Buck City Podcast Episode Two, No More Gospel, features Pablo Esquival - By N.L. Belardes

Buck City Podcast 2 has arrived! Check out the latest rage in downloadable media. You can click and download the MP3. Better yet, install ipodder, then add the RSS feed:

http://nlbelardes.com/buckcitypods/buckcitypodcast.rss

After you plug in the feed you will get automatic downloads as shows get updated. Oh yes! In Episode Two I play “Don’t Hold Your Breath” from World Wide Spies, “Pay to Play” by Bakersfield/LA band, The Binges, “Laundry Day” from Bakersfield band Stepsonday, “I know” by the fabulously sexy Jessie Deluxe and a classic 80s batcave style punk song by local 80s band Burning Image titled “Hives”.

You'll also meet N.L.’s boring girlfriend, Joyce, and a very poor reader in local singer Pablo Esquival… And if that isn't enough, listen to how N.L. broke up the band, Broken Record Gospel!

Be a part of the podcast revolution. It’s free, it’s high-tech, and we’re the first in Bakersfield to create podcasts. And if that isn’t enough, coming soon will be the super brief Buck City “Morning Cereal” meant specifically to be a morning show for your daily pick-me-up.

Christian band, Rockfish needs a venue - By N.L. Belardes

Find Brent at Bite Me Cookies in the Haberfelde...

I recently discovered a Christian hard rock band that isn’t getting enough coverage even in the Christian sector… It’s a band called Rockfish, and after spinning their CD “Have you heard the news” I am convinced these guys need to tour local churches to develop a following. Yes, I understand you have to evangelize the heathens if you’re a Christian rock band. But you have to develop a following. And, lots of heathens go to church anyways. You can always count on friends bringing friends and so forth. And then, Whammy, work ‘em with your musack, Rockfish!

With that said, bass player Brent Hicks is a follower of the local music scene. I saw him at the Vendetta Red show where Lostocean jammed to a big crowd. Yes, Brent and his Christian cohorts are all old timers, but so what? Their Jimi Hendrix style is amazing. And they're cool... Brent also makes a mean tri-tip sandwich over at Bite Me Cookies in the Haberfelde building. I should add I get a lot of vanilla Cokes there too (friends will notice I refused to use the ‘P’ word).

If you’re part of a local church or other venue and you want a hard rocking Christian band to come and play, then please contact me and I will get the word over to Brent. Or better yet, go to Angelina’s and you will find him. It’s in the same downtown building as Going Underground Records…

(Hey Brent, you guys need to be on 'MySpace'!)

An interview, a reporter, a reporter-blogger, a walk around the block and Azuls - By N.L. Belardes

I was downtown last night first bumping elbows with Jimmy Holliday beneath the big Padre shadow. “We practice in a loft inside the Padre,” he said later in the evening. So, anti-folk hero Jimmy Holliday tears it up with the ghosts of the old Hollywood hangout? There, stars once lurked in the big Tinseltown backyard to creep their decrepit glamorous longings for the strange Bakersfield streets, and high society of the grand lone giant hotel of 1930s yesteryear…

In the Wall Street alley the doors to Azul were closed. I had gone back home to write a quick blog and poem but eventually headed back downtown only to find Francis Mayer from the local underground newspaper, The Blackboard as he met Danielle Belton, entertainment writer and blogger for the Bakersfield Californian. What a strange meeting of media: novelist/blogger meets underground reporter meets Entertainment creative writer/reporter…

“What kind of writing do you do?” I heard one of them say as I approached. I had gone downtown to see Jimmy Holliday and to also be interviewed by Francis Mayer who was researching for an upcoming write-up that either he or some other contributing writer was going to pen.



“I like the new template,” Belton complimented about the Blackboard's latest look. “One of the jokes that used to go around the Californian was that folks over at the Blackboard were afraid of the return key… There were just big blocks of text.” Oh come on Danielle. Don't tell me the Californian pokes fun. I don't believe it. But then, Danielle is funny. She has a drippingly sarcastic sense of humor that many people don't get. And she's one of the most self-abusive writers I have ever known. She's like Dobby from Harry Potter who is always smacking himself in the head for just talking to the Wizard boy wonder.

Francis pointed out the Blackboard being a one-man show by an untrained reporter who has a strong love for putting out an underground paper. Although I don’t know much about the history of the Blackboard paper, you have to give them credit for putting out some good alternative reading from big brother Californian who has monopolized the local newspaper biz for years. I personally like the progressive share-the-traffic attitude the Californian has taken in recent months. It’s self-serving on both sides as nlbelardes.com gets traffic as does the Californian, and I don’t get my content managed. Everyone wins.

I think that conversation moved on just after Danielle completely tore apart baseball, especially the St. Louis Cardinals who recently graced her top 20 'you suck' list...


The Blackboard meets The Californian "Let's have tea and crumpets!"

We went inside for a brief bit. Danielle showed off a pen-and-ink drawing after talking to Francis, Alex and AJ. I schmoozed with Jimmy Holliday a bit… and heard that Belton refers to Alex and Aj of Gigantic as Hall and Oates… read this great write-up she did on The boys from Gigantic, Azuls, Dante Esperanza, Nunez, and more...

Francis and I took a long walk around several city blocks, eventually stopping on the steps of the downtown post office to have a talk about some of the goings-on in the music scene…



In the end we headed back to Azul’s where we stood outside and some kids thought they had to show IDs before they entered. Francis patiently took the time to put on his best I'm-a-bouncer-but-not-really-pose before looking at about four IDs, nodding approval to each while I stymied a laugh. He kept a good poker face through it all. Afterwards, I went and listened to Jimmy Holliday for a while. After his performance we talked about a hockey song called ‘Lil Bitty Johnny the Slasher’ while we could hear some guy name Nunez play a guitar on the patio…

In ending I should add I had a great conversation with Joseph and Jenny from Calico Sunset... another hidden Bakersfield wonder... I still feel bad I missed them the night before. We talked about their tour, their music, history and novels...

Jimmy Holliday spotted downtown - By N.L. Belardes

There he was...
waiting for the bus.
No he wasn't. He's Jimmy Holliday
Wanting to sing a song about the anti-man,
the anti-song, the anti-people who can,
the dreamers who can't.

There goes the Padre, City Father,
a reckless dead martini bar tower,
and Jimmy Holliday needing
legends to sing about...

That was a few minutes ago.

In another few I'll be back downtown at Azul's...

You goin'?

Jimmy Holliday, Dante Esperanza, Calico Sunset at the M.W.P. - By N.L. Belardes

I just got off the phone with JR. He was watching The Goonies. Can you believe this guy? He was watching one of my favorite movies of all time and didn’t invite me?? OK, next topic. Montgomery World Plaza. Gigantic. You know, that vintage clothing store that got run out of Dodge because they were actually helping create a music scene? They got intimidated by the alleged baseball bat of poor consciousness, then set up shop across town. Leave it to Alex and AJ of Gigantic, those two guys who never email me, to put on a great all-age shows with dozens of kids in attendance.

Granted this show had some youth bands. Give the youth credit. You have to start somewhere, and you have to have guys like Alex and AJ believe in you enough to give you a chance to put on a show. I saw some serious youth in action, and I took a bunch of photos to show off the youth who are working hard.






Unfortunately I missed New Wave duo Calico Sunset. I was outside doing an interview so missed out on their brief set. Why didn’t anyone come and get me? No pictures, no interview, no nothing… When I was outside I thought I heard Bjork playing over the sound system. Little did I know it was the sexy sounds of Jenny Alvis whose song “limbs and hymns” has been infecting the positive vibe of myspace. That’s two New Wave bands in two days, and Your Mother’s Lover is playing in Bakersfield at the Boiler Room on the 30th (this Thursday). New Wave is officially back in a retro sort of synth-pop fashion. I just listened to Jenny sing, “Makes me wanna, want to pow pow pow!” like she’s some cartoon anime hip mama animated and flying through the room. I love it. Go check out the Bad Spellers in Tokyo for a little more synth-pop action. Likely influenced by the melodious synth-backed sounds of the ever-so moody, Bjork, Calico Sunset is quite a duo. I’m hoping they slip me a CD… Since I’m a big Bjork fan, how can I not like Jenny and Joseph of Calico Sunset’s New Wave stylings?

