BAAM DAAY THREEE

August 23rd, 2010 by Chris Mitchell

Day 3 of BAAM was not quite as frantic as Friday night, or rocking as Saturday. But it still held its own charm.

Stop 1 was Metro Bistro to see Omari/Sharrif, featuring the festival organizer Sharrif Simmons and his son. I wasn’t the only one coming to see them at Metro Bistro- Mayor William Bell showed up as well.  Simmons rapped over his son’s samples to an energetic crowd. At no time did Mayor Bell do any rapping. He was a nice guy who seemed genuinely enjoying a Sunday afternoon out.

Next, I went by Matthews Bar and Grill and heard some of Jason Bailey and Marcus Buckner. The mando/guitar combo was quite good- it was a real shame that not many people got to hear them. I chilled out, and could feel the weekend of running around town start to catch up. I needed to hit a couple more venues and go home and snooze.

So I went to Rogue Tavern, the scene the of the previous night’s rockings. It was still standing, and also unfortunately not nearly as full. I heard half the set of Six Gallery, who I hope I am not insulting in comparing to Sunny Day Real Estate.  Pretty good show. As you can see in the pics below, their singer can belt it out.

Last stop, Workplay. I’m a big fan of Duquette, with or without his Rebel Kings. Unfortunately the near darkness of Workplay enhanced my tiredness. I hung out for 5 songs and kicked to the house.

All in all, I echo Whitney’s thoughts on BAAM- especially about wanting to help it next year. But I also think that Mary Colurso makes some good points in this story. I think my experience Sunday matches her’s about the small crowds during the day.  I think the biggest challenge is geography- we are not Austin. But I am very hopeful for the future, and had an absolute blast this weekend.

So check out some more pics from Sunday and try to recover from the shock of this flurry of activity here on bham.fm. We promise to be better slackers soon.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in pictures, show post | No Comments »

BAAM Night 2: Skybucket Showcase

August 22nd, 2010 by Whitney Sides Mitchell

I wanna refer this post and all it encompasses as “GOIN’ ROGUE”. Just puttin’ a lil’ ill-fated politico humor in there for ya.

Saturday was a whirlwind to mimick well, only Friday-like proportions at BAAM’s inaugural Arts + Music Fest that spanned venues citywide.

Rogue Tavern on 2nd Avenue isn’t traditionally known for being a hotbed of kickass local music, particularly of the caliber that Skybucket Records brought Saturday night. I hear (and silently seeth everyday) that the damn Black Keys played a secret show there once on some random in-between cities whim, but otherwise… I love Rogue for their beer, homemade chips and expensively revitalized aesthetic. BAAM’s fledgling first fest went a long way to change that. I hope Rogue gets the hint (I know a certain booking agent who’ll promote a lil’ strange for some musical change *ahem*).

The stars of the night were Delicate Cutters (who NEED to play often and more often!), 13ghosts, Through the Sparks and fan favorites Vulture Whale. All of their music was available to buy at the showcase, but you can still support local music that is worthy of your monies at SKYBUCKET.com. It was an amazing concerted effort from the bands, the fest and Skybucket… and it brings back sweet, Austin-infused memories of Birmingham’s past two raucous showcase at SXSW in ’09 + this past year.

As a music writer for who knows how many outlets, I swelled up with an immense amount of pride at the sheer amount of folks that showed up. A packed bar, filled with familiar faces and new ones. White, Black, Asian and Bedreadlocked… folks came out. That is something that promoters in our city, the festivals organizers and especially Travis Morgan of Skybucket Records have put the hours, hope and backbreaking work into. And yet still, to see a full house of fans paying $15 a ticket to see Birmingham’s finest is something NO ONE could’ve imagine even a year ago (see: City Stages’ last gasps for air last summer).

I’m a seasoned hater and card-carrying Birminghamster, but I felt my heart flutter a lil’ last night. And IT WASN’T JUST ME.

Look at the BABY POST BELOW! Errrrrybody had their game faces (and requisite headphones) on for the onslaught. I debo’d my professional photog husband’s expensive gear and got some GOLDEN shots. Feel free to proliferate, because I honestly can’t claim any artistic merit besides a fancy camera and boys in bands providing funny expressions!

