TSHIT's Lucky 13 photos for 2019 / Cat Rose

FEELS

TSHIT's end-of-the-year Lucky 13. Once again, so many great shows in 2019, so many great bands, and we're looking forward to what 2020 has to bring. Cheers!

Melvins

Dils

Negative Approach

Nasalrod

Ex Hex

Helms Alee

Redshift

Sandrider

Three O'Clock Train

Dils

Messthetics

EyeHateGod

Quotes of Note for 2019

Jawbox's Kim Coletta in Seattle. (Cat Rose photo)

By Andy

Interviews are always a journey. You step into the conversations armed with your usual knowledge and questions, but you still never know where things will twist and turn along the path. You just settle in for the ride and listen, but also guide the discussions to a spot where you'll hopefully be offered some key insight. When that occurs, it's a victory for you and the readers. Maybe the interviewees will delve into something that they didn't expect to touch upon and come away from the experience enlightened as well.

Here's some quotes from our interviews of 2019 --


Jawbox's Kim Coletta:

When I was six years old, a musical project called 'Free to Be You and Me' was released. It was a project done in conjunction with the Ms. Foundation (started in part by Gloria Steinem). I heard that a lot in the kid’s classes at the very progressive Unitarian-Universalist church we attended at the time. My mother was very active in the 1960s/70s feminist movement, and she played that record at home too. I knew the whole thing, and I would jump around on the bed singing that album. 'Free to Be You and Me' was WAY ahead of its time in terms of promoting gender equality between girls and boys and just generally letting girls know they could be what they wanted in life. There were tracks on there by Diana Ross, Shirley Jones, Roberta Flack, etc.


Jawbox's J. Robbins:

Everybody is psyched and having fun and it seems to be well received. I feel like we are in some regards a better band than when we were actually a band, so that’s a pretty great feeling to have. To feel like we know a little better what we’re trying to execute and we’re a little better at executing it and we’re better at listening to each other, ‘cause we have 20 years of continuous friendship to fuel the effort.


Descendents' Milo Aukerman:

I kind of sang in the school choir for a year and did A musical with the local repertory theater. Not playing a major part or anything. So I dabbled in theater and musicals, but it wasn't really my bag so much, especially when I became a teenager. When you're younger and you're not self-conscious, you can do that kind of stuff, and then the teen years hit and you're just like, 'This is so uncool, I can't do it anymore.' (laughs) So that kind of stopped pretty much around age 12. Then I kind of was just a music listener all through high school and then senior year essentially, I wanted to be more than a listener, I wanted to kind of participate.


The MacKaye family:

Ian
In the '70s and the early '80s, there was a lot of chaos in our family, with our parents, and I think that punk probably was something that was very anchoring for us. And I think the three of us especially, really that was an important connection. It was something that we could feel committed to and it was a safe thing.


Amanda
For us, the MacKayes, we all still hang out with each other. It wasn't temporary. A lot of people when they get to this stage of life, their siblings are far-flung or they don't really get along with their siblings or whatever. A lot of this is just part of who our family is, we have Sunday dinners, we're together. We have one sister who lives on the other side of the country, but we're all still connected. And we're all still into whatever the other one is doing. We're all still pretty interested in each other.


Alec
I gotta say that there never was even a doubt in my mind. I have known people in my life that, 'that's a closed chapter,' they move on, they grow up, they put away childish things or whatever. I think when I got into punk rock, in my head it was a forever thing that I would be 120, if I ever live that long, and still be doing it, on some level, I just didn't know how. So that's been a thing that as you go through life, navigating how you can still relate to it and how it can work in your life. It just stayed with me, I never stopped listening to music and I like the energy.


All Eyes West's Justin Miller:

I think I’m actually MORE stoked with 'Like Lightning' than I was with the first. I love every recording for different reasons, I suppose. There’s something about this record that is special to me. The first one just kind of happened. We just kinda wrote it and threw it down real quick. This one felt more like some sort of journey or something. It took a while to happen, so maybe that’s why. It felt like some accomplishment for the three of us. I feel like Jeff and Ronnie killed it. I dunno, I think it rocks. I hope a bunch of other people enjoy it too!


Monolord's Mika Häkki:

I don't really think there's any different challenges from album 2 to album 4. In the end, the most important thing for us all is that we ourselves are happy about the album. That we don't just repeat the same album over and over again. It helps  that all three of us find it easy to communicate about all of this together. We're all excited about new sounds and how to work those into our songs.


Messthetics' Brendan Canty:

The spirit of collaboration is what it's all about. Not just the spirit but the practice of collaboration is a huge aspect of what I'm always looking for. It's funny because when, with Ian, I had a very long relationship with him and that was like a proper band where we were actually writing songs together, as is this band where you actually go through the process of establishing what you're gonna be playing, every night for the next however many years, and that's a really distinctive criteria.


Field Day's Doug Carrion:

There's always time for good music. Also, I think everyone’s in a good place in their lives to commit to Field Day and most importantly now the fans will get the chance to hear some of those songs with Peter and I performing them. It just made sense.


Sandrider's Jon Weisnewski:

At almost no point during a set do I feel in control. It's like catching a hurricane with a butterfly net and trying to hold on and not fuck up too badly along the ride. We have a rule where if the band fucks up, just play to the drummer. It's the best way to get back on track and not completely train wreck the song. Maybe some day I'll have more time to practice my instrument so I can actually play like I know what I'm doing... but on that note, philosophically I think we prioritize putting on a good show more than we do hitting every note just right. The studio is the right place to really focus on the playing. The stage is the right place to spit some gas on the fire and get wild.


