Playing With My Dictators #1 - Kim goes to California

Kim has been doing his research and determined that late September is the best time to travel to California. The tourists have gone home, and the kids are beginning their school year. That means fewer people on the roads, restaurants etc. 

To get to America, Kim first made his way to China where he mailed himself to a town in Utah, near the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats; a mysterious place that Kim has always wanted to visit. 

Kim loved the Salt Flats and was impressed by the vastness of the salt desert. He claimed that he could see the curvature of the Earth. Kim’s schedule was tight, so he took one last lick of the salty playa and hit the road. Next stop, Lunar Crater in Nevada. 

Located in the middle of Nevada, this ancient volcano has a diameter of 3,600 feet, 430 feet deep and only part of an enormous volcanic field of craters, cinder cones, basalt flows and ancient lava beds that don't appear to be cozy at all. Kim didn't want to sleep in a lava bed, so was off to nearby Tonapah where he knew he would find a cozy bed at the Clown Motel. 

Twas a lovely morning in Tonopah, and Kim had the opportunity to meet up with his old friend, Ronald McDonald who volunteers as a greeter at the Clown Motel Gift Shop. They exchanged contact information and Ronald promised to visit Kim next time he's in North Korea. Friends forever! Although it was sad to say goodbye to RMcD, California was on Kim's mind, and he was anxious to get on the road again.  

First stop in California was the mysterious Mono Lake, a unique body of water located on the eastern edge of the Sierras. Mono is a terminal lake therefore all local watersheds terminate there, building up high levels of minerals that give rise to amazing Turfa formations, "Wish you were here" Kim laughed, (Kim is a big Pink Floyd fan and the only reason he wanted to see Mono Lake is that is the shooting location for Hypgnosis' famous Wish You Were Here postcard included with the classic Pink Floyd LP of the same name).   

Kim loves to ski and is no doubt the best skier in North Korea, but he arrived at Kirkwood in the off-season and didn't have the opportunity to show America how it's done.  

With the mighty Sierras behind him, Kim found himself in the vast farms and town of California's Central valley where he stopped for a soda at Dean's Shoppe. 

When Kim arrived in the extra-Bay Area, he dropped in on his old eyeball buddies, The Residents. It had been decades, and the boys had lots to talk about, so they headed out to Zeni, Randy's favorite Ethopian Restaurant where they dined on Injera, Miser Wot, Kik Alitcha, Gomet Wot, etc. and chatted into the wee hours.  

Next day, Kim found himself at his intended destination, Santa Cruz, CA. Kim's favorite place in the whole world. 

Kim stayed at a little beach house at Twin Lakes Beach and spent the next few days exploring his favorite beaches and eating at his favorite restaurants. 

Kim strolled out to Santa Cruz' newest lighthouse at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Walton Lighthouse was dedicated in 2002 making Santa Cruz the only California city with two lighthouses. 

Kim loves skateboarding and stopped by the Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park, which was designed by world premier skate park designer, Ken Wormhoudt. The skatepark marks a significant place in scooter history. This is where the iconic pop star, and scooter legend, Oliver Tree, became the first person to ride a scooter at a skate park. Everyone laughed. Tree a local Santa Cruzan revolutionized scooter culture and pop fashion, had the last laugh, and as Kim says, "He who laughs last is the last laugher" 

 

Kim loves fresh, California grown, produce and attended two farmers markets while in Santa Cruz. Kim was surprised to discover that a vendor at the farmers market was selling magic mushrooms. Knowing that magic mushrooms are illegal, Kim asked the young man behind the counter how they are able to sell them without fear of arrest. The young man said that Santa Cruz has decriminalized their use and consider mushrooms a low priority for the police. Kim was curious but didn't buy any mushrooms from the friendly and informative vendor. Kim knows an undercover FBI agent when he sees one.

Kim's Central California Coast vacation was over, and it was time to head to a secret rendezvous location somewhere in the Nevada desert. Singing, California Uber Alles, Kim boarded his personal saucer and returned home to North Korea, the happiest dictator on Earth.

Principal and Principle

"CALL FROM OLIVER" appeared on the display screen of my then somewhat new Motorola RAZR V3c flip phone. I answered, in my usual manner with an appropriate, "Ahoy, hoy!" 

A melancholy voice responded, "Hey, it's Kirsten. I'm using Oliver's phone." "Hey, what's up? Where's your phone?" I asked. "They took it and won't give it back and Mr. Michelle wants to meet with you to talk about it..." she replied nervously and proceeded to describe to me how she was caught using her phone during class and that the teacher had confiscated it and turned it over to the campus security officer. The security officer and high school principal, Mr. M, then proceeded to go through the texts and images on the phone and determined that there was sufficient concern to involve me. 

