Just To Be Clear: Watershed Didn't Cancel, We Got Cancelled - by Colin Gawel

I've been getting lots of messages about Watershed not performing on the long-awaited bill with The Fags in Detroit Saturday night. To be clear, we did not cancel the show, we got cancelled. The powers that be decided that a hobbled Watershed was better replaced than to perform. Even just third on the bill was a no-go. Sure, Joe O. couldn't leave his wife and young kids alone with a major hurricane bearing down on his home but Herb, Biggie,Rick K., Ricki C. and myself were one hundred percent committed to putting on a first class rock show for any fan who was making the trip to Motown. After all, this is our only scheduled show this year. We were amped. You saw Biggie's cool flyers and Watershed ARMY sticker he customized for the gig? We had to make every effort to pull this off at any cost. 

In fact, as early as Monday when the hurricane was just starting to threaten our rock n roll party, Herb and I swung into gear with nightly rehearsals to put together something different (and SPECIAL) on the small chance that Hurricane Matthew would hit Joe's house in Myrtle Beach Friday night. (I guess he could have flown back Thursday, but what kind of guy leaves his family alone with that kind of uncertainty hanging over their heads? Not Joe O.)

Anyway, after some fits and starts we locked into a 18 song, 40 minute buzz-saw set with no breaks. Biggie had some cool stage ideas & lights and even a video greeting from Joe to intro the show. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Would it have been as good as Watershed with the full line-up? No. But would it have been a unique little moment that Watershed fans would have enjoyed? I would like to think so, but now we'll never know. Though I'm obviously disappointed, it isn't our show so I respect the decision. Natural disasters aren't really something anybody plans for so things get tossed around. This storm is going to take lives, pets and property. I just lost a a few hours of raucous fun. No big deal in the big scheme of things.

Anyway, It's going to be an amazing night of rock n roll with or without Watershed.  Small's is an excellent venue and The Fags are truly, truly one of the best rock n roll bands you will ever see. Click here to check out their pledge music campaign and pick up their new record. Do it!

On the upside, the new Watershed single produced by Tim Patalan is available TODAY! So check it out here or on Spotify or whatever.

In case you were wondering, this is the non-stop medley we planned for Saturday night.

The Gear: One Telecaster, One 100 watt Marshall Cabinet and a drum kit right next to me at the front of the stage, bottled beer (brand TBA)

The Players: Herb Schupp and myself.

The Set: 

Words We Say/Broken/Obvious/Small Doses/Mecurochrome/He's a Whore/Suckerpunch/Romantic Noise/Breaking the Habit/Superstressed/Nightshade/New Depression/How Do You Feel?/Hey Lydia/Manifesto/Best is Yet to Come/ Black Concert T Shirt/ Over Too Soon.

Encore: Drink more beer and watch The Fags.

Main Course: The Fags (with a side of Watershed) - by JCE

Watershed will be opening for The Fags at Small's Bar in Hamtramck, MI, this coming Saturday night, October 8th.    

TEN YEARS AGO, AN AMAZING RECORD WAS RELEASED.  IT WAS ALMOST PERFECTION, EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE MAJOR FLAW…..

It’s been almost exactly 10 years since the release of one of my favorite records on the planet.  I learned of this anniversary by total coincidence as I sat down with an idea to write about some (any) great, great record that had one flaw that bothered me. I thought I might write about London Calling by The Clash having both records crammed into one jacket and not listing the song “Train in Vain (Stand By Me)” on the back but that really doesn’t bother me that much.  I’m a little OCD, but come on, it’s The Clash so who cares?  It didn’t take me long to figure out what record was the perfect fit; that one record that is so perfect and yet has that one fatal flaw.  The amazing record I decided to write about, which as it turns out is going to be 10 years old on October 31st, is called Light ‘Em Up by The Fags.  This is one of those records on which every song is spectacular.  The artwork is edgy and I like it a lot.  The record title is perfectly rock ‘n’ roll.  The name of the band is…..unfortunately horrible.