Hey BAAM, holler atcha girl. I wanna throw down/help out/streetwalk to raise some funds for next years’ festivities! You know where to find me!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in locals, pictures, reviews, show post | No Comments »

Seen at BAAM: Baby rocks headphones

August 22nd, 2010 by Whitney Sides Mitchell

We’ll have more later on night 2 of BAAM fest. It was a good time. This kind of sums it up- this baby is rocking out with noise canceling headphones. Thanks to Hannah and Greg Slamen for making such a beautiful baby!

baby headphones 2 Seen at BAAM: Baby rocks headphones

Posted in pictures | No Comments »

BAAM Night Out- Friday

August 21st, 2010 by Chris Mitchell

How many bars can one go to in 4 hours and soak in some sweet BAAM action? I decided to see what kind of damage I could do and get a sense of the festival.

Stop 1. I enter Bottletree at 9:45 to catch the very end of Gum Creek Killers/Grey Haven. Sounded good- wish I had gotten there earlier. Nice Crowd1 gumcreekkillers 300x234 BAAM Night Out Friday1 greyhaven 300x160 BAAM Night Out Friday

Stop 2. Since Green Seed isn’t going on until later, I make a run for the Nick to see the The Dirty Lungs. They are sufficiently dirty, and I have a beer and listen to 3 songs. Decent crowd.3 dirtylungs 300x200 BAAM Night Out Friday3 dirtylungs2 300x154 BAAM Night Out Friday

Stop 3. It’s 10:20. Let’s go by Stillwater Pub. I catch 3 songs of what I think is The Big Nekkid. Not my thing, but hey, whatever. Stillwater charges me two extra dollars because I only want to put 1 beer on a credit card. I guess I understand (yet still here I am calling them out on it). Nice crowd here too.4 thebignekkid 300x200 BAAM Night Out Friday

Stop 4. Back to Bottletree at 10:45. Here is my negative statement that I said a few times last night- someone pulls out a turntable, and Bottletree is empty. It’s too bad- I love The Green Seed, and what I heard was the usual quality hip hop that they are known to produce. 5 thegreenseed 300x264 BAAM Night Out Friday

Stop 5. Last stop of the night for me- Parkside. Positively packed- but most aren’t there for the acoustic music in the back patio by Sam Pointer. 20 minutes to get a beer, and take some pics. Sam was really good- lots of strange sounds coming out of an acoustic. 6 sampointer 300x201 BAAM Night Out Friday

Stop 6. Walmart (not pictured). There wasn’t anything BAAM related at Walmart, but when you go to 4 bars in a night, you gotta get some stuff for your poor wife who missed all the fun.

Overall, I was impressed with the crowds. I imagine some people weren’t happy showing up to their favorite bar and being told  that it was $15 to get in, but it did seem that more people than I expected were inside each venue.  Tonight will be different for me- the plan is to park it at Rogue Tavern and see the slate of bands there. BAAM made a good first impression. For more info on BAAM, check out their site.

Posted in Miscellania | No Comments »

Best place to get your BAAM on: Skybucket Showcase at Rogue Tavern Saturday

August 19th, 2010 by Chris Mitchell

bamm 194x300 Best place to get your BAAM on: Skybucket Showcase at Rogue Tavern Saturday

Birmingham has a wild and crazy 12 venue wide music fest this weekend- BAAM. Too many shows to list here, including bham.fm favorites The Dirty Lungs and Duquette Johnson. Check out their site for the long, long list.  But the show to see is 4 acts at Rogue Tavern on Saturday night- The Skybucket Showcase That’s Not In Austin, if you will.

Here is the lineup: Saturday, August 21 @ Rogue Tavern starting at 8pm:

8-8:45pm – Delicate Cutters

9-9:45pm – 13ghosts
10-10:45pm – Through the Sparks
11-11:45pm – Vulture Whale

That is good stuff.  Tickets to BAAM are $30 for the whole weekend, and $15/day. If you just paid $15 for this show, you’re getting a pretty good deal. So go support Birmingham Music this weekend!

Tags:
Posted in show post | No Comments »

query? whois: jon_black

August 8th, 2010 by Chris Mitchell

(update: Jon’s last show of his residency was quite good. here are some pics from the show)DSC 4232 300x232 query? whois: jon blackDSC 4206 300x200 query? whois: jon blackDSC 4201 300x200 query? whois: jon blackDSC 4190 300x200 query? whois: jon blackDSC 4178 300x200 query? whois: jon black

There is one criticism that is impossible to levy at Birmingham’s Jon Black- that you just don’t hear from him that often. Now in the middle of  making 5 EPs, a podcast, and a series of free live shows, Jon is putting his music out there. It is jarringly different than clicking on a band’s myspace page and hearing some songs. Jon is doing interesting, innovative things, so after his first free show at Bottletree, I asked him about it:

CHRIS:  You  have some interesting ideas about how to create and distribute your music. Tell me about Up from the Ground…

JON: Last summer the label I was on shut down and I realized that was completely in charge of what happened next.  So, I decided I wanted release a steady stream of content instead of just an album and I named it the Up From The Ground Project because I felt like I was really starting over with my career.  The whole project will take over a year to complete (5-EPs) and by the time the next EP releases, the one prior to that will be free.  My biggest fear is not having my music heard and I’m eliminating the biggest barrier (cost to the listener) in order to have it heard.  The second barrier for listeners is time and that’s nothing I have control over.  We’re sitting in a interesting point in the entertainment and art world because of the internet and I can now write a song, record it, and the distribute it across the world within 24 hours (and that’s being generous… you could do it in an hour if you wanted).  This project could totally fail but I figure it’s better to try something different than to keep beating a dead horse.

UFTGv2 rgb high copy 300x300 query? whois: jon blackCHRIS: You are about to play your last of 4 free shows at Bottletree. Discuss how you decided to try this, and how you structured the shows- did you have specific goals in mind for this, or was it more of a “let’s see what happens” attitude?

JON:  I got the idea for the series of free shows from other artists and music scenes.  It’s not uncommon for bigger music markets to have a summer residency with new and familiar artists (ex. Wilco did a 5-night residency in Chicago, Patterson Hood did a 3-night residency in Athens, etc.).  It’s really a great thing for everyone when it’s executed right.  The artist/band gets to play in front of people and the club gets to make money on alcohol/food sales.  Some residencies aren’t free but when it’s someone in my place, still developing a live show and a fanbase in Birmingham, it’s not uncommon to see free residencies.  Bottletree has been really cool about trying this experiment and I think it’s been successful.  I’d love to see the idea live on in the future (whether it’s with me or another great local band).

CHRIS:  I discovered, quite by surprise, that your song Gravity (Don’t Let Me Go) opens the Joystiq Podcast- a popular video game focused podcast. Talk about how you ended up on it, and in what ways has this helped or possibly hurt your music.

JON:  The Joystiq guys are great! I’ve been a fan of their stuff for a while and Justin McElroy reached out to me when he found out I loved the site and was a musician.  He asked if I had something they could use for the intro to the podcast and I happily gave them some music and it’s been really great for me and as a fan of the site and of video games it’s cool to somehow contribute.  I’ve seen a lot of folks check out my songs and download them because of it.  I wouldn’t say it’s hurt me or limited my audience at all.  There are a lot of people out there that play games and love great music and I really want them hear my songs.  If they don’t like it because it’s not “angry” or “gamer” enough then that’s fine.  There are plenty of bands out there that appeal more to that niche market (DJ Chris, I Fight Dragons, and so on).  Any help I can get I’m thankful for and the joystiq crew have been more than helpful.  I think it’s pretty clear after hearing my music that I’m not trying to focus on that nerdcore audience and I think that some gamers might feel tricked or disappointed but that’s okay.  That being said, if I WERE going after a nerdcore/geek rock audience then I would have struck gold with the Joystiq podcast Intro.  There are other artists out there that would benefit more than me and I think that’s great.  I don’t think my song will be the intro forever and I’m really happy and thankful they’ve used it for so long.  It’s been great exposure.

