June 30, 2009 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

Dear readers,

The following letter is from Nick Biddle, a Conservative Republican from Temecula. Mr Biddle is a fierce opponent to the proposed quarry for a variety of reasons, a lot of info can be found on this site. Here he presents a new approach to stopping the quarry from going in. It is certainly worth a read.

The video certainly worth a view. It is from CNN.com and about a mining town called Picher Oklahoma. Picher is now a ghost town with poisoned air, land and water. I am sure the people of Picher never thought their town would end up this way, and even if only 1% of what happened in Picher happened in Temecula, Rainbow or Fallbrook it would be too much. Consider all this when thinking about the future of Temecula Valley and if we trully want a mine located where Granite Construction is proposing the ‘Liberty Quarry’. Please feel free to chime in and leave comments.

Bill Gould
Publisher

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Remember when Toyota began exporting ugly, tinny, underpowered little malfunctioning copycat cars to America in 1959? (Yes, I’m that old.) GM’s Caddy Eldorado Biarritz convertible was the American dream machine then. Toyota quickly retreated in abject failure—only to return again a few years later, with a slightly less revolting car. Fast forward. “And the rest is history”, as Paul Harvey used to say. Toyota is now the top selling car in America while mighty GM is bankrupt, done, kaput.

Temecula’s Plan A, just like Toyota’s, didn’t work, with the mullahs of LAFCO in Riverside on June 4th. With an imperious sweep of the hand, they ignored all our written petititions which were arduously, and admirably gathered by hardworking, devoted SOS members and leaders, many erudite and passionate individual speeches. They sternly labeled all of us as farcical, having already leaked to the press the previous week that they were against us, and warning us not to bore them. Okay, so bring on Plan B.

Shift gears. Don’t dig ourselves deeper into the same hole with the same failed strategy. Be agile Toyota, not sclerotic, smug GM.
Copy what works. It’s unnecessary to “re-invent the wheel”. Emulate feisty, adaptable, relentless copycat Toyota. Don’t mope around. Do change strategy.

Here’s Plan B:
Copy (gulp) Granite Construction Company’s proven successful PR and advertising strategy. It works, different from our failed methods. Yes, Granite is very good at what it does. Copy them. The Japanese did cheezy knock-offs of American products fifty plus years ago, as China does today. Similarly we can outdo Granite at its own proven PR game, but we’re for real, not phony or cheezy or dishonest like Granite. When we see their huge color ads featuring laughing children, smiling miners in yellow hardhats, green Liberty Bells, back dropped with crystal blue sky over our beautiful hills with the intoned message “character matters”, we know it’s all sheer, bogus nonsense.

But it WINS!
Our strategy LOSES!

We moan about mountain lions’ and other wild critters’ interrupted paths across SMER, itself a 47 year old world famous national and international treasure. But this only allows Granite to portray us as a bunch of bleeding heart, tree hugging Socialist elitists, while good ole Granite looks out for the regular down home folks of Riverside County just trying to make a living. Our whole approach seems to have obligingly played right into their dishonest PR, like a moth to flame. Instead, let’s focus on a few (or many) groups of the 250,000 people in the Temecula Valley who will be adversely affected by the quarry.

For example:
1. Use as our template, that marvelous multicolored Granite ad. Get real laughing Temecula children and their parents playing in our beautiful, huge, new, proud Birdsall Park, one mile directly downwind from the toxic quarry, instead of the phony yellow hatted smiling truck drivers, child models, and green Liberty Bells. Keep the background blue sky and hills, though. They’re a great touch as Granite knows. We could even steal their smarmy “character matters” mantra, only we’ll be talking about the real character of all the many constituencies and businesses of Temecula and adjacent towns.

2. How about interviewing our resident Abbott Lab scientists, in their gorgeous, new, large office tower, as well as Granite’s truck drivers? Wouldn’t they have a word or two to say? By the way, Abbott has annual sales of $29.5 billion, compared to Granite’s puny $2.7 billion, and 69,000 employees, compared to Granite’s measly 3,500 employees. Shouldn’t we notice that and point it out?

