Down and Outlaws -- Uncut

Down and Outlaws, view from the back patio at El Rio. All photos by Joo-Joo Ashworth.

"Last Sunday, El Rio hosted a night of good old fashioned rock and roll. I’m talking about loud, guitar-driven, blues-inspired tunes that ring more sinister than indie rock and more pensive than punk. Surrounded by friends and friendly Sunday night bar goers, the San Francisco-based outfit Down and Outlaws roamed the venue, waiting for its headlining set of the night. With time to kill, and the opening acts Foli and Cab 20 sound checking their instruments, I sat down with the four guys of Down and Outlaws—vocalist and guitarist Peter Danzig, bassist Chris Danzig, drummer Jason Jones and lead guitarist Kyle Luck—to talk about their sound, influences, future plans and David Bowie." To read the whole article, head over to the eventseekr blog! Or just CLICK HERE.

My first version of the article was just over 3500 words, mostly due to the fact that my conversation with Peter, Chris, Jason and Kyle was filled with a lot of nonsense--endearing nonsense, the kind that tells me these guys would be easy to hang out with, but nonsense none the less. If I had my way, I wouldn't have cut a single word of the interview. (This is why we have editors: no one would have taken the time to read such a long article!) That being said, most of what I had to cut was solid gold, including this little excerpt about the man, the myth, the legend, David Bowie:

Jason: He transforms into an eagle and flies away.

Kyle: He comes back once every full moon--

Chris: --and delivers you a hit song.

Peter: He lives on the moon.

Kyle: That’s his house, right?

Peter: He actually writes inside the moon

Kyle: He wrote the moon! Sorry we’re getting off topic.

Peter: He wrote, what’s the fucking book?

Chris: Goodnight Moon!

Peter: He wrote goodnight moon.

Down and Outlaws has begun to lay down tracks for its debut EP, which will hopefully be out by the end of the year. Keep an eye on the band's facebook page for updates on the record and upcoming show dates.

Read the rest of the interview after the jump!

Hellaween and the local scene

I realize we're still a few days out, but since Halloween is on a Wednesday this year and this last weekend was the unofficial but publicly understood time to dress up and get weird, I figured I'd wish everyone on the interwebs a happy and safe All Hallow's Eve. This year I dressed up as pop art by Roy Lichtenstein--a risky choice considering the make up-heavy look could have gotten extremely messy/scary throughout the night.

Anyways, I've recently (finally) confronted the conclusion that I need to immerse myself into the local music scene for so many reasons, not least of which is the fact that this is my city and music is one of my favorite things to write about. After talking to my friend Peter of Down and Outlaws, a raw, blues-tinged rock and roll band that gorgeously and appropriately employs a harmonica, he kindly offered to keep me in the loop about the better local shows going on in the city. He also told me that at any given show I'd meet a bunch of people who either play in other bands or know of another band I should be familiar with. That claim proved entirely true after I caught a Down and Outlaws set at 50 Mason last Tuesday. The night just happened to be a weekly event called Scared to Dance, which features three or four rock bands hand-picked by Nic, 50 Mason's bartender and vocalist/guitarist of Zodiac Death Valley. Nic was nice enough to tell me a little about the bands he chooses for Scared to Dance, and from what I've gathered, he's very proud of bringing real rock bands together for a FREE night of music. I'll definitely be making it out to another Tuesday night at 50 Mason, and if you're looking to catch some live music in an laid back bar setting you should too! Did I mention it was free?

In the next few weeks, expect a lot of local band coverage because a lot of rad stuff is going on.

Last thursday, I caught the EP release party for an americana indie rock band named Brother Pacific and currently reviewing its Give it to Me EP for the eventseekr blog. Check in sometime later this week for the link!

Also, Down and Outlaws are playing a show at El Rio on November 4. The band makes some seriously raw, loud tunes and the venue has the best back patio ever, so come out! In the meantime, here's a video of the band playing "Back into Your Arms."