Newsletter: A quiet weekend of GREAT discoveries + Pretending to be 16 again.
You guys! I'm so excited for TONIGHT!
Tonight I FINALLY get to see one of my GATEWAY bands: The Bruce Lee Band! They play tonight at Bottom Of The Hill as part of a four night mini-festival celebrating 30 years of Asian Man Records! Asian Man Records has put out hundreds of records over the years including releases for mega popular acts such as Alkaline Trio, Joyce Manor, Lawrence Arms, Jeff Rosenstock, Less Than Jake, Skankin' Pickle, AJJ, and so many others!
I first discovered Bruce Lee Band and Asian Man Records as a moody little depressed kid living in Noweheresville, USA aka Shreveport, Louisiana. There was a ska explosion that happened on MTV and the local radio with Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger and Mighty Mighty Bosstones taking over the airwaves.
Thanks to the soundtracks of the copious amounts of BMX and Skateboarding magazines and videos my friends and I were devouring, I'd slowly discover a world of Ska and Punk just beyond those bands that had made it big. The energy was infectious and I stopped listening to angry/depressing Nu Metal and dug in deep into this new underground world.
I discovered B. Lee Band thanks to the "Hey Brother... Can you spare some Ska?" cheapo compilation CD I purchased at a Warehouse Music in Shreveport for $3.99.
At the time, Bruce Lee Band were Less Than Jake fronted by Mike Park from Skankin' Pickle. He had all these songs written, but no band to perform them with. So into the studio he went with LTJ and this wonderous side-project was born. Mike Park ran a small record label out of his mother's Garage called Asian Man Records.
I was a poor kid, but I would manage to save and scrimp up my meager earnings and through Asian Man Records, I would discover Mailorder is Fun! I would begin to order CDs direct from Asian Man Records. So many of my favorite records came from this hallowed record label, which is still ran out of his mom's San Jose garage all these years later.
Mike Park would become a hero of mine. Through his regular blog posts, I would get a glimpse into the world of the Bay Area Ska/Punk scene. Park would open his heart up to his readers and share his journeys and through those journeys I'd learn about those DIY punk rock ideals that would shape me into the person I am today.
As a young man, I'd read Park's blogs and dream of living in the Bay Area. It took me 30 years, but I'm here now! Better late than never, I suppose!
This weekend we're celebrating 30 years of Asian Man Records.
What a fucking TREAT!!!! I never ever thought I'd get a chance to see the little side-project band that would introduce me to his label, Bruce Lee Band. It's a different line-up these days. It's Jeff Rosenstock's band backing up Park these days, not Less Than Jake.
I just can't believe it! I'm so fucking PUMPED!!! I never ever thought in a million years I'd get a chance to see them. But tonight as soon as I clock off from my shift at work I'm going to race into SF and dance the night away!
Will I skank in the pit? Who the hell knows? I'm too old for that shit, but I'm going to try to let that inner 16 year old loose and let him take the wheel.
If you're going to be at one of the many shows this weekend, please let me know. Let's meet up!
I had a BLAST last Thursday night at the Tim Kasher event at the Roxy 14 movie theater in Downtown Santa Rosa! Kasher showed his new film, WHO'S WATCHING, played a short Cursive set and did a Q&A with the Forever Midnight Podcast guys! Thank you to the Roxy & Forever Midnight for putting on the event! It was great to chat with Bryan from the podcast, who told me every time he opened Instagram he saw the ad for our profile piece on Tim and the film! "You promoted it more than we did!" Thanks to everyone who read that piece and signed up!
I work for most of the major film festivals in the Bay Area and I've been itching to start a SmartMouth film screening series... Perhaps this is the start of a beautiful friendship. ;)
THIS WEEKEND'S RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
Looking for more Indie/Punk/Alternative leaning events? Make sure to check out our curated events calendar at smartmouthcalendar.com! It's an incomplete and always a work in progress. Please submit any upcoming events for consideration at: https://smartmouthcalendar.com/submissions/
This was a pretty light week for shows, so I had to go digging to fill in the gaps on this week's email newsletter, and boy and I glad I did! I listened to a lot of the music coming through the area and I discovered some real damned delights coming up and all of them playing on Friday night... When I'm going to be in the city watching some of my all-time favorite bands. Doh!
But that's the great thing about treasure hunting and discovery. I've got new artists I can't wait to be on the lookout for. I hope you, dear reader, can find something in these lines of code that interests you and that you seek out- if not now in the near future.
Friday 9/4: Spencer LaJoye with Joshua James Jackson – The Altamont: Occidental, CA - $23.18
First off, how FANTASTIC is this flyer? Hot damn that thing is a beaut. Second, God damn I love how small a county Sonoma can be. I work at the Crooked Goat Brewing, and when I first started I worked a number of Trivia nights at their Sebastopol location. I made friends with a handful of regulars.
Two folks in particular stuck out to me. I just immediately dug the hell out of their vibes. I am terrible with names, but I promised them I'd remember. That night I said their names over and over again until it was committed to memory. I haven't seen the pair in weeks. I wondered if I would ever see them again...