The Fags were (are) a band from the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan.  The band is fronted by the excellent John Speck.  The Fags came along after John’s mildly successful band Hoarse, which was not remotely as good as The Fags in my opinion.  Watershed fans will remember a split single with Hoarse from around 1997.  Watershed fans also will know that Fags bass player Tim Patalan has been a valued collaborator/producer for Watershed.  So anyway, I had this theme and this band in mind – great record, one fatal flaw – and by pure coincidence, the record is being celebrated with a live show to commemorate its tenth anniversary, and Watershed is opening.  Damn I wish I was a few hours closer to Michigan so I could see that show.

But let me talk more about Light ‘Em Up.  This record did not go totally unnoticed.  Spin Magazine listed it as one of forty great records in 2006.  I haven’t seen the list, but I guarantee Light ‘Em Up was better than probably every one of the records they listed, whatever they were.  The record had eleven songs on it.  I’ll get to my favorite in a minute, but let’s start with “Truly, Truly.”  That song could have been a big radio hit, but I’m willing to bet that there were a lot of radio stations passing on playing a song by a band called The Fags.  I should say that I don’t know why they chose that name for the band, maybe there was a great reason for it, but I wish they hadn’t.  I read an article that seemed to suggest that they were just messing around when they did a gig as the Smokin’ Fags and after that it just stuck.  That’s a shame.  My personal favorite song on the record is “Mistake.”  The song just oozes regret: “I just can’t help thinking we’re making a big mistake.”  That line and the way it is sung gives me a chill even now.  My favorite lyric on the record (also from “Mistake”) is “I try to do what’s right, but what’s left keeps egging me on / It may end up on my face, that’s the risk that I take.”  I also can relate to the line “The radiator hisses in a soft assuring way.”  

The song “List” is right up there, as is “Rockstar.”  “List” has that great line “I sat down to write a list of every girl I ever kissed / I couldn’t remember them all, I guess it’s a case of selective recall.”  And “Rockstar” just makes you feel good—“Grab the keys off the counter, check the mirror on the way out….You’re a rockstar on a Saturday night.”  The title track is an instant classic as well.  I could make a good case for the brilliance of every track.  Light ‘Em Up is just a great rock and roll-power pop-whatever you want to call it record from start to finish.  It should have been HUGE.  Light ‘Em Up was actually completed in 2005 but sat on a shelf for an extended period.  Just like Watershed and countless other great bands, the recording industry completely failed The Fags, but their name almost certainly had something to do with their fate. 

If you go to the anniversary celebration show at Small’s Bar in Hamtramck, Michigan on October 8th please tell me how it was.  A chance to see Watershed and The Fags at a small club together on one night is a chance not to be missed.  And it’s on a (Rockstar) Saturday night!  I really should be flying up there from Virginia.  I wish that John and Tim and drummer Jimmy Paluzzi would extend their reunion after this show, change their name and give it another shot.  At the very least, I wish they would go on a tenth anniversary tour down the east coast (and bring Watershed with them of course).  

BREAKING NEWS:  The Fags are planning to release a new record containing some old demos and outtakes, and you can get in on funding that now! – JCE

Watch This Interview with Colin on the Not So Late Show.

If you haven't had a chance to check out The Not So Late Show hosted by Johnny DiLoretto, you are missing out. Along with co-host Sommer Sterud and house band MOJOFLO, Johnny interviews all sorts of interesting folks from the 614. Taping is the last Thursday of the month at the Shadowbox Bistro, advance tickets are available or you can just show up at the door. The next show is Thursday, September 29th. Click here for more details. Below is an example of the good times rolling with Pencilstorm's own Colin Gawel.

Colin Gawel is the front man for WATERSHED. Johnny interviews Colin about his latest book and the significance Columbus has on the music industry. For more information about the show, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyDiLorettoNSLS/ Show held at Backstage Bistro, Brewery District, Columbus, Ohio.

