On The Road With Thelonious Monster 0comments
published in
2009-08-27 11:09:00
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A couple months ago Bob Forrest (vocalist and drug counselor now on VH1's Celebrity Rehab) received a phone call offering Thelonious Monster a stint on the Punk Legends stage for the 15th annive ...
A couple months ago Bob Forrest (vocalist and drug counselor now on VH1's Celebrity Rehab) received a phone call offering Thelonious Monster a stint on the Punk Legends stage for the 15th anniversary of the Warped Tour. In the LA scene these guys were legends. The band that could of been huge but got caught up in addiction watching their friends soar around them. They arguably wrote better songs but it simply wasn't meant to be. The last time Thelonious Monster played a show was during a residency in December of 2004. They put out an album that year (After a 9 year gap) and played Coachella but that was pretty much that.
Pre-Tour: Warm-up at The Echo
The week started with a warm-up show. I did my best to promote it via their websites and such but had considerable help from Chris Carey long time Monster fan who put together a press release and launched it out into the blogosphere. It's a good sign when you go to a show early and there's already a line before doors. I meet up with some of the Bob And The Monster (A documentary on Bob & Thelonious Monster currently in post-production) crew to make sure they get what they need: Mic to Bob set up for camera locations and who was going to cover what. I'm on sound detail. The band members arrive and go in for sound check. Where's Bob? He's a couple doors down buying records.
Inside Gary Leonard (Iconic LA photographer) is taking pictures. He has the band set up on a bench with mirrors above them. Long time friend Keith Morris (Circle Jerks Black Flagg) is around. Former bass pla
The lineup is:
Bob Forrest (Vocals)
Pete Weiss (Drums also a writer)
Dix Denney (Guitar also original member of OG punk band The Weirdos)
Mike Martt (Guitar Tex & The Horseheads/ Low And Sweet Orchestra)
Zander Schloss (Guitar Circle Jerks Joe Strummer also an actor)
"Dallas" Don Burnet (Bass Plain Wrap 3D Picnic Lutefisk the newest member at 17 years)
They play about an hour. The folks I talk to all think they sound a lot better than they expected. Bob's trademark between song banter is there he recounts a story of his meeting Paul McCartney and the origin of his Beatles tattoo before they go into a raw dirgy verion of "Yer Blues". The quasi "fights". are there which usually boils down to everyone wanting to play a different song next or Bob picking on Zander. Patrick "Frenchy" French rushes the stage for some harmonica stylings on "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" They are disorganized but that is part of their charm. The milage shows on their faces and on their instruments. After the set a wave of well-wishers come to say hello. I see that buttons are handed out and that the band members get their copies of my tour poster.
The Bob And The Monster film crew are all satisfied as most of them never got a chance to see the band before. The promise of the band replayed via archival footage seems to have been delivered.
Day One: Pre-Tour drive to San Francisco
The band traveled north in groups. I rode with Bob. Pete Weiss & Mike Martt drive up together. Dix and Zander ride up with the gear driven by Stefan (a friend of theirs industrious and charming). Don stopped in San Jose to visit friends. Bob & I left around 2pm. He drove. I'm quiet as usual. Along the way he gives me some schooling in Country music. I don't usually go for it but it's nice to just listen to music without some sort of agenda. We visit other genres as well. "Roll 'Em Pete" by Big Joe Turner & "The Million Dollar Baby" by Richard Swift are memorable. We also listen to a lot of old timey radio shows. Bob tells anecdotes along the way locations of debauchery or strange adventures on the road between LA and San Francisco. We manage 3 quick stops on the drive up and make town around 8. We checked into our hotel (an old dormitory style place in the Castro District) and headed out for dinner. It was Mike Martt's birthday and we ate at an italian seafood spot near Fisherman's Wharf. Pete Dix and Zander were there Stefan had an entourage of females that came and went during the course of dinner. The staff seemed moderately annoyed at our expanding table. Mike had nice things to say about my poster and liked that I signed it to him. Everyone is very welcoming to my being along (I wasn't sure how that would go as Bob is the only one that I really know very well). Dix Zander and I stepped out for a smoke break after the main course. As dessert arrived we all sang Mike Happy Birthday when we came back in. We all go our separate ways after dinner Bob and I went to City Lights for some books. Then back to our hotel rooms for sleep. The rest of the guys are staying at an infamous SF hotel that once was the stage for the CIA spying on them (after Bob made a "death threat" against the president.).
