more (he does later), but he makes up for it in pounded them toms. Leo and Chris might be one of my new favorite guitar duo's in the SF scene. They effortlessly flow in an out of charging sludge riffs and then lay on some funeral-esque undertones and finish up with some epic Wealking inspired black metal rants. The last two tracks are a little more thrashy, but do not loose any of the spirit of the first track. Chris's vocals on the last track are reminiscent of Pike-meets-Hetfield.

This band is another example of San Francisco's approach to metal of recent: take the best of everything and then write great, epic songs. Go see these guys live and get your hands on this demo!

Sleep w/ Thrones (September 12, Regency Ballroom, San Francisco)

Sleep is one of the bands I'd never thought I'd get to see in the flesh. It's been over 10 years since Dopesmoker broke the band up and everyone went their ways. But through some cosmic happening, Sleep reunited, and it was good.

This particular show the the first of two performances the band would place in San Francisco. Opening the evening was none other than Thrones, aka Joe Preston's one man mammoth wall of sound. I had seen Thrones at Gilman several years ago when I played my first show with the now defunct One Hundred Suns. I have seen bands play heavy music. I have felt heavy sounds rumble my very core. Those were ensembles of musicians working together to shake the earth. Band? Joe Preston don't need no stinking band! Thrones is capable of doing with one person that most bands can barely pull off as a group. Mr. Preston shook the entire room from the ground up shredding his bass while the sounds of drum machine just cut through his wall of sound.

It's not secret that Sleep loves Black Sabbath. Hell, the only shirt for sale showed a picture of Tony Iommi with the words "The Diety" written bellow. During the intermission the sound guy played what felt like samples of Sabbath's entire discography, three times, while and image of Iommi served as a back drop.

Then, it happened. They came on stage. The Marijuananaut handed them their instruments and Matt Pike played 'the riff', the opening to their hour-long epic, Dopesmoker. I cannot tell you what it felt like to not only hear that riff being played, but to actually see it being played. It was a holy experience.

The rest of the show was spectacularly arranged. The band weaved in and out of selections from the Holy Mountain album with very few breaks. Although Dopesmoker was not played in full, they concluded the set with a large chunk of it. I cannot tell you how amazing it felt to see Pike and Cisneros on the same stage together, and to see Al in front of a mic, sorta yelling. You go see bands whose music you know, and it makes the evening familiar and enjoyable. Seeing Sleep play some of the most important music in my life, live, in the flesh, was truly another kind of experience. It kinda makes you believe in something.

Bummer Town: The Knockout's Sound Guy Sucks a Dick

Before I go on my rant, I want to preface that what I'm about to say DOES NOT reflect the Knockout SF as a whole. I am merely talking from a musician's point of view regarding a certain recurring experience I've had. Most of the staff at the Knockout are quite nice and treat you well. The same cannot be said for the story I'm about to tell.

My band, Flood, has played at the Knockout three times in the last two years. This place is known for their DJ nights and strong drinks. What people may not know is that they are in a constant battle with a tenant who lives in the apartment above the bar, which as a result effects the shows the bar puts on. This tenant has repeatedly threatened the club due to it's 'excessive noise'. The Knockout has made several attempts to accommodate the situation: sound proofed parts of the bar and have shows end early, just to name a few things. It should also be noted that the bar itself has been there long before the tenant ever moved in. This tenant should have known that he/she was going to be living above a bar in the Mission. For starters, I don't think of the Mission as a neighborhood, and a bar (any bar) certainly won't be either.

So what this does for the 'sound guy' at the Knockout is make him very, very anxious. He does not want the bar to be shut down, but he also wants the show to go on. So what does he do?

