Gutbug

Over the next few weeks I had a few conversations with everybody, David and I talked about figuring out guitar parts and what things to focus on. I already knew a handful of DP songs so that gave me the confidence to figure out more. I spoke with Tricia, she and London had already rehearsed and had a few songs down as well as working on a few others.

Everyone in the band is pretty busy with hectic schedules; Ted and Tricia are both parents and have busy careers. David is working on his PhD. and playing in Red X Red M, London is, of course, still busy playing n bands and working with children as a nurse. He’s got a couple projects, one is Millions of Dead Comps. (they cover entire legendary punk rock compilation albums). I’m running a studio, substitute teaching and playing in a couple other bands. As you can imagine time is limited but it looks like we’ll be working on stuff on the weekends.

I got together with Tricia and London on Sunday. I hadn’t seen London for a few years. He was at a Leopold show that shared a bill with some friends of his and we chatted for a few minutes, so it’d been a while and he vaguely remembered me. We went back to London’s rehearsal complex and soon after Tricia showed up. We talked for a minute about songs and I’d told them the songs I knew. Tricia had just about gotten Krank so that was the first tune we played. London said he’d count me in and started keeping time with his sticks…my mind blanked…I’d forgotten that I was supposed to start that song but after a second I remembered the intro…..We fumbled the first time but after a quick clarification we tried again and got all the way thru it. London gave me props which was pretty cool since I know he really wasn’t aware of how well I could or couldn’t play but I think I made a good impression. We went thru Krank, HOD, Gutbug, Go Kart, Smitten, and God’s List. I think Krank sounded best but we made a lot of progress and I felt really comfortable playing with London and Tricia. The tough part is playing without vocal cues on some songs and having to cut all the weird divisions for the songs lots of odd numbers, not quite math rock but still a little tricky. There’s a song or two that they want me to try and sing so we’ll see how that goes.


February 2, 2010
This last weekend the four of us go to rehearse. Ted showed up with a large wok-like, grill pan to play on. By the end of practice it looked like a topographic map of Europe. We had the Alps on there and everything. We'll see what his rig eventually consists of. At one point, if I recall correctly he had some cool metal to play on, a big, old fashioned milk jug, and a snare-like contraption with chains on it (is this right Ted) and that sandpaper block to scrape that you hear at the beginning of Go Kart, plus a couple of toms.
I was having some headaches with my parts, recalling how long the sections lasted but we got them worked out. It’s tricky at times because I’m having to combine David’s and Robert’s parts for the sake of rehearsing. Once David gets in there it’ll be cool to hear how our parts crash together. We worked on the previous songs and also started on Dept. of Existence and Slow Leak, just getting reintroduced to them. Slow Leak is one of my favorite songs. For years whenever I would plug in my guitar and check an amp I would play the intro to that song. I like the way you have a chord, a small melody ringing out and then that huge low D note sustaining. Great intro, really gets your attention. Also when the rest of the band comes in there is just a lot of power in that rhythm. Ted and London do some really cool stuff in there as well, they trade off parts, ending each of the cycles and really compliment each other.
Besides music, we’re also working on designing a new t-shirt and getting the tour rolling. Tricia proposed a Heavy stressed font like the letters on the Punishment Room album and I suggested that the Distorted Pony logo from the first single (I think it’s on the label of Work Makes Freedom e.p. ) be overlayed on the letters to be somewhat in the background. It’ll be on a similar color to the olive green of the album.

So am I in the band?

About 10 minutes later David called me and caught me up on what was going on. The last time David was in town the idea of them playing some shows to mark their twentieth anniversary was brought up and they were really interested in going to Europe since that was something they’d wanted to do back when they were playing together. They still hadn’t contacted London or Robert but would be doing that soon. He also stated that my name had been mentioned as well as a few other friends, in case Robert wasn’t interested and it was a matter of just seeing what the band decided. That was a pretty rad moment I have to tell you. Seriously, Distorted Pony’s music was such a big influence on Leopold and to be considered to play with them, I was pretty blown away.
David and I hung up and Ted called me soon after basically letting me know the same thing and that he was also interested in me playing with them. They also were interested in using my studio to listen back to some of the individual tracks from Instant Winner to try and figure out some guitar and bass parts that were buried in the swamp of distortion they’d created at the time. So I knew one way or another I would be involved. I’d also mentioned doing sound for them as well incase they didn’t ask me to play guitar. But come on, obviously I wanted to be there playing with them.
It’s kind of a weird feeling because on the one hand I was hoping that Robert would join them but on the other hand to play and tour with David, Tricia, Ted and London seemed pretty cool to me.

I waited for a month. Didn’t hear from anyone and started to think that maybe they had decided to go with someone else and they didn’t want to bum me out. Eventually I called them. I had been trying not to jinx the whole thing by calling but I really wanted to know what was going on with them regardless of whether or not I was playing with them. I left David a message asking what was up. He called me back about two days later and he said that London had agreed to play with them again and he and Tricia were going to start rehearsing soon. He also said I was in the band. Hell Yeah! I expressed how happy and appreciative I was and the conversation quickly led to talking about gear. Some of Robert’s parts had a bit of tremolo bar torture and behind the bridge noise and I had already started thinking about getting a Jazzmaster. We talked for a few more minutes and he said I should get in touch with Tricia to see about scheduling rehearsals and starting on a set .
I spoke with Ted soon after and he said he was glad I was playing with them, and ribbed me a bit as is his usual way. Do I still want to be on tour with this guy???

February 8, 2010 We started working more thoroughly on Fine View from the Temple and Slow Leak this weekend. Also came up with some things for Angel on a Haug. The stuff off of Punishment Room is starting to sound tighter. I think the arrangements and just overall writing was a bit more straight forward. Instant Winner has longer intros and more repetition, slight variations in the instrumentation and rhythms. There are some parts that go on for quite a while, building up the denseness of sound and working up the tension. Not quite like the Swans or Geronimo but still restatement of certain parts it’s definitely part of the power.
February 12, 2010
We’re been discussing ideas for a band photo. I don’t think anyone really wants a straight band photo but wants something that symbolize the band. How we’re going to accomplish that, I’m not sure but we’re throwing some things around. Also, we’ve been working on Cripple and Death in the Turnstile, two songs I really like.

February 14, 2010
Yesterday went pretty well, the 4 of us our sounding tighter and the songs are getting easier to run thru. The Punishment Room stuff comes together pretty quick and easy. The songs on that album were written when DP was still using a drum machine so their structure is a little easier to grasp. Those songs are way more punk rock as well, just full on in your face. The songs on Instant Winner on the other hand we have to focus on more. The contrast between having a live drummer as opposed to the drum machine is pretty obvious. I still have trouble with a few of the longer songs, Go Kart and Smitten throw me off a bit. We started on Death in the Turnstile and nailed that pretty quick, still a little fuzzy on my parts but I know enough to get us thru the song. Big Sprawling Corrupt is getting worked on and we’re working on the arrangements, and possibly modifying London’s parts. We’ll see how it goes.

February 24, 2010
No rehearsal last week. We’re trying to figure out when we can tour, nothing going on yet with bookers and I offered to be more involved with booking to try and get the ball rolling.
Robert has the master tapes of DP’s recordings and we’re supposed to get those from him soon. He also offered to give me some recording gear that he has from back when he was running Surrogate Spike at the DP house. I have no idea what gear he wants to give me but I’ll take it.

First Entry Part 2

It was a really cool time back then. I was only 18 and the place to see all ages shows was Jabberjaw. I saw everyone from the Melvins to the Jesus Lizard there, Jon Spencer, Karp, the Unsane, godHeadSilo, The Cows, The Nation of Ulysses, God and Texas, Oiler, Sandy Duncan’s Eye, Mecca Normal, Steel Pole Bathtub, Unwound, Bikini Kill. Everybody played there when they were in L.A. It was a great place. I don’t mean to sound nostalgic or even worse, old, but there are times when certain artistic, political, cultural movements have their momentum really propelling them and I think the late 80’s to the mid to early 90’s really did have something great going on and Jabberjaw was the place to see them. I know there was Al’s bar, and eventually the Smell came along but Jabberjaw was still the place that all these bands had to play.

I only got to see Distorted Pony about 10 times. One of the shows my friends and I helped organize. We were in line waiting to buy tickers at Music +, remember that place? If you don’t then you are a lot younger than me. It was a chain of record stores in Southern California, not independent by any stretch but I bought my first record there when I was 10 years old, Led Zeppelin IV and eventually Sonic Youth’s Confusion is Sex so they had some good, albeit slim pickings there. Anyway, you could buy tickets to shows there and we were in line to get Sonic Youth tickets. We started talking to these guys and it turns out they were putting a show together to benefit Aids Project Los Angeles. They asked if I knew any bands and of course I mentioned a few. Eventually we put the show together and on the bill were Oiler, Sandy Duncan’s Eye and Distorted Pony. We shot video of it and it’s floating around somewhere. If I get my hands on it I’ll try to share it. Beyond being a worthwhile cause what was cool about it was that it took place in East Los Angeles where I grew up and still live. Noise rock bands never played East L.A. We had plenty of hardcore shows and there’s always been a strong metal scene, also a rock-a-billy type scene but nothing like the stuff we were into at the time. I was really happy to be bringing bands like these to the area. I remember Bikini Kill played at a hall in Montebello and that was like aliens arriving over Manhattan. At one point we talked about starting our own all ages venue in the neighborhood but we never got it together.

