Three Chord Whore: the dark angels of post grunge angst...

Updates

2006-06-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, The Whore's have been very busy in June we have shows, and sometimes two in one day, throughout the month. We recently played two all ages shows at Gigantic Vintage, and at The Boiler Room. All ages shows ROCK! It is refreshing to play to kids who come to shows because the LOVE music, as opposed to playing 21+ shows where the music is just a part of the background. We played at The Mint with Black Fag (lead singer Jeff in also the new frontman for The Dead Kennedy's) and with the awesome Pu$$y Cow. While we were playing someone came through the gate and told us that a bunch of kids were on top of the dumpster yelling for us to play "Zamboni Zombie" We looked over the fence and Sarah. AKA The Trashcan Princess, and her friends on the dumpster listening because they were under age and couldn't get in the bar! That made an insane night of music, old friends, and new fans even better. Watch The Whore's my space for the video of our song "horse face" and you will get an idea of just what kind of night it was.
Last weekend we played at the one year anniversary show for Trends Tattoo in Fresno's Tower District. We actually got to play in the middle of a traffic island, and a member of The Whores won second place and a $50 piercing in the best boobies contest, even after she refused to refuse to "bounce". We also did an episode of Damaged TV for KRAB radio and Bright House cable that will air in July, where you will get to see the inside of Whore House, and a live performance.
We end the month at The Empty Space on the 17th at 5pm and on the 24th at 6pm playing in the multi media art event, Bakersfield: Life As It Should Be. Come check out local artists, musicians, comedians, and poets spin on our wonderful cities new slogan. The 24th we also play at The Bakersfield AIDS walk at 2pm, please support this event. If you can, stop by and donate a few bucks to a cause that is very close to our hearts. All of the monies raised stay in Kern County and go directly to local HIV/AIDS agencies. All of you fellow bloggers and podcasters should show up and help support the local grass roots agencies that deal with the crisis on a daily basis. The event is at Beach Park and runs from 9am to 6pm and we hope to see you there.
finally, we would like to thank all of our friends, families, and fans that supported us during HAM's surgery, and stayed around while we got back in the groove wit our new singer Darcie. Performing has never been more fun, and we are humbled by the support all of you have given us. We will try and be more timely about updating our blog, but you can always check our my space, which we can't seem to stay away from.

Updates

2006-03-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Three more days and the world gets to meet, the new and improved, Three Chord Whore! We have a new sound,logo, and Heather gets her new back. We found out a week ago that has surgery on March 14...Three days after our biggest show ever. While the HAM rehabs, Darcie and I will be putting together a video of the Rabobank show for my space and the website, going to shows, getting ready to record a new CD, and hopefully putting out a single on beautiful hot pink vinyl. We just wanted to remind you that we will be playing March 11th outside of the Rabobank arena around 6:15 P.M. We will be sharing the outdoor stage with the boys of Dirty Spanglish, and then they will join us inside along with some loyal Whore fans, to do the backing vocals for "Zamboni Zombie." We have a few $10 tickets available you can get them by emailing us at threechordwhore@hotmail.com. See you all Saturday!

38 days and counting...

2006-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

No, we are not dead, and no we have not broken up...We have been busy writing new music, making new logos, and trying to get our merch ready for the big Rabobank Arena show. The Whores have never done things in a conventional way, so playing in front of 6000 people as our first show with the lovely Darcie Blake just seems to be the right thing to do. Hell, if you are going to screw up do it big time! As you may or may not know, Heather has been playing with a broken spine and is still waiting for her surgery, and that is why we have not been playing out as much. We have had people ask us why we haven't found a temporary guitar player so that we can continue playing, but that is something we would never do. Yes we had been playing out of town gigs weekly, and had a couple of small labels showing interest in us, and we hope they will still welcome us when the band as a whole is ready to return to the scene see, this project has been a labor of love since Heather and I started writing music together in 1999. We have had members come and go and have continued on each and every time. Now, we have found what has been missing in Darcie Blake and we expect this unholy union to outlast all of the others. You see, we don't play because we want to be rock stars, we play because it makes us feel ALIVE, and the shows, the label interest, and the fucking awesome people that have supported us along the way, is the extra added bonus of being in a band. Come check out our new sound March 11th at The Condors game at Rabobank Arena. We play outside around 5:30 and then will be performing "Zamboni Zombie" inside between the first and second periods of the game. Check www.nlbelardes.com for the link to purchase discount tickets, and we will see you there!