"What are you worried about?" I asked. "There's a video of me and Ray smoking in my room." she lamented, knowing I'd be disappointed and potentially angry. 

I was angry. But not with Kirsten, I was angry that the school had performed a massive intrusion of personal privacy. I told her that I'd deal with it and would see her when she got home from school.

It was still early in the day, and I was amidst an until then, unmemorable round of disc golf at nearby De Laveaga Disc Golf Course, so there was time to make a plan B4 meeting with Mr. M.

Approaching tee 8A on the course, I put down my disc golf bag and placed a call to the high school. Receptionist K answered and happily made arrangements for me to meet with Mr. M at 4:00. I had known K for years. Both K and her husband had attended some of my lectures and their children attended some of the same extracurricular activities, clubs and general school functions as my kids. K knew me well enough to know that I was no dummy, and it must have been a thrill for her to know what was in store for me at the meeting. We cut our round of disc golf short, and I headed home to think about the situation. 

I didn't know what was going on. Why did they need to see me? Is Kirsten in trouble? Am I in trouble? What do they want from me? I played multiple scenarios over in my mind. I finally concluded that they wanted to leverage me and or Kirsten somehow and that I was walking into an ambush. I needed to be rational not paranoid. Was I paranoid? I would be on Mr. M's turf, and he would have his own agenda and idea how the meeting would go down. I had to come up with a tactic to gain the advantage. An unanticipated distraction from the onset would lay a trap that he would hopefully stumble into, I surmised.

While showering, I considered what to wear to the meeting and decided that psychologically, a red shirt would be best, and I had one. A video camera would also be a powerful intimidation factor, I mused. It didn't take long to get dressed. I grabbed my Canon PowerShot A710, checked the battery level, and headed out the door. 

The school was only a five-minute drive, so I didn't have a lot of time to stress over the situation. I pretty much had my plan in mind and was ready for the show. K's show. 

Mind gaming and un-practical jokery was something I did for fun until I was convinced that it isn't nice to play with people's minds, and now I want to play nice. I only do it on rare occasions now, like when Jehovah's Witnesses are at the door, or annoying solicitors who call on the phone. I was definitely a bit rusty, but reluctantly, I jumped back in for this cause... whatever it was to be, I was still unsure.  

 There was a convenient parking spot at the entrance to the ramp that descended toward the principal's office. I grabbed the camera, locked the door of my 85 Mazda RX7 and began walking down the ramp, mentally rehearsing my opening line as I neared the entrance. Turning the camera on and making sure that video mode had been selected, I pressed RECORD, opened the double set of large glass doors, and walked into the office, holding the camera in an obvious filming position.

Lights, action, camera... K's show had begun. K was sitting at one of the desks as I entered and said, "Hi K. I have an appointment with Mr. M, would you please let him know that I'm here..."

"He's expecting you," she replied as Mr. M entered the room to greet me. We walked towards one another and extended our hands to shake. With unbroken eye contact, I embraced his hand firmly, delivering the line that I had rehearsed a dozen times; "I spoke with the ACLU and they recommended that I record this meeting, but I don't have a recorder, so I brought a video camera, I hope that's all right." Obviously, I hadn't really spoken to the ACLU. I did consider calling a good attorney friend but determined that I could defuse the situation on my own, even though I was unsure exactly what that was. Mr. M agreed to my conditions without hesitation and escorted me to his private office, which fortunately for K, was within earshot of where she was sitting. 

With a wave of his hand, I was directed to sit in one of the chairs positioned across from his desk. I sat down, placing the camera on the seat to the left of me. The slope of the seat allowed the camera to point directly at Mr. Michelle, who, upon taking his seat, positioned himself strategically behind a family photo on his desk, avoiding the camera's intimidating gaze. 

After briefly exchanging niceties, Mr. Michelle got down to business. He spoke about rules, and that the use of cellular phones is strictly forbidden during class and that offenders' phones are systematically confiscated and turned over to security. He said, "Normally, a student can retrieve his/her phone after school, but we found some video of Kirsten smoking with another student who we think is a major drug dealer in the school. We're concerned about the safety of our students, and want to know what you know, and what you can tell us about Raymond..." 