Alternative Country in Bakersfield is on the rise with bands like Norfolk, Dante Esperanza and anti-folkster Jimmy Holliday’s Sioux City Sarsaparilla both reflecting the agricultural lands and country roots of the Great Central Valley. Jimmy Holliday was on his own Monday night as he performed an acoustic set of all new material. His raw screaming and lyric-building talents apparent in his songwriting is an anthem to the sarcasm built within the legendary nature of Bakersfield history. These are folk roots working in an anti-root sort of way that Holliday performs masterfully. He’s got a 20-song CD coming out soon that I can’t wait to get my hands on, and he promises a big CD by the end of summer. I should also mention that Holliday is recognized on antifolk.net.



Though Holliday’s got recognition from anti-folk organizations he doesn’t have the support from local venues that he deserves. I hear he can’t play at the Boiler Room, but I see him fitting in nicely in an all ages alt country show there. He and I talked briefly about how alt country is a wide open market in Bakersfield. There aren’t many country bands. There aren’t many rockabilly bands; and there are only three bands that I know of that I can slip into the alt country category, and each has a completely different style. Norfolk with its pop rocking country-based sounds, Dante Esperanza with its 60s flavor of psychedelic cowboy tunes, and Jimmy Holliday's Sioux City Sarsaparilla. His anti-folk anthems often get mislabeled as hilarious without recognizing the underlying truths and social sarcasm of his lyrics.





His new songs slowed the pace a little, have a little firmer ground, less ethereal with the sarcasm, and even got a little sad at times with his guitar playing dropping to a mere hum and his voice trailing to a whisper at times.

If you haven’t noticed, I mentioned another band that many of you may not have heard of. Today I listened to a 16-song CD of incredible alt country tunes; the CD is self-titled, Dante Esperanza (2005) and I listened to it twice and spread some of its love to some friends already. It’s a masterful CD that deserves full N.L. analysis. In the meantime I can say that the psychedelic cowboy tunes are a crooning techno-country tribute to experimental country-influenced sounds of growing up in Bakersfield, California. Yes, here, where country roots run deep, so do countryside themes of agriculture, oil poke towns, desert, and travels.





Their music is an enlightening trip and well educated in lyric-making for such young folk. True genius. Though their live performance didn’t add up to the great CD mix I listened to, they’re an up and coming band that I’m going to be paying close attention to. Hell, the kids in Lostocean have complete genius in their CD ‘Douse the Choir’ but still have struggling points while performing live. But then, isn’t that what performing is all about? Learning. Spreading the sounds. Acceptance… Dante Esperanza is an excellent up-and-coming band who deserve some community support from fellow bands so their atmospheric country-pop crooner tunes can truly reach people while performing…



Dante Esperanza and Jimmy Holliday are playing live tonight at Azul's at 9PM

The sadness about Broken Record Gospel - By N.L. Belardes

People throughout the music scene will never know... but a few people in Bakersfield who knew of an exciting band with a new sound will mourn its loss...

But then from everything bad comes something better, metamorphosed...

From the Borken Record Gospel myspace blog...


The Fate Of Broken Record Gospel

To clear the air, and let all of you know what's going on. It's hard to say, but Broken Record Gospel is over. Ben has left the band to pursue another project. Andy and myself will continue to play together, and are working on a new band. I am also writing with Joel from Gramercy Riff, and Cesareo from Karmahitlist. We will have updates about the progress of our new works here. Many thanks to all of you. It's a hard thing to let go of for us, but sometimes there's nothing you can do. Once again thanks to all of you and for the support and friendship you've given us over the last year.

Colin & BRG

10:41 AM - 0 Comment

Bakersfield Bukowski at Rileys hears World Wide Spies, Jessie Deluxe and The Binges - By N.L. Belardes

I was in one of those Bakersfield Bukowski moods: a bit dreary; wanting to fit into the shadows like a little grey-edged puzzle piece; gloomy in my moment, but fitting. I had spoken a bit with Ryan Bright of Seven to the Right out near the entrance to Downtown Records. He smoked like crazy and talked about loaning The Binges something to do with his bass. He talked about Seven to the Right having a crazy show the night before at Kosmos, where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Still in a dark mood, I wandered into Rileys, the night of a big imported show in the big Bakersfield Indie scene—here in the new age of Bakersfield shows, when posters won’t get ripped down from lightpoles. Heck, just down the street I saw a huge poster printed by none other than promoter, Zill DeVille.

Inside I sat at a table and watched a few guys linger near a pool table with their equipment. I was in a dismal mood, growing darker by the second. I had a bottle of pear cider and still felt cranky. Maybe that’s because it’s the weak beer everyone tells me I'm drinking. Soon Leslie Flores walked up. She talked to me about the Indie music scene and rattled off name after name of bands she loves down in LA. She even told me a little bit of Bakersfield drama that I’m not allowed to post just yet. Colin from Broken Record Gospel was also in the house. He’s the Rileys sound guy. I spoke with him a moment, but still felt a little grey haze of a melancholy night ahead of me.

That was until a few folks from Norfolk wandered into Rileys. Peter Prevost has a bright charm, a true excitement for music that energizes people around him. We talked alternative country for a while. “You know, Pablo might still not be convinced that we’re an alt country band,” he said.

“But you’re buying a steel guitar,” I added. That crazy Pablo. I’ll convince him yet. He’s a madman playing the Tom Petty covers. We all called Peter Prevost ‘Tom Peety’ during Saturday night’s show where Norfolk finished off their rocking alt country set with some incredible covers...

We talked a bit more about it, but then James and his wife Marisa entered the scene and we had a grand conversation. Suddenly my spirits were lifted and I was into the night anticipating the music like I should have all along. Leave it to a novelist to start feeling moody and dark and then snap out of it. And leave it to good friends to lift those spirits of darkness. Leslie Flores came back and I asked who was setting up in the stage area. “Oh that’s World Wide Spies,” she smiled.

I had to meet those guys. I had just played their song “Individual” on my world premiere Buck City Podcast. I went over and introduced myself for a quick “hello.” I met all of their members but their lead singer, JFK. He came over and greeted me a little while later. “What are your ambitions,” I asked.

“I’m a rock star. People just don’t know it yet,” he said in a heavy British accent. “I’m just doing what I am destined to do. I believe in making it, in being successful.”



I totally agreed. I told him that I’m an artist too, that I have to believe in myself as a novelist or won’t ever be successful either. James and I talked about whether JFK really had a British or Australian accent. Of course I said British and JFK corrected us that he was was British, but from London…



World Wide Spies is one of my favorite undiscovered bands. They’re part Psychedelic Furs, part early U2, and part Big Country all wrapped up in a New Wave band with a brand new retro sound. I can’t help that I’m a child of the 80s. I totally bonded with their melodic New Wave sounding riffs, steady bass-playing and passionate vocals. JFK has a forceful presence on and off the stage. He had all the comandeering prowess of a Bono/Bowie fusion. He sings with a song-making confident yell that I just don’t hear in a lot of bands. It’s very intoxicating, very convincing. I tend to be a little shy around the stars-to-be, but JFK sure had a presence Sunday night with his piercing eyes, short blonde hair and strongly passionate voice. The guys from Norfolk gave their thumbs up and commented on the perfection of the drummer. They even had a song that started out as Sunday Bloody Sunday but then transformed into a unique song with the World Wide Spies stylings of fast melodic riffs and near-militaristic drum beats.



I have already spun their CD three times… I’m going to be doing a full review in a future blog as their CD’s raw New Wave power deserves a closer look…

At about that time I went outside for a little while. I hardly ever go into the Wall Street alley anymore, so it was kind of strange to go into the old alley where part of The Citrus Girl novel took place. I talked it up with some musicians while a police car cruised the alley and some BPD flirted with a group of girls. The girls played with the side light and mirrors while we just rolled our eyes and talked music.

Jesse Deluxe was up next. She came from LA on a birthday night with The Binges to play some mad jams to the Bakersfield crowd. I admit I was a bit skeptical as Jessie Deluxe is a three-piece band with two lovely ladies and a bald guy on drums. Then maybe that was a carryover from my Bakersfield Bukowski dark mood. Who am I to go stereotyping any band? Jessie, who the band is named for, sure has a presence. She’s tall and domineering, with dark hair and eyes, big dimples and a confident smile.



When Jessie Deluxe started playing, something transformed in Rileys. The whispering started, “Hey, she can shred!” and then the loud talking, “Hey, she can sing! She’s better than Gwen Stefani, but with a guitar.” And, “ This is the best band to ever play Rileys!” And so on, and so on… Yes, Jessie Deluxe was loved by the Bakersfield crowd. I went forth and snapped a few pictures to record such a moment…



What an amazing night. Two bands loved by the good people of Bakersfield… I have to admit, Jessie Deluxe has a refreshing soft edge to their hard star-struck songs. Yes, Jessie is a rock star and she knows it. But there is a humble side to musicians who truly want to connect to people through music and I saw it even in her hard-rocking songs. She could sing. She could play. She was almost melancholy herself at times as she performed and perhaps wondered about herself, her music, everything spinning just then in her own Bakersfield Bukowski artistic moment…



Of course I didn’t help when I called her ‘Jenny’, perhaps thinking of Jenny Angel of the Dusk Devils. I came across like a moron who didn’t care about her music and not like a fellow artist who was just touched by rhythms, bass lines and drum beats by a band who just took Bakersfield Indie music and turned it on a hard rock edge…

The final band of the night had a celebration in its midst, Jan Dylan Geurtsen. Bakersfield birthday boy moved to LA to seek stardom in a big rock and roll band; he and the rest of The Binges were in town to rock the night at Rileys. Maybe I sound too positive here, but this was one of the best nights of music I have ever witnessed in Bakersfield where all three bands in a row had an incredible power over all the fans in the house. Normally Bakersfield fans come in waves as each band has a following. But not World Wide Spies, Jessie Deluxe and The Binges. These were all new bands to me... As for The Binges, I found myself carried away on their new hard rock blood-pumping riffs that were like Punk meets AC/DC meets The Killers meets Bakersfield angst and Asian sexiness.





The Binges had the crowd rocking hard. Dylan has a great AC/DC kind of smoldering voice, while Mayuko Okai’s lead guitar and back-up vocals just fueled Dylan’s birthday fire to an incredible level. If you don’t believe me, just go check out a song on their site. Heck Mayuko’s sister is a great bass player in Jessie Deluxe. Like Jessie said when introducing Tzusumi Okai, “Big things come in small packages.” She was right, for Jessie Deluxe and The Binges. These are two rocking sisters!



The Binges are a Bakersfield/LA band that’s going somewhere if they play their cards right. I think they have just the sound that the LA record labels are looking for. I will be surprised if they don’t become one of the next sensations out of Bakersfield and LA…

What an incredible, incredible, incredible hard rocking night in the Bakersfield Indie scene… thank you Rileys, Leslie, Colin…

RidiKule sends note to N.L. about line-up change - By N.L. Belardes

Hey NL, What's going on in your corner? As I mentioned before, sort of candidly, we have had to make a difficult decision. In talking to label representatives for several different companies, I have been made aware of how hard it is to break into the big music scene. As everyone here in Bako knows, we are not exactly spring chickens and we have an extremely small window of opportunity to work with here. We have decided ( collectively ) to make a change in our family with RIDIKULE. Our drummer, Martin, is stepping down from the drum riser and we have recruited a new member to our family. His name is R.J. and he is 22. He has great appreciation for Martin and respect. What everyone needs to keep in mind is that we didn't just decide to replace Martin, we made a business decision that benefits the band as a whole. We will miss him on stage, but he will still have a part in the band as far as a mentor and to contribute his knowledge. This is extremely hard for us to do, but RIDIKULE as a whole has outgrown any one member and we need to keep the momentum going. We will be playing all of our shows that are scheduled and we will be doing future shows. As of today you can also pick up our merchandise at Outer Limits in the downtown area at 2006 Chester ave. We are proud to have them as our sponsor. You can catch R.J.'s first show at Mongomery World Plaza on July 14th with The Filthies, The Politicians and Hit bya A Semi. Thanks for your support and your coverage of all the happenings in Bako. Chris and Ridikule

The Photo-essayist, the big-nosed guy, and fries with Norfolk - By N.L. Belardes

I went to the Boiler Room Saturday night looking for some music to bubble out of the Bakersfield darkness. Little did I know I showed up for a historic night of music that had as its apex Bakersfield’s alt country band, Norfolk. They were being followed by Sara Gettys, a budding photo-essayist whose work for the Portland Tribune and Columbia Missourian has won her accolades for her moody journalistic images of daily Americana. Will she be the next James Nachtwey?


Sara sitting on the floor...

Take a look at her ‘photo of the week’ that captures the melancholy nature of one woman’s twilight years, or Maurice the cat who was likely her college buddy while going to school in Missouri. Two of my favorite photos are her WWF photo and honorable mention image that is probably as moody and atmospheric as the church moment she captured.

Sara carried a Holga toy camera, a fully plastic camera that has a personality like a cat. No two are alike as they leak light into each picture you snap. With a plastic lens, the Holga offers a leap backward in technology while offering some funky image textures, light seepage and lens shadowing. I have to order one.

I arrived at the Boiler Room at the end of Stepsonday, a local jazz/Indie/rock band. Jason Ford Turner fronts the band and is quite fun to watch as he loves to goof around while singing and playing the guitar. He’s a bit more reserved in his Norfolk bass playing. Unfortunately I only caught a portion of a few songs…



The next band hailed from the LA area. I don’t know who they were, but they performed and sounded like a youthful pop group. They were young, energetic, yuppyish, and if I were scouting bands to throw on Radio Disney, these would be the guys. And that’s not a bad thing either. Poppy songs for kids are a big industry. Just look at how many kids love the yuppie youth bands of today… The lead singer said he was from Bakersfield but moved away when he was five. And I dug his Star Wars shirt even though he thought the audience was dead because they weren’t dancing as if parading down Main Street, Disney.



Cedar Street is a local band I had never seen until Saturday night. Composed of guys from Bakersfield and San Diego who are all in Bakersfield for the summer, they have a unique piano-driven sound with a whole lot of raw songs they’re developing. This was the perfect opportunity for them to get out in the scene and practice in front of the local crowd. I always find it impressive to see a piano in a band. Front man Bryan Gonzales is no slouch either. He belted out the songs and melodies and played a lengthy set to the Boiler Room crowd.



Norfolk played a great set. James Ratliff did a little storytelling about his new Dodger cap and why baseball is a sport where you watch grass grow. He promised to tell a ‘biting’ dog tale, but sadly never got to it. Sara Gettys snapped photos like some crazed tentacled beast. Three cameras but only two hands? How does she do it? I have enough problems with my one camera and a shaky hand.








Norfolk’s full alt country sounds really grabbed the crowd. But then they only played half of one of their songs, claiming it was for some guy in the crowd. It was a great slow country wail of a song that really slows the tempo and gets the crowd on track. But only half? Come on Norfolk… Ah, but whom am I? I’m just the whiny novelist who wants to hear all the Norfolk material when at a show. I can understand how someone would get sick of their own songs. I get sick of my own writing all the time. I’ve written entire novels that I don’t like to read. I generally don’t read them at all even after finished. I create the art for others to read, not for myself. Music is different. You perform it, you immerse yourself in it over and over again, even after you think it’s perfected. And so you have to keep finding ways to love it. Or you would never be able to perform.








I was sarcastic and tried joking around and telling the guy with the big nose who told Norfolk to stop playing their slow song “thanks for ending a great song.” But he wouldn’t talk to me, even after I trailed Norfolk to a lonely bar attached to Zingo’s diner on Buck Owen’s Boulevard.






