Dear Friends,
Remembering to be grateful means that you have to look past the petty disappointments of the average day. It means saying quiet ‘thank yous’ to the universe even when it seems like the universe is looking the other way. I reminded myself a few times yesterday that I am truly grateful for the life I have.
I am really thankful for the health that I enjoy. Being 55 is not a walk in the park and my body hurts a lot, but compared to a lot of people I know, I don’t have anything to really complain about and a lot of what ails me could be rectified with some exercise, a better diet, and better sleep. Most of my issues are self-created. Rock and roll is not easy on the body, nor was twenty plus years of skateboarding.
So again, all things considered, I am thankful. Very thankful.
*****
I’m also thankful for a mercilessly painless day yesterday at work. I had a number of absent students but the ones who did show were not in sugar comas or completely cracked out. We had some fun and it was nice to have a good day with them before I freak them out next week. Division is coming.
*****
Today will be A Place To Bury Strangers tonight and an interview this afternoon, as well as a visit to Granny. Should be another full day.
*****
For my birthday in 1990, when I turned 21, my friend, Jay, took me to Zia so I could pick out a CD. Jay had turned me onto a bunch of music in the year previous and as an old college radio DJ, he knew his stuff. I jumped at the chance to go to the record store with him.
I had heard about this Denver-based band, The Fluid, and was stoked to find their Glue/Roadmouth CD. I selected it as my present and really liked what I heard when I got home and popped it in. The band was kind of a cross between the grunge sound that was new and coming in hot and heavy from all the different Seattle bands and Redd Kross.
There is a lot of energy across this compilation of the Glue EP and the Roadmouth LP. You can tell the difference a bit between the first six songs that make up Glue and the next nine that make up Roadmouth. This is a Sub Pop release, so it isn’t surprising that it sounds the way it does.
There is a really great bass sound on the two recordings. Matt Bischoff, The Fluid’s bassist, knows how to lay it down. I think I always kind of picked up on this, but over the last few years, when I listen to these recordings, I key in on the bass.
“Our Love Will Still Be There” and “Black Glove” are both super high energy rockers to start off the CD. Singer John Robinson’s method of attacking a song are not dissimilar to Mark Arm of Mudhoney, but the two singers don’t sound much alike on most of the tracks. Robinson can do the power pop thing way better than Arm ever could.
Having said all that, “Closet Case” could easily be a Mudhoney song. It’s pretty fucking rockin’, though. The two-guitar attack of James Clower and Rick Kulwicki shines here, but again, Bischoff’s bass is just so damn good. He just kind of makes the whole record so much better.
Bass players have to stick together, I suppose. Here’s to you, Mr. Bischoff, wherever you are.
The entirety of the Glue EP is great. Butch Vig produced it, so it’s no wonder it has that great sound that kind of oozes the early grunge movement. Vig certainly had a hand in creating that sound. The last track from this EP, “Wasted Time” also features some rad drumming. Garrett Shavlik provides the skin pounding and he should probably have gotten more credit from me.
It’s the same old story. I do love a good drummer, but I get lost in the bass. Vig must’ve really liked what he heard from the bass, too, as it is mixed quite well. Kudos to the boys for their work on Glue.
“Wasted Time” also sounds a lot like Mudhoney, too…just a tad happier.
I got to see The Fluid in San Francisco in 1991 when I moved up there. I think they played with I Love You and Sister Double Happiness if I can remember correctly. Steve and I went and saw them while he was still there after driving me up to my new home. I wish I remembered the show better. I think I was so excited about the move and just taking it all in that I didn’t appreciate the show in a way that would have made it more memorable.
We did try to get some liquid LSD outside the i-Beam and got ripped off. Live and learn. The place was packed, though.
Jack Endino recorded the Roadmouth stuff. The first track, “Cop A Plea” sounds more like a band that is growing confident in their own sound. It’s still a heavy song, though. I really like the nine tracks on Roadmouth, but as I mentioned previously, there is a difference between the two recordings.
“Girl Bomb” might be my favorite track off the Roadmouth stuff, but “Cop A Plea” is rad, too. “Twisted and Pissed” is a rocker and so is “Is It Day?” In fact, “Twisted and Pissed” reminds me of being young and dumb and full of cum…just looking to have a great time all day.
“What Man” is another favorite. It’s a little bit more mid-tempo than the previous tracks, so it is a nice change of pace. I like the way Robinson sings it, too. I’m pretty sure, now that I think about it, that The Fluid played this one when I saw them. I can almost close my eyes and be back in that room. How fucking cool is that.
Rock and roll time machines are the best. I’ve read recently that all the Fluid music is being re-released by Sub Pop next month. I might have to pick up some of these on vinyl again.
*****
See you tomorrow.
AI hates division, too.
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