3. So who’s really the 800 pound corporate gorilla in this picture who should be listened to, if we only care about corporate needs, and county tax revenues, as the Riverside Supervisors usually do? Would the Supervisors really want to sacrifice the needs of a far more important classy county client-resident, Abbott, for a rinky dink, often lawbreaking bush leaguer like Granite?
Face it. The Riverside Supervisors don’t care, and never will care, about anything other than what will get them reelected. Granite has money and influence of course, while we don’t have as much, but popular opinion and voters are the really big stick we do have, and which the Supervisors respect. Notice Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran today? Amazingly he’s back pedaling a bit, different from the 1979 bloodbath, and is worried about Twitter, the penultimate modern people power.

We need to get that sense of people power through to Riverside. Plan A (critters, environment and SDSU’s SMER) are still just as important as we all know and deeply care about, and must still be emphasized. But it can no longer be our main focus anymore. The 250,000 people and their lifestyle and health must be the main focus henceforth. Abbott’s hundreds of resident Temecula employees, are on our side. Let’s now enroll them and other similar corporate friends in the battle. It’s a lot more than about mountain lions, as Granite knows. At the end of the day, even if it’s only about the money, as Granite and the Supervisors believe, we win that one too, considering all the moneyed, Riverside County taxpaying interests of our community who will suffer from the Granite invasion.

Nick Biddle

Posted in Inland Empire, Old Town Temecula, Liberty Quarry, Anza, Riverside, Riverside County, Real Estate, Dumb, California, Homes, Money, Mortgage, Sports, Cars, Politics, Temecula, Family Attractions, Food, Commentary, Murrieta, Schools, Hiking, Fallbrook, United States of America, San Diego, News | Print | 1 Comment »

June 18, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

TRAVIS SIFLINGER ANOTHER TIP OF HUGE ICEBERG

Lake Elsinore, CA – Before the music show started with free hats from Rock Star at the Diamond Stadium where the minor league Storm play baseball, I had a chance to stroll around and see the vendors’ booths. After seeing only one food vendor, Smokin Aces Barbeque (714.737.1044), I kind of wished Mr. Pete’s had been there also to offer folks a choice, but some of the Mr. Pete guys were playing a show, Ivan was running a stage, and I was being my social butterfly self, so there you are. I met a lot of people at the vendor booths and most of the clothing companies I’ve already mentioned in the previous article, but there were more than just great looking ‘splash front’ T-shirts available for purchase or models for eye candy. To help popularize the event and put their name out, both Used and Optic Industries tossed out free T’s to the crowd, one of which I donated to a friend with a busted wing who couldn’t jump for the tosses. The ‘dirt’ culture, like the hot rod culture, or the boating industry, is big, second generation young and still mostly underground. By underground I mean like skateboarding before Tony Hawk became a household word to anyone under 40. So far, there is no ‘household word’ for the dirt culture, though there are three that I see in the running. Two of them will be covered in this piece. But first, a shout out to the ’real as dirt’ folks I talked to, all of whom were pleasant, engaging, and informative once I broke the ice.


As I looked out over to the horizon at the gleaming McMansions sitting above a shrinking lake, I wondered if the lake gatekeepers knew that Elsinore lies conveniently in the middle of the dirt empire. Justin Morgan of Raw Music Management rolled down from the furthest point, Reno, Nevada. One of the first booths that caught my eye as other booths were still setting up was the Game Over Fight Wear. Meeting Vince, Vance, and Game, talking a bit of politics raised by the images of their ‘Respect, Honor, and Support’ draped flag T-shirt showing a soldier charging toward you wearing a teargas mask as Ivan whizzed by us with a “Watch out, he’ll talk you ear off” (me?), it wasn’t long before I was getting the inside skinny about the band who chiefs the GOFW label, a hip-hop group named White Virus based out of Hollywood, CA. One visit to the band’s MySpace where the default banner reads ‘Boycott the Radio’ and list key words like ‘2012’, ‘Aliens’, and ‘The Illuminati’ show my ‘Spidey sense’ was politically correct. WV has just released their fourth CD, ‘Collapse of the Puppets’.

