Tonight, find out who Peter Will is...
Please attend the tribute
Friday, September 30th, 2005
8pm:
The Peter Will Tribute Band
Mento Buru
Empath
The Filthies
Sick Trigger
Vanity Avenue
Rule ..1
Deep Treble
Jake T
Sioux City Sarsparilla
Sadated Records 24KG
Kosmos 1623 19th St., Downtown Bakersfield
This event will be preceded by acoustic performances by local musicians at Dagny’s Coffeehouse from 5-8PM.
Entertainment writer for the Californian, and soon to be birthday girl, Danielle Belton sent me an email yesterday that stated Robert Price wanted to talk to me. I knew what it was all about. I’d offered him a copy of the novel that his 2003 Lords of Bakersfield articles inspired: Lords: Part One; he was taking me up on it. I had told him I wouldn’t give him one unless I could shake his hand. He came through and I wandered down to Dagny’s to meet him.
I entered and noticed him right away in a Hawaiian shirt. Here was Stubble the Lords Hunter a bit unshaven, a tad more grey than I imagined, but with a smiling face, easy to talk to about my intentions as a writer.
I admit some folks are shady. You don’t want to give those kinds of folks too much information. Robert Price doesn’t appear shady at all. In fact, his articles have a spin of integrity that often escapes the comfortable, yet difficult journalistic tact of wall-straddling.
Such a comfort zone, I thought, was a little scary. Perhaps that’s part of the gift of such a journalist, to easily ask questions that reveal information without the subject even knowing how much they’re telling. I think I would have told Robert Price where Jimmy Hoffa was buried—if he’d asked. I was aware of the questions and the slight digging. But that was all right. We talked shop, talked some conspiracies, talked about his latest article on the jailbird Getty staff. “There’s a topic you can write a book on,” he said.
“I have a strong interest in archaeology,” I said. “Those museums have done shoddy deals to acquire antiquities since the dawn of museums.”
He agreed.
“I like the look of this book,” he said. He asked who was in the photo and about the endorsements on the front cover. “Is that Che Guevara’s grandfather?” he laughed, pointing at the quote by Al Guevara.
I paid special attention to the quote from Tony Blanche. “He was my agent who passed away,” I said. That was old Cal graduate Don Ackland, driving through the desert toward Pahrump and crashing his old Mercedes after a night of a little too much vino. The Cal Bears are undefeated right now. A year ago we had football debates around this time. He called the Bruins the baby bears. It was just a few months before his passing and he reminisced in an October 15th email as he always would about the UCLA Bruins:
...also will ask Eric separately as he is contact to Joel Gotler, film/TV deal maker in Beverly Hills. I won't ask them the question while together just in case one is lukewarm, that might suppress the other. When Eric, Malcolm and I are finished I'm off to a business dinner regarding premium restaurant books.........so not back to Pahrump until late. However will email you Saturday morning with any news, and the final pre-game observations..........do you know that the 1954 Bruins, under Red Sanders ran the single wing, were National Champions, undefeated and scored 40 pts a game to their opponents 5 on average. Several great single wing tailbacks, but my favorite was "Touchdown Sam" Brown. The full back was a great one, Bob Davenport, and when he led the blocking for "Touchdown Sam Brown" the UCLA cheering section would cheer "Hit 'em in the Pouch, Couch".
Also on this team were two great linebackers, Terry Debay, about 190 #'s and 5'10" and was Pac 10 (actually Pac 8 then) Player of the Year; and the other was an all-american, Don Moomaw who was 6'4", 230 3's and would be an all-american today too. He looked like a Greek god, had a jaw like Charlatan Heston, but unlike Heston he had real muscles, could play lights out, and was real unlike that 5'8" phony piece of NRA & Neo-con roadkill, Heston.
And when Moomaw made a great tackle the UCLA cheering section sounded out; "Mooo-MAW, maw-MOO"
Those where the days, I was still a school boy, but I'll never forget the day they beat Stanford 72-0, and it wasn't that close. More on the game and all else on Saturday AM.
Robert Price shook my hand and then I wandered down the street, bookless. I felt pretty good about making a journalist happy with my fiction, even though I admittedly get a little too “Star Chamber” in my rendition of events as told in the novel. Although that is more in the background as Lords: Part One is more of a novel about alienated people in the alienating media storms and real storms of yesteryear in the Southern Central Valley.
After I got back to my office I wrote Robert Price an email to which he soon wrote:
thanks for the book.
I walked in the Spotlight after i left dagnys with the book still under my arm and a young woman walked up and said, Ohhh, where can i get a copy? So there's already a buzz. Your book is a chick magnet.
I replied that I would definitely carry two…
Check out the new buzz in town over at the new Bakersfield blog community at thebuzzblogs.com. It's a one-stop site to go read the Bakersfield/Bakersfield-related blog headlines...
There's a whole lotta bloggers over there. Please link to thebuzzblogs.com:
Music:
Illpressed.com
Bakersfield Music Gossip and the Arts
Dobbler's Drunk Corner
Miss Light: The Dirty, Sexy Secrets of a Rock N' Roll Lifestyle
Humor:
Danielle Belton Online
One Bakersfield Woman's Blog to Mankind
Rob Shock
Enrique Fuentes: Queen of the Downtown Fur
Skinnygirlfatgirl: Chicago Blog of a Skinny Girl in a Fat Girl's Body
Arts and Literary:
Bakersfield and Central Valley Book Blog
Artspeak: Julia Heatherwick
Coming Soon: Ruined By Books
Technology:
Gamers Anonymous
Coming Soon: PC-based tech blogs
Podcasts:
Arthur Chilling Presents
Oildale Reverend
Buck City Podcast
Coming Soon: Central Valley Authorspeak
Call me Indiana Jones, but I stumbled upon a major stash of photos that had been hidden away in a padlocked box labeled, “Secret Bakersfield underground Temple of the music Lords”.
No, I didn’t take these photos, but I have a good idea who buried so many mysteries of the local music scene. For now, the mystery archivist is as tucked away as safe as the secret identity of Harry Potty…
Misbliss, circa 1999.
Ruth had excellent stage presence. Misbliss used to play with Videodrone and the band broke up after Ruth went back to school. I hear she was quite the frontwoman…
Butterfly Stitches, circa 1999 at Jerry’s Pizza.
Butterfly Stitches was a rowdy Bakersfield band who may have performed in dresses, but had big Bakersfield to Hollywood attitudes. Don't you think it would take attitude to mock societal standards in mommy/daddy dress codes? Get this: Butterfly Stitches used to hang out with Hybrid Theory, which in the future would become Linkin Park... also was in the same studio at Hollywood and Vine and chilled with The Rentals.
Stay tuned for more images from the past. Maybe you will even be in them. If you have a related story to share, please send and I will post for other folks to read…
Who will be the next mystery band from the past unearthed?
There was a flattering write-up on Bakersfield’s own Buck City Podcast a few weeks ago in Bakersfield College’s award-winning newspaper, The Renegade Rip. Journalist Daniel McCraw wrote a tech-oriented piece that discusses technology and freedom in using podcasting as a form of unregulated media...
Daniel writes:
Nick Belardes, novelist, photographer and grassroots media workhorse, is now bringing Bakersfield another cultural step forward, with the first podcasting out of Bakersfield, "The Buck City Podcast."
When, late last year, his mentor and publishing world contact suddenly died as he was completing his novel, he didn't "get depressed, lethargic or blame God."
Instead, within a few weeks, his website -www.nlbelardes.com - was up and running. Now, seven months later, the site is a local hub of activity and information regarding the local arts, music and theater scene. At the same time, his photography and insights bring a humanizing dimension to what otherwise might seem remote and ethereal of the under-the-radar Bakersfield arts scene.
Within the last couple months, he has incorporated onto his site the current cutting edge of digital media, podcasting. Utilizing technology freely available or easily obtained on the internet, his show, "The Buck City Podcast" became the first podcast program originating from Bakersfield, and covering a range of interests.
...Belardes' philosophy and the doctrine of "becoming the media" is the desire to not only understand the world around you, but to embrace changing it, with the technology and minds we have at our ready. "Podcasting is a tool of information untapped and capable of transforming Bakersfield," he said.
Click here to read the entire article…
One of the bands from the Hurricane Relief Show I most anticipated was Bakersfield’s rockabilly/country band The Dusk Devils. I’d been hearing about Jenny Angel since I began writing about the local music scene back in February. I have surfed their web site, listened to some of their tunes, even got a few invites to shows over the past few months, including one to the Link Wray gig at Fishlips. I didn’t make it because of a Latino show over at Chencho’s that I’d promised to attend with LIKHY2 and Delux.
