VanBC ~ SLC ~ OlyWa: Records & Gigs storytime

Connecting the dots with stacks of records, gig flyers, set lists, maps & legends: from Vancouver to Salt Lake City, to Olympia, and many points in between

Gist: After moving around so much in my life, now have so many artifacts at hand… especially records and gig flyers. so, bordering on a bit of a mad scientist ramble, I *connect the dots* covering dozens of bands including Mudhoney, Nirvana, Spot, Bad Yodelers, The Matinee, TSOL, DOA, Beat Happening, New Pornographers, AOT, Jerry Garcia band… 

Well it just keeps going with festivals like Ladyfest, Yo-a-go-go, maybe Sunnyside and also Electric on the Eel, collision of labels like K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Mint, Sudden Death & Sub pop with dial-up modem ISPs, my stints as a roadie who didn’t do anything, my beloved VW(s), VOM fanzine, tricky liquor laws & fake IDs – whew

It all starts with a record signed by “The Smugglers” who, despite being in the Vancouver area in my same timeframe, I never connected with until years later on an epic “Track on Tracks” train trip  (hi Green Couch) with ‘singer’ / CBC guy & book writer Grant Lawrence – and 11 bands and a whole bunch of free radicals (another story)

Anyhow, after reading to his book Dirty Windshield, I saw how many points along the way we had in common (as well as bassman Beez) 

So with a stack of vinyl records just back from last year’s (recorded Sept 3, 2023) #BCInvasion trip, I let loose with spontaneous riffs in the Kura barn studio. Yas yas yaaas!

{Resisted the urge to “complicate matters” with a deluxe edit and just get it out into the world before I forget about it for another year}

Features Joe Strummer at a US festival photo by Bev. davies & original painting by Jean Smith (Mecca Normal) on set