Day Two: First Show Mountain View (a little south of San Francisco)
The day started with coffee then Bob ran some errands getting himself ready for a show day. We head over to Amoeba to find a cd copy of Dylan's ba
Thelonious Monster's set felt very short running 25-30 minutes. By that time of day most of the kids have wandered off so their crowd is pretty thin. I thought they sounded good but like a band on vacation. Zander and Don sum it up best saying that their bar style set isn't going to work here and that they should try something different tomorrow. I think they're all a little bummed about the crowd (I know I was). Bob later says "I've been playing to no one my whole life". We all stick around for Fear a lot of the festival crew was around to watch them. Bob and I stay late and end up catching the Crew BBQ that happens at night. We have veggie burgers with a friend of Bob's who is in band management while a ska band plays on a makeshift stage. Afterward we headed back to San Francisco.
Day Three: Second Show Wheatland (north of Sacremento)
We head out around 11am for the drive to Sacremento. We stopped off at a giant thrift store before leaving town. Bob picks up a couple books and 3 volumes of Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth on VHS. We listen to some Dylan and a lot of XM radio on the way. As we closed in on the venue we realized the directions are no good. I wrote some down at home before I left they're wrong. I grabbed a direction sheet from production in SF they're wrong. We end up getting there after stopping to ask at a gas station. The venue is only open during the summer and it shows. The place is pretty run down. The weather is hot miserably hot dry with no breeze. We grab some lunch with Zander Dix & Stefan then try to find a shady spot. Thelonious Monster is scheduled a bit earlier that day 3.45p. This was a relief to all as it was pretty brutal out there. Several guys have towels soaked in ice water.
They sound good. They play like they have something to prove if to no one else at least to themselves. Angelo Moore comes up to play some sax on a searing version of "Union Street". The crowd turn out is better. Angelo dances around in the audience like a madman. Bob and I took off immediately after the set for the long slog back to LA. We listened to a lot of old radio shows. We took few breaks and made town by midnight.
Day Four: Third Show Chula Vista (south of San Diego)
The band and I made our separate ways for Chula Vista. I head out around 11 expecting nasty traffic. I find it. I arrived a little before 3 with the band scheduled to play at 345p. Bob Pete & Don are there. Texts are flying phones are dialed some are awnsered. Mike Dix Zander & the equipment may not make it traffic is worse than any of us thought it would be. The tension is thick. In the mean time the guys round up various members of Fishbone & Trulio Disgracious to have some backing & equipment. As their stage is being set up Mike Martt arrives I direct him to the stage. I finally got through to Zander who is nearly there. I run out to meet them in the middle of the road. We storm a side gate security doesn't want to let them through. We flash enough All Acess passes that they allow us to park there long enough to unload the equipment. Stefan and I grab whatever we can and rush Zander and Dix to the stage. We get the equipment there with 5 minutes to spare. Close. There are 12 or 13 people playing the set. It's a mighty show. Everybody has a good time this is one of those shows people will talk about years later. As he climbs down from the drum riser Pete says to me "Now you've seen a Thelonious Monster show". They all seem highly satisfied and with good reason. We all drive back to LA. One more show to go.
Day Five: Final Show Carson (south of Los Angeles)
I head down early wanting to make the most of the last day. The band isn't playing until 445p. I ran into Don sometime around 1. Nobody else was coming until the 2 o'clock ball park. I'm in text contact with everyone to try to avoid the problems of the previous day. I'm also trying to make sure Keirda Rick & Austin of the Bob And The Monster crew are covered to get in and film the show. No problems on their entry. Mike shows up around the same time. Pete strolls in a little later. Dix & Zander are next then Bob. Everybody is in good spirits it's been fun but they're ready "to go back to retirement". At least from "touring" there is talk of more LA shows and talk about making another album. I mostly run with the BATM folks catching them up with how the tour is going where everybody is who they should talk to. I was also trying to make some horns happen since it was being filmed thinking they should get the best show possible. Keirda talks to Angelo about his interview how great it is and how she heard he joined the boys for a song a couple days before. We encourage him 675to do it again. Thelonious Monster takes the stage a short time later. The set starts off a little sloppier than the last couple. Angelo jumps up for Union Street. They finish strong. Everybody seems happy there are some old fans in the audience. They seem to have a good time too rocking out and singing along. A few friends of the guys come and say hello after the set. Most everyone takes off shortly after the set. I stick around to catch Fishbone and watch over the remaining equipment. Lee Ving was standing around looking sullen and defeated. One could see the years of waiting on his face. He perks up slightly when he gets recognized by someone in awe then returns as they leave. He looks like he needs a chair but the only seating is equipment cases. I head home after Fear's set sometime before 8 hungry and tired but glad to have been a part of it.
"This isn't a tour it's a shopping trip to San Francisco" Bob says. Why do it? "Because I miss seeing these guys I miss hanging out with them." I didn't know most of these guys before this mini tour. They all are great characters with strong senses of humor. After spending the last few years maintaining Bob's official website and myspace pages it was fun to play a role in the return of this band. I came home sunburned to the point of blisters it was worth it and I already miss hanging out with them too.
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