Yet, I kept an eye on The Dusk Devils, kept up with their shenanigans in and out of Bakersfield in Jenny’s tell-all blog( read about her take on the Dusk Devil's Dome performance). Why was I curious? Because country music is sparse in Bakersfield? Oh certainly. It’s a dying breed of local Bakersfield musician. They’re still around, but sparse… there’s Slim the Drifter and some Buckaroos, some alt country in Norfolk, Dante Esperanza and Jimmy Holliday’s Sioux City Sarsaparilla. But country bands? Stampede, and some rockabilly and psychobilly... One country boy told me though, “That rockabilly. That ain’t no country…” Is that true?
I keep asking myself where country had gone and disappeared to. After careful research I realized the country movement isn’t in Bakersfield with the big Bakersfield Sound and Buck Owens, et. al. Oh there’s country music at Buck’s Crystal Palace and his big crystal horse getty’app’n to folks eaten their chicken and biscuits. But then that’s country music with a strong hint of nostalgia: there’s pictures on the wall, a museum, statues of dead country stars whose music still lives... There’s a lot of famous acts who tour through the venue, but up-and-coming folks from the streets of Bakersfield? Fat chance. I don’t hear but of just a few bands...
Mostly the burgeoning movements are farther south of the Los Padres, where traveling hip country cat Dale Watson makes appearances. I saw him years ago blast his sounds in a little Honky Tonk style bar at Arizona Charlie’s off the Las Vegas Strip. And oh there’s the many many Los Angeles country bands in the New Nashville West, a landscape filled with country shows, country radio, alt country bands by the bushel, and even Merle Jagger, an instrumental variation of old country TV radio station hour riffs, all created in a neo-cowpunk flavor meant to tease the what was left of the old country heart of Bakersfield, ala the Old Nashville West…
I’d met mutual friends of Jenny Angel, had a conversation with Fat Katt about her. “I told her to go with Jenny Angel,” he said in the N.L. Belardes studio. “She needed a big name…” Les Paw was there, hip as can be, his tattoos staring from his rockabilly hepcat style. Really, I had been wondering just how good The Dusk Devils were. I could tell Jenny was well networked with the country/rockabilly folk in California and in the European country sector—high up in the Scandinavian townships and cities. But in Bakersfield…? Remember, a lot of folks here don’t even care about their own roots. Maybe that’s why country music is scarce in Bakersfield.
Now here was The Dusk Devils jamming their country/rockabilly covers in the Dome during the Hurricane Relief Show. What I expected was just what I got: Jenny Angel dressed to the hilt in green, full-on with a big green feathery boa to accent her Betty Page sweet rockabilly hair and smile; her lips painted luscious—here was one of the premiere female rockers in a town dominated by male performers of working class angst. She’s right in there with the gals from Three Chord Whore, Rocky Nash, and Nico Rhodes of the Dalloways. Only here’s a frontwoman with a stylish hip keyboard attitude that growls as much as sings…
Here’s also a band who needs to perform more original songs. Why? Because they’re talented enough to do so; because they have a great image, though one that could use the guys getting a little more stylishly clothed rockabilly in tune with Jenny Angel’s darling refreshing rockabilly look.
My infamous Jenny Angel "Legs" photo...
The Dusk Devils took the stage and I went down to the front. I watched the young tough kids swing dance, two-step and generally get down to the sounds of rockabilly/country. Kids know good music; some of them do know the roots of Bakersfield; they could feel the heart and soul in each Jenny Angel growl. They, like me, appreciated the musicianship in country guitar riffs and picking that had metal boys wishing they’d taken a class in country blues… Yeah, the Dusk Devils deserve to be a house band around town somewhere, in some cool steakhouse, and that’s because they’re just as lively as Fatt Katt and the Vonzippers who frequent that big crystal horse hidden along the Buck City freeway; only Jenny Angel, she’s a little more good lookin’ than that ‘ol Fatt Katt… now sing me the country blues…
Just when you think N.L. doesn't publicly demean the good folks of Bakersfield, think again. chingpea, here in this hard-to-get photo, is caught red-handed telling the world just where her loyalties in the NFL are...
