Conan Neutron | The life and times of Mr. C. Neutron, esq.

You Can’t Stop The Signal

January 16, 2013

Hi folks, i’m doing a podcast with my very good friends/bandmates called You Can’t Stop The Signal. You can download it on mp3 at the links before or subscribe at the iTunes store.

Click that link there or just search for “You Can’t Stop The Signal” in the itunes store.

There’s music, mirth and misery. There’s a lot of tom foolery and quips, but some in depth coverage on things as well. We interview musicians we like and generally put on the kind of podcast we would like to listen to.

If that kind of thing interests you, please check it out!

Thanks!

Posted, by neutron in Podcast.

Neutron Voting Guide 2012

November 5, 2012

Living in non-swing state California makes for a boring disconnected election decided mostly by people far away. But there’s an upside! You also get to vote on a bunch of dumb propositions every year. So let’s slap on a fake smile and deconstruct this shall we?

President: Obama.
Don’t talk to me about the lesser of two evils. Seriously, just don’t. I don’t believe the guy is evil.
Sorry everybody didn’t get their unicorn and decided to pick up their ball and go home. That isn’t a tacit endorsement of drone bombing or Guantanamo, or the rest of his policies. He’s my president and I’d like to see him finish the job. It’d be great if we lived in an ivory tower wonderland where Jill Stein could be president (despite a foreign policy that doesn’t go much beyond “wage peace” ) We don’t. This isn’t mayor of the bay area here. It is a binary decision for the most part. Mitt “the Smiler” Romney could actually win this, and if you think things suck now… Vote for anybody you want, just remember if it’s Romney, I will find you and punch you. People interested in party building or send a message, go ahead and vote for Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, or (*vomit*) Rosanne Barr. You just had better make DAMN sure to vote on propositions and your local measures too or you are an ass.

Senate: NO VOTE
*gasp* I have never voted for Dianne Feinstein and I never will. She’s pro-corporate, all about PIPA and basically a snake. I am horribly disappointed that she has no progressive challenger. I briefly considered running myself just to remind people that there are choices. Obviously I did not, but my assumption is that SOMEBODY who is better would. I guess we know what assuming does. Screw Diane Feinstein. She is awful. I cannot and will not endorse her. I’m sure she will win handily. I truly hope this is her last election.

Oakland At Large City Council: Rebecca Kaplan
Keeping it local here. Rebecca Kaplan is one of the finest public servants Oakland has ever seen. Ignacio De La Fuente one of the sleaziest and the worst. Ignacio is challenging Rebecca for Oakland At-Large city council, a citywide position. Ostensibly this is to better prepare him to run for mayor. He SUCKS. This is, put simply: The Empire vs. The Rebel Alliance. Machine politics at their worst vs. pragmatic progressivism. De La Fuente isn’t fit to be elected dogcatcher, he is a liar, corrupt and generally awful. AW-FUL. Rebecca should have been elected mayor, but she’s still in a powerful position to help the city of Oakland. A city I love very much and that needs it. She deserves to be re-elected. That’s it. I run into an alarming amount of people that aren’t even aware she’s being challenged. She is, and it’s a for serious challenge. Please vote for Rebecca Kaplan if you are an Oakland voter. Ignacio De La Fuente is awful, plain and simple, Rebecca Kaplan is wonderful.

(There are other local races, but those are the important ones to me and I do tend to ramble!)
Now the important stuff, the abject failure of the direct democracy system yet again rears its ugly head as a bevy of mostly worthless/dangerous propositions are presented to a jaded, disengaged and very angry electorate. Why do we have a bicameral legislature? SEARCH ME!

Propositions:
Proposition 30: YES.
Raises income taxes on top 2% for schools and vital services, quarter cent sales tax.
We love not paying for things in California! Schools are boned right now, I mean really boned. Sales tax is regressive, which I don’t care for. And I think the top 2% spend a lot of money NOT paying their taxes for the most part. But what the hell dude? State is broke. Sure could use those billions Enron defrauded California for ten years ago now, eh? Raise it. ¼ cent over 4 years is worth it.

Proposition 31: NO
Ham-fisted attempt at reform that kind of bones Environmental laws and puts all kind of weird spending caps on things. Nah brah.

Proposition 32: HELL NO!
Do you think corporations should have more power on elections? Do you think Super PACs are the best idea ever? Than this is the prop. for you! If, however… you are a sane human being vote H-E-L-L no on this. If you are Karl Rove, vote yes. This might be the worst thing on the ballot and that is saying a lot.

Proposition 33: NO!
This same stupid Mercury insurance initiative that was on the ballot in 2008. This thing is harder to kill than Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th! Insurance companies can raise rates on you. Period. That’s what this does. Even if the gap in coverage you have is because you do not own a car. Lame. Vote this business down. I’m sure we’ll be doing so again in four years.

