CHRIS WALKER VS. THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL WITH BIRDMONSTER
Birdmonster should be one of the biggest names in rock music right now. Whether you define their sound as indie rock, alternative rock, country rock, whatever kind of rock – they should own it. Thing is, Birdmonster aren’t stupid. They’re not going to let record companies screw them out of money, publishing rights, etc. just so they can get their “big break”. Labels have come knocking but left the band unsatisfied so Birdmonster remain unsigned. When you’re unsigned you have a limited budget, making it difficult to get your name out there and your songs playing in the right places and therefore; a lot of people still don’t know what Birdmonster is.
I discussed this – and a lot more about the inner-workings/politics of the music business – with Zach Winter (drums, cello) and David Klein (guitar, piano) from Birdmonster during our drunken encounter at the Thunderbirds Are Now! show at The Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. How did this rendezvous come about, you ask?
Last week I was in San Francisco for business seminars during the day but had nothing to do at night. I was sitting at John Foley’s Irish House, drinking a pint, thinking, “Who do I know in San Francisco? What can I do for fun while I’m here?” Then it hit me: Birdmonster live in San Francisco. They weren’t touring and probably in town so, why not hang out with them?
When I got back to the hotel I sent the guys a message. The following afternoon I received a reply from Zach saying he was going to the Thunderbirds Are Now! show and if I was interested I should show up; so I, of course, did.
I got to The Bottom of the Hill as the first act was going on and posted up at the bar. The venue was relatively empty but filled steadily – lots of hipster kids and a borderline gothic couple making out next to me. I order a Jack and Coke. A guy in what I can only describe as a Russian looking hat and black fingerless gloves occasionally came by and got a drink. After the first band finished I saw him up on stage setting up a guitar. Next time he came to get a drink I talked to him and discovered he is “Baron von Luxxury”: lead singer/guitarist for the band Luxxury. He told me Luxxury was getting big in Europe and had just finished a line of successful overseas gigs; this would be their first performance since coming back to the States. I told him about Chris Walker Versus, explained Bands and Booze, and said if I liked his music I’d include him if he was interested. He agreed and gave me his business card.
Interesting side note: the background of Baron’s business card is the same as my girl who cuts my hair.
Luxxury play what I consider my guilty pleasure music: synth-heavy, indie-electronic sounding stuff. Like older My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (I say older because I haven’t listened to new TKK) mixed with The Faint, mixed with who really knows. It’s that whole sex, drugs, and rock and roll sound Louis XIV captures so well – only with electronic elements. Very cool stuff and Baron drinks, obviously, so I’ll be contacting him for an interview.
Midway through Luxxury’s set David called me to say he was thinking about coming down and Zach was already there. I told David something along the lines of, “You’ll find me at the bar; I’m the guy who looks completely out of place.” I’d just come from a training seminar wearing a button-down striped shirt tucked in, jeans, and…loafers (is that what you call them?). Not exactly indie rock show/hipster attire.
A couple drinks and text messages later, Zach found me. Not long after, David showed up and the drinking bonanza began. At least, the drinking bonanza as a group effort began. By the time our forces combined I was already two Guinness pints and three Jack and Coke’s deep; Zach had a beer in hand when he found me, and David killed a bottle of wine before coming to the show. David said, “You know, ever since I’ve been in Birdmonster I’ve been drinking a lot more.” Isn’t that what rock stars are supposed to do?
I bought the three of us a round of drinks. On top of that, David had a whiskey we all swore smelled like tequila. We talked about touring, the time St. Vincent (a CWV favorite) opened for Birdmonster, the Slim’s show, the douchebags at Pitchfork, and the drinking game you can play while reading Pitchfork album reviews we’d read about on Stereogum. Then we had another round. And probably another round after that. I talked to Baron von Luxxury again; he gave me a CD, some stickers, and a couple pins – very cool guy.
When Thunderbirds Are Now! came on, Zach, David, and I moved closer to the stage so we could watch the band. If memory serves me correct, Zach likes them a lot. Me, not so much. At least, not as much as I like Birdmonster. Their “Eat This City” song was pretty fucking catchy but nothing after really impressed me. And I think I might’ve told the lead singer that in the backstage patio after their set but, I don’t accurately recall. Might’ve been at the bar. Whatever. I will give Thunderbirds Are Now! this: they put on a very energetic show – which is always a plus.
