RIP James Atkins, former Hammerbox bassist

Photo courtesy of the James Atkins GoFundMe page

According to his GoFundMe page, "Yesterday at 12:45pm James Atkins left us. He heroically fought a mighty difficult battle with esophageal cancer and died peacefully, surrounded by about 10 loved ones, listening to AC/DC, Replacements and Motorhead."

He was 49.

Atkins is pictured fourth from the right, surrounded by band members who played at his benefits in December in Seattle. He formerly played bass for Hammerbox, which performed at the gigs along with The Gits, Selene Vigil-Wilk of 7 Year Bitch, Alcohol Funnycar, Coffin Break, Gretta Harley and Stag.

"Everybody that showed up, the audience... everybody brought something and it was all positive and you just felt it in the room. It was an unbelievable experience that I get chills thinking about it right now, I do," Vigil-Wilk said of the benefits in an interview last month with There's Something Hard in There.

Hammerbox with Atkins, far right. (CZ Records)

The Crosses: They Don't Say Please -- They're Ready to Get 'em

The Crosses, from left to right:  Mike Olson on drums, Daniel Kubinski on vocals, Joe Sanfelippo on bass and Dave Eck aka LuckyLacquers on guitar. Photo: Fred Fischer.

By Andy

Daniel Kubinski -- the man who possesses the gnarly voice behind the equally raucous Die Kreuzen tunes -- wants to give some of his former band's songs a jarring workout and gouge people's eardrums along the way.

To put his plan into play, he's joined forces with a new trio of bandmates and hammered the moniker The Crosses onto the music terrain.

Next month, Kubinski and crew will hit some stages in Wisconsin and crank out the first Die Kreuzen album from front to back. The 21-song record, which was released in 1984 on Touch and Go Records, clocks in at 29:27. It's a crucial hardcore platter, essential listening for anyone who likes to have the inside of their skull scraped away bit by bit.

As Tim Yohannan so eloquently wrote in his review of the album in MaximumRocknRoll issue #15 in July of 1984: "This is fucking great!" (12 times!)

"We worked so hard in the early years, the four or five of us, if we were lucky enough to have a roadie with us, in the back of a van for hours on end, either freezing our asses off or sweating our asses off. Fucking hell, man, I helped make these toys and now I wanna play with them," Kubinski said over the phone last Saturday. Those were golden times, he added.

My friend John and I sat in his bedroom when the album dropped (along with the "Cows and Beer" EP and the band's offerings on the "Charred Remains" and "The Master Tape" compilations in the early '80s) and unpeeled those songs note by note, scream by scream until we felt like we owned them, as well. It was always a satisfying listen and we felt mentally drained when the record or tape ended.


******

The Crosses, which is the broken German translation for "die kreuzen," also feature Mike Olson on drums, Dave Eck aka LuckyLacquers on guitar and Joe Sanfelippo on bass.

It's going to be a "fucking ferociously blistering" set, said Kubinski, noting that he's got some killer musicians in his corner. They've been hammering it out in the practice room since early December 2015 and have also penned an original song.

"We're doing our best to reproduce the record, to have that soul that the record has," he added. "I think we're gonna make people smile with it. I think it's gonna be cool. I think people are really gonna have a good time -- just as good of a time as we are."

Kubinski said the songs are a little bit faster and heavier than the originals, and The Crosses can't wait to play some small semi-secret gigs at Wisconsin punk rock bars next month before the big WMSE 35th Anniversary show on March 26 at the Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee.

"We feel we like we need to get our swerve on, so to speak, before we start doing these bigger shows. We need to kind of get a band face going here, so that should help," he said.

Also on The Crosses' agenda are gigs in Portland on May 20 and Seattle on May 21. In Seattle, they'll play with Toe Tag, which features former Fartz and Accused singer Blaine Cook, one of Kubinski's early hardcore heroes. He's stoked for this pairing, of course.

Art: Richard Kohl

******

Kubinski has the blessings of other original members Erik Tunison (drums) and Keith Brammer (bass) to dive into The Crosses. Original guitarist Brian Egeness has been out of the picture since he quit the band 24 years ago, and Jay Tiller took over six-string duties for a handful of Die Kreuzen gigs in 2012-2013, including the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, which Cat and I were fortunate to attend and were blown away.

Die Kreuzen was offered more gigs, including Riot Fest in Chicago and the Flow Festival in Finland, but the other guys were either too busy to go for it or they weren't into it.

Kubinski wanted to taste every ounce of those gigs, hence The Crosses' formation.

