Under the volcano

Bolaño, Bratmobile & Make It Stop

Greetings from Mexico City! I’m tagging along on one of Nuvia’s work trips again. I’m currently in a hotel in Santa Fe ensconced in an office park and surrounded by freeways so I’ve mostly stayed in the hotel writing and reading Roberto Bolaño’s The Savage Detectives.

This is my third attempt and I’ve never made it past Part I but I think this time will be different. I’m more familiar with the city, which makes a difference since the poets are constantly on the move.

In a few days so will we when me move to another hotel closer to the city center. I’ll have more to say about our adventures in CDMX next week.

Bratmobile

Last week I drove up to LA with my daughter for a secret show at Zebulon. Bratmobile was playing a warm-up gig before last weekend’s reunion show at Mosswood Meltdown so we made the trek from San Diego.

I’m not a huge Bratmobile fan—Annie is more of a fan than I am—but I thoroughly enjoyed the set. I loved Allison Wolfe’s energy and stage presence. It makes all the difference when the energy of the performance matches the energy of the songs. Also, Bratmobile played as a five-piece with a bass player and the music felt fuller and less brittle-sounding.

We got there in time to see Trap Girl, but not the opener, and they were giving some serious Texas Terri vibes. When Trap Girl finished its set with a cover of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” which I’ve seen Texas Terri do a million times—usually topless—it felt like fate.

I ran into a bunch of friends, which was something of a surprise considering I’ve now lived in San Diego a decade longer than I lived in LA. They were all people I’ve known for years through Razorcake so I suppose it wasn’t that surprising.

By the way, Razorcake met their subscription goal. I know a few of you subscribed so thank you! Razorcake por vida!

Kiyoshi Nakazawa and Martin Wong both brought their daughters but none of us were smart enough to organize a group photo.

Martin’s daughter Eloise plays in the Linda Lindas, who joined Bratmobile on stage for a cover of the Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb,” and Kiyoshi’s daughter plays guitar in a band called the Psyches (if I heard her right). I loved hearing Annie’s impressions on the drive home after the show and we’re going to try to do it again when the Circle Jerks and Descendents hit Sacramento in the fall.

Kindle Deal of the Month

If you like to read e-books I have a deal for you. Make It Stop is available for $1.99 on Amazon. This deal is only available for the month of July so get it now.

If you prefer the real thing, Artifact Books has signed copies of books by recent guests of the store, including Make It Stop. Not in the area? Artifact will ship it to you. I don’t say it enough but Rare Bird did a tremendous job and Make It Stop is a beautiful book.

After I get back from CDMX, with the exception of Recess Romp in August, I’ll be in the bunker finishing some projects for the rest of the summer. I’ve signed out from my social media accounts and will only pop in every now again. So if you need me for anything or want to hang out shoot me an email.