Red Planet SF ME Festival
July 16th and 17th
Boomerang
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Even though we may not have been there, anyone who has ever been to a big, outdoor music festival knew exactly what went down at Woodstock 99. Oh yeah. We know about over-flowing porta-potties...the smell of burning garbage...the stench of death...devastatingly low supplies of munchies. And we know, also, that on that notorious weekend of fire, rioting, and looting, during the height of destruction, there stood, in the middle of it all, one guy. Just an ordinary guy, standing in a puddle of vomit, but on that fateful Sunday evening, that ordinary guy raised his voice above the rioting mayhem and screamed, "dude, that fuckin' rocked!"
Of course he's right. What is rock if it's not hot, violent, and stinky? But it hasn't always been like that. Once, rock was connected (by, usually, an ampersand or an apostrophed n) to it's erstwhile partner, roll. Remember when you could still say "rock & roll" without sounding like a dork? You know, when it was all, "hey, baby it's rock & roll," this and "let's rock & roll" that. People lived in a rock & roll world. They had fests, not paloozas. It was real, but not too real. It wasn't blood and guts and puke on your shoe. It was a show. A real rock & roll show.
So, yes. That's what I'm trying to say. The ME Fest was a rock & roll show. And who better to throw it than Red Planet. They were nominated for a damned Bammie. Plus, they've played other band's fests. Well, they've got that sound, don't they? The rock & roll sound. Pop hooks, guitar solos, a keyboard--yes, a rock & roll keyboard. There are so many things a band can do with that sound. They glammed it up for the David Bowie birthday bash See Jane Run threw at Slim's. They did a punk/arena rock thing for Petrol's Cheap Trick tribute at the Cocodrie. Then they played some festival in...I don't know...Chico or somewhere like that with The Brody's, and they thought, hey we could do this.
Hey. A rock & roll show. Red Planet would be the perfect hosts. First, it would have to be held someplace cool. Not just anyplace cool. It had to be cheap, but not too cheap: a dive but not a pit. Boomerang on Haight Street. Ah, yes. The cover could be cheap (five bucks) and the beer could flow like some plentiful, flowing...thing. The stage is a real stage, a little small, but high, higher than Slim's. The room is a little small, but that means the sound is kick-ass and people have to crowd in through the narrow doorway--they have to touch each other. Yeah.
Who to invite? Well, The Brodys. They're from Davis, but they've got a great, boozy, frat-rock sound, so they always have that same group of fans standing in a protective semi-circle around the stage, chugging beer and chant for one more song. And The Brody's do a story song! You know, a story song. How rock & roll is that? Who else? Petrol? Of course. They've got a local following, and they are oh, so fast-cars-and-cute-girls rock & roll. And they've got that sound. Oh, that sound--like Queen, or Sweet on testosterone injections. Sex66? Are you kidding? Of course. Rootsy and loud. Who could resist? Deathray: the guys from Cake doing something new. The pop rock of Everybody's Angels and the spiritual rock (think Live) of The Deacons. So, the line-up was there.
But what else could Red Planet do as hosts of this very, very rock & roll fest? They could greet everyone at the door (you know, by the pool table) with programs and mardis gras beads. They could decorate the Boomerang with flowers and candles--give the place a real Fleetwood Mac feel. But what else? What else do hosts of rock & roll fests do? The guys who are always jumping on stage and saying, "this fest is all about Peace & Love!" "This fest is about the farmers!" "This fest is about us!" So the Red Planet guys (you know, the guys: Jeremy Powers, Chris Dunn, Gordon Evans, and John Messier) jumped up on that stage every once in awhile, to introduce the next band, or, bowing to the requests of the fervent crowd, announcing "one more song" from The Brodys. Or just to say, "this fest is all about ME...me, me, me!"
But the crowd, the rock & roll crowd, wants more. They need closure. Red Planet has to take the stage. Yes! That sound! Those songs! It's only rock & roll. But, oh, it is such a show! Punk rock energy (if they could afford it, you just know Red Planet would smash stuff), smoke bombs, and tin cans full of fire. An audience member holds up a bottle of Jack Daniels; the band passes it around. How very rock. How very roll. All the time, Scotty Bruno--the manager--sits behind the stage, chain smoking, and looking like a Brit-pop music mogul. Right here in San Francisco! Can you believe it?
So could it happen again. Maybe. Maybe Red Planet will do it again next year. But for now, Red Planet is going to be playing the big music industry shin-dig, Nadine's Wild Weekend, next week, along with other ME fest bands, The Brodys, Deathray, and Sex 66. Check out the where, when, and whys here: www.nadineswildweekend.com/
Rock & roll, baby! Rock & roll.
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