After The Crosses learned the first five songs on the album, Kubinski felt the band was on the right track and he then emailed Tunison and Brammer. Tunison (who lives in Amsterdam) wrote back right away and told Kubinski to have fun with it. Brammer replied about a week later, saying that he wasn't enamored with the idea, but if it makes the singer happy, he should proceed with the band.

Don't call it Die Kreuzen, they both stressed. Kubinski wasn't going to anyway, and he went with The Crosses.

Kubinski discussed the emails: "(I told them) I really wanna do this, it makes me happy. The guys are seriously good players and you know I wouldn't do this half-ass -- it's gotta be right on or nothing at all. And so you can trust that and you can trust me and I'm not gonna fuck around with our reputation or anything, but I do wanna go after these things, and I just wanna have fun with it."

The singer noted that he misses playing music with his old bandmates, who were inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2011.

Kubinski with Die Kreuzen at Roadburn in Tilburg, Netherlands in 2013. Photo: Cat Rose

******

Kubinski has wanted to put Die Kreuzen songs back on the map for years and years after he saw other bands reforming and playing shows.

"Then Flag started to play out, and I'm like, 'Alright, this is a thing, man, you can actually do this,'" he said.

So, he started gathering his new group.

First came LuckyLacquers, whom Kubinski met at the guitarist's disc-mastering business while he handled a release for Go Go Slow, Kubinski's other band in which he plays guitar.

LuckyLacquers told Kubinski that he would carry a cassette of the first Die Kreuzen album around with him wherever he went -- to parties, car rides, wherever -- and he'd make people listen to it.

"And then he followed that up by saying, 'You know, and I can pretty much play most of that record the way it is' ... and then my wheels went from turning to spinning and I'm like, 'Ah, OK,'" Kubinski said with a laugh.

A couple weeks later, he checked out hardcore unit Population Control, which features Sanfelippo on bass.

"They had a couple songs where he was doing some speed picking on bass that was just very Keith Brammer-esque. I'm like, 'Jeez, I think I found the second piece to my puzzle here,'" Kubinski said.

In his search for a stellar drummer, Kubinski looked no further than Olson, his old friend and former bandmate in Decapitado and Enemy Star. Olson also blazed away in Realm, a ripping prog-thrash-metal band that released a couple of records on Roadrunner.

After purchasing a copy of the first Die Kreuzen album, Olson listened to it and told his wife, "'Yeah, these songs are really short and they seem pretty simple, I think I can do this,' which later he countered with, 'This shit is really difficult, I've never played music like this before -- this is crazy intense,'" Kubinski said.

So, what about Kubinski's voice? The set of pipes that were once described as being able to peel paint off walls?

It's different these days, he said, and he's not really growling through the whole set, but he's belting it out at the most important points.

"So, yeah, it works. And we're having fun with it. I'm having a blast." he said. "I can't stop smiling or laughing by the time we get to side two that opens up with 'Pain' then 'Sick People' and then 'Hate Me.' They've got it down pat and I get to add the 'Yo Mamma' right before 'Hate Me' starts."

They've also got Wire's "Pink Flag" and the Germs' "Land of Treason" ready for encores, and they may reach into the "October File" and "Century Days" albums in the future.

Kubinski at Roadburn. Photo: Cat Rose

******

Rehearsing the album and revisiting the lyrics has been like a trip back in time for Kubinski.

"I remembered who I was and where I was and why I wrote this particular lyric, and the bad times I had in high school. Cuz that's how young I was, some of those lyrics were written when I was like 17 years old," he said. "For the longest time, that stuff would make me feel kind of bad, like I had wasted a whole bunch of time. But over the years, that's changed. I realize that I wasn't wasting time, I was writing what was in my head. I was doing my best to be some kind of an artist or something, freeing up myself to write this stuff."

The songs are angsty and display youthful aggression. There's talk of money woes and people looking down on him in high school, which many of us also experienced.

But those tough times drew him toward something crucial that became his lifeblood: Music.

"It was the one thing that I could get into and crawl into and immerse myself into to forget about what a bad day I'd had at school or outside of school or whatever," he said. "It makes me think back to those times. Actually, I wouldn't change anything because I might not have what I have had I not done what I did, which was move away from Rockford and then pen these songs with my friends."

I noted that we probably wouldn't be talking last Saturday if Kubinski hadn't gone through some hardships, like we all do. I added that we've got to embrace everything from our past because it's part of our life path. Sometimes we cringe a little, but it all happens for a reason.

