August 1, 2006 You knew when I came to Stockholm, it wouldn’t take too long for me to be throwing a crazy party or putting on a show. That’s what I do.  After casing the joint for a few months, making some friends, and meeting some music contacts, I hear from my friends The Black Halos, that they are having trouble getting a Stockholm show for their Scandinavian tour.  How can that be?  They are so great. I decide to take this on as a challenge – not only to promote my first rock show in Stockholm, but also to test out my ability to pull off such an event, as a newbie in a foreign land. First of all, I get a lot of questions about my life in Stockholm.  The music scene is pretty vibrant, and Sweden is the third largest exporter of music in the world.  Most people know pop bands such as ABBA, Ace of Bass, and The Cardigans.  In the last decade or so rock acts like Backyard Babies, Hellacopters, and The Hives have also gotten a lot of attention.  The music scene seems to center around Stockholm as the most internationally connected city in Sweden, but Malmö and Göteborg (Gothenburg) have a fair amount of bands as well, with lots of little scenes scattered all the way up to the Arctic Circle.  The rock club with the most consistent lineup of live bands and club nights is Debaser, where I hang out a few times a month. When I first came to Sweden, I only knew one person I had any real contact with – Joy, whom I met at a Wildhearts gig the year before.  Coolgrrrl Sabine introduced me to an ex-pat living in Sweden, Dave Champion, who is well connected to Debaser and The Hellacopters, among other bands he’s worked with.  Dave and I got along instantly and became fast friends.  He introduced me to many other people in the music scene, as that is the way you meet people in Stockholm.  There is a saying that once you make friends with a Swede, you have made a friend for life.  That’s because I have found they are not into casual acquaintances, and it takes a while for them to open up to new people. My first few shows were kind of strange – I would go out with Joy or by myself and though most people under the age of 40 speak perfect English in Sweden, it’s not the language they prefer to socialize in.  So, not speaking any Swedish, I could not just go and start talking to people.  They are a bit leery of strangers, and it’s better to have someone introduce you.  All my friends back home were asking me if the Swedish guys were HOT, and had I met anyone.  The only guys who would approach me were crazy drunk at like 2 or 3 am when you DON’T want them to talk to you.  My first few months were pretty lonely – I had Dave and Joy to hang with, but no boys wanted to deal with me.  The only boys I met were ones I already knew that come through on tour!  Dave thought it was funny.  He said, “I love it!  Everyone is terrified of you!”  I know that I am a little loud, and do things like dance by myself in a bar and wear a lot of bling, which no Swede would ever do.  Slowly but surely, people warmed up to me, and I started to make some other friends. It took a few months, but I started to have a steadily growing social life. Of course, that is not enough for me.  I am used to ruling my home scene. I looked to get deeper into the scene and promoting parties, DJ-ing, or doing other stuff.  I met a concert promoter at a bar, Ed O’Neill of Neighbourhood Threat promotions, who had already heard of me and my band.  Ed has been living in Sweden nearly 10 years, but he’s American, so that’s why he just started talking to me out of the blue!  We talked about me DJ-ing a party, and I even got an offer to DJ from a girl named Linda who ran the punk rock party at Debaser.  I started to get the itch again.  Then when my good friend Adam of the Black Halos said they were coming to Sweden, but were having trouble getting a show in Stockholm, I thought this was my big chance. I called Debaser, but had trouble getting the booker on the phone, as he never returned my calls- I’m sure he had never heard of me or The Black Halos. I enlisted the help of Ed O’Neill, as he has experience, and he turned me onto a new venue that was looking to get live shows.  We met with the manager, who told me the venue was co-owned by one of the members of Europe (remember “The Final Countdown” from the 80s?)  It was all ages, as they had no liquor license. I made the deal - I would pay the venue 10% of the door plus the soundman, and pay for catering and beer for the bands.  Sounded easy as we shook hands. I also got some good local support bands. One was the female-fronted Starlet Suicide, whom I had heard before from a comp given to me by Wildhearts fan Dom, The Dark Lord of Barnet.  They are fun neo-glam and I liked them before they were even suggested.  I got their contact info from local scene guy and member of Maryslim, Urrke, who I also made friends with through Texas Terri and other mutual friends.  Both bands signed on to take whatever was left over from the door, minus Black Halos guarantee and expenses.  Maryslim have a good local draw and there were even some people coming from Kiruna, near the Arctic Circle, to see them. Next, I have to promote the show.  There is a rock and roll message board called www.helgon.se, but of course, all the threads are in Swedish.  I posted the show there and asked Ed to help me.  I posted a link to the Black Halos music so people could check it out- I figured if they hear it they will like it!  I hire a guy to put up posters. I get local graphic artist and Maggots front man Måns to make me a flyer, which I tried to make like a party by calling it “Kitty Kowalski’s Coney Island Freak Show”.  This way, I thought if people were interested in the music I was DJ-ing and the flyer, they might come for the bands too if they didn’t know them already. I leave full-color handbills at the venue, and hand them out every time I go out.  I started to realize that promoting an unknown band in Stockholm is very difficult, as most people only want to see bands they already know. The next challenge I encounter is the venue manager, who will not confirm the details of our deal. I call him.  He asks what he wants me to confirm. I go through it again and he says no problem.  I ask him to put it in writing. He calls me a week before the show and tells me that the one venue is not ready as they are doing construction, so he is moving the show to the big venue.  I ask him if this changes the terms of our deal, and he says no.  I remind him about the sound technician he promised to provide and all the other details, and he says it’s fine.  The day before the show, I go to the venue to leave more flyers and make sure the posters are in place.  The kitchen knows nothing about the catering or the beer that was promised, so I go over the details and the number of people, with them. The day of the show, I get a call from the manager at 1:30 in the afternoon.  The guy that owns the sound system for the large room wants 3000 kroner (about $400), or we cannot use it.  I remind him how he said the terms of the deal would not change. It crosses my mind to cancel the show, but The Black Halos are already on their way and I want to see them.  I can’t do this to my friends!  So I give the manager the money, and say “this had BETTER include a sound man”.  He says that it does.  I remind him about the food and beer.  He acts as though he has never heard this before.  I tell him once again, the terms of the deal – he is to provide a soundman, food and beer for the bands.  I am starting to get really nervous.  I tell them I’ll be at the venue at about 7 to deal with the bands and set up the backstage area. My phone starts ringing at 5:30.  How fast can I get there?  The bands are loading in and don’t know what’s going on.  There’s no soundman, no one knows about sound check, etc.  These are ALL things I went over about 5 times with the manager.  Luckily, Ed O’Neill comes to my rescue.  He gets to the venue early and sorts everything out.  He brings in a soundman.  By the time I get there, the Black Halos are setting up to sound check.  The manager is totally confused and tells me that he hired a backline because he didn’t know if we had equipment, and then expected me to pay for it.  I told him that I asked him only to do four things, and so far he has done NONE of the, except something I didn’t.  Anyone who has dealt with me knows how anal I am and can guess what state I’m in.  Also, since Ed has called in his own soundman, I have to pay him as well.  Ed saved the show, but it is adding up to a lot, so I decide just to lump it, have fun and think of it as throwing a party with one of my favorite bands playing! NOW comes the fun part!  I get to see the band and catch up with them before sound check.  I am also really excited because my boyfriend Peter came from London for the show and I want him to meet Adam.  It was like my big brother checking him out to make sure he’s OK for him little sister.  Billy Hopeless is always entertaining and fun, and he starts to dance around singing Kiss, as Peter is a really big Kiss fan.  I say hi to Jay, and Rob, who says that he has a Maryslim CD so he knows of the band already.  It’s really a great bill and a great show, aside from all the pre-show chaos.  I do not tell them of the drama, as I want them just to ROCK and have a great show. Many of my new friends came – Eva and Anette of The Voladoras, Jocke of The Nomads and Gearclub at Debaser, Tomas aka Reverend Tom, who is a great DJ and music fan, and Tomo, bass player of The Heart Attacks, who did the door for us. The flyer said admission price was “80 bananas” slang for kroner (about $10). One girl brought a bag of 80 banana candy, so I let her in free! Starlet Suicide brought a lot of people, and were fun glam rock with bratty girl vocals.  I hadn’t see hair that high in a long time, but the Hanoi Rocks glam look is alive and well in Scandinavia. Urrke’s band Maryslim is straight-ahead rock and roll, with lots of rock riffs and stage antics – guitar player on his knees, rock posturing and bravado.  They were a perfect warm-up for The Black Halos.  The Black Halos ripped out their set, blazing through tracks from their latest album “Alive Without Control.”  That’s a pretty accurate title – the songs are like letting a rabid pit bull off a leash, and frontman Billy Hopeless is always without control, entertaining and unpredictable.  They gained many new fans and some people even said that the volume was way too loud.  After the show, I settle up with everybody, and bring the party back to my house.  We’re joined by Urrke and have the boys go to the familiar 7-Eleven to buy some beer. After weeks of planning, last minute trials and tribulations and a wacky beginning to the night, I am glad we are back at my place partying- I need a drink!!! People ask me all the time after Coney Island High closed, why don’t I do another club.  Every time I promote a show, I know why.  It’s kind of like getting drunk and throwing up.  You wake up the next day vowing never to do it again. Weeks go by, the bad memory fades, and you do it again.  It was no different with the Black Halos show, but well worth it as the 45 minutes they were on stage were fantastic, seeing the other bands Starlet Suicide and Maryslim was great, and hanging with my good friends erased any bad experiences dealing with dodgy venue managers and show logistics. It was a great experience, but exhausting.  So like getting drunk, I said I’d never do it again, but just you wait.  I’ll get the itch soon.  Stockholm has not heard the last of me yet. December 22, 2005 The Rock That Comes To Sweden… The first thing I ask when I get to a new place is "WHERE IS THE ROCK??"  Where do the rockers hang out, where are the shows, where are the cool record stores, and where are the cool bands?  Even before I got here, my friend Martin Percival from the UK said that Debaser is his favorite club.  So I put that on my list of places to check out. The next thing I wonder is, who can I hang out with?  I REALLY only knew ONE person over there before I came – a woman named Joy whom I had met at a Wildhearts concert in London last year.  I arrive on a Monday, get in touch with Joy, and we make a plan to go to Debaser.  What do we find out?  The band at Debaser is actually a band from Brooklyn! Ghetto Ways Ghetto ways is a three-piece high-energy garage rock band with a drummer that does most of the singing.  Fast, furious and fun.  I have not heard that kind of frenzied howling in a long time.  Definitely takes a few cues from The Sonics.  Jenna's guitars are really heavy, too, in song like "Get Up" and "Get Down on the Get Down."  And these guys and gal get up AND get down.  I think my favorite song is "Home in your Heart."  We talked to them after, and then I realized we had played a show with them a while back.  This time I paid attention.  I bought the CD "Solid Brown," so if you like slammin' raw rock and roll with riffy guitars, you will like this, too. Groovie Ghoulies OK, so my second live show in Stockholm is also a band from the US that I already know.  They are playing a party called "Gearclub," which is the monthly rocker night at Debaser.  These are the tattooed, greased-hair, whiskey-drinkin', drag-racin', denim-wearin' guys and gals that you might see at a Viva Las Vegas or Rockaround festival.  The Groovie Ghoulies are upbeat pop-punk from Oakland, California.  They have the same roots as their most famous counterparts, and during their set someone hollers out, "Green Day!" so they take it in stride. Kepi, their singer, starts ripping through the bass riff of "American Idiot."  Groovie Ghoulies also have a ripping female guitar player- Roach, who is solid and holds down those Johnny Ramone-style rhythms.  They also did a really fun cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England."  Later in the set, a drunk guy yells out, "New England!"  People were dancing and getting pretty drunk! I yelled out for them to play one for New Orleans and they looked surprised.  After the show I go up to them to say hi, and they don't even recognize me, as they are so shocked to see me over here.  We talk and catch up for a bit.  I check out the merch, and Kepi is also an artist who has a fanzine.  There is this little framed painting of a three-eyed purple monster that I think is just the thing to brighten up my dull and dark accommodations.  So I go ahead and buy that, and say goodbye to the Ghoulies and wish them a good tour! Melt Banana I am on a ROLL with the chicks that rock.  Melt Banana is an infamous Japanese noise-rock band.  They sure generate a LOT of sound for two gals and a guy.  It is amazingly hard to describe.  My best friend April was here so we went and met two British friends of Martin's, and one of them said that the singer sounded like she was being sodomized while singing.  Songs are short, fast, furious, intense and of odd subject matter, as only the Japanese can do.  They’re part monster movie, part Hello Kitty, with songs like "Phantasmagoria," "First Contact To Planet Q" and "Iguana In Trouble."  They kind of sound like an iguana in trouble.  Melt Banana is an experience.  I think you have to see it live to enjoy it and get the full effect.  They are not a band that you sit around and listen to on a Sunday afternoon, no matter how puzzling "13 Hedgehogs" may be.  The band made such an impression that weeks later, the crew that went to the concert got an e-mail that described it perfectly: ""Japanese No Wave gone berserk; piercing vocals, snarling guitar that sounds like chainsaws, laser guns, explosions, and the occasional dying animal. Strange sound snippets, churning bass, and frantic drums create a ferocious and clattering show that will overwhelm, pummel and confuse you." It may not be your bag, but it's certainly not boring. The Turbo ACs These guys are an old favorite from NYC.  When I started playing in the New York Scene in my all-girl band Starkist, we played a lot of shows together.  I'm so glad these guys are still playing and rockin' it out.  They keep true to their rockin' roots, playing a riff-based AC/DC-style Misfits rock – and I'm talking the Plan 9 Misfits!  So if you like had rockin', whiskey drinkin', drag racin', tattoo flashin' punk-influenced gear-headed rock and roll, this is for you!  Anyway, went to the show to meet up with another friend of a friend from the States, Eddie, who is also friends with the Turbo ACs.  After a rippin' show, we do some shots and wind up at my house for an afterparty.  Later, Kevin posted a video of me licking a beer can in 7-11, which I didn't remember until I saw it in my myspace comments! Sabine of Coolgrrrls gave me a cryptic head up though when they came through Germany – "The Turbo Acs were showing me some video of you…"  I was too frightened to ask what it was. Billy Idol I am a huge Gen X fan, and have almost all their UK singles.  I even think Billy's "Don't Stop" EP and first album are good.  He kicked off the show with hits like "Dancing with myself" but in the middle, had nowhere to go.  Brought the show down for like four or five songs at least.  Even did Randy Newman's "Louisiana."  He was bordering on Elvis Vegas camp, and even announced, "this song is Rockabilly Idol" before playing Rebel Yell.  Really, the most exciting event of the whole show was Billy stumbling backward into the drum kit.  It was the only spontaneous moment of the evening.  Steve Stevens is great, and I love his flamenco stuff, but his solo in the straightforward "Ready Steady Go" was a little wanky.  When Billy encored with "Hot in the City," we knew the show was over. Jason Ringenberg A boy I was dating suggested I do some "Lefty Country," because I was kind of on a country kick.  Now all I'm capable of is "cryin' in your beer" country, but in comes Jason Ringenberg, formerly of Jason and The Scorchers.  Jason is touring to support his new album "Empire Builders" which is just the kind of "lefty" Country this boy had in mind.  He's got a song about the Tuskegee airmen, a Rebel Flag flying in Germany, one called "New-Fashioned Imperialist" and asks the "American Question."  There are also some personal songs, like "Half The Man," and an ode to the now recently deceased Link Wray.  Check out this disc for good American music with heart, soul and conscience.  He even has a "Farmer Jason" CD for kids, so I wanted to support him in that and I bought one for my nieces and nephews! Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds You may know Kid Congo from such legendary bands as the Cramps, The Gun Club and Knoxville Girls, but what he is doing now is still pushing the boundaries of Rock and Roll. It's really hard to explain, but I usually refer to music that goes outside the norm as the antidote to rock and roll.  If you are sick of bands who sound the same and want to wipe your brain clean, go see these guys.  If you like the Cramps or the Gun Club, go see these guys.  Kid Congo is an engaging performer who does better when he puts down the guitar.  It's like he's telling a story in song, and it ain't your normal bedtime story, either. Adam West I have not seen Adam West in MANY years, and boy, have they become a hard rock and roll powerhouse!  With the addition of Dan-O on guitar, it made it extra special for me to have old friend Jake and Dan-O on stage together!  Jake's voice is powerful and he commands notice, Dano-O is flashy and trashy on stage, pulling out all the Steve Stevens moves.  The Rhythm section is hard and that drummer is an ANIMAL!  Their new album, Power to the People, is rock solid, so check it out and rock out! Arctic Monkeys The UK had gone MAD over the Arctic Monkeys, and they don't even have an album out yet.  The review from jaded 'ol New York, was that the crowd went wild and were completely won over.  So what's the big deal?  Clever songs, catchy hooks, and your neo-dance rock that's not-so-predictable.  AND they are cute English boys about half my age.  What's not to like? "I Bet You'd Look Good on the Dancefloor" will have pop fans asking "Franz WHO?"  Clever, but not too precocious, and certainly not contrived.  Check them out as soon as you can, because once they break, you'll have to see them in a stadium.  The show might lose its charm on the big stage. The Kills This might be the third or fourth time I have seen this band live, and I will go again and again.  First of all, their music is original, visceral, primitive and mesmerizing.  Second of all, they make two people standing on stage with almost no gear fascinating.  The main singer, VV paces around the stage like a hungry panther in a cage. Hotel works up a mean sweat and bangs furiously on his guitar.  The songs they sing and play guitar together on, they take their mikes and face each other on stage.  Half of the curiosity is to try to see what VV looks like under all that hair.  Anyway, ‘Keep On Your Mean Side’ is still in heavy rotation with me, and the latest album, ‘No Wow,’ has some great songs in "Rodeo Town," “The Good Ones,” and "Love is a Deserter." Teenage Fanclub Ummmm, yeah.  Great band.  Perfect pop songs.  I am a power-pop nut and they are right up that alley.  As for the show, I had been drinking margaritas since 2 pm, arrived late and left after an hour and they were still playing.  THEY were great.  I was not.  I don't remember anything from this show, so I am utterly useless as a show reviewer, but I can tell you they are worth seeing and they play a LOT of songs, so you will definitely get your money's worth! SO, that's all the rockin' shows from the UK and the States that I have seen up until these fabulous holidays.  I hope you all have a great New Year's as well.  I will be back with THE BEST of Scandinavian rock since I have been here with ALL the greats: Turbonegro, Gluecifer, The Hellacopters and Flaming Sideburns! Next time I will be back in the States is for Punk Rock Bowling January 20-22nd in Las Vegas at Sam's Town.  Kitty & The Kowalskis have a show Saturday, January 21st at 10:30 pm at The Double Down.  Feel free to c'mon down, as we always need team cheerleaders! October 8, 2005 Rock in the Castle www.rockinthecastle.co.uk One advantage of being in Europe is that flights are cheap and short. As you know, I have to ROCK, so when I heard about Rock in the Castle in the UK, and how it's Terrorvision's last show EVER and rumoured to be The Wildhearts' last show EVER, I figured it was worth the trip. Nitebob, a friend from NY is going to do Hanoi Rocks' sound, so all the more reason to go. Waking up at 6 am to get the flight, I get the bus to the airport, which I have to run for because I am in the wrong place. I scan duty free, and still no Cuervo. I buy candy instead – good for all day festivals, and to pass out to friends. I get on the plane, and the last lot in are Hanoi Rocks, with Andy, Michael, and his girlfriend in the row directly behind me. This will be interesting. My special meal comes along, but I can't get a Bloody Mary with it. The stewardess promises it will be along later, but somehow I missed the booze cart. My iPod doesn't work, and for the first time I can't sleep. I go to the toilet, and on the way back meet Michael Monroe in the aisle. He seems lucid, and we chat about the concert and my friend from New York I am going to meet, Nitebob, their soundman. "Nitebob knows everybody!" he says. When I go back to my seat, a sleeping Andy McCoy rouses and asks, "Who are you?" "A figment of your imagination…," I respond as I sit down. We land and Michael says he'll tell Bob I'm looking for him. I leave the terminal to the curb to meet up with my friend who is coming from Germany, Christoph, and my phone does not like his number AT ALL. This phone and service are usually great and I try about 5 different ways to dial. I call my friends Scotty and Jenni just to make sure I can call UK numbers. It works, and they offer suggestions. I go back to dialing, and Andy McCoy comes out and asks me if I am going to the festival. We introduce ourselves, and he says, "I've heard of you. You have a band… out of New York, right?" I am stunned. He didn't seem that, uh, alert, but his mind is sharp. I tell him of my phone woes. He helps, too. Doesn't work. He offers me a ride on their bus. I don't want to leave Christoph, so I use the payphone inside, and that works. Christoph finds me, I thank Andy for his help and the offer and we go off. Christoph and I talk rock and roll in the car, our love for the well-crafted song with hooks, and our guilty pleasures of being pop fags while I try to navigate. He is genuinely surprised when I tell him I have Britney Spears on my iPod, but I also have the Crucifucks, so there you go. We stop at roadside eatery for a break, and I immediately gravitate toward the geese. There is a warning sign: "these animals bite." I bet they do. There is a Scooter Club Rally in the area as well, and a bunch of them are also stopped. After scratching our heads over what 'tom' is, we eat sandwiches and use the toilets. We cannot leave without photographing me with the "these animals bite" sign, and predictably, the geese try to bite me as I pose for the picture. We check into the B&B, freshen up, and walk the long way around the seaside to get to the Albion. We meet up with Scotty and Jenni who are already there. We pound a pint quickly, being unsure of the schedule. I do not want to miss Plan A. When we get to the venue, they do not have me on the guest list, so we have to walk to the record shop to buy tickets. I run into Michael Monroe, who seems not as, uh, alert, as he was on the flight, and he mumbles incoherently so I just keep walking. "Seeing Michael Monroe stumble up the hill was worth the price of admission alone," Christoph remarks. We ran into a group of rockers wearing their Wildhearts colors, and they tell us, "You're going to wrong way!" I tell them we need tickets, and they tell us to check at the pub. I barge in there and holler out to the first table of obvious rockers, "Which wunna youse has the extra tickets?!" They only have one, and they kid sells it to me for 20 BPS. I try to give him more, and he won't take it. We go to the shop and get Christoph's, and find Scotty and Jenni who waited patiently for us by the entrance of the venue. I take pictures all the way up the hill like the tourist I am. Of course, the first thing I see is the beer line stretching from one side of the venue to the other. We look around for a schedule, and there is not even one posted by the tent. A girl selling Plan A merch tells me they are on at half three. It's about 3:00, so I'd better get in line – first things first. I talk to some nice boys in line named Lee and Steve to pass the time, who are there to see inME, "and the Wildhearts, of course," they add. I must have stuck out like a sore thumb, because I meet a few folks. Wildhearts Web God, Wayne comes and finds me, and tells me someone offed himself by lying across the train tracks, so the trains have stopped running and people with tickets can't get to the show. I tell him of my bungled press pass, and he offers one later before the Wildies. I spot Danny McCormack of The Wildhearts (and Yo-Yos, if you guys remember THAT article on coolgrrrls.com), get an ID confirmation from Wayne, and walk over to freak him out. I wait on line with all the kids who want photos and autographs. I keep my head down, and when it comes to me, I lift my head and say, "Howdy, stranger." He looks stumped, so I offer, "Don't know if you remember but I'm Kitty…," and as I put my hand out, he stops me dead, "I know EXACLY who you are!" We catch up for a bit on bands and stuff and he was looking very well. I am terrified of losing my place in the beer line I worked so hard for, so I say, "Good to see you, brother," and we hug. I must return to my beer mission. At least I can hear the music and watch the bands from the "queue." Glitterati sounded pretty good, but they were all riffs and no songs. Good riffs, though. The kid who sold me the ticket spots me, so we let him on line just because they hooked me up! They bring a posse of beer buyers over, so we make sure Steven and Lee get in front of us. It took almost an hour to reach the head of the line, so I buy nine beers for the drinkers in our clan, and we make Christoph play mule for us, too. We set up a beer garden by the small tent so I can see Plan A. After chugging my first, I go to the front to take some photos and sing along – how can you not with "Hey Ho!?" I find Jef of Plan A later on, and we are happy to consummate our internet friendship. He pays me the highest compliment EVER – "You do pissed really well!" Seems he's seen the drunken photos of me, Cracky (BJ) and Raine on myspace…. We guard the brew from the potential stampede to the main stage for Hanoi Rocks. I am not a fan (see my "songs with hooks" rule), but I have an open mind. I wait until a few songs and go to the sound booth and say hi and wave to Nitebob. He is busy at work, but two friendly faces, CJ and Ginger of The Wildhearts, smile and wave back. One song starts off like a trainwreck and Michael stops it. "Did he really just do that?" I mouth back to the three behind me. I decide to head into the crowd to take pictures. I have this feeling they may not have another show, so I want to document it. I work my way closer to the stage and get some good shots. There is one song that is kind of hooky – 100 something or other? They are spot on with the glam rock posing and struts, and as I watch Andy McCoy's windmills, I have this image of them as cast members for the next Pirates of the Carribbean! At the end of the set, I go back to meet Nitebob, who said all the arrangements were a mess and GINGER had to give Bob his laminate! He says to stick around and he'll try to get me something. Well, a band is coming on that I don't need to see up close, so it's back to the beer line. We meet up with our beer line friends again, and I promise to hold the line for them so they can see inME. Steven is wearing just a T-shirt, and the sun is gone. I give him my mesh long sleeved sweater. He makes a face, but gladly puts on the girlie article when faced with option of weathering the cold sans shirt sleeves. After the second round of three beers, things start to get a little fuzzy for me. The Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster was better than I expected, though I didn't expect anything. I wanted to see Planet of Women. They sounded pretty good, but for a self-described power pop band, they were more metal. (To me, power pop = The Knack, Jellyfish, Cheap Trick, etc.) Terrorvision come on, and they are AMAZING. It is supposedly their last gig ever, but they sound so together, like they have a 300-date-a-year tour schedule. I am really frustrated because there is no way I can get up front. A few songs into the set, I decide to try the gate again. I go back to the entrance, give the woman my coolgrrls.com business card, and she sympathetically hands over a photo pass. I go to the pit and there's NO ONE! I run back and forth across the pit like a duck in a shooting gallery. It's incredibly windy and it's raining at this point, but it adds to the scene of this rock stage lit up at the furthermost point and peak of Yorkshire, with the castle in the background. The Wildhearts set up, as they are filming a live DVD. It is my moment of truth, as I go back to the pit to get photos. First they say, no one in the pit until after the second song, due to the pyrotechnics. THEN the edict comes down – no one in the pit at all. "Where can I take photos?" I ask the most senior-looking security guy. "Out there with that lot!" As he points to the crowd, now in the thousands, and I have a snowball's chance in hell of getting close. I take a position which seems good, but don't want to shove fans out of the way who have waited hours for this. They open with the sing-along "I Wanna Go Where the People Go," and everyone is chanting. Pyrotechnics are in full force like cannon fire from the turets of the castle. Next up are some of my favorites, "Sick of Drugs," "TV Tan," "Greetings from Shitsville," "Nita Nitro," and "Nothing Ever Changes But the Shoes." Being the eternal optimist (which is what got me my pass in the first place), I try to go back and see if they have changed their mind about the pit. I don't care if my hair catches fire like Michael Jackson's did filming that Pepsi commercial. I can hear "Geordie in Wonderland," and the crowd singing along, and what I didn't see was after the song, Ginger tosses his Fender Stratacoustic in the audience, and Christoph gets it! INTACT! At this point, Ginger is smashing guitars right and left, and most fans are getting the bits. The only song I heard off my favorite "Must Be Destroyed," is "Vanilla Radio". They do more of their greatest hits including, "29 X the Pain," in which seemed to have changed lyrics - "I'm gonna miss this band." Is it true? I am going back to the pit and a cute boy walks along side of me and says, "It's too cold for rock and roll!" I heartily agree, as I am wearing a mitten I bought that looks like a baseball glove. Terrorvision comes up in conversation, and as I rave about the show and said they were one of the main bands I came to see, he says, "I played with them tonight!" We go backstage and I show him the photos and promise to e-mail them. The second Lee I have met today says he's a Yorkshire boy, too. We talk about rock and roll and all kinds of things we can fit into the few minutes before he has to go. We hug goodbye. Another cool rock friend! I get out to the crowd for one last song, as my pitch for the pit is fruitless. We head out of the venue and to the local pub for one more pint. I meet a girl from the Wildhearts list, Julia, with her boyfriend, and find out she lives in Stockholm! So I have made a new friend for my return that I already have something in common with. We find a taxi stand, that is like some kind of surreal reality TV set – a young girl sits on an older man's lap in a glitter dress that is open to below her navel. A midddle-aged woman comes in ranting, throws an ashtray across the room, and begins weeping. Each character that reveals himself is stranger than the next. I doze off as Christoph gets sucked into a bizarre conversation with a stranger. Christoph and I went back the next day to the scene of the crime, and though the Castle was closed, the older gentleman there said that place was in great shape, the neighbors didn't complain and they'd like to have more rock concerts there! That seems like a first! Christoph and I head off to Leeds, where we have a fruitless search for a pub that serves Fish and Chips (Who knew!) I have to go to Manchester Airport, so I take the train. Upon checking in, I run into the Hanoi Crue again, and Andy asks me if I had a good time. I did, I respond. I ask him the same. They had a tough time of things, and he's tired. I think back, and am convinced if Johnny Depp didn't use Keith Richards as a model for his pirate character, he could use Andy, who is the Real McCoy. I doze off on the plane, and as we are about to land, someone taps my shoulder. I open my eyes and turn around. I could have sworn Andy said to me, "You're gonna be a star." I smile and close my eyes again. After a day like that, I sure feel like one. September 10, 2005 I am temporarily stationed in Stockholm for work for the next 6-8 months, but no worries; you can expect the same antics from me as you would anywhere. Coolgrrrl Sabine has already hooked me up with a partner in crime, and I've found the local rock club and been to three shows already! I'll also actively recruit a Stockholm Grrrl to carry on where I leave off. I have a lot to look forward to, but I'm also looking over my shoulder, as legendary rock club CBGB faces evictions, and neither love nor money can seem to save it. Here is my take on the situation, what can be done, and why you should care! The trouble with CBGB Yesterday, CBGB was served with its eviction papers. It seems that neither love nor money will save this place. So what's "Save CBGB" about, other than legendary reunions, celebrity endorsements, public outcry, and big-ticket prices? Ultimately, it's the need to preserve counterculture, which is systematically being erased in pursuit of the almighty dollar. While CBGB is not eligible for "landmark status" in the esteem of well-heeled historical societies, it was a haven for culture generators since the mid-seventies. Warhol factory and even Max's Kansas City refugees flocked to this unlikely venue in the vagrant-ridden Bowery, as no other venue would give them a home. Though Hilly Krystal's dream of cultivating a blues bar was not fully realized, what he created with his implied consent was the birthplace of punk rock. Now that saving CBGB has become a cause celebre in the zero hour, and even past it, so it seems, why should we care? Locals complain that CBGB's bookings are erratic and it seldom hosts good shows – until now. Tourists come to look at the place and gawk at the remarkably rustic interior and fetid toilets, and then buy a t-shirt. Everyone wants their photographs taken under the awning, but will that sustain the business? CBGB is more than a business and a tenant. It's a cultural symbol. It represents the soul of rock and roll. While these places that once symbolized everything that was cool, different, and a little bit dangerous disappear one by one, I sound like an octogenarian tour guide as I tell people, "This deli used to be Max's Kansas City. Dee Dee used to pimp himself outside this office building, this door with the padlock used to be where Dylan played, this NYU building used to be the Fillmore East..." Who is selling the soul of rock and roll? The Bowery Residents' Committee, which seems to hide behind the facade of portraying CBGB as the ogre that keeps roofs from being erected over the heads of the homeless. This is an organization that also receives support from the government and private parties. The $20,000 a month in rent CBGB has been paying up until now has seemed to do just fine in the meantime. Their eye is on the promised $40,000 in rent they could collect from a corporate franchise like Starbucks or a celebrity vanity-project restaurant. I don't know if Muzzy Rosenblatt, the BRC's director, has looked around lately, but even the smattering of yuppie restaurants and bars that have sprung up on the Bowery in very recent years are struggling, and the overall neighborhood is just as seedy as it was when I walked into CBGB in thigh-high leather boots to play my first audition showcase in 1982. Another reason why CBGB should be allowed to remain, not only for the careers that it launched, is that it is a globally unifying symbol of the rock and roll spirit. Bands from all over fight to play the humiliating audition showcase, and save the strip ad in the Village voice under the CBGB and OMFUG moniker as evidence that they have arrived. Every band wants to say "I played CBGB," It's a right of passage. The reality is that this is not enough to fund $40,000 a month in rent, let alone CBGB barely scraping by paying half that. It has been widely reported that CBGB owner Krystal makes $2 million dollars in t-shirt sales, the ubiquitous rock and roll uniform. Some say he should fund the club with that, but even given that, the man is not running a charity and $2 million a year may not even subsidize it fully, once you add in taxes, licensing fees, insurance, payroll, and all the other daunting expenses you are on the hook to pay for putting on punk rock shows. So what is Save CBGB all about? Is it salvageable? I attended the press conference MC'd by "Little" Steven Van Zandt on August 1st and learned a lot about the situation. Just let me say, Little Steven has become one of my personal heroes over the last few years, because of his dedication to preserving rock and roll, as "The Sopranos" music supervisor, Underground Garage host on Sirius and the internet, and the driver of last year's International Garage Rock Festival, even though commercial music has obliterated and semblance of the art form. Up until this press conference, the general story was that it was a fight about back rent and increases. CBGB lawyer said the back rent was not the issue. Indeed, a short time later a judge ruled that CBGB was not responsible for the back rent. These were unbilled charges the BRC tried to collect, another item on the list for them to get CBGB out. What was Save CBGB about? The bottom line, says lawyers and politicians flanking Hilly, along with rock and roll legends who would be unknown if Hilly hadn't provided a haven for them in the mid-Seventies, is to put political pressure on the Mayor of New York City to ask the BRC to renegotiate the lease under more reasonable terms. Anyone who knows Mayor Bloomberg realizes that he'd stick his neck out for a punk rock club like CBGB as much as Bush would for poor people stranded at the New Orleans Convention Center. Panelists also included Tommy Ramone, and Lenny Kaye of Patti Smith Group. Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators, Jean Bouvoir of The Plasmatics and John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil of Punk Magazine soberly lined the back of the stage like personal henchmen. There were questions from the audience and shout out of support from East Village fixtures Jimmy of Trash and Vaudeville, and even a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, who gladly posed for pictures afterward with star-struck punkers (me included!). The press conference was followed by a short set by Debbie Harry with her guitar player and keyboards, as she played a few songs even from the beginning of her career, like "X Offender." Jesse Malin also played a set there. I've known Jesse from shortly after the time I first played CBGB, and have seen him in at least 5 different line-ups over the years on that same stage. The night ended in an all-star jam with The Waldos with Walter Lure, Lenny Kaye, Sami Yaffa now of the New York Dolls, and Karmen Guy of Mad Juana. The rally in Washington Square Park marked the last day CBGB was legally allowed to occupy its current space. Concerts continue after the clock has struck twelve. Today on mtv.com Hilly vows to stay even after they have locked him out. All this love, media attention, "benefit" concerts, what can be done? The landlord wants them out full stop. CBGB is trying to re-open lease negotiations. You wonder why the BRC has such a hard-on for CBGB. Is it just the lure of more rent? They say they are looking for a new tenant. What will the new tenant do, rip out 35 years of flyers, rickety floorboards, spray paint, stickers, spilled beer, and scuffmarks from black boots? These are badges and scars that cannot be moved. They are layers of history and labor and blood, sweat and piss. It can't exist in Las Vegas. That's not where the Ramones first played. It can't even exist down the street. It's like burning an original Mozart manuscript. It cannot be replicated. There is no formula. There is no substitute for experience, just as you cannot re-construct history, even if you put on the uniform and stand on the same battlefield. What can be done? This is what I think: Hilly allowed punk rock to flourish in his club, and allowed his business to get into this situation because he's not one of these businessmen with the killer instinct. How can he make money and meet the new rent, assuming that the BRC will let him stay even if he can pay it? Just think about why most people come there – just to see it. Turn it into a rock and roll museum. All those artists that are donating their time and energy to saving it can donate their memorabilia. Even as it stands now, CBGB is a million times cooler than the Hard Rock Café, or a hundred thousand times cooler than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. When my club, Coney Island High was shut down, the former manager of Max's Kansas City Peter Crowley told me, "You can't make money from the music! We made our money selling food!" The advice came too late for me, but it's somewhat applicable to CBGB. People would pay $15 to see CBGB as a museum, but won't pay $7 to go see bands. Shows have high overhead. So, you lower your overhead by having exhibits, charge more for admission, and keep the stage for shows for special occasions. You can't have great shows every week. You can't even have them every month. Take them as they come, and charge more. And have food, sell t-shirts, and let people hang out and just absorb the feel and the vibe that cannot exist anywhere else at any other time. Then CBGB will make its rent and retain its foothold on the cultural landscape. Will my plan Save CBGB? Maybe not. It makes good business sense, and it seems the landlord is looking for a viable business, which CBGB is not in its current form. You can't have benefits ad infinitum. But it does need to be preserved and saved, as once it's gone, it will be another place I will walk by and say, "That Red Lobster used to be..." I feel I have abandoned my city and my scene in its darkest hour of need. If I come back and CBGB is gone, I will feel like I lost a bit of my heart, and the city will have lost a bit of its soul. March 31, 2005 Any of you who know me, know me as the happy, irrepressible girl that no adversity can keep down! And I'm not about to be stopped now!   Despite my most recent woes from my former ownership of Coney Island High, which resulted in all my assets being frozen by a former disgruntled partner; I went down to SXSW to ROCK some shows, see some rock, and see friends! I got all that and more!   The Epiphany Stage was an independent four day festival to raise money for cancer research and the Global Music Project (www.globalmusicproject.org).  It was completely awesome! What a great community of folks and bands! Though it has had its share of trouble with crooked partners (don’t I know!), it was the "Little Festival that Could" - and it DID. THANKS to Bofunk, Mesa, Mykee Ramen, and Steve of Ill Gotten Gainz for helping me with my shit and my shows!   Great bands there were Ill Gotten Gainz, Epileptic Hero, Darlington, River City Rebels, Splitting Seconds, Chapter Four, Gantas of Love and my favorite, The John Wilde Group, all the way from Wales!   The Mexico Lindo ROCKED.  I played a solo show there every day, and I had the best tacos I ever had in my LIFE! Every day was like a jam session with great folks and bands and it was a total free-for-all!   Martin Percival came all the way from the UK for this, and he got me a place to crash (as I had nowhere to stay!), and took me to the Scottish Invasion Party Thursday night. Great music, both new and old, was what we rocked to. The Rezillos and Aberfeldy, who were really different and interesting, had quite a charismatic front man.   Friday, Randy Haecker of Sony Legacy was a DOLL by getting me and Martin passes to the Spin magazine party with the New York Dolls! I liked The Futureheads, too. Stubb's had GREAT BBQ and FREE BEER and the Dolls are better than EVER - I don't care what anyone says! The new song is great too, written by David Johansen and Sami Yaffa, formerly of Hanoi Rocks.  Sami adds a REALLY solid foundation to the rhythm section, too. The guy pouring the beer at the Scottish Invasion party sees me and somehow talks me into giving him my sunglasses, because he’s from the Bronx.  We saw a lot of the folks we met at the Scottish invasion party, like Aberfeldy, and their soundman Tim, and we got to hang with them! We even talked Tim into coming over to my Mexico Lindo show afterward.   When we got out of the party, the streets were PACKED with cars and pedestrians.  I had to get over to my Mexico Lindo show.  All the cabs are taken.  I am calling a cab, and a vision in blue appears — this most excellent electric blue late seventies Chevrolet Caprice.  "Yo, your ride is PIMP!" I holler out to the driver.  "Thanks!" he smiles back.  Taking a chance, I ask, "You a taxi?" He asks, "Where do you want to go?"  I RUN across the street, hop in the front and drag Tim and Martin along.  I introduce myself and find out our pimp driver is named Jeff, a student at the University of Texas.     Two blocks up the road, I see The Black Halos outside Emo’s.  I make poor Jeff pull the car over and run across the busy street in what Adam (Halo) described as a "flying ball of leopard print."  "I’m on the way to my show — you wanna come?!" I ask.  Both Adam and Denyss follow me back across the street, and two more rockers pile into the car.  Jeff was such a good sport, seeing that we kidnapped him and hijacked his car to drive us to my show.  We vow to buy him beer all night long, and he joins us in our evening’s misadventures.  Even John, a former New Yorker whom we met the night before at the Scottish invasion, came out to see me.  I learned it is not a good idea to play a show after drinking all day, but it was FUN, and at least I was surrounded by friends!   Bryan Swirsky of Complete Control Booking had a great night of music planned at the Elysium. He walked our whole posse into the show with Wreckless Eric, The Alarm, New Model Army, The Rezillos and Shonen Knife! That was something special! Completely amazing.  Jeff wound up buying me tequila shots, which are my one weakness… things got a little fuzzy ‘round about the time The Rezillos went on…   Saturday, I met up with my friend I met at last year’s Las Vegas Rockaround, Bill Anderson of The Meat Purveyors.  He and his friend Mamie take me out to Las Manitas, which is the best Mexican restaurant in Austin.  We go back into town, and I get to see a bit of Bill’s soundcheck with one of the many bands he is playing with this weekend — a Japanese girl band that does country and western-style cover songs!  The Black Halos have an RV parked outside Emo’s, so we buy beer and chill out there while I’m waiting around.  Bill drives me over to see the Rezillos play an amazing show inside Cheapo’s record store, and then takes me over to my Mexico Lindo show on his way home, and it’s time to rock again.   But the party did not stop there — I get a cab over to The Black Halos RV to hang before their show. More beer and fun transpires until they play.  They had an amazing set with lots of new fans.  I see some old friend like Nessa and her new husband and Tony From Cheerldr, and make some new ones like Spider and Patrick, who later sent me a nice e-mail apologizing for his shameless flirting.  Nessa buys a Black Halos skate deck and has the band sign it. The Backyard Babies also kicked ass and I told them I would see them in NY.   Jeff came out to hang with us again, so I guess he didn’t mind us acting like total jerks the day before!   Sunday was the lull day.  Martin went back to the UK.  The Black Halos are on the way to San Antonio.  I had my day show at the Epiphany stage and another show at the Mexico Lindo. I am TOTALLY burned out.  I almost want to blow it off, but I decide I am here to rock so, I shall!  It is SCARY playing on a stage all by yourself with a guitar and no one to hide your mistakes!  I am also hoarse from four days of whooping it up and partying — not to mention three other shows under my belt.  Jeff came out to my shows, and Eddie Christman of Billboard Magazine and his friend Joe came out to see me, which was awesome.  I am totally beat.  Jeff is a doll and not only puts me up, but drives me to the airport at 5:30 am to catch my flight!   So I sorted out my shit, didn't stop THE ROCK, and made a lot of new friends who really did a LOT for me! Especially Jeff, so I hope we didn't ruin his semester! Maybe we made a convert to the rock and roll lifestyle!   Next year, the whole band will be back at SXSW with our new record and will KICK ASS! February 12, 2005 At CBGB New York-style Rock and Roll – nice and Sleazy I wanted to put on a "The Best of NYC Rock" show, and what better partner in crime than The New York Waste? I see a lot of bands, and we wanted to make a night that was also good for fans – if you came to see one band, you would like ALL of the bands playing, and maybe get turned on to some good new music! First up were the Volunteers, nice-n-sleazy rock and roll – just like it should be. Plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll. How can you not love a band that has the lyric: "Even God loves bitches and booze". Bluesy, boozy and woozy – kind of like a Stonesy Replacements that might still play a basement. Next were the F-Units, which feature Scotty B. and Tom, formerly of the Napalm Stars, and newcomer Sam on drums. They play punk-n-roll with clever lyrics and catchy choruses. And Sam is an amazing drummer – fresh off the bus and an amazing find. He’s like a teenage Chuck Biscuits. Anyway, F-Units are freight trains – really – so this is like loco-rock! The Fishnet Stalkers are from Baltimore, but sounds like they should be from New York! They even covered Dead Boys and New York Dolls songs. They look, sound, and feel like a real rock band. They look like a street gang and put on a high-energy performance. These guys kick ass! They turn sleaze-rock up a notch. Boys wanna be ‘em, and girls wanna be with ‘em! Next was Lady Unluck, a favorite of the New York Punk Scene and The New York Waste. One can see why – these gals ROCK and play punk rock straight up like it should be. They walk that line between sassy and tough. Their rendition of The Ramones "Teenage Lobotomy" was a fit tribute to the punk rock legend of CBGB! My band, The Kowalskis, had a great show of all-new songs from our forthcoming album – Full Metal Jackass! None of that OLD stuff! We had a LOT of fun, and met a lot of new friends and fans afterward, so that was good. Even an old friend, Dougie Needles of The Blackhearts, came by – and I don’t think he had see us play in four years! Law was a wild band – outfits, costumes, and metallic-style rock. Whatever they were doing, they had a lot of fun doing it. I had never heard of them before this show, but they put on a good one! Anyway, This was a great night-- sexy bands, drug references, and good, old-fashioned sleazy rock and roll! I can’t wait to do it again! Happy 2005 everybody, and may you have many more! Kitty Kowalski December 21, 2004 Hello Hello! I'm at a place called Brooklyn! U2 gives us something we can feel Coolgrrrl Movie grrrl April and I have been rocking out to U2 for over 20 years now! SCARY when you add it up, but we listened to them from their first record when we were jailbait! So when April calls me the night before because she had heard about a secret U2 concert the next day, we were game once again! We have a history of U2 shows. "Back in the day", we underagers went to any bar or show that would let us in free. When U2 played the Ritz, our gang went to the Mudd Club to see the Bush Tetras. Smart move. So the story goes, in waltzes U2 and a very eloquent April proceeds to tell them that as much as we like their record, they will never have any commercial success in the states with a name like "U2". Fast forward to the Achtung Baby tour, which was the last time we got excited by U2, and April is eating her words, as there is NO CHANCE they are going to be hanging out with us at a bar after the show, and now we have to pay hundreds of dollars to get stage side seats! I think we saw U2 three times on that tour. That was the closest we were gonna get. Their DJ/Photographer BP Fallon even put a flyer for my band Starkist in a book about them, but again, the band was about as accessible as the pope at this point. We find this link to a web site to get tickets. It says secret show, no mention of U2, just that it will be filmed for MTV. You sign up and wait to see if you get tickets. Monday morning – no tickets! The internet rumors run wild – the concert will be in Washington Square Park, it's cancelled, all kinds of stuff. Then we heard that you have to be in MTV's "target demographic" (read: teenager) to get tix. April re-registers, makes up a "Spice Age" for herself, and BOOM – instant tickets. We make a plan to take a car out to this godforsaken location, Empire State Park – we can't find it on a map. All we know is that it is between the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. We get there at about 1 pm and there is no big line…they cross our names off the list and we go through the gates by what looks like an abandoned warehouse. There is a HUGE line – they have two lines of hundreds of people. What are we waiting for? Where is the stage? We can't see anything. Then comes sound check about an hour later – we hear the opening chords for "Vertigo" along with the bass, and it gets us all pumped up! I downloaded that song from iTunes weeks ago! I LOVE it! I am so excited. After another hour, there is this mad rush and people start running ahead to this clearing! The little MTV interns they have doing "crowd control" are at a loss as to how to stop the stampede but somehow it hits a bottleneck and everyone stops. We are there for a while and they start letting people in – we see the stage and try to get up close – we were maybe 30 feet from the stage. I have been hiding my camera in my boot the whole time, as the tickets said no cameras. They announce that we can take pictures, just no flash. After a while we hear cheering – there are choppers in the air and everyone looks over at the Manhattan Bridge – there is a flatbed truck driving about 5 miles an hour and U2 is playing on the back of it. The crowd goes WILD!! The crowd waves and cheers as Bono megaphones back, "We'll be down there soon!". By now, dusk is setting in, and we've been waiting almost four hours – standing in the mud in this park. We look around and there are thousands of people behind us, and in the park outside the gate, and on the pedestrian path of the Brooklyn Bridge. U2 finally come out and open with Vertigo. I am jumping up and down – pogoing like a FREAK and singing. Trying to get photos from that far without flash was tough. It is just about dark now, and they are playing against the backdrop of the lights of the Manhattan Skyline. It is just about one of the most beautiful rock and roll moments ever. I am holding April's hand! I can't believe we are here!! I am the luckiest girl on earth and have the best friend EVER! And we're at U2! AGAIN!!! Every time they sing, "Hello Hello" the crowd responds in unison, "Hola!!" The other thing I notice is HOW HOT Larry Mullen is! Hello is right! My goodness. He is awesome and solid and I watch him most of the time. The Edge just RULES and makes that band. Without The Edge, they would not have that signature sound. He is also super cool on stage. The next song was "All Because Of You" – the video they were shooting in Manhattan with the flatbed . Bono talked about Christopher Nolan, a man who was completely immobile and unable to communicate, who through medicine learned how to move his head, to write and type using a tool. Bono said religion and science are one and the same, they don't have to be at odds, as they played "Miracle Drug". Bono talked about his father's death in 2001 and how he was given a voice that is stronger than it has been in years, and dedicated "Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own" to him. They played new tracks of the unreleased record including "City Of Blinding Lights", before which Bono talked about the first time he played in New York City (memories of the Mudd club!) and how beautiful it was, and also "Original Of The Species", during which, to Bono`s surprise, the crowd sang along. He said, "How do you know this?" and I screamed back, "THE INTERNET!!!!" Looking at the Edge, Bono jokes, "I think I know what happened to your CD". The band switches instruments as Bono played guitar and the Edge played keyboards for "Original Of The Species" and "She’s A Mystery Girl". "Beautiful Day" had the impromptu "See the world in green and blue, Manhattan skyline right in front of you". Crowd went mental again as Bono salutes Manhattan. "I Will Follow" is last and Bono tells the crowd, "See you in the springtime". They were only supposed to play for one half hour, but the crowd was going crazy so they came back out and played "Out Of Control" from their first album – and out of control it WAS!!! It sounded like they hadn't played it in a while, but the crowd didn't care – we were out of control, too!!!! Bono announces, "This one’s for us" and they rip into "Vertigo" again! I went crazy once more and was just dancing and singing and not worrying about taking photos! As the band leaves the stage, Bono grabs the mike and sings, "Hello! Hello! It's good to be back, It's good to be back"! No one responds. I freak out and holler, TURBONEGRO!!!!!" I can't believe Bono was singing a Turbonegro song into the mike. I'm not a member of the cult of Bono, but he just got WAY cooler in my estimation. April and I go to a bar across the street and it is PACKED with fans and cute Irish boys. We have to go so one of the cute boys hitches a ride in our car, saying that the "crew" is supposed to be at the bar later. Of course, I am totally FUCKED because it's the same night as Jesse Malin's annual Thanksgiving party and the Black Halos are at CBGB! Oh well!!! Again, so close, yet so far. You give me something I can feel. Indeed. October 30, 2004 Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Festival The single most fun day of my entire life If there is fun to be had, I manage to find it. Or it finds me. It is one of my special talents. I started to hear about Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Festival and that The New York Dolls and The Stooges would play. I was watching for The New York Dolls reunion, with skepticism, as many people were. Johnny Thunders was such a personality in that band, could they pull it off? Reports from the London shows were good, so I was optimistic. In my last article, I mentioned that Little Steven and Handsome Dick Manitoba were DEEP in conversation when I dragged CJ from The Wildhearts over. What I didn’t know was that Little Steven was trying to convince Richard to get The Dictators back together for the Underground Garage Festival. His persistence must have paid off – because the band was back on – and Scott "Top Ten" Kempner was coming in form LA to play the show! For those of you who do not know Little Steven’s Underground Garage radio show, Steven has dedicated himself to preserving rock and roll as a cultural force. As Rock and roll gets shoved off commercial radio by pop princesses, emo crybabies, nu-metal and other soundtracks to sell cars and soda, it had truly gone underground. Steven is a rock star himself, and a TV star with the advent of The Sopranos, but he spends his own time and money to help indie bands that are true to the roots of rock and roll just because he CARES. And he practices what he preaches. I see him out at shows, at Manitoba’s and other low-key events where the die-hard rockers are, not on the carpet or in photo ops in the back of Interview Magazine. Tune into his show any time: www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com I can’t just go and get trampled by thousands of garage rockers – I also pride myself in my photos. Photo passes were all gone. I even signed up for the audition for Go-Go dancers so I could get close – but then I didn’t want to work. Then I work on my friends. Muck & The Mires, The Star Spangles, The Paybacks, The Swingin’ Neckbreakers and The Gore Gore Girls are all playing. Surely one of them needs a roadie, a guitar tech, a driver, a lackey? The Gore Gore Girls come through – I am all of those things, so I load up the cameras and go. There is a big party the night before, and as I have too much party, leaving at 8:30 am is too much to bear – I have to get the girls in Brooklyn and get them to the gig – and we’re still late! They have to scramble to get dressed and get ready, but it all works out – they even get their own trailer that they only have to share with another band – The High Dials, who are cool. The cameras are out – lots of water – tuning guitars, getting on stage. How are they going to have forty some odd-bands in twelve hours? The earlier bands get ten minutes to play, AND there is a rotating stage so one band sets up while the other one plays. Sometimes the stage starts rotating and the band in front is still playing – set over! I’m trying to get a good shot of the Gore Gore Girls before they get rotated but two guys are in my way! I look at the photo later, and realize it was Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen. The girls have a great three song-set, and setting up next are The Swingin’ Neckbreakers, whom Little Steven featured in an episode of The Sopranos. The Star Spangles are posing in front of the camera with Kim Fowley, the legendary producer songwriter who came up with the concept of The Runaways and wrote songs for Kiss. We go to put the gear away and check out the trailer – get something to eat – I don’t think we had breakfast. We meet The High Dials, commisserate with the other bands. More people are starting to arrive, as they did not have to be one of the first bands on, but if you blinked or went to the toilet, you missed a few bands. I went back to see The Cocktail Slippers, five hot girls from Norway wearing Elvis suits. VERY rock! What made them MORE rock is that one of their members was VERY pregnant and she rocked out! The whole string of bands, Richard & The Young Lions, The Flaming Sideburns (featuring former Kowalskis member Jarkko/Jay Burnside on drums) and The Boss Martians were amazing! Who introduced the Boss Martians? The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, very fittingly. I snuck into the photo pit, got a few photos of him, and then was thrown out. By this time, the rotating stage had broken a few bands back and it takes the bands longer to change over. What was it, noon by now? One? Time for BEER! I have not fully exploited the hospitality tent and I’ve already been there a couple of hours! What is WRONG with me! One the way to the tent, we run into the D4, whom I had met at Manitoba’s the night before. I ask the boy I was talking to his name, and he answers, "Beavah", in his thick New Zealand accent. Being the New York wise ass, I have to comment, "Beaver, huh. Does that work for you?". I run into my homegirl Wendy from the Paybacks, and me, Amy Gore and Wendy are a triple threat. We need beer! I missed The Shazaam, whom I wanted to see as I was turned on to them by Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame Records at ‘Stockage last year. RATS! Back to the rock! The Fuzztones, The Romantics, The Mooney Suzuki are all amazing. The D4 rock hard in a very different way from the other bands, and put on an amazing show. The Paybacks are very true to form and it’s good to see another female front-person on stage (I show my support by wearing a Paybacks T-Shirt for the event). The shocker of my second foray into the crowd was The Creation. I knew nothing about them – just heard of them, but the music, energy and performance was amazing! This is a band that had hits just after I was born, and they were SMOKING some of the younger pups! I tried to get in the photo pit once again, and the security guard said, three times and you are out! I go to meet a friend, Dan from The Volunteers, and we get to catch Nancy Sinatra, who was surprisingly good and had Clem Burke on drums. When I saw him the night before, I thought he was playing with The Romantics, as he had in the past. Big Star, which was Alex Chilton backed by The Posies were solid in the performance but seemed to be phoning it in on the energy. Also, sandwiched by The Creation and The Dictators, it would be hard to compete with those guys. The Dictators were AMAZING! The crowd was pumped up, liquored up and ready to rock! With their rock and roll anthems it seemed like everyone was a Dictators fan in the crowd! I take a trailer, toilet and beer break once again. I go back, get on The D4’s motorhome, and see out the windshield that Iggy has arrived! This is a day for memories, so I start yelling "It’s Iggy! It’s Iggy! It’s Iggy!", and run off the bus as if my life depended on it. I run up to him and say hi, remind him that we'd met before (which I am sure he doesn't remember). I have no shame. I just wanted to say hi to Iggy and shake his hand! Why I didn’t get the camera out? I don’t know. I either wasn’t thinking, or that would have been TOO MUCH! I decided to get another view and stand on stage for Bo Diddley. It was getting close to The New York Dolls’ set, so I REALLY wanted to be as up close as I could. I meet Kim Fowley on stage. After chatting with him for a bit, he tells me I remind him of Courtney Love, "…without the damage", he adds. He also declares me "fuckable". Sounds like a compliment, so I’ll take it! Right before the New York Dolls, I start chatting with Matt from The Contrast. "Do you like English boys?", he asks. Little does he know I like ALL KINDS of boys. "I think you are a little bit older than me", he says cautiously, and tells me he is 22. I start laughing. Really, it is physically possible that I am his mother’s age, but we won’t go there. I tell him how old I am and he’s still interested! Awesome! Usually, they RUN! The Dolls start and they are amazing! Johansen looks like a pretty, skinny girl, and Sylvain is a great performer and carries the front of the stage as the sideman. The tragedy of this show is that Arthur Kane, their original bass player who had been waiting for this reunion for almost 30 years, died weeks before the show. They found a fitting player in Sami Yaffa, formerly of Hanoi Rocks, and to add happiness to the bittersweet occasion, Sami was married the same day - he and his beautiful bride still had their wedding clothes on! Matt and I are talking about Thunders, and I mention how "You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. "They played it in London", Matt tells me. I am amazed and warn him, "If they play that song, I will cry!". As SOON as that comes out of my mouth, they play it, and I am crying on stage. After the set, I have to take a trailer break, drunkenly attempt to play Matt a song I just wrote about Dee Dee Ramone and wind up missing The Strokes. I am ready for Iggy! I run into Beaver and tell him I want to be in the crowd for Iggy. He agrees. The stage is too far removed. Besides, hospitality has run out of beer. We go out to the concession stands – THEY are out of beer! The show is not even sold out (due to threats of rain all day due to hurricanes) and the beer is sold out. I remember from when we did Cavestomp at Coney Island high, we would sell as much beer on those nights as we did on St. Paddy’s Day. Garage rockers DRINK! Anyway, we are there for the start of Iggy and start jumping around – he opens with Loose. We are going crazy. The crowd starts moving toward the stage. I am getting knocked about, but hell it’s rock and roll. Beaver checks with me to make sure I am OK. I think it was for "No Fun" that Iggy starts yelling, "Get on Stage!!", so we of course all start rushing the stage like obedient fans. I am really getting squashed now, and Beaver is protecting me from becoming another Who-convert-like casualty. We try going to the other side of the stage, and it’s just as bad. We resign ourselves to retreating safely to the stage. One side is packed and they are not letting people on, but we go to the other side and have a pretty good view. I stand on a wobbly chair to get photos – good thing Beaver is tall and I can use his shoulder as a brace. I seem to have a Iggy photo jinx. Last year at Coachella, my new batteries DIED during his set. This time, Iggy comes charging RIGHT at me. Good thing I loaded a new roll of film. I am shooting as Iggy is skipping into my line of sight and the camera stops RIGHT as he gets close – and the film starts rewinding! I was only on frame 6!!! Weird! Arrrgh! What did I do? The show is over! I have been there for over 12 hours, and I don’t want ii to end! EVER! Beaver and I plan to meet by his trailer, and I go to ours to gather the troops and get my gear. We have a LOT more people in the van coming back than going out – that’s fine. I go over to the D4’s trailer, and the driver has locked it, everyone is gone, and the motorhomes are anxious to pull out! Wendy from the Paybacks had her guitar on one of them and they had already left! We cram the van full of people, luggage, and souveniers – one happy rock and roll crew going to Manitoba’s – Gore Gore Girls, High Dials, Wendy, Clem, bookers, etc. Manitoba’s is SO PACKED you cannot even MOVE! We go to Vazac’s AKA 7B across the street just to get a break. THIS is now sensory overload. I take Wendy back to her hotel, which is blocks form my house, and call it a night. The Dictators have a song that I love called "Who Will Save Rock and Roll", which drove the crowd crazy at the Festival. I think the answer to that question is Little Steven! August 8, 2004 The Wildhearts – TriBeCa Rock Club As my truly faithful readers may remember (this means Frank!), my lovely toxic twin Elizabeth (may she rest in rock) was a Wildhearts fan and really was one of the people responsible for me going to this show. I wish she were alive to see it – it really would have been off the chain, but let me bring this back up again. If you remember the story of her and a couple of Babies she found in her Backyard that made it into Kerrang a few years back, I kind of turned my back on that chapter – having a Yo-Yos afterparty debacle which nearly ended in a fistfight between one of my best friends Jesse Malin, and Danny McCormack, who was a former Wildheart and then Yo-Yo. His brother Chris warned me, but I really didn’t know either of them too well at the time… I walked away from that whole scene. Too much drama for me. I’m glad it’s not in my current archive…that would be too humbling. It really died with Elizabeth, so I’m going to start fresh and focus on the music. Well, I’m not really sure what woke me up from my hibernation in the first place. How did I ever get back to The Wildhearts? I think it was through The Darkness (see my review for Coolgrrrls…no pun intended). I have been bitching for YEARS about having a FUN, tight, rock and roll band on the scene – like DLR-era Van Halen – just balls out rock, that’s not jock-rock chest-beating sing alongs, shoe-staring indie rock, whiney-crybaby emo, growling nu-metal or some crap like that. We need music by boys who might actually LIKE girls and not be scared of them or cry when they kick them out in the morning. Nope. So, enter the Darkness, and I think I have found my answer. Or have I… Fast-forward to a trip to Atlantic City where I see The Darkness is playing. I got on Pollstar and see they are touring with the WILDHEARTS. Blast from the past. I remember the promo EP I picked up in the thrift store in Savannah, GA in 2000 while I was on tour and put in on the CD player – and it ROCKS. That will be one kick ass show. I am kind of wierded out by getting back into that scene, but find out that The Wildhearts have booted out the offending member, so I may be safe. Of course, with my luck, I find out that The Darkness are playing the New York area the same night as the Wildhearts. I make my choice. Wildhearts it is. I hate Jones Beach as a venue –Wildhearts are playing a small club. Steve from Electric Frankenstein is going and vouches for the band. I have no idea what their fan base will be in NYC AND I have a friend from the UK visiting that week, so that seems to be the thing to do. I also did some homework being the journalist (*cough*cough*cough*ahem) that I am, and I buy Earth vs. The Wildhearts on a friend’s recommendation on e-bay. Seems like everything is out of print. I hear my friends at Gearhead are putting something out, too. Excellent. I get the CD, and it’s just amazing. The right amount of revved-up hard rock to appeal to my hyperactive, amped-up side, and the right amount of power pop for the girlie side of me. Then as I’m bopping round my pad I hear: "Her head's up with the stars because she knows that's where she's heading. The good guys think she's different the rest just think she's weird" ..and it hits me like a ton of bricks. "People take advantage but she loves her fellow friend..". Story of my fucking life. And then there’s "My Baby is a Headf*ck", which reminds me of Beth. Imagine me the sane one of that duo. I join their message board to get more tips, facts and whatever and meet some really cool folks. And of course all I want to do is take photos – I’ve been to this venue once before and it’s really weird – they do not normally have good shows – or shows at all. I see myself getting tackled by goons who bust up my rig. Why don’t they play the Bowery Ballroom where a Hell’s Angel has my back? So I try to get in touch with publicists and all that and I think I get the right person. I buy my tickets as I really like to support the artists. So Jenni Ramone comes from Leicester, I get invited to a party down the block form the venue with an artist/art dealer I don’t know very well. We have some beer there because the support acts are crap. I don’t know what to expect. We get to the venue minutes before the show and happen to follow in some of the band members. I really don’t even know what they look like, but Jenni points them out. Jenni and I are armed with cameras. We wiggle up front. They start and I think that a jet is taking off in the venue. What a powerhouse. Just amazing. I think they opened with "Greetings from Shitsville" which I sing all the time walking down the streets of New York (ha ha). It also is the first song off the only album that I own at this point. Just killer. I am getting in there with my camera and I feel a bottle hit the back of my head! Oh no! This is the chickens coming home to roost! This is karma for taking the photo of Hank from Turbonegro after he got hit in the head with a bottle after 2.5 songs! Hey! Deity of the universe! I didn’t exploit that! I gave it to the band! I didn’t sell it to SPIN! See their web site! I also took them to peep shows after! don’t punish me! Please! But my trademark leopard-print cowboy had saves me from stitches… They have a CD out there called Riff After Riff after Motherf*cking Riff" and guess what – the show is just like that It seems as though minutes pass and they are doing an encore – they do "Suckerpunch" and "Headf*ck" which I know from my little EP. This is like Cheap Trick if they still wrote good songs. I am just floored. A fellow New York rocker says to me, "We just got a lesson tonight". No kidding. This should be required viewing. The Electric Frankenstein posse from NJ is hanging around and we talk to them for a bit. They are waiting to talk to Ginger and co. Jenni tells me the new bass player is from a UK band called The Cardiacs that is one of her favorite bands. Cool. I go to buy merch