My fifteen minutes of fame on KRAB - By N.L. Belardes
I was lost. It's normal. Every morning I lose my house keys in the big stack of papers on my desk and I go into cranky mode. JR and I both wandered outside the KRABland studios and I wasn't even sure I was in the right place. And so, yes, cranky mode set in. JR has seen it in me a half-dozen times. He always says, "Chill..."
It read "KRAB Radio 106.1" on the Clear Channel marquee, so it had to be the right place. But what did I know? For all I knew there was some radio tower on a mountain where Danny Spanks beamed his voice into the valley and we were far from it.
It wasn't long and Danny came down and greeted us at the door. He came outside and smoked a quick cigarette and that was that. Five minutes later he escorted us into the tiny room where the illusion of radio is weaved like a hip Wizard of Oz behind a magic curtain. Oh sure, there's a big server room, and other radio stations all tucked away neatly along an upstairs corridor. But that wasn't where JR and I were headed. We were off to send a message to the good people of Bakersfield; well, I had an agenda anyways. I wanted to talk about people being drawn to the drama of the music scene and about hidden talents unappreciated by the greater Bakersfield masses.
Yeah, JR knows I dig hockey. But Detroit??
Just kidding... thanks man...
Paul of Exithead pointed out in an email today that I should have mentioned American Standard. He's right. But then, I put American Standard right up there with Adema and Korn. They're going to the top. It's just a matter of a short while. They have great packaging, great music, great contacts, and a hero and legend in Mark DeLeon. I reserved my time last night for the less fortunate bands...I heard JR even got mentioned in the liner notes. It will be a cold day in hell before I get that lucky. I had American Standard in my notes though...
Yeah, I could have played songs from a bunch of really killer bands on the verge of getting signed, but I figured, if last night was the only night in my life I was going to get on the radio, then I was going to do something for the kids of Bakersfield. Why not play an obscure cowpunk song from some young kids from the agri-city of punkdom, so that they would know that like Matt Munoz once told me, "The kids of Bakersfield need to know that it's still a great thing to be in a band..."
The studio time flew by really fast and it was all over. I have to admit it was pretty fun to do. And if there's another chance. Well I hope to do it even better in the future...
Thanks to all the artists who listened last night.
I think this was where I was putting Danny to sleep
with my rambling...
Some loose notes I took before going on air. Call it a tentative N.L. agenda. I scribbled them onto a legal pad and then jotted down even more notes. I tend to only write down half of what I'm really thinking before giving a speech/lecture. JR, he just has it all in his head. I'm not that good:
NOTES:
Well you can’t ignore the alleged Nate Berg drama. That just captivates people like the Lords of Bakersfield stories I write. Did or didn’t the alleged baseball bat of poor consciousness take place. Did the Lords really kill children on a murderous gay rampage. You see, many of these stories are built on exactly what my music blog states, gossip. It’s what people talk about. It’s the word on the street. And people are drawn to such controversy. We can only wonder, will the Nate Berg stories become mythified five years, ten years from now like the Lords of Bakersfield stories. It can help the music scene in the long run.
On another note there’s always drama in the scene. Band members come and go. Venues come and go or change names completely. I think some of the most tragic and dramatic are the closing of Gigantic downtown. It literally changed the shape of the music scene. Kids could no longer run back and forth from show to show across 19th street. You see, venues can play off each other. And that’s one of the reason Jerry’s Pizza takes so much opinionated heat from local musicians. It wants to stand alone. And so Jerry’s takes heat because representatives are seen downtown checking out the scene in other venues so it knows how to combat instead of work with other downtown venues. I think Jerry’s would be happy to see the Bakersfield downtown never build up like other major cities.
That along with the local murders have nearly decimated what at the beginning of the year was a growing scene. Now the growth is sporadic. The murders were all between people fighting. You know there’s something I say to people about cowboys and it’s a rule of thumb for most people. If you don’t want a boot in your ass, then leave cowboys alone. Same is said for punks with chains and big guys in bars who may be drinking, and who may be on drugs. With that said, people have this false idea that downtown is dangerous for them. It’s not dangerous. Use the same rules you would use anywhere. Don’t walk alone in the dark. Don’t leave valuables in your car. Park in well-lit areas. Don’t drink and drive. And have fun.
You can still go to Jerry’s, Kosmos, Rileys, fishlips, underground or downtown records. You can’t get Chinese food in the Wall St. alley anymore, but you can go to the cat, and now there’s Azuls, and some really cool DJ stuff happening there and over at Xanders. Xanders has the coolest underground DJ scene with its cool leather couches, bar and great vibe… acoustic-based musicians should approach these guys about shows.
Who are all the younger bands?
Night Crawlers and the Kookoonauts: who do the younger bands try to emulate these days?