"Yeah, I totally agree. It's part of who I am and where we were at those times," he said. "And of course, you know, the country was different at that time, Reagan and stuff... So I wouldn't change anything. I love where I've been and where I'm going and there were some dark times here and there, but, like you said, we wouldn't have this."

More Roadburn action. Photo: Cat Rose

******

Here's LuckyLacquers' Crosses "book report," as he calls it:

Die Kreuzen goes way back for me.  I first heard heard this record in a friend's car on the way home from seeing The Crucifucks and The Burning Ernies at the Wilmar in Madison, WI.  I had actually seen the band multiple times before ever hearing the LP on its own.  Many agree, that the recording is quite an experience.

After that, I was the guy who brought a cassette of the first record to every party, road trip or skate jam, so I could take over the stereo with it.  Even my wife still has the comp tapes I made from back in our high school days with many of these songs in between tracks from 7 Seconds, Crass, MDC, Motorhead, The Fall, The Residents, and she still knows the songs, too.  I used to jam along to the record all the time back then on my Les Paul.  I played in some punk bands, the local venues and house parties back then, O'Cayz, Black Bear, Nottingham, community center shows, etc, etc…nothing too serious and I still have some of the old DK flyers, too.

I didn’t evolve down the same path as the Die Kreuzen guys did, but I witnessed this record become a landmark for punk, HC and metal and I was able to say that I was at the heart of it, here in middle of nowhere Wisconsin, watching and hearing it influence new releases all the time and in pretty much every genre that spawned from punk, from then on.  And when I’d meet someone who knew the record as well as I did, there was always a bond, and the people who it was new to, were always appreciative of being turned on to it.

A couple years after HS, I moved to Minneapolis and as a radio DJ, was always sure to pick a song or two off the first LP for airplay.  Played guitar in a few more bands, again, nothing ever too serious, then moved out west and continued to form bonds with fans of the record, old and new.   One side project even covered and recorded a couple songs, along side a couple tunes from the legendary Born Without A Face from Michigan (aka Mark Dancy / Big Chief / Motorbooty), my second HC favorite from that era.

As a mastering engineer and getting to work with a new punk, HC or metal band every day, I haven’t stopped sharing this record with bands and shredders, young and old.  I especially enjoy enlightening the folks who like to throw around the term “Voivod Chords” and turn them onto Die Kreuzen for the first time, too.  To me and every other local, it's always been the “Die Kreuzen Chords”, a HC style assembled by guitarist, Brian Egeness, the mastermind behind all of these crazy riffs and chords integrated into super-mathy HC.

At a certain point in the '80s, Die Kreuzen were a local staple, "Cows and Beer" was on the local jukebox, and today, what are we on, maybe the 4th or 5th wave of HC in the 2010s?   It's no longer surprising to hear the influence of Die Kreuzen in new music I work on, almost every day.  I mean, some of the songs off of this record date back to the late '70s!  It's really been that long, but this record has effectively influenced all of the modern HC and metal that I hear today, from Voivod to Bane, to the new local up-and-comer.   And let's face it, the new kids didn’t get it from Wire and they didn’t even get it from Die Kreuzen.   And from time to time, I check out one of these “history of metal” books and if I don’t find Die Kreuzen in there as a heavy influence, or even in the appendix, the author has obviously missed out on a lot of history and I don’t need to go any further than that.

With so many generations in between, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that most don’t realize their influence, because the techniques have been handed down generation after generation, just like blast beats, another story entirely.   There is no argument that Die Kreuzen were before their time, or more would know of them today and their connection.  Even after I got into them in the early '80s, these songs dropped off Die Kreuzen's playlist way too fast, and I was local!  So to me, playing and hearing these songs live, the way they were intended, with Dan at the helm, will be a scratch off the bucket list for many.  I'm honored to be a part of it, as well as getting to remaster the "Cows and Beer" EP that came out a couple years back.

The songs we play are still exponentially mind-blowing to anyone who's hearing it for the first time or the hundredth, and very, very much fun to play live!   Happy that Dan still loves to rock them and I know the rest of the guys love to play them too!  21 songs of absolute mayhem!!!   As a band we all intend to honor the material as accurately as we can, and to honor all of the DK band members by playing them, and hopefully even turn their music on to all the new generations of shredders!  And we have new songs in the works, too!

Contact Dave at www.luckylacquers.com for more information about vinyl, CD mastering and restoration.


Sanfelippo added:

I first crossed paths with Die Kreuzen at the ripe age of 15 (c. 2006). I worked at a gas station on the south-ish side of Milwaukee, and during my time there I had a habit of wearing T-shirts of my favorite bands to work, much to the ire of my superiors. One day in walks a tall dreadlocked stranger (none other than Daniel Kubinski himself), and upon eyeing my garments he says, "Nice shirt, I opened for those guys back in the day." I replied something like, "No kidding, who the heck are you?" The very next day “Cows and Beer” was crackling away on my hi-fi, and despite being 20-something years late to the party, I was enthralled.

Years go by and out of the hearsay and speculation, Die Kreuzen finally emerge with not just one but several reunion dates! Who WASN'T imagining being on stage with them at that point? What could be more exciting? The live experience was something I never thought I would have the privilege to attend and it far exceeded expectations.

Add a few more years to the count and here we are; The Crosses. Dan approached us individually fall of 2015 and I was on board from the word go. A band playing Die Kreuzen's legendary self-titled LP? Of course I want in, Dan. Of Course I do. Being included in this experience is a huge honor, and a hell of a lot of fun. No one in the know needs me to tell them that the Die-K LP is perhaps the finest specimen of hardcore face-stomping available on the market, both at the time of release and today. The riffs are unforgettable and the lyrics hold a gleaming relevance that haven't aged a day. As for now, we The Crosses eagerly await the day when we finally bring our labors to the public, hoping that all of you will enjoy this as much as we are.

Donate to John Stabb Boycott Cancer fund

Courtesy of Dischord Records Web site, Jim Saah photo.

On Feb. 6, Government Issue vocalist John Stabb was diagnosed with malignant stomach cancer in addition to having two intestinal tumors removed through his surgery the week before.

To help raise money to cover medical and living expenses for Stabb, visit, https://www.gofundme.com/boycottcancer.

Here’s an excerpt from an interview we did with Stabb a few years ago:

**Who influenced you as a singer and energetic frontman? What about the clothes-- where did your fashion sense come from? What were some of your more memorable outfits?

Well, it would all depend upon what time frame or recording for me. "Legless Bull" was me being Jello Jr. because I worshipped at the altar of Dead Kennedys.

"Boycott Stabb" was my infatuation with all thing Jack Grisham (TSOL) and that went for my thrift-shop chic. I'm proud to be the only "Clown Prince of WDC Punk" in the early '80s when most of my punk-band friends were just sporting your basic T-shirt and jeans. I also dug Nick Cave's hairstyle so that's when the "Cave-wave" kicked in. I loved The Birthday Party like nobody's business!

I was still confusing the punk-rock troops by "Give Us Stabb or Give Us Death" being a Mock-star with my cheesy '80s metal outfits. I thought I was looking like Stephen Pearcy (RATT) with all my make-up, bad perm and fringy wardrobe but ended up resembling some silly "Rocky Horror" (ugh!) fan. Or for any of you readers from the mid-'70s ... Mac Davis-ha!

And I think everyone who listened to "You" could tell I was heavily influenced by Dave Vanian. I even wanted G.I. to start sounding like The Damned. I certainly can hear it vocally and musically on that record, as well as the "S/T" one.

Too many memorable outfits to name but the gem I wore opening up for The Misfits was an electric neon-green (in the spotlight it could sear the human eye!) tuxedo with tails over a large white with red polka-dotted dress shirt. I think that one left a great impression upon Danzig and his Groovie Ghoulies thinking I looked like a fucking clown. I succeeded in irritating a few folks and entertaining the rest that evening. I was very proud of myself that night!

John Doe to release LA punk book, ‘The Westerner’ album

John Doe. (Cat Rose photo)

X’s John Doe has been a busy man: penning his book “Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of LA Punk” with Tom DeSavia, and recording a new album “The Westerner.”

“‘The Westerner’ is my psychedelic, soul record from the Arizona desert,” Doe writes on his website. It is dedicated to Michael Blake (RIP), author of many books, including “Dancing With Wolves,” and a scholar and advocate for Native American rights.

Here’s some lyrics from the album:

In his dreams, he still flies
In his dreams, he still dreams
standing at the edge of the world
tasting the ocean as it rushes in
standing at the edge of the world
feet in the sand, waiting on the rising sun -- “Rising Sun”

The 320-page “Under the Big Black Sun” will be released on April 26 by Da Capo Press. A 480-minute audiobook download will be released on the same day.