There James Ratliff and I talked a lot about music and art, ordered fries, burgers, and jalepeno poppers. I contributed two bucks to the Johnny Cash and other country songs blasted from the jukebox while Peter Prevost and some other Norfolk friends played pool. Of course I confronted the big-nosed guy again, but he ignored me. So I defiantly yelled, “Thanks for ruining a great song!”

Bakersfield Hockey CD sings about minor league hockey and Condors - By N.L. Belardes

There's a compilation CD coming to Bakersfield. N.L. wrote the lyrics to most of the songs. If your band wants to be involved, contact N.L.

Contributing bands: The Filthies, Myndsick, Exithead, KooKooNauts, Rocky Nash, RidiKule, The Black Jerks, Dirty Spanglish, and Mento Buru...

Charity: Noveltown Kid's Books.

Get excited. It's all about helping out the community: hockey, music, the arts...

Half of An Adult Evening With Shel Silverstein - By N.L. Belardes

Back to Friday night. Don’t think I was just lurking downtown pondering the future of Pizza in downtown Bakersfield after Soulajar’s big performance. I soon headed over to the Empty Space Theatre over in the Oleander Arts Collective. It was the least I could do after my controversial blog on Drama Rama I wrote earlier on Saturday. After a minor run-in with an unsatisfactory evening a few months back I finally decided to give the Empty Space the chance it deserved.

I arrived a little early and saw director of the upcoming July 8-23 run of Closer, Roger Mathey coolly hanging outside. “Are you staying for the show?” I asked. He nodded and we greeted each other; then I took off over to Pizzaville and ordered some grub. Inside I saw several patrons arrive that I could tell were waiting for An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein directed by Joe Mitchell and Guinevere Park-Hall. I used to have a few Shel Silverstein books, but I lost those in a divorce more than ten years ago and haven’t read them since.

Back at The Empty Space I ran into one of the actresses from the Bakersfield Ninjas short film. She was shocked that I recognized her and that I had a permanent link on my website to the film… more on that in a future blog…


On the way to my seat I saw some cool local artwork...





Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) was a creative genius, a storyteller, cartoonist, and author of one-act plays with a sometimes abrasive content brimming with hilarity. An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein are little vignettes, walking cartoons, playlets dripping with the poetic comic phrases of his genius that also include a few drier pieces.

Although this show’s running ended yesterday, I still think the show and The Empty Space deserve a serious blogging as it was a hilarious tour de force through some of Shel Silverstein’s finest.



The cartoony playlet, One Tennis Shoe, featuring Kamel Haddad’s comic concern over Cory Rickard’s bag lady transformation at a café table was my favorite episode of the night. The deadpan was right on, the costuming and props were hysterical as it took me a few minutes through the dialogue to realize that Cory’s character was indeed a bag lady in full denial of her identity. The slapstick was masterfully arranged which made for a difficult time taking photos because I was laughing so hard.



Bus Stop, featuring Sarah Downie, AKA Maid Marion from the Misadventures of Robin Hood sure did say a lot of potty words along with the purposely bumbling Pablo Reyes who Enrique Fuentes is still stirring over for his machismo in the same Robin Hood play. A vignette about Feminism meeting machismo head on, I thought it was hilarious until I realized that I hadn’t heard every variation of the word, “penis.” Then I just felt plain uneducated.

Blind Willie and the Talking Dog was so funny I once again had trouble taking photos. Here was Rebecca Lotze in a fluffy dog costume portraying an attitude-filled puppy who felt a sorrowful angst for the very hand that feeds her: a very kooky harmonica-playing blind man portrayed by Kevin Lively. Their argument over life was really Shel Silverstein’s comical way of communicating to us that other perspectives on life may not seem normal only because we haven’t taken the time to laugh along with those we stereotype, including man’s best friend who just may be loyal for reasons unsuspecting.





Going Once was a disturbing ode to humanity’s manufacturing of beauty. We see it all around us, in the cars we buy, the TV shows we watch, the high society clothes we wear, and so forth. Haddad’s parading around of the semi-nude Sarah Vara reminded me of the shallow nature of humanity that sells itself out for what? Exposure of each other based on aesthetic wants… ...disturbing but true.





The first half of the show ended with The Best Daddy, a cartoony view of a daddy’s torturing of his daughter’s innocence. I loved it. Reminded me of the Calvin and Hobbes where the dad tells Calvin the sun is the size of a quarter… and Calvin believes him. There’s an innocence in how a child believes the parent is the gospel of truth. It doesn’t last long, but when it’s there, and children think a parent can explain who they are, where they are going, and where they came from, as well as the size, dimensions and chemical make-up of the sun… well tell them what you know while you can. Sarah Taylor’s innocent face and near tantrum moments were just as fun as Ronnie Hargrave’s portrayal of the victimizing daddy.



I wish I had stayed for the rest of the show, but unfortunately there was an intermission, which meant I could sneak out, go home, and finally sleep…

A letter from the Pizza-a-go-go - By N.L. Belardes

Friday night I left Soulajar during a break in their set. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy their funky jazzy bass lines, Brian Boozer’s drumbeats and their guitarist’s rocking solos. I had dark streets to explore both in downtown Bakersfield and in the Oleander Arts Collective.

After all that has been going on with Jerry’s Pizza and the question on the streets of what will happen, I wondered: will they get a show promoter who supports an entire scene, and not just Jerry’s Pizza where many great bands from local and afar have played in its cavernous depths of punkdom through the years?
And so I wandered down 19th Street and peered into Jerry’s windows like I was a ghost myself. There was the grey-haired pizza guy with the big beard milling about inside. Chairs were on top of tables, and a few cyberpunks lurked on the street…



Darkness covered the pizza joint. I wonder if what I perceived as darkness would soon be lifted, uncovering a new age for the Pizza-a-go-go…



I sent Jerry an email that included an inquiry about where “Jerry's Pizza is headed in the near future with any possible changes to its pay-to-play format.” I wonder if I should just go ahead and declare an ending to the boycott that I don’t hear people talking about anymore. It should be over. Now there should be unity in the scene…

Jerry responded very kindly,

Thank you very much for emailing me. In response to your question of why Nate Berg is not doing shows for Jerry's Pizza anymore, my message on the website is self-explanatory. When Nate was doing a good job he was with us. Now he is not. Several people have already come to us with ideas, and we are brain-storming to find the new direction that we will be taking promotion of live music. I would surely be my pleasure to meet with you in person and chat for awhile.

Sincerely,

-Jerry

P.S. I often check your website and it's cool!

I soon headed to Downtown Records and picked up a copy of Niche. I saw my article on Liars and Thieves inside. It was only a buck and Jake said, “All the money goes to the person who put it together.” That would be Marah Jackson. I asked him if anyone else was doing a magazine like Niche and Jake said, “No.” And of course I wonder, “Why not?”



I had heard about the local Reggae Station, ‘Roots Radio’ K-RHM, Rhythm FM that’s on 103.5. Jake then told me more about it. He said it’s a cool station, doesn't have a lot of range, but that it is licensed. I haven’t heard it yet, but I plan on giving it a listen… Did you know Jake has had his hand in five pirate radio stations over the years?

Soulajar sets the mood in a strong vocal performance - By N.L. Belardes

A delicate waft of incense. A smoky stage lit with hints of color while the new Coldplay CD played over the slightly buzzing sound system. The buzz itself provided a hint of texture in the theatre. The people filed in, not really the multi-ethnic crowd I was expecting for such a jazzy experimental rock band; but people came nonetheless. A girlfriend or two of the band sat in the lower seats while many filled in near the top, perhaps expecting the sound to be too hard on the ears. Not me, I came down and leaned on a wall, even sat in the second row for a while, waiting for the band to come on stage. Possibly from technical difficulties resulting in the speaker buzz, the band performed a bit late. That was different from the night before when Lorenzo of Fatt Katt and the Vonzippers said, “We are impeccable about when we go onstage.” OK, one band’s impeccable nature is another band's tardiness, which is more like me. I was just glad to show up ten minutes early.



