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Some of you have been asking what our set time is at the Whisky this Thursday.
It's 8PM.
Also, this has suddenly, and very unexpectedly, turned into a solo show. Just
guitar and voice (with maybe some bass thrown in there on a couple of tunes for
fun). So come on down. We'll make it a campfire singalong.
By the way, I caught the first of the Black Flag reunion shows at the Palladium
last weekend. They did three sets. Would I have just about chopped off a limb
to see Chuck Dukowski out on that stage for even one song? Hell yes. But,
having said that, the second set with Greg, Dez, Robo, and C'el substituting on
bass RULED ALL REALITY!! "Room 13," "Damaged II," "No More," "Machine,"
"Clocked In," "I've Heard It Before," "Louie Louie," "Damaged I" (the Louie
Louie b-side/Target Video version). They just kept 'em coming. It was utterly
relentless. The way I see it, three out of the four guys that constituted what
is arguably Black Flag's scariest, most potent line-up is not bad at all. It's
as close to the riot-inducing Flag of 1980 as we're ever going to get in 2003.
I, for one, will damn sure take it and run. Any of you L.A. kids that wasted
your money on the Warped Tour but missed this gig - I truly pity you. But, then
again, there's really no comparison. Black Flag were, are, and always will be
in a different universe altogether. A universe entirely of their own making.
Even now, however old they are, they can still hit the stage and crush all
those whining little emo/screamo bastards of today into fine powder with no
effort. Anyway, it was a lifelong dream come true show for me to see. My neck
is still sore. My voice is still hoarse. I am cleansed.
It looks like we will be playing an all-ages show at the Whisky here in
Hollywood with our friends Hotwire on Thursday, September 18. Details are still
being worked out at the moment but we hope to see you all out in force. Check
SHOWS.
I understand some of you have expressed concern as to my general well being. I
must say I am touched. Not much to report, really. Went to see Metallica last
night with Cantrell. They played mostly old stuff. It fucking RULED. Guess they
know which side their bread is buttered on after all. We watched the first half
of the set from onstage, right behind La-ye-rs on the drums. Rick Rubin and
Chris Rock were standing right next to me. It was kinda funny to see Chris Rock
bobbing his head, doing the "no sex in the champagne room" nasty face to, like,
"Harvester Of Sorrow." He was clearly getting his proverbial groove on. The
other personal highlights for me included: 1) The fact that they played
"Sanitarium," "For Whom The Bell Tolls," and "No Remorse" and 2) Our boy
Roberto Trujillo doing his patented Human Tornado move during "Seek &
Destroy." It was so kick ass that Hetfield messed up going into the third verse
of the song from laughing so hard. And, by the way, did I mention that James
Hetfield just looks like fucking money? Seriously, no matter what he wears or
what he happens to be doing at any given moment, everything about him looks
like he's worth about $50 Million dollars. It's insane. Anyway, they were
really good. They did nothing off of "Load/Reload" and only two songs from
their new record. The whole experience flooded both Cantrell and me with all
sorts of sense memories from touring. What the hell are we going to do about
it? Still too soon to say.
We are back in one piece. Or three, as it were. Adam and I did 38 hours
straight back from Chicago, hitting a lightning storm in Texas that would have
taken out the Starship Enterprise. I tell you, we've seen some bad storms in
our day but, really, I didn't know lightning like that existed on planet Earth.
Needless to say, by the time we reached the Los Angeles city limits, we were
vibrating on a different frequency. But it's all good!
As I write this, Bevan is on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic en route to
Barcelona to play his first show with Danzig. He and I spent practically all of
the last two days laughing on the phone together, comparing our hellish drives
home, me telling him how the rest of the tour went and him telling me how the
Danzig rehearsals went. Apparently, Glenn Danzig is a real nice guy with a
hysterically funny sense of humor and lots of great stories to tell. Not
surprising, but still nice to hear. Mostly, however, Bevan and I just talked
about the future of CWTF. And how we're going to knock all of your heads off
with our next album.
I've taken some time to read what everyone is saying on the MESSAGE BOARD. It's
nice to see how much people truly care about this band. Let me just say this:
comes with the fall is William DuVall, Adam Stanger, and Bevan Davies, period.
At this point, the only way out of CWTF is in a pine box!! We've weathered too
many storms, fought too many wars, dug too many trenches, and had too many
laughs about every last bit of it to stop now. From the very beginning, my
vision for the band was never to adopt that mercenary attitude where the minute
things get a little rough you just replace somebody. Obviously, we all know
many examples of bands who do that. Sometimes they do it out of convenience.
Sometimes they do it out of what they feel is absolute necessity. Some of these
bands I even respect a great deal. Black Flag, for example, always had a
revolving door membership. Greg Ginn was the only constant from beginning to
end.
But we view quite CWTF quite differently. We see ourselves in the tradition of
bands like Zeppelin and Queen, who only ever had one line-up. Or Fugazi, who
continue after over 15 years of differing personalities and changing personal
agendas. Or U2 or King's X, who are both at 20 years plus in spite of countless
struggles. There's something so compelling and so special about that. It's
beyond music. It's about relationships first. From there comes the music. I've
heard being in a band compared to everything from being in a gang to being in a
marriage. The truth is, it's both. And so much more.
Could the timing of this Danzig offer been better? Of course. We were in the
middle of a tour. It was harder than hell on all three of us, Bevan included.
But here's the thing, as long as today's music industry remains too clueless to
take on a fire breathing dragon like comes with the fall just as we are, then
we must continue to exist outside their system. And that takes money. Lots of
it. And if we all have to take on outside projects to keep body and soul
together and keep CWTF alive, then so be it. Truth be told, Glenn Danzig may be
playing a pivotal role in saving this band.
Once again, we want to thank everybody who came out to the shows and all the
venues for having us. We want to thank all the members of the media with a clue
- particularly Michael Christopher from Pop Matters, Chuck Eddy from the
Villiage Voice, Billy Zero from XM Satellite Radio, JustHerb from the board, DJ
Mark Skaar, and the writers Ann Wood and Crystal Wiebe. We want to thank all of
the Fallen - our friends and family for putting us up, putting up WITH us, and
just generally making life worth living. You are Circle One. What we do is
secret. We want to thank Dropsonic for touring with us, for kicking ass onstage
every single night, and for going above and beyond the call of duty, loaning us
their gear AND their drummer, so that CWTF didn't have to pack up and go home.
You are one of the great bands working today and your new songs rule. And, of
course, special thanks to Brian Hunter for filling in on drums with no notice,
no rehearsal, no soundchecks and STILL making it look easy. You rocked, Brian.
And Dan, Dave, and Cal. We will never forget. Good times. And here's to many
more in the future.
To paraphrase the question asked on the BOARD, what do we do now? I know what
I'M going to do. I'm going to to take the first chance I've had in damn near 3
years to reflect on everything that's happened to date. It's been one hell of a
rollercoaster ride. We've been amassing a mountain of new music to reflect
that. Nearly two album's worth so far. It's time to assess all that we have.
And, of course, more new songs are coming all the time. It can't be helped.
Eventually, some hapless recording studio will be burned to the ground in an
effort to capture it all on tape. Then DVL Recordings will release it for all
of you to enjoy. And, as I said before, all of this takes money. Money that
will have to be earned somehow. I know a lot of people of all walks of life
visit this site and read this news page. If any of you hear about any (serious)
paying studio or live/touring gigs, email us here at
contact@comeswiththefall.com. It looks like B.D. has a steady paycheck at least
through Christmas, but it's going to be a long hot summer (not to mention a
cold fall and winter) and I really could use some work. So could Adam. At the
risk of stating the obvious, we can all play comfortably in literally any genre
of music and I've sung, played, written and produced for all sorts of people -
from Dionne Farris to Vernon Reid to Jerry Cantrell to Robert Trujillo and Joe
Holmes (ex-Ozzy). Basically, what I'm saying is, all the work that we
traditionally turned down because of how time-intensive CWTF was, BRING IT ON!!
In the meantime, we will continue our work in the laboratory, building the bomb
that just might (finally) blow all of the obstacles and the bullshit out of our
way.
Our DVD screening /show at the Dragonfly here in Hollywood Sunday night was a
resounding success. Thanks to Steve Reissner and Glamorous Films, Chris
Horvath, David and Anthony at the Dragonfly, our dear friend and special guest
chanteuse Caressa Ayres, and especially to everyone who came out.
The tour is going well so far. The shows are getting better and better. We're
starting to get our ESP back. The "fourth element" is beginning to creep back
into the music. We want to thank everyone for coming out to the gigs. It's so
wonderful to see friends both old and new. Shout outs and special thanks to Ric
Moore, Moby, Maggie and Katie Cornell (and the entire Buzzfactor posse), Music
Bank Barb and Christy, and Mike Inez in Seattle. Les Claypool, Craig from MIRV
and Rob from Death Angel in San Francisco. And Aaron North from the Icarus Line
and Rus and Gabe from Hotwire in LA. Really great to see you all.
We have just confirmed a second show in NYC for Wednesday, June 18 at Sine, the
Greenwich Village cafe where Jeff Buckley cut his teeth as a performer and
recorded his "Live At Sine" ep. This one is going to be another super early
one. Get there at 8PM sharp if you don't want to miss us.
And, yes, Greg Ginn pretty much ruled these last two nights in LA, especially
last night at the Dragonfly. Still the purest and wildest guitar player I've
ever seen. Nearly took my head off a couple of times. Again I give thanks.
Hamiett Bluiett - baritone sax, Kahil El Zabar - drums & percussion, Billy
Bang - violin = Tri Factor. Their performance last night at the World Stage
performance gallery was a revelation. The compositions were ideal springboards
for improvisations that were never less than inspired and, at times, ecstatic,
even rapturous. Pure Spirit Music. Ancient to the Future. Really, there are no
words. What does one say when one has seen the face of God? All I can say is,
Thank you, brothers. And amen.
You all know this tour of ours is about to start. We just want to say thank you
in advance to Nature Girl and all the reps for all the hard work they've been
putting in to help make this happen, and all the hard work that lies ahead to
keep it happening. We love you all madly.
Go see the movie "Confidence" with Dustin Hoffman, Ed Burns, and Rachel Weisz
(yes). Pretty good movie. And not just because of the cameo by yours truly.
Also, anyone want to buy a guitar? Check it out. Some of you will no doubt
recognize this piece from the 2002 tour. This ax has seen a lot of clubs and a
lot of arenas. It has the scars to prove it. I also use it in the "Live
Underground 2002" DVD. On "Symptom Of The Universe." What are you waiting for?
BUY IT NOW.
There is also another item up for bids for all you high rollers out there.
HERE.
Houston, Austin, Madison, and Minneapolis confirmed. Dig, if you will, the
picture... HERE.
Also, a special screening of our "Live Underground 2002" DVD will take place
here in Hollywood on on May 25 at the Dragonfly at 8:30PM, just prior to our
taking the stage in the flesh at 10PM. The whole evening is free. It's Memorial
Day Weekend. You've got no excuse.
Oklahoma City and D.C. confirmed. Get on it.
Sit back. Grab a cold one. This isn't your normal news update.
So yesterday my car breaks down in Long Beach. I'm sitting there blocking the
left lane of traffic during the onset of rush hour, waiting on a tow truck, an
upward incline ensuring me no possibility of pushing the car or myself out of
harm's way. People are honking and bitching at me. It was the best.
So what do I do in the middle of this chaos? I call Greg Ginn.
As those of you who know anything about me are already aware, Greg Ginn is
about the closest thing I have in this world to an idol. As the guitarist,
prinicipal songwriter and leader of Black Flag, not to mention the founder of
SST Records, arguably the most important independent label in the history of
rock, Greg Ginn is pretty much The Man in my book. His insane guitar playing,
lyrics, personal philosophy, and badass record label had a profound effect on
the way I play music and live my life. Several generations of the biggest
movers and shakers in modern music will say the same thing. Just look at SST's
roster: The Minutemen (Mike Watt), Bad Brains, Sonic Youth, Husker Du (Bob
Mould), The Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr (J Mascis), Soundgarden, The Descendents,
and so many others all either got their start or got an extremely important
career-making boost from SST. All of the principals of the most significant
underground record labels responsible for igniting the eighties indie rock
revolution, everyone from Ian MacKaye at Dischord to Corey Rusk at Touch &
Go, to Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman at Sub Pop count SST as the genesis,
the Big Bang, the fearless and intrepid leader who first charted the way
through the wilderness and showed them all that everything was possible. And
not just from a record label perspective. Black Flag also virtually
single-handedly established the independent underground club touring circuit,
along with the bare bones "we jam econo" survival tactics, that all indie
bands, including Comes With The Fall, still use today.
As a young kid, I was privileged to witness daily life at SST when they were at
their commercial peak, circa 1986-87. By that time, Greg had disbanded Black
Flag and was concentrating most of his energy on the label. Ginn, Chuck
Dukowski, Joe Carducci, Ray Farrell, Davo, Jordan Schwartz, Ratman, et al were
creating a culture, a lifestyle all their own. Those guys were absolutely the
fiercest, hardest working dudes I have ever encountered. They were based in
Torrance, CA then, having been run out of nearly every other city in the South
Bay during the lean years (1979-84) by the local police, who, like much of
mainstream America at the time, regarded Black Flag and SST as a serious threat
to society, a plague to be stamped out at all cost. As they had in all their
previous headquarters, the SST guys lived like pigs in communal squalor in
Torrance, everyone working and living in the same office space, sleeping on the
floor, under tables, wherever. There was no shower, not much food, constant
tension, and a whole lot of debt. But the work got done. History got made.
Lives got changed, especially mine. To this day, whenever I get overwhelmed
with everything that goes on here at the CWTF HQ - booking tours, putting out
new releases, keeping old titles in print, servicing press and radio, answering
all the mail, etc, I remember what I saw in that cramped no-frills office, that
beehive of activity, the laser-like intensity of that unstoppable work ethic.
Then I calm down and I "get it happening" as those guys used to say all the
time back then. I keep a first press vinyl copy of Black Flag's "Nervous
Breakdown" single (SST 001) on my desk, the earliest version with the brickwall
cover, before Black Flag even had their now-famous "bars" logo. This 45 is my
talisman. Greg Ginn pressed 2000 copies of these in December 1978, with no idea
of what the future had in store. Then, he focused himself and got it happening.
Like I said, the man is my idol. I hadn't spoken to him in over 10 years.
"SST."
"Yes, hello, is Greg around?"
"This is he."
"Greg, this is William DuVall, I don't know if you remember..."
"OH YEAH..."
(pause of disbelief, still not sure if he knows) "I was in Blast for awhile..."
"Yes, from Atlanta. How ARE you?"
From there, with me blocking traffic and incurring the wrath of the local
citizenry, Greg and I proceeded to catch up. I explained that I was living here
now with my band, and that, at that moment, I was actually broken down in his
neighborhood, waiting on a tow truck. He offered to help. I said it was cool.
He said, "Well, it sounds like you'll have your hands full for awhile, but
whenever you get done with all that, if you still want to come by, I'd love to
see you." He gave me directions.
A couple of hours later, after a taxi dropped me off, I found myself standing
in front of a simple red brick building in downtown Long Beach. Greg came to
the door and let me in. In keeping with the way he's always done things, SST is
an all-in-one set up, only now it's a little more bitchin'. It consists of a
recording studio, office spaces, and a much nicer rehearsal facility than
before, all under one roof. And now Greg has a separate home of his own just
down the street. All the old partners in crime are gone - Dukowski, Carducci,
everyone. It's once again very much like it must have been back in the 70's,
just Greg Ginn and a vision. We sat down in the control room of his studio Casa
Destroy and talked for hours about everything under the sun - the past,
present, and future. I told him about all the things I'm trying to do with
Comes With The Fall and DVL Recordings and showed him proofs of the final
artwork for the "Live Underground 2002" DVD. He told me some great stories,
gave me some great advice about distribution, and asked me questions about 5.1
audio.
Greg had two portable phones nearby at all times, his personal phone and his
business line. They were ringing quite frequently. Sometimes he would let it
go. Other times, he would have to take the call. At one point, he took a call
and a sudden expression of panic took over his face and he sprang up out of his
chair saying "Uh, I have to go," as he was running out of the room. I thought,
hmm, perhaps this is where I should take my leave. After all, I just showed up
on this guy's doorstep completely out of the blue in the middle of a workday.
We've had a nice little visit. He's been more than gracious. I should probably
hit the road. So I waited until he came back to say my goodbyes. After about
ten minutes, he finally returned, looking much more relieved than when he left.
He said, "I'm sorry about that." I was like, "No, dude, I'M sorry. Here I am
showing up out of nowhere after a million years, blindsiding you in the middle
of your day. You must have so much to do. I'll get out of your hair." Ginn
looked puzzled for a second. Then, in that inimitable hippie-space-cadet way of
his, he offered, "Oh no,... See, I'm kind of heavily involved in this cat
rescue thing and the lady next door helps me out with it. We have over 70 cats
here in another part of the building and somehow a bunch of the kittens got out
and we had to get them back inside. No, don't leave, please stay." Now, let me
officially state for the record, that was about the LAST explanation I expected
to hear from the leader of one of the gnarliest, most notorious bands that ever
existed. And yet, as soon as he said it, it was like, Oh, of course. That's how
it is with Greg Ginn. He's so heavy simply because he SO IS WHAT HE IS. There's
this quiet, almost Zen air about him. Whether you understand or agree with him
or not, you cannot question the purity of who he is. He's just Ginn. He's a
force of nature. So, naturally, I stayed.
We hung out some more until his current bass player and drummer showed up. Then
Greg looked at me and said, "You up for a jam?" I was like, "Sure." As if I was
going to say anything else. So we go into his rehearsal room, a warehouse-sized
space at the back of the building equipped with a stage, a huge P.A. system,
and an open-air kitchen. As it turns out, Ginn's current drummer Greggory Moore
is from Atlanta and I'd met him back there years ago. This was my first time
meeting the bass player Jay. We all sat around the table and talked for awhile
before firing up the gear. Ginn said to me, "You know, it's funny, but we were
actually talking about you just two weeks ago. Jay asked me about when Black
Flag was touring all those years ago whether anybody really GOT what I was
doing on guitar, other than it just being 'punk rock'. Whether anybody got the
jazz references, the Coltrane, and all the other stuff that was going on in my
playing. And I answered, No, not very many people did. But then I brought you
up and said that you always got it."
Soon the instruments were out and everything was turned on. It was then Ginn
remembered that he only had one guitar there at the space. His other one was at
home. And Jay, who also plays guitar sometimes, is left handed, so his
instruments are all backwards to us righties. Just as I was assuring them that
I would play whatever they put in my hands, even if it was a kazoo, or that I
would be perfectly happy just to listen, Greg hands me HIS guitar and says,
"I'll play bass." Again I ask you, how cool is this guy?
We rocked for about an hour straight. Strictly free improvisation. Jay and I
played guitar, trading lines and weaving a tapestry of sound around the groove.
Jay's a terrific guitarist, obviously well-versed in everyone from Jerry Garcia
to Sonny Sharrock. Greggory Moore kept it solid, and very imaginative,
gleefully pounding his drums like they owed him money. And Greg Ginn played
bass with the same frightening intensity with which he altered my DNA on guitar
so many years ago. One second he would resemble a little kid having an exciting
adventure (or temper tantrum) with a new Christmas toy, jumping up and down to
the rhythm. The next moment he would suddenly turn into the scariest psycho
killer you ever imagined, lurching and attacking. This is the Greg Ginn who's
music once inspired the kids to go toe-to-toe in the streets with the L.A. riot
squad. Yet, that day in his practice studio, even through the fury, a perpetual
joy radiated off the man. For Greg, it's the same as it always was. He simply
loves to play, period. That's all it's ever been about. It's never a pose. It's
a constant purging, an exorcism of demons. Pure Expression.
Afterward, we hung out some more until Bevan came to get me. As we were
leaving, Greg was like, "Anytime you wanna come down and jam..." I don't really
dig driving the freeways here too much, but something tells me that I will be
getting to know the 405 a lot better in the near future.
So few musicians like Greg Ginn ever flash across the horizon. Even fewer get
to live to a nice mature age, and fewer still ever get to own the means of
production for their art and control their entire destiny along the way. AND
stay so amazingly grounded and cool.
And, as if all that wasn't enough, Greg is gearing up to play his first shows
in years and is doing an afternoon gig at a record store here in L.A. on May
25, the same day as Comes With The Fall's show later that night at the
Dragonfly.
Coincidence? I think not.
Los Angeles confirmed. Creepy crawl the Dragonfly. The Dragonfly MUST be creepy
crawled. Check it.
Chicago confirmed. Regardez-vous le SHOWS page.
Also, the Comes With The Fall DVD Live Underground 2002 went to press today.
Finally. What a ride.
Note to David Ryan Harris: It was so nice to see you tonight, my brother. It's
been far too long. So much water under the bridge. Yet many rivers (still) to
cross. Can't keep down the cream. You are better than ever. And it's great to
be neighbors once again.
For those that don't know: www.davidryanharris.com
Boston (actually, Leominster) confirmed. Hartford moved up a day. Dig the
SHOWS.
Hartford, CT confirmed. Praise Jah. See SHOWS for details.
R.I.P. to Nina Simone. A true queen has left us. We love you and will miss you
always.
Raves to The Icarus Line. Their show last Friday night at the Henry Fonda
Theatre was equal parts brash, cheeky, menacing, and totally rockin'. The
coolest thing I've seen on an L.A. stage in quite awhile. Joe Cardamone is
blessed with a dangerous charisma. Aaron North is a superstar with a red
guitar. Catch these guys if you can. www.theicarusline.com www.buddyhead.com
Philly confirmed. Hallelujah. Check SHOWS. Of course, still much more to come.
Sitting here I'm a loaded gun. Waiting to go off. Seattle and Charlotte, NC
confirmed. Check SHOWS. More soon.
"Empires fall, but the highest achievements of empires are really what the
artists create within them. Some artwork transcends the dominance of empires."
-- Cecil Taylor
NYC gig confirmed. Check SHOWS page. Who knows, maybe Cecil will come down and
sit in.
Demon I am. Face I peel. More shows in the SHOWS page. More to come.
Hi there. Lindsey Buckingham rules. New shows in the SHOWS page. More soon to
follow.
Hello everyone. Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have been
ordering the new Live 2002 album since we've been off the road. The DVD will be
done soon, we swear!! And thanks to everyone for all your letters and emails
and posts on the message board regarding our upcoming spring tour, especially
all the cool suggestions for "tour care packages." We've read them all and it
only confirms that we do indeed have some of the most incredible fans in the
world. We can hardly believe our good fortune. You guys truly rule!!
There are lots of things in the works for the near future: getting this DVD
documentary out, overhauling this website, writing and recording a new studio
album, and visiting as many of you as possible again on the road. It's a lot to
get done and we do appreciate your patience and continued enthusiasm. It will
all be worth it, we assure you. Oh, this dirty business of dreams! You have
made so many of ours come true already. We love you.
Happy New Year, everyone! We hope your holiday was safe and joyous. Ours most
certainly was. And now we must get back to the business at hand (read: The
Rock).
The upcoming Comes With The Fall DVD will be available in 5.1 Surround Sound as
well as the stereo mix we all know and love. The 5.1 mix was done in Atlanta
over the holidays (Do we in CWTF ever really take a break?) and it's beyond
explosive. Believe me, you are not ready.
And I know this is late but I have to say it: R.I.P. Joe Strummer. This was a
truly great man whose loss will only become more profound with the passage of
time. I had the privilege of meeting him twice. Once during the Clash days,
when I was a mere rugrat, and again just several months ago at a bar here in
Hollywood. "Cool" does not even begin to describe this guy. With Joe, it was
never about autograph seeking or any of the typical things that go along with
meeting someone you greatly admire. Strummer would just hang out and talk about
anything - music, events of the day, whatever. And he'd offer to buy you a beer
in the process. There are so many stories of him staying around for hours after
gigs, no matter how tired he was, spending time with every single fan who
wanted to be seen. In one recent eulogy I read, a fan describes making his way
through a massive aftershow crowd at a Clash gig in England during the Give 'Em
Enough Rope Tour only to find Strummer placing his trademark Telecaster around
some kid's neck, patiently showing him the chords to the Clash anthem "Complete
Control." That was typical Strummer: "Of course, you can do it. If I can,
anyone can. Here, I'll show you." Only how many of us really could marry
Dylan-esque poetry and the soul of reggae, jazz and world music with the fury
of punk rock and make it sound so natural, so seamless? In many ways, the Clash
was the ultimate realization of the "Punky Reggae Party" Bob Marley sang about
in the late Seventies. And Strummer, like Marley in his own way, was rock's
Ultimate Everyman. We will sorely miss you, Joe.
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