The book (covering 1977-1982) will feature personal essays from famous (and infamous) players in the scene: Exene Cervenka (X), Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Mike Watt (The Minutemen), Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go's), Dave Alvin (The Blasters), Jack Grisham (TSOL), Teresa Covarrubias (The Brat), Robert Lopez (The Zeros, El Vez), as well as scencesters and journalists Pleasant Gehman, Kristine McKenna and Chris Morris.

“‘Under the Big Black Sun’ shares stories of friendship and love, ambition and feuds, grandiose dreams and cultural rage, all combined with the tattered, glossy sheen of pop culture weirdness that epitomized the operations of Hollywood's underbelly. Readers will travel to the clubs that defined the scene, as well as to the street corners, empty lots, apartment complexes, and squats that served as de facto salons for the musicians, artists, and fringe players that hashed out what would become punk rock in Los Angeles,” Doe’s website reads.

See Doe’s website for ordering information: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/johndoe

Jon Bunch memorial concert set for March 20

By Andy

In honor of Jon Bunch (RIP), here's some lyrics from one of his bands War Generation that strike a chord with all of us who grew up in the early '80s hardcore scene. Or any scene from any era.


Alone in our rooms yeah we'd listen to records
MDC and 7 Seconds
schooled us on the rules of the streets yeah
Summer heat and Hardcore beats yeah

Those records vibe and they kept us alive
when we were free to fuck up
Ahead of our time you were always behind
Thought we could never keep up?
It was Hardcore Love running through our blood
But you never knew and you'll never know
The Hardcore Love running through our blood... that's right
No one to listen, we'd put on a record
No one to talk to, we'd put on our records
They're after you, what are you gonna do yeah?
The one thing to turn to get us through yeah...

Yeah we were right... right all along
Yeah we were right, yeah you were wrong
Yeah we were right... right all along
Yeah we were right, yeah you were wrong


While Bunch was digging into records in his Harbor City, CA bedroom, I was doing the same thing in nearby Redondo Beach. On many days, I'd sit with my siblings or friends and we'd spend countless hours blasting tunes, poring over lyric sheets and then trying to figure out riffs on our guitars.

We were in it for the long haul on those days. Those lyrics and tunes would help shape our personalities and give us some guidance into dealing with life outside of those bedroom walls with our stereo speakers "maxed out on 10" (from Toxic Reasons' "Noise Boys," one of those crucial songs back then -- and now).

To donate to the Jon Bunch Memorial Fund, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/qmmyfwt8

Dead Heavens in San Jose / Videos

Dead Heavens. (Andy photos and videos)

Dead Heavens' psych-blues rock was on the loose last Thursday night at Cafe Stritch in San Jose.

The New York-based unit swung into town with Mrs. Magician and hopefully made some ears bleed in the normally mellow jazz joint. We were privileged to catch them while on vacation in NorCal this past week.

These guys have been around the block, you know who they are: Guitarist and vocalist Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Rival Schools), guitarist Paul Kostabi (Youth Gone Mad, White Zombie), drummer Drew Thomas (Youth of Today, Into Another, Bold) and bass guitarist Nathan Aguilar (Cults).

A Straight-Up Discussion with Members of 7 Year Bitch

Selene Vigil-Wilk rolls through a 7 Year Bitch song recently in Seattle. Also pictured is bassist Tommy Bonehead.
(Cat Rose photo)

By Andy and Cat

Bands have to start somewhere, so the seeds for 7 Year Bitch might as well have been sown while two of its members were working at an Italian import food shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1990.

Drummer for the band -- which broke up in 1997 -- Valerie Agnew notes that she and her husband strolled through the market on a recent day, and the memories came flooding back.

Agnew worked side by side with vocalist Selene Vigil-Wilk -- both sporting tattoos and possessing an intense love for music -- and getting a band happening was one of the main ideas surging through their minds as the hours crept by and they anticipated an evening of raucous live music at local clubs.

"We would just shoot the shit about it while we were selling fig bars," said Agnew, sitting beside Vigil-Wilk on Jan. 15 at a Seattle hotel bar about seven blocks away from the market.

The singer's eyes light up and she cracks up when noting that she wanted to play violin in the group. The drummer shakes her head: nope that ain't gonna happen.

Apparently the ingredients in those fig bars were punk-rock friendly because along came bassist Elizabeth Davis-Simpson from her job upstairs at the market to buy the tasty snacks at the shop. Agnew and Vigil-Wilk struck up a friendship with Davis-Simpson over the counter while she was looking "badass" with her bullet necklace and other edgy attire.

