What's Happening at Winters Tavern
events in June 2023
It’s the end of May and there’s so much going on that CJ and I couldn’t get together to make a video. Yes, I can hear your collective sighs of disappointment already. I’ll do my best to entertain and inform you as I tickle the keyboard here at Non-Writer headquarters.
First, a quick public service announcement. These monthly updates on Winters are NOT just for us locals. I’m trying to highlight the importance of local live music bars in general and I’d love to hear about yours. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. So support your local live music venue.
I’m also trying to highlight the more heavy, extreme and avant bands that are playing at Winters. These are bands that YOU might want to listen to on Bandcamp or elsewhere, no matter where you live. Maybe they will come to YOUR dive bar some day.
Having a local live music bar is not only great for hearing the music, it’s great for meeting people who share your love of music. For me, those people are often in the band that I just heard play. In April, that band was THE HAJJ. Their blend of metal and middle eastern folk music made me want to know more about them. We ended up doing an interview.
In May, that band was A GOOD ROGERING. With a name like that I knew their sense of humor would be wicked. Combine that with their self-branded “eclectic metal” and you know I had a fun hang with them after their set. Before they even got off the stage I approached the bass player with my video camera running to get him to tell me about his bass guitars. He makes them and they are beautiful. You can see them here:
If you watched that short clip, you know that I made it for my bass playing friend Geo Kitta who couldn’t join me for that show. I met Geo several years ago at Winters Tavern where we were both watching avant bands doing free improvisation, and loving it. It was a small mid-week audience, so it didn’t take long for us to strike up a conversation about the music. We’ve been friends ever since. Along with making bass guitars, he plays them in a few bands. One of them is BOND GIRL, and they will be playing this Sunday May 28 in the all day music festival MEMORIAL MAYLAY. It’s 8 bands, one every hour, on two stages starting at noon.
And we haven’t even gotten to June yet.
The first Saturday in June is another all day affair with 7 bands kicking off at 1pm, followed by a POST PRIDE PARADE PARTY with bands at 8pm.
The second Saturday in June features a night of metal presented by OZZY'S BACKYARD. Seven bands will bring to Winters Tavern the experience of what it’s like to join the mosh pit in Ozzy’s backyard. Things kick off at 7pm.
The final two Saturdays bring more heavy rock’n with THUNDERBLEED promising “the show will be beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience”, on June 17th. And on June 24th, local favorites SHARK IN THE WATER will bring their giant animatronic fish puppets to join the live sharks playing on stage, along with THE GILLBILLIES and more.
That covers the Saturdays in June. I’d love to tell you about ALL the bands, but without my sidekick CJ I’m at a bit of a loss. But here goes.
This Tuesday may not be in June, but it’s close enough for me. May 30th looks like a killer show presented by HANDSOME HAWK VALENTINE. He describes the band CAM GIRL as “retro-futuristic trash rock from Asheville, NC”, and THE VAXXINES are East Bay punk scene veterans. I don’t know these bands, but I know Hawk. I met him when I played ice hockey in SF. Hawk is a goalie, so you know his brain is a little off, and so is the music he presents.
And now for that time in the story where I tell you about Rick’s Picks!
These are the bands that present themselves as avant, experimental or extreme. I don’t know most of these bands, but I expect them to surprise me by being more than a little bit different. Here we go.
Any band the puts the word “Prog” or “Experimental” in their description gets my attention, and KETAM have both, and then some. See them on Friday June 2nd with two other bands. Here’s what they have to say about themselves:
Funk. Thrash. Psych. Prog. Experimental hard funk + acid rock power trio KETAM is the promiscuous outlet of Xavier Prospero (KAT Van Morgan), Hector Larios (Pauli's Eye, Joey and the Craigslisters, Stereo Tongue), and Sam Molmud (Stereo Tongue, Method Lab). From headbanging to trance setting via too many effects pedals and processors, KETAM is taking the traditional power trio mantel and throwing it through a meat grinder to make DMT laced, beer soaked bratwurst.
Next up, on Thur June 8th, is PTYL -vs- DEMONCAST. They call it “Goth Industrial Rock”, and a quick listen shows that they mix the melodic with the harsh industrial noise with ease. I tend to like the harsher side of the spectrum, so I hope they will bring it.
Last and maybe BEST is a band that claims to use IMPROVISATION! Probably my favorite form of live music, and the most risky, when a band can pull it off there’s nothing better. The band in this case is SPACE MONKEYS from Seattle, WA. They will be joined by experimental rock band GHOST OF CALLISTO from Oakland on Friday June 23rd.
And don’t forget OPEN MIC-JAM NIGHT with Captain Bob on most Tuesdays, and the matinee shows in the Biergarten most Fridays at 4pm and Sat & Sun at 3pm.
For more info:
If you know anything about any of the bands playing at Winters, please tells us about it in the comments.
And remember, CJ says ………. GO SEE SOME SHOWS!
Hey Rick, how the hell you doing what the hell is happening in P-Town? Just want to let you know that the Panthers are winning the cup seven games!