Spain Colored Orange

By Adam P. Newton Photo by Eric Hester

While it may be a familiar and clichéd whipping boy for the masses, there really is no disputing that the modern music industry sucks and sucks hard. There are all manner of stories chronicling how major record labels are willing to drop a popular band over artistic differences (Reprise v. Wilco) or mine a popular act’s back catalog once they’ve left the fold (Capitol v. Radiohead). In the case of Houston’s own Spain Colored Orange, the band recorded a full-length record a couple years back, only to see their efforts locked away by their record label because of a contract dispute. Thus, as the band continues to build a reputation as one of the hardest-working outfits in Houston, I decided to chat with Gilbert (lead vocals and keys) about that record, their personal take on the music industry, and what keeps them excited about making music.

“Yeah, it was quite the hassle. Sneaky Like A Villain is coming out - finally. We're off of Lucid Records and signed a music licensing deal with Shout It Out Loud Music (Brooklyn, NY). The good folks at SIOLM are releasing the record. We are ready to go back into the studio to record a new(er) album. This time around, we have promised ourselves to have it released by November 2009.”

As I’ve heard of more than a few indie outfits going the route of creating a licensing agreement over signing a traditional record contract, I asked Gilbert what advice he would give to other up-and-coming groups.

“Handle your own business best you can. Record labels aren't miracle makers. They're good for 3 things: paying for the recording, manufacturing, and distribution. I would say - expect to get the run-around from the music industry. I've come to accept that it's part of the business. I don't like it, but I understand it (as it buys time).”

Since the creation of Sneaky Like A Villian, one would expect for this experience to have prompted growth within the band in terms of songwriting and band chemistry.

“Well, the music and songwriting has gotten a little more exciting for me lately, but what do I know? I always feel like I play with the best musicians in town. But again, what do I know?”

Moreover, the record label concerns must have taken a toll on the guys, but they remain consistently focused on making music and playing shows.

“We love doing it. Writing and performing are the two things we do best together as a band. Well, that and happy hour. There's nothing like a good show! People say we play too much, perhaps. We spread ourselves out a little though. We'll play a party for MFAH, The Continental Club, The Scout Bar, Discovery Green, Rudyard’s (our favorite), Boondocks, Warehouse Live, Walters, The Mink, or even a warehouse party. All of them have different crowds, so it's totally worth it. Entertaining folks is a blast and it always involves having a good time; sometimes, too much of a good time.”



With Sneaky Like A Villain finally available to the band and its fans, we can expect from great things from the upcoming Spain Colored Orange release, not to mention some touring.

“The new record will contain sex talk, lies, god and the devil, she left me for him/she left me for her, last call, love, a smoky kiss, and perhaps a melody here and there. We do plan to go on tour this summer with The Sour Notes (from Austin).”

Finally, we talked about what makes Houston a great city in the eyes of Spain Colored Orange.

“Arthur Yoria is pretty amazing live and recorded. We always have a great time playing shows with him. I also dig Dizzy Pilot, You(Genious), Paris Falls, Motion Turns It On, and Buxton. I'm sure there's more, but that's all that comes to mind. Our favorite place to play in town is Rudyard’s. We just started doing shows at The Continental Club and it's a pretty awesome place to play. Also, there's Boondocks and The Mink that are really cool, but, once again, what do I know?”
Spain Colored Orange performs February 14th at Continental Club
www.myspace.com/spaincolouredorange

You will never escape this flyer

Head On Apply Directly to Your Weekend

Well, forgive me if I'm concise, I have a crucial TMJ headache at the moment and my coherency is suspect. Anyhow, I'd like to tell you a little bit about this show on Saturday at Walter's. Space City survivors Spain Colored Orange headline a sure to be fantastic show. They're joined by Austin's Al Shire & The Henchmen, which can best be described as Alkaline Trio with horns. It's not as crazy as it reads, it's really quite great and it reinforces this whole "THE NINETIES ARE BACK!" business that's been floating around as of late. Rounding out the band side of things are the always stellar, super lush and forever dreamy Paris Falls. And the whole thing is MC'd by The Misfit of R&B, You(genious).

But that's Saturday, how about tomorrow (that's Thursday, yo) night you do yourselves a HUGE favor and go straight to The Mink after work for Au, Wild Mocassins, and listenlisten. The show starts at 7pm and you can DVR The Office. Au are from Portland and sound like magic, and I'm not even going to pretend like you don't know what Wild Mocassins and listenlisten sound like (hint: magic, too).

And then on Friday you want to go to Rudyard's because you can't miss Appleseed Cast, Golden Cities and The Hungry Villagers. These are the kind of shows Moonmen have on the Moon, all air (ok maybe no air) and space and feeling good. I recommend the fish tacos for a night like this.

And here's the rest:

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2009
Whiskey Boat with Ragged Hearts at The Continental Club - Hard drinkin' music for hard drinkin' dudes.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2009
The Lash Outs with Bald Eagle Burger at Rudyard's - The Lash Outs are from Dallas and play that kind of punk that dudes in black band t-shirts jam. Bald Eagle Burger have this Shellac-y thing going on with mad dad vocals.
Jambi's Revenge at Jet Lounge - I think this is called "Soul Patch Rock", it's like Yes and Queensryche and maybe the Foo Fighters, so get your labrets in gear.
The Bridge at Cactus at 5:30PM and then again with Beetle at The Continetal Club - If you owe your mom a night out she will love this.
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers with the John Evans Band and I Am Mesmer - If the men in your mom's life are named Jim, Jack and Jose she would probably have even more fun at this show.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2009
The Pons with Davie "Fathands" Graves, Sad Gorilla, Elaine Greer, Buxton and Paleo at IndieHouston HQ (1816 Calumet) - Whoa! Hold the phone smokey, that is a crazy amount of good times going down in one place. I advise that you hang on to your asses because you will party them off.
Mission Control featuring Mic Skills (CD release), DJ Remix and some more at The Mink - Saving hiphop one hipster dive at a time!
Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers at Aubrey's - Taking back country music one lap steel at a time!
Mother's Anthem, Better Luck, Dreaming of June, The Last Great Assault, Adam Rogers, Sleeping With Giants and Kill the Theory at Fitzgerald's - Something something eyeliner, something something marching bands, something something emotions, something something RARRRRRRRRRRRR! Happy birthday Jenn!
Underdriven, Light, Black Queen Speaks and Funk G at Fitzdown - I was totally prepared to say something jaded and snarky about this little companion show but Underdriven were actually a pretty nice surprise and I like nice surprises.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Tickle Me Pink, The Becoming and Another Day at JavaJazz - Ok, you guys have got to stop it with these names. I know "The Beatles" is already taken, but this is worse that "Chocolate Watchband" and "Peppermint Handjob".

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2009
Don Caballero, DD/MM/YYYY, Novox, Fucking Thief (ex-By the End of Tonight) at The Meridian - A party place for party people.
Free Press Houston 100th Issue Celebration featuring Monotonix, State Radio, The Tontons, American Fangs, Tha Fucking Transmissions and Rebelution at Numbers - If you start doing your reps now, you might have enough muscle mass to join all the throwing of persons and instruments that will definitely be errupting.
The Western Civilization, The Pons, Your Kisses Cause Crashes and Guitars at Rudyard's - For an added treat come punch me in the face!
Gov't Mule with The Disco Biscuits at House of Blues - Hey there jam banders.
Jesse Dayton at The Continental Club - This is a pretty great weekend for those about to twang.
Dirty Honey featuring Brett Koshkin at Boondocks - If you feel like dancin'...
The Bad Plus at Cullen Theater - For those who like their covers weird and jazzy.
Randy Weeks (1PM) and then Denice Franke and Clive Gregson (3pm) at Cactus - For the in-store inclined.
Campfire Stories, Litost, Candid, Giant Battle Monster, Sunrise and Ammunition and Darwin's Finches at the Alvin Library (6pm-10pm) - I can't say I know much about these other bands playing but I can highly recommend catching Darwin's Finches, they're kind of wonderful.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2000
Sunken Teeth, Dark Castle, We Both Know, Campfire Stories, Litost at Walter's - Wow, all this stuff sounds weird and noisy and awesome. Kind of an XRXBX thing. Nice.
Gorilla Productions Battle of the Bands at Fitzgerald's - I mention this show only as a public service announcement. Why do bands keep getting mixed up in this stuff? Is it the only way you think you can get a show? We're here to help, get in touch and we can point you in the right direction.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2009
Devotchka and Crooked Fingers at Warehouse Live - I didn't realize this show was coming up so soon. This is going to be really good. Promise.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2009
Loney, Dear with News on the March and Alkari at Rudyard's - YIKES! This week is getting kicked off hardcore with good shows right off the bat.
Agnostic Front, Mongoloids, Your Mistake, Roots of Exile, Crows Feet - DOUBLE YIKES. Somebody will probably get something kicked in.
Streetlight Manifesto, A Wilhelm Scream, The Swellers, The Stitch Up, The Unlikely Heroes at JavaJazz - I don't know why I'm not used to it, but it always kind of takes me by surprise when I see these Warped Tour types playing all the way out in Spring. (April, GET OVER IT.)
After Time Has Passed (CD Release...on a Tuesday!?) with Campfire Stories at Alvin Bowling Center - Now I haven't actually been, but I've seen video and heard first hand accounts, and it seems like a show at a bowling alley is an incredible idea.

Ugh, ok now get out there and get to it...I'm gonna find some Advil.

My Weekend In Lists

So let’s see…

I cherish with fondness the St. Arnold's Brewery.

There was Thursday’s In-Store at Cactus by Los Campesinos. Now, I had planned to make the Lazy Horse show at Rudz that night and was supes bummed about missing Titus Andronicus (I heart them).

All My Favorites LIVE!

And then Friday it was back to Cactus for Wild Moccasins’ first ever In-Store. They floated the keg tremendously. I heard that the Fucked Up show was REDICK. Anyone wanna weigh in on that? I’d like to know the deal.

Saturday saw me dragging my old man outta bed to make it to the Secret Saturday Show in Exile (is that okay?) that was scheduled to start by noon but you know how musicians are…3pm is the new noon. Hours upon hours of sunshine, beers, BBQ, and bands is enough to fry anyone’s brain, so it’s no-duh that I was closed for business by the time I had intended to catch MV+EE at Rudz (another big bummer, I heart them, too)

You want The Beatles to do WHAT on your chest?

First up was Ghormeh Sabzi which included Jaime from Giant Princess and Andrew from Wild Moccasins. Ghormeh Sabzi, where have you been all my life!? Seriously. Homeboy, Cameron was throwing down some major Danny J sans-the-baggage sweetness that you should definitely get out there and hear first-hand (which you will have the chance to do February 13^th at Notsuoh).

Madilynne knows What.

Sew What played second and no doubt Rachel and Cory raise the bar with each performance but they set the limit at INSANITY by being joined by Madilynne Agan (daughter of Welfare Mother’s BC Agan and the ultra-lovely Lacey Bayreuther) on drums. REDICKDANKDONKULOUS.

Assholes.

Playing third were some washed-up never-beens that grasped desperately for cred by allowing the afore-mentioned BC Agan to sit in on the six-string.

Octo-Rock

Setting the party back on track was one-man-megaband Lucas Gorham, and this was where not just one but BOTH of my cameras died.

I made some feeble attempts at capturing sings with my camera phone, but the sun was heading down and the party was about to essplode…and as bright as sings is, there wasn’t enough light to tell what the heck is going on in the pictures.

Shit was non-stop as Mathletes took to the Tucker’s kitchen. A couple of weeks ago I came clean regarding my distaste for Pavement, but sure enough the Mathletes, the cheeriest dudes in dudedom play “Summer Babe” and remind me “oh yeah, I do like that song!”.

Following Mathletes, the Time Machine Veterans overflowed into the living room rocking their sweet-sweet late-nineties intensities into the sunset.

Closing out the night was a spur-of-the-moment set from The Takes. The Takes spilled their aggro-awesome punk all over the Tucker’s living room just like…the forty they spilled all over the Tucker’s living room.

All Ages Show.

Did anyone make it out to the Pasadena is Burning party last night? I’d like to hear how that went down.

See you tonight at Boondocks.

Really Red

Photography copyright Ben Desoto
Used By Permission

It was 1978 when Bob Weber, a skinny middle-class college graduate, walked into Sound Exchange and saw a notice from a band looking for a drummer. He had been playing drums in a small jazz ensemble but hadn’t felt particularly inspired. Behind the counter was the band’s singer, Ronnie Bond, a Canadian known for his “encyclopedic knowledge of 20th century music” and for “spitting revolution to the natives.” Ronnie invited him to try-out and Bob knew immediately that Ronnie had the inspiration he had been searching for.

Ronnie along with bassist John Paul Williams and guitarist Kelly Younger had been friends for years. “We had similarities.” says John Paul, “We were all looking for answers. We started out as teenagers. We did drugs, we hung out at Love Street Light Circus, we got into meditation, we listened to Roky Erickson's 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola, early Pink Floyd and the Who, the Stones, MC5 and the Kinks which were my favorite band. Those were revelatory times where we were discovering life, women, looking for answers. Ronnie, Kelly and I lived together for years. We always had the coolest house around. We had our studio at our house and practiced a lot. As a group we went through different musical incarnations prior to becoming Really Red. “

“Ronnie, John Paul and I had been in different cover-blues bands over the years.” says Kelly, “We had recently let go of another guitar player, Curtis Riker, who wanted us to be Cheap Trick. Bob came to practice and we hit it off right away.”

John Paul recalls the audition “I will always remember him auditioning after all of these other drummers came with their giant drum kits and hard rock and roll beats. Bob came from more of a jazz background; he was a studied drummer who knew how to play technically. He wasn't as big and strong as some of the drummers we tried but we knew if we miked Bob we could get the big sound out of his drums. As odd as it seemed, he was the perfect fit for our group. “

“Then,” says Kelly,“a Legionnaire’s Disease show showed us the error of our ways. We were meant to be a punk band. And we were damned good at it. “

That revelation changed everything! With a seemingly unstoppable fury, Really Red raged with music that was fast, loud, and intense. It was a band with something to say and the band’s mixture of sharp socio-political lyrics and a ferocious sound demanded people’s attention whether it was through their classic recordings or their legendary live shows. The future was now, the future was Punk, and, while the future came to an end six years after Bob walked into Sound Exchange, there was no denying the frenzied and insistent energy of the music. ”Punk is a lizard,” explains Bob, “scrambling and shouting and pulling on the restraining cables of a Saturn 5. “

John Paul notes that heeding the call of Punk took a lot of dedication, “If memory serves me correctly, we practiced on Tuesdays, Thursdays and sometimes all day on Sunday. No excuses. There was no leader in this. Kelly, Bob and I would jam for hours and hours. Either Kelly or I would come up with a riff and we would hammer until it became something. Bob, Kelly and I did the music and Ronnie would spend a lot of time thinking about what he wanted to say and eventually come up with some lyrics and a vocal.”

But, Bob explains, it wasn’t just simply aimless jamming, “This is what I think was special about Really Red. Many of the songs developed from tossing around structural concepts and expressing ideas verbally before the music happened. It's a different method than jamming and waiting to hear something that you like.”

At this, Kelly scratches his head, “Wow! I must have been unconscious. I thought it kinda’ just “HAPPENED.”