Davis-Simpson was already cutting her teeth in a band, but she would soon team up with the other women. Eventually, Stefanie Sargent (RIP) -- who "waltzes in off the streets of San Francisco" back to Seattle, Vigil-Wilk said -- would befriend the trio.

Sargent was friends with Vigil-Wilk's boyfriend, and when the soon-to-be 7 Year Bitch guitarist showed up and yelled Eric's name, the singer liked her instantly. Sargent slept on their couch, quick bonds were formed and a band was in the works.

And what a band it would turn out to be, offering up three gut-wrenching albums and a handful of singles that dug into the emotions of the band, its friends and fans.

C/Z Records

'HONEST' SONGS

Agnew said that the feelings expressed in the songs could "universally apply to anybody who's had heartbreak of any kind."

The band spoke up, stood strong and laid it all out there.

"What struck me is that they (the songs) were very honest, they were very real," said Vigil-Wilk. "It's our experiences. People experience tragedy or loss or a relationship... I'm not gonna sit here and cry all day. I'm gonna go hit something. There's a lot of raw emotion and energy in it."

Twelve of those songs were released Jan. 15 on the "Live at Moe" album, which was recorded in 1996 in Seattle. The MOE Recordings release kicks off with "24,900 Miles Per Hour" and rips through "Hip Like Junk," "The Scratch," "Kiss My Ass Goodbye" and other crucial tunes.

Agnew, Vigil-Wilk, Davis-Simpson and Róisín Ross (who replaced Sargent after her death in 1992 and played guitar on the "Moe" album) were all in Seattle on Jan. 17 for an interview and signing at the EMP Museum.

7 Year Bitch at EMP. (Ben London photo)

"The new CD is fucking powerful!" said Andy Kessler (aka Joe Spleen), guitarist of The Gits. “They're my sisters and a great band. It's been so good to spend some time with them lately; they're family."

Added Ben London, guitarist/vocalist for Alcohol Funnycar and longtime band friend: "7 Year Bitch was such a pure example of DIY. They had such a strong perspective and natural talent that they willed themselves out of the audience and on to the stage. It was amazing to see them grow together and become the powerful band they were."

London also came up with the name 7 Year Bitch one day while drinking beers with the band at the Comet Tavern. Vigil-Wilk said with a laugh that Sargent wanted to call the band Pineapple Thunderpussy, but they went with London's moniker, which takes a clever jab at the Marilyn Monroe film.

Agnew reminisces about Sargent, who had a magnetic personality and was a big fan of the blond movie star: "We always called her the punk rock Marilyn Monroe," and they used an image of Monroe from "Some Like it Hot" on the first 7 Year Bitch single, featuring the songs "Lorna," "No Fuckin' War" and "You Smell Lonely."


'SURREAL' EXPERIENCE

Speaking of "You Smell Lonely," it was one of the four 7 Year Bitch songs that Vigil-Wilk belted out in December 2015 at two benefit gigs for Hammerbox bassist James Atkins, who is battling esophageal cancer, at Chop Suey in Seattle. (Editor's note: Sadly, Atkins passed away on Feb. 27.)

Backed by London, Alcohol Funnycar bassist Tommy Bonehead and drummer Jason Finn (Presidents of the USA, Love Battery), she smiled and slithered her way through the set, which also featured "The Scratch," "Crying Shame" and "Knot." We were there and it was fucking great.

While standing on the sidewalk chatting with Atkins in front of Chop Suey, Vigil-Wilk said she told her friend, "That was surreal," and he replied, "I know..."

Vigil-Wilk noted that only the words “I know” were necessary when communicating with Atkins and others about what transpired during those shows. “I know” spoke volumes of that special time when emotions were at the forefront both on and off stage.

Agnew and Vigil-Wilk laughed while recalling the gigs and scores of friends surrounding Atkins, band members and attendees.

I turned to Agnew and said that it’s possible that no words — only eye contact and nods of the heads — could have done the job in summing up what those shows meant to so many people. She and Vigil-Wilk agreed as smiles spread across the table.

The singer hadn't let loose on those songs since 7 Year Bitch broke up in 1997. It was high time that she brought her "stuff" back to life and shared it with the crowd again -- and with Atkins.

"It felt awesome," said Vigil-Wilk, who rolled through two 45-minute practices with the guys leading up to the shows. "I was excited. I wasn't over-the-top nervous. Right before I went on stage, it was like there was a hummingbird in my stomach (laughs while making screeching bird noises). But then once I got out there and the music started, I just felt like, 'I got this.' For some reason, I just felt this fricking confidence from out of nowhere. I think I was channeling Elizabeth because Elizabeth is always very confident."