And with that, and without realizing it, by invoking the word, safety, Mr. M had stepped into my trap. At that same moment, I had an epiphany, and it was clear to me what this was all about. They were going after Ray, one of the only black kids on campus. A family friend, I had known Ray for years. He was an honorable and trustworthy kid. Ray was no drug dealer. Every kid in Santa Cruz smoked weed and it seemed to me that Ray was being racially targeted. I was disgusted and gleefully moved my metaphorical queen into checkmate position.

I took a deep breath and delivered my second rehearsed line, "I'm concerned about the safety of the students too, and I think that the biggest safety concern here is the fact that your security officer has been accessing images and videos of young girls on their private phones. This seems dangerous to me. Maybe we should have a look on his hard drive to see what kind of collection of young girls he may have amassed."

"OH SHIT" was the look on Mr. M's face as he tried to save face by assuring me that his security officer is on the up and up and there is no need for concern. Now, overly friendly, Mr. Michelle handed over Kirsten's flip-phone, (the battery was dead) and with uncomfortable friendly discourse, escorted me out. "Bye K, nice to see you" I said as I departed through the glass doors. Mission accomplished. 

I returned home, downloaded the video I had shot at the principal's office to my computer and reviewed the footage. No one else was home at the time, but after a few minutes, Kirsten and Oliver walked through the door. I was still sitting at the computer. "Here's your phone" I said, handing it over to Kirsten. "You Got it? How did that go?" she asked nervously. I summoned them both to the computer and played the video of the meeting. Watching with dropped jaws, they were both thrilled. I had never seen a bigger smile on Oliver's face. Kirsten thanked me and I warned her that I would not be doing anything like this again.

Kirsten, Oliver and Ray graduated together, and it was reported to me that Mr. M and his henchman never messed with them again. 

True Story. Some names have been abbreviated because I wanted to do it that way.

.       

The Tell-Tale Tunes of Two Townies - Oliver Tree's UIB and Denney Joints' the Beast - a JOINT Review

Flashback to April 21, 2011

Another chilly evening in Santa Cruz, CA. The gentle 68 degree breeze sweeps misty fog through the streets of town. Denney Joints' band, Midnite Snack, is having a CD joint release party* with Ship of the Sierras and Rachel Fannan at the Crepe` Place, a local Santa Cruz music epicenter. Inside the venue, the show goers are taking their respective positions either at the bar, or standing on the hardwood floor in front of the stage. Among the attendees, but oddly nestled away, sitting on the floor, tucked beneath the counter where the soundboard operator reigns, is Tree in its infancy - Kirsten Artemecia and Oliver Tree, the familiar and seemingly inseparable duo for half a decade. Having recently established Tree as the name** for their new trio. Their first recordings are available to a few lucky people in town. To Tree, this show featuring family and friends is of special interest. Not only to socialize, but a good opportunity for recon too boot. 

Soup is good food, (crepes are good too)

Santa Cruz is a primordial stew for artists. A small town where everyone knows everyone, and supports each other's artistic endeavors. Conditions are perfect for the culmination of new ideas that merge progressive art with new technology. There's no shortage of talent in Santa Cruz either. It's been said that "you can't swing an Omnichord without hitting an artist or two." Actually, no one ever said that, but I just did, so there.

By 2011, Denney Joints had established himself as a favorite local performer with amazing, and well attended live shows plus a few CDs and shirts. Oliver was just beginning to record his unique style of dub-glitch electronica that culminated in Splitting Branches, his first full-length album. It was a time of great expectation and optimism for the future, (those were the days). 

It may seem odd to flashback an entire decade to begin a joint review of two 2020 releases, but roots are important. A return to those earliest recordings help me to better understand the foundations and origins of Oliver and Denney. Drawing parallels (if they exist) to showcase their evolution as artists is not necessarily my goal here, but will be entertained nevertheless. It's difficult for me to remain objective since I have known both Denney and Oliver for many years. I can't entirely detach and review them objectively, therefore, I'm approaching it from my own personal perspective as a close, long-time friend, fan and observer. This requires a sensitive balance of disclosure while maintaining responsibility and respect for their privacy, therefore any personal information not previously established in other media is intentionally excluded. No spoilers here... unless you can read betwixt the lines.

