Calico Sunset, Ruin the Portrait and the Mucha Lucha movie - By N.L. Belardes
I went to Azul’s a few times last week. You know the place by now. Hidden in the Wall Street Alley, there you’ll find the only entrance to the blue-lit room and rock-and-roll patio: a ramp that leads to a set of two doors. If you park on 19th Street you have to walk down Chester Avenue or Eye Street and then head into the alley, or cut through Riley’s Tavern.
One of the nights there I hung out with Pangolese and Norfolk and watched a Mucha Lucha wrestling movie. Another night I chilled to the sounds of Ruin the Portrait and Calico Sunset, two really great Indie bands on the Bakersfield scene. Calico Sunset might argue and say they aren’t Indie at all—they’re strictly New Wave Techno. Let’s just agree they rocked the house at Azul’s.
Other than playing live on the Buck City Podcast in the N.L. Belardes studio, I had never seen Calico Sunset perform. Joseph Andreotti set up his mini synth gadgets. He had them in two small bags. That’s it. Most bands practically have to set up a yak train through the Bakersfield Himalayas to get their equipment set up. Just ask Lostocean. They probably had at least 22 horses, 2 yaks and a 3-mile wagon train just to get all their equipment to Nashville for their big tryout with EMI. (new killer Lostocean tunes here) Not Calico Sunset. Joseph’s synth-stand is their biggest piece of equipment and I think he folds that into his back pocket.
Jenny is so full of energy you have to love this girl of the Joy Electric techno craze. She dances, she grooves; she resembles a hip 2005 version of Molly Ringwald with her Sweet Sixteen Dancing Machine hit; only this Molly-girl has a better haircut and moves like she’s on fire. Not to mention she doesn’t make those annoying grimaces that old Molly R used to do in those brat pack close-ups on the silver screen. I have to admit I was one of those 80s generation punks who saw Sixteen Candles in the movie theatre when I was about 16 years old. Maybe I was a little younger than that. I refuse to do the math.
Calico Sunset has a big following and have really put Bakersfield onto the techno music movement map with their 80s revival techno gospel sung from this conservative town like they’re on a big electrified soapbox. Sing it, Jenny! Sing it! And don’t forget Joseph—he works hard to create those techno beats and synth-dreamy sounds…
Ruin the Portrait just had their second gig ever. They have a song on myspace.com that is one of my favorite local pop songs. It moves from melodic guitars to dreamy lyrics, “This could be the biggest chance of your life. You could have it all. For just a little price. A beautiful new home. A fancy foreign car. A summer house in Maui. And your own private star. In just a few short weeks you’ll have it in your hand. Just follow the plan…” But then speeds up into a catchy pop song that’s worth its weight in local pop creations. Ruin the Portrait’s live set had a much harder sound than their myspace recording. I snapped some pictures then listened from the bar. There was a large crowd there to support their rocking set, their dreamy hit song potential about a summer house in Maui…
Later, in the parking area out in the alley I saw one of their band members leaning against a car and talking to Sal from Liars and Thieves about not being happy about the set… Blah blah was too fast, this was too slow, we could do better… and so on… not much different than what I say about myself. I’ve heard Sal make similar remarks, saying how terrible he plays when it’s not like that at all. These are incredible artists who sometimes have to adapt as they go. It’s all part of the learning process. I said, “There was a good crowd. Do you think everyone listening was a musician, or knew exactly how the songs were supposed to go? You had a good reaction from the crowd…” and they did, and I look forward to seeing Ruin the Portrait again.
The following night I went to Azul’s and there was the strangest movie up on the flatscreen TV. There were three Mexican wrestlers who look like they’d just stepped from the Mucha Lucha cartoon on WB Kids. There were girls in bikinis, and it seemed like a nice family kind of movie, only, when these guys were kickin’ it on the living room couch, they still wouldn’t take off their freaky silver and blue masks.