Other 7 Year Bitch members chose not to perform -- and there isn't a reunion in the cards -- but they all gave Vigil-Wilk and the guys the go-ahead to go at it.

Vigil-Wilk turns to Agnew and notes that she was glad her friend was at the Atkins gigs. Agnew was her security blanket. Her partner in punk-rock crime even though she wasn't on stage like in the old days. Agnew was floored during the gigs and added that while watching the shows with Atkins and others, she gained a different perspective on Vigil-Wilk's style, since she always watched the singer from the stage while punishing her drum kit.

On the trio that rocked with Vigil-Wilk, Agnew said: "It was cool that it was such old friends. So having our brothers be the ones that were backing her up made it OK for us."

Agnew added that Atkins was stoked, and the collective, palpable energy from all the bands made the shows unforgettable. Some band members were sick, but they pushed through adversity, pulling it out in the end, Agnew said.

Also playing that night were Hammerbox (with Fiia McGann taking Atkins' place on bass), The Gits (with energetic singer Rachel Flotard bringing the spirit of Mia Zapata, RIP, to the stage), Alcohol Funnycar, Coffin Break, Gretta Harley and Stag.

"Everybody that showed up, the audience... everybody brought something and it was all positive and you just felt it in the room. It was an unbelievable experience that I get chills thinking about it right now, I do," Vigil-Wilk said.

"People were spontaneously crying throughout the night. It was heavy."

Agnew -- who moved out to Seattle with The Gits, London and others from Antioch College in Ohio -- said The Gits nailed it as she watched alongside another group of friends from her old school who were in town for the shows.

Trio of Cat Rose photos

Partial lyrics, music guide to "Knot"

ZAPATA'S SOUL

Zapata had a huge influence on 7 Year Bitch when they came crashing through the gate in 1990. They practiced above her bedroom at the Rathouse and she gave them words of advice from the get-go.

"She would say, 'You guys, this is rad; you guys, this is awesome.' She was totally our cheerleader, had our back, was so supportive of us," said Vigil-Wilk, who saw The Gits for the first time with her boyfriend at the Vogue.

The couple turned to each other and one of them said, "Things just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting." Vigil-Wilk went and saw them again, "and I just sat there and looked at her. I still remember the feeling, her raw, pure, soul -- singing."

Agnew said Zapata had the "ability to express human experience in a way that everybody could connect to. The lyrics to 'Cut My Skin'... I remember listening to a cassette tape of them before we moved out to Seattle. This is while we were all still at Antioch. I remember thinking, just listening to the certain lyrics and the way that she sung them, just having this feeling like she understood and was able to emote these universal things.

"Which is true of any great music," Agnew added, "That's why everybody's been mourning the loss of David Bowie and even Lemmy. That same thing where she just had it effortlessly, without it being self-conscious or contrived or preachy. We were fortunate enough to see her find her own stride and confidence, because she was sometimes really super confident and sometimes not."

Cat and I were fortunate to attend a Zapata solo acoustic gig in San Jose, Calif., in 1993 (we also saw The Gits a night or so before). We spoke to her and she said she was nervous because none of her people were there.

"We're your people," Cat said and bought Zapata a shot of whiskey. We had a group of friends there watching and rooting her on. It is one of our most fond memories to this day.

Agnew said: "I remember Mia was stoked about playing that acoustic show. She was stoked that she got paid. She was totally excited because she had been really nervous and she was pushing herself outside of her comfort zone, because as you saw with The Gits, their energy and their vibe as a band was they all played off of each other. I'm so glad that you guys were at that show."

Vigil-Wilk recalls 7 Year Bitch staying at the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on Atlantic Records' dime, living it up and blown away by the scenario. They told The Gits to get over there and join them posthaste.

"They came over. They were on that tour that you guys were at. We're just sitting there because now Atlantic is looking at them and it was so exciting. We're just like 'Holy shit, we can't believe this is happening.'" the singer said. "Everything was in a good space right then after she had done that (acoustic set). There was a lot of really exciting things going on."

There was a weeklong 7 Year Bitch/Gits East Coast tour in the works, Agnew said as her voice trails off and she glances at Vigil-Wilk as they mention Zapata's murder on July 7, 1993.

They push through the somber moment.  

