Fifty on Their Heels Does Fox Rox

i uploaded the pictures but can't put them in a set- they're right there, though. it helps the post to have the option to look at the photos while you're reading the post.
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the threshold in the cat dirt household for post- sdma celebration/gloating was reached at about 8:30 PM last night (approximately five minutes before bed time at the cat dirt household), so I'm just going to move on... go take a look at the photos- my comments are a bit more pointed then the quiet brand of diplomacy and inclusion that i practice over here at the blog itself.

so fifty on their heels taped a performance at fox rox yesterday. The Show will Air for the first time(it's shown three times a week) on Thursday, October 19th at midnight. I'm going to try to get an event together, but i don't know how formal it will be. The name of the show(all this can be verified on the fox tv website) is called "San Diego "Bands on the Rise" and features: Fifty on Their Heels, Kite Flying Society, Grand Ole Party, Clockwork Army(?), Transit War(met for the first time yesterday).

i'm having lunch with david from kfs today, so maybe we can get an idea together between the two of us re: celebration. or not. that's equally as likely.

what can i say about the experience? hey- it's television. do you know how many god damn people watch television? about one million times as many as read blogs. even at midnight on a thursday. if no one is watching a television show, that's 10 to 15 thousand people. It's like the psp game- if no one buys it, that still like, 25-40 thousand people. as supposed to when no one buys our cd- that really means, like, zero.

my points of fashion for the trip were: network(movie), ron burgundy, sports night(tv show), saturday night live.

it didn't dissapoint- the control room was a special highlight. hanging out w/ kristen gundred(grand ole party) was a plus. they are set to record in october with louis xiv. that should be good product, i'm thinking. i conveyed to kristen the importance of not signing anything, especially anything that would keep gop from releasing a cd in the next six months. she said she agreed.

scott richison, the producer of fox rox(and the 10 PM news broadcast for fox) was a cool guy, despite the fact that he had been up till 4 AM the night previous(working the music awards no doubt- for that "live" broadcast on NOVEMBER THIRD). Hey- why not push it out till 2009, guys? lame! there were four other people in the control room with scott- three guys running the show and one woman who was... eating? researching pirate jokes? i dunno. there were like, five people in the studio- four camera guys and one woman who was talking in a head set. ugh- i don't know any of the terminology, but i took careful pictures of the set up for reference.

i may get into that deeper- but i bet no ones interested, so i'll skip it for now. mostly i was interested in the mechanics of it all. i suggested to scott, directly, that it might be better if they took the black velvet curtains down, or made them red velvet curtains, and it wasn't really a collaborative process. also, DO NOT make shot recommendations to the guys in the control room, that kind of advice is NOT appreciated.

scott, i know, was at least aware of fifty on their heels because i sent him the cd- he sent me back a kind email. the rest of the people- quite obvious they'd never heard of ANY of the bands (quite obvious b/c of statements like "i've never heard of any of these bands")- note the placement of the first "of" in that sentence- intentional and accurate.

i would think, you know, you'd at least take an interest if it was related to your job- like, i dunno- google the band names the night before, or something similar. whatever- i know local television is a important stuff- i've seen Ron Burgundy Anchorman about a MILLION times, so, i know what a big deal it is.

the important thing is that we did it and they said they'd provide us with a digitized version we can upload onto youtube. The eta for that is "one week after the show airs". that's all good- i am patient- like a cobra! i've got your business card scott- you'll be hearing from me one week after the show.

yesterday reminded me clearly of the difference between inspration and technical profiency in the professional world. part of why you have your generic professional job is because you CAN do it- i.e. you have the skills. but without inspiration, you probably won't be succesful or happy- you'll just be exercising your skill set in exchange for a pay check and benefits.

seriously though- thank you to scott richison and to troy johnson- who set this whole thing up! as i mentioned last night- and before last night- troy johnson has earned my respect. he, in my opinion, does have passion/inspiration for what he does, whether or not you think what he does is cool or whatever. furthermore, troy is not a negative person- almost everything he does professionally is positive- building bands up- rather then negative- spreading scurrilous gossip or just not giving a fuck.

when i started getting involved with fifty on their heels/cat dirt records in january, my two goals were "win a san diego music award" and "get band on fox rox". i gave myself three years- just to accomplish those goals! so in that, sense i'm professionally satsified with the results. but i yearn for more punk credibility. i think i''ll go buy a tattered black hoodie from a hobo and stitch an "antioch arrow" patch on the sleeve!


i uploaded the pictures but can't put them in a set- they're right there, though.
Cat Dirt Flickr Home