Proposition 34:YES, YES, YES
Eliminate the death penalty. The death penalty is backwards and barbaric. Period. This is the first thing worth voting *FOR* on the ballot for me. It’s important. Only if you think our judicial system has never made a mistake should you vote no on this. If you are against abortion you absolutely have no reason not to, unless you are a hypocrite. Vote yes on this, please. It also requires killers to work while in prison and directs their earnings to their victims, but really… let’s just stop executing people.

Proposition 35: NO
This is the human trafficking prop. That doesn’t mean I’m for human trafficking, but I think this proposition kind of sucks. It’s borderline unconstitutional, poorly written and could catch a lot of people up in the system that don’t deserve to be. That is a drag. It seems reasonable at first glance, I’d say vote no on it. And since this is one of those issues like protecting child molester’s rights that everybody makes snap decisions on I think it could actually pass… and would be another tool to get people caught in the system that maybe aren’t involved in trafficking at all.

Proposition 36: YES
Reforming the three strikes law to impose life only when the felony is serious or violent. Considering how often “three strikes” has put away drug offenders, this should be on the mind of every voter. This law was passed to keep murderers and rapists locked up. Not non-violent offenders. We need to stop locking people up as the solution for everything.

Proposition 37: YES, YES, YES!
This is mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods. This would be the first law of it’s kind in the nation requiring CLEAR labels of when foods are genetically modified. This needs to happen. Lots of misinformation flying around about this. It doesn’t raise food costs or taxes, there’s a lot of scaremongering by Monsanto, DuPont, Kraft and a bunch of other big corporate types are against it. Screw them; we have a right to know. This is an awesome, awesome thing to vote FOR. Don’t get caught up in any scaremongering… this will be huge if it passes.

Proposition 38: NO
Income tax increase to support public education. I think this needs to happen, but I think this prop isn’t the way to do it. This money goes to a way unaccountable state bureaucracy and more importantly it can’t be changed for TWELVE years. Including instances of fraud and waste. This is a big ol’ 2% jump in taxes for anybody making over $8000 a year too that kind of sucks. Schools need to be funded, but I don’t think this is the answer… I think prop 30 is better.

Proposition 39: YES
Green jobs tax on multi state businesses. Closes a corporate tax loophole that has corporations getting off the hook for years. Dedicates $550 million annually for five years for energy efficiency and energy related jobs. Gotta say yes on this one. We’ve got to do this kind of stuff, and even corporations must pay their fair share.

Proposition 40: YES
Referendum on the State Senate redistricting plan. Remember that state senate redistricting plan that I was against a couple years ago? It passed and the map was created, it just needs to be implemented. The Republicans aren’t for it anymore because it wasn’t in time for the 2012 elections. Which I guess leads some credence to the “it’s a partisan” thing. Whatever… we paid for the maps, let’s use ‘em. Let the congress critters gnash their teeth.

So there you go, that’s how I voted. I don’t expect everybody to do the same, but I do try to do as much research as possible before I make a decision. Over the years people have said that they like seeing how I vote on things as a way to help them make a decision themselves. Hence the guide. Please: don’t forget to vote. It’s a privilege and a duty and if you don’t… well, the jerks usually do, let’s not let the jerks win this time.

Posted, by neutron in politics.

Music is too important to be relegated to the background – Conan Neutron’s Best of 2011 in Music

December 21, 2011

Music is far too important to be relegated to the background. And while many “Best of” or “Top 10” lists are full of background music for background people, I reject that wholesale. We live in a world overburdened and surrounded by tawdry flacks and cheap howling sideshow men yelping for your attention at every level. All demanding that they and ONLY they have found the NEXT.BIG.THING. Finding a filter for this isn’t just a nice thing, it’s nearly a requirement.

In any case, it’s a world gone topsy turvy when certain other sites of “music writing”, never to be confused with actual music criticism, FAMOUS for being a closed system are suddenly soliciting a reader’s poll. What do you think, is this progress?

In any case, just because something is popular means that it is good, it just means that it is popular. However, certain powerful forces that have dominated the majority of the music world have been awash in pushing forward a certain branded identity. Whether they admit it or not, there is culpability and an aesthetic that favors the Starbucks variety of sensitivity and vaguely inoffensive background melody and music. So therefore, let us all give thanks that there is a place on the Internet that you can read and INTERACT with actual music criticism. A place where people who truly LOVE music will both tell you when they see miserable failure, but can present to you what they love. Sometimes in an easy list form.

2011 was an incredible year for music and here are some of the things that made it even more incredible for me, as a fan of rock music in no particular order

Look at the list here.

Posted, by neutron in lou reed, manifesto, Metallica, music crit/reviews, Police Teeth, Virgin Islands.