Months later I'm doom scrolling on instagram. It's been a while since I worked a Trivia night in Sebastopol but then BAM! Suddenly my bar trivia regular looking right back at me. I loaded up their YouTube channel and fell under their spell.
Spence LaJoye (They/Them) plays breathtaking queer indie folk. There's a magical and ethereal quality that flows through their music that really grabbed me deep in my soul. It's the kind of musical magic that can only come when someone bleeds through their music. These aren't just songs, these are pieces of LaJoye in musical form. They've been touring the country for years and slowly building up quite a solid little fanbase. If a gun was put to my head, I would tell you LaJoye reminds me of Maggie Rogers, Joni Mitchell meets Brandi Carlile.
I was also fortunate enough to meet Joshua James Jackson at the Lost Church in Santa Rosa where he taught a short workshop about better concert booking practices. I loved listening to J3 talk. I was wild hearing thoughts you came up with on your own coming out of someone else's mouth. I talked his ear off and I believe we were well met. Listening to Jackson's 2022 album Livin The Dream, I'm immediately reminded of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Alabama Shakes.
Sadly, I'm going to miss this show as I'll be losing my mind watching one of my favorite bands at Bottom Of The Hill, but I'm forever thankful for meeting both these fine folks and making their acquaintance. I can't wait to see them soon. Until then, their tunes will be on repeat.
Friday 9/4: Michael J. O’Connor with Nicco Weisskoff – Lost Church: Santa Rosa, Ca - $15
In my hunt to fill this week's list, I went and listened to damned near everything happening this weekend and stumbled upon this great little show happening at the Lost Church.
Michael J. O'connor - I turned on his bandcamp today, it instantly clicked. His newest single reminded me instantly of Face To Face when they went acoustic. O'Connor is a frontman with a band waiting to happen. Immediately, I recognize he's got a pop-songwriter gift. His stuff has great hooks, rhythms and melodies. He's putting out fully realized songs, that if played by a full band would remind folks of the aforementioned Face to Face meets Elliot Smith. It sits right on the edge of indie and punk, somehow both and neither at the same time. This was real surprising and cool.
Nicco Weisskoff was just as big of a surprise. I listened to his 2026 EP Each New Day on Spotify. He plays these really intimate and sparse singer-songwriter songs that immediately reminded me of Mount Eerie. It's simple and it's sparse, raw and emotional. But it is the silence in between the words and musical notes that hold this real kind of special power.
Once again, I'm heartbroken that I'll be singing my heart out at Bottom Of The Hill on Friday night and missing this. But I'm excited to discover these great talents hiding right under our ears here in Sonoma County.
Friday 9/4: (((folkYEAH!))) Presents: Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) – GunBun, Sonoma
Stephen Malkmus is a singer and guitarist in the groups Pavement, The Jicks, and the Hard Quartet and was a member of Silver Jews. (I've seen an ad on Instagram for weeks about this show, and none of that information was in ANY of the marketing materials until this week! So for someone like myself who is a casual fan of Pavement and has the Pavement Documentary in my streaming queue waiting for me to hit play, I didn't recognize the name.)
Expect a solid night of intimate indie rock at one of the world's most beautiful venues, Gun Bun! This show will cost you $86.85 a ticket with $17 in parking. A little to spendy for me, but what a great opportunity to see this legend in Sonoma County!
Friday 9/4: Rip Off, The Sea Shells, Mouse Trout and Deer Woman - Arlene Francis Center, Santa Rosa.
Killer night of all ages Punk and Ska for a good cause! Dance your pants off. Build community. Help others at the same time!
Rip Off, The Sea Shells, Mouse Trout and Deer Woman We have this incredible lineup for yall on 9/4 with all proceeds going to help support a family in Gaza – tell your friends!!!!!!! Pull up for an amazing night of music for a good cause!!! 15$ entry but we will accept additional
Saturday 9/5: The English Beat – Mystic Theatre, Petaluma
Speaking of legendary Ska bands! The (English) Beat are coming back through the North Bay! These purveyors of Ska from the 80s are still going strong, if not stronger than ever! The Beat regularly sell out venues all over the area! This is going to be a great night of 80s throwback fun!
Can't make it to this one? Don't worry the band will be back in the area on December 5th when they'll be playing the 600 cap Napa Music Hall! They usually SELL OUT THE 850 capacity Uptown, so their upcoming Napa show is sure to be a jam packed event!
Led by founding member Dave Wakeling, the band continues to captivate audiences with timeless hits like “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Save It for Later,” “Hands Off… She’s Mine,” and “I Confess.” Blending infectious rhythms, socially conscious lyrics, and high-energy performances, The English Beat remains one of the most influential bands of the British ska revival. Don’t miss your chance to experience these iconic songs performed live!
LOOKING FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS?
WHO EVER SAYS NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE NORTH BAY IS FULL OF SHIT. There's all of this and MORE happening this very weekend and every single weekend!
Make sure you visit SmartMouthCalendar.com! It's an ongoing project to help promote up and coming events. I've been slacking on adding new stuff, so please let me know what I'm missing! What shows and events are you looking forward to in the North Bay? Send them my way and let me know!
SmartMouth707@gmail.com!