"She was an absolute inspiration, as well as cheered us on. She was in the front and the back of us..." Vigil-Wilk said.

"Leading and supporting. She was an amazing human," Agnew said.

"I think we should do a cheers," said Cat, in honor of Zapata, as glasses clinked together.

After a few seconds of silence, Vigil-Wilk continued: "I wanna talk about her, I like talking about her. It brings tears to your eyes...I want more people to know about her and hear their music."

7 Year Bitch's album "¡Viva Zapata!" is dedicated to Zapata and Sargent and features a painting of The Gits singer on the cover.

C/Z Records

'LIVE AT MOE'

Now that a live 7 Year Bitch album has been unleashed, Agnew and Vigil-Wilk have been talking about those songs and gigs like they were written and took place yesterday. They're thrilled about this project and to be hanging out with each other.

MOE Recordings co-founder Scott Blum found the live recordings in his basement, contacted the band members about two years ago and got the ball rolling.

Agnew laughs while thinking back to the project's infancy.

"Our really good friend, our old manager who has a very dry sense of humor, very real person, was like, 'Well, you guys need to know that it's possible that nobody's gonna give a shit, right?' And we were like, 'Yeah, thanks Kevin, we know it, fuck you, dude,'" she said.

Vigil-Wilk interjected while busting up: "We don't care. We give a shit. We're putting this record out, alright?"

Agnew jumped back in: "We wanna do it for ourselves, and then if other people end up caring about it, great."

Davis-Simpson's immediate answer to why they wanted to release the record was, "Because we made it," according to Agnew, who added: "Because we have it. Because it's there. If you paint a painting, you wanna hang it up on your wall. It's kind of like the same thing."

They don't remember the specific shows that were recorded, but Vigil-Wilk loves the banter on stage that's displayed on the recording.

"A lot of it's Elizabeth. Elizabeth was way more talkative on stage than me, like she could shoot the shit. I was just like, I don't know, dwelling in my own crazy head. She's funny."

One song's missing a verse and the singer wondered if she fell off the stage or something, but a friend noted that some dude jumped up on stage, bashed into Ross, a security guard intervened and the mayhem continued from there.

They noted that close friend Lisa Faye Beatty (RIP) was the soundwoman on the recording -- and on many of their tours -- and she later joined them on stage as 7 Year Bitch's last guitarist.

"It was really cool to have her be part of it," Agnew said.

For Agnew, the magic about playing music is cementing a connection with your bandmates, your friends. Writing riffs and lyrics that strike a chord with others. For instance, "No Fuckin' War" sprouted from the band and countless others protesting the Gulf War.

"We had been in the streets yelling that and protesting, and everybody was. With the music and they're playing it and I started screaming, 'No Fuckin' War!' It was at that time and that's what we were doing and the lyrics shot off of that," said Vigil-Wilk, who was bashed in the head by a cop while protesting at the Federal Building in Seattle.


EARLY BEGINNINGS

As we drained our drinks and finished nibbling on the pumpkin fritters with green curry sauce at the hotel bar, we took Agnew and Vigil-Wilk back to their childhoods and had them discuss their earliest music experiences. A junior version of 7 Year Bitch, if you will.

When Vigil-Wilk received a text from a friend informing her that David Bowie died, she burst into tears. The image that came into her head was when she was 7 years old.

"I was in the basement of my house jumping around with my brothers and sisters, flying off furniture," she began. "And it was late night, my parents were probably out. Our cousin who lived with us and babysat us (was there), and David Bowie came on TV on some late-night music show. I remember it was Ziggy Stardust, and I remember we just stopped and stared at the TV. We were like,'Whoah!'"

She also recalls her dad's album collection and getting "blasted out by Led Zeppelin" in front of the stereo speakers at age 5.

As for her mom, she treated her six kids to some Johnny Cash and a ton of pancakes on Sunday mornings. And there was Motown music, too, and the kids "just danced our butts off."

Agnew's turn: "My first memories of records, my mom was really into Pointer Sisters, the one with the little high-heel tennis shoes with buckles on the shoes; she was really into Carly Simon and The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac and all that stuff."

"As far as when I started exploring music myself, the first album I ever bought was Ted Nugent 'Scream Dream' and I think it was because of the cover. I remember being obsessed with the Donna Summer 'Bad Girls' album cover and the KISS records covers... I would be like, 'What are these people doing? I wanna know.'"

Now, Agnew's got a new album cover of her own to check out. And some songs that stand the test of time.

Cat Rose photo