Lou Reed and Metallica – “A cavalcade of indulgence and half-formed ideas. Why wasn’t anybody around to tell them ‘NO’”

October 22, 2011

Regular readers of my work (hahahahah!) know that I always prefer to represent something I love, rather than bag on something I hate. That said, sometimes something so odious, so indulgent, so absolutely TERRIBLE comes around that you just have to come down off the mountain and give it what for. That is what I did for Lulu the Lou Reed and Metallica collaboration. And lo! What a stinky turd on the coffee table it is folks.

I direct and all interested parties to check out the piece I wrote
Lou Reed & Metallica – Lulu (Son Of Kurtz)

on the incredibly prestigious Collapse Board. Pretty much one of the only sites that has true music criticism on the internet, run by the cantankerous but lovable Everett True. How the likes of yours truly got involved with such a renowned establishment is a seriously interesting story in and of itself, but i’d be remiss if I didn’t say that this review speaks for itself. Please check it out and consider sharing it on the appropriate shareable social networking sites.

Shorthand review: This is the indulgent sound of the angst of millionaires.

Posted, by neutron in lou reed, Metallica, music, music crit/reviews, terrible.

V&A tour – “The secret to success is just as simple as this, you just hang tough and have fun with it.”

October 13, 2011

I’m about to go on tour. You probably don’t know me, you probably don’t know my band. We’re not famous, hell we’re not even quasi famous. But that’s ok, it’s still once more into the breech and it’s still totally worth it.

I’ve done this a lot. If you count all three of my bands, it’s been 11 years now. Hundreds of shows playing to hundreds of people and to nearly nobody, almost certainly more of the latter than the former. And here I come for more with my 3 brothers from another mother, 3 monsters of rock so rad I still get a little surprised I was able to talk them into associating with me. We’re storming the northwest and getting in the van like thousands of bands before us. Still, it’s not so bad. For 20 or so days out of the year I get to be this guy:

Do not ask this man to fix your computer, he is too busy assailing you with the full force of "the power of rock".

instead of this guy:

Much like the DMV, I was not aware we were taking pictures that day, not my finest hour!

Not bad at all.

Yet, after a certain point careening against the brick wall stops being a laudable expression of perseverance, and more of a sign of mental illness. As my peers and friends settle into domestic living, bearing and raising children. Advancing in their careers. I’m somewhere in between, I live, breathe and exude rock, but I have a day job and “career” that pays me a living wage. I’m luckier than most, compared to many other folks who play music I have it soft. Honestly, if not for some a few costly bad calls in my personal history and some bad happenstance (including a lengthy and costly stint of unemployment) I’d actually probably be comfortable. I don’t think you have to give up music to do “real life”, but it can be difficult sometimes.

The only time I was even reasonably striking distance for getting out to the musical “next level of success” or whatever. I fucked up, pushed way too hard, too fast and I ended up hurting some people that didn’t deserve it and breaking the whole thing apart. That sucks, and it’s something that I have to live with every day. I’ve tried to take ownership of that without letting it rule me completely, all of the also ran, near miss and “almost got him” stories in the world doesn’t amount to much but the appearance of pettiness if you aren’t careful. It’s humbling to start over. Yes, humbling.

This was the best image I got from a random google search for "humble", that is a humble looking egg there.

To most people I do not appear like a very humble kind of guy, but believe me, I’ve taken some punches and taken some kicks. I have been knocked down off my high horse and trampled by it too. I just refuse to wallow in it and tend to answer pain and failure with more action. Because of that I can sometimes come off like some domineering runaway id, or like an Asperger’s stricken raving lunatic. I promise you that is not the case. If you prick me, I bleed. Sometimes clarity of purpose is easily mistaken for pomposity and irritation at overexposure can give way to outright annoyance. I’m not a an easy guy to be around sometimes, even those closest to me will say so. Nonetheless, I do try to bring the Awexome.

Hence, Victory and Associates. And our record These Things are Facts… which tend to be almost relentlessly positive and earnest (even when it’s being smart assed) because: That’s what I need to hear right now myself and what we think the world needs to hear. It’s a about finding what you love in life and doing it and loving it as hard as you can. Which is what we try to do. We’ve grown, we’ve changed, we’ve improved as a band, as players. And I think what we’re doing is worthwhile, some other people agree. Obviously, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble of leaving your comfortable home to try and bring that out into the world. And even so, there’s always the thought, “I’m wasting my time, I’m wasting my life” But then you realize that it’s a fine line between idiocy and awexomeness, and you get ok with it. And it makes a difference, whether you’re making music for 3 people or 3,000. A changed or bettered life is a changed or bettered life. Plain and simple. Even if there are 53452912878972342 crappy bands with no purpose, direction, function or competing for the space and attention as yours, I still believe music makes a difference. Hell, I know it does.