I was quick to learn Soulajar’s show is about mood and texture. I had already known they are self-promoted; they told me strongly in an email. But then, every unsigned band is. And most around here don’t have a manager. As I tell bands all the time, “You have created wonderful music. Now you have to create yourselves. Go self-invent.” As far as I can tell, Soulajar is on a great road to being fully self-invented. They have taken their richly made jazz-inspired rock songs and self-invented a band that puts on an intimate show with the audience by truly blending song, visuals, lighting, and laughter.





A few times during the show I felt they were talking to their personal friends and not to me: the novelist from the ghetto who sometimes can’t afford ten bucks a ticket for one band. But then I understand that if you have a show at the Spotlight Theatre and you are one band, you have to cover costs. And this is a band who puts on a lengthy show, definitely worth the ten bucks.

My first reaction to Soulajar was to look through the mood, peer through the stage show textures, which were all part of the intimate stylings of Soulajar. I peered into the heart of their music and what I found was a richly woven mixture of rock that moves through hard rock motifs, rocking guitar riffs, jazzy guitar riffs, and intricate keyboard driven songs. Strip away the hard-rocking and few jazzy songs built on improvised textures, and what I mostly saw was a jazzy heartfelt pop band with a sound driven by Jon Ranger’s moody vocals.



What works best for Soulajar is Jon Ranger at the keyboards, mixing his vocals with piano-driven textures, that when in a strong groove, purposely overpowers the audience and renders the rest of the band into fine layers of sound meant to build Ranger’s passionate vocals. That’s what I loved about Soulajar: Ranger’s powerful confidence and pop keyboard style that has the ability to passionately move the audience to the near tearful moments of a great Coldplay song. I found that when Jon Ranger left the keyboards for some frontman-style rocking numbers I was wishing him back behind the keyboards, not because he’s a poor performer, but because Soulajar clearly is most inspiring when I can see the rock star/keyboard mix and confidence of those moments.



What else did I enjoy? The flickering lighting was exciting but made it difficult to take pictures without a flash. Their joyous nature, laughter and joking on stage was refreshing to see in each of the artists.

Bands must self-invent themselves, and hopefully Soulajar, as they progress and further develop their rock band image they will truly realize that such a strength as Ranger behind the keyboards will truly take them towards all bands destinations: to get signed, to perform, to move people with strong lyrics, and to have an exciting career as artists who connect to people...

The question of theatre blogging... - By N.L. Belardes

I was on Drama Rama a little bit ago and I read a post by Brian Lyons. If you don't know who Brian Lyons is, don't worry. Neither do I. What I do know about Drama Rama is that several people from the theatre community run the blog and use it more for promoting upcoming shows rather than writing articles and stories on actors, events, real life drama, rehearsals, etc. etc. With that said, here's Mr. Lyons post from June 20th. Yes, that is correct, from June 20th... that would be four days ago.

Just a note....I check this blog almost everyday for something new and interesting in Bakersfield Theatre, and.........nothing. I get nothing. Why aren't we all talking and getting to know each other? Why aren't we talking about what's going on in theatre? Nothing about the Tony Awards; Nothing about how great "Big, The Musical" at Spotlight was; Nothing about Helen Prine stepping in as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl", two and a half weeks before the show opened at Stars Theatre; Nothing about the waiting and anticipation for the opening and a review of The Empty Space's "Closer." It depresses me.

Anybody care to cheer me up with some Theatre fun?

Hold onto your buns, because there was a rather uneducated NASCAR response:

This is Bakersfield, NASCAR, Big trucks rule. We don't need no stinking culture. Now on the coast, they have a bit more interest. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, I hear that they are building a melodrama theatre out in Rosedale around Allen road. And recently at South High, there was lots of kid theatre, which apparently filled parking lots for a few days, great support! . This is hopeful, perhaps someday Bakersfield will be more than just big trucks.

There were some other responses too, including from Julie Jordan Scott who is the only consistent theatre blogger I have discovered on the scene. She cross promotes, cross examines, and generally has positive remarks (kind of like me, only much nicer).

With that said, here is my straightforward response to the Drama Rama theatre blog and why lately it's been a dismal information wasteland floating in the wide-open Bakersfield blogging sea:

Just a NASCAR town? That's bullshit. No it isn't. Yes why doesn't Drama Rama compete with www.nlbelardes.com? I would welcome it. I hit theatre now and then but mostly focus on music. It only takes one fired up person to blog consistently. But there is only one of me and many many many musicians and theatre folk. Theatre does have a lot going on, and surely many many stories to tell of shows, behind the scenes, actors, ideas, and so on... If I focused on theatre I could write five stories a day, easy... I hate to say it, but drama rama appears to be a political blog, run by the big politicians of local theatre, and perhaps those aren't the kind of people who get down on my level, in the trenches, where I talk about music, people, theatre, and so forth in stories about the common artist in each of us... in all reality there should be a hundred theatre blogs and a hundred music blogs all in a cacaphony of writings about the goings-on that we all know are happening even as I type....

Have you done the rockabilly dance with Fatt Katt and the Von Zippers? By N.L. Belardes

Last night I went and hung out under the big yellow Bakersfield blue-lettered arch. No this isn’t one very squished down version of the McDonald’s golden curves but the replica of the once famous sign arching over old route 99. And no, I didn’t have a picnic but I did have some garlic chicken pizza inside the Crystal Palace. Yes I was out to do a write-up. But why not eat food and have a good time instead of just hanging out and hiding in the shadows the way a novelist does? I decided to be a little more high profile and brought the whole family and spent the big bucks and listened to rockabilly greasers Fatt Katt and the Von Zippers jam to country, rockabilly, rock, Latino rock and some fine original tunes…



Now just who is Fatt Katt and his sidekick Von Zipster Zippers? Fatt Katt is a cool guy named Lorenzo with thick black specs, arm-filed tattoos, and a pleasant demeanor who talks country/rockabilly/greaser history like he’s lived it from the initial zoot suit riots of LA’s yesteryear streets, where greasers were born from Chicano boys not necessarily wearing pinstripe suits… Introduced by red hat Queen Maha, Fatt Katt went on stage right at 8:00, not a second after, and played for a little more than forty-five minutes in a first set of some whalloping tunes that had the crowd roaring and the people dancing. I saw red hat ladies, country folk, bar folk, and line dancers all madly stepping to song after song… I heard mostly covers, but all with a rockabilly tinge and flair, and that was a real treat from crooner Fatt Katt, Les Paw on bass, big-haired Styx on the stand-up drums, guitarist old-timer Billy Ray Rock’it who had a really kickin’ 3000-dollar Setzer guitar. There was Elvis, George Jones, Buck, Stray Cats, and a whole lot more…





When they took a break I went over and met the band. I found out their original song Londontown Girl was written by Fatt Katt in 1984. Just how long have these guys been around? That’s an unknown. Fatt Katt Lorenzo talked greasers, old timer country blues musicians and the really dynamic history of the Bakersfield Sound. “It wasn’t just Buck, Merle, and Old Red. There were a whole bunch of guys playing in lots of Honky Tonks, and many of them jamming with Buck and helping the whole scene have a far-reaching Bakersfield sound. There were a lot of people involved.” We talked about getting together with an old timer or two and really exploring the topic…



Fatt Katt then talked about the Rockabilly Hayride he promotes, where “greasers come out of the woodwork” to come and see 4-6 bands jam some rockabilly coolness in the Bakersfield sunset. He asked if I would help promote. Well of course. Let’s do a podcast and talk all about it!



About that time either Styx the stand-up drummer had grown bored with me hanging around or he just had to release some music from his veins because he said, “Let’s go play some music!”

And did they. The second set was clearly Styx’ time to shine. He stood on his drums while Les Paw smacked the symbols and Fatt Katt crooned like he’d just stepped from a heroic Stray Cats video from yesteryear. And don’t think they didn’t play the Stray Cat Strut from the old Stray Cats. They did and it was my favorite song of the night. Fatt Katt did a kitty cat howl while Les Paw made his bass sound every bit as good as that old stand-up bass from the MTV video I remember so well…





And then there was Sonny Rodriguez. Flown straight in from Las Vegas on a Buck-chartered jet, and with impeccable timing, Sonny hit the stage to tear up the bongos to a Latin-rockabilly beat that would have had Matt Munoz begging to kiss the stage. It was that good. Ok, so that was a fun little slapstick gimmick, but then sometimes you have to play with the audience in order to play to the audience, right?