Eventually Distorted Pony broke up. I remember being really bummed out. I had hoped that I’d be able to get a band together and we’d get to play with them but I wasn’t able to get Leopold up and running until 1996 and by then David was in Austin playing in Sweet Pea, Dora Jahr was doing Saraspoden at the time but that didn’t last very long. Ted, had actually tried out for Leopold but didn’t quite fit and he was in Go kart with Steve from Slug. London was also playing in Buccinator although I don’t think he’s on the album they put out. Robert, pretty much left music behind, as far as I knew. Funny thing was Robert works with a cousin of mine for the Department of Water and Power so I’d hear how he was doing from my cousin every once in a while.

After that I’d keep in touch intermittently with various members, mainly David who I would call up and chat about our bands, guitars, amps and school. Ted I’d run into every once in a while, he’d moved near Santa Barbara. My best friend Anthony was going to school there and we met up with Ted for breakfast once.

Fast Forward a bit to Spring of 2000. Leopold was asked to play a showcase for SXSW. I called up U to see if he could put us up, by then he’d bought a house and was pretty well settled in Austin. He warmly agreed to put us up and we got to spend about 4 days hanging out with him and enjoying Austin, the music and the food, but most of all the company. I was glad that David was going to get to see us play. I think the show went well. Also on the bill that night were 400 Blows, the Icarus Line and Matterhorn so California noise rock was well represented.

A year later I had the summer off. I had been teaching by now for a few years. I rang up David and told him I was bored in L.A. and would he like some company. Three days later I was on a plane to Austin with my saxophone. The week I was staying at his place Switchitter was recording an EP and I ended up playing sax on it. I have no idea what I did and to this day, 9 years later I haven’t heard the track! David, still waiting.

That week in Austin was really cool, we went to guitar shops, lots of meals (Ruby’s BBQ is amazing!) and long conversations. It was good to have the time to catch up.

So that’s how things went for years, David would come to L.A. to visit his family and a few of us would meet up to hang out. Always a great time.

Back to the recent past. Along with offering helping with gear I also had to interject that if they needed another guitar player, since I knew that Robert wasn’t into playing anymore, I would be more than happy to join them.

I also called Ted and left the same message.

First Entry

January 25, 2010

Early in December I was talking to my friend Anthony when he asked me what was going on with Distorted Pony. I had no idea and the first thought that ran into my mind was that they were going to release some rare stuff or something like that but he said that on facebook they mentioned they were thinking of reforming and playing some shows.
I quickly hung up with Anthony and called up David U. I left him a message expressing how excited I was that they were thinking of playing together again and that anything I could do to help out I’d be more than happy to lend a hand. David lives in Austin and the rest of the band lives in Los Angeles so I knew he’d need to travel back and forth and I offered to lend him gear or Total Annihilation Studios to rehearse. We play similar gear, in fact the gear I have is based to a good degree on the first time I heard Distorted Pony at Jabberjaw back around ’91. I remember walking into the hot, stale, sweaty “coffee house” and hearing this amazing wall of sound. My friend Usen once said that they sounded like the apocalypse and I think that states it best. Anyway, I heard that sound I instantly knew what I had to do. Both David and I are gear geeks, him to a greater degree but still we can go on for quite a while talking about guitars, pick ups, amps, tubes, etc…Over the years I bought a Soldano Decatone, Tele, and a pair of Travis Beans, all guitars which both David and I love. He’s usually a step ahead of me in regards to pick ups that he’s swapping in and out of the Tele.


What I really love about Distorted Pony is that they are heavy but not metal, fast but not punk, slow and dirgy without being doom and dark without being obvious or “goth.” The lyrics were about the darker side of life and people but not “evil” and stupid. There are songs about cancer, politics, pining, despair, vanity, boredom, greed, lust, hopelessness and faith, yet it is up to the listener to make what they want of it. It’s not spoon-fed and blatant, things are hinted at and subtle. You have to do a bit of digging and contemplating to get an idea of what is going on. You need to spend some time with the songs to gain perspective on them.
Moving along, I was seeing all this great music and that really compelled me to start a zine to get to know bands that I really liked. Distorted Pony, Sandy Duncan’s Eye and Janitor Joe were in it as well. I got to interview Kristen Pfaff who was the bass player at the time before she joined Hole.

After that interview for the zine (in fact we interviewed David twice because the tape recorder malfunctioned) I began to become friends with all of these musicians. I really liked being around all of these people and always had questions about the music and what they were up to. A couple of times I went to the Distorted Pony house aka Surrogate Spike studios they’d be practicing or there’d be a band recording there. One time I went there was just to check out a Travis Bean wedge that Albini eventually ended up with. Another time I was there Down By Law was recording an album. Slug did records there and countless other bands were in and out of that place. Amongst all this music and noise the one night a week there wasn’t sound pounding the walls was when Beverly Hills 90210 was on. I don’t know what it was about that show that these noise rock geeks were attracted to but on Thursday nights around 9pm you knew there were members of various bands all gathered there to see what Brandon, Donna, and the rest of that bunch were up to. David wrote an article in a zine about that show that I wish I still had. It was like a dissertation on the damn thing. I think he’s still doing the same thing pursuing a PhD. in media studies.