I’m always astounded by famous people that talk about the hassles and hardships of the road, people that earn a living from it and still complain. “Oh, you’re just jealous”. You’re god damn right I am. They don’t have to save money to tour, they don’t need to worry if anybody will show up. They maybe have to deal with the strain it puts on their relationships, but also: Fuck them. Anybody in the upper class of music should strongly considering shutting the hell up, a minimum wage janitor that busts his ass 10 hours a night on the swing shift doesn’t think you should be complaining and neither do I. Being able to present your art to a willing audience and be paid from it is such an incredible thing. Breaking even is usually the best that a band at our level can hope for. To be honest though, these huge bands are a whole lot of not my thing anyway. It’s not my oeuvre. I’m comfortable where I am at: You probably don’t know me, you probably don’t know my band. But if you listen to our album or see a show we play, you just might love it. Maybe not too, and that’s fine. It’s not for everybody. But it does matter. Just because it isn’t known by everybody doesn’t mean it holds less merit, just that it’s known by less people. We’ve been fooled to equate fame with value, and it’s good to be able to to divorce those from each other.

For me, the way the world has changed touring has become more like strike team missions than entrenched campaigns. This tour consists of three shows in 2 states, hardly a tour at all to some of the road warriors I am peers and friends with, but they are shows with great bands. Some of my favorite bands actually, Police Teeth, Virgin Islands, X’s For I’s, great bands that aren’t famous…. but are really good, and it’s going to push us to play as hard as we can and be the best that we can be. And we’ll sell a few records or cds, a few t-shirts, spend an obscene amount of money on gas, have some laughs and do something that matters(tm). Even if it’s just too a few people. I’m going to heave up my soul, take every frustration born of politics, the world, injustice, aggravation at my own personal shortcomings and foibles, mix it with all of the joy, love, idealism and downright elation the world can bring and do my thing as hard as I can. With three other guys that completely bring it, it will look something like this:

Victory and Associates - bringin' it. Pic by Shannon Corr

It’s such a rarified treat. So few people ever get to make music at all, and those that do, don’t always form bands. Those bands may never record, or release a record, or have people like it. And the ability to tour at all is an even greater level. It’s not something to be taken for granted. I truly try not to. Or as I said in the song lyrics on the ratty piece of paper I just cleaned out of the tour van:

“So here’s a kiss for the last ones picked, who soldier on no matter who gets it.
Why would you do something if you can’t profit?
Why waste your time on something so foolish?
The secret to success is just as simple as this, you just hang tough and have fun with it.
So waste our time on something so foolish?
Well if you have to ask, you’ll never… know.”

So here we go.
My name is: Conan Neutron
My band is: Victory and Associates
There are others stories, but this one’s ours.

Victory and Associates - These Things are Facts Tour poster by Adam T. Davis

Posted, by neutron in manifesto, music, Police Teeth, Touring, Victory and Associates, Virgin Islands, X's For I's.

Hurry Up, Dicks – A treatise on one of the best bands you’ve probably never heard: Hurry Up Shotgun on the day of their cd release.

October 7, 2011

Hurry Up Shotgun release their second album tonight, 10/7/2011. It’s self-titled. The show is at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco. If you had any sense, you’d be there. Actually you should be there even if you don’t have any sense. Because it is a great album and they are a great band.

There are so few bands I know out there that truly grow. Sure they’ll try new things, maybe change, but actual growth as a band is somewhat rare. One of them is Oakland’s Hurry Up Shotgun. One of the very, very few bands that I’ve personally witness getting consistently more vital, better, and growing in stature, skill and presence over the years. It’s worth paying attention to, and I don’t say that lightly as I have played on bills with them for years. Mostly in my bands and for 4 or 5 shows, *IN* their band. A fleeting moment that still confuses the bite size friendship of the Internet age even now.

I’m rarely a sideman in other people’s bands, mostly because most people never ask, probably because they’re afraid I’ll take over the operation and instigate some level of order to their soft-bellied Tom Foolery. Something that could be a concern, considering my reputation for Control Enthusiasm.

I think you should play it again, but try to suck less this time. Also, when are we loading in? Is there anybody at the helm of this ship? Hello?!

I said yes.
After all this was Hurry Up Shotgun. One of the few bands from the SF Bay area I can truly say that I love that is doing something vital and fantastic. At some point I was asked to fill in for departing guitarist Will Funner. It’d be more of a question of shoring up the awesome bits, giving it my heart and soul and just being along for the ride with a band I truly love full of people that I truly love. No problem. So I did that. Part of that was being the Chuck Dukowski and putting it together, partly just driving them, partly bringing the aforementioned thrang, and part of that ended up being the bullshit detector that I have a somewhat deserved reputation for.

“Austin, I love you, and I love what you do, but please turn that god damned amp down. Yes, right now. No, I am not kidding. Yes, it is too loud.”

AUSTIN! TURN YOUR DING DANG AMP DOWN, EVERYBODY IS LEAVING!

So I did that tour, and I had a blast doing it, playing Austin’s songs and rocking with all of those guys. There was faltering on their part before hand, and I think they’d be the first ones to admit it. It was a band without a solid foundation anymore that could go either way. I daresay that I brought a bit of fun and sweat and clank to the proceedings that served the songs well. Doing dual backup vocals with Craig and such. It felt good. And more over, it worked because the songs and the band were really good. And you know what? It made me really miss playing guitar, and that’s another story. But this one is theirs, so let’s stay on task, shall we?

After I left and went back to my passion and my band. They decided to stay a three piece, a choice that surprised me at first. But something had changed; they had become a stronger more purposeful unit. I match makered them with Toshi Kasai from Big Business. Producer of the Melvins, Helmet and a ton of other stuff, and a fellow traveller of limiting pointless shenanigans and general silly flippant non-productive behavior. It was a George Martin/Beatles style collaboration/pairing and they made a fantastic record.
Do yourself a favor; push the “play” button now as you read this:

just do it, turn off the Pandora… mute turntable.fm, Pause your Rdio or Mog. Come back to that episode of Marc Maron’s podcast or This American Life later.
Go on, I’ll wait.

Do you think I am fucking around?
I am not fucking around.
Hit play on that button please.

Ok, cool.
So this record is great, one of the best of 2011, which is saying a lot because it’s been a great year for records. It’s the crazy thing where it’s an awesome record, but it’s kind of hard to sum up to. It used to be easy: Hot Snakes + Husker Du. Check please. Not so much this record. There’s crazy vocal harmony stuff that I really didn’t think Austin was capable of. No dis to him, it’s just a quantum leap forward. It’s melodically more mature, a terrible word, but sure, mature. I guess I should have known when rock impresario, drummer and photographer extraordinaire Shannon Corr was actually rendered relatively speechless at trying to describe it before I heard. The only person less likely to be at a loss of words is myself.

As it said in the V and A world: Shit is legit.

So yeah, blown away.

Austin, Craig and Adam, you did something wonderful.

DISCLOSURE TIME:
Ok, not only have I been a peer, friend, fan, and hired gun of and for these dudes for a long time. I guess you could say that I’m their “label guy” We have a sort of loose non-monetary affiliation. I help them along with things that they are not so hot at, most of which involves me being a persistent force of advocacy for awesome things. As much as I loathe it, a lot of the thankless grunt work comes a little easier for me than some. I’ll tell you this: you can call it a label if I get some resources. Until then it’s a collective of piss, vinegar, adrenaline, force of will and a dogged determination to bring the awesome as hard as we can. With a cool logo.

Because music should hit you like a Seismic Wave

So if you are the kind of person that will immediately dismiss a passionate testimonial because of a loose professional affiliation. Click on. I’m sure there’s plenty of other middling hackery out there trying to pass itself off as journalism out there that is waiting for that click through. Otherwise… just deal with it, because none of that is as important as the fact that they made a remarkable record. I mean REMARKABLE. As in, I listen to it all the time and play it for other people constantly.

Sure, there are great tunes like Paths and Watermelon Sugar. Stuff I’ve heard them play for forever, and could play along with if I thought about for a second. But there’s also stuff like Little Pieces that sounds a bit like The Police (sans bullshit and tantric sex), Gravity, which is just fucking epic, and Girl From CA… Which is… well… remarkable.

“after all the fires burn out
this will keep you warm and sound
after all the fires burn out the clouds will clear up and we’ll see STARS….”

God. Damn.
If you took the time to listen to the song, than you know what I’m talking about. Otherwise, don’t bother to look me in the eye.
That’s the kind of song that makes non-music people stop what they are doing and go “hey cool!”, and also the kind of song that makes us rock and roll lifer types go. “Hmmm… Let’s pay attention to this, even if it’s just to dissect why this is awesome and learn from it.”

It’s a good record dudes and dudettes. And I’m not the kind of “professional liker” that loves everything. Far from it. I don’t advocate as passionately as I used to because I got sick of being ignored. It’s a character weakness on my part, but I’m not as well suited to the facetwittumblrplus world as some. For one thing, brevity is not my strong suit.

I’m going to say this, you should listen and consider purchasing to their record, and I mean… REALLY listen. Digital files, cds if that is your jam, or… wait for the deluxe limited edition vinyl. It is worth your damn time and you will be better for it, and you are supporting one of the best bands you’ve never heard.

So congratulations Hurry Up Shotgun, you and your cumbersome nonsensical name have made an excellent record that will resonate for some time to come with any luck. I still think “Slow Down, Samurai” is a better title, but hey… serious record and serious art present. It’s a mission statement. And moreover, you 3 meatballs did alright with this one, and if people have a lick of sense they might actually pay attention.

THE TORCHES ARE LIT! THE TORCHES ARE LIT!

* Neutron

Posted, by neutron in hurry up shotgun, manifesto, music.

V&A THESE THINGS ARE FACTS PAC NW TOUR 2011!!!

October 6, 2011

“She said it’d happen when pigs fly, I shouldn’t have been surprised that she shot me down even after they did.”

Oh man! Are you kidding me?
THis is one for the record books.
X’s For I‘s? JR Worship? POLICE TEETH? VIRGIN ISLANDS?!!!?!
Damn right you are jealous.
Damn right you want to see these shows.
Epic rock is going to ensue pals, this I promise.
THESE THINGS ARE FACTS!

Posted, by neutron in flyers, music.

Victory and Associates – Rock band, not a law firm

September 16, 2011

Great piece in the SF Weekly about our record release show.

Google the phrase “Victory and Associates,” and you’ll find at least three exact matches: a professional recruitment firm in Dallas, a marketing and public relations outfit in Tampa, and a fiery rock ‘n’ roll band from the Bay Area.
The band comes up first — but even if it didn’t, the fact that this bunch of irreverent punk-inclined rockers managed to coin a moniker so perfectly satiric that it is actually the name of square businesses elsewhere is pretty impressive.

That kind of sly irreverence is exactly what we’d expect from Victory and Associates, an outfit that matches anthemic rock with punk energy and sharp-tongued critiques of materialism, narrow-mindedness, and other unfortunate but common traits of American life in 2011. This formula is employed with great proficiency on These Things Are Facts, a new album whose release the band will celebrate tonight at S.F.’s Brick and Mortar Music Hall.

Guitars and drums drive Victory’s music relentlessly forward with the ferocity of post-hardcore, but its songs are tempered with a pop-punk band’s ear for melodies. Lead vocalist Conan Neutron has a muscular shout that lands somewhere between boisterous and empathetic, introspective and ready to pounce, depending on the song. And unlike a lot of punk-leaning rock records, most of the songs on These Things Are Facts actually sound different from each other. Opener “Get Tough, Get Through It” is motivational fist-pumper; “You Can’t Eat Prestige” is a snarling, sarcastic taunt; and later on in the album, “Not Returning” meditates on leaving behind a constrictive hometown before exploding in the choruses. The only song that really falls flat on the album is downtrodden closer “Home Is Where You Hang Your Hope,” whose lyrics carry a bit too many cliches.

Still, through most of these 11 songs, sheer speed and sharp dynamic changes — along with potent singalong hooks — keep the momentum contentious and fun. These Things Are Facts is a smart, energetic listen — punk rock at the heart, but not too serious to throw down a soaring chorus or flashy guitar solo once in a while. It’s good enough to make us wonder if maybe that band name isn’t satiric after all.

Posted, by neutron in music, press, Victory and Associates.

There are other stories, but this one’s ours. – A record release in the age of indifference.

September 14, 2011

Friday is the record release of the Victory and Associates record: These Things are Facts. My one, and only band. There’s been a lot of build up to this and it’s been a long time coming. We tried our best to make a record of and for the times. I’m proud that we did it the way we wanted to in an age of indifference.

These Things are Facts is released locally to SF on 09/16/2011.,It will be in stores approximately one month later. This will be the 5th full length record that I’ve released in my “music career” of about 12 years. 3 with Replicator, 1 with Mount Vicious and now this, the first Victory and Associates record. I’m not counting eps, compilations, singles, splits. Just full length records and this is the 5th one that I’ve put out/had put out, but in a way it’s the first. Phoenix like, reborn from the flames.

This will also be the first (non-single) release show I’ve had in FOUR YEARS, that the band didn’t break up the night of the show. That sounds more dramatic than it is. I’ve had had 3 bands. Replicator broke up 6 to 7 months ahead of time, setting the self destruct for a final show that co-incided as a release of the final written material. Mount Vicious imploded after a grueling 5 week tour on the night of our record release, nearly a year to the date of announcing our presence to the world. (Ok. That one was dramatic.)

I spent the next 2 years, regrouping, refocusing, and attempting to use all that pain for something good. Not a cudgel or axe to tear things down. I wrote more furiously, and more from the heart than I ever had before. I wrote music that made me want to persevere, and honest lyrics that said what I needed to say and hear. I pushed myself to new and greater levels and beyond. And you know what? It’s harder than it seems. You risk ridicule, scorn, indifference and more. First world problems, but problems nonetheless. But if it’s worth the risk, it’s worth the reward. Whatever that may be. The whole while, the loose, rag tag bunch of smart asses and also rans I assembled had turned into quite a kick ass rock ‘n roll band. Eschewing the “mostly harmless” tag that some people so eagerly tried to slap on it.

When people hear the music and truly listened, they tended to like it and even love it, and they recognized the truth of it and where it was coming from. It resonates. Hey, I mean listen: You get kicked around enough, you taste enough failure… you start to think that’s all there is. You set your sights lower, take a deep exasperated sigh and roll over. This album, these songs, this band, is a stunning rebuke to that. Literally.

I mean that in the way that it was created and funded (a different post altogether), I mean that in the lyrical content. I meant that in the ethos of the band. Victory and Associates is no accident. These Things are Facts didn’t just blunder together. It’s exactly what we wanted to make and exactly the way we wanted to make it. That is worth celebrating on its own.

There are other stories, but this one’s ours.
I get sick of telling the story too, I wish I could just let the music stand on its own. As much as I like to think of us as brave warriors fighting a battle against “noble indifference”, we’re also just a bunch of guys playing music. Another record released in a world bursting at the seams with music, all of it vying for your attention. All of us competing not only with each other, but with all of music all the time. All of that music along with everything else happening in this oversaturated world of ours.

Look man: it’s like children, everybody thinks that theirs is the most special, and at the end of the day most strangers hear a bunch of noise and hassle. But we’re as proud as can be of this record it’s the one we wanted to make… top to bottom. A relentless, uncompromising attack on lethargy, indifference, disconnection, and background music for background people. More than that: A rollicking, powerful rock record that is truly of its times, a manifesto of how to deal with our crazy world of out of control infotainment and mediocre misery. Times get tough, you get tougher.

So am I proud? You better believe it.
I mean have you seen this?

How this record was funded is an interesting story, but in the end it’s just the tool to create the structure. It doesn’t make the home. Moreover, there will always be people that want you to the same thing you did before; the past can be a prison that way. You want those people to come along, but they don’t always. You get ok with that.

But that’s part of what this record is about, getting up and getting free of the chains that bind you, creatively… emotionally… shoot… physically if it came to it I guess. “If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” Nonetheless, there’s always that small sinking feeling in the back of your mind though. Nobody will show up to the party, people are too busy or “busy” to listen to the record. You’re wasting your time… you’re wasting your time.
“Say I’m wasting my time, say I’m wasting my life… get tough, get through it, alright”
(Yeah, wrote songs about that too.)

Here’s the thing: We made a great rock record, the one we wanted to make.
And we’re going to throw a crazy awesome party with all of our friends to celebrate that.
There. Things. Are. Facts.

-Conan Neutron 09/13/2011

PS: You can listen to it on bandcamp and such:
<a href="http://victoryandassociates.bandcamp.com/album/these-things-are-facts">These Things Are Facts by Victory and Associates</a>

Posted, by neutron in manifesto, music, record release, Victory and Associates.

Archers of Loaf – “Sure I can put you on the guest list, Of course, I can put you on the guest list”

September 5, 2011

It is the year 2011. The era of autotune still reigns supreme and i’ve just seen one of my favorite bands of all time play for the first time ever. After having to turn down opening the show.

Let me back it up.

First of all, I play in a band. Moreover, I have been playing shows, touring when possible, and making records for over 10 years now, it’s my world and my culture. It’s something I am comfortable with and more often than not, it’s enriched my life rather than made it worse. However, the world of rock ‘n roll is a cruel mistress that often serves much more in the way of heartbreak and lowered expectations than the endless parade of drugs, sex and sold out shows that non-rock people expect.

I got this e-mail on the tuesday before the show by Matt Gentling of the Archers of Loaf.

Uhh… Dude?… Kind of a strange question but… What are Victory and Associates doing Friday night? I thought you had told me some of the dudes were out of town, but we had a band cancellation on Friday. Would you guys be able to/up for that show?

It’s the kind of thing happens, it happens a lot. But just not to me, not to OUR band, not from the *Archers of Loaf*. A band who I listened to so much I actually wore our my cassette copies of their records (yes, cassette, fuck you.).
Why was I getting that e-mail? Well see, the beastly bassplayer of one of my favorite bands became e-acquaintances over the last year as he was a supporter of this crazy ass thing I did awhile ago. Weirdly, I only knew him as “that awesome dude from North Carolina” not as the dude from that band.

One of the rare times that my near encyclopedic knowledge of useless rock minutia didn’t kick in automatically.

I’m getting off topic though.
So we got “the call”, one of the members of one of my favorite bands had asked us to play.
Aaaaand….We couldn’t do it. One of our members was out of town, hell out of state, and practically off the grid. The likelihood of pulling it off was near infinitesimal.

So what did I do? I paid it forward.

See there’s this band, they are our friends, peers and “labelmates” Hurry Up Shotgun. They’ve been kicking around as a band for awhile. One of the few bands that all 3 of my bands have played with over the years. Over those same years they’ve just gotten better and better. And their most recent record is easily one of my favorites of the year, in a year full of great records. They really are a great band and moreover they DESERVED the break.

“Hurry Up Shotgun contemplating a switch into the better paying career of restroom attendant”

Matt from AoL, ever the most crucial dude in rock, was totally into it and told me to ask them. Their reaction can be best summed up with this phone call I made to Shotgun drummer Adam Kayne. Waking him up with my phone call, I greeted him with this:

“Dude! Can you play with Archers of Loaf on friday at Great American Music Hall?”
“Uh… what?”
“Can you play with Archers of Loaf on friday at Great American Music Hall?”
(extended pause of nearly 10 seconds)
“Uh… What?”

Of course the answer was yes. But that’s the kind of call that just doesn’t come through for bands like us. Ever. Certainly not over the transom. And that’s one of the many, many reasons that Archers of Loaf are one of the best bands ever, they get it, they care. They just happen to be totally amazing as people as well as music makers.

So it was written, so it came to pass.

“Winners of the ‘bill’ most likely to confuse your grandma award 2011″

They played, how was it?

“SHITTY. hahah! Kidding, they were fucking amazing”

It was glorious, they were wonderful and it was a pleasure to see. Although a bit bittersweet. Here I was watching my friends absolutely kill it at the best show they’ve ever played in their life, something I had a small hand in helping make happen. They were fantastic, it was amazing and there is this sadness and a touch of jealousy to it. You work so hard on something put your heart and soul into it in a real way, (in this case our band’s music and record) and to have to pass on a show that’s complete bucket list material? Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. An also ran story at best.

But, it was the right move.
As I said, they deserved it.

If there’s one thing that i’ve learned though in my time on this planet, if you have the chance to do a kindness you should. I think this cruel and mean world would be a lot better of a place if people did that a little more. Myself included. Facilitating HuS playing that show was totally the right thing to do certainly more so than trying to hastily cobble together a set as a 3 piece or with a ringer. That wouldn’t have been fair to our missing bandmate, to the rest of V and A, Archers of Loaf or the audience.

I had a couple people that knew the details come up to me and talk about good karma or what not. Yeah, for sure. But that’s not why you do something like this. I helped get one of my favorite bands the show of their lives in front of their natural audience opening for one of their favorite bands. That really is reward enough. A single show doesn’t “make” a band, but in a world where just getting people’s attention is an uphill fight, it’s a rare and wonderful thing, and certainly a once in a lifetime experience.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ARCHERS OF LOAF, NEUTRON?
Who?
Oh right! One of my favorite bands ever… oh man. Again I was reminded that as much as I loved them I just never saw them play. Weird and nearly inexplicable. But now rectified.

It was damn amazing.
I rocked out, I sang along to almost every song and the palpable unjaded joy that permeated through the room was contagious. There were more than a couple times that I just closed my eyes and listened. And I won’t lie, there I was moved enough to tear up a bit. Which had nothing to do with the on stage shout outs and everything to do with how powerful the music was.

I’ve seen some folks who I respect refer to these shows with the same level of disaffection that greets the normal nostalgia cash grab. But that’s not right, the feel is completely different. Maybe it has something to do with time? The Archers of Loaf certainly played their share of shows to 10 people, but the music has remained timeless since then and has the time to grow. There were a ton of folks that had seen them before, but also a bunch just like me that had never seen them, even though the music had an important place in their life. Perhaps it’s just the band is just that good, but even removed from my love for the music it just felt.. legit. Were there mid-30s guys with slight pot bellies and glasses there? Oh, believe it. But it wasn’t a re-enactment, it was a real thing.

The music… it transcended any of that. It wasn’t nostalgia for younger days or even different times. Although knowing that there are bands similar to and just as incredible as Archers of Loaf that will never, EVER be on the front page of Pitchforkmedia or the other standard bearers of what music has become is a bit infuriating. They killed, and not “yeah, it was cool seeing those old songs”, in a way that was real, and powerful.

“I’ve been waiting FIFTEEN YEARS to hear this” somebody hilariously yelled, during the quietest part of “You and Me”, a song that relies very heavily on dynamics. I realized that I had been too. And it was worth the wait.

And as for getting the shot at playing with not only one of my favorite bands ever but “the Greatest of all time”? Well they haven’t disappeared back into rock and roll Valhalla yet, and who knows… maybe Ed McMahon will knock on the door with the big novelty check a second time?
All I know is I got to matchmaker together a great opportunity for a great band and I finally got to see one of my favorite bands ever totally kill it.

ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!
ROCKING OUT!!!

-Neutron

P.S: I would strongly suggest reading DJ Hostletter’s account of his band’s very positive experience opening for Archers of Loaf here as well.
P.P.S.: All of the photos in this blog entry are taken from Shannon Corr’s fantastic set. You can see the gallery here, his photography is amazing, and you do yourself a disservice to not check out the rest of his work.

Posted, by neutron in music.

← Older posts