THEE VINCENT BLACK SHADOW!

Download: Thee Vincent Black Shadow - Demo
(youtube link at the bottom of the post)

Thee Vincent Black Shadow started in late 2001 or early 2002.  Though short lived, playing fewer than a dozen shows in their on-and-off/college-schedule-determined existence, they recorded this fantastic eight song must hear demo along the way.  I talked with singer PJ Shakstad and guitarist Todd Amaral.

Along with PJ and Todd, the original lineup of VBS included bassist Greg Sidman, guitarist Amir Shoucri, and drummer Alex Tauber.
PJ:

I always talked to Amir when he was in Miyagi, and I used to sing for them at practices if Luke couldn't make it or something like that, and we had always talked about making a band.  Then when they all went off to college Miyagi broke up and Amir and I wanted to do something.

Alex left shortly after the band's first show at the Manhattan Beach teen center.
Todd:

"We had Alex Tauber for one show and Alex was like [laughter] 'Man I don't know what you you guys have been smoking, but this ain't for me, I'm going to go play some straight edge...' and Peter [Mackinnon]came and played drums... Pete was in high school, I think he was a freshman, and didn't know how to play drums."

Since Amir was in school at UC Berkeley, the band was really only able to get together over summers and holidays.  After an intermittent year together, VBS went to John-Paul Caballero's garage studio in Hermosa Beach to record their 8 song demo.
PJ:

It was a lot of fun! Down in JP's dungeon... It's weird, singing in a studio. At a show there's so much feeling in it.  In the studio it was just five dudes hanging around an Astrovan.  I think that Astrovan made an appearance. 

Todd:

We were hanging out in JP's van in the garage to kill time while PJ is singing Tonight, and someone honked the horn.  In Sicilian Death, when it breaks down... you can hear this creaky door open.  The way we recorded PJ's vocals on that was just through a 15 watt amp with a mic plugged in, and then mic'ed that.  It gives it a little bit of distortion.   That's all I really remember from that, It was a long day.

PJ always had an intense approach to performing, and his enthusiasm, his rock and roll nihilism, got to be a little too much for the others.
PJ:

"I feel like a lot of people break down music differently, and some people analyze it and for some people… there's just a lot more to it.  For me its always been something to kinda run into a wall to.  I think that ended up fueling some creative differences where the rest of the band wanted to grow and I wanted to keep doing the same thing."

Todd:

"We played a show at Sacred Grounds, we had a good show.  We were drunk and afterwards PJ tossed open a trash can, opened it up and started throwing things everywhere.  It pissed off the people at Sacred, which was pretty easy to do.  It was rock and roll, man.  We were 19, we were getting drunk, we were playing rock and roll, things were good.  Six months later we played a show up in Berkeley or Oakland, some place called music.com or livemusic.com.  After that one, PJ decided to climb up the venue building, and then onto the building next to it, and from there up on to a billboard.  Greg and Amir were... not having it."

PJ:

"I always thought that playing a show and practicing was one of the best forms of expression.  For most of my life, and probably even still to this day, I don't feel comfortable expressing myself in a bunch of ways.  Music was one of the only ways where I was comfortable doing it.  There are a lot of things where I was an idiot, but I felt comfortable doing it, and it was fun.  There were some things that I did that were over the top, stupid, but it was just part of... everything, and it ended up coming off alright.  Nobody got hurt and nobody died, which was probably because of luck more than anything else.  I've always thought music was a vehicle for emotion, to get things off your chest, and playing it was the best way and most comfortable way I've been able to do that."

After parting ways with PJ, the band tried briefly to go on without him, spreading singing duties to the remaining members.
Todd:

"We had these egos, we thought 'We don't need him, we can sing.' It was horrible, and that was it."

Enjoy the demo, truly one of my favorites from that era.  Having only recently reacquired it myself, I can truly say that it has only gotten better with time.

Special thanks to Hayley Fox for taking the photos, and to Gabe Abaud for the saving/sending the SG flyer.

THE RED ONIONS!

Download: The Red Onions - Demo
Download: The Red Onions - Live Wire b/w Sexy Thang
(youtube links at the bottom of the post)

The Red Onions from Gardena, CA screamed onto the South Bay music scene in 2002, instantly establishing themselves as one of the most exciting live bands in the area.  I spoke with drummer Jorge Gutierrez to get their story.

The Red Onions were Jorge, singer Paul Gonzales, bassist Hugo Salgado, and guitarist Kevin Gonzalez.
Jorge:

Hugo’s my cousin so I’ve known him all my life; Paul, Kevin, and I met in high school. I used to play music with Kevin in his friend’s garage; later on I started writing my own songs with Paul and decided to start a band. We were barely starting to go out to check out bands around that time; we used to go see II Minute Hate, which became Rock Goggle Fantasy, and Neon King Kong. Later we discovered other cool South Bay bands like The Rolling Blackouts.

Though they all had some experience mucking around a little in the garage, The Red Onions was the first band that any of them had been in, a surprising fact considering how fully-formed, confident, and outrageously energetic their shows were from the very beginning. 
Jorge:

Paul’s craziness was there from day one. He jumped onto my drums at our very first practice! He was bouncing around the garage like a madman! We all thought it was funny and awesome. Paul enabled me to let go of my inhibitions and just have fun.

Paul was so wild and fearless, but such a diminutive guy that even when he threw himself recklessly into the audience no one got hurt and everyone had a great time.  As for their sound, each member came to the band with musical tastes that were all over the place, and it all came together in the raucous, frenetically hybridized, music they made as a group.
Jorge:

Around that time, Kevin was listening to a lot of 60’s psych. Paul was listening to a lot of punk, Hugo was into Metal, and I was obsessed with soul and funk. When we rehearsed I guess it all came out.

From the very beginning they were eager to get their first demo into everyone's hands, a spray painted CD-R that came in a black paper sleeve held together with painter's tape.
Jorge:

The demo was actually recorded in 2001-2002 before the band even existed. I recorded all the instruments and vocals myself in my bedroom and later presented it to the guys to see if they wanted to start a band. Paul later recorded over my vocals then put it on cd-r and that’s it. 

The Onions were quick to set their sights out of the South Bay, and they were, almost from the very start, playing shows with a lot of the incredible LA bands from that era.
Jorge:

We had only one show under our belt but and our friend Diana helped us book a show at Daisy’s Vintage Clothing store in Uptown Whittier. We loved the Fuse! and asked them to play with us, they did and after that we started opening shows for them. I also gave my demo to the Flash Express then started doing shows with them. Then the Juvee started and we started playing shows there.


By 2003 they had befriended Gabe Hart, then of the Starvations, now of Jail Weddings, and he agreed to put out their first single on his Revenge Records label.
Jorge:

We recorded two songs on my 8-track (the same one where I recorded my shitty demo) and we decided to release it as a 7”. I asked Gabe if he would put it out and said he had no money so we paid for everything and he just put his seal of approval on it. 

The Live Wire b/w Sexy Thang single was recorded in Kevin's garage in Lomita, CA.  The funky, Stooges-y energy of the bands sound shines through much more than on the demo, and is enhanced by a Funhouse-worthy sax solo recorded by Larry Sanchez.

The Red Onions went on to release two more 7"s and a CDEP, all of which are worth tracking down.  Jorge now plays in The Savage Gospel.  Paul plays in White Murder and Death Hymn #9.  Kevin plays in Feral Kizzy. Enjoy the Demo and the 7" and some parting words from Jorge
Jorge:

A big thanks to all the South Bay bands we played with during our existence and a very special thanks to all the kids who came out and had fun with us! SOUTH BAY IN THE HOUSE! 

FOOT FOOT!

Download: Foot Foot - Demo

(youtube link at the bottom of the page)

The core of Foot Foot was sisters Robin and Carrie Dietz, heiresses to the Manhattan Beach Dietz Brothers Music dynasty.  I talked to Carrie to get their story.

Foot Foot started in 2002.  By the end of that year they had recorded the seven songs that make up their first demo in the back room of their parents' house.
Carrie:

"I was a freshmen in high school and Robin was finishing up college. Our charming cousin Pat [Fleck] played on the demo along with some other friends.
Some of the best foot foot songs are on the demo. I remember that you (Frank) took a liking to Shasta Heavy! Since then that songs has always reminded us of you. Robin wrote Shasta Heavy about Geek Love. I really love All Heat and No Light. I played slide with this weird pipe that was cut down the middle. Pat played a bunch of different instruments throughout the demo including this ratchet contraption built out of a fish washboard, copper bells, and a hi-hat stand."

I had supposed all these years that the name Foot Foot was a reference to the song "My Pal Foot Foot" by The Shaggs, a much more unusual and infinitely less competent, though charmingly so, all-sister group from the sixties.  Turns out I was wrong.
Carrie:

"Foot Foot is named after this cat of Patrick's, who was named after Gummo.  Pat's cat had these janky paws that each had ten toes.  RIP you mangled little buddy."

One of my favorite aspects of Foot Foot was the loving arts-and-craftsy way they approached the packaging on their CDR demo and early merch.

Carrie:

"Rob and I sewed all of the paper demo jackets and block printed the song titles on the back.We broke two sewing machines along the way and a computer from burning all the discs, none of which belonged to us. I tea-dyed a bunch of our band shirts and did some real shitty embroidery on them."

Recording the demo was just the beginning of Foot Foot's long on-and-off history, which may be due for a revival.
Carrie:

"We practiced all the time in our backyard and started playing shows during the summer of 2003. We figured we needed eleven songs and once we got them we started playing shows. Our first shows ranged from The Smell to our cousin's grad party.
Foot Foot morphed into many different combinations over the years to follow, all of which were fucking great. There are rumors flying around promising a resurgence of Foot Foot mania Summer 2015." 

So there you have it! Keep an eye out for upcoming Foot Foot shows! Special thanks to Joey DeStefano for saving and scanning the cover art for me.  Enjoy!

ANIMAL MANNEQUIN!

Download: Animal Mannequin - Demo+

(Streaming link at the bottom of the post)

As is the case with so many bands, Animal Mannequin existed in garages with a handful of transitional lineups for a while before they made a public debut.  I spoke with singer/guitarist Rhea Lewitzki, bassist Jasmine Watson, and drummer Jeff Enzor to get their story, or however much of it they could remember.

Rhea started Animal Mannequin in San Pedro, CA in 2002 or 2003, shortly after she finished high school.  Prior to AM she had a project called I Artichoke You, about which she didn't have anything interesting [or, I suspect, non-embarrassing] to say.  She met Jasmine through a mutual friend.   

Jasmine:

"I had never played bass in a band before but had been learning on my own; learning songs by Flux of Pink Indians, Joy Division, The Cure...  I went to Rhea’s house in San Pedro to try out. The garage had been converted into a very cute living room/studio space. I remember playing part of Lovesong by The Cure, learning a couple Animal Mannequin songs and being asked to be in the band"

The first solid lineup of Animal Mannequin was Rhea, Jasmine, Andrew Monzon on keyboard, and Pete Mackinnon on drums.  Just before their first show Pete was in a pretty serious car accident.

  

Jasmine:

"A lady making a right onto PCH clipped the back of his truck as she accelerated onto the major street and fish tailed his truck ultimately causing it to flip until he landed upside down on top of some newspaper vestibules. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and somehow was not ejected from his truck. He just kind of pressed himself into the seat as the truck flipped fully aware of what was happening the whole time. He was surprisingly mostly unharmed, just understandably sore from what I remember. We were very psyched that our friend made it out alive and mostly uninjured but we were unsure if he’d be able to play our show. So Rhea and I got together and practiced playing bass drum or high hat along with our guitars. We practiced until we felt confident we could play the show like that and it was fun learning our songs this way but thankfully in the end Pete was well enough to play."

Their first show was at Sacred Grounds, a coffee shop on the corner of 6th and Pacific in San Pedro that held all ages shows several nights a week for years, a true rarity at the time.  A place where young musicians and music heads could meet and perform, Sacred Grounds was possibly the most important venue for nascent scenesters in the South Bay area while it was around.

Rhea:

"That was a big deal for me. Growing up in San Pedro it was something I looked up to doing, which is kind of silly now, but, at 17 it seemed cool."

This is when I was introduced to the band, and they quickly made an impression.  Rhea, waifish and painfully shy, hiding behind over-sized flower petals taped to her microphone while she sang in a surprisingly well tuned and powerful voice; Jasmine always beaming as if there was nothing she would rather be doing; Pete smashing on the drums, overflowing with incorrigible enthusiasm; they were always a blast.  They played a handful of what Rhea lovingly recalls as "dirty beach punk" shows, including at Sacred Grounds, Naja's in Redondo Beach and the now local-legendary demolition party at Tom Dunbabin's apartment in Hermosa Beach.

Jasmine:

"Tom was moving out of his apartment because the building was to be torn down. Instead of carpet his floor was covered in a thick, beachy layer of sand. We crammed into the tiny living room and everyone went nuts. I’ve seen pictures from that show and so many people are smiling, moving, dancing and jumping off of things."

Pete left the band around 2004 to join the thrashy hardcore band Find Him and Kill Him in San Diego.  He was replaced by Jeff Enzor, who was suggested to the band by mutual friend Gabe Aubad.

Jeff:

"He asked me and I was reluctant because 'I wasn't really into punk' but I liked the demo I heard enough to give it a shot."

With a new drummer, Animal Mannequin finally got into the studio.  Over the course of a few days they recorded their debut EP/Demo at Pat Enzor's home studio in Torrance, CA. Larry Sanchez played saxophone on Fake Kids, and Gabe helped out with the hand claps.

Rhea:

"I had to do all my vocals in a closet two rooms away from the studio, partially for acoustics, and partially because I hated people watching me sing"

Animal Mannequin continued to play shows all over the Los Angeles area.  Some time in the summer of 2005, the band fizzled out.  Their last two shows were acoustic sets, one of which was captured on tape and will be the subject of a future post.  Members went their separate ways, but the experience left its mark on them.

Jasmine:

"It’s funny going back and remembering all this. Animal Mannequin was one of the first bands I was in and I think it informed a lot of my involvement in music even to this day. Booking shows, playing shows, writing songs, the beginning of my love for Acoustic Bass Amps, Rhea pushing me to improve my parts and not play the same thing four times... In general, just having a higher level of involvement in music and the local punk community and really enjoying that."

Jeff:

"In general it was one of the funnest bands I ever played in, for sure. Good vibes" 

Rhea later played in the band Big Death and currently plays bass in Workshop with yours truly. Jasmine now lives in the SF Bay area and has played in Neo Cons, Neighborhood Brats, Fractures, and Girl-illa Biscuits. She currently plays in No Babies, tørsö, Everybody Row, Composite, and Anopheli. Pete continues "constantly sexing his drums"[Rhea] and has played in countless bands with everyone you know. Jeff has also played with The Imperial Way, Dios, Big Death, and Merry Christmas and currently drums in Joyce Manor. Special thanks to Christian for uploading the AM Demo to youtube!