Studio E Santa Cruz - NEW Live Music Venue

Last Saturn-day night was the premier show of its kind at Studio E Santa Cruz, Surf City's newest venue for live music. A Quantum Visionary made history by being the first band to take the stage in the venue famous for Kids on Broadway, a non-profit, year-round performing arts organization for children.

As of late, many of Santa Cruz's favorite venues have had a moratorium on live music due to noise ordinance violations spurred on by annoyed neighbor's repeated complaints. Studio E Santa Cruz will be immune to noise violations because it is located near Harvey West Park in a non-residential area where the only neighbors are Costco and industrial businesses.

Finding Studio E Santa Cruz was easy and the route was well marked by signs directing us to the venue located just south of the giant Costco building. Inside I discovered an inviting atmosphere where a large, well lit prepared stage, decorated with a variety of musical instruments, waited to be manned by A Quantum Visionary. Comfortable couches lined the walls while several folding chairs were positioned thirty feet or so from the stage allowing plenty of standing room. The large facility can easily accommodate a larger crowd than either Pergolesi or the now defunct E3 Playhouse. There is even a snack shack where goodies and beverages can be purchased.

What could be better? Well, for one thing, Studio E Santa Cruz requires no rental fee for the bands who play there. The door earnings are split between the band and the venue. Studio E Santa Cruz donates its cut to performing arts programs for children in Santa Cruz. There's even FREE Wi-Fi!

With their community-minded approach to the arts, Studio E Santa Cruz appears to be the perfect venue for the Santa Cruz live music scene.

Saturday night's show featuring Picture Atlantic and A Quantum Visionary at Studio E proved that quality LIVE music is alive and well in Santa Cruz... again.

Is Orange the New Black?

I hadn't been to the Santa Cruz Flea Market for months, and strangely, it looked like lots of the same old stuff, but I still had high hopes of finding at least a couple of the items on my look-for-list. I bought a camera tripod for five buck$. I'll use it tonight when I shoot video at the A Quantum Visionary show at Studio E Santa Cruz.
I also got a whole bunch of fresh/ripe hot peppers for only one dollar. Stoked!I didn't find any suitable containers for my exotic salts from around the world though. Unthwarted, I'll keep on yard-sailing til I find that white whale, and avenge me good leg.

The Flea Market is a super place for people watching too. I had forgotten my camera, so Punk Girl snapped this photo of a real-life snappy-dresser wearing all orange clothes... shirt, shorts, high-top shoes - all orange.
I suppose all-orange isn't all that weird since I see people wearing all-black all the time. Maybe orange will become the new black.

Wild Orphan

Yesterday I spent the morning shooting this video at Streetlight records. Everything went so smoothly... I don't get it. Usually I encounter one obstacle after another when making a video, but this time everything came together. Even the weather cooperated. I had been hoping for a foggy morning for the shoot, and got exactly what I asked for. Thanks fog controller, and thanks to everyone who assisted and helped with the viddy, most notably, the Vox Jaguars, KZSC Radio personality Scotty (the) K, Mason Rosenberg, Streetlight Records, Kirstannalice, and street performer #1 who didn't give her name but agreed to be in the video.

Art Rock is Alive and Well in Santa Cruz Dreamstate EP by A Quantum Visionary *****

I knew that the first CD release from A Quantum Visionary would be good.

DREAMSTATE EP is the title of the new CD by five of Santa Cruz's finest musicians who refer to themselves as A Quantum Visionary, and their new CD is even better than I expected it would be.

I knew that the CD would be good because over the past couple of years, this bunch has been demonstrating their unique and intense sound at various bay-area venues, surprising and shocking audiences everywhere they've played. Their catchy and intelligent songs are an eclectic blend of genres, that I can only describe as epic. Most of their works are upwards of seven minutes long, but there is never any meaningless meandering or boring jamming in their lengthy constructs. Rather, every note of their intriguing music is calculated and precisely delivered without a flaw, keeping the listener alert and engaged. Although the new CD is technically an EP, it is nearly a half-hour long and features a broad cross section of music that is consistently interesting, and occasionally challenging.

I'm fortunate to be among the first to receive a copy of the new DREAMSTATE EP and this will certainly be the first review of AQV's snazzy new CD release which is already a classic in my own music library.

The Review

As I embark on my musical adventure, I discover that the first half-minute of the first song, Insensatus Insania, makes me feel like I'm listening to early King Crimson. The song progresses through a multitude of movements and verses as powerful and involved as a Homeric epic. After nearly six minutes, the heavy-hitting first piece quickly transforms into the second track, Dragnet Enigma, a piece that begins as an almost Enoesque, ambient tune that begins to feel more like the Residents are nearby as it progresses. The hesitantly-calming track terminates as the third track, Battleship of Madmen, abruptly begins. The rowdy and unruly song reels me to and fro upon the rough seas of one of AQV's longest songs that includes a fifty-second drum interlude where three of the band members participate. PTA, the fourth track, is the shortest tune, clocking in at 1:22, and seems at first to be a bit of a tribute to Keith Emerson and further demonstrates this band's versatility and broad musical scope. The last song is listed as being 11:45 long but that is a bit of a misnomer because it is actually two songs... and a bit of dead air. Dreamstate Luz Mala, a poppy song that, at one point, makes me feel like I'm listening to Asia, is actually 4:54 long and is followed by 1:16 of dead air which quietly fades into The Hypocrite, a 5:40 version of a song that has become familiar on You Tube, where an instrumental version is used in a video by Rhetro Zenberg, called, Ching - Drive to De Laveaga.

The design of this artsy disc also deserves mention. All of the impressive album art was created by AQV member, Stefen Lazer Smith, the artist who created the now famous Vox Jaguars Cowboy. The photo, sketches and drawings on this disc are reason enough to own the CD which itself is a work of art.

In addition to the art on the CD, Stefen Lazer Smith also wrote lyrics, provided keyboards, percussion, and vocals to the DREAMSTATE EP.

Mason Rosenberg, the renowned bassist of the Vox Jaguars fame, who released a CD on Anodyne Records earlier this year, lends his mastery to this CD by contributing vocals and percussion as well as bass and production skills. He also plays guitar on the secret track, The Hypocrite.

Shane Terry plays ripping and intricate guitar without breaking a sweat. He lends his shredding skills to this CD in addition to providing backup vocals. Shane also plays bass on the secret track, The Hypocrite and helped produce the CD.

Trevor Brenchley also plays guitar, and as a lefty, provides a symmetric visual and musical balance to this unique band who's two guitarists shred harmonically and melodically as one. Trevor also provides backup vocals and production assistance to the DREAMSTATE EP.

The newest member of the band, Greg Wesenfeld, who plays hard-hitting drums and masterful percussion has proven to be an asset to this already powerful band.

Something else that impressed me about the DREAMSTATE EP, is the fact that all of the songs were written, engineered, recorded and produced by A Quantum Visionary.

imho

AQV is currently the most interesting musical ensemble in the greater San Francisco Bay area. I see limitless potential with this crew of talented friends who see it as their duty to make music interesting and even a bit challenging. And, you can tell that they're having a good time too.

Good going guys, and congratulations on a splendid first CD.

Garbage + Trash x Rubbish = Art

Where I grew up, in Tooele, Utah the Garbage collector knew to pick up the Trash if there was an official decal of the letter G, displayed in the front window of the home. The decal indicated that the occupant had paid their fees for Garbage service. To the North of Tooele is the cowpoke town of Grantsville. This little redneck town in the shadow of Tooele, displayed a decal of the letter T, in the front windows of their homes. I always wondered why they didn't use a G, like we did in Tooele. I've entertained the idea that Grantsville didn't want to be associated with Garbage, so they retaliated against Tooele by using a T instead.


Not long ago, Mighty mo took these photos at our local Santa Cruz landfill... perhaps the most picturesque landfill in the nation.

Halloween $ong for the San Francisco Girls

On Halloween I went with the Vox Jaguars to the Halloween festival in San Francisco where they played with such notables as Cathy Richardson with Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Jimi Hendrix Tribute. This is some of the video and a handful of photos from that show.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo of Ronaldo is worth about 2,337 words... small words, but words nevertheless.

Hats Off to Staff of Life

$pecial thanks go out to Staff of Life natural foods market today.

A few weeks ago, RHETRO TV-Z began filming a new short film in Santa Cruz, and one of the props, a Staff of Life hat, that was intended to be featured throughout the video, was lost at De Laveaga Disc Golf Course last week. A lengthy search failed to turn up the hat.

I figured, "no problem," I'd simply go to Staff of Life and get another hat. It seemed like the perfect solution until I arrived at the store, and discovered that the hats they had for sale, were different from the one we had been using. They had changed the design and color, which wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that we already have lots of scenes that have been shot with the other hat. The solution was to either re-shoot the previously shot scenes, or find another old-style Staff of Life hat somewhere. If I was lucky, the store may still have some of the old hats, or maybe someone there would be able to loan one to us until we're finished filming.