Rounding the corner of one vendor aisle, there was a set of ‘homemade’ kart style cars with a young boy and several adults milling around them. Striding over, I came across someone who may one day become a household word in the ‘dirt’ world, fifteen year old Conner Hart. The somewhat stocky kid who had a huge banner strung along the parking lot chain link acquainted me with his automotive passion, driving ‘trophy modifieds’ like #550, a 450cc stadium kart around the tracks at Lake Elsinore and at the Perris Speedway. The karts are called that because they are hand built from after-market parts. “I’ve been driving for two years. My folks help support (my interest, but it’s) my neighbor who built these,” as I peer over a 250cc and the larger 450cc (Honda powered) kart that is basically a roll bar cage fitted over an engine with four wheels attached. Conner smiled when I told him that I wished I had had one of these (karts) to drive around when I was fifteen. Next up I joined Real Smokers Only, a vendor from Buena Park, and got my membership card. Some hottie from San Diego passed me a guest V.I.P. pass to Pure Platinum, a gentleman’s club down in S.D. Then it was over to talk to Nick Nicholls, the cool rep under the Planet Minis Magazine big EZ-Up. PMM ties up all the loose ends with the latest in dirt track racing, the ins and outs of having, fixing up and racing mini bikes, like the FMX uses in their events and lifestyles of the Colorado River, the wet side of the dirt scene, the ‘river rats’. Having been a ‘river rat’ back in the 80s on the mighty Miss, I know first hand the fun and camaraderie you find in these groups. If the truth be known and if I can wax philosophical here, most people anywhere just want to live in peace, have fun, and be free of government intervention, and that is especially true of Americans, no matter what the color of skin. There’s a reason why everyone wants to come here to live. The opportunity to make money and have fun is huge in the USA, and in Southern California, it exists in spades, which segues me into the second person vying to become a household word from the dirt world.

Perhaps the one vendor who opened my eyes to the real dirt back story was the guy at Kronik Minis, a guy named Pete. Pete is a product tester/developer for SSR Motorsports and has been for the last seven years but now faces expulsion from his job because the state government has recently said that Pete needs to complete certain state requirements and pay state fees to keep doing the same job he has been doing for those last seven years. You have to wonder when the ‘state’ will quit pimping the working people to pay for the political/bureaucratic unearned ‘royal’ lifestyles. Pete explained the world of minis to me, which exist alongside the cars and boats in the world of extreme motorsports. Pretty much Honda introduced the kids to small 50cc lawnmower engine mini bikes. ATV’s followed and a culture sprang up of big and little kids riding around in the woods or hills or anyplace off the beaten path. But Hondas are expensive so a few years ago China entered the flay. They created beefed-up mini bikes and aftermarket parts that pack more punch but still fit the size of the Honda minis at a fraction of the cost. “Little 70s (70cc) get the little kids aged 5-6 years old started. These ‘pit bikes’ are stouter than the Honda 50cc but a Honda will cost you around $1000-$1200. The 70cc model that we carry, (a starter Kronik Mini) starts at $570. The bike has an automatic clutch so the kids don’t have to shift gears. For adults or the bigger kids we have an 110cc model with a hand clutch at about the same price. From there the prices go up,” said the SSR rep. “This is a huge but underground (market culture).” It was when I asked him how he got into this dirt tour underground that his face lights up. “I’ve known Travis (Siflinger) since he was 16 (years old) when the ‘dirt tour’ was just an idea and dream of his. He has a lot of heart and a lot of drive. He was the best friend of the son of the body shop owner that I managed. He takes care of everyone out here,” he said spreading his arm in a sweeping pattern. “He takes care of what he created. In fact, I owe him for the shade today as my EZ-Up blew over when a gust of wind got it after we had first set up out here yesterday.”

