admin | The Che Underground

Footloose: Rockin’ the ’80s

June 30, 2009June 19, 2009 by admin

(Yet another brain-teaser from Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes: Let’s reassess the decade we were too cool to live through the first time!)

Like many idealistic teenagers who had grown up in the ’70s, I looked forward to the dawn of the 1980s. The music of the new decade would be aggressive and forward-looking but rooted in the coolest sounds of the ’50s and ’60s.

The punk revolution would start to bear fruit; the material excesses of the late ’70s would be a thing of the past, and a new era of social justice would see the eradication of poverty and war. It would be my generation’s chance to distance itself from the Boomers and their self-righteous bombast.

Then, beginning with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan on Jan. 20, 1981, reality began to sink in. The future marched to the beat of evangelicalism, nationalism and elitism. It had an MBA and drove a BMW. It wore a mushroom haircut, mom jeans and shoulder pads. “The Final Countdown” played in the distance.

Read moreFootloose: Rockin’ the ’80s

“I don’t get it”

December 18, 2017June 17, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes turns the guilty-pleasure principle on its head.)

Inspired by Megan’s take on “Guilty Pleasures,” I’ve been considering those musical acts, films and books and pieces of art often hailed by critics as “brilliant,” and “ groundbreaking” but that fail to float my boat in the least.

We’re often told what to like by the “experts.” College professors devote their lives to the Western canon of literature, music and art which has been passed down like a sacred text from the wise ancients. Those most loathsome of creatures — rock-music critics — frequently publish self-congratulatory surveys of most influential rock artists, while film critics gather frequently to laud the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time.

But let’s face it: While many of us can appreciate a work of art for its technical proficiency or for its influence on other artists, many of us are often left scratching our heads in bemusement. If I fail to be moved by an artist generally recognized as brilliant, does that somehow make me boorish, uncivilized and unsophisticated?

Playing through the changes

December 11, 2017June 15, 2009 by admin

Detail: Dave Fleminger at the Casbah, May 29, 2009 (photo by Sean McMullen) Now it can be told: When we concocted the idea of the Che Games for May reunion show at San Diego’s Casbah Club, I was very apprehensive about what it would sound like.

After all, we were bringing together bands that for the most part hadn’t played together since the mid-’80s. Plus, we were asking these folks to practice more or less on the fly. The Che Underground diaspora dispersed us geographically for many years; for most of the acts, opportunities for full rehearsals were few and far between.

I was amazed by the results: The bands were so tight, and I daresay many of the musicians are better now than they were in 1984!

It makes me want to learn more about how all our players keep themselves musically active — not just the people who performed at the Casbah, but the rest of the musicians on the blog.

Me and my monkey: Guilty pleasures

January 1, 2011June 10, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes puts out a call for your dirty laundry!)

We call them “guilty pleasures,” those indulgences we secretly enjoy but are embarrassed to admit. Unlike moral guilt, the shame we feel is really just a fear of others discovering our “low-brow” or “uncool” tastes.

I have a friend whose name, for the sake of confidentiality, will remain anonymous. He is a connoisseur of ’60s music, particularly garage punk, and has earned himself quite a reputation as a “cool” guy. He rarely takes off his sunglasses, plays in a ’60s punk band, and for all intents and purposes has committed himself to a total garage-punk lifestyle. Under his bed, however, lies a dark secret which would bring his carefully contrived image tumbling down if discovered by the rest of the world: the “Titanic” original motion-picture soundtrack. He doesn’t want you to know, but “My Heart Will Go On” brings him to tears each time he hears it.

The Wallflowers: “Funland” at the Casbah

January 1, 2011June 8, 2009 by admin

For those who missed Che Games for May in San Diego May 29-30 or just want to relive the magic: Good news! Thanks to modern technology, the event was captured from every angle in photographs, audio and video.

Exhibit A: The original San Diego Wallflowers raise the roof of San Diego’s Casbah with “Funland,” the band’s hypnotic paean to the city’s seamy underbelly, now lost to gentrification. (For memories of the original Funland, check out Kristen Tobiason’s “Then and now” feature.)

The May 30 performance marks the Wallflowers debut of Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison and features original Wallflowers David Rinck on vocals, Paul Howland on bass and Matt Johnson on drums. (Che Underground jack-of-all-trades Dave Fleminger added keyboard stylings to the set.)

Bandmates/other friends 1982-1990 (+1)

January 1, 2011June 6, 2009 by admin

(Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles — San Diego music historian extraordinaire — shares some highlights from his stacks.)

Some call it being a pack rat; I prefer the tag “archivist”! The dream is to put together a DVD/book with the rooms full of stuff I’ve accumulated in 30 years of collecting San Diego music memorabilia.

But in the meantime, in honor of the recent Che Underground reunion shows, here are 20 relevant vintage photos from my archive. For this fifth picture post, I’ve included a little bit of everything: random photos from 1982-1990 (+1), including bandmates and other friends.

1) Dean Curtis at Club Zu. You know it’s a good show if Dean is in attendance.

This We Dug: The Ramones

June 30, 2009June 4, 2009 by admin

(Back in Africa, Wallflower David Rinck remembers a band without a reunion.)

Okay, this year was truly the year of reunions. In addition to Hair Theatre, Manual Scan, the Answers, the Mirrors and Noise 292, I also got to see X, X-ray Spex and the New York Dolls. I missed Sham 69 and the Sex Pistols, but that’ll come soon, I’m sure.

Well, it’s also important to remember those bands that were so great but that will never reunite and sadly we will never see again. Of course, chief amongst them are those four boys from Queens that changed the face of music, the one and only Ramones!
I guess the last time I saw the Ramones was at the Palladium in Hollywood when they toured for “Pleasant Dreams.” Before the show, I was hanging out at my then-girlfriend Cindy Longino’s house, and her dad was talking about seeing the Ramones. (She has a cool dad.) He said, “What I remember most was that they hardly stop between songs, they just count right off into the next one, like one- two-three-four!”

So … Whaddya wanna do now?

March 30, 2019June 2, 2009 by admin

Wow. Just … wow. The Che Games weekend was an emotional, artistic and spiritual triumph — throw in a few adjectives of your own there! I’m grateful that so many other people feel so energized and fulfilled by the time we spent together.

I think most of us need at least a little while to digest (and for those of us heavily involved in prep, to reclaim our schedules). But hey: While the iron’s hot, I want at least to hear what new worlds you want this blog and this community to explore next.

Here are a few items on my personal menu … Please chime in with more!

Che Games: Mission accomplished!

January 1, 2011May 31, 2009 by admin

A quick one, while he’s away: I’m tying up some loose ends before my flight back from San Diego to New Jersey after Day Two of the Che Underground’s Che Games for May reunion event at the Casbah Club.

Thanks to a crack team of documentarians, we’ve got audio, video and photos to share and enjoy — and those will be making their way onto the site in the coming weeks.

But for now, a simple “Thank you!” and an open invitation to talk about what our quarter-century reunion did to or for you.

You’re all very, very important to me, and easily my biggest regret is that I couldn’t be everywhere at once to talk to you and share time. But please: Let’s come together here and swap a few stories for each other and for our friends who couldn’t be with us this time out.

Get your Che Games poster!

December 11, 2017May 27, 2009 by admin

What’s an iconic concert without an iconic poster? In honor of Che Games for May, the 25th anniversary tribal gathering slated for May 29-30 at San Diego’s Casbah, Ray Brandes and artist Kevin Diamond have created this handsome memento so participants near and far can own a piece of music history.

Enjoy this commemorative gift, and we hope to see you there!