I ran into an old friend on Sunday. He smelled like oysters and Hallmark Father’s Day cards.“Hey man, what’d you do on Saturday?” he asked.

“Caught a killer show at Toby and Jack’s.” I replied.

“Toby and Jack’s is a venue?”

“Yeah man, and a nice one at that. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Even though the stage area was a little cramped it really made for some great energy…and a lot of spilled drinks.”

“Well who’d you see?”

“33 and a third and Wepeel.”

“Isn’t Wepeel a Weezer cover band?”

“Why yes they are as a matter of fact.”

“So how was it? “

“It was awesome my friend, you should have been there, but since you weren’t, I will now sing you a song about it. A song that I carved into the concrete with a shard of fallen star that I found in a magical forest behind the Jacoby Building.”

At this point I pulled from my pocket a trusty gadget I like to call “The Flute”. It’s a new invention I am trying to get patented for sell on e bay. And with my “flute” I played my song which goes as follows:
“What’s with these dready’s dissin’ my rock? Why do they gotta front? What did metal ever do to these guys to make them so violent? Woo Hoo-And you know I’m yours. Whoo Hoo-And I know your mine. Woo Hoo-that’s a rockin’ time. OOO EEEEE OOO I look nothing like Obama, Oh Oh I’m in love with Tipper Gore. I know this song doesn’t make much sense anyways. I don’t care about that.”

During the bridge I take a moment to display my magnificent break dancing skills and then on to the second verse:

“Don’t you ever fear, C.J.’s got a beard. Steve will cut off your hair. Don’t get it twisted Graham is the shizznit. Travis will rock you dead.”

And then from there you can pretty much guess how the rest of the song went. Truthfully though, and without any further rhetoric babble, I did thoroughly enjoy the space and atmosphere of Toby and Jack’s and hope that we can expect more shows from them in the future. And as far as Wepeel is concerned and 33 and a third for that matter, it’s almost not right to brag and tell anyone what an experience it is to see them. I definitely recommend it for the good time seeker. Those of you who prefer to take it all in lightly, enjoy sing alongs and fraternizing with complete strangers to the chorus of “Say It Ain’t So” this is definitely a must have.

There is really a lot to say about the power of a band’s personality. And that’s not just saying, “Well, those are some good guys and we should support our friends.” That works occasionally, but it tends to seem more like a favor.

For me, the greatest thing about both 33 and a third and Wepeel is that the individuals playing the music are sincere about having a great time. There’s no weird attitude or faux modesty, it’s all just out there for the taking.

Maybe it is a bit pretentious to state that life and people in general should take note on such attitudes. That we could all some how meet, stripped of egos and awkward hang ups, and say to one another, “Do you know the words to ‘Jaime’? If not I would appreciate teaching them to you in sign language.”

Dearest Reader,

I know that it has been a week since we last spoke. I apologize, but it was the last week in February, and I was frightened. I hope you’re doing all right. If you ever wanted to go out and just talk about stuff, that’d be cool. Maybe we could catch a show at the Alibi. I was there last Saturday, and I think you would have really enjoyed it.

The original bill was the BarFeeders and the Baby Arms, but the BarFeeders cancelled so instead we got to see a new local band called Tyler Flame and the Ellipsis. I really like hearing new music, and I also like fire, so it was very exciting for me.

Tyler Flame has a lot going for it. They have written music about Tony’s #1, incorporated dual kazoos into one of their songs, and repeatedly showed us that they had no fear of heights by jumping off and on just about everything in the bar. It was a lot of fun to see these guys playing, especially because it was so obvious that they were enjoying themselves. The music was just the right flavor to match the energy. Not too serious, not too silly, just a really good time that doesn’t necessarily cater to any specific genre but rocks with a smile and wink.

Then there were the Baby Arms. It’s not enough to say that they’re a punk rock band. Remember when I used to practice juggling chainsaws late at night and we’d watch Conan and drink chai, and our neighbors hired those wacky ninja assassin orangutans to kill us, and they threw kittens like ninja stars through our window, and I accidentally hacked them all up with my chainsaw and we were all covered in the mess, and although it seemed really cool, we were kinda sad and felt guilty about it? That’s what the Baby Arms are like.