CHRIS:  A byproduct of being on a popular video game podcast is that Gravity is available to download in Rock Band. How did it end up there and have you tried playing your own song? In general terms, can you tell us how popular it is/if you’re now rich?

JON: The guys at Joystiq connected me with the RockBand folks and that was an amazing experience.  The team at Harmonix are all in local and regional bands around Boston and they speak “musician” so it’s easy to work with them.  It’s been a cool to be on RockBand and fun to see people play the game and then go check out my songs and as a result of the RockBand game I am now a millionaire… and by millionaire I mean: I haven’t seen a paycheck from it yet but I’m not expecting much.  It’s more of a promotional thing in my mind.

gravity individual artwork 300x300 query? whois: jon blackCHRIS:  After your 5 EP plan, are you even considering what’s next? Or are you focused solely on the present?

JON:  I’m always trying to think of the next step and I have some ideas but nothing set in the stone.  I do want the next project after the EP series to be a full length record but we’ll see… I really love the idea of interacting with other musicians and fans around the world and seeing if we could create something together.

CHRIS:  Why the “Who is”? and what did you do to the Winter Hearts between EP1 and EP2?

JON: The “Who Is” came from my old label as a clever marketing thing we attempted.  The marketing thing didn’t grow legs but we all really liked how “Who Is Jon Black” sounded and decided to use that as the website and such.  We felt it sounded mysterious and invited people to discover who I am.  Also, jonblack.com was taken.  The Winter Hearts will make a return for the third EP and the fourth and fifth will just be Jon Black.  The idea is that when you see “The Winter Hearts” on the art you’ll know it’s supposed to be a rock project.  When it’s just my name it tends to lean more folky, acoustic, alt-country, whatever.  The line between the “Jon Black” EPs and the “Jon Black & The Winter Hearts” EPs is blurry because I do all the writing and control all the details but I do think it’s different enough though.  It all works really well in a live setting.
CHRIS: What are you listening to these days?

JON:I’m listening to some great mid-90′s stuff.  I’ve been revisiting some of the stuff I listened to in high school and college to see if any of it stands the test of time.  Some of it did not stand the test of time.  However, these did: Sunny Day Real Estate: LP2, Robert Deeble: Earthside Down, Pavement: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, Bad Religion: Stranger Than Fiction, Pixies: Doolittle.  There are other’s that are still amazing but those are the ones that come to mind.

CHRIS: What’s a great local band you’ve heard that you think people should check out?

JON: One of my favorite local bands is The Great Book of John.  I love them.  Such a great band.  I also think The Green Leaves and War Jacket have a really special thing happening.  Birmingham has so many great bands and the world really needs to know what’s happening here.  What I love about the local scene here in Birmingham is that we actually have a local scene unlike some of our large-city neighbors.  Getting people to pay attention is a different battle…

CHRIS: Where are your favorite places to play? (besides Bottletree, of course…)

UFTG artwork 300x253 query? whois: jon black

JON: My five favorite places I’ve played (in no specific order): Bottletree, Workplay, Schuba’s (Chicago), Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta), the Basement (Nashville).  Each of those rooms offer something completely different for the artist and the listener.  The one thing that sticks out to me for each of those room is that they’re all small(ish) and they create a great intimacy (yes, even for loud rock shows).

*****

After asking Jon these questions, I listened to 3 of his podcasts. If I had done that first, this interview would have been much shorter:  “Should we listen to your podcast to learn everything that’s going on with you, and be entertained?” and Jon would have said “yes”.  I highly suggest that you listen to a couple of them to find out more of Jon.  Don’t forget you have one more chance to see Jon live at Bottletree Tuesday, August 10 for FREE. Do it!

Tags:
Posted in Face to Face | No Comments »

Metal Phil’s Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

July 27th, 2010 by Phil Lawless

(Sure, my phantasmagorical foray into writing full-time had ended, but my street cred as a no-holds-barred metal reviewer was still pulling strings. After my abrupt retirement, CDs kept arriving in the mail, and, sadly, I never had time to review them. In two columns, I will pay my debts and give these bands the opportunity they so richly deserve. Here’s hoping they enjoy their shining moment…appearing in one of my bham.fm columns!)

