Jeff Lucas | The Che Underground

The Morlocks: “My Friend the Bird”

January 1, 2011November 20, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

(Morlocks drummer Mark Mullen comes through with the video goods.)

This was a show we did at The Stone on Broadway in San Francisco in 1986 with Jordan Tarlow from the Fuzztones on rhythm guitar. It’s a 23-year-old VHS tape, so no complaining. I believe we did a real wild show somewhere the night before, so this was a little lackluster for The Morlocks.

The Morlocks are really a myth, cult, fantasy and intrigue to a lot of people across the US and around the world. I wish they all could have experienced the many great shows we put on, but that’s not the case. I wish I had excellent video footage of these times for everyone to see. This was a wild, wild time, and not much survived from the era. (I challenge anyone out there to cough up any footage if you have it.)

Ask not what Che Underground can do for you …

January 1, 2011October 18, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

If you were there, the Che Underground blog is your story, too. We’d love to hear and see your side of it.

Like PBS, we run on donations from viewers like you. This site is built on flyers, photos, audio and video from collectors including Kristen Tobiason, Toby Gibson, Cyndie Jaynes, Kristi Maddocks, Tom Goddard, Jason Seibert, Bruce Haemmerle, Mike McCarthy, Dean Curtis, Mark Mullen, Jeff Lucas, David Klowden, Cole Smithey, Bart Mendoza and Paul Allen. What rock-‘n’-roll treasures are growing crispy in your attic, your basement or your mom’s house?

If you can scan them or digitize them, great! If you need some help, operators are standing by … We’ll find you someone who can. Either way, raise a virtual hand here or drop a line to cheunderground@gmail.com, and we’ll get you started.

The Ho Hos: “Gina Says/Infinite Prague”

January 1, 2011October 12, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Here’s a first entry for the new Che Underground YouTube channel: a 1994 desktop-video experiment by the Ho Hos, the band of San Diego expats I co-founded in mid-’90s San Francisco.

This production portrays a shortened version of my song “Gina Says/Infinite Prague,” another recording from our 1993 Mr. Toad’s demo session. (The video was ostensibly prompted by a long-forgotten MTV contest that compelled audio producer Jason Brownell to trim one verse and the solo, bringing it below the requisite three-minute mark.)

The Morlocks in flyers

January 1, 2011September 28, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Tom Goddard’s trove of flyers continues to bear dividends for Che Underground: The Blog. Today’s bequest from the Goddard Collection features show pieces from the Morlocks’ 1984 and 1985 performances in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, created by artists including Jerry Cornelius and Kristen Tobiason.

“For more information, call [Tell-Tale Hearts bassist] Mike [Stax],” reads the Tobiason flyer in the lead spot of this post. “If he ain’t home, call [Morlocks guitarist] Ted [Friedman] … If he ain’t home, call [Morlocks bassist] Jeff [Lucas] … ,” providing phone numbers for each. Now that’s customer service!

The Ho Hos: “Creeping Vine (Love Is A … )”

January 1, 2011August 12, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Another number from the Ho Hos, the mid-’90s San Francisco group of Che Underground transplants that included me on vocals and guitar; former Morlocks bassist Jeff Lucas; Robert Labbe (ex-3 Guys Called Jesus drummer); and Steve Lam on lead guitar.

“Creeping Vine (Love Is A … )” comes from the same 1993 demo session that generated “Snowball” and was written by Jeff. Getting to sing material penned by Mr. Lucas was always exciting to me, and I am crazy about the way the lead guitar and rhythm section work together on this song.

The Morlocks: “You Mistreat Me” b/w “The Key”

June 30, 2009August 3, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

“You Mistreat Me” and “The Key” represent two more songs from the Morlocks’ historic show at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall, recorded by KALX radio on Sept. 28, 1985.

“There were a couple of Swedish shows,” writes Morlocks strategist and MC Jerry Cornelius. “These were promoed by Paul Renna — another million years of tales attached to that name!

‘The first happened right after [guitarist] Ted [Friedman] went up to SFO to join the rest of the band. I was up there for the second — on my first full night after moving up, one month later. The bill was The Sea Hags, Thee Unforgiven and The Morlocks — with light show by The Brotherhood of Light.”

The Ho Hos: “Snowball”

January 1, 2011July 26, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

This number ties up a few narrative strands and bridges the San Diego-to-San Francisco gap that defined much of our post-Che Underground history.

“Snowball” is a song I wrote for 3 Guys Called Jesus in 1986. It’s performed here by the Ho Hos, the mid-’90s San Francisco group of San Diego expats that comprised me on vocals and guitar; ex-Morlocks bassist Jeff Lucas; Robert Labbe (former drummer for 3 Guys, the Forbidden Pigs and myriad other outfits); and Steve Lam, a marvelous guitarist and vocalist who met us in SF by way of Hong Kong. (Speaking of musical Che-chairs, this was a dream lineup for me.)

The Morlocks: “One Way Ticket” live in SF

January 1, 2011July 11, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Here’s another piece of the Morlocks’ performance at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall, captured by KALX radio on Sept. 28, 1985.

This live performance of “One Way Ticket,” which bassist Jeff Lucas has called lead guitarist Tommy Clarke’s “masterpiece,” closed that memorable show.

“I distinctly recall how the song’s signature stuttered rhythm would stick with you: out onto Market St., on the way home, and on for days,” recalls Paul Kaufman. “That was the best Morlocks show I ever saw.”

The Morlocks: Live at the Swedish American Hall

January 1, 2011June 28, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

Just as Canada offered political asylum to Wallflowers artifacts over the past quarter-century, Croatia emerges as the sanctuary for sounds of the original Morlocks.

Drummer Mark Mullen last week received this track fresh from the former Yugoslavia — the first in a completely preserved 13-song show at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall that was originally broadcast live on KALX. (Could it be this show from Sept. 28, 1985?)

Freshly arrived in town, Jerry Cornelius outdoes himself as MC. “That’s me,” Jerry writes. “Doing the intro in imitation of the Dutch band, Q65 — which the Morlocks worshipped.”

More Morlocks lore

January 1, 2011June 25, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

A Morlocks motherlode: Founding bassist Jeff Lucas has opened up his archives to Che Underground: The Blog! His collection of photos, flyers, lyric sheets and other curiosities spans the band’s earliest days in San Diego (summer 1984) to the dissolution of the original lineup three years later.

Here’s a showcase of Jeff’s collection followed by his notes: