Production work and laziness prevented this review from coming on time. Eh. So yeah... Holy Shit *pause* and resumes breathing again. This is really the only way I can describe the two Northern California Hot Snakes performances I was privileged enough to witness over 3.30.12 & 4.4.12. It was an experience I thought I'd never get to see. I’ve been a fan of the band since 2003. Yet I missed out on any subsequent tours around that point. I assumed that I'd catch them on an “Audit in Progress” tour in 2004. That never happened. I really don’t know where the fuck I was in my life, thinking I’m cool or something, I guess, which is never the case. Sadly they broke up around that point in time. I was super bummed out.
This band lives in a very special place in my heart. I can still vividly remember the first time I heard Automatic Midnight. I was completely bowled over by Reis and company. I thought to myself, jeez, this band rolls with a meatier precision than just about everything on the radio or TV that is being shoveled down my throat for attention. Who the fuck are these guys? Once the intro to “10th Planet” geared up through my headphones; Jason’s drum pummel bashed into full speed with John and Rick's guitars ripping the song wide open, it sank in correctly. I couldn’t stop hitting repeat on my CD player. Somehow I knew this band was for me.
What also blew me away about the album at the time I discovered it is that it been out since 2000. Yet it still sounded so fresh and new around 2003 when it dropped into my ears for the first time. They moved forward onto 2002'a Suicide Invoice, which lived in my car stereo for weeks on end after I finished properly digesting Automatic Midnight. Suicide Invoice to me is still my favorite Hot Snakes album. I don't know why but it just has the right batch of songs that I love bumming out people/other motorists: windows down, volume loud. Hell, Audit in Progress was the soundtrack to my 2005 car accident. The album could be heard blaring out of my car windows as I passed out and lost control onto a center divider completely destroying both the passenger side of my 1994 Civic and the Civic itself. Strangely, enough I was also wearing a red Hot Snakes Bat shirt, which was later destroyed by the Jaws of Life along with my jeans. Luckily no one else was in my car. I remember when I got my car stereo back and I nervously pried loose at the eject button to rescue the CD out of the mangled remains of what was left of the CD player. It still works to this day eight years later.
There was the final Peel Sessions and Australian radio session's Thunder Down Under. The later album giving me small crumbs of their live sound, I took a trip to New York in 2006 and one of the most memorable moments was walking around Time Square blasting the fuck out of the Peel Session’s “This Mystic Decade”. Both audio discs never satisfied my appetite. An appetite fueled by numerous accounts that stated Hot Snakes flat out killed it every time they played live. I procured as many bootlegs from online traders as I could. This was before torrents and DIME. My favorite live show is still a 2004 Soundboard of their Denver Bluebird Show. I got into the Sultans afterward and the Night Marchers (Hot Snakes minus Rick) and Obits (basically just Rick).
(Reis @ BOTH 3.30.12 Me)
I really enjoy both Night Marchers and Obits. I've seen them play every time they stop off in SF. But they're not Hot Snakes. Seeing both bands play together in 2010 was the closest thing I thought I'd get to witness them share a stage again. It was one of my favorite shows and fondest memories of 2010. Later in that tour they did play some Hot Snakes songs during the reunion just not at the SF show. The other thing I really like about seeing Reis bands is they almost always have other good bands on the bill. I've seen the Soft Pack (known as the Muslims then) a couple times and really enjoy them. This time especially for the SF date they brought San Diego’s Mrs. Magician and Spider Fever as the openers. I've been playing the Mrs. Magician's debut a lot in recent times. I really like it. They were great live, also. Spider Fever was really good both times I saw them. The only opener I didn’t really care for was the band in San Jose. I don't know they're name, Pizza Rock? I just didn’t like their sound. Anyhow, I think Reis really likes Bottom of the Hill cuz every time I’ve seen him play it’s always there. Maybe that is why the Blank Club in San Jose seemed so foreign.
Both shows were great. Bottom of the Hill was the topper. The club was packed, no air conditioner, stuck against the left monitor, somehow got pulled into an adult mosh pit (Danny Glover: I'm getting too old for this shit) danced my ass off while yelling all the choruses to my favorite songs (minus "US Mint" which came later in San Jose.
I left Bottom of the Hill drenched in sweaty fulfillment. The show was more than I could handle. I couldn't wait for the following week to see the band in San Jose. The Blank club was alright. The main thing I noticed besides not enjoying the opener was the lack of a stage and how much I enjoyed Spider Fever a second time.
The band came out again and hit it hard. About three songs into their set a rando muscley bro started stripping down to just lunch meat shorts and tried to jump off a non-existent stage into the crowd. This didn't go over so well as he took backward flight, he plummeted like a stone into the large bouncer and an angry rando standing to my left. He came crashing down into the bouncers arms and the rando angry guy. The rando angry guy's mellow was clearly harshed. He abruptly wailed on the meathead's bare legs. I stared at them and probably should have helped them remove this naked bro. However, I was petrified in both a what the fuck and Hot Snakes are playing right now state. The quickly removed said bro and show resumed without any other broy distractions.
Another great set. Not quite as draining as SF but really really fucking good, nonetheless. Saw a bunch of the same cats at Blank Club as SF. Finally got to hear US Mint, which was awesome. Rick has some of the best stage banter bar none. Once the show ended I ended up next to the amps near the stage and was able to properly thank Gar for two great shows.
Hot Snakes are coming back to SF in September. I plan on being back in the audience spazzing out and just being an overall dorkus. So yeah. See Hot Snakes, buy their records. Do cool shit.
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