Pitch Black Video - "The Bride"

As I look towards the future in this new year, I found a relic from my past and thought I'd share. From the Autumn of 1999 to late 2005/early 2006 ( I can't remember the exact date when we officially called it a day), I was the guitarist and one of the vocalists for a band called Pitch Black. We started off as what I guess could be classified as a horror-punk band and ended up as a post-punk band. We always just claimed to play "The Modern Sound", which was a nod to the mod culture I am enamored with. Being in Pitch Black was one of the best times of my life! The band break-up was even amicable & we are all still friends. Something I've found to be rare in other bands I've been in. By the end of our run, we had recorded a split EP with The Enemies for Lookout! Records, 2 LPs for Revelation Records, and a 7" EP for Cheetah's Records. We also did a bunch of touring with a lot of great bands throughout North America.

This video is from a track off our self-titled debut LP on Revelation Records called "The Bride". This song also made it to a couple skateboard videos and clips of it were played on a couple skate contests that ran on ESPN at the time. The video was produced by a friend of mine, Mark Yang, in the motion picture department while we were both attending the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. This video was part of a class project for him. I think that's why there are so many techniques used and why some of them come off as a bit silly, but I think he needed to show the teacher he had learned everything that was taught. Mark was a super rad guy who was as enthusiastic about Rock-n-Roll as I am. After we graduated, he had to go back to his native Tawain and I am sorry to say that we lost contact after that. I hope he's doing well! Lastly, I hope you all dig the video and maybe even get a chuckle out of what I used to do before becoming a cartoonist.

My friend Melissa just sent me this photo taken about 9 years ago. That's my old band, Pitch Black, playing a show on my old stomping grounds at 924 Gilman Street Project in Berkeley, CA.

Sometimes I'm a DJ...

For those in Portland, OR, I will be DJing ( yep I hate the term “spinning” ) all the most awesome tunes from from my favorite era of skateboarding. I’ll be playing a cornucopia of hardcore punk rock, thrash, and anything else that was the perfect soundtrack for bombing a hill, doing a frontside boneless over a hip, doing slappy grinds at the local curb, and flipping up the bill on your hat.

Come get rad!

Enemies/ Pitch Black Split

Excerpt taken from the Lookout catalog:
"In 2001, Lookout released an all-new classic punk rock split record in the spirit of the Code Of Honor / Sick Pleasure split, the Faith / Void split and "The Shit Split" featuring Blatz and Filth (originally released on Lookout Records in 1991). This time around it was The Enemies and Pitch Black, two incredible East Bay bands. The Enemies are a dark yet melodic trio that successfully balances pop melody with hardcore sensibilities. The Enemies also features Dave Edwardson from Neurosis on bass. Pitch Black are an awesome broodingly brutal threesome that literally  blew up stages throughout the Bay Area with pyrotechnics, blood spitting, and smoke machines."

This was the first release for Pitch Black and The Enemies. Both bands were friends and we wanted to do a classic split record in the old punk tradition. I played guitar and vocals, Martin Munroe played bass and vocals, and Jamie Morrison played drums for Pitch Black. This was the first of the three lineups for Pitch Black. This core group of members would remain the same despite the addition or subtraction of a band member in future lineups.

Click Here to listen to "3016 Adeline St." by Pitch Black

Purchase this release at Amazon.com
Purchase this release at Interpunk.com
Purchase this release as a digital download

Barbarian Riot Squad - Bootleg T-Shirt

My friend Harper brought this bootleg Barbarian Riot Squad t-shirt to my attention. The offending party has been notified and have been forced to take it off of their website and out of their cookie cutter mall stores. Doesn't this company have any scruples?

Real Barbarian Riot Squad merchandise will only be available here at Laser Beams!

BRS logo designed by Harper Jaten

BRS logo designed by Harper Jaten. Circa 1980-83.

Barbarian Riot Squad - UK Bootleg '85

My friend Harper just sent me this email with photo attached:

"Dude, a guy my wife went to high school with in New York heard about the buzz on BRS and sent an iphone snapshot of this LP he got from his older brother in '85!"

I almost forgot this thing even existed. Thankfully, this was a pretty rare UK released bootleg of Barbarian Riot Squad's first EP with some really poorly recorded live tracks from a few shows in and around London on the B side. I've been told that this bootleg can go for upwards of $200 on eBay.

Please don't waste your money on this shoddy bootleg! Laser Beams Records will be releasing an official copy of the first BRS EP later in 2010.

The Nerve Agents "Kill Your Idols/ Nerve Agents Split EP"

Here's an out of print gem from my old band, The Nerve Agents, that I'm making available for free download now. This was the last recording I did with the band.

The cover of The Nerve Agents side of the split.

This split EP was the result of a friendship we gained with Kill Your Idols after doing a short tour on the East Coast with them in the Summer of 1999. The idea was for each band to do two original songs and one cover song each. Kill Your Idols covered "Goodbye to You" by Scandal and we covered "Suffragette City" by David Bowie. For obvious reasons I can't post the Kill Your Idols side for download, but their side is fantastic! As a matter of fact, all their stuff is great and I recommend it highly!