THE GOOD
Black Breath – ‘Razor To Oblivion’ & ‘Heavy Breathing’ – Southern Lord02735 Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal
Man, the ‘Razor To Oblivion’ ep hit my sweet spot on the first listen. Galloping death ‘n’ roll with some hardcore/doom leanings…these kids definitely got it. The CD had only four songs – a blissful 14 minutes of pure rock mayhem. And damn if my sleep-deprived brain didn’t soak it up like a sponge. I’m talking serious re-listens here. The chunky riff of the title track makes my ears perk up every time, while ‘Fatal Error’ just drives the knife deeper with tons of kinetic energy. The centerpiece of the ep, ‘Beneath the Crust,’ just refuses to quit with riffage galore, including a sick, sick outro riff for its full final minute. Closer ‘Murder’ is another gem with slicing lyrics and a sinful simmering intensity.
I give ‘Razor to Oblivion’ an unheard of 5 delicious Milo’s Burgers out of 5!

milosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

Black Breath’s full-length, ‘Heavy Breathing,’BlackBreath cvr 0510 Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal arrived in the mail a little while later. Opener ‘Black Sin (Spit on the Cross)’ seemed to pick up where the ep had left off. Bash and bang at 100 miles per hour for the first half of the song, groove riff and growls for the second half. But, further listens to the album showed the band had added a few new tricks. There’s speedy Euro-speed tendencies here, along with some thrash-balladry. Notable tracks on ‘Heavy Breathing’ include the burly ‘I Am Beyond,’ the blues-death ‘Unholy Virgin’ and the ferocious ‘Fallen.’ With 40 minutes of music, it feels like the full-length maybe led to a drop in intensity for the band. But, they more than made up for that by incorporating new sounds and textures. Black Breath definitely deserved the opening slot on Converge’s last U.S. tour.
Enjoyable, but not the ass-kicking tornado the ep was. Still, I’ll give ‘Heavy Breathing’ 4 delectable Milo’s Burgers out of 5!

milosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

THE DECENT
Virulence – If This Isn’t a Dream…1985-1989 – Southern LordVirulence If This Isn’t A Dream Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal
Virulence’s backstory is important to this release. Basically, some guys from Fu Manchu were in a hardcore/metal crossover band from 1985 to 1989. Okay, cue your typical D.R.I. and Black Flag worship. But slowing down and really thinking about it, I guess that’s not entirely true. You can hear that Virulence had some definite stoner riffs in them, even back then. Much like every slow-down hardcore band, they name-drop the Melvins as their main influence. And, honestly, Virulence’s slow songs come off a lot better than when Black Flag decided to imitate Saint Vitus. None of the songs are particularly terrible; none of them are particularly ground breaking. But they’re definitely enjoyable if you just can’t get enough doomy-core. And for one price you’re getting the band’s album, demos and live tracks on one CD…20 songs, 79 minutes of music. It’s a pretty good deal, especially if you’re a Fu Manchu fan who’s been searching high and low for their out of print music.
For style and completeness, I’ll give ‘If This Isn’t a Dream…1985 to 1989’ 3 appetizing Milo’s Burgers out of 5.

milosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

Javelina – Beasts Among Sheep – Translation Loss Recordsjavelina beasts small Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal
Javelina are mining the same ground as Black Breath, but I end up feeling they’re not as successful. Musically, the band is a tad more simplistic. I gotta give them anti-social style points for opening their album with a song titled ‘You’re Going to Hate This.’ ‘Towers of Silence’ is something of a ballad that stands out from the usual sounds, and ‘Black Lizard’ has a southern-rock tickle that I enjoy. Doomer ‘Playing the Nuclear Option’ is a nice picture of slow agony. While the album is far from terrible, it just never made a strong impression on me. Sure, the genre basics are all covered, but there are no real angles to make the band all that memorable.
Pretty easy to see where we’re headed here. ‘Beasts Among Sheep’ is earning 2 succulent Milo’s Burgers out of 5.

milosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosgood Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