The recordings (most of which were cut live) were something Bob recollects as being like “kids on Christmas morning” while John Paul remembers it as being both “fun and a pain in the ass at the same time.” He goes on to lament “It's too bad Andy Bradley didn't take good care of our original tapes. We'll never remix some items that should have been louder as an example Dennis Grevsky's sax playing. He was one of the best sax players ever. “

Kelly agrees, “The only regret I had was Dennis Grevsky’s sax solo on ‘No Art in Houston’ being mixed so low. It was a great solo. Thanks Ronnie, you dipshit.”

The band’s recordings were all on CIA (Completely Ignorant Adults) Records an organization that was less a traditional label and more of a local collective. Bob describes it as having been “a cooperative of highly motivated individuals testing the black waters to see if there was anything alive or dead in there. For instance, the Mydolls would be working on a project or organizing a show. We'd get together and share contact information, make phone calls, write some letters, toss out some ideas for a leaflet and talk about the best places to get it out there on the street. Sometimes Kelly would copy things, because he worked in a print shop. Kwik Copy first opened in the early 80's and people were finding different ways to disseminate propaganda. “

John Paul adds, “Really Red proved that you can self-produce your own band. We would press 45's and send them to college stations and use the play list in return to determine where our market was. “

That market wasn’t simply regional; the band met with some national recognition thanks, in large part, to a fair amount of touring. Bob recalls, “We did four cross-country tours: 1980, '81, '82, & '83. 1982 was our mid-west 'Cowpunk' tour. The other three were round trips from Houston to Vancouver and back in two weeks. Otherwise, it was anywhere we could get on a weekend trip. “

John Paul loved touring, “The tours were great. We all had to bring our own money. We loaded up the van with equipment, Lone Star Beer, our Texas flag, and hit the road plenty. We typically would only play in town for one weekend per month so we wouldn't wear out our scene and that idea worked pretty well. We had some great gigs and some lousy gigs. We played in front of a Sheriff and a few of his friends in California and we packed houses in Seattle and San Francisco. We bombed in front of Nick Lowe and Rockpile. We played a Legionnaire’s hall in Reno, gambled and played around all night, and drove like mad to UC Davis. We played for a dollar in LA and the concert at UC Davis in California was a day to remember. We played in Vancouver. We ate lots of sushi and stayed up drinking and driving for hundreds of miles. We listened to great compilation tapes that Ronnie made mostly which would be music from so many genres from punk to country to rock to oldies. “

Bob’s favorite story was meeting SPK at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis but he’s a bit dodgy on the details. “Ask me for details another time, suffice it to say I was still learning the meaning of performance art. “

Kelly doesn’t do much to fill in the details, “SPK was too much for me. I had to leave. Not to mention the fact that I had to clean cow guts off of my Marshall amp.”

The shows could get out of control at times as John Paul recalls, “We were playing a gig at the Island when a bunch of ‘punks’ started throwing fists in the name of being punk and hurt Diana of the MYDOLLS. That is what ‘I Refuse To Sing’ was about. We had holes in our jeans because we wore them out working but people thought that was cool. Much of the so-called punk scene was nothing but an excuse for some to act like idiots. It was also a reason for people to act out violently. I remember some jerks spitting and throwing beer on Kelly at a show with 999 and The Stranglers in Houston. Kelly, Ronnie and I flew off stage to fight. I never thought that behavior was cool. It was an invitation to kick somebody's butt. I think the punk scene brought a lot of shock and awe but it was all rock n roll to me. I liked to play fast and loud with lyrics that meant something. I didn't give a shit what you called it.”

The touring led to the band being featured in the seminal 1981 compilation “Let Them Eat Jellybeans” on Alternative Tentacles something the band seems to almost shrug-off now. ”Outside of being a real honor and an ego boost, “says Bob, “it was just business, I guess. We did end up opening for the DK's at U of H in '84. That was the largest captive audience we ever played for.”