I called up the folks at Staff of Life, and explained the situation, and before I knew it, they had located the last of the old-style hats, and allowed me to go pick it up at the store.

Mondo Gracias to Staff of Life*

* To me, Staff of Life epitomizes Santa Cruz. A fine natural foods store with everything a person could want. I can't imagine this town without it. Staff of Life was the first grocery store I shopped at when I moved to Santa Cruz all those years ago, and it's still where I shop for most everything my family eats.

In Colour - A Rhetro Zenberg Film

There are only two days left in April, and I still need to post two messages to meet my eight-posts-per-month minimum.

The Zenberg blog started out as a writing-exclusive zone, but photos soon became common here, then video made an appearance. Speaking of videos, now is the perfect time to present my latest short movie from Rhetro TV-Z.

Someone said that it looks like Les Claypool's storage shed.

In Colour is my tribute to the Residents. The spectacular music is provided by A Quantum Visionary, Santa Cruz's most interesting and intriguing new band.

Enjoy!

Coming Soon to RHETRO TV-Z

Rhetro Zenberg recently began filming his latest creation for RHETRO TV-Z
We are lucky to have this short preview. Mr. Z says the new video will be available on YouTube sometime this summer.

Random Point #42 - Set 1" Bone

I can't stress how important it is for a land surveyor to carry an adequate amount of supplies with him. Nails are among the most important things that a surveyor takes with him into the field. These nails, (often large spikes), are sometimes used as random control points upon which Northing & Easting coordinates exist. These control points serve as working positions from which a surveyor operates his equipment.

Olin and I had been traversing down a steep mountainside all day, with hopes of locating a particular official boundary marker. Once located electronically with our equipment, the position of the monument would help us analyze the boundary we were working on. By the time we had reached our destination, it was discovered that due to visual blockage from a small cabin, we would need one more random point from which to view the monument. Unfortunately we had exhausted our supply of nails and spikes on the way down the mountain. Neither of us wanted to hike all the way back to the truck for one spike, so we scoured the area in hopes of finding an old nail, or wooden stake... anything we could use for a temporary random point. We were unable to locate anything suitable, until I stumbled upon an old twelve inch long bone that was about an inch in diameter. I found the bleached-white bone laying along a deer trail. I examined it for integrity, and pounded the bone into position, then proceeded to locate its exact position. From there we were able to complete our task without difficulty, and it saved one of us a long hike back to the truck. The bone worked perfectly, and this is the only time that I can recall a bone being set as a survey marker. Old School!

The Vox Jaguars in Videos

Here's a couple of Vox Jaguars videos to enjoy. The first is a short documentary by L.A. Solano that features interviews with the band. The second is a collection of video excerpts from several different venues the band has played over the past few years, set to an old version of TVJ's hit song, SWAGGER.

What's the Harm in McDharmas?

Dharma's is a popular vegetarian restaurant here in Santa Cruz. It was originally called, McDharma's, but the McDonalds Corporation forced them to change the name.

Dharma's features lots of yummy delights to choose from, but my favorite item on the menu is the breakfast burrito which consists of a flour tortilla, heaps of refrito frijoles negros, green onion, potatoes and tofu. It comes with cheese, sour cream, salsa and a large salad too. Dairy is optional and can be swapped for guacamole. I like to get lots of diced onions from the condiment counter and sprinkle them all over my giant burrito. I also get lots of the Extra Extra Hot Sauce, too. Mmm. Plus all the filtered water I can drink for free. I know where I'm going for breakfast today.Not too long ago, I was standing in line at Dharma's, and it appeared that the person in front of me probably hadn't been out much in the past couple of decades. The sixty to seventy year old gentleman seemed to be out of his element, and looked baffled by the vegetarian menu. The man and the two women he was with began discussing drink options, and one of women asked him if he would like to have filtered water. His response blew my mind. "What's filtered water?" he asked suspiciously.

Inside Dharma's where there are lots of plastic animals to play with.

Xtra Files 7: The Hook

I've always assumed that someday I'd stumble across a dead body. As a Land Surveyor, I've frequented some of the most remote and varied areas in numerous states west of the Rockies. I've been to remote places rarely traversed by mere humans, and Greg knows that I've stumbled across a lot of strange things while performing the mysterious and age-old tradition of Land Surveying. But on one occasion, the sight of a pale hand sticking out from the rubble of a fallen structure was the last thing I expected to find at a particular condemned site where we were conducting a topographic survey.