THE UGLY
Walken – Walken – Self-Releasedimages Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal
I remember really, really not liking this when I got it. And listening to it again, my memory is refreshed as to why. Revivalist thrash with boring progressive note-worship thrown in. Seriously, these songs seem to drone on forever, and I just get plain worn out by all the noodly, proggy parts. The vocals definitely aren’t all that, and the lyrics are overly verbose and silly. Also the 11 track album includes four instrumentals; that really seems like overkill. As I worked, my brain repeatedly tuned this album out. More than once, I’d come up for air and realize the same damn song was still droning on eight minutes later. Blech.
I lost my friggin appetite. Sadly, ‘Walken’ gets ZERO drool-inducing Milo’s Burgers out of 5.

milosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metalmilosbad Metal Phils Metal Review Roundup (Part 1) With Metal

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Metal Mania, reviews | 1 Comment »

American Refugees

July 26th, 2010 by Adam Martin

Homeless American Refugees

What is your first instinct upon approaching a homeless person in 5 Points South? Do you reach for spare change? Lower your head and quicken your pace? Pretend to have no money or make an excuse like “I only have my credit card”? Become irate because there’s no way in Hell you’re giving your hard-earned money to a crazy drunk/drug addict?

This is really a trick question, since your chances of encountering the homeless in 5 Points are extremely low. Most “homeless” there are actually professional panhandlers, who most likely have a warm room where they count their money from the night’s exploits. Somehow, we as a society have conflated homelessness with panhandling. Our perceptions are not entirely uninformed, however; many panhandlers will claim homelessness as a defense for their begging. To hear it from the true homeless of the city, 5 Points is a place to be seen, and that’s something most of them would like to avoid.

Despite their reluctance to show themselves publicly, several have made their stories available for us to see and know and feel what it is like to be at home on the street. Former Birmingham native Jason Wasserman (who you may recall from our scene history as a founder of early DIY club Unity 1605 and a member of None But Burning) spent four years on an ethnographic project at UAB along with Dr. Jeffrey Clair and the students of a class they team taught, ultimately culminating in the film “American Refugees: Homelessness in Four Movements”. Here, “Movements” refers to the musical score, composed by Patrick Houston, in which each of the four chapters of the film is accompanied by an appropriate musical mood. The slow arpeggio minor chord and note movements give way to intense, percussion-thumping, heavy-hitting power chords as the film’s story channels the emotional spectrum of homelessness.

“American Refugees” debuted last month at Speakeasy–an appropriate venue, given that its proprietor George Cowgill and Wasserman worked together on another documentary “0274: Rezulin and the Death of Monica George”. Thanks to the support of the community who participated in the film screening, about $1,000 was raised for The Church of the Reconciler and The Firehouse Shelter.

Noticeably missing from the list of recipients of donations are big-name organizations such as Jimmie Hale Mission. This choice is best explained by the examination of homelessness policy and “treatment” offered in the written accompaniment to the film, “At Home on the Street: People, Poverty, and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness”. First, notice that I quoted “treatment”; Wasserman’s interest in homelessness was piqued because of what he calls the growing “medicalization of homelessness”–the idea that homelessness is necessarily medically, not socially, defined. As a doctor of medical sociology, he wanted to examine the viability of such a treatment, and failing that, offer a social explanation.

Many aid shelters, religious and otherwise, operate on the basis of treating addiction as a means of solving the homeless problem. As it turns out, to qualify as being homeless, one must either present with drug addiction or mental illness. This is best illustrated with an experience Wasserman had while going underground at a shelter to make observations: while eating dinner, someone asked him what drugs he was on, then told him he had better come up with something to be on because he wouldn’t get a bed without an addiction. Wasserman’s new friend didn’t stop there; he offered suggestions for drugs to claim he was addicted to that were most believable because of their minimal physical effects and widespread use. Not only will use of the shelter’s facilities be denied on this basis, but even much-touted job training and education programs are off-limits until a participant graduates from a drug addiction/rehabilitation program. As the film and book observe, these catch-22s often serve to further alienate the homeless population and cause them to choose the street over shelters and their “recovery”.