Though the Dirt Tour wasn’t as successful as it was hoped for, no one can deny the heart and soul of Dirt Alliance creator, Travis Siflinger, a Murrieta resident, to grow the whole scene and maybe one day to be the ‘Tony Hawk’ of the ‘dirt world’.

Posted in Sports, Inland Empire, Cars, Hemet, Christianity, Riverside County, Orange County, California, Motorcycles, Boats, Corona, Arizona, Perris, Temecula, Murrieta, Our Favorite Things, Family Attractions, Food, Lake Elsinore, Las Vegas, Moreno Valley, United States of America, San Diego, San Bernadino, News | Print | No Comments »

June 15, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

“NO FILLA, ALL KILLA” – DJ CIRCA (DGAF)

Lake Elsinore, CA – It has been a long time since I rolled into the Diamond Club for a free beer and a DJ (DJ Louie Ochoa, Classic Cuts, this time), in fact, it was back when an event called ‘Throttle’ was put on at the Storm Stadium in 2002, pretty much at the start of my music writing career. Now this past weekend, looking out over a ball field so green and even Tiger Woods would putt here if he could, I enjoyed another free beer(s) and revisited another ‘throttle’ style event. The author of this venture wasn’t a cool, rich MX rider named Steve who rode with folks you read about in the industry mags. This time the minds behind the event were one Travis Siflinger, ‘Mr. Dirt Alliance’ and his promoter, Ivan McClain, of Ivan Promotions, who I’ve rolled with on past music adventures, but more on Travis in the companion piece. First bear with me for a little historical background on the demographic found in the ‘dirt’. In the MSM, there is much ado about the stars, the connected, the middle class, and the minorities, rich or poor, honest or dishonest, but there is one group of people who have been ignored and maybe a little misunderstood too. Had there been no racism set into orchestrated living patterns, this group would be the white kids living next door to the black kids that are the first generation in that family to graduate collage. This is the group that falls through the cracks of notice. In a perfect world, if you have an N.A.A.C.P. then you would have an N.A.A.W.P. But this isn’t a perfect world; however, in the midst of the way Satan would spin the world by deceit, God sprinkles the world with His sense of humor that I call ‘paradox’.


Remember that point. This unnoticed demographic, the ‘bottom of the bottom’ segment gravitated toward mechanical things in the past the way other cultural segments used sports or entertainment to gain recognition. Over time and further sifting brought about separation of this demo into a class of boaters, and a class of inlanders with dirt hot rods. Now the sons of this inland demo have branched into a huge underground market with a culture all its own. The ‘Bros’ are the scene kids at the heart of this underground culture, though the ‘bro’ look also extends into the hardcore and straight edge underground markets. In the dirt world, what used to be the world of Glamis (‘desert rats’) has now spread through the neighborhoods of suburbia. Eminem with his edge are the flashpoint and inspiration for the ‘white boy hip-hop’ music culture that bookends one end of this dirt underground while marijuana bookends the other end. In simple terms, this scene is almost a mirror image of the black hip-hop culture (except with different beats and melody flows) but with less reaction to outsiders coming in because this scene also ties in to the motor sports. Like black pride, white pride is high in the hood, but a lot less bitchy than gay pride from the rainbow hood. It is from this ‘hot rod’ stock that the U.S. has drawn steady on for drafts and soldiers for the wars. Now like most sub-groups honed by current events, a strong political vein is present, though the ‘white boy hip-hop’ portion is more into holding on to the home turf, partying, sexing, and fighting rather than shooting. As the most political music rap/hip-hop group that brought heat Saturday night said, “We don’t vote, and we don’t complain,” showing not naiveté but a realistic isolation away from ‘the Establishment’. “You’re either with us, or against us. And if you’re against us, Whaaaa! Fuck U!” (- DGAF.)  When you stir in the natural handsomeness of many of the young people who live in Southern California, add girls who have visual Latino influences to the Viking mix of straw haired platinum pin-up babes showing mid-riffs and being cheeky, happening on a early fall-like weather night (thanks ‘June gloom’), the event becomes like a late summer concert in Iowa, only without the rides, for wholesomeness, and also like a block party back in the days of early Motown (crowd-wise, both in dress and actions). Away from the stages people wandered through the middle two merchant aisles that featured the many logo clothing companies there to sell their wearable artwork. The logo label names say much about the mindset found in this particular youth centered culture. ‘Lost’, ‘Outlaw Industries’, ‘Fatal’, ‘Controversy’, ‘Corrupt’, ‘Sullen’, ‘Hostility’, ‘Pure White Clothing’, ‘Dirt Tour’, and, of course, ‘Skin’,  with only the name brand of Mickey Thompson Performance Tires to show the hot-rod roots of this new side culture that anchors on Tony Hawk, Brian Deegan, Mike Metzger, and Ryan Johnson, among others, with many of these old schoolers also founding a clothing company logo label that paved the way for others to see past traditional vocations for income. Out in the parking lot there was a ramp set up allowing different kids, all teenagers, to practice and pop wheelies on their 250cc FMX motorbikes as fathers looked on. At one end of the vendor area was the main stage, the same Ernie Ball Stage from Warped Tour that I last saw Animo (now Heart ‘n’ Soul Radio) on two years ago. At the other end was the smaller Addicted2Riding stage, presumably for hip-hop artists. Our RV was parked over behind the EB stage so after a look-see for a lay of the land, I rarely ventured back out past the main stage area except to return to see who won the battle of the MC systems between 103.9 FM and the cool dude at the ‘4130 Clothing’ tent. ‘Molly chrome’ won.

