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Notes From the Underground

Half Full: It takes more than dog poop to dissuade the faithful THIS PAST WEEKEND SEEMED A BIT SLOW relative to the growing hype being caused by the upcoming AFI/Fury 66 show, which has kept the kids on Ritalin since it was announced eons ago. But a handful of underage music fans did their legwork last Friday, joining a larger herd of random but dedicated older young folks to see local faithfuls Junk Sick Dawn and Soda Pop Fuck You play the hometown with SF's Half Empty. Everyone was amused enough to stick around through the three bands' sets after the room was invaded by a nearly intolerable canine stench. SPFU stumbled around a bit with new material after running through their older stuff, grinning and bouncing as usual while their devotees imitated that "Circle Jerks guy," skanking in front. Half Empty piqued a broader interest with hardcore and ska lines layered over a rough melodic SF Bay punk sound a la Blatz. The lyrics, shuffled between singers Rachel and Ernst, steer away from the dogma practiced by many "political" punk bands and toward more hesitant observations, appealing to those of us wary of being enlightened by punk gurus. As the fecal nose-candy began to ebb into a more squat-like aroma, Tait Reed of Junk Sick Dawn screeched through a set of musician's music while onlookers took notes. Afterward, bassist James Feathers was spotted lecturing a young musician on how to achieve the perfect discord with a drumstick on the bass strings. After the show, small clutches of kids took off for various parties and such, scattering as usual. If you, too, have mused about the potential of a permanent all-ages space to congregate, play, practice, etc., contact Jeanette at 427-1607. She and other local musicians are attempting to organize such a project so we don't always have to hide from The Man. They could sure use your help. Arwen Curry Surfin' Safari Central Coast Airwaves--a biweekly cable TV show featuring local music with skate, surf, snowboard and "a little BMX" action--puts out its 50th show this month. The program has used material by Slow Gherkin, Mock, It. and other locals to back up the footage, and show producer Richard Barnick is looking for more. He will accept a pretty broad range of stuff. He especially likes instrumentals, because he can fade them in and out. Hardcore is okay, although Barnick just said "no" to Stench. "I couldn't use their stuff because they cussed and degraded people too much," he says. CCA runs on Channel 71 at 7:30pm on Fridays. It is also cablecast in the Salinas and Mountain View areas. Do the bands get credited? "Always, daddy-o, always!" says the producer. "When I run a band segment, you see the name of band, song and any other short, pertinent information." Interested bands should send their stuff to PO Box 3292, SC, 95061-3292. Upcoming Witchhook Sky plays at the Asti (715 Pacific Ave., SC) on Thursday with DILLIGAF (21 plus, 9:30pm, free). On Friday, Hangover, Noah and the Bagels, Abhorrance and The Young Ones play at Louden Nelson Center (all ages, 7pm, $3). Also on Friday, Dammit Jim! and Vacuum play at Rosie McCann's (21 plus, 10pm). On Saturday, you can check out Slow Gherkin with the Groovie Ghoulies and Meal Ticket at the Catalyst (16 plus, 9:30pm, $5.50). On Monday, Nuzzle plays live on KZSC-88.1 FM. (The show, Technophobic Planet begins at 8:30pm.) Michael Mechanic [ Metro Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]