(David Rinck provides his back story of this meeting of musical minds at the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend. Plus, let’s go to the video, courtesy of Paul Kaufman!)
Now I’m really perplexed by this one. Dave Fleminger calls for the “end of the Age of Irony,” and then he is largely the perpetrator of a band called BOMBAST. This seems like a contradiction.
And then there’s the song-list issue — a couple old San Diego classics like the Wallflowers (“Rubber Room” and “Survive the Jungle”) and Blues Gangsters (“Tigershark Blues”), some Arthur Lee and Love (“Bummer In the Summer”), and even the Stooges (“TV Eye”) and Parliament (“Unfunky UFO”). Seems like a pretty strange brew, more contradictions? “Well, what do we all agree on?” I asked with great trepidation as the project grew. Pretty much one thing — BOMBAST is LOUD! Okay, that’s enough for me. I’m good to go.
My ex-Wallflowers bandmate Matt Johnson beat the skins into submission on this between rolled tacos, while ex-Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison tortured his Telecaster mercilessly by way of lead guitar. (Rarely have I seen a man throttle a piece of wood with such maliciousness — Dave is really the Paul Bunyan of Underground rock ‘n’ roll.) I had played together with these guys at the Wallflowers reunion at the Che Games in 2009, and I knew this was gonna be great fun.
Kiinch DeGrate, who I knew from the Blues Gangsters show at the Casbah last year, ignored our pleading and put his trumpet away so could he deliver his WALL OF SOUND keys like nobody’s business.
Answers/Comeuppance/ Blues Gangster/etc. etc. Dave Fleminger made love to his bass in the most obscene ways possible. Truly unspeakable, I’m just glad my parents weren’t there to see that. I mean, Dave can be so soft-spoken in person, truly a gentleman, but put a bass in his hands, and it’s just downright pornographic. He does stuff to those things that would make Larry Flynt blush!
Underground Art Goddess Kristen Tobiason designed this great flyer, as well as one for the first night over at Lestat’s, too. I’ve been watching Kristin make great promos for bands for over 30 years. She really is so cool to work with. Some day there should be a Kristen Tobiason Room at the Che Smithsonian. I love this flyer.
Check out Kristen Tobiason’s flyer work!
We rehearsed a bit up at Hindsight Studio in Kearny Mesa, though that may not have been immediately apparent (we did though, I swear), and then got up at Bar Pink July 31 to play on the second night of the Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend, following a truly great set by the Answers and Wendy Bailey & Untold Stories.
Here’s a video of what was in my opinion the funnest moment of the show, Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop.” Zep rocks! I heard that many times in high school, and not for a moment have I ever disagreed.
One thing I truly believe is that today’s audiences have NOT matured at all. Just the opposite, kids today are so saturated with breathy women playing “meaningful” numbers on Martin guitars and glorified elevators music, that all they really want to do is rock. Give ’em any excuse, and they will respond. They will put down their near beers and shake their booties. They’re starvin’ for it!
Oh yeah, and you can see the P Man in this video too. That’s ex-Wallflower Paul Howland in dubstep deejay incarnation. He’s grinning at me every time I mess up the lyrics, cause he knows I really haven’t learned to sing any better than I did back in the day. (Man, Paul gimme a break, I’m a performer, not a vocalist, OK? Geez …)
BOMBAST has a lot of plans for the future. We’d really like to tour Japan with Cheap Trick next year. Also, record a double album with Phil Spector and do the soundtrack for a re-make of “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” with me as Spicoli and Kristi Maddocks in the Phoebe Cates role. None of us agree on any of this, though, so we’ll just settle for playing LOUD! BOMBAST is LOUD! Stay tuned. …
— David Rinck
More from Che Underground Rock-‘n’-Roll Weekend:
- DaveFest Four: ‘Richie Dagger’s Crime’ b/w ‘Let’s Lynch the Landlord’
- Two days in Che: A retrospective
- Closing party: Doyle/McMullen photo show
- The Comeuppance with Graziela Damian: “Sunday Morning”
More from Dave Wallflower:
I really enjoyed that show. Bombast rocks. Dave R you did a fine job. Even the great Johnny Cash considered himself a “vocal stylist” instead of a singer. I’d rather listen to you sing than say, Bob Dylan or Robert Plant. But what the heck do I know about it, I think Richard Hell and Jimi Hendrix are good singers.
As a side note, since I started DJing I’ve been collecting funny requests. I got a doozy that night. I had received a lot of compliments, had a few people take business cards, and had a few people dancing at different points of the evening so I figured I was on the right track. During my last set a young lady walked up and asked “Can’t you play some different music” I’m usually a pretty good sport so I responded “Like what?” she came back with “Something good”. I was nice about it, but it was kind of funny.
This video made the rounds recently with some of my DJ buddies. Funny stuff.
Another moment I wish I could’ve witnessed!
