Hard on your innocence

Rocker foos from the SFV and book reviews served with a side of sludge metal

I went to see Luicidal and eyehategod at the Soda Bar in San Diego last night, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a little rattle-brained this morning.

I’ve been trying to see eyehategod for close to a decade. I figured I’d eventually catch up with them at a festival, but our paths never crossed. I’m glad I finally got to see them in a small room with a ton of energy. The godfathers of Southern sludge metal played an intense set and the crowd was into it.

Louichi Mayorga of Luicidal, Mike IX of eyehategod

Books, books, books

It’s been a minute since I did a proper book review round-up so let’s get to it…

The first book I want to talk about is Children Chasing Tigers the debut novel by Facundo Rompehuevos. It’s about a gang of rocker foos from the San Fernando Valley and the many misadventures. I blurbed the book, calling it “a thrilling portrait of teen angst and excess that makes Suburbia look like an after-school special.” So when Facundo asked me to celebrate his book release with him, I said, “Hells yeah!” but I had no idea what I was in for.

The day before Easter I drove up to The Midnight Hour, a record store in San Fernando (as in town of) way up in the northern part of the valley. Facundo put together an incredible line-up with some absolutely savage Grindcore, including Human Mulch, who were playing their first show, Megedeth-influenced Menk, and The Bad Acid Trip, which kind of blew my mind. The singer, Dirk, wore a yellow Grace Jones T-shirt with suspenders and a wallet chain, a combo that has never been witnessed before, much less at a Grindcore show.

I read the opening paragraphs to my work-in-progress, listened to Lisa Fancher talk about Frontier Records, and made sure my earplugs were screwed in tight for the explosion of crunchy, sludgy, mind-melting guitars. It was great to see a few friends (Hi Daryl! Hi John!) and I sold a bunch of books.

The highlight of the afternoon came during the raffle. A portion of the proceeds was donated to the youth drop-in center at Village Family Services so naturally I bought a few raffle tickets to support the cause. Of course, I won a record donated by Frontier Records: Group Sex by the Circle Jerks, which I already own, so I gave it back. That decision was immediately rewarded when I won again, this time a remastered double album of Christian Death’s Only Theater of Pain, which is only available as part of a box set. You better believe I kept that one.

Facundo Rompehuevos, Lisa Fancher, Dirk from The Bad Acid Trip, Daryl Gussin, Menk & Jim Ruland

I spent the night at Razorcake HQ, ate some delicious vegan cookies, and chopped it up with Todd and Jen late into the night, i.e. 9:30 pm. I drove home early Easter Sunday morning in half the time it took me to drive up the day before. Praise Jesus!

In Mexico City, I read a galley of Nolan Knight’s new novel, The Gorgon of Los Feliz, and it’s a nasty little number that travels all over LA and has something sharp to say about all of it. It’s a whip-smart take on identity in a place where re-invention is a prerequisite for making it but taking it too far can have deadly consequences. Available from Down & Out Books in July, but you can preorder now.

Nolan’s book made me want to get back to a novel I’d started a while ago that’s also set in Southern California. Duane Swiercynzski’s California Bear is a twisty, unpredictable take on the serial killer novel that sets its sights on the true crime industry. It’s told through the lens of several characters, including a character known as “Girl Detective” who spends almost the entire book in the cancer ward of Los Angeles Children’s Hospital after being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia—something the author knows a great deal about. That’s all I’m going to say about that, but this one made me shed a tear at the end.

The strangest book I’ve read recently is Ten by Juan Emar and translated by Megan McDowell. She told me it was “weird” when I asked her about it in Barcelona, and was she ever right. Emar has an absolutely unorthodox approach to narrative. The collection features returning characters, stories within stories. the magick of chance, enumeration as rhetorical device, supernatural occurrences presented in a matter-of-fact manner.

The prose is wonderfully evocative but the stories conclude in a manner that is ambiguous at best. These stories aren’t necessarily satisfying in the traditional sense, but when did we ever care about that? These narrative engines convulse with strange energy making Ten a thrilling read.

I’m reading a book right now that I’m really loving but I don’t want to jinx it by singing its praises before I finish it, so you’ll just have to wait for the next round-up or keep tabs on my Goodreads page.

New short story in Dark Yonder

I’m very happy to announce that my short story “Comment Section” has found a home in the April issue of Dark Yonder.

It’s a different kind of story because it’s told entirely through the comments of an article about the mysterious deaths of four young people in the Mojave Desert. It’s got a mix of punk, crime, and horror, and has something to say about the way we live our lives today—both online and off.

I'm grateful to the editors Katy Munger and Eryk Pruitt for publishing my story alongside so many stellar writers. If you’re still reading, I’ll let you in on a little secret: “Comment Section” is set in the world of Black Van so if you want a sneak peak at what I’ve been up to for the last year-and-a-half, this is your chance. The April issue is now available in print and as an ebook and I hope you’ll check it out!

Thanks for reading! If you liked this newsletter you might also like my latest novel about healthcare vigilantes Make It Stop, or the paperback edition of Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records, or my book with Bad Religion, or my book with Keith Morris. I have more books and zines for sale here. And if you’ve read all of those, consider checking out my latest collaboration The Witch’s Door and the anthology Eight Very Bad Nights.

Message from the Underworld comes out every Wednesday and is always available for free, but paid subscribers also get my deepest gratitude and Orca Alert! on most Sundays. It’s a weekly round-up of links about art, culture, crime, and killer whales.