After I listened to Bakersfield powerpop Indie rockers Pangolese at Riley’s Tavern on Sunday night I went straight home, itching to make a comparison. My ears still ringing from such a high-volume show, I dug through my book of music for my old CD copy of The Pixies Trompe Le Monde. Still determined, I found it tucked away, so pulled the scratched CD out, dusted it off and spun “Motorway to Roswell”… ahh, the sarcasm and vocal strength of Frank Black of the Pixies; the guitar mastery of riffs blended with an incredible array of notes from a screaming guitar of angry intense songs of Frank Black’s own dusty views of Americana.
I blasted “Motorway to Roswell” then sat back, mesmerized, in disbelief and shook my head. It couldn’t be true. Perhaps local favoritism had made me go a little insane, a little too intense for folks from my own dusty Central Valley landscapes. What can I say? I can’t lie to myself. I have to admit: I like the moodiness of Pangolese more than the Pixies. And don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen the Pixies live.
Clearly influenced by the same genre of Pixies powerpop music blended with today’s peculiar mix of Bakersfield working class angry Bakersfield anthems to grunge life, grunge thoughts, and Nirvana-esque hard-edged angry riffs… Pangolese music is presented masterfully in a three-piece band where frontman Dave has an incredible command over his guitar work. It’s not overdone at all, and is filled with guitar screams, straight-up chords that reach fever pitches in vibrato echoes and then dive deep into grinding chords that seem to tell as much of the story as Dave’s intense lyrics…
OK, my only problem with the show: Dave’s vocals were drowned. I don’t mind the loudness of the music at all though I admit more vocals would have been perfect. What I could hear was an incredible journey through the minds of Pangolese. Dave’s calmness as a musician, only seen intense in his command over his hard-edged powerpop riffs and from his calm lyrical singing style that occasionally turned into a screaming chorus ala the genre style that Pangolese is linked to. And don’t count out drummer John and a bass player who is as intense as they come: in style with his taped-up guitar and head of blonde-dyed hair… He shook and spun and even knocked over the cymbals as he nearly went crashing backwards.
Unfortunately, Riley’s Tavern wasn’t terribly packed. The venue needs to get the word out about such great Indie bands playing in the wooden-floored shadows of downtown Bakersfield, hidden away in the Central Valley, where last night I could enjoy a cold pear cider and snap some pictures of such great music-driven moments.
“We just haven’t been packing them in,” said Leslie Reyes, show promoter and girlfriend of Colin Cooke of local band, Broken Record Gospel. Oh, there were folks in the bar. But there could have been more.
When the Rolling Blackouts, LA Weekly voted LA “Band of the Year” performed at Riley’s, the house was packed. That was just a few months ago. I think it’s just a matter of getting the word out to Bakersfield folks that such high quality music can be found right in the beating heart of downtown near Eye and 19th Street.
I will just finish up by saying there were some surreal moments when I recognized a few folks from myspace.com lurking about in the tavern shadows. One such was a young lady, head nearly shaven with a curious joyous look about her. My mind could be fooling me, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her images in the myspace.com community abuzz online; but here she was, somehow connected to this night, and to Dave as they both smoked after the show outside of the tavern. She’s sat in the very front during the show, smiling, listening intently at Dave’s calm demeanor and smashing guitar sounds… Such hipsters in the scene—hip only because of an independent look and style, hip because such musicians and folks are theie own blend of self and style... ah yes, who can argue with that?
No, this isn’t a Paul Theroux adventure on the old Patagonian Express through Mexican brothels in a raging travel narrative. I’m talking about Bakersfield band Three Chord Whore: the dark angels of post-grunge angst. These ladies are putting together a hockey song called “Zamboni Zombie” that offers to be an angry grunge testament to Zamboni drivers everywhere. Oh yes, those ice-cutting drivers love to stare at the ice while they cut it during the big games.
New lead singer, Darcie Blake talked it up while I made a general nuisance of myself, wore a dumb Niners helmet, snapped a few photos and talked about a pirate birthday cake. Shantell Waldo gave me a tour of the band during yesteryear and showed me a wall of shame that included ex-lead singers for Three Chord Whore. I was most surprised to see Ty Elam’s face in one of the photos…
Bluebeard the Kernville Pirate got his two cents in on a recent Heath Dobbler post that talks of nasty cops and tree-shooting in Tulare County. Talk about drama. How frightening to be up in the mountains, accosted by cops? At the same time, I agree with Paul of Exithead (Bluebeard) being pissed in reading that campers discharged weapons. He says,
...When people come up here(kernville) that act carelessly, then when the "man" tries to crack down, people get pissed and blame them...I have never met a cool cop, or any that go by the books(bastards). I only would want to kick your ass if you were shooting near my campsite, not just because of your post!!! if so we should charge money and get some bands involved. :) all right man, no worries, bang your head! PAUL
There's more. You can read Paul's original response and Heath's comments about pollution in the lower Kern...
Cesareo's Waste of Space, one of the newest blogs in the Bakersfield music scene has jumped in on the Rob Ruiz/DIM article controversy. Read on regarding his take on grassroots journalism, sensationalism, bloggisms of the local music scene, and old N.L.. Of course, there really isn't a controversy. As a scene writer, I'm simply not just going to be some boring writer who doesn't dive into the heart of the music scene, which in includes discussing rock and roll binge lifestyles and the fact that folks get cut from bands.
There's more. Skinnygirlfatgirl responds to Ronna's statement that I somehow publicly demeaned Mr. Ruiz, which just isn't true... I pointed that out a long time ago with Vesper... public demeaning is an entirely different ballgame, and would include explicit detail, and extremely harsh opinion...
Skinnygirlfatgirl gets down and dirty and writes:
Ha, how funny.
What is cool for a rocker to do? Drink, drugs, live "like a rock star". I am so confused. I still can't see what he, or Ronna, is upset by. Yeah he is a great guy, depending on your definition of great. And he partied "like a rock star." What's the harm in pointing that out? I wish I was young enough, skinny enough, and hip enough, to party like that.
They need to quit their bitching and start acknowledging the truth, and that's the last I'm going to say on the subject.
aj
Bakersfield's Buck City Podcast has gone talk radio by way of N.L. Belardes and Kenny Mount of the Filthies talking music, politics, and potty talk... Oh yes, it's a crazy Motor Mount Talks Bakersfield episode... you'll dig it.
You have to listen to Episode Sixteen, and if you're an artist, in a band, or in theatre, you're going to want to do a podcast. Why? Because a podcast can be downloaded and listened to over and over again. It's not just a one-time radio thing... Go to my homepage and click on one of the chicklets, subscribe, or just wimp out and download the MP3 of Episode Thirteen, 'Motor Mount talks Bakersfield'... If you do click on a chicklet, try podnova or podcast alley. But don't discount iTunes. The Buck City Podcast is now on iTunes, Podfeed, Podnova, Podcast, PodcastHostDirectory, PodTower, Podcast Directory, Podcast Pickle, Podcasting News, podcaster world, Odeo.com and Podfeeder... and yes, I did say iTunes! That's the biggie. Go ahead and look, you'll see the Buck City Podcast right there in the music directory...
And no, you don't have to have a MAC to download iTunes. Just go to apple.com and download right now! It's great! A great search engine for podcasts, a great look and feel, and you can listen with ease, with auto updates!
Coming soon: Drowse, Dante Esperanza, and more!
I can’t believe I was actually missed on a Wednesday night at Azuls. I got two phone calls. One from Darcie of Three Chord Whore and the other from hip funk master Mo Dee James Ratliff of Norfolk. Such love. Seems I don’t hide in the shadows enough like most downtown novelists do.
I decided early in the day that I would partake in a night of television; really, the first night in years that I would watch TV drama. I rarely watch TV, and if I do, it’s always a sporting event. But not last night. I was in for a night of Lost and Invasion…
Television is just too boring, too predictable, too time consuming. Lost and Invasion were both decent. Simple, time-consuming, but decent. Television has come a long way since I last watched the Taken series, an episode of Sex and the City, and one episode of Six Feet Under. That was a few years ago. Now, instead of Six Feet Under I just call up Kenny Mount like I did yesterday:
“Hey Kenny!”
“Nick Balagaga?”
“Dude, you have the sniffles.”
“I have a cold. I’m over in Vegas at a casket convention.”
“You’ll get better. Hey. I have an idea. I just wrote an article for the Blackboard and I mentioned something… Why not give people haunted limo rides this Halloween?”
“Oh that’s a good idea. Maybe I should do that in my hearse!”
“Oh yeah, now you’re talking. Just empty the bodies out first, OK?”
I don’t know about you. But that’s way better than TV…
From Roger Mathey's updates:
THIS WEEK IN BAKERSFIELD THEATER:
Week ending Sept. 25, 2005
OPENING:
1. True Tales 2 (late night) at the Empty Space
2. Film Freex presents A Dirty Shame at the Empty Space
CLOSING:
3. Fame at the Spotlight Theater
4. The Road to Rosedale at the Gaslight Theater
5. To Kill A Mockingbird at Bakersfield Community Theater
6. Aida at The Harvey Auditorium
ONGOING:
7. Major League Improv at the Spotlight Theater
8. Anna In The Tropics (prime time) at The Empty Space
9. Little Shop of Horrors at Stars Dinner Theater
10. Actors' Jam at the Spotlight Theater
AUDITIONS:
11. Miracle on 34th Street at the Spotlight Theater
12. Beyond the Horizon at The Empty Space
13. LQVE & H8TE at The Empty Space
14. Over the River and Through the Woods at Bakersfield Community Theater
MISCELLANEOUS:
15. Michael Biagiotti Art Show at the Empty Space
16. ActionFolkSinger at The ACK Gallery
17. Pitch Day at The Empty Space
18. Guide to seeing all the shows you can in a weekend
UPCOMING:
Henry IV, Part 1 at the Kern Shakespeare Festival (Sept 28)
A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Kern Shakespeare Festival (Sept 29)
After the Fall at the Spotlight Theater (Sept. 30)
Screwtape presented by Back to One Ministries in October...
Much of this information can be found by joining the Yahoo group "Bakersfield Theater". Sign up today at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bakersfield-Theater/
Peter Williams. Controversial. Despondent. Talented. He cared about others, except in the end maybe not enough about himself. One of his friends recently told me Peter Williams was the “constant tragic clown”. We were sitting in Borders at Seattle’s Best at a small table. I was to learn so little about Peter Williams. “He had a lack of inspiration in the music scene,” his friend continued. “You lose inspiration in a town like this.”
We’re the same age, Peter Williams and I. Born just a week apart in 1968. He chose a career in making music that started somewhere around 1989 in the Peter Will Band. I got married, worked in factories, went to college then to graduate school and on to a career in writing. Peter chose a different path: music. Around 2001 his band played the Ventura Theatre to a large crowd. That was just after his album came out in 2000. Then something happened. His band broke up. Peter Williams fell apart and he never put himself back together again… He died on July 29, 2005.
For those of you who don't remember Peter Thomas Williams, Matt Munoz writes, “he was a beloved friend to many, a fantastic musician singer/songwriter and a crazy mofo who would make everyone laugh!!”
Please attend the tribute
Friday, September 30th, 2005
8pm:
The Peter Will Tribute Band
Mento Buru
Empath
The Filthies
Sick Trigger
Vanity Avenue
Rule ..1
Deep Treble
Jake T
Sioux City Sarsparilla
Sadated Records 24KG
Kosmos 1623 19th St., Downtown Bakersfield
This event will be preceded by acoustic performances by local musicians at Dagny’s Coffeehouse from 5-8PM.
This looks cool: $10 will get you in the door...
ACTION FOLK NIGHT SLATED FOR SEPTEMBER 24
Actionfolksinger to host Twas Writ and Ingrid Wakes in
ACK Gallery
Enrique Acosta, also known as the Actionfolksinger,
will champion an exciting series of contemporary folk
and acoustic music events in the ACK gallery at 2000 K
Street, suite 110, starting on Saturday, September
24th with Twas Writ and Ingrid Wakes. The primary
purpose of this intimate 'unplugged' series is to shed
light on Bakersfield's intriguing yet little known
acoustic music underground.
Acosta and the Arts Council also wish to help link
Bakersfield's scene to the rest of the music world by
bringing in similar artists on tour from around the
country, and to remind Bakersfield that since the
birth here of the great American baritone Lawrence
Tibbet over a hundred years ago, Bakersfield has held
a prominent place in the history of American music.
The evening will be the first in a series of intimate
acoustic events which we, of course, are calling The
Actionfolknight Series. Starting at 6:00 PM, with a
suggested donation of $10.00, the local band Twas Writ
will perform first. Twas Writ is actually a one-person
band, an idea with a pedigree which dates back at
least to 1988 with the one-person band Nine Inch
Nails.
Singer/guitarist/pianist Amber Wilson is the current
Twas Writ lineup. Her self-penned songs are steeped in
an elegant and very melodic romanticism. She sings
with a breathy, sometimes broken alto which soars
effortlessly into a smooth soprano when needed. "I've
played on the same bill with her a couple of times,"
said the Actionfolksinger. "She's mesmerizing, a very
insightful lyricist. Let's catch her now before she’s
too big for us."
Ingrid Wakes, a two-person acoustic rock band on tour
from Long Beach, will perform next. Their acoustic
music ranges from ethereal pop to much more
extroverted forms. "Christina on vocals and Jeff on
guitar have been traveling the country with their rock
and funk based music," the Actionfolksinger explained.
"And, yes, like Cher, they have no last names." Both
are, as it turns out, Bakersfield natives. "They are
local kids who’ve spread their wings and ventured into
the great wide world."
Brian Joseph is the tentatively scheduled performer
for October's Actionfolknight. He will be in
Bakersfield on Wednesday, October 19th. The
Actionfolksinger threatens to stay musically silent
during these planned concerts. "This series is about
them -our up-and-coming local artists and these great
people that Bakersfield never gets to hear" Acosta
insists. We have asked him to consider performing with
Joseph.
In this age described by many as one of joyless
apprehension, it would seem that every major
metropolitan area should have at least one
actionfolksinger to transform that joylessness into
song and cure that apprehension with action.
Unfortunately, actionfolksingers are rarer than
whooping cranes these days. Fortunately, mild-mannered
Bakersfield has one, that being the
mostly-mild-mannered but aforementioned Acosta.
With a luxuriant and robust baritone, Enrique Acosta
composes and delivers songs like "Just Another Weekend
Open Mic at the Coffee House"; with perhaps too much
insight, he skewers his own artistic profession. "Joi
de Vivre Blues" exemplifies his sure grasp of irony.
With a sharp confrontational edge, "An Irish Mexican"
celebrates the almost forgotten San Patricios of the
Mexican-American War.
Mostly-mild-mannered by day, Acosta transforms into
the Actionfolksinger by night. Or is it the other way
round? Or maybe it's a befuddling Zen - neither this
nor that, nor none, nor both kind of thing. Whichever
it is, Acosta becomes the teeth-gritting,
hard-hitting, people-saving hero of his own series of
comic books and often lurid pulp novel style posters
which he designs, if not draws himself. It's more
Actionfolksinger irony of course; few people nowadays
think of a folk singer as anybody's hero.
But, all kidding aside, Acosta has long wanted to
rescue Bakersfield folk musicians from a dismal
situation. Unlike past days when Cousin Herb had a
weekly TV show for local artists, Bakersfield
musicians have neither a TV show nor a consistent
viable venue that is not a bar or a coffee house. Also
there is a world of fabulous touring performers
—so-called jazz, blues or folk musicians,
singer-songwriters— who flourish in such small venues.
They drive north or south on Highway 99 everyday. Only
occasionally will any of them pull off to enrich us
with their music.
Many people complain about the situation. The Arts
Council is very happy to help the Actionfolksinger do
something about it. The rest is up to you, Dear
Reader. For more on the Actionfolksinger, go to
actionfolksinger.com.
David Nigel Lloyd
Director of Arts Programs
Here's an email I got today...
Rob is a great guy and I don't blame him for being upset. Who wouldn't be insulted by being referred to as a "beer guzzling schleprock?"
So, in response to Skinnygirlfatgirl's question "What is he so angry about?" I would have to say he is probably angry about being publicly demeaned by someone who once was a good friend.
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Ronna
I would have to say that since Mr. Ruiz admittedly did not deny my description of him in the DIM reunion article, how could I have insulted him? My words were easily defensible had he simply stated, "It was a rock and roll life, so what? I lived it."
As far as being publicly demeaned by someone who was once a good friend. History isn't demeaning. It's a pursuit of truth, and is just one perspective of such a pursuit. The friendship clause is a dead issue. Any friendship was ten years ago. He clearly never returned phone calls. And that is beside the point. Why should I lie about the DIM controversy of firing Mr. Ruiz when it was integral to the story I wrote? Certainly he or anyone else can write another account and are welcome to do so. I certainly don't think being called a drunken schleprock in a rock band is publicly demeaning. All I am stating is that in this case he appears to have been terminated in part from what I have been told is by excessive drinking. So what? Peter Will recently drank himself to death. At least Mr. Ruiz didn't do that.
As I stated before, the little criticism Mr. Ruiz has received is nothing like the criticism I receive and many in the public eye receive. History is a taste of the past: good, bad, or ugly, and Mr. Ruiz clearly is embarrassed for his part in it. And that's sad.
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