form them – more support of the rock. My and my guitar player made a pact – he would buy me a darkness shirt and I would buy him a Wildhearts T-shirt. I buy a tank top for myself – the last one – and the "Must Be Destroyed" album. More kismet? Isn’t that form Turbonegro? I run into the drummer, who was posing for me during the set and being an otherwise good sport (until by futzing with my brand new digital camera he shouted "Take the FUCKING PICTURE!!"), and tell them how much I enjoyed the show and I asked his name. "Stidi", he says, to which I respond, "I’m Kitty", and I blurt out, "Hey - – Kitty and Stidi! It sounds like a kid’s cartoon show". I swear I have Tourette syndrome. I say, "Well, Danny and Chris McCormack turned me onto you guys", and the vibe changes, "I haven’t talked to Danny since he’s been out", so I’m guessing that’s the WRONG thing to say and maybe their last experience was like mine… I get downstairs, and see Ginger. I thank him for the show, and tell him that Chris was the one to turn me onto the band, and as we chat, I mention his wife Angie, and he tells me she’s HERE! I have not seen her since maybe 1998 or so at Coney Island High, and just kept in touch with her former bandmate from Fluffy, Bridget. So we chat on and we talk about some mutual friends and then the guitar player introduces himself, "Hi I’m Cornelius". "I’m Kitty" This is sounding like another TV show. "Like Planet of the Apes?", I ask. He says his friends call him Monkey Boy. I somehow wind up telling Angie the story of Coney’s famous crash-and-burn tale of a losing battle with the Authorities. "We Did It Our Way", I muse. Angie asks if I will take CJ to the after-party at Manitoba’s. Anyone who reads this knows I love "afterparties" and "Manitoba’s" as much as I throw afterparties at Niagara. I was just there for the MC5! We go there, and everyone from the show is piling in. Who do I see locked in conversation but two of my favorite people - Handsome Dick Manitoba and Little Steven Van Zandt. My irrepressible self busts in like the Bull in a China shop that I am. I introduce CJ and tell him about The Wildhearts. I am giddy. It’s like the first time I heard the Sex Pistols. And given that I shot over 100 rock and roll bands live last year, which means a lot. I should be completely jaded. But people like Steven keep me inspired – there is always some thing new to discover out there – and I have. I am glad my past wacky experience didn’t taint me, but I am an open book, really. Up for anything. For better or worse. "People take advantage but she loves her fellow friend.". sigh Anyway, the crew have bus call, and we say our goodbyes. I am going to Canada this week and find out they are, too. CJ promises to put me on the list. I go to the confounded Pollstar site again –and they are with The Darkness! So I guess I do get my wish. I get to see The Darkness and The Wildhearts AGAIN, and I really don’t think it gets too much better than that. This time, I also get to listen to the new CD beforehand to heard the new songs and it’s just the kind of thing I love. I wear my vintage Cheap Trick tour jacket in homage. The Wildhearts made a stressful day at work with a 6 am wake-up call to be in mind-numbing, all-day meetings in Quebec another great night in rock and roll. June 12, 2004 2004 Punk Rock Bowling Tournament – the most debauched yet! The BYO Punk Rock Bowling Tournament 2004 This year’s bowling tournament proved to be full of wackier hi-jinx than EVER. It first had the air of doom, and then had a rip-roaring finish with us as big losers – but in our hearts, we were WINNERS! We didn’t practice, and we didn’t care! Sign of Doom #1 The original hotel and bowling alley CLOSED DOWN the week of the tournament. Shawn of BYO Records pulled off a miraculous feat of logistics and moved the event and divided the bowling into shifts to accommodate everyone! Sign of Doom #2 Mike Hunt and I get there without incident, check in and saddle up to the bar like smart folks, and check out the Punk Rock Show with Flogging Molly, where I got to run into my fave Punk Rock Bowling all-stars from years past! I get a call from our drummer Greg that our bass player didn’t show up at the connecting flight. He called her, and she was still at home. "I don’t think she’s coming…", he says. What does that mean? I called her, and said politely, "Uh, you can still get on the next flight, you know, uh, we don’t bowl until tomorrow night…uh, call me…" I feel like the boss from the movie "Office Space". Sign of Hope #1 We got really blasted, and found a fill-in bowler – someone we had never met before – Sean Elliott of the So Cal band DI. So what! His name is Kowalski now. Sign of Hope #2 We had REALLY cool bowling shirts, courtesy of Mike Kowalski! Sean gets one! We all get one! Everyone ooohhs and ahhhs and admires the smart embroidery. Sign of Hope #3 I get lucky the first night out of the gate. This one boy I’ve had a crush on for a little while – uh, for, like, uh, 20 YEARS! I am single and loving it. Got a big Rock Star suite as not to pull the ‘ol "nauseate your band members while you try to have drunken sex in the same room with them and think they won’t notice" routine. At this point, I’m old enough to know better and have the credit card to avoid that shite. Sign of Doom #3 While I have a boy in the bed and visions of bowling balls dancing in my head, the FIRE ALARM goes off at 9:30 am, which wouldn’t have been so penetratingly abhorrent if I hadn’t gone to sleep at 7:30 am! Arrrgh! Sign of Hope #4 There is a Jacuzzi in my bedroom, and I decide to take a bubble bath. I don’t have to get out of there until 3 pm, and I’m milking every minute of this rock star suite, goddammit. Sign of Doom #4 The phone rings while I am having my little Calgon moment. I pick it up, "Hullo…", while the voice on the other end rages, "WHERE ARE YOU!!!! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BOWLING!!!! GET DOWN HERE!!!!!" "Whaaaaa? Who is this?" comes my retarded response. "SAB. NOW GET DOWN HERE". Somehow, that was good enough for me as I jumped into my clothes, still covered in suds, and ran downstairs. I must have joined a team when I was drunk last night! I ran around in a panic, check every aisle and lane, no Sabrina. checked the list – Kowalskis are still on for 9:30 pm. Shit! I call Sabrina – no answer. Run around for an hour trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. Sabrina calls me and has no idea what I’m talking about. What a waste of adrenaline! Sign of Hope #5 I meet up with old-time Kowalski friend Todd Price, formerly of Guff, who now lives in San Diego, along with Ali, my fave Hair Bear guy. I tell him about my rock star suite with the meter still running, and we pile on up there to milk those last precious minutes. He hops in the tub, skivs and all, and cracks a beer, to live for moments what all of us aspiring rock stars have dreamed about all our lives. Life is good. I whore myself out so that band mates and friends alike can benefit. Why not? I had fun, too, as I jumped on the bed! Sign of Doom #5 It’s only 3 pm and we don’t bowl for another six hours! The drinking has already started! What will we do? Stop? No, I don’t think so… Sign of Hope #6 Sean! He is the BEST coach EVER. He tells us we are going to WIN! He gets us all pumped up! He brings his HOT friend Erica and her hot friend to be our cheerleaders! How can we not win! We get a pep talk every time we throw the ball! If I do well, I get a smooch! I asked Joey Ramone for a strike, while they were playing The Ramones over the PA, and I got one! This one’s for Joey! YAY! I bowl a couple of strikes. I have no idea what my score is. At the end, Sean tells everyone in the joint that we won. Everyone comes up to me saying, "I heard you won!". I feel like a winner. I just go with it! Sign of Doom #6 There is a Filipino cover band in the lounge playing "Celebration" and some other bad hair cover band playing songs like "Working for the Weekend", and I actually like it and am dancing around. On another music-related note, we go to the Double Down for a punk show, get knocked down within three minutes after arriving, and cannot even see the bar. We decide to leave and find a real bar. I see a place with a neon sign across the street "Club Oasis" and I lead the pack. We get in there, and I have a funny feeling it’s not a bar. Two very sexy ladies are behind glass, they say club admission is $50. "Do you give group discounts?", I inquire, sizing up their slow night. They agree to let us all in for $50. We wanna go for it. The sensible Greg politely declines. Who knows what would have happened if we did this. Dopes. Every time I think of this place, I call it "Club Climax", even though we never found out what went on in there. Sign of Hope #7 Another night of getting lucky with a new-found friend. Shit, in New York, everyone is scared to death of me. Here, no one knows any better. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. I love Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas (Not anymore! I just wrote about it! DOH!). Sign of Doom #7 Boy tries to get chambermaid to come up and bring us more towels and other lame-ass 6 am excuses. We order Pizza for breakfast, and tell them to send over their best-looking pizza boy. Dude looks like Ponch’s dorky brother. He looks like a rent-a-cop. Pizza only. Again, what were we thinking? Like Club Climax, the fantasy is better than the reality. Sign of Hope #8 We think we are winners! Sign of Doom #8 We are losers and don’t make it to the finals! Sign of Hope #9 One of the guys from San Diego – Davey, I think – breaks out a guitar, and each person plays a cool song, everyone sings along, and then passes it to the next person. After a number of songs, they pass it to me. I am terrified. "You play guitar, right?" Uh, sorta… I am the first and only girl to play, so I have to make it good – what do I play? BLITZKREIG BOP! I get the bar going in a resounding "Hey Ho, Let’s Go!" and I’m off the hook. Thank you, god. Sign of Doom #9 A sexy gal takes a bit of everybody’s drink in the bar and puts it in a life-size cowboy boot mug. Greg starts drinking it. I try it, and at first it tastes OK, but as she gets up to her 30th combination of liquor, it makes me gag. Greg is till drinking it…this is going to get ugly! Sign of Hope #10 Manic Hispanic at the Awards show! We have lots of fun! We celebrate with Greg, Mike and Sean Kowalski, along with all the cute boys and gals we met all weekend. The San Diego crew is completely blasted. I am dressed like a hooker in my marabou jacket. Floyd of Fat Wreck Chords dons it and somehow it looks better on him than me. Even Kowalskis Mike and Greg get photos taken of their "tits" for a Boys Gone Wild thing Jen from Barflies is doing…or maybe that’s a sign of doom…. Sign of Doom #10 We get REALLY blasted back at Sam’s Town, and they kick us out of Roxy’s, the bar where the cover bands play. I am up VERY late with Sean at the bar, and we drink way beyond our means. I go to the ladies’ room and come back and Sean is passed out. I try to wake him up. Cold. The bartender asks, "Are you having trouble there?", uh, no trouble, no trouble at all, sir… I gently pat, and then smack his face. Nothing. Ice cubes on the back of the