Tenth Anniversary

Bogart (2001-2018)

Hard to believe, it was ten years ago today when i sat down and rattled off some thoughts on Elliott Smith that became the very first BAMNWGAN transmission. Starting with no fixed point, it evolved over the years as a diary of live shows. For those curious about the name, check here...

2018 saw the passing of Bogart, participant in many of the travels tracked on the blog over the years. We would walk whichever city we were in (read: attempting to enter every restaurant in SF's Mission District), then he would sleep in the car during the show, and we'd knock out a post-show walk. Now and then we'd hit the venue lottery, and he could attend. Too many adventures to recount here, but shoutouts to Thee Parkside in San Francisco and Muni Winery in Los Alamos, who were always ready with a water bowl, and the bands who were uniformly kind. Not surprisingly, he took to All Dogs. One story worth noting is the time we scoured Silverlake (LA) until we found the building from the cover of Elliott Smith's Figure 8. While the show is the thing, his legacy of exploration will stick with me.

Exploring San Francisco

Prowling Sunset Boulevard...

Listing To Starboard...Fifty Favorite LP's 2018

LISTING TO STARBOARD...

FIFTY FAVORITE LP'S 2018

,

50) CLEARANCE: At Your Leisure

49) MISSING EARTH: Gold, Flour, Salt

48) TANUKICHAN: Sundays

47) TOTAL BETTYS: This Is Paradise

46) THE SPOOK SCHOOL: Could It Be Different

45) ANNA BURCH: Quit The Curse

44) MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER: Bon Voyage

43) PLLUSH: Stranger To The Pain

42) DOG PARTY: Hit & Run

41) SOME EMBER: Submerging The Sun

40) LET'S EAT GRANDMA: I'm All Ears

39) BUILDINGS AND FOOD: Quick Beat Save

38) CHASTITY: Death Lust

37) MADELINE KENNEY: Perfect Shapes

36) GRUFF RHYS: Babelsberg

35) GIRL GAZE: Fade Out

34) TUNE-YARDS: I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life

33) LALA LALA: The Lamb

32) OBNOX: Bang Messiah

31) ADRIANNE LENKER: abysskiss

30) STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS: Sparkle Hard

29) ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER: Hope Downs

28) WYE OAK: The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs

27) MIYA FOLICK: Premonitions

26) SPEEDY ORTIZ: Twerp Verse

25) SHOPPING: The Official Body

24) THE GOON SAX: We're Not Talking

23) KURT VILE & THE VIOLATERS: Bottle It In

22) THE BETHS: Future Me Hates Me

21) WAX IDOLS: Happy Ending

20) YO LA TENGO: There's A Riot Going On

19) NO AGE: Snares Like A Haircut

18) KHRUANGBIN: Con Todo El Mundo

17) CLOUD NOTHINGS: Last Building Burning

16) ILLUMINATI HOTTIES: Kiss Yr Frenemies

15) CAMP COPE: How To Socialise & Make Friends

14) SNAIL MAIL: Lush

13) BONNY DOON: Longwave

12) IAN SWEET: Crush Crusher

11) JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET: Both Directions At Once

10) SWEARIN': Fall Into The Sun

9) COURTNEY BARNETT: Tell Me How You Really Feel

8) YOWLER: Black Dog In My Path

7) SUPERCHUNK: What A Time To Be Alive

6) MITSKI: Be The Cowboy

5) TROPICAL FUCK STORM: A Laughing Death In Meatspace

4) MOURN: Sorpresa Familia

3) EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR: Teddywaddy

2) BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT: Mother Of My Children

1) SAY SUE ME: When We Were Together

Felte Fifth Anniversary

FELTE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

featuring: HOUSES OF HEAVEN + CHASMS

PICO UNION PROJECT, LA

16 NOVEMBER, 2018

CHASMS

HOUSES OF HEAVEN

LA-based Felte Records celebrated their 5th anniversary with a two-night showcase of the depth and breadth of their roster. The Pico Union Project served as the launchpad for an epic weekend, with the old Welsh Presbyterian Church lending gravitas to the proceedings. Here's a gallery of some Friday night action from Houses of Heaven's throttling set, and a special Chasms presentation, where they incorporated not just a live drummer, but the one and only Sandra Vu (Sisu/Dum Dum Girls). Happy Birthday Felte!

HOUSES OF HEAVEN

CHASMS

 

 

Pico Union Project

Tacocat Returns To LA

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN

BOOTLEG THEATRE, LA

10 NOVEMBER, 2018

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN

Tacocat returned to LA, providing a necessary outlet to blowing off some of the nervous energy pent up in a fire-ridden state. Holding down the bar at the Bootleg Theatre, courtesy of Sid The Cat Presents, they tore through a set heavy on their most recent release Lost Time, and prior breakthrough NVM, (both on Hardly Art), and found room for some new songs. Playing "I Hate The Weekend" on a saturday night is pretty much peak Tacocat, and as one who works retail, very much appreciated at this time of the year. They capped off the evening with a spot-on cover of Talking Heads "Psycho Killer".

Support act Black Belt Eagle Scout, was the big revelation, with the question beforehand being how Katherine Paul's stark and intense songs from her debut Mother Of My Children (Saddle Creek Records), would translate live. In the company of an intuitive rhythm section, Black Belt Eagle Scout opened with "Soft Stud", and when KP stepped out to solo it home, all doubts were dispelled. "Indians Never Die" kept the audience transfixed, and a transcendent "Sam, A Dream" effectively blew the doors off the place, highlighting what was one of the most memorable sets of the year.

Over the course of two EP's and a full-length LP on San Diego's Volar Records, LA trio Susan has carved a particular niche, melding girl group harmonies with a buzz saw attack. Can't believe it's been four years since we last crossed paths, but happy to report that their opening set was as tight and feisty as ever.

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN