FROM A NICE DAY TO A GOOD NIGHT – GREAT NEW MUSIC SHOWS ARE BACK
WARM NIGHTS PRODUCE HOT, SHIRTLESS ROCKERS AGAIN IN T-TOWN
Temecula, CA – It seemed almost like they would never return, but raw rock fueled by warm nights and hot live sets played by sweaty shirtless musicians are back. Let me explain. In my review about Michael Paulo’s Jazz Fest, there was a smooth, cool 
scene packed with civil cultured music lovers oiled by tasty wine, an uptown crowd. With the end of Madlins, The Vault, and Cuppy’s, and the rise of ‘coffee shop acoustics’, the pure passion of underground indie rock bands had taken a holiday. Seeing some rock bands of the Temecula Music Fest perform with shirtless drummers usually, but also sometimes a with guitarist too, brought back memories of shows from as far back as Madlins with shirtless drummers from groups like Bobby Breakdown. When a music performer removes his shirt because he’s worked up a sweat*, the crowd always amps up a notch as does his band’s music. That explosive atmosphere, usually coupled with the youth music scene and bands under the radar playing to get their music out, not to ‘get paid’, is the real appeal* of the youth rock scene. It’s addictive and it felt good to be ‘back home’ with ‘real’ music from the person who started it back in the day, Bill Gould and Full Value Entertainment. This year’s 3-day Temecula Music Fest had it all.
For a rundown of all the bands that played please see the last posting about this Fest, but for me it was great to see and hear the power of Burke, a singer/guitarist from the Madlins days who now tours by bicycle. “It took me 16 hours to pedal down from Hollywood, but I got this motor now (pointing at the yellow contraption mounted over the rear tire), and I can go about 25 miles an hour. Of course I couldn’t get over ten miles an hour up in LA with all the (stop)lights. I hate to pollute but the motor is so small and I get about 200 miles to the gallon so it’s not too expensive.” A brand new studio CD is due out soon and we all hope that Burke will
have his CD release party here in the valley. Speaking of CD releases, On Being Human, a Temecula band and the group who first told me of Invisible Children, did release their new four song EP at the TMF. It shows the song writing sophistication and musicianship found in such abundance around these parts that is totally missed by the out-of-touch “it suck to be” mainstream. Starving For Gravity and 15 North were both fresh off of recent shows so their sets were polished crowd pleasers that picked up new myspace fans from the audience. Iggy and the Rough Riders, a family band from just the road, was also being mentioned about in the groups of young people milling about between set changes, but closing Friday night’s show was rising up-and-comers, another local group from Murrieta, Cetus Aspire, being recorded for posterity by Torri, sister to a band member on one of the dueling guitars, and Ivan Promotions, who have geared back up into the movie mode. From SD, the TMF fans were introduced to Jordan Reimer, a smooth sounding lass (with another good CD to pick up), while another Jourdan danced to Peachcake, my favorite dessert band, joined by the Anarcat Collective’s mascot and T-town’s Food Not Bombs 
organizer, Bridget D. Jupiter also kept the dancing groove going while inside on the acoustic stage local talent from the Java Joz daze like Chuck D (no kin to Bridget), Phil Locash, and Wayne Cameron rocked the house. Chuck D performing as a trio with Wayne on beat box particularly drew rapt applause from the inside crowd. Vendors this year were also joined by artists such as painters and crafters, along with a big booth table highlighting activists issues like animal rights (PETA), recycling, and addressing pollution. For those who missed this year’s TMF, mark your calendar’s for next year’s event usually hosted around this time every year.
(ed note: Our PETA rep advised us against running photos of shirtless performers as teasing and provoking wet dreams in cougars is cruelty against animals*. Sorry ladies, you’ll have to make a TMF in person.)