Velcro Kicks in the Palace

Velcro Kicks wrapped the show, which Baba ganoush opened and Friederick's teeth continued on Wednesday, October 14, at the Palace. This power duo has two familiar faces. Tony Mats was playing behind Olivia in Black Velvet Elvis, during their glory days in Zootown. And can that be Stagger Lee Rooster of Rooster Sauce Fame on the drums?

All three bands from this evening will soon be represented on the flickr archive. I'm looking at the images I captured during the Hellgate Roller Girls benefit. That is my next project.

Another ongoing project is my first print show, which is on the calendar for First Friday in December, at the Palace.

Halloween in the Zoo City, part 1

I was not the only Uncle Sam. There were at least four others in the Ritz Building, up and down, in the Palace and the Badlander. Two were obvious counterfeits, but this guy seemed to be the real deal.


Black Velvet Elvis said this was their last performance. Joe was already gone, Tony was planning his move to the east, and Olivia finally admitted she's moving to Portland. I know bands leave Missoula for bigger scenes all the time, and I still say, if all those bands had stayed here, this would be THE SCENE. BVE combined a ton of talent into a driving trio, one of my favorite groups on the scene. I saw them first on the eve of Valentine's Day, at the Loft, and twice at the Other Side, during the PBR Performance Series, last spring. I've tried to see them every time I could since then.





Olivia gave parting gifts to her loyal fans, including these panties with the phrase, "Shut Up and Fuck," in fancy script. I scored a t-shirt and felt very lucky to have a souvenir. Check the flickr archive for more images of this performance and the audience here.

Tuesday at the Ritz

Wartime Blues Powers Snowghost Party

Tuesday may not be a convenient night to see bands, but the Badlander and the Palace packed two high powered line-ups in the old Ritz Building, last Tuesday. Both were well worth the price of admission. The Snowghost party, in the Palace, featured bands who recorded in their Whitefish studio.

I made a point of getting downstairs early for Wartime Blues, because they brought in an impenetrable crowd last time around, and while I heard a sound I liked, I didn't see much, leaving without a single band photo. Bethany, who played cello with Good Neighbor Policy, is now part of this band, along with a drummer I photographed playing behind Wolf Redboy, some time ago.

This band has been added to my list of favorites. Down-home folksy, charming and rocking with a large assortment of instruments, including acoustic guitar w/pu, electric guitar, electric bass, stand-up bass, keyboards, drums, cello, banjo and mandolin.






BVE at the Badlander

Upstairs...
Olivia happily introduced several new songs, as well as presenting old favorites with new tempos. She's a major talent, and Tony can still play that ax, but I miss Joe.



And that was all I could handle of the evening, because I'm an old man and it was past my bedtime.

Letting Off Steam

Confession: sometimes I have anger issues. I can't watch faux news, for example. Software updates annoy me, and everybody is doing it. I hated Microsoft back when windows was the only culprit putting my computer out of commission during deadline work. Now, the web browser updates, my Adobe programs update (sometimes good; sometimes not), Apple programs I never use update, security system updates and, of course, windows still updates. All of these updates are capable of damaging other sub-systems, disappearing passwords or directories. I hate'em all. The worst are those that start a countdown to tell you when the system will restart to complete the the installation process.

The rich have become so arrogant as to ridicule the poor. It's one of those let-them-eat-cake moments. Four years ago, I couldn't believe the GOP got away with ridiculing all veterans wounded in the line of duty, with some crass joking at their convention. This year, I couldn't even watch for fear of bursting a blood vessel. The ruling class now laughs at the problems of common people.

Another confession: I can't come close to staying up all night, anymore. In fact, I haven't shut down a club in weeks. I couldn't stay up for the headliners at BVE's CD release party. I tried, but I couldn't. I did arrive in time to catch three lively tunes by Tater Pig, the opening band.


Ok, another thing that pisses me off is the discussion over which side to take with Russia and Georgia. Much more important is accepting that thieves lied us into the Iraq mess, and ending that war ASAP!

A million Iraqi civilians have died, because the people who start wars don't die in them, only the innocent do. Our tax dollars have been used to demolish another nation. The Republic is over; we are empire.

BVE at Total Fest

Newsflash: Joe played with Black Velvet Elvis at Total Fest, and said he would play all remaining gigs, until he left town. The latest development is Tony Mats talking about the possibility of moving to Atlanta.

If the bands who left Missoula for bigger scenes had stayed here, this would be one of the biggest scenes. Rolling Stone would have to come here.

Joe Leaves BVE

Who's missing? Joe is, because he is leaving Black Velvet Elvis. He's being coy about his reasons for leaving and about what he may do next. It isn't a stretch to assume he will be playing with another band in the future, but with whom and where? Rumor has it, he is contemplating a move to Portland.

Olivia can still sing, and Tony can play the guitar. That's a double understatement, because they are both terrific at what they do, but without Joe, BVE loses some impact. A drum machine is no substitute.

Joe will play with the group, for one more outing, during Total Fest. His congenial manner has made him popular on the scene, and everyone wishes him well with whatever he does next.

Black Velvet Elvis Benefits Lolo Community Garage

Joe Brennan on the drums.

Give a shout out for the Velvet Underground. How many remember that symbol on Tony's shirt?


Olivia needs no introduction.










































I always thought Joe could power through the longest set, but Olivia pushed him to melt-down this night. First, his glasses steamed up, and then there was a puddle by the drums. Olivia kept asking the audience if we wanted another one, and we kept screaming yes.