Three Songs in My Life with Nada Surf: Part One "Always Love" - by Colin Gawel

Nada Surf is playing the A & R Bar in Columbus, Ohio tonight.  I'm going to see them for the first time.  They are one of my favorite bands. - Colin G. 9/22/16

Three Songs in My Life with Nada Surf: Part One - "Always Love" 

"Have you heard the new Nada Surf song? It might be the best song I've ever heard." That's a pretty strong statement. And coming from my Watershed bandmate - future Hitless Wonder author Joe Oestreich - it carried twice the weight. Unlike myself, Joe is not prone to hyperbole. "Alright then. I'll be the judge of this, fire up the tune, Biggie." I responded.

So as the van rolled East on a beautiful stretch of I-64 towards a gig in Charlottesville, I heard "Always Love" by Nada Surf for the first time. It started perfect and only got better. Damn, Joe might be right. This is one of my favorite songs ever. Right now. After one listen. "Biggie, spin them shits again." It was even better on the second listen. I remember thinking, "Did he just sing, 'It helps to write things down, even when you then cross it out'"?  That's a great line.

Of course, the context of when a listener receives a song always plays huge into its reception. That's why seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers while drunk in some club is kinda fun, but hearing the same band on the radio while stuck in traffic makes you want to wretch.  At that point, I was in great spirits. Everything was sounding good to my ears. Watershed was finally a truly great band touring behind a truly great record in The Fifth of July. We had had our moments in the past: but the then-current line-up of myself, Joe, Dave Masica and Mark "Pooch" Borror - along with the road crew of Biggie and newly hired roadie/older brother Ricki C. - was really gelling. You didn't have to like us or maybe we weren't your taste, but at that moment we were truly a great rock n roll band at the height of its powers. We never used a setlist and could do a smoking 40-minute opening set in an arena or a three-set marathon in a bar in Marquette, Michigan. It was all the same to us. Something about playing a thousand shows, I guess.

We had a new manager in Thomas O'Keefe, working radio & booking shows; and even a little tour support thanks to Columbus restaurant entrepreneur Cameron Mitchell. The last part was HUGE. I had recently married the girl of my dreams and we had a young son at home. In fact, being a part-time stay-at-home Dad really helped my writing with the latest record. Not much to do sitting home with a baby, so I wrote "The Best Is Yet To Come" and "Small Doses" instead of going out to the bars. One day I served Cameron coffee in the morning and then was his server later that night at a different restaurant. He said, "Let me get this straight, you work two jobs, help take care of a baby at home and tour & record with Watershed?" "Yes, sir." "Maybe you could use some financial help?" he asked. I answered, "I would never ask you for that." He responded, "I know you wouldn't, that's why I'm offering." It was the kindest thing anybody outside of Joe's dad had ever done for the band.

When the record was finished and all this momentum started lining up, my wife and I had a serious talk about the band doing some touring. She was all for it. Follow your dreams and all that. I did not sugarcoat what we were about to get into. I had done this before: three times, in fact. They were all resounding failures in the traditional sense (money & security). She had never been through a touring cycle before. So I tried my best to be brutally honest.  I laid it out almost word for word like this:

1) If I agree to this, these people own me for the next 18 months. They can schedule me anywhere, anytime, with rare exceptions. I could miss funerals and weddings. In the past I had missed my grandmother's funeral and my Mom's passing from lung cancer. 

2) I cannot quit halfway through, even if it gets tough. If anything is going to happen it will be towards the end of the 18 months. Many people are now working on my behalf and I owe it to them to give it my best: better not to even try than to quit 15 months in.

3) The odds of success were worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. No matter how good the record, how good the band and management, we were signing on to basically drive around the entire country to find one needle in one certain haystack. Everybody is talking a good game now but this probably isn't going to work. Is that clear?

Still, being the beautiful, supportive person she was, she enthusiastically signed off on the plan. "You should go for it one more time."

So riding in the van at that moment, I somehow had yet another stay of execution of being forced to give up my life's passion and forced to retreat to the real world and a real job. But none of that mattered now. I was back from the dead. Life- support systems suddenly plugged back in by the mighty hands of rock n roll (along with producer Tim Patalan), traveling with my friends to play music and listening to one of the best songs I had ever heard.

Actually, I knew Nada Surf. Almost sorta literally. Their drummer Ira Elliot had been the drum tech for The Smithereens when we were lucky enough to open up a tour for them during our Epic records days. The tour was a blast and Ira was a heck of a nice guy to us bunch of Ohio hayseeds, who had somehow landed a major record deal. Ira was NYC all the way. I remember hanging with him at the Windjammer on Isle of Palms, SC  and while we are all rocking shorts and beachwear, Ira was donning skinny jeans and big black leather boots. Frankie LaRocka would have been proud. When Ira wasn't out working for 'Reen's drummer, Denis Diken, he had his own band. They were called Nada Surf. 

During that tour, The Smithereens got dropped from their label after a show in San Antonio. About two months after that, we got dropped too. Sometime after that, I don't know how long, I turned on MTV and there was a popular video getting lots of spins. The song was actually called "Popular" and the band was....Nada Surf. "Damn, that's Ira's band. Good for him."

Coming Soon: Three Songs in My Life with Nada Surf Part Two - "Blizzard of 77" 

Colin Gawel plays in the band Watershed (and in the bands The Lonely Bones and The League Bowlers) and also as a solo act. You can read all about him in the book Hitless Wonder by Joe Oestreich.

He is a dad, husband, coffee shop owner, and - oh yeah - is the founder of Pencilstorm, too. 

Tuesdays With Ricki - week three / Mitch & Becky and 920 am

WMNI, 920 am is an oldies radio station in Columbus, Ohio.  And we’re talkin’ OLDIES here, boys & girls, NOT classic-rock.  We’re talkin’ all the way back to the Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Vale era; but then strangely forward all the way through the 1960’s (Beatles, Kinks, Byrds, Gerry & the Pacemakers), the 70’s (James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, anything no louder than Bread and nothing as loud as Bachman-Turner Overdrive); and up through the likes of Josh Groban and Norah Jones.    

Mitch & Becky and 920 am

Mitch & Becky were each other’s first date, first kiss, first boyfriend & girlfriend.  Their first date was to go see Canned Heat and Blood, Sweat & Tears at Vet’s Memorial on the West Side of Columbus, Ohio, in January or February of 1969.  They broke up later that year, right around the end of August, just before Mitch’s senior year of high school and Becky’s junior year.  Mitch was the lead singer of a garage-rock band; Becky was a sweet girl from Grove City, Ohio.

One warm afternoon in spring, 1969, Mitch & Becky were lazily kissing on Becky’s parents’ patio in Grove City when “Love Can Make You Happy” by one-hit wonders Mercy came on WCOL-AM – Columbus’ Top 40 station of the time – and Becky said dreamily, “Oh, I love this song.  Don’t you think this is OUR song?”  The dreamscape kinda got shattered as Mitch replied,  “No, I decidedly DO NOT think this is ‘our song.’  I hate this song.”  Realizing he might have gone a little overboard as tears started to glisten in Becky’s eyes, Mitch said, “Maybe ‘You’ve Made Me So Very Happy’ by Blood, Sweat & Tears could be our song, since we saw them on our first date.”  But the damage was done.  Mitch doesn’t think Becky ever forgot that slight.  It might have been Mitch’s first definitive moment in a life as a Rock & Roll Snob of the First Order.

Today in 2016 they both have wound up listening to 920 am: Mitch because he got tired of trying to stay allegiant to an alternative rock scene that would embrace the likes of Mumford & Sons and Grouplove as its standard-bearers; Becky because she just wants to hear some sweet, sad songs that remind her of when she was a young girl.

One late summer Friday afternoon Mitch hears The Beatles’ “Eight Days A Week” on 920 and thinks, “This constitutes a savage, pounding rocker on this station,” while humming the riff to The Clash’s “Clampdown” to himself.  Two songs later – on the same afternoon – Becky hears “You Were On My Mind” by We 5 while braiding her granddaughter’s hair and she wistfully tells the uncomprehending little girl, “One time a cute, brown-haired boy won me a stuffed animal at Cedar Point, and this song was playing.”  

Mitch & Becky were really very happy at the start.  They went to movies.  They got burgers & fries at Sandy’s by Sullivant & Demorest.  Becky went to see Mitch’s band play at parties & dances.  But Mitch knew from the time he was 16 years old – possibly even before the first time his lips ever met Becky’s – that he never wanted to have any kids.  And Becky had wanted a big family since she was 10.

Mitch went on to work in warehouses and play in rock & roll bands for the next 15 years, then as a solo act for the 25 years after that.  Becky got married right out of high school and had four kids by five years after graduation. 

Mitch has read a ton of books over the years: at home; in motel rooms, dressing rooms & vans on the road; at airports & bus terminals and once in a police holding cell.  He sometimes thinks the most profound literary quote he’s ever encountered is, “Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall / Still find a way to haunt me, though they’re so small,” from The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee.”  He hears that song about once a month on 920 am, and thinks of Becky every time.  First loves are like that.

Becky saw one of Mitch’s later bands at the Westgate Park Bean Dinner in 1978.  She was there with her husband & kids when they heard a racket from the music stage over by the duck pond.  “This is that punk rock crap everybody’s talking about now,” Becky’s husband growled as they got closer, “let’s get out of here.”  “No, I wanna watch a minute,” Becky said.  Mitch looked great, Becky thought.  He was still skinny, his hair was long but cut kinda cool and he was wearing a tie around his neck over a sleeveless black t-shirt.  Becky had put on 30 or 40 pounds when she had the kids, hadn’t been able to shed the weight and couldn’t remember the last time she had bought a new dress.  Or the last time she felt cool.

Mitch didn’t sing lead anymore, now he played guitar and sang back-up’s, and – in fact – the girl who was singing in the band didn’t look much older than Becky had been when she & Mitch were a couple.  The songs they played were all really noisy & fast and Becky didn’t think she had ever heard any of them before on the radio.  Just then Becky overheard the guy in front of her in the crowd say “Mitch writes all these songs.”  The guy had hair down to his shoulders & a scraggly beard and as he passed a joint to his buddy next to him, he concluded with, “Mitch has always been an elitist asshole, now he thinks he’s Joe Strummer or somebody.”

Becky didn’t know who Joe Strummer was and didn’t think she’d ever known anybody who made up their own songs before.  She wondered idly for a moment if any of the songs were about her, but the tunes were so angry & aggressive she wasn’t sure she wanted them to be.  Her littlest girl had her hands over her ears, yelling, “Mommy, TOO LOUD, TOO LOUD.”  Becky’s husband said, “Let’s go, Rebecca, they’re scaring the kids.”  Becky turned, took little Lee Ann’s hand in hers and “Love Can Make You Happy” was playing in her head as they walked back to the picnic tables in the evening dusk.  She turned to wave goodbye to Mitch, but he couldn’t have seen her, in the crowd, through the stage lights. – Ricki C. / September, 2016

I consider myself something of a devotee of bad late-1960's rock & roll exploitation films and even I can't claim to have ever caught the movie - Fireball Jungle - this clip is lifted from.   Judging by the fact that the producers allowed the film to grind to a halt for the entire 3:20 run-time of one-hit wonders Mercy, however, I have to ask the question: "Which member of the band had an uncle who was an under-assistant West Coast promo man?"  (It looks like a pretty great movie, though, doesn't it?)  (ps. For a HILARIOUS, almost Lester Bangs-esque review of Fireball Jungle, check out "LSD For Lunch" in the User Reviews section at this IMDB link)  (pps. After repeated viewings, I believe this may be the GREATEST rock video EVER PRODUCED.)