“The only thing I remember,” says Kelly, “was Jello and Ronnie going toe to toe. God only gives you so many syllables in your life. Man, those two could TALK! “

Really Red’s notoriety also brought them an offer from The Clash to perform with them in Houston, Austin, and possibly throughout the entire Texas leg of the Combat Rock tour - an offer the band famously refused. “Yes, we turned down the Clash.” says John Paul, ”My memory was that we were offered a pittance to open for them and, when we saw the rider and all of the ridiculous demands they had, we decided we did not want to compromise our principles just to open for them. We were not going to grovel at the altar of the Clash for the sake of exposure. I never liked Mick Jones anyway. I did like Joe Strummer and thought he was a good songwriter. When I think of this time, I think we should've done the gig and not been so naive. We should've gone for it and used the press to OUR advantage. “

When I ask them what they accomplished 25 years ago Kelly retorts “Accomplish? Pussy. Stardom. Wealth. We failed. But we left with a sense of self-worth and accomplishment.”

That is about all you could really expect given the era. As John Paul puts it, “The era was encapsulated by young people trying to understand themselves. It's always easy to look back and think that people knew what they were doing but most of us were flying by the seat of our pants. Anyone who says different is lying.”

This article is dedicated to Bill Steen, remembered as a true artist representing the Montrose.

Links:

Left of the Dial Magazine published a great interview with Ronnie Bond in 2004. It has been republished on line at their Website. (Link)

Really Red Myspace Fan Page (Link)

Break My Face article (Link)

Ben DeSoto at zendfoto.com (Link)


DISCOGRAPHY:

1979 - Crowd Control/Corporate Settings - (45 rpm 7”) 500 copies; unreleased
C.I.A. Records/Shepherd Wong Music

1980 - Modern Needs/White Lies - (45 rpm 7”)
C.I.A. Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

1981 - Despise the Moral Majority EP - (33 rpm 7”EP) 500 hand stamped jacket
C.I.A. Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

1981 - Teaching You the Fear - (33 rpm 12”LP) 2500 copies; three sleeves
C.I.A. Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

1981 Let The Eat Jellybeans - (33 rpm 12”LP) “Prostitution”
Alternative Tentacles compilation LP

1982 - New Strings for Old Puppets - (33 rpm 7”EP) four cuts
C.I.A. Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

1983 - Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death - (33 rpm 12”) “Nobody Rules”
Ward 9 Records compilation LP

1984 - Rest in Pain - (33 rpm 12”LP)
C.I.A. Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

1991 - Really Red - compilation
A.N.06 Angry Neighbor Records/ Shepherd Wong Music

2006 - Texas Hardcore - compilation
Hot Box Review/ Shepherd Wong Music

2006 - American Hardcore:The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986 - (CD/LP) Soundtrack “I was a Teenage Fuck-up”
Rhino Records

2006 - American Hardcore - DVD
Sony Pictures Classics


Postcript:
Ronnie Bond tried to contribute to this article but his internet was down and by the time he was back on-line it was past our deadline but he did want to add one thought that clearly stuck in his craw. So I just wanted to add this one comment into the record for posterity. Ronnie writes, "Really Red has been referred to over the years as one of the first generation of Texas/North American punk bands. That much is true but along with that there seems to be a perception that we were all "older" guys. Although it is a matter of no real importance but in the interest of factuality; we were all younger than all of the members of The Clash, UK Subs and The Ramones and certainly we were no older than members of the Dead Kennedys, Flipper or a lot of other bands from that era. Somehow, I keep hearing references from people that we were "older" than most.I'm just a sayin'.....

Second Postscript:
If you are interested in other Houston bands of the era Bob reccomends you seek out "Vex, Legionnaire's Disease, AK-47, Plastic Idols, Spermwhale, The Ruse, Mydolls and Degerenrates, Culturcide, and even the Judys if you can handle that stuff. "

Third Postscript
Really Red- Live @ The Island, Houston, TX May 1983
(Video posted on You Tube by Shawn Kelly of Rotten Piece):