I hear Fatt Katt and the Von Zippers have played the Crystal Palace 46 times. Now if we could just see alt country band, Norfolk open up for them it would be the perfect night of alternative country sounds… a little Fatt Katt, a little Norfolk with Peter Prevost on guitar, some Les Paw smacking down on the bass for Fatt Katt, some James Ratliff vocals with Norfolk, some rockabilly-haired Styx jamming to his red rockster drums, pounding out the Katt tunes like he was born from a rockabilly sound himself… what a night I am envisioning. Let the new Bakersfield experiment in sound go forging new paths for bands to work together, to cross promote…

What a great sound from a high octane rockabilly band. I really loved Fatt Katt and the Vonzippers and plan on seeing them tear up the tuneville set here in Buck City, especially when they focus on jamming out the tunes of their own original numbers, which I might add, are a great blend of rocking rhythms with a hint of Latino flavor, just to spice it up…

Nate Berg out! Straight from the desk of Pizza-a-go-go Jerry - By N.L. Belardes

In a strange twist of events, Pizza-a-go-go promoter Nate Berg has been terminated from his position as show promoter. From alleged baseball bat of poor consciousness enforcing the Pizza Empire's hold over Bakersfield show venues to street thug and now defunct promoter, here's the message just found today on jerryspizza.com:


6.24.2005

'Memo Straight From Jerry's Desk :

Time is Up! Nate is no longer the Jerry's Pizza 'concert/show promoter'.

I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to all his good work at the time when Nate was a good and dedicated promoter.

We are working on a new format for booking shows. For the time being Jerry's Pizza will be booking shows on an individual basis. We are open to any good ideas that any of you may have.

For shows that have already been booked via the concert calendar, we ask that you contact Jerry's Pizza as we would like to still honor the show.

For booking shows please contact us via email. We will not be able to discuss booking over the phone if you call. >>> jerryspizza@sbcglobal.net

Pizza-a-go-go on the Internet - By N.L. Belardes

Thanks to free public information, we have access to this information. Apparently some felonies if a no contest plea is entered the sentenced is reduced somehow...

Defendant Information: Name: BERG, NATHANIEL BRYON Birth Year: 1972
Case Information: Court Case #: BM675610A Filing Date: 06/21/05 Arrest Date: 06/19/05
Related Case #: None
Charges/Dispositions | Sentence Information | Scheduled Hearings | Aliases

Charges/Dispositions
Count Type Code Section Charge Description Charge Disposition Disposition Date
001 M PC 460(B) BURGLARY: 2ND DEGREE PLED NOLO CONTENDERE 06/21/05
002 M PC 664/460(B) ATTEMPTED BURGLARY:SECOND DEGREE PLED NOLO CONTENDERE 06/21/05
Back to Top

Sentence Information

JAIL/PRISON 15 DAYS,
TOTAL CREDIT 0003 TIME SERVED 3 DAYS
CONFINEMENT LOCATION JAIL
SUMMARY PROBATION GRANTED FOR 3 YRS,

Bakersfield Ninjas, misdemeanors, and Enrique Fuentes interview - By N.L. Belardes

Danielle Belton, who Enrique Fuentes calls that ‘hoochie honey of the news’ has written the true scoop on the Nate Berg arrest. My ‘felony’ adjectives were all wrong. They were misdemeanors. You can read more in her blog where she talks about his few days in the slammer. Danielle was also kind enough to mention me today regarding my posting of the Bakersfield Ninjas video... I hear there is a sequel in the works. Now if I could just make a cameo appearance in that! The info of course was originally leaked to me by some mysterious member of the band, Three Chord Whore who plays kickball with the alleged Filmmakers...

Speaking of Enrique Fuentes, I had a brief interview with him about his forthcoming book. Here’s what he had to say:

N: What is this book about you’re writing?

E: Oh Nickyboy I haven’t seen you in forever! I love the new glasses, you seem more like a little boy with those big black gawdy fashionable lenses. When are you releasing that hoochie book? You keep telling everybody a month and about five have gone by… now run to me because my book isn’t done yet, but it is a darling tale of everlasting love in Delano, Bakersfield, and Hollywood. I write about all my friends, the paparazzi Rico, Hoochie Honey Danielle, Kay Kay Jones and Neneng Tea. It’s a fluffy Victoria’s Secret tour de hoochie with some really fun surprises!

N: Sounds like a dazzler. As for my book. There’s always a delay, what can I say? I am having fun in the meantime promoting, writing, and snapping photos. But more about you. Where have you been?

E: I have been in Hollywood working on movie make-up for a very fun film. The stage crews were hilarious. In the evenings we partied, we sat around and watched Betty Davis films and ate like posh little Hollywood lovelies. The stars were divine, and let’s say I got to touch the cheeks of some sexy mambo stars! I won’t say Brad Pitt’s name but I did hold a make-up brush to those pouty lips of his. Oops. I think that was an accident. Did I just say Brad Pitt?

N: Yes you did. You seem to know everybody. Are there going to be a lot of movie stars with cameos in your book?

E: Oh lots! But I won’t kiss and tell. But you know that, Nicky.

N: Do you have a new title for your book?

E: I’m thinking about something royal, with pizzazz, like The Queen and I: Enrique Fuentes, Queen of the Downtown Fur…

N: Where did you come up with that?

E: Oh I don’t know. I was eating sushi and I just thought of it. Don’t hate me for wanting to hold you.

N: I’ll try not to hold it against you…

E: I have to go now. Tell all my lovelies that I miss them and to write soon! And oh yes, I will write soon too! I am going to start posting portions of my novel on my very hoochie blog!

N.L. Belardes guest calls Indie LA Radio 103.1 to ask Mento Buru about SKA-kersfield - By N.L. Belardes

I’m listening to the morning show on Indie 103.1. Dicky Barrett just talked SKAtravaganza. He laughed, “Ska people and ska bands will bastardize the word any chance they get.” I could hear Matt Munoz from Mento Buru, Wally from Modtown, and David from After Hours all giggling in the background during the morning news.

During the interview, show host Dicky from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones talked a bit about Latin Ska bands. He said they were big in South America and then the jokes floated around that just maybe there is a huge statue down there of Dicky in a handshake pose…

Of course you had to expect Matt to be introduced as the guy not just from Mento Buru but from SKA-kersfield. “You guys come to LA to get relief from the bustling metropolis of Bakersfield?” Laughs all around. “Of course what you’re here for,” Dicky said, “is because ska returns to the historic El Rey Theatre.” He read the highlights and even said to Lord Tanamo of the SKAtellites, “My name’s Dicky. I’m one of the guys who ruined ska.”

Mento Buru’s song “Double Jeopardy" got airplay and Dicky in his slapstick radio promo said, “there’s no one better than Mento Buru.” The real kudos came from the reps from other bands who loved the song just as I did with its big phat lyrics, “…searching for the things that aren’t easy to find…time we all have don’t stand in our way.”

Matt complimented one of the ska-boys in the studio as a “Very hot sax.” Of course Matt accused Dicky of a brain with too much ska… since Dicky wasn’t really sure who he was talking to at times.

Matt soon talked about the Aquabats:

“…even though the guy from Blink 182 was in the Aquabats,” Matt commented to something Dicky said about ska-folk. Matt’s fast with the comments. “We played one of their first shows as they were debuting their outfits. Testing their scuba gear.”

Dicky did say that the Bakersfield contingent and others were a “People that have a passion for pioneers.” Mento Buru, Modtown and After Hours haven’t played with each other since early 1990s, that’s why it’s a SKA class reunion. “I’m not going. Those people are from Bakersfield…” joked Dicky

And then I called in. They put me on hold and I didn’t expect to get through…

“Oh crap, they just put me through,” I thought. Dicky said, “Who’s this?”

“This is Nick from Bakersfield,” I said.

“I don’t know where that is.”

“I mean Ska-kersfield.”

“Oh I know where that is,” Dicky and everyone laughed.

I think I scared Matt by calling in, but he said, “Hey Nick!”

“I just want to know if Matt’s going to wear his big socks and do the four trademark SKA dances I recently saw on the streets of Bakersfield,” I said referring to the night Cesareo danced…

I then told them jokingly, “I’m a blogger and ready to hit send and just typed in about twenty misquotes… Matt will fill you in on who I am,” I said too nervous to stay on the phone…

“Well thanks for confusing me!” Dicky laughed. Ah well, I wasn’t expecting to be on the big LA radio…

"It was really nice having those guys in here... I just enjoyed having them. I like that they are passionate still about ska music. I make fun of everyone. Actually it was my life, my art, my passion..."

Haha… too much ska-talk for Dicky of the Bosstones can send him into a ska-mendous mind overload… and me… it was a fun moment… the show is still on—go have a listen…

Mento Buru and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on the radio at 8:15am - By N.L. Belardes

I got a call last night from a very enthused Ska-man wandering venice beach with a beer and cell phone. "Belardes! Tune into the radio in the morning! The amigos will be talking about Ska with a legend!" Oh yeah... and Munoz is the guy to do it. He's the all-knowledgable man of the LA music scene and a great conversationalist...

So, in a nutshell: Mento Buru is going to be on the radio this morning on LA's 103.1FM. You can listen to it online at 8:15 am as Matt Munoz will be interviewed by legend Dickie Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones regarding this Saturday's SKA CLASS REUNION show in LA. Remember, Mento Buru is one of the biggest SKA Bands in the state having once been signed to the now defunct Moon Ska Records. Dickie Barrett has his own Indie radio show. So check it out...

Historic First Music Scene Podcasts out of Bakersfield, CA - By N.L. Belardes

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!

If you’ve been looking at The Arts pages on nlbelardes
.com then you’ve seen the logo for The Buck City
Podcast. Well what is it? Is it here? What can I do
with it? Do I eat it like a salad? Do I listen? Do I
listen and dance? Tell me, N.L., tell me!

Podcasting is relatively new. It’s cool, it’s hip, and
it’s all about underground college radio style music
playing—that’s what it is. The really cool part is in
understanding what a podcast is and does…

By definition a podcast is a downloadable unregulated
slice of media, an MP3 that you can listen to on your
computer, MP3 player (car, home, wherever), or in your
coolio iPOD.

What is really neato about podcasting is you can
actually subscribe to it. Subscribe? Yes. But what does
that mean? Subscribing means the actual MP3 has a feed
attached that you can plug into a little piece of free
software. The free software then automatically
downloads the podcast feed without you having to click
on a link. Go to this page and find the podcast logo.
Click on ipodder and download.

Then put in this feed:
http://nlbelardes.com/buckcitypods/buckcitypodcast.rss

The marvel in all of this is you can do a nifty feed
not just into your computer, but right into your iPOD.
That means every instance of hooking up your iPOD to
your computer, you can upload any new podcasts linked
directly to that feed. So, if I do a new Buck City
Podcast, and you have the feed plugged into the
ipodder software, or to your iPOD, then SHAZAM! You
have brand new Buck City Podcasts to happily listen
to.

You can even set the software for how often to check
when podcasts have been updated…

Today’s historic first Buck City Podcast is
‘Rockabilly City’. It’s a 23-minute show of music and
me blabbing about a few rockabilly bands mixed in with
some other great music. Yes, this is kinda of like
pre-recorded college radio. It’s very raw with a very
amateurish hiss in the background noise—though the
music all plays clear. There’s no advertising for now,
so it’s all underground coolness in action.

I play ‘Londontown Girls’ from local rockabilly band
Fat Kat and the Von Zippers, ‘Ghostfire’ from
Psychobilly punksters Tiger Army, ‘Individual’ by
touring band World Wide Spies, ‘After Her’ by local
eclectic jazz rocksters Soulajar. I also play a
thrashing song from local punks, The Black Jerks, and
a rockabilly song from actress/cowgirl Lynda Kay…
There’s more to come on The Buck City Podcast…

Stay tuned!

MySpace Foreign band of the day: Variation - By N.L. Belardes

Dare I say the phrase ‘Nor-Cal’ here in Central Cal so close to So-Cal? I did with Aroarah who I had a fun phone interview with. So why not again? Believe it or not I was born in San Jose, California, so just maybe I have an affinity for the northern lands. I even saw Wilco not long ago at the San Jose Theatre for Performing Arts. So I enjoy the northern climes… Enter Variation, Nor-Cal band out of Stockton who I heard of by way of a historic Filthies/Dalloways show at Club Fred in Fresno, a show that spirited me to even want to write about bands outside of Bakersfield, CA. These guys even have a manager. You don’t’ see that so much these days. At least I don’t.

The Jazz-funk-hardcore transition-filled grooves of Variation are first evident through the drumming in their song Déjà vu. I’m liking the percussion here, which along with the bass carry the weight of the song. The song picks up even more power in the melodic bass and then in riffs of distortion that comes in waves. Take the bass transition for example. It has a strong weight in the mix, stronger than the guitars. It powers the song through its atmospheric jazz-rock mix. The vocals add to the mix and are a stong blend to Variation's fusion-mix. I do have to say I hate such karmaic moments as this song suggests: “Now I’m scared because I know…I’m stuck inside my Déjà vu.” Haven't we all been there?

“It’s the way we all consume everything they selling us…” comes the ethereal lyrics ofPoisoning the World, a song that quickly fills your ears with melodic bass, drifting melodic guitarwork, and anti-corporate lines that lend to the need to cleanse our identities of the mainstream world around us. I enjoyed the jazzy distorted sounds of Dave Serrano whose guitars ranges from melodic to hardcore jazz and rock riffs. Bassist Chad Tondee had my ears glued to the speakers in both their MySpace songs, as did drummer Matt Anderson who their site says “Answers the phone like a jerk.” Those egoist drummers. I love the bass… I’ve spun both songs six times each just write to this point—you gotta love the music. Yes, their bassist tears through Poisoning the World which is worth the listen. Singer Zach Cantu reminds me a bit of Joey from Seven to the Right: he’s a crooner who probably hugs his microphone as tight as he does the hot ladies. (Just kidding Joey). Yes, Variation is worth a listen. Do a little networking to spread your songs to these guys and vice versa.

Drama in the music scene... What will happen to the Pizza-a-go-go shows? - By N.L. Belardes

Just one phone call, sir...

Two felony counts of burglery.

$17,500 bail.

In all seriousness, the question of Jerry's Pizza shows is in the air. Will another promoter step in? Will bands still look at Jerry's Pizza as the Mecca of Bakersfield Alt Music? I never did. All the hullabaloo about the business being clean? Was it ever?What will happen? Can good come of this? I don't think local Bakersfield bands will be affected. There are many venues bands can play and I'm not even sure if the Boycott is still in effect...

Recently I watched a KooKooNauts DVD that began with footage taken at Jerry's Pizza. A fight broke out in front of the stage, punkers smashed each other in fisticuffs over what? Nothing. The fight was broken up and the assailants each hugged one another. It was a brutal display of music and negative crowd energy. I watched the video with representatives from several bands in the room. I have to give the KooKooNauts credit. They kept playing. There was even someone in a gorilla suit monkeying around... My point is... do parents know what happens underground at Jerry's Pizza? Some do, and they take care of their kids. But what about the parents who don't know? The promoter himself is behind bars. There has been recent murder tied to Jerry's kids. And the night people saw the ambulance and fire engines outside...

Do your kids lurk in the black shadows, hidden in the stale underground of the Pizza-a-go-go, that dastardly Rock and Roll Farm?

Why?

Other communities refer to such a dismal punk haven as a cesspool swallowing up the Southern Valley music image.

Are we responsible to clean up the image of downtown music now that it has been tainted even further?

It's the people, you and I who are ultimately responsible...

Maybe.

Mento and Karmahitlist (acoustic) at Fishlips July 8 - by N.L. Belardes

What else do you need to know about
this gig? There's always something
going down at the fish fry....

Bands squabble over who-knows-what... by N.L. Belardes

Throatshot and ex-drummer of Melodrose get into it:


So this guy Miah (ex drummer of Melodrose)... he decided to write us a nice hate mail about how we dress like girls... so our questions for all of you reading this is as follows:

Does anyone think we look like girls?

If so, is that good or bad?


I'm pretty sure he just doesn't understand that Iron Crosses, and Flames died out a while back...

The night Cesareo danced - By N.L. Belardes

Boy, was this one of those interesting nights. I had just played some hockey down at the wooden-floored Rollerama. I was sucking air. I hadn't played in a few weeks. You know how that goes. You get tired just putting on the skates. There was a possible broken ankle injury. The victim was carried off and taken to the hospital. We lost a player and a goalie to that one. There were sweet passes and trick goals. And it was hot as hell...

After the game I stopped downtown. I went into an old furniture store where Mento Buru was practicing. They have a few big shows coming up and I am helping to promote one of them. It's all for the good of Bakersfield bands. So why not?

Mento Buru joked and laughed and appeared a little nervous running through songs. Maybe it wasn't nerves. Maybe it was just a little frustration here and there that bands go through as they work on old and new songs... Maybe it was just the comfortable mattresses that looked nice enough to fall asleep on. After all, I was dead tired.

I snapped some pics. There was a cool cat guitarist up against a wall, calm as can be.





Matt Munoz played some sax... he had on a slick hat.

But I was soon done with my indoor venture into ska-ness. I walked outside and sat on the curb and talked on the phone. I could see Riley's from where I sat and wondered if I should head inside and ask if the Pizza-a-go-go promoter was indeed in jail. Nah... it wasn't that important to me. Though I admit I wanted to know.

Soon Cesareo appeared ethereally out of nowhere. In a dead urban downtown here he had walked out of the jungle city shadows. He came and talked for a moment. We spoke marketing. Then he said, "These guys are great aren't they?" Cesareo once played for Mento Buru. He then walked over to the door to the furniture store and started dancing.



He danced and danced, happy in the ska-sounds that pounded the furniture store and into the 19th Street dark Bakersfield murder street blues. That was where his feet took him. While he continued to smile and dance I boogied to a burger stand.

Next stop: a burger joint that doesn't have a promoter that makes bands pay to play in the sorry cycle of bands found in downtown Bakersfield; where hip acts and second-tier musicians play to the cockroach heaps and pizza dung residue like machine operators from the Jacob Riis urban tenement blues.

Give me a burger.



Give me fries.



Give me an end to the night that Cesareo danced...

Confirmed. Pizza-a-go-go promoter in jail - By N.L. Belardes

Apparently one rumor went around that Jerry's Pizza promoter Nate Berg went to jail for attempting to stab someone. Heath Dobbler, out to create some new punk music took a break to blog some comments. He had these words on the alleged episode after reading my site earlier tonight. Supposedly the true story went online by promoter Zill C. Deville who posted this message at 7:33 PM:

nate went to jail for breaking into a car not trying to stab

just so everyone knows that is what he told people to tell everyone else but he got busted for trying to break into a car.



What would DeNiro do?

Would he have read The Nate Berg Story?

Would DeNiro wear such a black hat, or wield such a baseball bat of poor consciousness? Such intimidation...

Nate Berg arrested? - by N.L. Belardes

Could just be music scene gossip:

Word on the street is the alleged baseball bat of poor consciousness has been arrested for breaking into cars on union avenue...

developing...

The Black Jerks and Saboteur at the fist-fight shack - By N.L. Belardes

Oh, I could have gone to the Thunderrun. I could have seen cool bikes, hot biker babes, scary biker babes, scary biker dudes, killer hogs, wanna-be bikers, screaming biker maniacs, and a lot of local bands along with a well-known imported headliner, Lit. I could have hung out at the Bakersfield fairgrounds with a lot of band chums who I have met over the past few months and surely would have had a great time. But then, not one person in the music scene called me over the weekend to attend. I still love all those guys. But if no one calls me, then that means I am on my own to go lurk wherever I want to in the local music subculture. Without obligations I am as free as little tweety bird straight out of grandma Ethel’s birdcage. I can go watch Smoky the Homeless Hobo twang his banjo on Ray Street, chum it up with mariachis at Amigos, or better yet, head to East Bakersfield to dive into the sub-subterranean culture of thrash punk rock mayhem in a little shack with a whole lot of history: the Munoz Gym. There, boxers still tangle and spar, bags get slugged, and punk rockers sometimes swelter in a historic gym of forgotten ghosts who stare swollen-eyed from the gym’s nostalgic walls.



One of the motivating factors for me actually showing up at the gym was the rumor of this being the final show for The Black Jerks. I don’t know if that will hold true; bands always look for unique marketing promotions to get kids to come to shows. Why, just the night before, The Black Jerks jammed in a late night session with the Hips out on a veteran’s property called ‘The Camp’ and a lot of people showed up. That was billed as the promotion of the 7” vinyl release for The Hips. Talk about a step into yesteryear and today. Here are The Hips releasing vinyl when most bands don’t have a clue what vinyl is anymore. I bought one just so I could have some really cool memorabilia of The Hips… Anyway, The Black Jerks were there and I heard it was quite a show. I spoke with Black Jerks guitarist, Matt Riot about their performance at The Camp. “Some kid kept thrashing me. He practically kicked me down and I accidentally smashed him in the teeth with my guitar,” he said. “It was a great show.” Now that’s punk rock.





Trying to find the Munoz Gym you can almost pass right by as you head toward Edison highway. It’s a distant area of town, near La Colonia restaurant, close to the strange etherworld of agriculture and city, where vineyards meet the urban sprawl. The gym itself is the size of a tiny one-bedroom house on a gravel lot near another old building from the 1940s where eggs used to be housed and sold. Inside the gym, the walls are covered with pictures, news clippings and posters from throughout Bakersfield boxing history. The ring in the center of the room is surrounded by a narrow walkway while a few benches have a weathered look. The more than thirty-year-old gym has been run by Paul Munoz, the grandfather of Ronald of Underground Records/also drummer for The Black Jerks.



In the 1940s Paul Munoz fought against an Olympic champion. That was around 1948, just three years after the end of World War Two. I don’t remember if he said he won or lost that particular fight, but that’s not what was most important. Most important was the fact here was a Central Valley kid duking it out in amateur rings and making a name for himself in a bygone era. “I almost fought for a title in Hawaii. They wanted me to go, but it just didn’t happen,” he said.



The elder Munoz sat on a crate with a stick. He pushed around a few rocks near a rusted barbed wire fence. I asked him how many amateur fights he’d fought through the years. “Oh I stopped boxing in the 70s. That was after around 210 fights. My brother figures I won around 200 of those. I never went pro. But a lot of people think I did.”

Paul’s eyes are kind, but still have the fight and prowess he had years ago in bouts at the old Strongbow Stadium (I don’t remember its really old name). Paul’s arms and hands still show the strength of a man who has calmly punched bags and other boxers for nearly two-thirds of a century. He grappled the stick like he was going to wrap tape on his hands and pointed to the gym. “I had the dream of creating champions right here in Bakersfield.” What happened was a rather heartless display of the boxing profession of the 70s and 80s: fights getting called draws; fighters were cheated and could only win if they knocked out their opponents; boxers stolen from under Paul’s nose; big title chances pulled like rugs; and Paul left to create boxers on a shoestring budget. “Those were the days the Los Angeles Olympic Stadium made up for the closures in New York,” he smiled. “That was just after the time when you could tour the whole country as a boxer.” Paul indicated the Olympic Stadium was a network of boxing promoters who seemed to all have stars in their eyes only for themselves and not for a Bakersfield promoter who had a simple dream to just create great boxers out of imports from south of the border. That was Paul’s dream, though it rarely saw such glory moments. “I had one really good boxer who had so many draws people were amazed. What cou