Invasion of the Bakotopians! Local music CD is second in a year to illuminate the Bakersfield music scene - By N.L. Belardes

A new Bakersfield music compilation hits the scene...

When I walked over to Bakotopia headquarters to pick up my review copy of the new Bakotopia compilation, Matt Munoz wasn’t in his cubicle. So I looked around. Photos of musicians and comedians adorn the walls of his workspace. Here’s a guy who lives for music. His space shows it, shows his pride not just for the famous he rubs noses with. There’s a big stack of fliers by his desk. This guy is down with the cultural side of Bakersfield’s underground sounds. Why?

When Matt came in holding the Bakotopia Volume One compilation in his hands, he looked like a kid after a first trip to buy music from Sam Goodies, Borders or Tower Records. You know the feeling: victory! I quickly stole away from Bakotopia headquarters, ripped off the plastic wrap and popped the CD into my work computer.

Music compilations—packaged and in a case they’re a reflection of our collective humanity.

Bakotopia Volume One is more than a reflection of Bakersfield’s human side expressed through song. The carefully mastered album is a journey that cuts listeners through a healthy slice of California's Central Valley culture. You can hear it in the songs almost like you’re tearing through neighborhoods and downtown areas. Step into the mixed genre of the music represented and you’re traveling on the East Side, through the rockabilly side of Buck's Crystal Palace, another and you’re in Oleander punk neighborhoods, and yet another and you’re in a dive bar, drinking to reggae riffs or celebrating the renewed vigor of Latino Ska. All with the exception of one band, Krotch. Their music represents all that is shallow in Hollywood (yet they are a Bakersfield band), but in a Spinal Tap sort of way...


Put it in, baby... (vid on the way!)

I wanted to know more about Bakersfield's latest music compilation since Growing Up Fighting: Bakersfield Hockey Volume One. So I asked Matt a few questions about Bakotopia Music Compilation Volume One. Besides, he's also in the band, Mento Buru. They went into the studio just to record a song for the compilation...

THE INTERVIEW:

Noveltown: Whose idea was it to do the Bakotopia CD compilation? Why?

Matt: Before we go into that, let’s talk history…

In the past couple of years, the local music scene has gone through a kind of resurrection. Bands have become more passionate, competitive, sprouting all over the place. There was a time at the beginning of 2000, where there was nothing going on in Bakersfield, literally. Yes, there were some local bands, but nothing like you see going on right now. It think it has a lot to do with venues opening and closing, and some promoters wanting the whole piece of the pie, which is really stupid, and kids graduating from high school, moving on and breaking up bands. The average life of any band is usually 2 years. They peak in Bakersfield, then burn out..


Talk about Bakersfield music history...


This pic was take at Fat Tracks at the old Buck Owens Studio... Buck Owens recorded Act Naturally on this dinosaur recording device.


Nick Forcillo of Fat Tracks records Mento Buru for the Bakotopia compilation. Nick also mastered the CD...

More from Matt...

Now, with the power of virtual promotion, with places like Bakotopia, and of course MySpace, bands can really create their own scene if they want too, without having to deal with infighting from other members of their music scene. It may sound selfish, but after awhile you get tired of the BS and want to go on your own.

I’ve always kept a close eye on Bakersfield’s musicscape, to find out the latest trends from high school bands, college aged bands, and the older veteran set. I’m always amazed at how the younger audiences can soak up the latest rages like sponges, and use the latest technology and instrument gadgets to imitate, or create beyond what has already been done.

So, while all this is happening and the musicians are having a great time, the whole “Me” generation is taking over. There’s no more “Us” anymore. Why can’t our scene be unified again the way it was back in the 90’s? KBCC, the old Bakersfield College campus radio station was the voice of alternative music for years, but to listen, you either had to be a student and hear it over the campus PA, or have cable to hear it through your home stereo.

Back in the 90’s, three guys by the name of Krys Gerringer, Tim Rosen, and Erik Ott, were the original flagwavers of the Bakersfield indie music scene. Each had their own personality, but one thing they had in common was to elevate the younger scene making great music. They were all students at BC and CSUB.