Helms Alee's Ben Verellen:

You love bands that everybody speaks the same language and so that they can kind of talk about what their ideas are and what they're doing. We don't really have that luxury because the three of us don't understand one another the way we talk about music at all -- it's completely weird. It comes together musically more than it does conversationally.

Epic. Fucking. Night: Minor Threat thrashes at Dancing Waters in San Pedro, CA, in 1982

Andy on the left in flannel watching Minor Threat at Dancing Waters on July 11, 1982, in San Pedro, CA.
Photo courtesy of John Phaneuf.

By Andy

I couldn't get enough.

I had already experienced the ferocity of Minor Threat's live show for two consecutive nights, but there's always room for more in my book. Plus, you never know whether you'll get another shot to catch your favorite band live again, especially after they broke up once and hailed from across the US in Washington, DC.

This July 11, 1982 gig at Dancing Waters in San Pedro, CA, was just as crucial as the San Fernando Valley and San Diego stunners that preceded this raucous gathering amongst a host of South Bay friends -- including two-night driver Mike Paul -- who were jonesing for some Minor Threat action as well.

In the above photo, with me on the left donning a flannel (that most likely reeked of beer and clove cigarettes), things appear calm, but that respite from the chaos didn't last long. Lyle Preslar looks ready to launch into an opening riff and Ian MacKaye would quickly turn to the crowd and lead us into a punk-rock warzone that we'd never experienced before. While I may look set in my coveted spot, that would change in an instant once the mayhem was unleashed. All systems were go and everyone up front got yanked into the maelstrom.

It was fucking unbelievable and something I haven't felt at a gig since that night.

To prep us for the Minor Threat bomb that would soon explode, Black Flag played a short set along with Circle One and MIA, I believe. Henry Rollins was in full force during Minor Threat's set, as well, piling onto the stage with the rest of us to share vocal duties with MacKaye, who was more than willing to hand off the mic.

It was another killer show, and probably the best of the three in a row (and certainly more intimate than the massive July 3 gig at The Barn at Alpine Village, where you could barely see the band on the stage because of the constant stream of divers and slammers. MacKaye's bald head popped up every once in a while, so you knew he was there).

Bumps, bruises and hoarse voices aside for all involved, the ride home after Dancing Waters was bliss, knowing that we were witness to something special that night.

Here's some recollections of that legendary night from a pair of friends, who are also spotted in the photos:


Doug Carrion:
I remember it being a SUPER fun show. Lyle was bitching about the monitors. There was a live recording floating around the beach area afterwards. Fletcher was the one that introduced me to Minor Threat and I was hooked!! Live, they played just like the recordings, blazing fast and you got a feeling of flying by the seat of your pants. It was also the first show I had gone to that had the kids up front singing (East Coast style ) .. normally it was slamming, and stage dives. I knew this was a special show -- dare I say history in the making. Even seeing SSD or Misfits back then, it wasn't a positive sing-along experience like seeing Minor Threat. In fact, that was the ONLY time I saw them. (When they) played the Barn, I got in trouble and my mom had me on lock down at the house, but that's another story. I also remember they played a reggae song at the end, it might have been a bad brains song and Ian was waiting for the sound guy to turn on the delay for his vocals. (Jah, are you there?) It was an interesting contrast to their other songs. Minor Threat at Dancing Waters, that shit was EPIC!! I guess I was in the right place at the right time!!

Henry Rollins, second from right, gets into the Minor Threat action at Dancing Waters.
Photo courtesy of John Phaneuf

Chris O'Connor:
We rolled down to Dancing Waters...not sure who drove, may have been Fletcher. Before Minor Threat hit the stage, me and Herder ran to his truck and grabbed a cassette then ran over to the sound man and asked if he could tape the set...he said sure...kinda easy! We made our way up to the front and it went off! They closed their set with covers from Bad Brains and Gov Issue -- Asshole dub and Right Brigade. After the set, we ran back and he handed me the cassette...then we all jumped into the car and I surprised everyone when I popped it into the player....it sounded great! The tape got passed around and the rest is history! I sent it to Max RNR years later and Chris Dodge kept it and never did anything with it...just recently it appeared on Oakland Distort. I spoke with the owner and told him the story...he even had the original tape I sent him with the art I did. Full Circle!


*** Here you go... the tape!

Drums were pummeled, photos were taken / Cat Rose

Eben Travis of Holy Grove.

Cat deemed 2019 the Year of the Drummer for There's Something Hard in There.

In honor of that moniker, here's some of the standout shots that she snagged at various Seattle gigs this year.

As these drummers whaled and sweat on their skins, Cat received a few bruises on hers to capture the action.

Spit Stix of Nasalrod

Brendan Canty of The Messthetics

Regan of Thee Deception

Hozoji Matheson-Margullis of Helms Alee

Travis Kuhlman of Buildings

Adam Gross of Redshift

Thee Slayer Hippie of Accused A.D.

Nat Damm of Sandrider

Bryce of The Tranzmitors

Zach Barocas of Jawbox

Giuliano Scarfo of The Dils

AND SNEAKING IN AN UNSEEN PHOTO FROM 2018...

Adin of Diyu