I didn’t get the details on what was going on, but the usual bassist for the Baby Arms was replaced by Chris Smiley from 33 1/3 (which I think is now …and 1/3, no 33) and it was a great addition. All of the usual favorites were played, F.B.C., the Boredom Song, Eat it With Your Face, but there were also new songs to be belligerent to.

I was personally impressed with the introduction of  an acoustic piece, if you can believe that, and of course there was also a  wonderful Misfits cover, “Attitude.” Is there any better way to sum up the Baby Arms, besides the whole orangutan thing, then to say attitude? Well, of course, there is “loud, drunk, cynical and psychotic,” but aside from that, I’d have to say that attitude is definitely a great answer to the question, “What do the Baby Arms sound like?” It sounds like lots and lots of attitude. Kind of in the same likeness of PTU (Purge the Urge) it’s the kind of great showy performance that sticks to your ribs like a glue filled oatmeal pie.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I miss you and think of you  all the time. I hope to see you rocking in the future.

Sincerely,
Rock and a Hard Place

Daniel Lewis also edits The Plague zine. No actual kittens were, or will ever be, harmed in the making of this column.

upsidedowncross presents

33 1/3
(local instru/metal)
+
The Fire Demons
(local stoner metal duo)

@The Alibi
Saturday, February 2
a benefit for the Middian legal defense fund
21+ / 10:30pm doors / 11:15pm music / $4 cover

From upsidedowncross:

“When international cult doom metal act YOB (Eugene, OR) broke up, singer/guitarist/visionary Mike S created Middian from YOB’s ashes. Before the name was chosen, a careful online search was done, proving that no other active unit had the same name. The band worked hard, released the highly acclaimed album Age Eternal on Metal Blade Records, and toured the US.

“In the Fall of 2007, Middian, their label, their booking agent, and a peripherally related online merchandise company were sent cease and desist orders from a seemingly defunct nu-metal band from Milwaukee, WI called Midian of Milwaukee LLC. At first, this seemed like a ludicrous joke. However, the Midian with one “D” were serious about defending their name, even though they hadn’t released any proper albums or played outside of Wisconsin in this century, and hadn’t updated their website in several years – making the validity of their trademark highly questionable. At first Middian sought an agreement to co-exist peacefully. But Midian of Milwaukie LLC didn’t want to co-exist (to the extent they even existed). With increased legal threats came the sad reality that it’s very expensive to fight these kinds of lawsuits, even when the law and the facts are on your side. So Middian from Eugene agreed to give up their name, stop selling all merchandise that bore the mark, and begin again under a new name.

“Unfortunately, Midian of Milwaukee were not satisfied with a peaceful agreement. Neither were they satisfied when Middian’s label Metal Blade dropped them in an effort to avoid legal hassle and expense. No, Midian of Milwaukee were after money–and a large settlement at that (we’re talking tens of thousands…). There’s a big problem though. Middian don’t have that kind of money. They are three humble artists from Eugene, OR that write twenty-minute long doom metal epics that will never be played on the radio. Mike S has three children that he’s supporting. Neither do the other members of the band have anything but cheap rent and low-paying jobs in a small town.

“Given the choice of giving up to these unreasonable demands, or fighting on their own, Middian, their lawyer, and Nanotear Booking have decided to go to court and win this battle. It’s a clear case of greed that must be squashed. But it will not come cheaply. That’s why your donations are so desperately needed. Any support you can offer will go towards Middian’s legal fund via this paypal account found at http://middian.org/donate.”

Please help at whatever level you can. You have our most humble gratitude, and will share in our victory over this tragic nonsense.

Sometimes I wonder if my editor tries to set me up, just baiting me with bands that sound too ridiculous to be true (Nope. – JS/Scene Ed.). And I thought Saturday would be one such instance, were it not for that Dagger of the Mind from Portland managed to somehow entertain a crowd of semi-inebriated Arcatans that weren’t drunk enough to not care.
DoTM gave us a collection of Shakespeare’s words backed against a heavy metal backdrop, while 33 1/3 tried their darndest to entertain us in the twilight of the evening.

Dagger of the Mind started off our evening heralding its commencement atop bars and tables, making sure that no one could possibly ignore them. Dressed in tunics and whatever it is they called pants back in those days, they rocked hard with Iron Maiden-esque guitar solos, wailing vocals, and the worst fake British accents that would send the Bard spinning in his grave.

