Backtracking...
When I started doing this blog, I was, as I put it in my first entry, a 'blog virgin'. My blog is of the type that is an online memoir variety, clearly. I learn-as-I go and I find that sifting through my memory files can be a laborious process. Often I miss things along the way, sometimes very important things; bands, events, venues...In this case, what I missed is almost embarrassing. In my defense, I have had a great deal on my plate at this writing, including personal challenges. Okay, enough rationalization! On to it!
The Zoo
Before the Treepeople moved to Seattle, between 1988 and 1989 (or '87-89?), there was a large music venue in town called the Zoo that began hosting alternative rock shows, which Treepeople played regularly. The Zoo was an important venue for many reasons, mainly because it was large, and most of the places where these types of bands could play were tiny clubs or house parties or the occasional hall. As well, The Zoo had a full on professional stage with a sound and lighting system, plus a full bar.
I have no idea how many shows happened there featuring bands from our little scene, but it was a considerable amount (feel free to send me lists). The stage was nice and big and there was an expansive dance floor made of black and white checkered tiles. The bar was located around the corner from the stage area, so all ages shows could be put on there easily.
The Dirt Fishermen
The Dirt Fisherman at that time were made up of the original line-up: Dave Grapp (guitar/vocals), Gina Gregerson (guitar/vocals), Kt Shanafelt (guitar/vocals) Dan Krejci (bass) and Gavin (Jason Jarvis, his birth name) (drums). This line-up and the later line-up were almost different bands in many ways, with the first incarnation being much more folksy rock and the second producing a harder rock sound.
The folksy-ness of the first incarnation was due in large part to one of the songwriters, Dave Grapp, or at least that is my perception. Dave, Kt and Gina were all principal songwriters, so it is possible I could be wrong. But Dave's voice had a distinctly folksy, country feel (check out the song 'East' from the album 'Glenn's Car' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN2PKWAac_A) Even his look and manner fit these genres, though he also dressed a bit like a school teacher (I think he actually was/is a school teacher...).
I have fond memories of dancing to the Dirt Fishermen, surrounded by pretty girls in their own world, eyes closed, swaying and twirling to the music on the black and white tiled floor. It was magical. They were unlike any other band out of Boise (or anywhere, really). The combination of the different songwriting styles worked well together.
Top: Gina Gregerson feeling it on stage at The Zoo.
Bottom: Gina Gregerson feeling it on the dance floor at The Zoo.
Click here to see a video of the Dirt Fishermen performing at The Zoo:
The second line-up of the Dirt Fishermen brought in Glenn Newkirk, a powerhouse drummer with a very technical, aggressive drumming style, which instantly made their sound more rock. This was a bit of a trend at the time (starting with H-Hour, who traded a new wave sound for harder rock), and was a transformation that would happen to Treepeople as well once we moved to Seattle (as discussed in other entries). This trend was inevitably influenced by the bands coming out of Seattle, though we never would have admitted that at the time! It made for a unique sound for both Treepeople and Dirt Fishermen, mixing our variations on folk sensibilities with rock and roll, 'new wave' and a bit of punk thrown in. Dan Krejci's proficient skill and naturally rhythmic bass playing worked well with Newkirk's precise, agressive drumming style, and the combination of both propelled Gregerson's and Shanafelt's songwriting forward (eventually Grapp quit the band the band not long after 'Glenn's Car' was released). There were more power chord structured songs after Grapp left due to Gina and Kt's guitar and song writing styles, with the same haunting and beautiful voices floating above it all, giving the songs more than just a rock texture.
The Dirt Fishermen's first LP, Glenn's Car, Silence Records,
Image retrieved from: http://article.wn.com/view/2014/04/23/As_struggle_to_capitalize_early_lose_to_Rangers_n/
The Glenn's Car LP was put out on the Treepeople's Silence label, though Dirt Fishermen did all the real work in designing and promoting it. The cover features Newkirk's car after it was burned in a fire. It's an excellent record which captures the Dirt Fishermen at a transition point in musical styles (always my favorite records from bands/artists are such, like Dylan's 'Bringing it All Back Home').
Top: Gina Gregerson and Kt Shanafelt playing live (Baltimore, early '90s). Middle: Dan Krejci dropping his skills all over the place in a Pat Brown designed Treepeople shirt. Bottom: From Dirt Fishermen promo photo. Sexy sells; Clockwise from top: Shanafelt,Krejci, Gregerson, Newkirk, photo by Joseph Beebe
In the early days of Treepeople, we were pretty much a team with the Dirt Fishermen, we went together well and we all respected each other immensely and got along swimmingly. The Dirt Fishermen even wrote a song called 'People in Trees', which is also on Glenn's Car.
Dirt Fishermen continued on and did very well, touring with Portland's Dharma Bums, who loved Boise and played there often. I remember after one show with them which both Treepeople and Dirt Fishermen played, the singer for the Dharma Bums, Jeremy, was chatting with me outside the Zoo. I told him that Treepeople were moving to Seattle and he said to me, "Don't move to Seattle, Man. Move to Portland!" Funny to write as I am entering my seventh year in Portland. Dirt Fishermen also toured with Seattle's wonderful folk rock band The Walkabouts. I recently heard Dan Krejci co-host Radio Boise's 'History of Boise Music' show and he played some Dirt Fishermen tunes that they recorded but never mixed or released and they are fantastic. Eventually, as all bands except the Rolling Stones and Golden Earing do, the Dirt Fishermen broke up.
Caustic Resin
Anyone familiar with Built to Spill is also familiar with Brett Netson, one of the guitarists; he of long, wild hair and beard and soulful guitar skills. Long before he joined that band, he fronted an incredibly unique band out of Boise called Caustic Resin. This band is hard to describe with words, though I will try. I highly recommend looking them up on YouTube. Here is a link to a general YouTube search: https://www.youtube.com/results?
Caustic Resin was a 3 piece, besides Brett on guitar/song writing/vocals, the original line-up was Dave Kuykendal (since deceased, RIP) on drums and Tom Romich on bass. In the spirit of full disclosure, Brett Netson is a friend and one of my favorite guitarists ever, he is up there with the greats in my mind, and he is up there as a songwriter as well. He uses his influences gracefully, off the top of my head they are: Early Pink Floyd, Neil Young, early Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart and many more I am sure that I am missing. There is an underlying blues sensibility to his guitar playing and song writing, and his control of distortion into that framework is masterful. Over the top of this, his voice is a high-pitched growl that can drop to a deep, quiet, almost new wave style (think Bowie), vulnerable yet powerful.
Promo photos for the Caustic Resin album 'The Medicine Is All Gone' (I believe) Top: Left to right: Dillion, Romich, Netson Bottom: Dillion, Netson, Romich
Tom Romich's bass playing is what bass playing should be; rhythmic, thick, driving the music from underneath, and appropriate to each song. Dave was not in the band for very long so I can't remember his style (anyone who remembers can chime in) and sadly is no longer with us [Hi! This is Present Wayne (soon to become 'Past Wayne') and I am coming back to remind Past Wayne that there are these things called 'recordings' which capture the past very well, and, since listening to early CR demos, I can comment on Dave's style; Very rock, skilled and precise, dramatic tom fills, very cool. Carry on...]. The next drummer was Patrick S. Perkins, I know him better today than I did then, which was not much, but I remember his hippy metal style drums went pretty well with the music. I am more familiar with the drummer who took over next; James Dillion, whose style was a perfect fit with Tom's bass playing, entwining with its driving force and forming a solid foundation for the music, using tom rolls tastefully (so unlike what I did in my early drumming days!).
It is impossible to write of Caustic Resin's music without writing about them as people, as the energy and feel of the music is a direct product of who they were, even more so than with most musicians (in my not so humble opinion). They had a bit of the 'wild child' vibe going on, that is to say, they reminded me of me and my friends when I was the young child of a poor single mother; left to our own devices on the streets and in the foothills of Boise, scruffy and adventurous. They were chaotic in their energy, which sometimes led to conflict, but they also had good hearts. When they stopped to visit me in later days when I lived in Seattle, they brought this energy with them; swirling, beautiful chaos. Never boring. Brett is a gearhead and would fix up some old van for them to tour in, often it looked like something out of 'Road Warrior', and their rough-around-the edges look would have placed them in that film comfortably.
Caustic Resin performing live with artist Jeff Hogan painting to the music - Photos by Mark Hanford
Caustic Resin were very passionate about what they were doing, and their chaos and charm showed through in their performances, during many of which Tom performed in the nude, making sure to bend over and grab a beer on the floor once in a while with his ass facing the audience in all of its glory, inspiring groans and laughter. In the early days in Boise, they also had an artist friend, a painter named Jeff Hogan who would compose paintings while they played (see photos above). To behold them playing was a unique experience every time. Though this video is later than the time I write of here, this performance on Seattle public access TV in 1996 gives a flavor of CR live, though it is only a taste, as the situation was weird for them, and I know that Brett is not a fan of this performance (sorry Brett, send me a better one!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bogMMkne9LQ
There are many excellent Caustic Resin releases, but for me, the best is unquestionably the epic double album put out by UP! Records and produced by Phil Ek (who also produced albums by Built to Spill and Halo Benders and a long list of bands) 'Fly Me to the Moon', which is a journey into the essence of what Caustic Resin was musically; ethereal, hard-rocking, epic and full of riff-driven grooves which teeter at the edge of chaos. The album even has an excellent Brian Eno cover tune to boot. GO BUY IT.
Artwork by Jeff Hogan
Listen here:
Caustic Resin, like Dirt Fishermen, gigged a lot with Treepeople, often at the same show, and it was an excellent, diverse line-up. Treepeople/Silence, put out a 7 inch vinyl compilation of the three bands called the 'Silence Sampler'. It was a nice little slice of the Boise scene, though Treepeople had moved to Seattle by that time (it was released 1990). Here is the Discogs page for the record: http://www.discogs.com/Dirt-Fishermen-Treepeople-Caustic-Resin-Silence-Sampler-No-1/release/3864445
Picture of the Silence Sampler 7 inch featuring songs by Dirt Fishermen, Caustic Resin and Treepeople - Cover concept, Wayne R. Flower, design Pat 'Brown' Schmaljohn
Image retrieved from: http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m7Fr_DdcpnK843URsS8p5Bw.jpg
In 1995, Caustic Resin and Built to Spill teamed up and released a collaborative EP (not a split!) which is excellent. Look it up. Or better yet, here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=caustic+resin+built+to+spill
Note the second song on the EP is 'One Thing', one of my favorite songs ever, on which, during the section with just bass and drums, you can hear the spirit of the driving Caustic Resin rhythm section. This record is the melding of two of my favorite songwriters/guitarists and rhythm sections. Here is the wiki page, useful for 'stats':http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_to_Spill_Caustic_Resin
GO BUY IT.
Since I just graduated from college, I was compelled to sum up here in some kind of conclusion, but then I decided, ah fuck it. This is a blog. 'See you' next time.
Wayne R. Flower - December, 2014