Celebrating Thanksgiving old school style

2005-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

It 6pm and I am still trying to get rid of my holiday hangover from last night... fucking Thanksgiving. I am not a big fan of the holidays, but it is this time of year that brings my friends home. My friends are truely a bunch of freaks, all of us that survived have managed to live our lives doing what we want, and have kept that punk rock ethic that we are so proud of. You see, we were a group of pissed off , fucked up middle class kids that found acceptance and a voice in Southern California hardcore in the early 80's. We spent our weekends in dirt fields with names like the shack, the dredge, the couch...We all wonder who named this shit. Our favorite, the shack is now a bunch of houses in Silver Creek. This is where we heard our life in the songs of Black Flag, X, The Descendants, Flipper, and The screamers. We are still amazed that we could go out with $5, chip in for beer and generic whiskey, and still have enough left over to get nachos at 7-11 on the way home. During the weekdays we made our own clothes, we were not allowed in the mall and there was no fucking Hot Topic, experimented with hairdye colored with koolaid, and rit dye, and wrote songs, and made art that expressed distaste of the conservative politics going on during the Reagan era. We grew up angry, and most importantly politically aware knowing that our voice, and our music could bring about change. My friends and I are old and I always laugh when I read about people who are considered experts of the "scene" most of them were a couple of years old when all of this was going on... I guess a sense of local musical time has to start somewhere. Bakersfield had local punk bands that had to play parties, because there were no venues, until much later when the Masque opened up downtown on 19th Street. Today's DIY movement was born out of small scenes just like ours.
These rantings are a tribute to my friends of almost 20 years...Kyle Goen, who is now a New York based artist with work in galleries around the world. He is best known for his work "Elect a Madman You Get Madness" and is also a DJ, a clothing designer and has designed Cd packages for some of music's biggest artists. Marcus Hicks, an actor in the Harlem Renaissance Theatre in New York, who is currently doing a one man show based on the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal.And last but not least, Sherry AKA Miss KoKo, guitarist of LA based Sluts For Hire. She has played with some of the greatest bands ever in my humble opinion. What impresses me the most is that none of them have changed, they still are the same kids from Bakersfield with the same ethic. One thing we ALWAYS do is raise our glasses in remembrance of the majority of friends that didn't make it because of addiction, violence, suicide and AIDS...So Kathy, Rex, Kevin, Ripper....Happy holidays you are still with us.

What is up with the fucking morons in this town?

2005-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am reading,in absolute horror, about the assault on Bryan of The KooKooNauts. What kind of fucking asshole attacks a KID from behind like that, and what about the bigger assholes that came to the show with this guy that have kept their mouths shut while someone is hospitalized because of their pussy friends actions? I hold no loyalty to ANYONE that attacks an innocent person, so step up to the plate and put this dick behind bars. As you can tell...I am pissed the fuck off. This is another account of a bunch of macho assholes bringing down the scene. It has been a violent year, but this type of incident has ALWAYS been a part of underground music in Bakersfield. Hell, even Henry Rollins wrote about Black Flag never playing in this town again because of a bunch of idiots that thought they were punk, STARTED FIGHTS WITH THE FUCKING BAND! How bad must this shithole town be, if a band that couldn't get a venue in LA because of their fans, refused to make a second trip over the grapevine to do another show? Anyway...Violence at shows is not acceptable. The pit used to be an almost civilized form of physical expression where if you fell down a fellow music lover helped you back up. Now, you go down and you are fair game.
The Whores would like to personally offer our support and prayers to Bryan, his family,and his band. I had the chance to meet Bryan and his father when he came to try out for a play that I am in. The kid was an amazing guitar player, he could listen to something and play it right back, solo and all. His father is so supportive of his son and his music, just thinking about what he must be going through breaks my fucking heart. Please,if you were at the show and saw ANYTHING call the police and help put this person behind bars. The issue of the BPD not showing up until the next day is best saved for another rant on another day, because the focus needs to be on Bryan , his quick and complete recovery, and his return to playing music.

Damn...Where did that month go?