But they rocked the Casbah with excerpts from classics like Hamlet and Measure for Measure, even throwing in a costume change before a ballad that made us all say a little prayer hoping he was wearing a dance belt. Throwing iambic pentameter to the wind, the singer belted out a mishmash of tragedy and comedy that could only be better were at the Globe itself.

Dagger of the Mind reminded me of those times when our teachers in grade school would try to make learning “fun” and “hip.” Like when they’d make the multiplication table into a rap song or show us a video in Health starring Joey Lawrence. They were like School House Rocks meets the Renaissance festival meets the Ashland Shakespeare festival. I think they should tour the country, playing in high school gymnasiums so one day, hopefully, that burnout kid in a Slayer shirt at Bellmont High in Decatur, Indiana will have a lightbulb go off in his head and runs straight to the library. But I guess that’s a longshot.

33 1/3 closed out our night in a deflated sense, as a three-piece band with no lyrics to speak of would have a tough chore to try to upstage a band using words from the English language’s greatest writer.

But they did alright, I suppose.

Turning out a quick 45-minute set, they showed us what they got, and all they were capable of. Heavy chords and quick drums served as the meat of their set, occasionally giving us a side of fancy guitar work. But the fact that it only took me 45 minutes to see what they were capable of was the only disheartening part of the evening. They weren’t awful or anything, it just got a little repetitious and formulaic. Like all I could see them doing with that kind of music is opening for CKY and being played during the credits of Bam Margera skate video.

Good luck with that, fellas.

So it was a good night after all. I feel like I experienced some culture. I got Shakespeare on one hand and only a mild reaffirmation of musical ennui that left my ears only slightly ringing. But what do I know? This is only a review written by a cynic, full of Olympia and bourbon, signifying nothing.

Despite rumors circulating around Eureka, Josh Duke is alive and well. But why confine your thoughts to The Shanty? E-mail to fun@arcataeye.com.

Twas a tale of the most noble of rockingness at the tavern of Ye Olde Alibi last Saturday whence came from yonder land of Portland a quartet of merry fellows who did bringeth the rock.
Dagger of the Mind! Yea, I doth saith Dagger of the Mind! A rose by any other name could not smell as sweet. Oh, how doth I love them. Let me count the ways.
1. Showmanship. Whatever these guys lacked musically they definitely made up for in bravado. Throughout their entire set they not only interacted , but engaged their audience with extremely entertaining theatrics and a wonderful sense of humor. Showmanship is what seperates the men from the boys in a live performance. Doubly so when done in a dress or tunic.

2. Creativity. So 4 guys are sitting around playing D & D and listening to Judas Priest when one says to the other, Hey! Let s start a Shakespearean Epic metal band!‘sIt doesn t sound like such a winner at that point. As a matter of fact it sounds like a number of drunken proposals I, and probably you too, have made at the peek of a staggering huddle with an old high school chum. What makes such ridiculous ideas, and the reason why I m not in an awesome Shakespearean Epic metal band, come to life is the imagination and creativity it takes to make such an idea relevant and cohesive. One of the most mind blowing attributes of this band is is that they honestly wrote a metal song from Hamlet! Think about that for a second.

3. Quirk. The general quirkiness of this band pays off big. Quirk is that anomaly found in both the best and worst of conceptually formulated music. The concept here , obviously being Shakespeare and the Elizabethan dialogue and dress, gives this bands already ludicrously original style the edge it needs to truly work.

Should these gentlemen evergrace our fair city again I wilst thank the Heavens. And to thee who wouldst be nay sayers, saith thee Nay and I curse thee with boils on thy prostate and splinters through thy nipples!

Hark! What else dosth mine ears did entertain, though lo I didst woe to think there would be no more rock! The sounds of 33 1/3 who did in fact have metal Heavy and loud to allocate amongst the taverns hordes unsparingly.

I’ve been wanting to catch this band for awhile. Instru-metal is a new favorable commodity in my CD collection, and I’ve been excited to hear what the home team had to offer. I was nervous about how they would fair after the pillaging from Dagger of the Mind, but I am happy to report to you today that without a second’s hesitation the band took hold of the nights reins and steered us through the rest of the evening with a very heavy and hard hitting set that complimented the first act and was, for me, the polish that made the evening shine.

Daniel Lewis edits and distributes The Plague zine around Arcata. Check it out, rock-lovers.