I’m starting this book tour for my day job, and I’m going to have one short breather the evening of Oct. 3 … If anyone might consider giving me a tour of Bar Pink, Lestat’s, Bar Eleven and the other new joints in town, I’d be very interested to get the lay of the land!
Paul, I get the guy’s point, but I think he humiliated her a little too long. I wish I had a dollar for every drunk guy who wanted to sit in on drums or harmonica!
Great Bombast performance. I really like the keyboard tone and of course Dave E’s swaggering guitar. I wish I could hear DR’s vocals better, though.
That was a lot of fun. Best use of the term “ironic” since Alanis Morrisette, my man.
For the record, that was/is the Berklee trained Kiinch DeGrate (with two “i”s) on keys. Flem, I would be speechless, too. I love my Bombast homies. Can’t wait to do it again. Maybe on a double bill with the Injections? Sorry, only one mic per band, and it would have to be crazy glued, or taped to Lou’s hands. J/k
>>Kiinch DeGrate (with two “i”s)
Matt: Now you tell me!!
Kiinch: My apologies — as a copy editor, I hate making these mistakes. Fixing now.
Ray, oh yeah. I agree with you. I’m way more polite about that sort of thing, almost to a fault. But trust me all of my DJ buddies laugh loud and long when they see that video. It’s exactly what we all WANT to say in that situation.
>>But trust me all of my DJ buddies laugh loud and long when they see that video. It’s exactly what we all WANT to say in that situation.
Paul: Yeah, that guy definitely takes charge of the situation. It is kinda mean, but man … Done with aplomb!
I got on a run on YouTube a while back watching stand-up comedians demolishing hecklers at their shows … It’s really an art form that’s highly prized in that community:
As I understand it, the stand-up world’s take on that insane racist rant that got “Seinfeld’s” Michael Richards in so much trouble was that it was clearly amateur hour … Richards had no background in stand-up so — besides the fact that his tirade was disgusting — it was also incoherent and unfunny. Just a TV actor having a tantrum that alienated the audience, not a stand-up pro in charge of the stage.
This is not irony. This is sincerity. This is music played, not to comment knowingly about the music -- but to have a funky, good time.
Dave F may be complex, and contain oppositions simultaneously -- but he is not self contradictory, except when he is.
“I wanna take you HIGH……ER!”
as a tribute to kiinch
we should all sport two i’s is all of our names
My miiddle name’s Miilton …
Matt R. Funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.
The Richard Herring video I mean.
Ray thanks!
Yeah, I wish the vocals were louder, but have you ever played at a club where they turn the vocals up loud enough? I haven’t! Man, I can never hear myself up there. I take it as some sort of conspiracy against singers… er ummm us performers.
Sincerely, Daviid
Riinck
The Michael Richards video was not funny at all. At least he had the good sense to apologize.
>>The Michael Richards video was not funny at all.
Paul: No, of course it wasn’t. But that what was interesting about the response of professional comedians I watched … Most of us were offended because of the sheer vileness of the theme — but these guys were doubly offended (maybe primarily offended!) because it totally disrespected their art.
If you’re claiming a featured spot on the stand-up circuit, you’re not supposed to have a temper tantrum on stage; you’re supposed to take control of the situation, not lose it completely. So he was not only a pig at that moment, he was a massively unfunny pig … Which is unforgivable in those circles!
Did you ever see “The Aristocrats” from Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza? It’s about this one completely foul joke that’s made the rounds backstage at stand-up clubs for decades … The themes would make Henry Miller throw up, and the whole art is in who can weave the most intricate tower of filth on the way to the titular, absolutely idiotic punchline!
Amazing watching lovable TV dad Bob Saget in action here … Warning: This is unsafe for just about anyone. Do not watch this if you are capable of offense.
(Nancy has never quite forgiven me for suggesting we go to that movie!)
And Sarah Silvermans version is great.
Matthew, that Richard Herring clip was great!
Bwahahaha!
Fantastic.
Dave R.- e-mail on its way tonight.
Cool, music is ALIVE!
Two-Eyes?
“This is the dawning/Of the Age of Corneliius…
Now, I want to walk on stage with this playing -- like Judas in the closing number from Jesus Christ SuperStar. Cue Carl Anderson!
you have to stand on the curb to hear the vocals at bar piink
Lyrics are just a trick to get people to listen to music.
I LOVE The Aristocrats; not least among its amusements is imagining hapless family-types who’ve rented it by accident, having intended to get The Aristocats…
I loved the flyers for those shows… I never knew who did them until now. Thanks Kristin, great job!
Dave, I’m just gonna assume you already have a plan for breaking Phil out to do that double album.
I think we should record in his cell. With the static coming in and out every time the power dims cause of them throwing the switch on the electric chair. zaaaaaaappppp! right in the middle of a tune. What was that? Oh that was ol’Lefty McDougal -- RIP zaaaaaappppp and that? Oh that was Joe Sniggs RIP. Zaaaaaappppppp! hahahha so Bombastic.