Krys Gerringer put together the first-ever local compilation called, Cultivation ’91, with some local and out of town bands: Spike 1000, Cradle of Thorns, 2 Lazy 2 Steal, etc..The following year, he produced the second compilation, Cultivation ’92. My band, Mento Buru was just fresh on the scene, so we were happy as hell to be on there. Again, it was a cool collection of unsigned bands, including Sex Art, that featured the debut of KORN’s Jonathan Davis. I’m not sure how many copies of those were sold, but I remember all the bands forked over $100.00 each to be on it, a fortune for most of us at the time. It didn’t matter though, we were going digital, woohoo!

After Krys Gerringer left town, his buddy Tim Rosen decided to bring the Cultivation project back in 1995, and called it Cultivation 3. This time the collection wasn’t as groundbreaking, and there were some big stinkers on it, but for what it was, we appreciated the gesture. There were no release parties for any of these compilations, so we had to promote sales on our own and hope they didn’t end up gathering dust. I don’t know whatever happened to Krys and Tim. If you’re reading this, e-mail me!!

Erik Ott, a contributing writer to an Under 21 column for the Bakersfield Californian also around that time, was interested in trying to get a CSUB campus radio station off the ground. The school wasn’t about giving money to the project, so Ott spearheaded a campaign to get it going. Enter the Radio Raindance held at the Kern County Fairgrounds (year?) Cradle of Thorns was there, Mento Buru, Spike 1000, bands I can’t even remember anymore, and TONS of local fans. Seriously, it was PACKED, and as soon as the first note dropped, those kids were jumping all over the place.

After the show was over, we thought were going to see our campus station…nope. Supposedly the money was “lost,” and that was it.

If that didn’t suck enough, a last ditch effort was done to try and save KBCC from the school’s axe that was swinging on everyone except the sports programs. BC student Richard Ram organized “Toe Jam,” at the old Bams Bams, where Backstage is located now, and another great gathering of mult-genre bands was held. Great show, and everyone partied..Unfortunately KBCC still got the axe.

Fast forward to now. KORN is our claim to fame, and everyone wants to be like them. I love KORN, but I know there’s more that the locals can do, and they are doing it now, Thank You Jesus!

When I got the job at Bakotopia, I had a list of projects I wanted to do, one of them was to do a local compilation again. But would it work? Would the fans care? Is it all about the “ME” in all of us?

Nick Belardes did a great job with his Growing Up Fighting Vol. 1 CD to benefit the condors, and Noveltown, but after hearing the headaches he had to go through, I was a bit turned off. Nick had a great concept, and the quality product to show for it, but the people who promised him support left him alone. Not cool… (Buy them from him, please!!!)

KRAB radio had also put together a local compilation, and even had a battle of the bands to go along with it. I heard horror stories from bands about their experience with that project, and it disappeared. Does anyone have a copy I could have?

So with two strikes against another local CD project, I took time to do some research, and what I came up with was an easier way to do it, utilizing all the promo tools I could find, and wait until Bakotopia’s name had been further established in the community. I got great response from the bands who’ve been supportive of Bakotopia. I sent out message after message, and I got some apprehensive responses to come aboard. As time went on; however, the mood changed and we were ready to go. We ran with it quick, before people changed their minds…lol.

We budgeted out the cost to keep fees out of the bands pockets, and had full support from my colleagues. Thanks peeps!

After many nights of going over art, getting signatures and clearance, mastering at the factory in New Jersey, and proofing the final product, it’s finally here. The Bakotopia Music Compilation Vol. 1 featuring 16 Bakersfield bands. A mixed batch of Bakotopia bands representing the diversity of our local scene.

In the tradition of the Cultivation series, it was time to show Bakersfield that we are capable of having a community effort to showcase the locals. As I am a local veteran, I feel it’s almost a duty for the other vets to help out the younger bands around today. Mento Buru would never have gotten started, had it not been for the older blues cats playing downtown at places like Suds (now Azul.) It only took one cool gesture on their part to help us bust out of the garage.