The Top Ten All-Time Best Songs on the Ricki C. Planet: 1) "Won't Get Fooled Again" (The Who)   2) "Brown Sugar" (The Rolling Stones)   3) "Walk Away Renee" (The Left Banke)   4) "Candy's Room" / "Incident on 57th Street" (tie, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band))   5) "Then He Kissed Me" (The Crystals)   6) "Isadora's Dancers" (Elliott Murphy)   7) "Roadrunner" (The Modern Lovers)   8) "All The Way From Memphis" / "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (tie, Mott The Hoople / Ian Hunter)   9) "New York, New York" / "Looking For A Kiss" (tie, The Dictators / The New York Dolls)   10) "Dimming of the Day" (Richard & Linda Thompson)

Okay, so it's fairly painfully obvious that the cats & kitten from We 5 have got "1960's Folk Club Refugees" written all over 'em, and Pencilstorm readers have probably figured out by this juncture that Ricki C. was likely NOT enamored of the Folk Club Kidz back in the day.  Entirely correct, but goddamn I have always loved this kind of folk-rock tune, and I had a HUGE crush on We 5 lead singer Beverly Bivens when this song was fresh & new in 1965, and so was most of the world around me. 

The Old Man at the Rock N Roll Show - by JCE

Who the hell am I, and how did I end up here on Pencilstorm anyways? I’m just a regular guy with a wife and a daughter, a lot of skateboards, a lot of books and a whole lot more music than anything else. I am a Watershed fan who somehow began trading emails with Ricki C and from there I found Pencilstorm. Then Colin made the mistake of inviting me to write some posts. That’s probably all you need to know.  Oh yeah, and I live in Virginia, about an hour south of D.C. – JCE

THE OLD MAN AT THE ROCK N ROLL SHOW

So when I was about mid-thirties, I quit drinking.  Stayed that way for a pretty long time (over a decade), and really, I’m happy that I did.  My wife and I did it together and we managed fine.  We had our daughter during that time and raised her through her earliest years with not a drop of alcohol.  At some point though, I took up drinking a beer now and again, and my wife went back to her occasional glass of wine.  That inevitably led to the visitation of a bar once in a while and the obvious desire to start going to see bands again. 

I’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds of bands in grungy clubs and I’m happy to say that I’m still adding ticket stubs to my collection. Now that I’m going to shows, I’ve observed that I’m usually the oldest guy there, except for the all ages shows where there are parents in attendance.  They are there as chaperones and not for the music.  I have actually been asked, “Which kid is yours?”  That was at a Good Charlotte show at the 9:30 Club in D.C. which was jam packed with teeny boppers.  It was the worst show I’ve seen in recent years.  One show, Everclear, at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, VA, this teenaged blonde comes up to me all casual and says, “Do you have any weed?”  Uh, no darlin’, I do not.  I guess an old dude in a leather jacket looks like he should be carrying some dope.  (editors' note: So let's get this straight, JCE, you DON'T have any weed?  Damn!)   

Other shows, like X at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA and any of the three Social Distortion shows I’ve gone to seem to have an older crowd where I blend right in.  It’s very hit and miss on whether the crowd is going to make me feel ancient.  I will say that all of my friends and family insist that I do not look anywhere near my age, so that probably helps.  One last observation from an old guy at club shows:  I must be the last guy in the world that loves music and skateboards and doesn’t have a tattoo.  Don’t get me wrong, I dig tattoos on young, good looking people.  They look cool on most guys and sexy on some girls, but when they get old, they’re mostly gonna look like crap.

I was looking at a few ticket stubs of shows I’ve been to recently.  When I look at them, it’s a nice bit of music.  I’ve seen Gaslight Anthem, the Hold Steady, Catfish & the Bottlemen, The Struts, and other artists I really like.  I’ve also seen aging bands like Social Distortion, X, Cheap Trick who are still great.  But compared to shows I saw years ago--  The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, The Professionals, Dead Kennedys, Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Dead Boys, The Neighborhoods, The Outlets….. I miss the music of my youth.  Or maybe I just miss my youth. 

JCE

JCE is our newest rock writer, and Ricki C. brought him into our little Pencilstorm family.  Ricki knows him as John, but damn if JCE isn't a cool pen-name.