2005-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I am a blog slacker. I know thatI should be diligent like NL and Matildakay, but who could compete with those two? I am just a humble drummer that has no time management skills, because I thought I just posted something a couple of weeks ago. I usually just observe the goings on in our local scene, and occasionally comment on some of the observations by other local writers, critics, musicians, etc...I recently checked out Rob Shock's blog and his review of Go Betty Go and female musicians and I couldn't believe the sexist crap that I was reading. Let me tell you what shit we female musicians go through in the male dominated music world. We are not instantly liked because we are in an all female band, we constantly put up with that sexist tits with instruments crap,and I hope you are above that Rob.Do you have a sister or a wife? We also frequently put up with "you are pretty good for a bunch of girls" or "Are all of your songs covers?" like we are too fucking stupid to write our own stuff. We are not oddities, and no, we do not sound like the fucking Go Go's! I am proud to say that my band rocks just as hard, and is just as competent, sometimes even more, than the "boy" bands we play with. Also some of you guys are lucky that we don't compare your skills to your crotches, like you do our tits, if female fans did, many bands would be deemed a little short on talent.

Sometimes you just want to give up

2005-08-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

I understand all of that "a relationship only works if you put the effort into it shit" but sometimes I get sick of being married to my band. I don't think the average music connoisseur realizes the anguish and emotional commitment that it takes to produce what is heard. When you are in a committed relationship it is usually with one other human, try adding one, two , or even three others to the mix, and you will begin to understand what I am talking about. I wish being in a band was as simple as a group of people getting together and playing their instruments, because my life would be far less complicated if it were. Everything we listen to is born out of each individual band members, beliefs, life experience, goals etc, etc....Now add in the daily living shit we all go through, the human ego, varying communication skills, and now you begin to get it. EVERY band from the ones you see in local venues all the way up the food chain have somehow managed to balance the madness of the band member marriage to produce the magic of music. Playing in a band is a wonderful and romantic image, and is something that I dreamed about as long and as far back as I can remember, and that dream has given way to the reality of the situation. There have been so many fucking times when I wanted to burn my drum set, and run far, far away, but the love of what I do keeps me playing. Being a musician is enormous emotional, financial, and time commitment that we who play are willing are willing to give in order to get our messages out there. I can honestly say that I never fantasized about murder, until I joined a band.....
So, Erin is out of the band and that is OK was better that it happened early on, instead of a year later like the rest of our singers. When something is lost, something else moves into it place to keep it whole. I was at Nick Belardes house with a group a people that are helping him promote his new book Lords Part One, and there was this girl who was insane, didn't give a fuck what others thought about her, and who's presence filled the room...All I could think was " I wish that chick could sing" turns out she can sing and we are in the process of seeing if she wants to try out for the band. So...another relationship begins, as does another chapter of the Three Chord Whore story.

The next chapter begins!

2005-06-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Finally, we have a new singer....Her name is Erin Lopez and she kicks ass! So the quest went something like this...We had a couple of ladies showing interest in joining the band, the first was a cast member from the recent production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, she had a fucking awesome voice, but no follow through. We talked to a few other interested parties, including a 15 year girl who wrote that her father thought we were cool, and suggested she try out. That request was an honor, but we play too many bars and it would suck if your singer couldn't get in. Finally, writer and all around cool guy Nick Belardes told Erin to drop us a line, and the rest in history. We met up at The Cafe Med bar and talked about all kinds of shit, and she tried out the next day. I will let Erin blog about herself, but Heather and I think she sounds like PJ Harvey. So look for us to be playing out very soon, and we again thank all the people that have stood by us and continued showing interest in our band...See you soon.

2005-06-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well...I have been kinda flakey and have definitely slacked on my blogging responsibilities, I will get better I promise. This little break made me realize how much time I actually spent promoting, writing, playing, living, and breathing music. I work 40 hours a week, and I was spending almost as much time on the band! Things in The Whore camp are looking up, we have a friend working on a new website, thank you Nik Turner, we have a new logo, and we quite possibly have a new singer!! We hope to be playing again VERY soon, and we will be bringing our friends But Trumpet,and Silver Needle to town in the very near future. It is going to be very interesting to see who takes over the downtown scene, now that Mr. Burg is at least temporarily out of the promoting biz. The cool guys at Gigantic have definitely taken up the slack, and are planning shows everyday over the summer. The Munoz Gym is having shows again, I love that place, it's the fucking most punk venue around. I have very fond memories of seeing Gravy Train, and Bratmobile there, so go check it out.
So in my newfound spare time I have gotten to do some really cool shit! I took a vacation for the first time in 3 years. I didn't go anywhere, just drank beers by the pool, and played PS2..I can kick anyone's ass at Madden football 2005, just try me. The coolest thing I did by far was going to to see Butt Trumpet at the punk rock tattoo BBQ in Glendale. The show was FREE, and the artists provided all of the food and beer, can life get any better? After my bud Shawna and I got there we found out that Jody Foster's Army(JFA) was playing also. I played with them some 10 years ago when I was in Naked Lady Mudflap, and they are one of my alltime favorite punk bands. The show didn't start on time, so Shawna and I went across the street to the Hustler casino, it turned out to be a big disappointment, no slots, no naked chicks, just a bunch of really quiet guy's playing poker. We had more time to burn so we went to the Hollywood Forever cemetery to visit Dee Dee Ramone's grave site. His headstone was recently put up, it is black marble and has The Ramone's logo with "watch out below" on it. I didn't realize how emotional I was gonna get from just being there. I started thinking about how much his band had influenced my life, and that his music was the soundtrack for my misspent youth. I shed a few tears and left a bracelet that belong to Kathy (see spending time with an angel blog) who was also a musician, and I put one of Heathers guitar picks on the pile that others had left behind. We went back and watched the bands play as the sun set on my perfect punk rock grandma day.

so....here we go again

2005-05-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

So last week Shirlee quit the band. I can't say that I didn't see it coming it just happened sooner than I thought it would. Her reasons for leaving are her own, and Heather and I hold no ill feelings, and wish her all the luck in the world. I have decided that this blog will be a positive therapeutic way of dealing with the stress that comes from trying to put a band back together. Take today for instance, I check my email and we have been offered 5 LA shows, including a slot at the punk rock social which is held in my favorite fucking venue, The Anarchy Library, but also dates with Drag, Silver Needle, and possibly Kiss or Kill (you can hear these awesome bands on my space) How fucking frustrating is that? This is almost as bad as having to cancel our last two shows on short notice. In all of the years that I have played I have NEVER, NEVER canceled a show, that shit is for flakes, and now I have joined that club....

Things are looking up though, we have had two calls, thanks to The Action Folk Singer, from young ladies wanting to try out. We have also put an ad in The Black Board and we hope that that generates some interest. If anyone knows any female singers who are currently without a band send us an email to threechordwhore@hotmail.com It is difficult to find compatible band mates, especially in a town like Bako, so I will keep you up to date on the process. Heather and I would like to thank those who have stood by us and offered their continued support, this list is not in order: Nik and Shawna, Mr Belardes, Enrique, Greg Looney(the best smelling man in town) Thor, Rain, and The Avant Guard Dog and anyone else I may have forgotten. We will be back, hopefully in time to do some summer shows with Butt Trumpet!

Spending Time With an Angel

2005-05-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

I met her in the summer of 1984, she was this dark, beautiful, wonderfully tragic woman sitting in the corner of a tiny apartment on the southwest side of town, and I, like everyone else there could not help but want to be near her. I remember continually being drawn to her eyes, they were the bluest I have ever seen, and when you looked into them you knew you were in the presence of a old soul. It's funny, you meet you soulmate in the strangest of places, and when you are not really looking for them, for me it was at a time when I was far too young and immature to realize what was happening. She was the most intelligent, intuitive, and caring person I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She worked in an animal hospital, and when I would go there to hang out with her it was not uncommon to find her asleep in a kennel holding an injured animal in her arms, all living things seemed to feel comfortable when she was near. We spent much of our time together playing, watching and listening to music. Once a year we would quit our jobs, fill the car with friends, beer and cheese corn and follow The Cramps around California. Every last penny went on tickets to see The Ramones, The Dickies, The Wierdo's, The Damned...She taught me to never loose my connection with nature and that The Goddess was always watching over me. Holidays will never be the same, each Christmas we would gather up our friends whose families had turned their backs on them because of how they looked, or because of who they loved. We would decorate our tree, listen to music,laugh, and from this we learned the true meaning of family. Things began to change in 1988, she began loosing weight, she slept most of the time, she did not have the energy to participate in life. The answer came in 1989 when she was diagnosed with AIDS. I can remember setting in the CSUB library reading the only thing that I could find about women with the disease, it basically said that women with AIDS were IV drug users or prostitutes and died, on average, 16 months from the time of diagnosis. Katherine Waverly Kane left this earth on November the eleventh, 1991. There will always be something missing in my life and I have learned to accept that. Because of her I find something beautiful in EVERY day, because of her I have learned to live every second of every day to it's fullest, and because of her I live life on my own terms not someone else's.
It is an honor for us to be asked to take part in The Bakersfield AIDS walk. Please join us in celebrating those who are still living, and the lives of those that we have lost. Come out and make an effort to educate yourself about this epidemic, it is not going away, 40,000,000 persons are infected world wide, and the numbers increase each day. The event is free and takes place at Beach Park (21st and Oak) on Saturday May the 14th from 9:30 am until 6:00 pm. Three Chord Whore will take the stage at 2:00 pm.... We hope to see you there.

I can't wait for Saturday!

2005-05-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Things can happen so fast....

We had a great time at The Mint this past Wednesday thanks again to everyone that showed up. We sold a ton of Whore shirts, so watch the streets for our impact on valley fashion. Our friends from The Art Ghetto asked us to become a member of The Trocar Records family! Thor and Rain will be promoting the band during their perma tour trip around this country of ours, spreading the word and the music of Three Chord Whore. Their plan is to lay the ground work for a tour that will start after guitar Whore, Heather, recovers from surgery. We will be recording three more songs and we will make them available to everyone very soon. This Saturday we will be playing with one of my all time favorite bands, Butt Trumpet. The best part of being in a band is getting to play with other musicians that have somehow influenced your life, so needless to say after finding out we go on right before them, I have felt like throwing up all day long. My only goal this evening is to get another Butt Trumpet CD, I have had four and all have been stolen. When I find the bitches that did it I will be kicking some ass. We would love to see as many of your lovely faces as possible, so come join us, Butt Trumpet, The Art Ghetto, and Demonika and the Darklings at Mr. T's Bowl, 5621 1/2 Figueroa in Highland Park C.A. Bring $5 and your id, it is a +21 show.

One busy week for the Whores!

2005-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well a lot is going on for us in the month of May, we trying to do as many shows as we can before Heather has her surgery at the beginning of June. We won't be playing live during that time, but The Pearl and I have some shit cooked up so all of the wonderful people that have been supporting us, won't have the chance to forget us! I am sure Heather's recovery from back surgery would be less painful if she received some words of encouragement, hate mail, or whatever you want to send , she will be checking her email threechordwhore@hotmail.com. On May the fourth we will be playing a rare Wednesday show at our favorite dive bar, The Mint, thanks to Mr. Greg Looney. This was another show that was supposed to have been at Gigantic, and Greg saved the day by letting us have the show at the bar on the night he was working. This is another fine example of Bako bands working together to save the downtown scene. We will be playing with our friends from L.A., The Art Ghetto, and the show should start around 9ish, so come out, buy lots of alcohol, and tip the handsome man behind the bar. This Saturday we are so fucking excited to announce that we will be playing Club Swank with the legendary Butt Trumpet. If you don't know who they are google the name and listen to them for god's sake. This is one of my all time favorite bands, and rumor has it that The Fuzztones will be performing that night as well!!!! The lineup also includes The Art Ghetto, and Demonika and the Darklings, who have welcomed The Whores into their musical family. Club Swank is held at Mr T's Bowl, 5621 1/2 Figueroa in Highland Park C.A. The show is only $5 and starts around 9pm. If you are interested in following the whoremobile down to the show let us know..

Broken glass,Shaffer beer, and dirt fields....

2005-04-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

I , while drinking some fine cardboard filtered malt liquor, had an epiphany as to why my band members sometimes truly hate me. I am that girl that will play ANYWHERE, and expects no payment for the services provided. I will, and have, set up in someone's back yard, street, abandoned building just to fucking play. I always forget to negotiate gas money, place to stay etc...so you can begin to see why I am less than popular when I break the news of what shows I have booked. Heather and The Pearl always stoically take the news, and roll their eyes as I excitedly tell them of the latest show. They sometimes reply "San Francisco is a great place to play, but will we get gas money? This is an important consideration, since the Whoremobile is a big ole SUV. The best part is that they never refuse, they too are DIY at heart. There is nothing better in this world than writing your own music, making fliers, promoting, all on your own terms. In N.L. Belardes latest blog he says that we "have an I don't care, piss off attitude" thanks Nick for taking notice. I have worked long and hard as a musician to present exactly that! We play because we love to, not because we want to be rock stars or get on a label. We play music that appeals to us, and for the most part it is not what the rest of the world wants to hear, and that is ok too. My piss off attitude was born some 20 years ago, while standing in the dirt at the shack where all Bako punks spent their evenings listening to bands Black Flag, The Weirdo's, and 45 Grave blaring out of someone's car stereo. We would check out each others zines, and jackets that we had painted our favorite bands logo onto, we shared twelve packs of Shaffer beer, and in the heat of the Bakersfield night we realized that we did have something to say, and that we could change the world! Twenty years may have passed, but I still fucking believe, and live that way each and every day. If you need evidence of that come check out Three Chord Whore and our friends The Art Ghetto on May 4th at Gigantic, and if you are in the L.A. area come see The Whores, Butt Trumpet, The Fuzztones, The Art Ghetto, and Demonika and the Darklings at the world famous Mr. T's Bowl on Saturday May the 7th.

Its spelled S-H-A-N-T-E-L-L

2005-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

I did not want to use this blog as a anti Nate thing, because I really don't give a fuck, I guess I am one of the few that doesn't need to play Jerry's and will say what I feel when I see wrong doing. I too have, and recently, asked to play there with Tsunami Bomb because I love them. I responded, in writing, because it is bullshit that any one person would try to monopolize a local music scene, and because of that Mr. Burg has placed some rambling crap about "orange pickers" and a boycott that I personally have organized on the Jerry's website...and to top it off he misspelled my fucking name! I don't need to get all United Farm Workers on his ass, Nate does things from time to time that causes this type of dialogue and reaction. I am not organizing a boycott, I don't hate Nate, I just disagree about the way he runs his business, and will say something about it. I am not the only one that is taking part, so in a sense, because of his actions Nate himself, is the one who organized the Jerry's boycott with his "us and them" fucking mentality. Mr. Burg is insane if he thinks that I am the only one involved, does he not get it that the bands that were called on the road and told their shows were canceled because of his actions did nothing? Does he think that those bands didn't contact their labels to put the word out about him? It is not up to him to decide what music is Jerry's good and that all others are not. I agree with Kenny Mount, our band like his, doesn't work at that venue, and that is fine, it does notmean that we are "nasty oranges" what ever the fuck that is??? I guess my band sucks in his eyes and we aren't Jerry's good, but I guess we are shitty enough to play regularly at The Anarchy Library, Mr. T's Bowl, Zen Sushi, and The Silverlake Lounge...what the fuck ever we are signing off from the Nate controversy he gets enough bad press of his own.

Check out the new blackboard

2005-04-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone from this point on let it be known that The Whores love them some Enrique Acosta! This months blackboard has a kick ass review of our single "Isolation" and our live show. Just for the record he may not have seen Heathers butt crack, she has a nasty surgery scar that only looks like an elongated butt crack. We will be sending him reference photos very soon. Today I checked out our old web addy threechordwhore.com and some bitch bought MY name and turned it into a porn site, at least they could play some of our music and give us some credit. Name stealin bitches! Our real site is threechordwhore.net, it is in the works, so keep checking back a whole new look with live recordings will be unveiled soon.

xoxo

The Whores

I was just wondering...