The show opened with a couple of MCs and a DJ who did a very short set, ending it with a “Fuck you, if you don’t like it”, showing the ‘line in the sand’ rap attitude, think ‘Gangs of New York’ done ‘So Cali’ 21^st Century urban style. Passing the J King set back stage, I was back for Divide The Day, recently signed to a major label (Universal) record deal. Billy, the band’s bass player had his parents in attendance as did fellow friend and Inverse bass player, Paul. The sound was crisp for Divide The Day and the original straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll outlaw, think Sunset Strip, sound drew in a nice crowd to listen. DTD rocked it and got a small gaggle of girl fans to dance down front. The power ballads really gave the afternoon that Iowawegian feel to it and smoothed out the aggressive hip-hop edge. Besides the record deal, a hit single from DTD, ‘One Night Stand’, is in rotation on X103.9FM and 105.9FM. After this it was time for Inverse and I took photos for Corie who wanted to dance. The crowd gathered in somewhat but decidedly could have been bigger though radio spots and more ad co-ops done in all available markets coupled with some form of discount, like a ‘2-fer’ ticket for these lean economic times. Still, the crowd that was there enjoyed the set and danced because Inverse is always a good rock show live. However, the next group, DGAF, a ‘white boy hippy-hop’ group from Hermosa Beach, part of the famous South Bay area, represents the culture ‘where the dirt meets the sand and took the night back to the hip-hop groove. DGAF provides the paradox I spoke of earlier in that the funky rhythmic melodies that are layered over the aggressive lyrics bring about both a circling mosh pit and young girls gyrating their buns into their boyfriends’ crotch to the beat of the turntable music. Ah, those house parties of long ago, but just like the funky heat in those days, these days the raw funky sound is felt in a group like DGAF, which stands for ‘don’t give a fuck’, on the hottest underground label there is right now, Suburban Noize Records. The group’s philosophy is put out straight from the opening lyrics, ‘if you’re down on your luck, feeling rich with one buck yeah, D-Gaf, D-Gaf, if you don’t give a fuck, staying drunk as fuck, then yeah, D-Gaf, D-Gaf, either ride with us, or collide with us’. The heavy funk bass line booming under the top of the tamping head and hand motions brought in a tight crowd that knew the Suburban Noize Records label group. At first just ChuckyChuck, Gillies (Gil-lees), and SaintDog, with DJ Circa working the ‘tables’, were driving the crowd, but after a few songs and some ‘Burning Man’ style hottie dancers, BigHoss, a rapper in whiteface makeup with black stitch mouth makings, a belt loop bandana, and an ornate blond wood cane from Jamaica, joined the group and the stage show cranked it up another notch. Being down front in a four person deep belt of people with the pit behind us gave me a chance to chat with ‘Crazy’ Angie Martinez, a petite hottie there with her boyfriend Josh. She brought me up to date on the guys being her faves, sang and moved to the words/chorus, and had that left coast ‘Westside Story’ look to her. From the video of ‘Knuckle Up’ I knew this band had a raw pit-bull ‘throw down’ energy that went out unharnessed. I expected the pit and the ‘bro’ stomp. What I didn’t expect was the ‘groovin’ couple-up scene hittin’ it to the funky R&B verve. For me, it shows the music has come full circle. This is the N.A.A.W.P. edition of R&B. Damn well! More on this group in the review of their CD. After a finale of FMX with jumps you could see from the stage area, the headliners, Unwritten Law, hit the stage. UL didn’t disappoint as the largest crowd of the night gathered to listen with a large pit being hollowed out in the midst of it. Though the sound could have been clearer, perhaps DGAF had melted the dials, the band still got both couples dancing to their power ballads at the same time as the bros moshed counterclockwise. At this point even Paul (Inverse) entered the pit for awhile as did several models that stayed dead center as the mayhem in motion circled around them. UL had the wildest drummer of any act, and with his long hair flailing, added that flair to the guitars full sound and stadium band look. When the mosh pit continued to songs like ‘Up All Night’ and ‘My Fault’, you see that it is the culture, not the songs that bring out the mosh pit, which for me was an interesting observation. A highlight of UL’s set for me was the acoustic opening lead-in to the song ‘Sinner’, of which there is a video out. Before the night was over, I had seen my share of ‘rat-tails’ validating an earlier season’s observation (search Faraway, CA in the archives). All in all, it was a good night, a good show, and a good crowd.

