Rarely do I ever say, “That was one of the best nights of my life.” Last Saturday night was just that… let me dry up my teary eyes for just a moment, blow my nose like a foghorn and describe for you my experience…
Thanks to
Patchboy (
see a sleepy patchkid) I had the honor to help in the vote to pick the three stars of the game at Saturday night’s crashfest between the
Bakersfield Condors and the Las Vegas Wranglers. During the third period of the game I rushed up to the pressbox to turn in my three numbers. I was nervous. I felt like the entire game was hinged on how I picked the stars. Forget that I picked one Vegas Wrangler whose name I can’t pronounce. He didn’t get picked, so I am just crossing that one out anyways for a sudden shoe in for the second star of the game. I did pick first and third and was proud to see both defensemen out on the ice after the game:
Patchboy sighs... it's a big kahuna game on the ice...
Third star of the game:
Reagan Leslie. He’s not tall, but he’s got 180 pounds on him and a low center of gravity that when used to its potential can crush even the biggest skaters. He’s one of the fastest skaters on the team and a tenacious ‘in your face’ defenseman. I saw him put a hit Saturday night on a Las Vegas Wrangler that sent popcorn and Pepsi flying like little cartoon stars around the head of the skater he crushed. I think the staff are still scraping him off the ice.
First star of the game:
Kevin Truelson. This guy was a great trade for the Condors before mid-season. He’s a solid player and his 200-pound frame is a menace on the ice. Why? Because he has follow-thru. He doesn’t give up, and that’s why he prevents goals and scores like he did last night in the Condors near win. He carries the puck to the net when he has to and can pick up the trash and slop it into the goal.
Second star of the game: Cross out those worthless Las Vegas Wranglers. It’s time for some fan-band recognition. I’m giving this one to
Dirty Spanglish, surprise star of the Rabobank Arena last Saturday night…
*Photo provided by
New Leaves in March
Here’s why:
Imagine being 14 years old. It’s your first rock band. You and a group of young punks you’ve known for several years suddenly decide to form a band. You ask your dad while driving in a car, “Got a good band name?” Two seconds later as a joke your grumpy old man belts out, “Dirty Spanglish.”
He laughs.
You love it.
Sure, you’ve grooved in a steel drum band and marched down crazy Bakersfield streets blasting a clarinet wearing a cheesy uniform, but this is different. You have a guitar. You have drums, you’ve tinkered on a bass and suddenly find out your dad is putting together a CD of hockey songs that half the bands in Bakersfield think is a crazy idea. You don’t. You’ve been listening to punk hockey songs since that
LAS VEGAS WRANGLER FAN gave your dad punk hockey CDs in Las Vegas featuring those Canadian punksters,
The Hanson Brothers. (Yes, it’s true. Art Whitton, that nasty jerk-face trash-talking ass-wipe Canuck is responsible for inspiring N.L. Belardes to love hockey songs. Buy the CD and see his name on the CD itself. Now available!). But you’re a hockey fan, and you like punk music, especially the pop side of rural rock punk. So you go for it. Over Chinese food at China Palace your dad comes up with a bunch of goofy ideas for hockey songs. You come up with one about referees. It’s a fun song with a line that your dad sings around the house at morning chaotic shower time when three men fight over the bathroom, “You shoot like your grandma’s mom!!” You tell him to shut up and soon you get the song recorded and suddenly have a date to perform at the Rabobank Arena for your first ever gig. First ever gig??
Early in the season when the posters were hangin'...
Dirty Spanglish guitarist with Gus from the Filthies
No, playing in the garage doesn’t count. Dirty Spanglish’ first ever gig was at the Rabobank Arena last Saturday night (February 4, 2006) performing to thousands of people: 5,799 people to be exact.
Don’t get big heads.
I do have to say that out of all the bands performing so far, Dirty Spanglish had the crowd going the wildest. That’s why they’re the stars of the game. They won over the fans. These youngsters from Bakersfield High and Stockdale High had groupies, had CDs to give out and performed flawlessly.
Tuning up for the first gig...
Kenny Mount coaches bass player, Nick
Lead singer Shaun Alaniz is thinking, "This is a big freakin' arena."
Kenny Mount was on board along with Gus from the Filthies to do the sound for their performance. Both Gus and Kenny coached Dirty Spanglish before the game as they warmed up down at the Filthy Lair before the show. Yes, I listened to 89 renditions of “Zebras” before the fans only got to hear it one time. Oh yes,
the Filthy lair is a hidden downtown studio with a shag black couch, posters and vintage guitars on the wall, and an entire room with a mock stage built in, it’s just perfect for any band about to tour Europe to practice in. Thanks for the Minute Maid lemonade, Gus!
The skateboard of their technician and helper who shall remain nameless...
The War Days director joking around
We all showed up at the Rabobank at around 5PM. We pounded on the glass doors screaming, “Don’t you know these are rock stars?? Let us in!” They finally did. Kenny and I were going to go straight for the food, but had to wait to set up the equipment, dial in the band, and perform a quick run-through.
I thought Patchboy and ex-NHL player (Assistant Coach) Mark Pederson were going to come up and pound all the rockers for blasting their music so loud. They were trying to record an interview to be played on the Jumbotron before the game. No brass knuckles broke out, so all was well. The band got back into it and I was impressed with the sound.
Patchboy warms up for an interview. Don't worry. He's a professional.
As were the fans. Kenny did an impression of how to play keyboard for the Doors, then gave the thumbs-up. All was ready for the big performance.
The game was on; thousands of fans were in the house cheering for their beloved hockey team as the Condors and Wranglers smashed each other like crazy. Then suddenly the period was over. After some moments on the ice with the announcer, suddenly the spotlight went on. The announcer belted out, “As part of our special Saturday night home games, brought to you by N.L. Belardes of Noveltown and the Bakersfield Condors we bring you Dirty Spanglish!!” Oh and it was so on right then. There was a big drum solo by new member, Doug. He may look like a mild-mannered kid who puts action-figures on his high hat for good luck. But he’s more than that. He worked the crowd into a frenzy with his fast-pounding solo and ended at just the right moment for The War Days director to tear into his opening riff… Oh yeah, the band jumped into their rural rock ‘pop punk you can dance to’ song and Dirty Spanglish was born.
Kenny Mount dials in the sound...
Lead singer, Shaun Alaniz, who plays the guitar and sings, screamed more than his good looks into the microphone. He belted out the anti-referee song “Zebras”:
You skate around, you think your cool
If you want to play hockey go back to school
We will trip you with our sticks
And we’ll get away with our hits
We will punch you in the mouth
The play-offs are coming you can’t stop us now
You can’t handle us too long
You shoot like your grandma’s mom
You would make zebras.com
And no one knows who the penalty’s on…After their performance there was a roar from the crowd. I stopped taking pictures and cheered. Girls screamed, “Dirty Spanglish!”
I wasn’t expecting such rousing applause for this youthful band, but they won over the crowd like crazy. Some of the members of Dirty Spanglish went around handing out copies of Growing Up Fighting: Bakersfield Hockey Vol 1 in the first ever giveaway of the CD. The War Days director sporting his 'Filthies' T-shirt handed them out like Christmas candy and threw one like a Chinese star that practically took some unlucky fan’s head off.
Afterwards, we all hung out on the Condor couch. I was sitting with Matildakay, Gus and chingpea when the spotlight suddenly turned on us. I guess some other fans were supposed to be sitting on the Condor couch. They called out his name and I hid behind my coat: “And sitting on the Condor couch is… don’t hide… unless you’re not…”
I wasn’t.
I hid just like the War Days Director did when throwing the CD like a warrior star. What a night. What a ride. It was the perfect band night ever and after the stars of the game were introduced I rushed home to play Dirty Spanglish on the CD player just to get a taste again before the night came to an end…
It's all about the hockey and rock and roll
