First Diary!

I started the month off right, meeting friends old and new up in Lansing (Michigan’s capital) for a rough and rowdy rock and roll show with Detroit band the Ruiners. Thanks to a cute little website called livejournal.com I’ve gotten to know a handful of awesome girls and boys from all over Michigan, including the Lansing area. My best friend Jeremy and I drove up there to a bar called Mac’s where I got to meet Lansing’s coolest grrrls Rolanda, Meaghan and Angela. We rocked out to a blistering set by the Ruiners, who were accompanied by dear friend Sarah Klein and her buddy Danielle. The girls acted as naughty cheerleaders slash go-go dancers and made for delicious eye candy. Oh and the band was good too! Punk rawk in its truest form, the Ruiners are probably Detroit’s rowdiest bands. There is a list of clubs from which they are banned due to their stage act that involves everything from nakedness, dismantling of washing machines, guitars and pants on fire and lots and lots and lots of shredded paper. The night ended with the super-fun activity of garbage bag sledding. Those of you who live in warmer climates are sure missing out. You haven’t experienced fun until you’ve soared down a snow-covered hill on a trash bag at 4 a.m.!

This past weekend was like a big blast from the past (if you consider last year “the past”). First I got to see my favorite Chicago band, The Dishes. The girls stopped in for a show at the Magic Stick as part of their tour with fellow Chicago band the Nerves. They rocked as always. With a name like that I’m surprised the Dishes don’t get more press. It’s a music writer’s dream to be able to work with a band name like that because you can think of all sorts of stupid and quirky cliché lines like: “Those Dishes are dirty,” “The Dishes served up a full plate of hard rockin’ tunes” or “I’d like to do those Dishes.” I’m sorry – I had to do it. The one thing I like about the Dishes is that they always look like they’re having a good time on stage. I don’t know if they’re smiling and laughing because they thought they screwed up or because they’re having so much fun. Either way it makes for a fun show. I was glad to hear that the girls, Kiki, Sarah and Sharon will be back in Detroit next month to be apart of the 2nd annual Mid by Midwest festival taking place here in Detroit. Speaking of the MXMW, my newest band, The Sirens will be performing the fest as well. Details are still sketchy. I made my debut with the band last month at the Magic Stick. Damn, was that fun! I love those girls. The band includes myself on gutiar, former Gore Gore Girl drummer and curent leader of the Come Ons, Deanne Iovan on drums, magnanimous singer Muffy Kroha, Michelle Lanoo on bass and when he’s not on tour, Dirtbombs front man Mick Collins joins us on guitar as well.

Upon heading downstairs from the Magic Stick I got the surprise of the night! Good friend and fellow chick rocker Lynda Mandolyn from Fabulous Disaster! I knew she was coming back to town, but I wasn’t sure when. What a nice surprise that was. We chatted a bit and agreed to meet up again the following night at the Magic Bag. On the bill was up and coming Detroit rapper esQuire. Damn, did this boy have some style! He and his go-go dancers put on a great show and his lyrics were hilarious. I don’t doubt that in the next few years we will be hearing about esQuire on a national level. He had all the right elements. The highlight of the show was when Detroit’s very own Queen Bee, Karen Neal appeared on stage to do a mid-set boogie with esQuire. This was one of the reasons Lynda was at the show, to catch her buddy Karen in action. These ladies made up 2/3 of one of Detroit’s first all-female heavy rock groups, Inside Out!

Between sets I was surprised to run into Carol from Cleveland (from Columbus). I met Carol when the Gore Gore Girls played with Carol’s band the Librarians in Cleveland. Carol was also a member of the Plastics, but she has a new band going now, although they are yet to be named. She will appear in Detroit on Feb. 22 performing with the Dirty Shame as the opening band for Jonathan Richman, also at the Magic Bag. Anyway, back to the show. After esQuire’s unique performance the much-loved Detroit five-piece rock group the Wildbunch took the stage. This band is so rock and roll. In fact the are SO rock and roll that Maximum Rock and Roll said they were “too rawk” on more than on occasion. I don’t want to say too much about the band because they claim to get nothing but bad press, even though there is absolutely no such thing. I don’t have anything bad to say about the band, but apparently music journalists seem to have it all wrong about them, no matter what they write. So to save them from any possible discomfort I will stop talking about them now, except to say that if you live in the Ohio area, go check them out at Mickey Finns in Toledo on Feb 23rd.

So what else is happening? I recently recorded a song for the upcoming third installment of the Patty Duke Fanzine. Top Quality Rock and Roll label head Mike D hasn’t decided if he’s going to put out a third fanzine album or a Detroit-only Patty Duke cover album. Either way, I’ll be on the next one, along with the Come Ons, the W-Vibe and some other cool Detroit bands. Speaking of records, hard-working rock n’ fuckin’ roll band Inside Five Minutes will be releasing a split single with the Tight Bros. From Way Back When on Makoto Records. This bad boy should be out in the next few months. Also in the future for Inside Five Minutes: a performance during the Hamtramck Blowout in early March. But their big show of the season will be at the underrated Michigan Fest where local and national rock, hardcore and emo bands gather to support Michigan-based charities. Please take a look at the Michigan Fest website for more info and an impressive list of bands.