Posted in Hemet, Cars, Christianity, Arizona, Fallbrook, Sports, Inland Empire, Motorcycles, California, Corona, Orange County, Riverside County, Perris, Moreno Valley, Our Favorite Things, Temecula, Family Attractions, Food, Music, Murrieta, Wildomar, San Diego, United States of America, San Bernadino, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, News | Print | No Comments »

June 11, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

ANOTHER HUGE SHOW SET FOR LAKE ELSINORE


Lake Elsinore, CA – Once again the city of Lake Elsinore will be the place to be if you like to see hot models, cool trucks, and killer music, as the Dirt Alliance’s Dirt Tour officially gets underway. Spring boarding off last weekend’s Trevi event, (see preceding story and pictures about the VooDoo Glow Skulls show), Ivan Promotions is spearheading the latest stage of the Dirt Tour’s series by presenting Unwritten Law at the Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball Stadium. This show will be the biggest thing to hit the stadium since the Throttle Event back on a late fall Saturday in 2002. Besides lifted trucks at the RBP off-road show, a Skin model shoot, a No Fear lifestyle showcase, there will also be plenty of FMX thrill rides to see put on by Addicted 2 Riding, a mass amount of vendors to get your summer wardrobe tight, bros and bro-bettes, cold beer (21+), all rolled into a fat music joint for your listening pleasure. If you were at the Mickey Avalon Perris Speedway extravaganza, then you know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, ask your big brother about it or see it here at this link. This show is making only one other stop and that is in Las Vegas on August 15^th, so see it here and skip the drive. The hours are 5PM-10PM, so there is plenty of time for an after party at the pool of someone you know, or time to sleep before church on Sunday (seriously). Besides Unwritten Law, a band that comes from the neighborhood of the KMK (Kottonmouth Kings), the music line-up also features J-King, DGAF, Inverse, and Divide The Day to get your rap and rock on. For more info and videos on the bands, see this link and get ready for five hours for intense, dirty, summer fun.

