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Notes From the Underground
By Arwen Curry

No-Show Business: Kids unhappy about Unwound's cancellation IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, a substantial cross-section of SC's indie-rock/emo/punk scene was all wound up to see Olympia's seminal Unwound on last Thursday at the mysterious Movie 1&2 on Front Street, home to the Halloween Headquarters in spook season as well as the permanent (forgotten?) "Help Wanted" sign in faded marker propped up in the window all year round. (Also, though perhaps not for long, it's the outpost for the Flickering Frame Society, purveyors of avant-garde film.) While some bands remained on the lineup for Monday night, it was with a tired resignation that local fans accepted Unwound's cancellation and the uncertainty of the rest of the show. With the sad air of a determined suitor who has been stood up one too many times but keeps crawling back, we wait for our favorite bands to drop us a line sometime. To find some solace in the boy next door, though, I just received a tape of Hombre Bala's show on 96.3 FM (airing on Tuesdays at 9pm) playing underground punk and ska in wide varieties, all en Espanol. It's a good time, even if the DJ isn't from Olympia. Arwen Curry Tattoo You Everyone's a slave to the needle nowadays. We know who you are, we know where it is. The government will soon begin tattooing Social Security numbers on foreheads (after they change the 408 area code to 666). You need to think about what type of tattoo is for you. A few years ago, my friend and I were pushed around by six jocks (we were singing a Faith No More song, so we deserved it) who had the same Fresno City College football tattoo on their biceps. Beautiful! Now if they had a tattoo of Tattoo--the late Herve Villechaise of Fantasy Island for the culturally ignorant--that would be a different story. Stay away from the Social Distortion "Prison Bound" kit. I tried tattooing the phrase M.R.R. (Maximum Rock & Roll) on a certain part of my anatomy, but only M.R. would fit. You could get a two-headed Virgin Mary tattoo on your gut and scare the Metamucil out of the elderly at Boston Market. Tattoo "Spring forward, Fall back" all over your arms if you always forget how that time change thing works. A massive anarchy sign on your derriere would outdo Gwen from No Doubt's dot or Cindy Crawford's mole. But then I saw this guy at Jalapeños with his entire face tattooed and realized, 'Now, that's punk rock.' Matt Koumaras Upcoming On Sunday, Riff Raff, Political Silence, SPFU, P.A.W.N.S., Reliance, What-Nots, Exploding Crustaceans and Buddys Riot play the Santa Cruz Still Sucks! CD release, a benefit for Above the Line, at Palookaville (7pm, $7). On Monday, Locust, Slight Slappers and Jenny Piccolo play in town (7pm, $5, all ages, look for fliers). [ Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]