San Diego Music Awards(with Cat Dirt Photo Set)

hey- did i mention that the plot to blow up the eiffel tower broke up? they announced from the stage when they won "best punk band". i confirmed it with... brandon? at the RAW POWER night at LANDLORD JIM'S. they are still playing new york with the slits! it's like a little 'thank you' from their label and publicity. but now they have THE PRAYERS, SOME GIRLS & CHARLES ROWLAND AND THE VULTURES and Raw Power, and Skull Kontrol. Hey - guys kissing is hot! who else saw that photo set on myspace? i don't link to myspace profiles but if you punch "plot to blow up the eiffel tower" into a good blog search engine you can find the hotness!

ok- so it's true we won "best punk album". apparently it's not posted on line yet for some unfathomable reason. if someone finds the link could they post it in comments? cat dirt wife? anyone? kite flying society won best new artist, which they announced FIRST (thanks!) - kite flying society wasn't all there yet. lady dottie won for best cover band (thanks!) dirty sweet won best rock - goodbye blue monday won best alternative(love that category!). cattle decaptiation won best HARD ROCK AGAIN. Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower won best punk band. the Power Chords didn't show up. Punk Rock!

the presenters ranged from beloved (tim pyles), to predictable (al guerra, garrett, steve poltz), to fantastically bizarre - meterologist shawn styles? perky morning show host - i don't fucking know her name cause i don't watch local morning television. they were all fox personalities? the guy who voices john redcorn for king of the hill(!)(and he looks like john redcorn). it was fox production.

troy johnson mced. troy was a fairly significant part of us winning this award- like tim pyles, morgan young and gabe vega. if i had to say TWO people- MORGAN YOUNG and GABE VEGA. Did I mention the "best dj" category is a joke? a joke! we saw dirty sweet for the first time- they're cool: dirty sweet, the delta spirit, vinyl radio, irradio - they can call it the san diego blues inspired rock jam-a-thon and have it at the house of blues on a monday night - you don't have to pay me royalties on that idea!

so the funniest part of the night- other then the fact that i took a picture of junior just as he realized they won - you have to look at THAT picture in the photo set, was the fact that senile ol' steve foltz forgot to introduce the clip of the nominees for "best punk album" he just ripped open the envelope and yelled "fifty on their heels!" yeah! way to go you elderly eccentric guy! poltz? foltz? is a san diego icon.

there were a LOT of acts i heard for the first time. i missed arabella harrison because i was playing cashmoneychaos(killer psp game with a "rocking punk soundtrack"). saw greg laswell - um - aj croce was fine - he won best pop album- i'll have to check that out! free copy, anyone? tania- i know you can hook that up. you reading or do i have to myspace you about it?

we saw cash'd out at the dreamcatcher lounge. they are cool - the guy kind of looks like johnny cash- and the guitarist has a good look too - i'd like to see him fronting his own libertine's style british rock band. went to bed before lady dottie and the diamonds play i mean, sorry - but fuck. stopped by raw power where mario orduno told me that he had a "hangman game" to get to, so he couldn't talk. love it! i can't believe the plot to blow up the eiffel tower announced their break up like that. i suppose if i had been in the know i would have known... last week? obvious for months now? certainly the whole side project thing has been a critique all along - i guess that solves that.

so look at the photos - i have descriptions for some. that's like, part of the blog entry.

Cat Dirt Photo Set: San Diego Music Awards

We Won!

photo set on flickr to come... the pictures are there, just not organized yet. fox rox today! ah fox rox...

so i added us to the list of winners(with record labels in paratheses). Not sure if Unwritten Law was on Atlantic in 1998... couldn't verify it in the three minutes i have to spend on this post.

Best Punk Album

2006 Fifty on Their Heels - self titled(cat dirt records)
2005 Hot Snakes - Adult in Progress(swami)
2004 blink-182 - self titled(mca)
2003 Agent 51 - Red and the Black(surfdog)
2002 Dogwood - Matt Arogan(tooth and nail)
2001 blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket(mca)
2000 blink-182 - Enigma of the State(mca)
1999 No Knife - Fire In The City of Automatons(time bomb)
1998 Unwritten Law - Unwritten Law(atlantic?)