Sometime in 2010, I stumbled across Denney's CD, Soup Samwich. I was astounded by the sophistication and musical expertise of his band, Midnite Snack. The songs are honest, powerful, fun and somewhat profound. And the band is tight, like a well tuned and maintained German dynamo. I met Denney for the first time soon afterward. Denney had recruited local legend, Mason, (a member of our household), to play bass in a new incarnation of Midnite Snack. I remember hearing the raw demos of the songs that morphed and came to fruition in BEDTIME, the celebrated inductee into Zenberg Blogue's Best Album of 2011. THIS "Joint Review" however does NOT receive the BEST OF 2020 designation because the entirety of 2020 was outstanding in and of itself; the BEST of everything. Picking a BEST in 2020 is impossible. It was all good.***

LISTENING: Comedy is Not Pretty

To prepare for this review, I put off playing the 2020 releases and instead, played the first tracks**** I had heard from both Joints and Tree a decade earlier. I found myself playing these songs repeatedly over the course of a few days. I listened a lot more than I thought I would and came away impressed, having a sense that I'm privy to some special music that most of the world will never hear.  

Eventually, I got around to listening to The Beast and Ugly Is Beautiful (UIB) and immediately discovered subtle overtones and themes echoing back to to the early material. I was already familiar with most of the music on both UIB and the Beast, (much of it having been released previously), therefore it was refreshing to hear material that was new to me. 

Both albums are well thought out with design in mind. The Beast has a raw, anti-commercial and serious punk attitude, while UIB is edgy commercial rock/hop. Both are anti-pop in scope. 

Oliver Tree is a true Alien Boy in the world of commercial pop icons who overplay the tough sexy motifs we've come accustomed to seeing. In juxtaposition, Oliver arrives on stage riding a Razor Scooter, wearing an old nineties ski coat, exaggerated bell-bottom JNCO Jeans and sporting a bowl cut hairdo that sometimes falls off, (intentionally). To me, this persona is a kind of "in your face" to the music biz' pretty boys and tough guys, none of whom know any sweet scooter tricks. Oliver plays the fool, but he's no fool. He pretends to not take himself seriously, but Oliver is an artist who insists on perfection; be assured that his videos and songs are precisely how he envisions them. And he's influential too. Oliver has become a pop icon responsible for a new generation of fashion and scooter sport. It's become common to see folks of all ages on Razor Scooters and random people sporting bowl cuts and JNCO Jeans. There's even an Oliver Tree Scooter Army group on Facebook where fans can share thoughts, art and photos of their own personal emulations of Oliver. Razor Scooters are back too, in a big way, and by making it cool to scoot again, Oliver is partly responsible***** for that. The scooter plays an integral role in the Oliver Tree mythos and is a common theme on stage, in videos, memes and narrative from the many interviews he's given. A story he never fails to share is his explanation of the lyrics in his hit song Hurt. According to Oliver, while competing in a scooter competition, his long awaited ride was thwarted when his front wheel hit a tiny pebble at the base of the ramp, sending him crashing and breaking his hand in the fall. Obviously, (if you know Oliver), any real meaning of Hurt is intentionally obfuscated by this story, but personally, I prefer to think of it metaphorically and view Oliver as the pebble who temporarily derails commercial music industrialization. He's the surprise that no one saw coming. He mocks the machine while profiting from it. 

Something that has always impressed me about both Oliver and Denney, is their keen sense of humour. In Denney's case, the comedy was more prevalent in his earlier works and reflects a certain amount of optimism for the future, whereas, (now that we live in the future), Denney's positivity has waned. The Beast is much more mordant than any of his previous releases, but can still make me chuckle. It's clear that Denney is pissed off, (and if you're not pissed off, then you're not paying attention). Denney is great at pointing out the obvious in an oblivious world, but unfortunately, there's "no one listening." The Beast does have some really personal moments that tug at the heart and Denney really knows how to write a great song. This album really rocks and makes you feel alive. One song that I want to highlight on The Beast, is the track, Walking With the Beast, a Gun Club cover that Denney handles marvelously. His treatment of the track is complementary to the original and I may love it more than the Gun Club version. The YouTube video of Walking With the Beast features Denney and friends jamming and hanging out in Santa Cruz. At one point in the video, Denney pulls out his cellphone and lets his fingers do the walking with the beast. Noice "touch" Denney. 

Oliver is hailed for his comedic****** persona. His popular memes and videos are obviously humourous, but Tree's early releases are blatantly introspective, thoughtful and seemingly personal. UIB has its introspective elements too though. Bury Me Alive is one song from UIB that has a serious Tree flashback vibe with resurrected lyrics from the song, Rising Phoenix.******* For the most part, the songs on UIB are mostly inner-directed themes, shielded behind juxtaposed befuddling comedic videos. UIB seems like all fun and games, but BEWARE! These songs are addictive, and once you're hooked, there's no return. I got sucked in and find myself singing these songs regularly, (I like to make up my own lyrics). No wonder UIB made it to #1 on Billboard's Rock Chart and #1 on Billboard's Alternative Chart. Damn! That's impressive!!! It really is a great record, and I dig spinning my three different coloured versions of red, yellow, and orange.