Insert

Listen to "Planet Frankenstein"

Download The Nerve Agents side of the split

The Nerve Agents in Falls Church, VA 1999

Old Punk Rock Show Flyers

The Humble Beginning of Barbarian Riot Squad

Barbarian Riot Squad started simply out of a necessity to create some original punk rock music to score an animated short I'm planning to work on in the future. As I was starting to write the songs, I realized just how much I've missed playing , especially hardcore punk rock! That's my roots and despite the fact that I've gotten older and don't necessarily look that punk very much anymore, I've always considered myself a punk for life! Thus, Barbarian Riot Squad was born.

This is my first foray into being a solo musician. I hope to get a band together so I can play live shows with this stuff. In any case, I'll be releasing Barbarian Riot Squad music and records from time to time. Right now, I'm working on a 5 song EP that I hope to have out before the end of the year.

Below are some sample clips of what I have recorded so far. These clips are works in progress. They have not been mixed or mastered and I still need to record the vocal tracks. I'm posting these now so that you can get an idea of the direction I'm taking with Barbarian Riot Squad.

"Raise the Black Flag" in progress audio sample.

"Crom" in progress audio sample. 

Untitled Work 1 in progress audio sample.

Untitled Work 2 in progress audio sample.

I might use the design pictured above for a t-shirt or a patch or both.

Using some of the influence I've taken from some of the "Cartoon Modern" art style I've been really into, I made this illustration for Barbarian Riot Squad. I also, made 3 wallpapers using this image for anyone interested.

 Click below to get the wallpaper:

16:10 aspect ratio
16:9 aspect ratio
4:3 aspect ratio

See you in the pit!

The Nerve Agents "Self-Titled"

This record is still in print and can be purchased cheaply through Revelation Records. I played bass and guitar on this one respectively as Kevin C. and K.Cross, Eric Ozenne did vocals, Tim Presely also played guitar, and Andy Granelli played Drums.

Listen to "Carpe Diem" by clicking here.

GOODFELLAS "E.B.S.R."

Here's an out-of-print recording from one of my old bands for you to download. This time its GOODFELLAS, one of the lesser known groups I was part of. We hailed from Oakland, CA from about 1995- 1998. During the lifetime of the band, we recorded one full length LP and one 7" EP. Personally, I don't mind if the LP is lost to time and remains hidden, but I'm still pretty happy with the "E.B.S.R." EP we did. Its really when the band was coming into a sound and direction that I preferred. Friends of ours in other bands, such as Screw 32 and A.F.I., were calling their style of punk rock E.B.H.C. for East Bay Hard Core. So, being the cheeky skate punks that we were, we decided to call our style of punk rock E.B.S.R. for East Bay Skate Rock.


The first lineup for GOODFELLAS was Shawn Chatelain on guitar, Will Thompson on bass, Tom Landon on guitar, Jude Ramirez on drums, and I did vocals. By the time we recorded "E.B.S.R.", Brian Hood had replaced Tom on guitar. Soon after that recording, Will left the band and I played bass as well as did vocals for the remainder of the band's existence.


Although, this wasn't one of the more successful bands I was in, I miss this time incredibly as well as all the guys in the band. Unfortunately, I've lost contact with a couple of them and I only get to see the others on very rare occasions.

Enough rambling. Here's the GOODFELLAS "E.B.S.R." EP...

 

Click here to listen to "TOMBSTONE DISASTER"

Click here to download GOODFELLAS "E.B.S.R."

BIG RIG "Expansive Heart + Demo"

Excerpt taken from the Lookout Records catalog:

"Originally released in 1994, this EP was recorded by a short-lived San Francisco bay are supergroup of sorts that featured vocalist Jesse Michaels’ (Common Rider, Classics Of Love) return to music after the seminal punk/ska band Operation Ivy broke up in 1989. Big Rig also included members of Screw 32 and Pitch Black. These four songs are unique melodic punk with Jesse’s trademark vocal style. This record has become a sought-after classic because of its memorable music, emotional power and passionate lyrics. Original packaging artwork by Jesse Michaels."

Purchase this release at Amazon.com
Purchase this release as a digital download

BIG RIG wasn't around for long. We only recorded one 7"/CD EP and a demo. The band started with me on guitar and two friends from high school, Brandon Riggen on drums and Doug Sangalang on guitar. We soon got Jeremy Goody, who would later play keyboard for Pitch Black, on bass and Jesse Michaels on vocals. In 1994, Lookout Records put out the "Expansive Heart" EP:

Track List:
1. Expansive Heart
2.Will Alone
3. New Fist
4. Persistance

Liner notes in the insert of the vinyl release of "Expansive Heart" say, "BIG RIG was a short term musical project. We played for a couple of months this year (1993) and then went onto other things. We decided to put out this record simply because we developed a liking for some of our songs and thought it would suck if nobody heard them."

Before we had decided to make it a "short term musical project" we recorded a demo in 1993:
On the demo are different versions for three of the songs that would wind up on "Expansive Heart" and three songs that have never been released before now.

Track List:
1. Escape From The Freezing Ice Hut
2. Our Secret Hours
3. Mr. Down and Out
4. Will Alone
5. Expansive Heart
6. New Fist

Click below to download the demo. The last track I've included in this download is a work in progress that never got finished. Its added here for posterity. The sound quality for the work in progress and the demo version of "New Fist" has some crackle, but they were transferred from an old cassette tape.

Click to download the BIG RIG "Demo"