I got a call from my friend Brennen. He told me to come check out a punk show in Kathmandu. He gave me the address and told me it started at 3pm. Addresses in Kathmandu are weird. Even the locals have a hard time understanding them. I showed the taxi driver with some help from the front desk manager. (I think he knew how to get there.) The taxi driver was real old, and we chugged along over in third gear all the way there, which was really only a few blocks from the hotel anyway. I saw a couple of crust punks outside–this must be the place.
The club is called House of Music. I walk up and payed maybe 500 or 1000 rupees to enter. The place was nice compared to punk clubs in the States. It didn’t smell like beer and piss, and no one tried to stab me outside. The band had already started. The PA system sounded good and the sound guy had a good handle on the room. It was loud, but no too loud. The first band, Squirt Guns, was a good kind of Rancid-sounding band in more of the pop punk ska genre. Pretty sure they where all Nepali kids. The crowd liked them, dancing and skanking to the rhythms they pumped out of a thirty minute set. The next band really caught my attention–Social Nerve, a trio with a female guitar player. As soon as they started I noticed they where different. Billed as “psychedelic punk,” they had a mix of the old DC sound and Minutemen. They rattled off complex rhythms and very creative guitar riffs. The drummer played and sang and held it down. I was a fan immediately. After them the band And We Came was the third spot on the bill, a death core band from Nepal. The drummer was warming up his double kick chops before the set. I’m not a big metal fan, but these kids could play.
The last band, Youth Unite, was definitely the crowd favorite. They blasted out fast riffs and grinding vocals. The place erupted into full-on moshing. Very polite moshing–after all, it is Nepal. I sat by the side and drank my Gorka beer as the band played each song and in between preached their brand of anarchy and anti-establishment rhetoric. It felt like home.
Last weekend was huge for me. On Thursday, I had my opening at The End Is Near in Brooklyn. My three paintings looked great next to Norbert and Anna’s work. All of the paintings are displayed in the front room of the gallery/shop while a summer bbq occurred on the back patio. There was a great crowd and a lot of good friends there. Thanks to everyone who came out! The show will continue to be up for about a month, so if you’re in Park Slope, definitely check it out.
Friday night was another art event but for a very different cause. Organized by the Gasket Goons, the Charity Art Show was a huge success. The show had work by over 20 artists, showcased salon-style in the Phillipsburg garage space. The work was sold off silent-auction style and raised over 6,000 dollars for the family of the late Army Sgt. Sean M. Durkin. Accompanying the auction was a killer party with music, drinks, a hot dog truck and tons of cars-not to mention tons of people.
Saturday Top Soil had a show at The National Hotel’s first annual National Palooza. It was super hot out but people still came out and danced. We’ve been playing a bunch of new songs that are going to be on the new album we’ve been recording. Check out some images from the weekend’s activities!
So the new place has been open for about six months now and everything is going great. I’ve been doing a ton of tattooing as well as painting and illustration. I recently designed the album cover for the band Just Surrender. My band Top Soil has been playing a bunch, too. We started recording our second album on Monday at Trax East and I’m really excited about the project. Check out a video of us playing live here. Another new development is the opening of my brothers Jim and Dave’s new computer repair and internet cafe, River Net. They set up shop in the same building as my studio, so check it out! We’re in the brick building next to the Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown.
TOP SOIL! The great new project that I will be spending time on these days. Mike Quinn, the lyrical master, from Violent Society fame, shreds the acoustic guitar while rambles of the rise and fall of humanity. My block neighbor, Jeff Tareila completes the back line with the most purdy uprite bass on 3rd st. The first day went well. Working on five songs that I was still learning was quite hard but seemed to track good. My head was pounding with each bass drum kick as my cold had not left my body. Day two was much better! We seemed to kick it right away. Recording 4 more songs. The day just passed without any serious bumps. Top Soil is a challenge for me because, Jeff and Mike took my cymbals away and just left me the kick snare and brushes. But I dig it! I look forward to finishing tracking next week and moving on to vocals. I will have a stronger backing vocal role in this group. Working at the shop has been difficult with this nasty head cold. Just got to push through it.