Mega Post: Los Angeles, Fifty on Their Heels, Anavan, Teenage Talking Cars, Bubonic Plague, New Collapse, Master B.E.T.A., The Smell, Zamakibo, Echo

ah i hate the mega post. such a waste of good material. but whatever. ok i'm going to use flickr for the photos for this "mega post"- it's just more efficient. i've got a link to the photo set that goes with this at the bottom- so go look at that first, then come back for explanation.

open in a seperate window and switch between the two windows!
Cat Dirt Photo Set: Los Angeles, Fifty on Their Heels, Anavan, Teenage Talking Cars, New Collapse, Bubonic Plague, banksy

so friday night we went to los angeles to see fifty on their heels & the sess at zamakibo, and then we went to see anavan and teenage talking cars at the Echo. And I have pictures of all of it- except the sess, who we didn't see. sorry sess! i wanted to go to the echo for the very first time!


so zamakibo? not so much. it is certainly "punk rock" located in scenic "south park"- hey la, park of what? toxic waste? no seriously- i love a bombed out warehouse district in the midst of urban renewal as much as the next guy- soma? the mission in sf? u st in dc? south bank in london? east berlin? west oakland? tiajuana? the 17th arrisondement in paris? southeast dc? whatever. love it.

not a lot of promotion going on, or many people out, but fifty on their heels brought the thunder. 15-20 people? punk rock, man. junior put on a masterful performance- he played his guitar with a drumstick, kicked his guitar. it was great. zamabiko seemed more like a cool concept then a reality- it contrasted sharply with the smell, which impressed me with its organization.

sure, i wanted to see the sess, but i wanted to see anavan and teenage talking cars more. they were playing at the echo as part of some art walk(?) thing that miss ammo organized(i saw her trolling for volunteers on myspace last week!).

anyway- the echo is fucking awesome. everyone was drunk, the place was packed- when we walked in the singer in anavan was screaming lyrics via a lacrosse mask that had a mic stuck inside of it. or was the mic installed inside the mask? not sure.

loved them- bought their cd- on gsl- for ten bucks. drunkenly invited them to san diego! they were polite about it- ha-ha. their cd has a heavy electronic sound- keys, drum machines, what not. the lyrics are pretty political- something i didn't get till i, um, read the liner notes. but the stage show is anything but polished- more like chaos and mayhem(also cool).

teenage talking cars- that is no wave baby! miss ammo- rad.

after the show fifty on their heels played an after party in echo park- they went on at three- i heard it was rad, but i wasn't there. dude! someone send me pictures.

i read a great book about los angeles by literature professor william alexander mcclung- great book called "landscapes of desire: anglo mythologies of los angeles" about the idea of los angeles; los angeles as a metaphor. cool stuff. downtown is the place for that- although on a long drive down sunset blvd- from downtown to hollywood, i was postively forced to contemplate the crazy energy of los angeles. los angeles is not some kind of waste land. it is a vibrant interesting the place- the rival of berlin or paris, london NEW YORK. that's right. except the weather is better. the decay and smog and gangs are part of the fun.

we went to the banksy exhibit- banksy- please tell me you either went or at least know who i'm talking about. our friend tim mentioned it to us- and then it was on the front page of the calendar section of the la times because, um, he had a live elephant, painted to match the wallpaper. no shit. it was fucking packed- the warehouse was located at santa fe and... turner? hunter? underneath the 110 freeway by the canal. hipster circus. banksy is cool- fuck all the haters. shep fairey should be pooping himself in shame right now. bravo.

saturday night we went to the smell- another great fucking venue-- right in downtown los angeles- between second and third, main- and- an alley... right by where they're putting the new central cop station- by the la times building. fifty on their heels played ANOTHER amazing set. and we sold the most cds we've ever sold at a show that isn't sessions fest. fifty is blending old and new material and it's really coming together.

then bubonic plague played- awesome- opening for adult in october down here? want to bring them to beauty bar maybe- hey melissa malicious you reading this! i'm going to talk her ear off at the presets show on tuesday. no wave keyboard girl punk sound- maybe a couple extra members in that band? i counted five.

fucking new collapse- amazing.

also- we met with josh our sesac representative on saturday- such a nice guy! now we get quarterly royalties for all our enormous airplay. do we get a dollar a song? i thought i heard that. that's like, ten bucks! and we get money for when we perform our songs. tons of money. we will be rich very soon ha-ha. we are going to do some songs with producer he knows who is currentely reworking tracks for a geffen band. you know we'll be signed to a major label in no time- like tomorrow.

but we missed the san diego music awards pre party where we MISSED winning the best cover art certificate! thanks guys! we're going to frame it, and i'll take a picture of it and put on line. there is nothing more important then winning awards! next year? i'm thinking a nomination for best punk band. the san diego music awards are tomorrow and i'm super excited- one reason i'm not doing a week on this weekend's events. i certainy got enough material but c'est la vie.

again: cat dirt photo set will make this all come together for you...
Cat Dirt Photo Set: Los Angeles, Fifty on Their Heels, Anavan, Teenage Talking Cars, New Collapse, Bubonic Plague, banksy