Noveltown: The Bakotopia music festival is really a collection of CD release parties. If they’re successful, I’m sure future compilations will just be additions to a bigger series of weekend festivals, do you agree? I mean, I’m trying to show some vision here…

Matt: They’re parties to celebrate the community effort vision we have. Most of these bands will never share a concert bill, but for these shows they will, and hopefully they’ll work so that it doesn’t take a CD release party to bring them together. I’m a fan of all of these bands, and I’ve booked a lot of them to open for us, so they can be introduced to another audience. I’ll bet that most music fans have a mixed collection of music at home, but are afraid to admit they listen to music outside their band’s style. I got Oingo Boingo, David Bowie, and Dixie Chicks in my collection, so poo on you if you don’t like it.

Take it from Jello Biafra who said, “If all punk bands just listened to punk, we’d all sound generic.” Apply that to your own respective genre, thank you.

Don’t wait for us to put Three Chord Whore and Safe Sounds crew on the same bill, you can do it too! Mix that shit up!!

Bakotopia has to promote itself too, so in the process we are promoting ourselves. I’m not going to lie about that, and neither should the other people hawking their own wares out there. Bakotopia has promised to promote the locals and that’s what we are doing with this CD. If the fans respond, then we’ll continue with subsequent volumes, hopefully with different themes, and more festivals to celebrate. We don’t want the headbangers to think we’ve abandoned them. They’re next!!

Noveltown: Why would big media want to help local Bakersfield area bands?

Matt: Big? Not really. The notion that “Big” media exists in Bakersfield is only partly true. Big in the sense that Bakotopia is located in an office with more then one room, one computer, and a window? Okay, if that’s big, than I’m Clive Davis. Yes, we’re owned by the Bakersfield Californian. The company has obviously heard the moans and groans about arts coverage, so this looks like a step in the right direction, don’t ya think? A family owned company that grew. Doesn’t everyone want to grow, Noveltown? (Ooo yeah! -n.l.)

Going in circles about why the local media would want to support the local scene will get us nowhere, so instead, let’s just say, “cool,” and let it go? Being an artist in Bakersfield for years has taught me that any promotion is good promotion, unless you’re on the cover of the newspaper for some heinous crime.

The bands paid nothing to be on the project, but get everything they’ve been asking for from the media and then some. If I’m lying, sue me…

As a member of the so-called “big” media, I’ll also tell you this…All of the artists on this compilation will be given the respect and treatment they deserve. They’ll get a lot of promotion in the process. Their music is packaged nicely, it looks professional, and all CD’s will be distributed all over the city and world if they grow legs.

If you wanna argue with that, stay home, and don’t call me anymore. Let’s get back to art..

Noveltown: What kind of music is represented in the compilation? Do you have a favorite?

Matt: There is a big mix of everything: rock, punk, ska, reggae, acoustic, alternative, screamo, post-hardcore, grunge, rockabilly, rap hip-hop, latin, spanish rock…

I don’t necessarily have a favorite type of music. I may play ska, but if you saw my music collection, you’ll find a crazy mix of everything.

These 16 bands stand for the diversity and eclectic nature of Bakersfield. This town is so hard to put a finger on, it’s best to say we’re like a bowl of rhythmic stew. Throw it all together, take it or leave it. I doubt you’ll leave it though, the music is catchy, starting with The Filthies, and ending with The Silence Club. The CD flows really well, I’m telling you!

A big highlight for me was to have local female artists represented on the CD. Three Chord Whore who’ve been making great music for awhile have a great track with “Routine Heartbreak,” and Hayes Field’s lead singer, Shontice, shines on “Baja California.” Viva Le’ Woman!!

Noveltown: What’s going down in festival nights #1, #2 and #3 that people should know about?

Matt: They’re all big nights, but each will have its own representatives from the CD. For the first two shows you get a FREE CD with show admission:

PLEASE ATTEND THESE SHOWS:

-SATURDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2007
-Backstage, 20th & M St. downtown Bakersfield, 93301
-ALL AGES / 5pm-? / $5 admission includes a copy of the CD!!
-Bands Performing: Mento Buru, The Filthies, Safe Sounds Crew, 3CW, Likhy2, Tripline, Vanity Avenue!

-FRIDAY, MARCH 9TH, 2007
-The Dome, 2201 V st., Bakersfield, Ca 93301 / 661-327-0190
-ALL AGES / 6pm-? / $5 admission includes a copy of the CD!!
-Bands Performing: From Ritual To Romance, Seed, Hayes Field, Dirty Spanglish, The Silence Club, Krotch!

-SATURDAY, MARCH 17TH, 2007 - "ST. PATRICK'S ALL-DAY JAM!!!"
-FISHLIPS, 1517 18th st., Bakersfield, Ca, 661-324-2557
-21 & Over / 5pm-? / $5 admission / CD will be sold at club for $5 !
-Bands Performing: Mento Buru, Another Year, Jane Friday, Fatt Katt & The Von Zippers, Joel Jacob, The Silence Club, Vanity Avenue, Seed, Zero Nueve, Safe Sounds, The Vacation, Black Dog!

**After the parties, the CD’s will be available all over Bakersfield, so stay tuned! Or just e-mail me: matt@bakotopia.com, and I’ll hook you up.

Noveltown: Is there anything about Mento Buru that really speaks out about the ethnicity and culture of California’s Central Valley?

Matt: We never went on a mission to become the most culturally diverse band in Bakersfield, it just happened like that. When you look at the band over the years, you can see how much we’ve changed. We’re an oddball group of guys anyway, and we like it that way. As long as you can play and keep up with us, you’ll do fine.

But if you do break it down, Mento Buru has been a kind of “melting pot,” I guess. We’ve had Mexican, Caucasian, African-American, Puerto Rican musicians throughout the years. I guess with the type of music we play (please don’t say World Music, puke,) it’s a very rhythmic oriented style.

Our former drummer MB Cotton, who is African-American, used to love playing the faster, harder edged songs we play, like the Oingo Boingo, or Dropkick Murphy’s covers. But then he could turn around and groove like it was no thing. He had no problem stepping outside of what black culture thinks you should play. Our bassist, Caleb Moore, is one of the funkiest and well-versed bass players around, who can play salsa, cumbias, then go to swing and ska in a blink. He’s a white guy with a brown soul.

Noveltown: Tell us about the song Mento Buru chose to record...


Matt Munoz of Bakotopia/Mento Buru at Fat Tracks Recording Studio.


Mento Buru in the studio...

Matt: “La Murga,” by Hector Lavoe, one of the greatest latin singers of all-time.

Originally, we were working on an original piece that our guitar player, Pablo Alaniz had written. We had three weeks to get it together, but between all of our schedules we just couldn’t get it off the ground. We had a meeting, and decided to go ahead and contribute a track anyway. People love to here our renditions of classic songs we change with the Mento Buru style, so we went with “La Murga.” The original version is much slower, so we funked it up and added some Latin rock to it.

Mento Buru is definitely not the same band we were back in the 90’s, and we’re definitely not as young as most of the bands on the compilation, with the exception of our buddies The Filthies and Fatt Katt..lol, who are about the same age, but we can still throw down as we always have.


Buck Owens old recording studio has many ghosts!

The late Hector Lavoe, who recorded “La Murga” originally, is a salsa music legend. They called him “El Cantante” (the singer,) and he was known as the musical voice of the Puerto Rican people. His life was crazy. He lived fast, and partied hard. He even jumped out of a building once and survived. The music he left behind is fantastic. He’s like a mythical image, whose story is retold all the time.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are releasing a move about Hector Lavoe’s life in the Spring, also called “El Cantante.” Hopefully it lives up to the hype.







So as far as an original song contribution, our interpretation of “La Murga” song for the CD is definitely not the same song Lavoe recorded. We hope you’ll dig it. Big Ed at Riley’s plays it all the time and it packs the dance floor.

Last words…

I hope everyone who buys the CD will enjoy it, and pass it onto friends. These bands have worked their asses off. Please come out to the parties, or hit me up if you just want to buy a copy. They’re only $5.00, and you’ll still be able to get your drink on afterwards. If you’re going to bootleg it, at least spell our name right.

Thanks NL, Noveltown, and the rest of Bakersfield for supporting Bakotopia. We got your backs! Keep our arts community strong!

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Friday, March 02, 2007. You can leave your response.