Posted in Hemet, Christianity, Perris, Cars, Sports, Motorcycles, Riverside County, Inland Empire, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Family Attractions, Food, Music, Our Favorite Things, Temecula, Wildomar, Murrieta, News | Print | No Comments »

June 8, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

UNIT F HONORS BIPSY IN SONG TITLED ‘HEATHER’

Lake Elsinore, CA – In the most ambitious music show effort to date, Ivan Promotions with Dirt Alliance launched the Jeremy Lusk Benefit - VooDoo Glow Skulls all day music event at the Trevi Entertainment Complex Saturday June 6^th. It was two shows under one big top, with an all day music show headlining the VooDoo Glow Skulls and then a club party featuring the model search contest finale for the 2009 Dirt Alliance Babe, live hip-hop, and DJ friend of Jessica Simpson, Joy Basu, along with the dance troupe Booniez. What a night! Though I wound up at an after party a bit shortly after the Skulls ended their set, I can tell you it was a night of fun, meeting new friends, and learning about a new growing sport before being pranked ‘onstage’ by Madlins (coffee shop) alumni, Strike Twelve. To really cover the ‘full value’ of this event, which is the lead-in to this weekend’s DA’s Dirt Tour show headlining Unwritten Law at the Storm Stadium, I am presenting this story in two parts, with the second part being about the purpose of the benefit. But now, back to part one, the music and the mayhem.

It has been awhile since I have been up to the Trevi. The first and last time was when the band Space Man Jack did their ‘finale’ show (see archives), and Saturday I learned the SMJ will be doing another ‘finale’, or maybe reunion show, there again in two weeks. Since I was there last, a real stage and sound board booth have been added. The curved lip stage is at least 30’x 20’ (unofficial), fully carpeted, and has enough mics for a nine piece band, which Defunked was. The sound, though it had its ‘hum’ problems on some sets, did not overpower your eardrums and leave you deaf, even if you were standing front stage center. The room itself, nestled next to a long lounge style bar, had good acoustics with no bounce back, and when you were outside in the bowling alley areas or in one of the arcades, there was no carry-over of music sound. In short, the Trevi Complex is sweeeet; a great, total family experience, and the security makes sure all the patrons keep the front door exits unblocked and smoke free without being Gestapo about it, a definite plus. With the comment, “You don’t expect this in Lake Elsinore” comes the reply, “That’s because outsiders built it”, giving you a glimpse into some of the back story mindset reason for the show’s rescheduling from March 28^th.

As sometimes happens, band line-ups change almost right up to show time, so I checked the latest line-up and found a last minute addition of the ska band, Failed to Victory, which featured the lead singer, Adrian Marquez, from Set For Stun, a band that appeared at the Temecula Music Fest several weeks back. FTV opened the all day

