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...

All Dogs At The Gal Palace

ALL DOGS

UPSET

RL KELLY

GAL PALACE, LA

16 SEPTEMBER, 2015

All Dogs

Upset

RL Kelly

A sweaty September night on Rampart Blvd. in LA greeted Columbus, OH's All Dogs, as they set up shop at the Gal Palace, with an assist from Swiss Family Robinson, for a special night, touring behind the release of Kicking Every Day. Joining the festivities for the evening were LA locals RL Kelly, who put together a band on the fly for the occasion, including Ali Koehler and Nicole Snyder from Upset, and Kelly then returned the gift by filling the bass spot for Upset, as they held down the middle slot in the bill. While All Dogs had been playing "Skin" live for a year, it was cathartic to hear the rest of the new songs live, and to see them in a house setting was just unbeatable.

Flyer by Faye Orlove

ALL DOGS

All Dogs return to the West Coast in late March/early April

UPSET

 
RL KELLY

All Dogs Go To...Oakland: Live At 1234Go! Records

ALL DOGS

1234GO! RECORDS

OAKLAND, CA

09 AUGUST, 2014

When we stop to look back, this space in time will live on in infamy as: "The Week Of No Effing Around". Starting in Orange County, the trail wound up to Big Sur, down to LA, over to Joshua Tree, and now up to the Bay Area. Which is to say, a hyper-compressed version of the year. The timing of the Desert to the Bay run was fortuitous, landing me in Oakland with time to spare Saturday evening to check in on Columbus, Ohio's All Dogs, fresh from an appearance in LA days before.
1234Go! Records is both a shop and a label, keeping things punk in the Bay Area, and well worth a trip over the bridge if you're visiting SF. It only took 10 minutes shopping to make a convert of me. They've recently expanded, and their performance area was, for a record store, well laid out, with a good sound mix. Furious promoters of all ages shows, a quick peek at their impressive event schedule will give you an idea of how they do business.
As part of a four band bill, All Dogs once again occupied the third slot, and the space quickly filled as they set up. Once again, they were the perfect mix of bittersweet personal songs pinned to tunes given to dynamic shifts, every song an emotional rollercoaster, and it was sweet to see people singing every word back at them. Two choice outtakes below sum up the proceedings..."Farm" from Split Tape With Slouch opened with ringing chords, a burst of feedback that didn't faze the band, and when they kicked in, the song took off skywards. Having seen the impact of the live version of "Say" on the audience in LA, I made a point to have my head in the game, and won't waste words on it, simply a must see, and encapsulates all the virtues of the band in one neat little package. Simply, one of my favorite bands at the moment, and recording on a new LP is taking place. Yay! From here, All Dogs crossed the Bay to SF for a show the next night, then wound their way home to the Midwest for a well earned break.

Upset, All Dogs, Baby Ghosts, and Susan at the Bootleg, LA

UPSET/ALL DOGS/BABY GHOSTS/SUSAN

BOOTLEG THEATER, LOS ANGELES

06 AUGUST, 2014

UPSET

ALL DOGS

BABY GHOSTS

SUSAN

"If you build it, they will come..." Early on in the Upset set, Ali Koehler bemoaned the lack of good shows in LA, and the night's bill was a testament to putting that right. Columbus, Ohio's All Dogs were making a West Coast jaunt, and their appearance at the Church On York fell victim to Highland Park politics as the Church lost their live music privileges. The gig was rescheduled to the bar in the Bootleg Theater, and the bill expanded. LA trio Susan opened up, followed by Baby Ghosts, from Salt Lake City, All Dogs, and Upset, in what turned out to be one of the best value per dollar shows I've attended this year. Ranging from merely great to transcendent, there was no down time, as each band got in their punches, albeit from different stylistic directions.
Susan kicked off the night, and they came to play, overcoming feedback and wonky mic stands to deliver a winning set. They were new to me, but that won't be the last time we cross paths. Baby Ghosts celebrated their last show on a tour with All Dogs by picking up the baton, snapping it in half, and crunching the remains underfoot. A blistering, high octane set of fast, but melodic punk that threatened to come apart at the seams, but didn't quite. They left mouths wide open. Ladies and gentlemen: Baby Ghosts, remember the name. My most-played piece of music last year didn't make the top ten album list, but no mistake, the 4 song 7" from All Dogs has never left active duty, and it was a treat to finally see them. That the songs pack an even bigger punch live was the bonus, and by the time they swung into "Buddy" and "Say" to close the set, the emotional meter was off the charts. Fate would have us cross paths a few days later in Oakland, so you'll certainly hear more about them. With Upset, it's more a case of 'where were we last', as the LA quartet are certainly no strangers to frequent readers. Taken down to its core of Ali Koehler and drummer Patti Schemel, the band has reconfigured with Rachel (from Slutever) sitting in on bass, and brand new guitarist Lauren. No big changes in the set, based on their debut LP, She's Gone, but the sound was faster and harder, and it will be interesting to see where this lineup takes their next record. A thrilling night from start to finish, and while one can't put their finger on precisely what, it felt like the start of something.

UPSET

ALL DOGS

BABY GHOSTS

SUSAN