Life a few weeks before 29
Tuesday, February 20 2001
Posted by chrisk
Alright cowboys and cowgirls, I finally have a few hours to myself. Last night I went to the beach after work and had a beer and thought about a bunch of stuff and you know, I thought I had it all figured out and then of course by the time I took the ol' bus home I forgot most of what I was going to write so I'll just tell you about my week as if you cared. How's that for a run on sentence?

I love AM radio. I have always loved the sound quality. It's muffled, it fades in and out, and it's fuzzy. But I love it. Keep your FM with all of it's stereo glory to play your "alternative" 90's cock rock, jock rock, butt rock and what have you. AM has comfort in it's sound. Songs and voices sound different in AM. I used to have a job where I travelled late at night across this really flat stretch of land in Ontario. I could pick up AM radio stations from Boston, Chicago and even Texas. The CBC station I used to listen to back in Ontario switched to FM. When I go back to visit I turn it on but it's just not the same.

If only college stations could or would switch to AM. I think the signal would go farther. (I know little about the technology of radio). The nature of the types of stations AM radio has changed a lot since I was a lad, but I still prefer it. When I was a kid it was a lot of top 40 and country. Now there's a lot of talk radio & "news" radio-gimme a break, that's not news. But what I like especially here in Vancouver is how odd the music stations are. The reason for this boring little exploration is my recent discovery of an AM station at 600 AM. My friends Dave and Jenn have listened to it for a long time. I don't yet know what they call themselves but it's great. I think thier target demographic is seniors but there's something else going on there. It's like an aging pothead is calling in the playlist from his den. It's just really random and mixed up. And there are few commercials. I apologize if this rant seems pointless but I figured it was better to talk about something I like about radio rather than even begin to start with how shitty FM radio has gotten. Anyhoo, if you live in Vancouver, check it out.

So, this was a busy week. I worked and practiced every single day except Valentine's day. On Monday I did a 6 hour practice with Dorothy. It was great. We just worked and talked and played. I just reread that book by Henry Rollins called Get In The Van (journals of his years touring with Black Flag). I realize that we're no Black Flag and that we don't really work hard at all, but when we do something like that it makes me realize the value and satisfaction there is to be had in hard work and dedication. And the bonding with others, especially when doing something creative, is a unique kind of bonding. Do I sound new age or what? On the way home I was listening to Howe Gelb's (of Giant Sand) solo record. he's going "Let's get real real gone" and I was thinking about that song on Meat Puppets 2 where what's his name goes "Alright boys, let's get way out there now". That's what a six hour practice feels like. You're just working and getting more involved with the music and forgetting everything else. It's easy to do on your own but you know you've got a band when you can all do it together. And by the end it's been going on so long you feel kinda crazy. When I left I saw all the cars racing around and I felt like I do often-like an outsider. That I'm working really hard and care so much about something that most people rarely think about or give a shit about.

Anyway, Brock, Simon and I pratice on Tues, Thurs, and Sundays. We did that this week and are getting pretty "tight", as they say. We haven't done any super long practices yet but we're really feeling like a band. We're starting to write together and it's gonna be great folks. With this show coming up next Friday, we kind of solidified. You need goals people. We are edgeing ever closer to having a name for the band. Brock and I have been at it for 5 months now and I feel it could be decided any day now.

Dorothy did what will be our last show for quite awhile on Friday. It was really fun. Brock's wife Heather came, as well as a bunch of other friends and thankfully some people we don't even know. We played fairly well. Ryan brought this big Hammond organ he has to do one song with. It's not like a Deep Purple Hammond, more like a grandma Hammond, with those funny '70's organ drumbeats in it. The absurdity of lugging that damned thing up the stairs of the Sugar Refinery for one song was what made it fun. The Sugar Refinery is that kind of place though. You have to put the art above the logic folks.
We played with a band called the Radio. There were great. I bought both of thier CDs.

Alright, this is getting too long. Come and check us out next Friday March 2 at the Anza(8th &Ontario). Come early, we're on first. It will be a weird show. But a good first show for us.
Smell ya later.

More late nights...
Tuesday, February 20 2001
Posted by brockp
I keep checking Chris's blog page to see if he's posted again and then it occurs to me that maybe Iought to write something here. Duh.

Well, it seems the old tour journal exerpts are of interest to some of you so I will keep up with that in a bit. Probably time to start a separate page for that stuff, eh ? I admit, I am the lamest of webmasters. I should also maybe explain about the weird third person past tense thing which I was writing in. Basically I kept experimenting with different tenses & points of view trying to give a complete picture of what was going on at the time without me being the center of reference. Reading the stuff back now as I post it here, I can't help thinking that I was unlikely to have much success with it, me being the person observing and all. Anyways, I'll just jump back in at the place I left off last time.

Tuesday, August 9th, 1988. 5:24pm. The van jerked and lumbered, the trailer rattled. Brock sat beside the cooler steadying himself with his legs. Gooch's voice could be heard from the bottom stack. He and John K were talking, probably about business.

Jonathan lay beside the open back door on the top stack, eyes closed, walkman on. Up front, Skippy sat in the driver's seat, Ken beside him. Up ahead, Brock could see the back of the yellow ALL truck as they passed a sign, "Ann Arbor City Limits."

Brock had been thinking about the previous night in Kalamazoo. He tried to write about it. It was [Sometimes I wonder about these small towns. it seems strange that in a place like Kalamazoo, people are pretending to be...] no use. There just didn't seem [Very strange show last night. Everyone in Kalamazoo seems so uptight. The soundman...] to be anything to be said that was not as frivolous as the people there had been. Already it seemed part of some distant past that did not merit examination.

Skippy was singing redneck Virginia songs to Ken, who was enjoying them immensely. David Allen Coe. "He just goes on singing like that about the worst life anybody could have."

"If that ain't country, you can kiss my ass."

"Where are we ?" Gooch asked from under the stack.

"I don't know. Bill's gettin' pretty steady with the turn-arounds where I can't make a U-turn."

"Listen guys, we're right in front of the house," Gooch announced as the van lurched to a stop, "anyone who wants to come check it out better come with me."

The doors opened and everyone spilled out. "Hey Brock, Kastner says to lock up the back door when you come up. You just go up here to this light, turn right. Its a white frame house beside an eye doctor's."

Brock continued writing for a minute then shut his book and locked up the van. The house was easy enough to find. All the boys were hanging out in the front yard. Brock walked up. Bond Head passed him as he stood on the sidewalk. He seemed to share Brock's unsureness of what to do next. They both sat down on the curb. Bill and Bug Phace walked up.

"They got a cool store here. They got a real cool store here. They got 237 kinds of beer !" Bug declared.

"What kind ya get ?"

"Red Stripe."

They began arguing about who smokes who's marijuana and who shares with who and who owes who what.

A bearded guy with a cut-off t-shirt and a brown and black dog came up. He opened the car door, fished for something, and shut it, then walked around the back of the house with a buddy who joined him from the porch. The dog followed.

Bug Phace sat leaning against the back fender, brown bag beside him. Bill stood next to him. Gooch loudly taunted, "Maybe if we're reeeel nice Brock'll cook us some vegeteeerian spaghetti or somethin' tonight !" Then he belched.

Brock was listening to a radio blasting from a car somewhere behind. Crickets were singing. A large ant stopped before him. Bug Phace threw a stone and it disappeared. He belched, then spat. He was studying Brock with hard, sad eyes. He held his head in his hands.

The conversation turned to blow jobs and more teasing of Bug, "I don't believe that. He buys a six-pack of beer and won't share with anyone."

A girl walked up, her child at her feet. Brock looked up at the child from his notebook.

"She's shy..." the girl said.

The car started. Brock moved. It backed up, turned and left with the people who lived in the house in it. Bond walked off towards the van and everyone else went inside except Brock & Bug, who remained sitting on the porch.

"Oh fuck...like what the fuck..." John K could be heard inside.

Two cars pulled up. A group of four people walked by and Debbie came outside. She got in her car, moved it to where the other had been, and got out. "How was Kalamazoo ?" she asked, "where'd you stay ?"

"Promoter's house," Bug responded. Bond walked up.

You're missing it," Debbie said to him, "they're looking at all the pictures in there. There's a real good one of you in there." They went inside.

Ken came out. He had shaved and wore a pink, black, and white Misfits shirt. He sat on the bannister for a second then went back inside. Brocked stopped what he was writing and looked at Bug. He was pretty depressed and sat staring blankly at the back of his beer bottle. He looked up at Brock. Brock decided to let him read what he had been writing. He got up, handed Bug the book, and sat down again. Bug smiled and began reading. He muttered "Bug" and snickered. He was smiling again.

New lineup debut
Monday, February 12 2001
Posted by brockp
The Brock Pytel Band will debut a new lineup live on Friday March 2nd, 10 pm at the Anza Club located at 3 W. 8th Street (at Ontario) Vancouver, BC. Bombshell will follow at 11pm. Come early (9:30pm) for a chance to win a new CD.

Not Bad For a Wednesday
Thursday, February 8 2001
Posted by chrisk
Well, we played a coffee place last night minus Simon. I had my friends from Dorothy play as well as some other friends and we filled the place up. Not a huge accomplishment but it was fun just to play.

Brock's wife Heather brought their son Clem and my friends Dave & Jenn brought their daughter Finn. I really enjoyed watching the kid's reaction to all these people playing music. Finny wanted to dance but she was too shy to really cut loose. She busted a few moves though. And Clem was pretty quiet until later in the night but he had many a story to tell around 10:30.

The Dorothy guys played some Dorothy songs as well as a few things they've been working on. Ed the Dorothy drummer played an interesting set of guitar compositions on a guitar that he built himself. Rob Clark played some originals and a cool version of "Asshole" by Beck. Roger Young played his own stuff. I played my own songs, one of which we do in Brock's band. I forgot to do a John Sebastian cover that I like. For those of you that have Brock's album; Brock and I played Real Road, Burning Bridges and Second Choice. We also played a Creedence cover as well as Numbered Days by some band called the Doughboys. Brock finished up the night alone doing Dear Friend John and Service Interrupted.

Anyhoo I'm not fully awake yet and this entry is sounding more like a letter to my Mom than anything so I'll sign off.

Chazz's
Thursday, February 8 2001
Posted by brockp
Chris and I were a bit funny tonight at Chazz's; the "flu twins" barking out songs. I'm still kind of amazed that I didn't have a raging coughing fit in the middle of one. This is yet another time that I've had to play when sick, and somehow it always manages to come out alright. I guess the music wants to be heard despite me.

Well maybe there have been some times where things didn't come out right. One time in Champaign, Illinois with the Doughboys, it did not come out right. It kind of got worse. One of those shows where you just have to keep going until its over and you know it sucks bad but you are just dying and cannot do a thing about it. That show I was just starting to get sick and it was like a fever nausea kind of thing. Probably brought on by fatigue. The only other thing I remember about it was sleeping on someone's carpet that night in a basement. I think it was a green carpet...

Another time in Vancouver comes to mind also. This was one of those exhaustion casualties. I think we drove up from Seattle that day - we'd played the previous night at the Central with Capping Day and Full Fathom Five. The house we stayed at was one of the deals where the party follows you home and you eventually have to find a place to sleep amidst ashtrays and empties and stuff. Well, you know, you don't have to sleep in the ashes, I'm making it sound bad, but you know, move over and claim a corner and hope people eventually shut up and go to sleep. That morning I get up early - you always get up early when you sleep on someone's floor - and go hunting around the neighbourhood at about 7 am. I remember finding a flowering kale plant in someone's garden and ripping a few leaves off of it (cooked them up to eat before the drive.)

So anyway, I guess I was just exhausted. We pulled into the Town Pump and I was not able to sleep in the club or the van so I just hoped for the best. My friend Dana was there and suggested I eat lots of figs for energy. Here I am eating turkish figs hoping I will be able to wield my sticks without toppling over.