I spoke with the Kookoonauts…. They take their music seriously so do you call them a garage band? I can think of some bands around here who have that label and they’ve been together a while.
But then, I like U2 and didn’t they start in a garage or something?
People claim there aren’t enough venues in town. Problem is there isn’t enough support for all the shows. There are thousands of young people uneducated as to the talent of some of these bands. And with some bands, fan loyalty among friends who are taught to hate other bands, it’s rather silly. If you’re the Condors, sure, hate the falcons, but why contribute to a small music scene. Small minded-ness only breeds itself.
Is anybody aware of the rock stars in this town? Seantastic of Karmahitlist, Tyler or Liars and Thieves, Kenny Mount of the Filthies, Ty of Arrival of Fawn, the list goes on, and now this kid sensation of Lost Ocean: Skyler. He’s a 19 year old virtuoso. Others in their young band are too, but this kid is amazing with what he does on the keyboards. If people in Bakersfield would quit watching American Idol for one second they would flock to some of these shows to see literal rock stars.
People in Bakersfield take it for granted what Bakersfield means to people outside of this city. It’s a shame. How many times have you heard young kids here say, I hate Bakersfield, there’s no culture, there’s nothing to do in this hick town.
Well I was at a country music show the other night and saw a statue in Bakersfield dedicated to Elvis, let alone other folks like wills, Williams, and Cash, I mean Elvis Presley…
I was at the show and saw rock and roll people… not a lot, but some, why? Because those are the few who recognize and capitalize on the roots of this town that doesn’t just include Korn and Adema, but country roots that had close ties to early rock roots.
If the younger crowd would realize and get educated to their roots, this town could explode as a rekindling of Nashville West.
But then this town seems to repel rather than embrace. Don’t folks realize that people who make music are cultural leaders? Buck Owens can attest to that. And he knew Elvis, right?
I think Norfolk is one of the only local bands on the right track to embrace the culture of Bakersfield; maybe American Standar does. I haven’t listened to their CD, but they have this powerhouse tough-American metal image going on that I think reflects a cool working class USA image… As for Norfolk, their website needs to reflect their alt country music. Marketing must be integrated with Bakersfield culture. The Filthies and Ridicule and hopefully 40-to-1, and hopefully the KooKooNauts are doing it too with rural rock punk as their theme.
Why not invent new movements in music? Be self-created.
Jacob Burkhardt did it for the Renaissance. Did you think there was a Rennaissance just because art flourished? No, it was a name given by a historian. Art is flourishing in Bakersfield today, but unless it is given a name, it will just disappear like other lost eras for some historian in the future to hopefully stumble upon.
It read "KRAB Radio 106.1" on the Clear Channel marquee, so it had to be the right place. But what did I know? For all I knew there was some radio tower on a mountain where Danny Spanks beamed his voice into the valley and we were far from it.
It wasn't long and Danny came down and greeted us at the door. He came outside and smoked a quick cigarette and that was that. Five minutes later he escorted us into the tiny room where the illusion of radio is weaved like a hip Wizard of Oz behind a magic curtain. Oh sure, there's a big server room, and other radio stations all tucked away neatly along an upstairs corridor. But that wasn't where JR and I were headed. We were off to send a message to the good people of Bakersfield; well, I had an agenda anyways. I wanted to talk about people being drawn to the drama of the music scene and about hidden talents unappreciated by the greater Bakersfield masses.
Yeah, JR knows I dig hockey. But Detroit??
Just kidding... thanks man...
Paul of Exithead pointed out in an email today that I should have mentioned American Standard. He's right. But then, I put American Standard right up there with Adema and Korn. They're going to the top. It's just a matter of a short while. They have great packaging, great music, great contacts, and a hero and legend in Mark DeLeon. I reserved my time last night for the less fortunate bands...I heard JR even got mentioned in the liner notes. It will be a cold day in hell before I get that lucky. I had American Standard in my notes though...
Yeah, I could have played songs from a bunch of really killer bands on the verge of getting signed, but I figured, if last night was the only night in my life I was going to get on the radio, then I was going to do something for the kids of Bakersfield. Why not play an obscure cowpunk song from some young kids from the agri-city of punkdom, so that they would know that like Matt Munoz once told me, "The kids of Bakersfield need to know that it's still a great thing to be in a band..."
The studio time flew by really fast and it was all over. I have to admit it was pretty fun to do. And if there's another chance. Well I hope to do it even better in the future...
Thanks to all the artists who listened last night.
I think this was where I was putting Danny to sleep
with my rambling...