I think my favorite part was the workout scene in the gym. All these sweating wrestlers, pushing, tugging, and lifting every barbell in sight, but not taking off their masks… hilarious.
And don't forget Alex of Alex and AJ fame. He was spinning the tunes like a mighty unmasked DJ...
One of the nights there I hung out with Pangolese and Norfolk and watched a Mucha Lucha wrestling movie. Another night I chilled to the sounds of Ruin the Portrait and Calico Sunset, two really great Indie bands on the Bakersfield scene. Calico Sunset might argue and say they aren’t Indie at all—they’re strictly New Wave Techno. Let’s just agree they rocked the house at Azul’s.
Other than playing live on the Buck City Podcast in the N.L. Belardes studio, I had never seen Calico Sunset perform. Joseph Andreotti set up his mini synth gadgets. He had them in two small bags. That’s it. Most bands practically have to set up a yak train through the Bakersfield Himalayas to get their equipment set up. Just ask Lostocean. They probably had at least 22 horses, 2 yaks and a 3-mile wagon train just to get all their equipment to Nashville for their big tryout with EMI. (new killer Lostocean tunes here) Not Calico Sunset. Joseph’s synth-stand is their biggest piece of equipment and I think he folds that into his back pocket.
Jenny is so full of energy you have to love this girl of the Joy Electric techno craze. She dances, she grooves; she resembles a hip 2005 version of Molly Ringwald with her Sweet Sixteen Dancing Machine hit; only this Molly-girl has a better haircut and moves like she’s on fire. Not to mention she doesn’t make those annoying grimaces that old Molly R used to do in those brat pack close-ups on the silver screen. I have to admit I was one of those 80s generation punks who saw Sixteen Candles in the movie theatre when I was about 16 years old. Maybe I was a little younger than that. I refuse to do the math.
Calico Sunset has a big following and have really put Bakersfield onto the techno music movement map with their 80s revival techno gospel sung from this conservative town like they’re on a big electrified soapbox. Sing it, Jenny! Sing it! And don’t forget Joseph—he works hard to create those techno beats and synth-dreamy sounds…
Ruin the Portrait just had their second gig ever. They have a song on myspace.com that is one of my favorite local pop songs. It moves from melodic guitars to dreamy lyrics, “This could be the biggest chance of your life. You could have it all. For just a little price. A beautiful new home. A fancy foreign car. A summer house in Maui. And your own private star. In just a few short weeks you’ll have it in your hand. Just follow the plan…” But then speeds up into a catchy pop song that’s worth its weight in local pop creations. Ruin the Portrait’s live set had a much harder sound than their myspace recording. I snapped some pictures then listened from the bar. There was a large crowd there to support their rocking set, their dreamy hit song potential about a summer house in Maui…
Later, in the parking area out in the alley I saw one of their band members leaning against a car and talking to Sal from Liars and Thieves about not being happy about the set… Blah blah was too fast, this was too slow, we could do better… and so on… not much different than what I say about myself. I’ve heard Sal make similar remarks, saying how terrible he plays when it’s not like that at all. These are incredible artists who sometimes have to adapt as they go. It’s all part of the learning process. I said, “There was a good crowd. Do you think everyone listening was a musician, or knew exactly how the songs were supposed to go? You had a good reaction from the crowd…” and they did, and I look forward to seeing Ruin the Portrait again.
The following night I went to Azul’s and there was the strangest movie up on the flatscreen TV. There were three Mexican wrestlers who look like they’d just stepped from the Mucha Lucha cartoon on WB Kids. There were girls in bikinis, and it seemed like a nice family kind of movie, only, when these guys were kickin’ it on the living room couch, they still wouldn’t take off their freaky silver and blue masks.
I think my favorite part was the workout scene in the gym. All these sweating wrestlers, pushing, tugging, and lifting every barbell in sight, but not taking off their masks… hilarious.
And don't forget Alex of Alex and AJ fame. He was spinning the tunes like a mighty unmasked DJ...
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Sunday, August 28, 2005.
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