2005-04-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

I just read N.L. Belardes interview with Nate Brug...It always makes me laugh that when Nate replies to something and if there is ANY criticism it is always because the person or the band is too undeserveing or talentless to grace the stage of Jerry's Pizza. I don't see Nate as some bat wielding intimidatior, I see him as a business man doing what he has to do to make a buck, and that is why places like Gigantic and DowntownRecords are so vital to the scene, they provide an outlet for different types of music and art that might otherwise go un-noticed in a town like Bakersfield. Judging from the turnout and the willingness of the bands to come here and play for donations, venues like this are needed. As for the authorities (who will investigate if called) closing the shows down because of the legality if the venue is again more business fueled bullshit, I think our police department is far more worried trying to curtail the ever increasing death toll of the patrons brave enough to spend the night drinking at Downtown Joes. I think enough time and energy has been spent on the ongoing Jerry's shit. Giantic has moved to Montgomery World Plaza and the shows will LEGALLY continue there. I also noticed that Kosmos is having some cool bands as well, so the quest for musical diversity goes on...
This past weekend was my birthday, and as that day sometimes causes time for personal reflection, I realized just how wonderful my life actually is. I am very fortunate to be in a band with Heather and The Pearl, two people that I love and respect immensely, that hold the same beliefs and convictions that I do, and that WANT to express them in our music. I have the most wonderfully frustrating job as an HIV testing counselor, that reminds me everyday just how beautiful and fragile life can be. And finally, I have a group of friends that that are strange, artistic, and who all believe that love and being brave enough to standing up for what is right can truly change the world....Enough of the sappy shit, come see The Whores on April 20th at The Empty Space, the show starts at 8pm and we will let you know who we are playing with. You can also check us out May 7th at Mr. T's Bowl, we will be playing with Butt Trumpet, The Fuzztones, The Art Ghetto, and Demonika and the Darklings...fuck I live a charmed life.

Shantell the drum whore

Forgot the Blog source...also inspiring!

2005-03-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Nick...the guy we met in the bar who allowed us to come by when he was talking with The Dalloways...duh...artist in his own right, Nick got us this spot that I am expressing my own uncensored art woes/solutions on. He did not charge my band or demand any crazy impossible shit that takes fun out of music, he invited the effort to meet him, painlessly I might add, and rewarded us for the small effort involved. Bands that work hard love what they are doing and people like Nick realizes some arts are pricey and require risk taking and networking in positive ways. The positive in his offering a Bako female band the much needed advertisement and promotion takes time to be noticed, but already, Nick has made friends with people that will in turn support his published works and spread the word about his books that do not exist yet.
The payback is not fast and furious with caviar dreams...but attitudes from people like Nick will see a different kind of payback one day...

2005-03-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

Don't be bullied in the Bakersfield music scene

2005-03-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

Now I sit here on this Tuesday afternoon, pissed as all hell, that Mr. Burgs bullshit has caused the cancellation of another one of our shows, because no venue can be found. We can do something about it, tell your friends to stop going to shows at Jerry's Pizza, and if you see Jerry himself, tell him why you don't go there anymore. If you are in a band, don't play there, tell other bands and labels that you are affiliated to boycott as well. Stick together, don't be bullied out of your scene

...until next time

A Gigantic Letdown

2005-03-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

The next night TCW was supposed to play at Gigantic, but one hour before the show was supposed to start we were informed that Nate Burg, asshole promoter for Jerry's Pizza, had closed the show down because it threatened his business. Our hero, Dave from Downtown Records, hustled his ass and found the show a new venue. When we got to the new place, this cool guy Alex Nunez's house, we tripped out, the kids had crammed in cars, skateboarded, walked and rode the bus to this house off White Lane, before the show even started there had to be at least 50 of them waiting for the bands. This was one of those perfect moments in time where everything worked out like it was a dream, there were no fights, no bullshit, and no cops. All of the bands kicked ass, especially DIE, DIE, Die from New Zealand, fuck those guys were great! Do yourself a favor and buy some of their stuff, it will make you want break shit for sure.

The two weeks that gave us hope...almost.

2005-03-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

The ladies of Three Chord Whore have been a part of the Bako music scene in one way or another for the past ten years, and we each have our stories to tell, but the people that we have met, and events of the last two weeks have given us hope that that an almost perfect DIY music community DOES exist in this shit town. It all started when Shantell was making the most of her time at work using the world wide web to to shamelessly promote The Whores. She came upon this cool blog written this N.L. Belardes guy, who was not only reviewing and promoting local acts, but offering all of us the chance to talk the shit on our own blogs! Nick invited us to drop in on him at a downtown bar where he was going to be interviewing Nico and Gerhard of The Dalloways. At first we felt bad about crashing someones interview, but none of us Whores can turn down a bar invite and we showed up anyway. As it turns out, Nick, Gerhard, and Nico turned out to be some of the coolest people we have met in quite some time. It was incredible to be in a room with a bunch of artists who fucking love making and listening to music as much as we do, and who are willing to help other musicians get their art out for others to enjoy. Thanks again to Nick and The Dalloways for the wonderful evening.