Located near the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it was probably once a beautiful place... before the Loma Prieta Earthquake back in '89 that made the home on the picturesque property unsuitable for occupation. Now the landscape is riddled with a half-fallen house and lots of debris from other structures that have collapsed. That's where we saw the partially exposed motionless hand.

Ronaldo was wearing his leather work gloves when he knelt down, and touched the pale hand. He immediately realized that it was a false hand, a prosthetic hand, to be precise. I was glad it wasn't what it first appeared to be, but now there was a new mystery... Who would abandon a perfectly good prosthetic hand?

As Ronaldo thumbed through an abandoned box of old photos that had been left outside to rot, he discovered a picture of a man holding a large fish with his left hand, and a brandishing a shiny hook in place of his right hand...

Ronaldo snapped this photo.

Ninja Warrior Winner Announced

Congratulations to my friend David Campbell of Scotts Valley, California, who has been selected to represent the United States at the upcoming Ninja Warrior 4 Competition in Japan.

To Be Frank - Zappa Plays Zappa in Surf City

I was so excited when I heard that the Zappa Plays Zappa show was coming to Santa Cruz, and to my favorite theater to boot... a hop, skip and a jump away at the Rio.

I've been listening to Zappa since sixth grade, and have become a bit of a connoisseur of his compositions... most* of which are quite brilliant. As a premordial Zappa fan, who could be more excited to experience an evening of live Zappa music performed by the late Mr. Zappa's own son, Dweezil, and a host of Frank Zappa alumni?

Imagine my horror when I consulted the Rio website and read the following:

Tickets: V.I.P. $96.00 Reserved $ 55.50 additional fees may and most likely will apply.

WTF?**

OK, lets look at this rationally, in 1977, I saw Frank Zappa, THE Frank Zappa, NOT his son... THE Frank Zappa - for six dollars and fifty cents ($6.50). When you include those additional fees, this show ends up costing more than fifteen times more than the cost of seeing the bona-fide Frank Zappa. The reserved seating price isn't that much better, costing nine times what I paid in '77. What is wrong with this picture? Is Dweezil Zappa worth a hundred bucks? I think not. There are very few entertainers I would pay over fifty bucks to see. Actually none. I'm sure Dweezil is a nice enough fellow... He can't be too bad if Mr. Nice-Guy, Donny Osmond, hangs out with him. But, I have principles, and refuse to pay such a high cost to see the son of someone. I recently saw the Residents for twenty-five bucks, ($25)... THE Residents, NOT the son of a Resident, and it cost 75% less than this Zappa Play$ Zappa $how co$t$.

Across the street from the Rio Theater, is the Crepe Place, where on March 11th the Vox Jaguars will rock the house for only eight bucks ($8.00), and I know it will be as good if not better than the pricey show on the other side of Soquel Avenue tonight.

Viva le Crepe Place!

* Too often Mr. Zappa crossed over the line into tasteless potty humor, which is OK when you're in 6th grade, but... come on Frank, grow up already. Or as some would say, "Shut up and play your guitar".

** What The Frank?

The Residents Bunny Boy Tour - QUESTIONS - Live at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz

Fashion Week - Welcome to 1984

Actually, it may have been 1985 when Mighty Mo's siblings, John and Megan posed for these photos. Now they're all grown up and have kids with punky hairdos of their own.













I was happy to come across these photos because Megan recently sold her long blonde hair to a Norwegian man who has mysterious undisclosed plans for it.

Today, in 2009 it's difficult to understand just how shocking some of the hair styles and fashions were twenty-five years ago. Where I live, it's common to see mohawks, pink hair, and every other nuance that goes along with the punk image. But back then, in Utah, people didn't know what to think when they encountered such persons. The good old daze!

My Mighty Mo sporting a snazzy mohawk somewhere in NYC 1985

The way I saw it then was that punk rock was a result of the stagnant and slick mainstream music industry that was pumping out really predictable and uninteresting music, (which is ironically what eventually happened to punk rock). To me, punk was also about being intellectually aware of what was going on in the world and within in our government. That didn't last long either, and punk soon became the noisy medium for uninspired messages.

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The Vox Jaguars CD Release: A Review

After months of anticipation, the new Vox Jaguars' self-titled CD has been released on Anodyne Records. In mid-January, I received a special edition*(1) advanced copy of the Vox Jaguars to review, and now that I've heard it more than a dozen times, I feel that I'm prepared to comment on one of this year's best records.