Another problem with the current treatment of homelessness is that it is an industry. Much like police need crime to exist so they can exist, homeless shelters need homeless people. As obvious as this seems, the repercussions are enormous. Many shelters have quotas to fill in order to receive government funding, and these quotas are too often attached to artificial metrics designed to attempt an objective measurement of the shelters’ efficacy. To bring this idea into perspective, I’ll illustrate with an example of metrics in use at my part-time delivery job. Our company keeps a customer service “score” that is based solely on the amount of time lapsed between the time an order is placed and the time it is logged out of the store for delivery. Anything over a certain time is automatically late and subtracts from the customer service score. No quarter is given for delivering next-door or maintaining accurate delivery quote times.

The common thread between my job and homeless shelters is that somewhere along the way, someone established a standard that is now widely accepted within the industry and rarely questioned or reevaluated in spite of change. The difference is that where the worst-case scenario for my job’s metrics is that someone goes too long without food they can afford, and will probably get their order free if they raise a stink about it. The worst-case scenario with shelter metrics is that not filling quotas means less funding, less food, fewer people to feed, and no manager to complain to for a free meal because you aren’t happy with the results. When your food is running late, you have the choice to cancel and eat somewhere else or go home and cook. When you are homeless, though, you have no choice. Waiting for your next meal is no mere option–it’s a reality.

The average American is merely 3 paychecks away from homelessness. In this economy, we should ALL be concerned about homelessness policy if we hope to avoid becoming a statistic and succumbing to a stigma.

For more information on “American Refugees” and “At Home on the Street”, visit At Home on the Street.

Posted in Miscellania | 2 Comments »

Jon Black Summer Residency @ Bottletree- Week 1

July 21st, 2010 by Chris Mitchell

Jon Black is doing a show each Tuesday for 4 weeks (starting yesterday) at Bottletree. I went down and checked out the first of these free shows and even took some pictures. Friend of bham.fm Duquette Johnson and the Rebel Kings opened up for Jon. Look for an interview with Jon coming up where I’ll ask him a bunch of questions, but for now, gaze upon the pics of men wearing flannel and playing great music. Both acts represent some of the best Birmingham has to offer musically, and if you don’t go to the free show next Tuesday then you are a bad person.

Posted in pictures, show post | No Comments »

OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!

July 14th, 2010 by Phil Lawless
IMG00166 1024x768 OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!

Zoroaster at the Nick...via my Blackberry

A funny thing happened at the recent Melvins show. A ton of people showed up. Seriously, shit was a legit sell out. Not only that, but a ton of OLD people showed up. I saw dudes at that show that I haven’t seen in a Birmingham club since the turn of the century. There were more vintage concert shirts in that place than you could find in a ‘funky NYC rock boutique.’

So, I’ve decided my return to the writing world will be a call to the other old farts in Birmingham. Seriously, my fellow old dudes, if you’re into music, where the hell have you been? The next generation of Birmingham music gourmands is working their fannies off to bring fresh, interesting music to our town. And we’re seriously letting them down. We complained all during the 90s about no music and no clubs, yet here we are disappearing like vapors whenever an awesome band rolls through town.

Honestly, what do you really have to do that keeps you from coming to shows? You gotta spend another night in that recliner scratching your balls and watching Mythbusters reruns? You gotta spend more quality time with your ungrateful kids/pets? You gotta make sure you get a full 10 hours sleep before you roll into that job you friggin hate?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not getting all righteous here. Unfortunately I’m right there with you. After a couple of shitty life turns, I now spend 90 percent of my time doing shit that I absolutely hate. I mean completely and absolutely hate. I’ll say it. Screw cutting the grass. Screw washing clothes. Screw my lousy job. Screw my annoying dog. Screw being sober. Screw hernia surgery. Screw getting no sleep. Seriously.

But a while back, I decided if I’m going to be miserable, I’d go ahead and be miserable seeing rock shows. The Melvins show was my return to the live music world, followed closely by a barnburner at the Nick featuring Zoroaster, Black Tusk and Dark Castle. These shows reinvigorated me in a way that I can’t fully explain. Sure, my life is still pretty much a gift basket of dog diarrhea and rotting rat carcasses. But seeing the Melvins sludge through their Flipper cover and watching Zoroaster bumble through their buzzing dirges…it just improved my outlook.