After talking about Birdmonster’s upcoming tour (which starts today), how awesome the new album will be, and the quest to “make it big” their own way (i.e. see the first paragraph) Zach, David, and I went back inside to do shots. I don’t think we planned on having shots but that’s what happened. I also shared how, long before I started Bands and Booze, it was one of my goals to get Birdmonster to play Reno. It might’ve been the bottle of wine, whiskey, and beer talking but David agreed to come and play. I said, “Are you sure? Reno sucks for music. I can’t guarantee anyone will come out.” David told me they didn’t care because although they typically sell out major cities, they sometimes only get ten to fifteen people in smaller regions. They didn’t care – as long as they were playing music. So maybe/maybe not we’ll get a Birdmonster show in Reno. Cross your fingers.
Before long we were drinking with the owner of The Bottom of the Hill. She bought us all a round of shots and had one with us. What of, exactly? – I can’t remember. Realizing we were full-on-drunk, we called it a night. I paid my tab and we all shared a cab back to our respective pass out points.
Sensing the inevitability of a hangover, and knowing I had to be fresh for my 9:00 AM business seminar, I hi-tailed it over to Jack in the Box for a late-night grease-fest in hopes of appeasing the alcoholic gods. At Jack in the Box I found a crazy homeless guy harassing patrons. I thought he was funny so I bought him dinner and ate with him. Midway through our meal he thought it’d be funny to put a huge white guy sitting across from us in a choke hold. As you might imagine, this did not go over well. It took every ounce of convincing I had to keep the bum from getting thwomped.
Once we sat back down the bum’s whole demeanor changed, he became cold. He piled his food into a bag and I gave him my fries and drink; then he left. Crack-heads are funny.
As I was about to leave, another homeless guy – a MASSIVE black guy – approached me and said, “I saw what you did for the guy and that’s commendable –“
“There will be no more hand-outs.” I announced, cutting him off.
“No, no, man, I just want to talk. Tell my story.”
And sometimes that’s all people really need – an outlet. So, I told him I’d hang out for a minute. Here’s the
abridged version of his story: he started doing drugs, moved to crack; wife found out, he lost his job, wife kicked him out of the house; now he lives on the streets; he wants to get home, back to his wife.
I asked him, “Will twenty bucks help you out?”
“Shit, man. I’ll take anything.”
So, I gave him twenty dollars. It’s probably the third time I’ve given a bum money in my adult life. 99.9 times out of a hundred I ignore them and believe – not pretend – they don’t exist. And to his credit, he never asked for money. He even offered to share his can of Steel Reserve. I declined.
A couple minutes went by and he got uneasy, then he said had to go. I asked where he was going. He said to get a fix. Crack-heads are hilarious. Well, good luck making it back to your wife, junkie.
I went back to my hotel and crashed. During a break at my seminar (which I repeat: started at 9:00 AM) the next day, I text messaged Zach and David saying thanks for the fun time, my friends were coming into town, and if they wanted to hang out they were more than welcome. Zach texted back around 9:45 AM saying he was hung over and still not at work, unsure if he’d be able to go big again. David eventually got back to me – the following Monday night. Evidently, he’d spent the entire next day hung over and destroyed.
I think this experience might’ve made Birdmonster my new favorite band.
In other news…
Still working on the Margot story. Bands and Booze: The Second Run will start next Monday. Probably.
Also, there may not be a Four Track Friday this Friday. Oh well – visit Cooterpunch.
EDIT: I always forget to mention this shit:
Catch Birdmonster on Morning Becomes Eclectic this Friday at 11:15 AM and on their last tour of the year with CWV favorites: La Rocca.
Birdmonster: on tour with La Rocca.
10.20.06 Morning Becomes Eclectic, Los Angeles, CA
10.22.06 Hi Dive, Denver, CO
10.23.06 The Bottleneck (all ages), Lawrence, KS
10.24.06 The 400 Bar (18+), Minneapolis, MN
10.26.06 Schubas (18+), Chicago, IL *Ruckus Maximus will be attending.
10.27.06 The Shelter at St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI
10.28.06 Rockstar at Peabody’s (all ages), Cleveland, OH
10.31.06 CMJ – KCRW Showcase at Pianos, New York, NY
11.03.06 CMJ – ProductShopNYC Party at Studio B, Brooklyn, NY
11.04.06 CMJ – Underrated Magazine at Sin-e, New York, NY
11.05.06 The Trocadero (all ages), Philadelphia, PA
11.11.06 Be The Riottt! At Bill Graham (all ages), San Francisco, CA
Posted: October 19th, 2006 | Author: Chris Walker | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »