So we’re playing Scolari’s with our good friends Batwings on Saturday night. Those guys are our rehearsal space neighbors and aside from being stand up dudes, their brand of post-punk swagger and Jehu-esque sound is really rad to behold. AND it’s Scolari’s, the first and friendliest (Freddy RIP) bar I ever stumbled into in San Diego. The drinks are poured heavy, it smells like 40 years of stale beer and puke (almost like the Boiler Room smelled back when it was the only place worth sitting in at the Tivoli in Denvoid) and now all three bands I’ve been a member of in this town will have played there. Gingtian Violet, The Turnstiles and now Cabron!, that is very cool. They have a very interesting system for paying bands as well. The shows are free, bands get drinks 20 min before – during their set – and 20 minutes after plus 50 bucks. Leo and I were discussing this with Bryan and Robert from Batwings the other night and realized what a good model this is, even for touring bands. No matter what the door ‘would’ve’ been and even if there are only like 5 people there the bands still make some money and get loaded. My good friend Cullen wrote an awesome, backhanded indictment/article for City Beat last week about this whole DJ/band thing taking place in San Diego (and I’m sure elsewhere in other hipster spots like NY and LA). Where DJ’s get equal billing with bands that are playing live. If you think that a DJ should get paid out of the ‘door,’ essentially taking cash from a band that is actually performing then you’re best bet is to go spend some time at the ‘clubs’ in SD (chain bars) that care more about selling booze than letting local talent blossom. It cannibalizes music. I’ll never be convinced that putting a a needle on vinyl is equal to playing a song with several other people, no matter how much beat matching and mixing you’re doing or how deep your vinyl collection is or what rare Hawkwind, CAN or Joy Division single you might be spinning. Music that is spun should be either relegated to the background, or put in the forefront to stand alone and get asses shaking, it should supplement a band not be an equal ‘performing’ entity.
We’re not cool enough!
A Coat of Red Paint In Hell 