music show. The seven piece blasted out a friendly and funky ska sound for the early crowd. Then it was some old friends from the early shows at Madlins back in the day, A Simple Ending, who are more alternative rock than punk. They confided that they are making more serious music now after taking some time off. Next up it was Kirby and the Hellraisers who played about three songs before raising so much hell, they blew out their drum kit. During this time I made friends with Janet who was there with her ‘first date’ friend, Chuck. This was interesting because Janet is good friends with Mel of Unit F.
Mel had commented on a Bipsy story I wrote and said he was going to do a song in honor of Bipsy and two other people he had known of whom were also killed by stalker men who professed to love them. Janet was originally just there was Unit F and the first date, but I told her she had to stay for the Skulls if she was truly into punk and ska. Defunked, the nine piece I mentioned earlier came out and proved my point, because I saw her and Chuck dancing to the ska beat near the front of the stage. Everyone I talked to who had never seen the Trevi before were impressed by it and that included the musicians playing there for the first time. Trusting my beer cup and story notes with Janet and Chuck, her Pomona, him Fontana, I dashed out to spend some quality time with scene friends Corie and Moriah, who was ‘joyful’ in her own ‘cross-bones’ way. For those of you who don’t know, the ladies are spending time with Ivan (Ivan Promotions) and Paul (Inverse band) respectively. During the break, I missed Seenless, though I have seen more of the band before. Popping back in, the joint was jumping, as Mel put Unit F through their paces, and Janet and Chuck through theirs. Leading into the song ‘Heather’, Mel spoke true heartfelt words about the tragic loss of life due to some screwed up domestic partner and talked about Bipsy by name. Seeing as these guys are from the real OC (yep, Orange County, CA, beeyoches), I thought that was a cool as hell thing to do. The other thing that was cool as hell about this band, er, besides the hard-driving old school punk sound dripping with raw political insight (yeah, real punk, not poser punk), was the T-shirt on the bass player, which said, ‘Homosexuality Prevents Teen Pregnancy’. With all the Prop 8 hysteria going on, it was good to see a positive message about people who are obviously part of God’s plan or they wouldn’t be here now, would they? So I decided this was a band to talk to behind the music (and I was right, which be covered in a side review story). I didn’t get to talk to Janet after the band, but I could see her smile across the room, and I think that Chuck had also worked up a sweat. Around this time someone handed me an ‘Adios Motherfu*ker’, correctly identified by IP’s video man Jamaal (he knows the color of his drinks), and the night began to get its swerve on right. Then it was time for more old friends and a new one, well two, actually. Anyway, Strike Twelve took the stage and the threesome was now a foursome. The boys have added a second guitar to the group and the sound has really expanded because of it, plus it gives Matt a chance to really be a ‘frontman’. Not only that, but the band was serious in their set, well, serious for them anyway. For those who have read my reviews from the days when they played Madlins, you know there were nights when they were serious about playing and having fun with the audience and times when they were just having fun, kind of like an open band practice. When they are serious, well as serious as they can be, they are really fun to watch and be part of the show. Of course I didn’t know just how much a part of the show I was going to be, or a part of Matt’s fantasy (Hah, and no I’m not going to tell you. If you missed the show, well, that’s your fault and your missed opportunity). As they went through a very entertaining set, a somewhat tiny ‘tomboy’ named ‘the Dude’ climbed the stage, snapping pictures everywhere and also from down front, the second new friend after the new guitarist. Later research would reveal ‘the Dude’ to be a Roller Derby girl, hence the nimbleness and fearlessness. It was also around this point in time that Ivan brought out on stage the contestants all vying for 2009 Dirt Alliance Babe title. Then it was time for No Dice, who put on a slicked-back hair, wife-beater wearing, rockabilly show that had the stand-up bass not only being stood-up on atop the stage right EVI stack, but also showed the bass player could play the massive instrument behind his back like the way Jimi Hendrix played his guitar. This was something different and new from the show at the TMFest and another reason why ‘live music is your BEST entertainment value’. The ‘rockingabillies’ whipped the audience to a lather and set them up for the VooDoo Glow Skulls, which are set to set their latest tour in about a week. This time the long running ska band from Riverside not only did their classic quick change variable tempo songs but played a couple of more commercially themed single tempo songs that I really liked. However, whatever they played, the audience (and I) kept up and kept the beat. I was planning to actually talk to the band more after their set, though I did say ‘Hi’ to the lead singer, renewing my acquaintance from the Riverside March 28^th show, but my press professionalism had said ‘Adios …’ So after a couple of quick bites of some really tasty Trevi veggie pizza I yoinked from Corie, I skipped the club show which had started, and was off to the after party back in the Murrieta area, but guess who was there besides a great ‘flip-cup’ competition, Strike Twelve and ‘the Dude’ whose real name is Manda. We partied hardy and she got us, well, three of us anyway, to show our boobs, which in our case, are nips. But then, how can you say ‘no’ to a cute tomboy Roller Derby girl when you’re drunk? The answer is, you just can’t.

(Photos 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 - 20 Manda ‘the Dude’; all others PT Rothschild)

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