Spiller | Broiler

Seeing that San Francisco is overpopulated with so many creative people, it is no surprise that there is a bunch of shit to review. It is only obvious that the best way to review a band is to go to a live show. But a good SF bands knows that their audience has painfully short attention spans. You gotta put out a tape or somethin' for people to have somethin' to remember. It's kind of crazy to realize that there are some people in the messenger community that find the energy to concentrate on this endeavor after work (probably cuz they're not gravy dogs or somethin' ...).

I got four things to show you guys, the first of them being the "demonstration" from the band known as STD. After shaking down their establishment and finding people that could actually pay the rent for their rehearsal space, these guys are coming at you and are ready to rock. This music is straight-ahead rock, with good two-guitar melodies and pretty good lead and background vocals. They start from the depths of punk-boy raunchiness ("White Trash Girl," "She Was an Animal") and add some pop sensibility ("No Will," "Xena"). Extra bonus points for the vocal tweaking on "I Count on You." All and all these guys come out with a pretty solid first-timer that will perk some ears up. Hell's they're even being interviewed in this issue. That's how cool they are.

Next up is a four-song demo from a band called the JOY OF SIX. This band consists of six rocking' women with some really good ideas of keeping their tunes from turning into the same rock jock schlock that San Francisco has to offer. These minstrels do well at burning off the typical gits and drums image and use saxophones, flutes, congas, and other cool sounds to get their views across. The thick, driving sound of the guitar weaving through the strong rhythm section of this tape is an ample backdrop for the lead vocal, which has many dimensions within itself. The tape stars with the hot, sticky one on the sound of "Preemie" ("you put your hand on my breast/I search for your hardness"). Anybody who remembers THE BLOWN will swear that they were having a serious deja vu when they hear this song. The same goes for "Ax Murderer." The "Spy Song" takes me back to the days when I had anxiety because all my favorite ska bands had broken up thirty years before I was even born. The Joy of Six helps me out here by reincarnating the spirits of bands like the Selector and X-Ray Specs. And now I don't feel so bad. Bust the best song lyric award goes to "Down on Your Knees" ("Get down on your knees when you're talking to me, motherfucker!"). Don't lie. You want to tell your dispatcher that right now, don't you?

Next up on the roster of rock, I would like to speak of the true beauty of LOS CERVECEROS and why every one should be grateful to have such a cool band to drink to. Not only do these guys rock, but the shit that they are talking about means something to me, man. Haven't you wanted to get in a truck full of guns and go shootin' at people? No? Well, check out "Kill Them All" anyway. I really liked "Noodled Out" too but it just reminded me that I had to go to the store. There are so many fucked up things to deal with in life, and why the hell not do it with a beer in your hand? Los Cerveceros do. For a more thorough view of these modern day prophets, check out the first edition of Voice of Da and be prepared to be dazzled.

Last and not least, I must sing the praises of the most recent addition to the legacy of the culture that we love to complain about. We may not be able to stay sober enough to start a messenger union, but we sure as hell can rock. How can I say just a few words about POTHOLE? This is a compilation of San Francisco bike messenger bands, and I tell you, it is star-STUDDED! This thing sounds pretty smooth all the way through. Much kudos go out to the people that are responsible for getting this thing out, especially Bok Choy, P. Roj, and Bonz ­ who might as well be the Don King of the bicycle messenger world. Praise is also necessary to the engineers of this project for taking on the hefty task of mixing all of those songs together. I've never heard of the band AIN'T before, but they have two songs on here and they are at the beginning. I must say that the frantic pace that they set is appropriate for the rest of the CD. Both STD and the JOY OF SIX have made contributions, as well as SF institutions like the MENSCLUB, BIMBO TOOLSHED, and fucking THUNDERCHIMP, who wins the award for best-produced song on the disc. CREEPS IN EXILE brought me back to my hardcore days of running fast in a circle and trying to hurt people. BIG RIG was kind of in my face, and although I could not understand any of the lyrics, the whole concept of the "Love of a Clown" scared the shit out of me. And then THE PROJ wants me to "Get Down With the Clown?" I'm fucking sorry, but some people in our scene has a clown fixation, and it is starting to worry me. Out of all the names you could have picked, why the clown? you guys have to get this clown shit out of your minds; it's bad for your health. On a related note, the THREE STONED MEN did me a favor by recording "Too Stoned." I feel like I am too stoned when I have to 10-9 an address over the radio, but I don't feel stoned enough when the dumb-ass secretary ignores me when I'm trying to get her signature. Maybe I smell too good. One word of advice to those ROUGH MIX guys. Save the "Good Shit" for yourselves, give that pink shit to whoever the hell else wants it. And then there are the THRILL PILLOWS. Just because you guys sound like an MTV video does not necessarily mean that you will make it there. Good luck, though, and thanks for the song. The PEOPLE'S TEMPLE are present with a song that brings me back to those post-punk people-hating days when I always wanted to tell people to get off my back. I also want to give thanks to the MOUNTEBANKS and HOLLOW for slowing it down and FAMILY SCOTT for bringing out the inner hick in me. There is also an excellent song by L. SID, whose time came well before I started stacking downtown. All in all it is a fairly consistent and elegant testament to that which is our culture and you have to go out and get one, or I will beat the shit out of you. I know where you work.

­ Spiller

MASHIE NIBBLICK ­ HARD-BOILED and HALF-BAKED

Fans of the legendary, now defunct, SPOT 1019 will be pleased to see the return to the stage of local guitar/ass gods Peter Tripodi and Jimb Lyons in their latest musical incarnation MASHIE NIBBLICK. Rounding out the lineup are powerhouse ex-MEICES drummer Mark Turner, and guitarist Gary Silverstein who doubles Tripodi's screaming Telecaster in the Mashie mix. Snap songwriting is the ticket to success for this eight-song demo tape, which runs a healthy gamut of styles centered around an aggressive, catchy hard-rock sound. Thought-provoking lyrics are guaranteed to go right over the head of Joe Listener, but he'll be mouthing the words along with the band after just a few listenings anyway:

You say softly
I say nothing
I'm left standing but full of doubt
Why the egg on the face of progress
If nothing matters it all comes out
Kiss me stupid/Please remember
You're not here to punch my bag
You get dressed and I'll dismember
Reasons why I had to pack
It all comes out it all come out is all comes over.

Consistent solid songsmithing on this tape makes it clear that these eight songs are just the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully the citizens will batch on and buy a few so that MASHIE NIBBLICK can live more comfortably in the near future. These guys are definitely a must-see on the local band circuit: you can catch MASHIE NIBBLICK during the CMWC weekend playing at the El Rio with SPASTIC TWEAK DISORDER and FIVE-TICKET RIDE.

­Broiler