I've been paying attention to the Vox Jaguars since I happened upon one of their live shows at Cafe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, California about three years ago. What surprised me most about the show was that the audience, (and there seemed to be about a hundred of them crammed into the small room), knew the songs and sang along as if they were part of the band. I thought of the Cavern in Liverpool and the energy and comradary that must have existed there among early Beatle fans. It isn't every day that I see an audience so enthralled with a band, and that night, the patrons at Pergles were at one with the Vox Jaguars.

It wasn't long til the Vox Jaguars recorded a demo*(2) CD at the home studio of a friend. The exceptionally well recorded demo featured four completed tracks exhibiting plenty of musical variety and skill. The demo received quite a bit of notoriety and it seemed only natural when the Vox Jaguars' popular song, Swagger,*(3) was featured on the major prime time FOX Television program, Canturbury's Law. Producers of the show had stumbled upon the song on the Vox Jaguars' My Space page, and negotiated its use on the show.

Now, The Vox Jaguars have released their first CD, and it is sure to be popular among the indie generation in general, and spread in popularity to a broader audience in the years to come.
Beyond their darling and daring youthfulness, what makes The Vox Jaguars interesting, is the precision and power with which they play their upbeat clever and catchy songs. Smarter than punk, but not too technical for the uninitiated ear, this band has successfully drawn upon a long eclectic history of music to come up with a sound uniquely their own.

Something that can't go unnoticed at a live Vox Jaguars performance, is the display of teamwork between their powerful percussionist and bassist who keep the band timely and intriguing. Trevor Hope is truly an incredible drummer who's intricate percussion is perfectly augmented by master bassist, Mason Rosenberg. The two sound as though they've been playing together forever. This foundational backbone establishes a powerful template for high school student Jordan Topf to present his songs about teen struggle, and modern dilemma. I find it surprising that this CD exhibits a subtle LA nuance. I keep expecting Jim Morrison to belt out something ridiculous... that notion amuses me.

The current line up of the Vox Jaguars includes newest member, Noah Bond on lead guitar*(4) and voices, Jordan Topf on guitar*(5) and voices, Trevor Hope on drums, and Mason Rosenberg on bass.*(6) The lineup on the new CD features former band member Sam Copperman on keyboards. Sam recently left the band to attend to his higher education. The Vox Jaguars have not replaced him with another keyboardist, and don't plan to any time soon. Rather, they picked up high school senior Noah Bond to play guitar, and he is working out wonderfully. Noah plays like a pro and provides the ensemble with a rich round sound. A favorable addition to an already great band. There is still room for keyboards in my opinion.

I like the new self-titled release by the Vox Jaguars very much, and will surely play it on my hi-fi many more times. I think four clever boys could have come up with a more suitable title for this release however. If I had been given the opportunity to name the new Vox Jaguars CD, I would have turned their name into an anagram, such as, Jug Has a Vortex, or called it something controversial and relevant like, Obama's War Now, but I'm just an old punk who still likes to ruffle feathers. It's like eating peanuts...

The Vox Jaguars, on Anodyne Records.

*(1) My special edition copy of The Vox Jaguars arrived in a standard hard plastic case, however a more environmentally-friendly paper-box version is currently available on line and in fine stores everywhere.

What makes this special packaging unique, is the inclusion of a segment of broken guitar string from one of the instruments played by the Vox Jaguars.

The guitar string is clearly visible through the usually empty plastic window on the left-edge of the CD case. I love it when this space is used for something other than nothing at all.







*(2) The Vox Jaguars Demo CD titled, Good as Gone, rivals the new release, and in some ways is preferable to it. The songs on Good as Gone are recorded so well that they could have been included on the new release as bonus tracks. I hope Good as Gone will one day be made available again. My copy is worn out.

*(3) A new version of Swagger is the only song from the demo that has made it's way onto the new CD. Not even Metropolis, the most beloved of all the Vox Jaguars songs, appears on this new release. I should also note that the Canterbury's Law season one DVD, (featuring Swagger), will be released on February 24th, 2009. If we're lucky, they'll also release a Canterbury's Law soundtrack and include the original version of Swagger.

*(4) Noah plays a Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster

*(5) Not surprisingly, Jordan plays a Fender Jaguar

*(6) Mason usually plays an Ibanez Roadstar but lately has been seen with a Specter*(7) at some of their shows. Most of the tracks on the new CD sound as if a different bass was being played.

*(7) I've noticed that Mason usually plays his Specter in his other soon to be famous band, A Quantum Visionary, who take musical intricacy and variety to new heights.

JUG HAS A VORTEX