Greetings, my darling boys and girls. As you can see from the header,
I spent March celebrating with a few of the Women-About-Town who make
the NYC Rock Scene a better (and more interesting) place to be!
First on the Calendar was Nell Mellon's Sweet Sixteen. The
intoxicating Nell is one of the lovely and talented mix masters
at NYC's premiere house of hoodoo, Otto's Shrunken Head (formerly
Barmacy) where, coincidentally, the party was held.
There were plenty of well-wishers besides yours truly, including Gass
Wilde of the Love Pirates, as well as every one's favorite bohemian,
Alan Rand, who presented Nell with an art piece in the form of
a birthday card. Mikey Ratt dropped in to liven things up, Sandy
Wave and Mike Surf of 9th Wave hung ten in time for the
show and The party wouldn't have been complete without Nell's best
friends, who tried so hard to make it the perfect party, that two
different friends showed up with the same luscious, beautifully made
cake from the East Village's favorite Bakery, Veniero's.
One of the highlights of the evening was the live show, provided by
the only two bands who could have possibly kept up with Nell: Banana
Fish Zero and The Blind Pharaohs! The show these respective
bands put out was a testament to how inspiring a presence Nell is. BFZ
gave one of the greatest performances I've ever seen them do, tearing
up Otto's with pulsing, raucous, mischief. Next up, The Blind Pharaohs
picked up the pace with their own foot-stompin' pussy-tearin' country/punk
brand of lovin', with new addition Bill Williams pounding skin!
Nell commandeered my tits for the evening, and between the two of us,
we raised the rating of many a photo album to Adults Only. The
tequila flowed, the house rocked, and the cake disappeared.
I had barely a week to recover, before it was back to Otto's Shrunken
Head, this time for a baby shower for the lovely and exotic Nelsha,
who slings a mean drink, and slugs a mean drunk behind the bar at Otto's.
The happy event started out as Girls Only, as Nelsha's close friends
and family were on hand with lots of gifts, some of which I can only
describe as appropriate!(most notable were the various rock icon rompers,
and the miniature drum set.) Nelsha was radiant at eight months, and
claimed to be in good health and had plenty of energy.
I, unfortunately, received inaccurate info, so while I didn't get there
in time for the shower, I was in time for the after show, which was
opened to all and organized by everyone's favorite uncle, Frank Wood.
The Disruptors, fronted by proud pappa-to-be Gunji took
the stage with a fury, power punching through an energetic set of pure
rock in the classic style.
Sick Duck was up next with a punk sound, new tunes with familiar
heart, crunch and energy, while poses were struck, and string changes
were weathered. This was the first time I had actually seen them, and
I enjoyed the spectacle mightily.
The pace of the show was perfect, with just enough time between sets
to mingle and say hi to some beloved aquaintances, such as the Grandparents
to be, Miss Marie, The Bead Queen, and her handsome husband John,
who are living proof that rock, sex and booze keep you young; I once
again ran into Gass Wild, who obviously knows where the good
parties are. Mikey Ratt was also on hand during the Sick Duck
set, to fill in with some killer jokes while technical difficulties
were disposed of.
The next act up was an amalgamation made up of Steve Pang(drums),
Philthy Phil(vocals), Arwen(bass) and Sean Crusher(guitar),
with Gunji coming in and out at regular intervals to help with
vocals. They dubbed themselves the Trouser Snake Charmers,
and for a group of people who have never quite played together before,
they did a great job, doing credit to roaring classics, such as "Let's
Kill the Landlord", and "Sonic Reducer". All
in all, they were a fitting replacement for The Snake Charmers,
who were unable to make the show, due to technical difficulties. Well,
we all understand, and Nelsh and Gunji got a hell of a congratulation
any how!
Thankfully, I had another week and a half before Heidi & Sarah's
Birthday bash, Held at none other than Don Hill's, compliments
of Music Meister Steve Blush. Heidi is yet another of NYC's talented
and memorable bartenders, and you can let her pour you a tall one next
time you find yourself at The Continental, one of NYC's best
punk venues.
This was too much party for one person, so it's a good thing that The
Drive drummer Sarah also had a birthday to celebrate.
This time, I did not go alone, and I had a great time hanging with
that eternal boogy woman, Lisa Lightning, who joined me at front
row center as the house filled up nicely to hear Sarah and the rest
of The Drive perform a pounding, roaring set of old and new songs,
crashing onto the stage and pouring over like a tidal wave. They've
swiftly become one of my favorite bands, with their relentless, full-blooded,
war-crying sound.
While the next band set up, I took the opportunity to say "Happy
Birthday" and greet some friendly faces that I haven't seen in
a while. It was great to see David Tanner, zipping around with
his customary energy, as he helped move things along both on and off
stage, and I also saw artist and Photographer Samm Cohen bouncing
around, sharing bubbles and joy with everyone.
Next up was the energy storm that goes by the name of Lourds,
striking the stage like lightning, and thundering through the hall with
a violin instead of Thor's hammer. The finishing touch was her usual
heart-stopping "SuperGirl".
Unfortunately, BFZ Bassist Prince Hal showed up too late for
The Drive's performance, for which he was sorry, but he stuck around
to celebrate any way, and hopefully checked out the next set, a performance
by Damn Near Alchemy, a hardcore thrash band with a little intelligence,
and a lot of courage. I was especially impressed with how they kept
going through an unusual amount of technical difficulty.(even for a
NY show.) When The guitar amp failed, Lead Vocalist Angus simply kept
up with an acappella version of the next song, until a new amp was found,(after
some incentive that was never collected) and they were able to triphammer
through the rest of their set, despite the mike malfunction, with no
visible self-conciousness. That's showmanship!
I decided to head for home at that point, at which time I once again
ran into Gass Wild, outside, this time in the company of The
wildly talented Lani Ford.
That was my last party for March, and I just want to ask one favor;
The next time any of you hear someone going on about how nobody in the
NYC music scene cares about any one else, or how we don't have any family
values, show them this article. Please.
Until I see you at your Party,
The Mighty Afrodite