A sound guy at a bar/club is basically there to provide a P.A. and a few mics for the vocals and maybe drums. He/she is to assist the band with whatever audio needs they may have. It is not his job, nor is it any of the staff's job, to make the bands feel uncomfortable. This is exactly what he did. For starters, he places the bass and guitar on the opposite sides from what we're used to (it's a little detail but it makes a huge difference if you're used to hearing things a certain way. And why should the position of instruments matter anyway?) While we're doing our sound check, he tells us to turn down, a lot. If anyone has heard my band you will know that we are loud, really loud. Turning down won't do much. Given the circumstances, I don't mind the request. What he does next is move throughout the crowd during our set, mostly standing front and center, so the band can see him, checking his iPhone's clock to make sure we don't go over our time limit. He then flashes the stage lights during the last song telling us to wrap it up. He later told us that he was adding ambiance (we were using a fog machine as well). Who in the hell flashes lights for a few seconds to add ambiance?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have never felt so anxious during a set. Again, I understand that the bar is under pressure not to upset this pesky tenant, but you know what? DON'T BOOK HEAVY MUSIC AT YOUR BAR! Or start the show early so all the bands can play under no pressure.

I am only mentioning any of this because it happens every time we play at this club. Please. Let this be a warning to bands that play this bar. It's a fun place that usually draws a lot of people just by name recognition alone. Scott Alcoholcaust, who books shows all over the city (not just the Knockout) is a fantastic promoter and I appreciate the shows he's organized and his work in the music scene over the years. It's just that damn sound guy.

Boris (w/ Helms Alee and Red Sparowes) @ the Great American Music Hall (8/26/10)

Going to stoner/doom/experimental shows at the Great American Music Hall is always a treat. Not only is it one of my favorite venues in the city but it's awesome experiencing loud and abrasive music in a place that used to be a classy dance hall almost 100 years ago.

Opening the evening was Tacoma's Hemls Alee who's blend of sludge and drone rock was pretty good for an opener. Their songs were short, for the style, and kinda reminded me the Minutemen in such a way that where most doom/sludge songs begin to take off, they wrap it up. My only complaint is that their set was a little too long and their sound began to have less of an appeal.

Next was Red Sparowes. I saw these guys a few years back open for Neurosis and they blew me away. They had played amazing shoe-gaze with a really intense visual back drop. This time, their set didn't seem to go anywhere. The visuals were far less stellar and seemed more like a collage from some visual arts student. Their songs carried on for too long and the drums seemed to be the only thing holding the band together. Everyone else was just noodling around. Good thing I was upstairs munching on some fries for most of their set.

Finally, Boris hits the stage. As the first notes of 'Farewell' sound out, the stage is immediately engulfed in fog, completely capturing the drama of this amazing song off the Pink album. Having never seen Boris I didn't know what to expect. With a band that covers pretty much every corner of rock and experimental music, I'd figure they're pick a sound and stick with it. I was very wrong. Boris's 90+ minute set covered almost every era of their career. They organized the set so that the mood changed every few songs. After a few slower/droned out jams they'd kick into classics from Pink, Heavy Rocks and Smile. The most stand out moment for me was a song featuring Wata. The song was something I could almost see Bjork performing. A single light shined down on her head will the rest of the band filled in the song with single subtle notes here and there. Freaking amazing. Only a band with such varying material could pull off a set as long as they did without tiring the audience. This was by far one of the best shows I've seen this summer.

Pop quiz, hot shot (tribute to the service industry)

Of the three cups in the picture, which one is the medium?

About 1/3 of the customers that come into my place of work always ask me about the size of our coffee cups.

"Is this the small?" Empirical evidence suggests that off the three cups, the smallest cup is (drum roll please) SMALL! I understand that every coffee shop use different sized cups, but when three cups are placed in size order and it's still a mystery as to which size is which? Fail! This is not rocket science people. (It also gets me when people come in as ask what kind of food we serve, when the store is covered, wall to wall, with BIG COLORFUL menus)

It finally occurred to me the other day that most people's jobs do not require them to do such fundamental tasks, such as sort out things by size (or maybe they do and everyone's an idiot). Most jobs require us to analyze texts or current events or race around a busy office space doing relatively complicated tasks. We're wired to be capable of doing some of the most complicated things on a regular basis that we simply forget about the most basic things, especially when they are right in front of us. Does knowing this make failing to compute simple tasks okay? That's up to you to decide.

Responsible Procreation?

I know plenty has been said about the Prop. 8 and the legal battle appealing it, but I have to get my punches in, just like everyone else. I am very much a supporter of same-sex unions (don't get me started on issues of civil rights). I don't care who or what you love- if you want to get married nothing should stop you. Yesterday I read a brief article on sfgate.com. The article discussed nothing new, at least for me. But one of the last paragraphs really annoyed me.

"In documents filed Monday morning, ban backers argued that gay marriages would harm the state's interest in promoting responsible procreation through heterosexual marriage."
(Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/16/national/a102638D80.DTL#ixzz0wt0BDbbW)

Responsible procreation? First off, I thought this legal battle was over whether or not same-sex couples can legally marry. When did childbirth come into the picture and why? What I found most interesting about this statement was that supporters of Prop. 8 assume that if a couple (straight or gay) is to get married that they are going to have have kids. How many straight married couples DON'T have kids? How many couples even want to have kids? How many couples have kids out of wedlock? How many single parents are out there recieving social services from the state because they spouse can't help? Is the Octamom a good example of responsible procreation? HELL NO! Backers of Prop. 8 are desperate for any argument, even if it doesn't entirely apply to whether or not same-sex couples can or cannot get married. Marriage does not always lead to children.

Also, isn't our planet over populated as it is? We should be adopting children. Think about all the kids in orphanages and foster homes because of heterosexual couples who 'responsibly procreated' but then couldn't be responsible enough to take care of the kid.

Also, today the Federal Gov't decided to put another hold hold on same-sex marriages. The sad part about all this is that those who don't want gays and lesbians to wed probably never have to interact with them on a daily basis. This religious moral oppression is ridiculous and makes no sense.

I think it's insane that there are those out there that feel the need to make laws on private/personal issues: suicide, sexual preference, marriage, etc. Whatever you do behind close doors is your own thing. For people to bring private issues into the public is something that shouldn't be. Those who oppose these types of private issues are so morally sterile and brainwashed that they believe it's their job to bring privacy into the public spot light when these issues do no always need to (I do support forms of social services to deal with issues, but laws banning them, nope). It doesn't matter if you're straight or homosexual. If you're a good person, that's all that matters. Then again, I guess one could argue what 'good' means. Fuck it. Sorry for the rant.

David Byrne wants a turkey sandwich

So David Byrne didn't actually come into my work, but I had a quick day dream that he did. Coincidentally I was listening to the Talking Head's album 'More Songs About Buildings and Food' while this took place. It's nothing profound, but I do think it's kinda funny. Here's what went down...

It's the morning shift at my job, Toy Boat, and I'm cutting up some tomatoes. I think the song 'Thank you for sending me and angel' was playing, and all of the sudden I hear this voice, "Hi," the voice says in a soft, subtly drawn out tone. I know that voice. Who doesn't, right?
I turn around and it's HIM! David Byrne of the Talking Heads, and he's wearing the giant suit! No one else is in the store, except for Bob. Bob is sitting by the window sipping a cup of coffee and staring at Mr. Byrne in his suit.
"Hey," is all I could say. That was all I could say to David FREAKIN' Byrne of the Talking Heads! "How can I help you?" didn't cross my mind.
"I'd like something to eat," He said. His entire body is motionless, except for his lips. "Can I get a turkey sandwich?"
"Sure, David Byrne." My hands start staggering around the sandwich station. Here I am, making David Byrne a sandwich, I don't even know what he likes on his sandwich, but I keep making this sandwich while he's standing almost lifeless (almost like the giant from Twin Peaks) on the other side of the counter. I wonder why he isn't sitting down. I don't care to ask. The guy could have come behind the counter and made his own sandwich and I wouldn't have stopped him. I decided to put only lettuce, tomato and mayo on the turkey sandwich. I figured it would be simple enough. "Your sandwich is ready."
"Thank you. Thank you very much. I've been looking forward to this all day." He stuck is hands out to grab the plate. The giant suit made his hands look small, smaller than usual. Maybe he has really small hands, I don't know. This was the first time I'd ever seen him in person. He turns around and sits right next to Bob, who looks up at this guy in a giant suit, and wants nothing to do with him.
"Time to hit up the park," Bob chuckles.
So there I am, alone in the store, and David Byrne is eating a sandwich I made for him. The store is silent now. I turn off the music and rushed to put something else on. David Byrne picks up the sandwich and takes a bite....

And that's all I remember folks. Coincidentally Joshua Smith (who's played in Drunk Horse, The Fucking Champs and Weakling) actually came into the store. I sold him tea and a pastry.