I now have a hand-written show list stuck on the fridge. I even draw little pentagrams next to the shows I really, really want to attend. Now when somebody is really on my tits, or when I’m stumbling through 16 days without an off day, I can look at that list and do my best to smile.

And damn is there a lot to smile about. Below is an abridged version of my refrigerator show list with a couple reasons why my fellow old farts might be interested in these bands. Just do me one solid. If you see me at one of these shows sleeping in a corner, wake me up before the headliner hits the stage.

July 18, 2010 – Firehouse
Genesis Climber w/ Raw Nerves, Korova
Genesis Climber is proggy-ish stoner space rock with a dash or Rush worship thrown in for good measure. Raw Nerves is a classic-style hardcore band from Oregon. They’ve masterfully blended their Discharge influences with their Repulsion influences. Meow! (Check out my interview with local hos Korova here.)

July 25, 2010 – Firehousethoulogo 500x296 300x177 OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!
Thou w/ Altar of Plagues, Velnias, Clovenhoof
Thou has played Birmingham a couple times now, and they’ve developed a decent local following. Think dark molasses doom with some screamed vocals thrown in. All of their songs are long, slow and noisy, just like sex with your mom. Don’t believe me? You can download a good bit of their discography on their website noladiy.org/thou.html.

300 OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!July 29, 2010 – Firehouse
Judas w/ The Love Below, Legion
This is a hateful trio of skull-bashing cromagnon-core. Even without Judas and The Love Below, I would recommend this show just for local openers Legion. These guys have toured their asses off, and their destructo-noise is sure to crispify your eardrums. If you attend this show, I personally guarantee you ears will be ringing the next day. You know, a deep juicy ringing that will prevent you from hearing your co-workers complain about losing money in the snack machine.

August 1, 2010 – Firehouse
Ceremony w/ Punch, PS Eliot, Korova, Black Hole Kids
Awwww shit. Ceremony is baaaack. Caught these slash and burn bums at Cave 9, and their set was both vile and violent. Think Minor Threat hooked on crystal meth with a dash of rock histrionics thrown in. And again, we’ve some great local openers here. PS Eliot is pure sugar-coated twang, and Korova back to back with the Black Hole Kids is the musical equivalent of a broken glass enema.

August 5, 2010 – Bottletree3771865613 60fb90e090 300x300 OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!
Torche w/ Beings
Torche are back again for an off again/on again show at the Bottletree. Buzz on the street is they’ve finished a new EP, and if it’s anything like ‘King Beef’ from their split with BORIS, it’s gonna severely twist your curlies. I’m guessing they got really sick and tired of being called pop doom. (Check my interrview with Steve from Torche here.)

August 27, 2010 – Magic City Wholesale
Contagium w/ Grande Maw
Man, I’m digging on Contagium like the semi-cute chick at the middle school dance…punkish grind with a good bit of slow-down shiftiness thrown in. They might not be the soundtrack for everyone’s personal destruction/apocalypse. But I’d be damn pleased if they were the accompaniment to my slow melting.

September 1, 2010 – The Nick
Goatwhore w/ Graves of Valor, Strong Intention
A late addition to the list, Goatwhore are absolutely gonna blister Birmingham! Black metal inspired goo thrash from a band that is thankfully free of annoying Europeans. Somehow, I’ve never seen Goatwhore. So this should definitely be a firm lesson in metallic mayhem for me. I just hope my liver and hearing make it out alive.

VT03 OLD FARTS OF BIRMINGHAM, UNITE!September 12, 2010 – The Nick
Valient Thorr w/ BeItTheMeans
How have I never seen Valient Thorr? They’ve played the Nick at least 1,239 times, and I’ve missed them every single friggin time. These wacky Venusians will bring the world’s most impressive display of rock beards for another Magic City butt-booting. Think early Iron Maiden raping Thin Lizzy while smoking Ray Bradbury’s fingernails, and you’ve got a slight clue.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gigs, Metal Mania, recommendations | 2 Comments »