Che Underground: The Blog

Wild in the Streets of Slow Death

December 11, 2017March 31, 2008 by admin

Detail: 5051 single cover David Klowden — 5051 and Tell-Tale Hearts veteran turned author and professor — kindly sent me the manuscript of “Wild in the Streets of Slow Death,” his novel about coming of age in the San Diego punk scene ca. 1980. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely on several levels.

It’s a great portrayal of teenage alienation and redemption; an authentic memoir of our own youth culture, full of characters and events based on that time and place; and a crime thriller informed by the police excesses, white-supremacist fringe elements, bad drugs and internecine battles that made the San Diego underground such treacherous terrain. I’m glad David and the rest of us negotiated it!

Rockin’ Dogs: “Candy Rock”

January 1, 2011March 29, 2008 by admin

Here’s a signature number from a superb band. Dave Rinck of the Wallflowers has called the Rockin’ Dogs’ “Candy Rock” his favorite San Diego rock-‘n’-roll tune, and it’s easy to see why.

We’re still trying to remember the spring 1983 Answers gig where we met, but the Rockin’ Dogs were an electrifying addition to the Che Underground scene. They looked tight, and they sounded explosive: Cole Smithey (drums) and Jane Bunting (bass) made a killer rhythm section, and vocalists/guitarists Dave Ellison and Sam Wilson (musical collaborators since age 14) were an endlessly fascinating study in stylistic contrasts; just check out the interplay of guitar styles on “Candy Rock.” The Rockin’ Dogs put Poway on the map for me!

Listen to it now!

Hair Theatre: “Meet Me Outside”

January 1, 2011March 26, 2008 by admin

The first time I heard Hair Theatre was a party at Margarat Nee’s house in Leucadia in the summer of 1983. They came out of nowhere (a k a Carlsbad, a few miles north of my sphere of activity), and I knew from Note 1 that we needed to invite them to join the scene coalescing around the Che Cafe. What an incredible band! What fantastic stage presence!

Making its digital debut on Che Underground: The Blog, here’s Hair Theatre doing “Meet Me Outside.” Listening to this, who else can clearly picture Sergio in action?

Listen to it now!

Wallflowers in the house!

January 1, 2011March 26, 2008 by admin

Another missing piece of the Che Underground puzzle fell into place last night in Los Angeles when Rockin’ Dog-turned-ace-designer Dave Ellison joined forces with Wallflower-cum-mad-barber Todd Lahman. The fruits of the meeting: a handoff of long-awaited and freshly digitized Wallflowers audio tracks.

The three live cuts represent the first incarnation of this great band and comprise the Stooges’ “Raw Power” and “TV Eye” as well as the Wallflowers’ own signature “Wall Drugs.” (I’ve heard the latter so far, and it rocks!) I’m hoping Messrs. Rinck and Howland can provide details on the date and location of this performance.

We’re all doing Wall Drugs!

Related bands: Who’s your daddy?

March 27, 2019March 23, 2008 by admin

A lovely aspect of the Che Underground scene was how cheerfully it blended San Diego genres and geographies. We all had our influences and constituencies, and any evening with our bands was sure to bring different crowds into new alignments.

We’ve started a new Related Bands section of the blog to celebrate our bushy family tree with profiles of the San Diego bands we sprang from, performed alongside and created down the road. Ray Brandes has continued his support of this site with a fine profile of the Tell-Tale Hearts; who else’s pictures and stories do you want to see here?

Tell us about your first time!

March 29, 2019March 20, 2008 by admin

What was the very first bona-fide rock-‘n’-roll gig you ever played? Mine was with future Noise 292 guitarist David Rives and Hannes Kling (big brother of Noise 292 percussionist Wendell) in early 1980 — at a chili cook-off in the University of San Diego gym.

We played at the end of the bill; the school administrator/MC stopped us after two songs to announce the cook-off winners (compelling drummer Chris Gessel to play rolls throughout the awards); and then everybody packed up their chili and fled the building. By the time we finished our set (with “Twist and Shout”!), kids were playing basketball in the empty gym.

How rockin’ were your formative gigs?

‘Alternative’ before alternative was … normal!

July 5, 2009March 17, 2008 by

I know the “alternative” moniker has been beaten to a quivering, bloody paste over the past 20 years — but I kind of like the fact that Issue #2 of local punk ‘zine The Leading Edge awarded the Wallflowers and Noise 292 (and Eleven Sons) that sobriquet way back in ’83:

“On the alternative side of hardcore, there’s NOISE 292, [whose] musical style is somewhat similar to Savage Republic. But they like to call their music ‘cripple jazz snuff rock.’ They have been playing in San Diego quite often lately. We have the WALLFLOWERS who play music much like that of early Iggy Pop. They will be featured on Bad Compilation Tapes #3. And, last but not least, there’s ELEVEN SONS who might be having vinyl come out on mystic records. They have one song on the Mystic cassette sampler. Their sound is very unique and hard to describe, so I don’t feel comfortable putting a label on it.” Hear, hear!

Everything I know about songwriting …

July 5, 2009March 16, 2008 by

… I learned from you folks. And while I’ve never been as prolific as Dave Fleminger, Jeff Lowe, Sergio or Sam Wilson (to name just a few), the songs I write have tended to follow me from band to band.

Here’s “Candle” — a song a few of you may recall from way back in the wilds of Noise 292 — as interpreted by the Amazons, my late-’90s acoustic trio in San Francisco. (The bassist is Jason Brownell, a friend from Milwaukee before my arrival in San Diego County for junior high; drums are contributed by Todd Barker, who attended San Dieguito high school with me and David Rives, to name just two musical alumni. Kickin’ it old-school!)

Wallflowers Phase Two

July 5, 2009March 15, 2008 by

And straight from the metal box, the next installment of the Wallflowers saga, courtesy of vocalist David Rinck. Here’s Mr. Rinck’s commentary on Phase Two of this seminal band:

“The second lineup of The Wallflowers was David Rinck on vocals, Todd Lahman on guitar, Paul Howland on bass, Armando on sax, Arturo Reyes on drums.

“More of the second Wallflowers in their studio in the basement at Greenwich Village West.

“An odd thing that nobody has flyers from the Studio 517 gigs? There were plenty of them, including a big bash one Halloween with simultaneous concerts at Greenwich Village and 517. This place was central to the SD bands (gigs and recording), yet the only remnant of 517 that seems to exist is our ode to Steve Epeneter, ‘Paradise on 4th Ave.’ ”

(In this thread about the legendary DaveFests, Rockin’ Dog Dave Ellison also recalls the Wallflowers at Studio 517: “I remember one show when Armando and Todd were still in the band at Studio 517 … People were sitting on the floor watching the band and some guy sitting by me yelled, ‘Lose the sax and turn up the guitar!’ … so Armando walked out into the crowd and walked around this guy in circles, blowing his sax in the guy’s face for a while.”)

Che Underground Audio Sampler #1!

July 5, 2009March 15, 2008 by

Fresh from Vault 13, we’ve prepared a little audio mashup to whet the collective appetite for the fuzzy warbles contained within.

So may I introduce to you the acts you’ve known for all these years: The Answers, Hair Theatre, the Mirrors, Noise 292, the Rockin’ Dogs and the Wild Desires! (The Wallflowers remain MIA, but we hope to have them join the show as soon as their Mystic recording sessions arrive. Who’ll be the next in line??)

Listen to it now!

(N.b.: I’m going to start a permanent MP3 page as another feature of the site. Stay tuned!)