Apocalypse Now? Why Wait?

The music of Denney and Oliver were a fitting soundtrack to remember 2020, the year that kept on giving. It seemed there was a new and frightening development every day, from Murder Hornets to mysterious monoliths. Late in the year, as UIB and The Beast were finally available in their completeness, the Bay Area beaches began to experience some beautiful bioluminescence dancing and sparkling in the dark waves along the coast at night. Unfortunately, the phenomenon was soon eclipsed by a ferocious and spectacular lightning storm, the likes of which has never been witnessed in the area. The lightning ignited numerous fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond, while thousands of people evacuated their homes and entire communities. I couldn't help but consider the irony of the UIB album cover that features Oliver in a playground that's being consumed by fire. The I'm Gone video depicts Oliver surrounded by fire too. And then there's Denney's 2018 album, City on Fire, who's cover depicts a large, all-consuming warehouse fire. I've always associated this image with the fatal Ghost Ship fire in Oakland that killed many of Denney's friends in 2016. 36 people died in that fire. The 2020 fires******** and associated evacuations and ominous red skies were unprecedented. That no doubt weighed heavily on both Denney and Oliver as their communities, friends and families were being impacted by a strange mix of lockdown, evacuation and uncertainty. At least there was some great music to listen to, unless PG&E's roaming blackout program shut your electricity off. That was fun. 

Who Are These People?

Denney and Oliver share many friends and experiences in Santa Cruz, they however express their vision very differently. With Denney, what you see is what you get. He lives in his car and views the decline of western civilization from under the overpasses and streets of Oakland. Denney's many projects have been mostly funded by himself and a handful of friends who contribute, either financially or by helping with performance, recording, production, and merch etc. This new release is minimalistic and anti-capitalist in essence and intent. There are no available CDs, tapes or any merchandise associated with The Beast which is exclusively available at Bandcamp.  

Unlike Denney, Oliver maintains a guarded personal identity apart from his manufactured and carefully crafted public persona. The Oliver Tree mythos is layered in deception. Nothing is true and everything is true at the same time. Like Denney, Oliver's first album, Splitting Branches, was self recorded and realized by the helpful assistance of friends that he roped into the project. Things are obviously different now that he's well funded and enabled by the industry. Records and all manner of merchandise********* are available for purchase at the official Oliver Tree Store.  

I've played both of these albums a brazillian times, and enjoy them more every time. I'm happy that I know about these recordings and can share them with you, the reader/listener. They're pretty amazing. 

Buy The Beast Here 

Buy UIB Here

NOTES

*Rachel, Ship and Snack are Santa Cruz supergroups that boast personnel from local favorites Birds Fled From Me, Mountain Animal Hospital, Sheena, Sleepy Sun, and the Vox Jaguars. 

**Tree is the name adopted for the projects that became Splitting Branches (2012) and Demons (2013). Conceptually, Tree is a play on Trio and the triangle/delta symbol was adopted as the official Tree logo to represent the trio. It also resembles a tree and since Tree is Oliver's middle name, it's the obvious choice, and a good one imho. The original Tree/Trio is comprised of Oliver Tree, Kirsten Artemecia Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny who together recorded the first few songs before the project was expanded to include other contributors under the Tree Collaborations umbrella. 

 

*** Santa Cruz lingo

**** Soup Samwich by Midnite Snack and Splitting Branches by Tree including Rising Phoenix, an early song that predates much of the Splitting Branches material but not included on the album 

***** Oliver really does deserve credit for this. He was taking his Razor Scooter to the Santa Cruz Skate Park B4 anyone else ever had and pretty much initiated Scooter Sport. People thought it was weird, and it was... it was Oliver being Oliver. 

****** Someone once asked me if I was surprised that Oliver became a famous musician. I said I'm not surprised that he became a famous comedian. Oliver is among the most witty people I've known and is genuinely fun to be around.

******* Rising Phoenix by Tree was recorded spring 2011 and features Kirsten Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny - the track is not included on the Splitting Branches album

******** The 2020 fires in Santa Cruz County destroyed more structures than the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake did. 

********* Whether he knows it or not, Oliver has embraced the Rozz-Tox Theory of Obscurity. 

Art By Artemecia