Some loose notes I took before going on air. Call it a tentative N.L. agenda. I scribbled them onto a legal pad and then jotted down even more notes. I tend to only write down half of what I'm really thinking before giving a speech/lecture. JR, he just has it all in his head. I'm not that good:
NOTES:
Well you can’t ignore the alleged Nate Berg drama. That just captivates people like the Lords of Bakersfield stories I write. Did or didn’t the alleged baseball bat of poor consciousness take place. Did the Lords really kill children on a murderous gay rampage. You see, many of these stories are built on exactly what my music blog states, gossip. It’s what people talk about. It’s the word on the street. And people are drawn to such controversy. We can only wonder, will the Nate Berg stories become mythified five years, ten years from now like the Lords of Bakersfield stories. It can help the music scene in the long run.
On another note there’s always drama in the scene. Band members come and go. Venues come and go or change names completely. I think some of the most tragic and dramatic are the closing of Gigantic downtown. It literally changed the shape of the music scene. Kids could no longer run back and forth from show to show across 19th street. You see, venues can play off each other. And that’s one of the reason Jerry’s Pizza takes so much opinionated heat from local musicians. It wants to stand alone. And so Jerry’s takes heat because representatives are seen downtown checking out the scene in other venues so it knows how to combat instead of work with other downtown venues. I think Jerry’s would be happy to see the Bakersfield downtown never build up like other major cities.
That along with the local murders have nearly decimated what at the beginning of the year was a growing scene. Now the growth is sporadic. The murders were all between people fighting. You know there’s something I say to people about cowboys and it’s a rule of thumb for most people. If you don’t want a boot in your ass, then leave cowboys alone. Same is said for punks with chains and big guys in bars who may be drinking, and who may be on drugs. With that said, people have this false idea that downtown is dangerous for them. It’s not dangerous. Use the same rules you would use anywhere. Don’t walk alone in the dark. Don’t leave valuables in your car. Park in well-lit areas. Don’t drink and drive. And have fun.
You can still go to Jerry’s, Kosmos, Rileys, fishlips, underground or downtown records. You can’t get Chinese food in the Wall St. alley anymore, but you can go to the cat, and now there’s Azuls, and some really cool DJ stuff happening there and over at Xanders. Xanders has the coolest underground DJ scene with its cool leather couches, bar and great vibe… acoustic-based musicians should approach these guys about shows.
Who are all the younger bands?
Night Crawlers and the Kookoonauts: who do the younger bands try to emulate these days?
I spoke with the Kookoonauts…. They take their music seriously so do you call them a garage band? I can think of some bands around here who have that label and they’ve been together a while.
But then, I like U2 and didn’t they start in a garage or something?
People claim there aren’t enough venues in town. Problem is there isn’t enough support for all the shows. There are thousands of young people uneducated as to the talent of some of these bands. And with some bands, fan loyalty among friends who are taught to hate other bands, it’s rather silly. If you’re the Condors, sure, hate the falcons, but why contribute to a small music scene. Small minded-ness only breeds itself.
Is anybody aware of the rock stars in this town? Seantastic of Karmahitlist, Tyler or Liars and Thieves, Kenny Mount of the Filthies, Ty of Arrival of Fawn, the list goes on, and now this kid sensation of Lost Ocean: Skyler. He’s a 19 year old virtuoso. Others in their young band are too, but this kid is amazing with what he does on the keyboards. If people in Bakersfield would quit watching American Idol for one second they would flock to some of these shows to see literal rock stars.
People in Bakersfield take it for granted what Bakersfield means to people outside of this city. It’s a shame. How many times have you heard young kids here say, I hate Bakersfield, there’s no culture, there’s nothing to do in this hick town.
Well I was at a country music show the other night and saw a statue in Bakersfield dedicated to Elvis, let alone other folks like wills, Williams, and Cash, I mean Elvis Presley…
I was at the show and saw rock and roll people… not a lot, but some, why? Because those are the few who recognize and capitalize on the roots of this town that doesn’t just include Korn and Adema, but country roots that had close ties to early rock roots.
If the younger crowd would realize and get educated to their roots, this town could explode as a rekindling of Nashville West.
But then this town seems to repel rather than embrace. Don’t folks realize that people who make music are cultural leaders? Buck Owens can attest to that. And he knew Elvis, right?
I think Norfolk is one of the only local bands on the right track to embrace the culture of Bakersfield; maybe American Standar does. I haven’t listened to their CD, but they have this powerhouse tough-American metal image going on that I think reflects a cool working class USA image… As for Norfolk, their website needs to reflect their alt country music. Marketing must be integrated with Bakersfield culture. The Filthies and Ridicule and hopefully 40-to-1, and hopefully the KooKooNauts are doing it too with rural rock punk as their theme.
Why not invent new movements in music? Be self-created.
Jacob Burkhardt did it for the Renaissance. Did you think there was a Rennaissance just because art flourished? No, it was a name given by a historian. Art is flourishing in Bakersfield today, but unless it is given a name, it will just disappear like other lost eras for some historian in the future to hopefully stumble upon.
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Monday, May 30, 2005.
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