Oddly enough, the worst thing about that show was not my exhausted performance but the near fisticuffs between John K and Jonh Bond Head just as we were taking the stage.

Both had arrived on the stage wearing brand new Tupelo Chain Sex shirts. We must have recently played with them, and that makes me wonder if the Seattle story I'm remembering was a different tour, but anyways...they both have the Tupelo shirts on. John K looks at Bond and says, "You can't wear that shirt !!!"

Bond Head says something like (duh), "Why not, what's your problem ??"

Meanwhile the house music has turned off and the kids are coming up to the front of the stage watching. Kastner continues to insist that Bond Head take the shirt off and Bond eventually relents, fuming. Kind of weird to play a set with two guys who want to kill each other.

So all in all, tonight at Chazz's was far easier than any of that and good fun for all, I would say. Looking forward to playing out with the rock band.

Can you believe it?
Tuesday, February 6 2001
Posted by chrisk
Well Folks,
Here we are. Brock has given me a place of my own, a forum, somewhere to vent my unbelievable rage. When I told Heidi that Brock was setting this up for me all I got was a nervous giggle.

So, I'll give a bit of an introduction. My name is Chris. I play bass in Brock Pytel's band. I am a music freak and also a fervent reader of liner notes. This is how I came to know that Brock was the best songwriter in the Doughboys. That may sound like kissing up but it ain't.

I first saw the Doughboys in the fall of 1989. I think it was '89. Brock and I figure that we missed each other by about a month that first time. He had just left when I saw them play at Rm. 103 at the University of Guelph. They played with Chemical People from California. I had seen some cock rock bands before but this was my first "underground" show. I remember it so well because it blew all of my conceptions about playing music. It was the first time I realized that you didn't have to be a rock star to play music. That you could have a job and do things the way you wanted to and play the music you liked. I'm rambling. Suffice it to say that it changed my life.

And Home Again, what a record. Over the course of my life, every year I go through a month where I listen to that album. I have a few others like that, you know, they get better with age.

So, last year I was rereading the liner notes for Home Again and wondered,

"What ever happened to Brock Pytel?" He had written all of my favourite songs on the record with the exception of No Way. I wondered if he was playing music again so I looked him up on the net. It was SO '90's!

So, I emailed him a little blurb and that was that. A few months later there was an ad in the Georgia Straight (the weekly Vancouver entertainment rag) about a former Doughboy looking for a bass player and to make a long story short I got it. Cool eh?

Oh yeah. Brock used to live in Seattle and now he's moved up here to Vancouver. So that worked out pretty well.

I fear that my first entry into the ol' blog might be getting too long so I'm hurrying.

Tonight we practiced. We do this 3 times a week and tonight was mostly unremarkable except the band in the space next door was also practicing. And they had the bigger P.A. and we couldn't hear ourselves so that was that.

Brock and I will be playing together at a coffee place in Burnaby on Wednesday. The guys from the other band I'm in (Dorothy) will being doing some solo stuff as well, as well as their roomates, a friend and a guy I met outside of a Tom Waits show.

So, I'll sign off with a few things that have been on my mind. I will no doubt explore these ideas more in later entries.
1. What's the deal with mustaches? I've never gotten them and I don't think I ever will.
2. Are manners dead? People are SO impolite these days!
3. I think somebody has been stealing my mail. Seriously.
4. Have you ever noticed that people who wear those black leather runners (math teacher shoes) have abosolutely no personality?
5. Why would anyone go to a dance club?
6. The 2 most ridiculous TV shows I've seen recently are Blind Date and Temptation Island. Is everyone in their 20's emotionally immature? (See #5)
Anyhoo, I guess I'm starting to sound a little odd so I'll sign off for today.

Ladies and Gents...
Monday, February 5 2001
Posted by brockp
Well, here we go. A new web log is born. This time I am just the webmaster and someone else gets to do the blogging. I thought it would be fun for us to have a chance to spy on Chris's thoughts too. Now I'll really know what he thinks about how things are going in the big todo currently called the Brock Pytel Band. Matthew Good, eat your heart out.

So without further ado, and provided this test works properly, take it away, Chris...