Boris Budd at Hempfest

As I prepared for a week of touring in August it would have been impossible to imagine the misadventures and magic that was about to unfold. In the words of Robert Frost, I took the “road less traveled” in what turned out to be a story of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, international espionage, racial profiling, birth, revelation and a celebrity meeting.

Gig 1: Comet Tavern, Seattle

As we pulled away from Carnelian Agency with fresh copyies of our new record GOD IS GAY, I somehow knew something out of the ordinary was about to happen. We were south of Mount Vernon, on our way to Seattle for the first gig of my mini tour. I was sitting in the passenger seat, sipping a Fresca, when all of a sudden we were in a stopped traffic jam. As we sat for what seemed to be an hour, it became evident that the accident might endanger our timely arrival for the gig. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a man jumped out of the mini-van in front of us. He screamed that his wife was having a baby in very broken English. Luckily, we had some water which had become warm due to the August heat and my wife’s frugality regarding use of the air conditioner in our car. I took the bottle over to the van and amazingly helped deliver a baby. The true miracle of life. I later learned they named the baby Boris Budd Wu.

At this point the traffic had cleared up and we were back on our way. We arrived at the club as the other groups, Assumption, Illinois and Fort King were loading in their gear. My set began in 45 minutes and a nice number of Seattle friends showed up. I walked outside and burnt one in the alley with my friend Madge and CSB, the latter finding a peculiar rock on the side of the alley that had the message “Be good to each other and Everyone” painted on it. We went into the Comet and I played my set of all acoustic protest songs. It was a really good time. A lot of energy. We then hung out for some Assumption, which I didn’t enjoy. We drove home to Bellingham with the windows down as the softness of the warm August night air invigorated us. We pulled over at a rest stop just north of exit 224 at made love passionately. It was a successful tour kickoff indeed.

Gig 2: The Shakedown, Bellingham

In what developed in my mind as our huge homecoming gig, the premier of my album live with The Waterboarders, this gig had the makings of something special from the get go. As we arrived, club co-owner Marty Watson, dressed in a Ron Paul costume, greeted us with his gang of 20 Tea Party members who decide to forgoe their weekly “Drinking with the Nazis” meeting at the Beaver to protest The Waterboarders appearance. After they were out of breath in a few minutes we set up and played a sloppy, loud, fun set. We were joined on the bill by 1985 and the fabulous Candysound. To get to play in my hometown with a lot of friends is always awesome. Marty later apologized for his antics by giving me an audiobook by Ayn Rand.

Gig 3: Trees Organic Coffee, Vancouver, B.C.

I took the train from Fairhaven Station to Vancouver. I was staying at my friend’s high rise, luxury condo so things were looking up. We reached Pacific Station in Vancouver. I had my service dog Augie (I am legally blind in both eyes, have no detail or central vision and use a white cane because I can’t see the ground clearly. I do have side or peripheral vision, a lot of energy and large feet), my guitar and my computer. At customs I was taken aside and asked if the agents could go through my stuff. After ripping my things apart and taking my dog away the agents took me into a dark room and started pressuring me to give them information about my life as a Russian spy. They said Russia was very upset after their hockey team lost to Canada 8-1 in the 2010 Olympics and had planted spies in Canada to learn their new fangled triangle defense. I told them they were absolutely insane and that I was a dope smoking protest singer from America. They then let me go on my way. Very scary I must say.

Being a little frazzled I grabbed a taxi with Augie in tow and dropped off my stuff. I grabbed my guitar and headed down to the New Amsterdam Caf and enjoyed some relaxing cannabis. After 20 minutes I dusted myself off and headed to the gig with the excellent Good Heavens to Betsy, Elaine Ryan and some other chick. It was another really fun show with many familiar people coming up to say hello.

I felt a little tired due to the full week of action and the fact that I am old. We left Vancouver the next morning to head to Seattle Hempfest. We were at the border crossing when the agent asked me to get out of the car and come with him. My wife was upset and asked if she could come but was told to stay put and keep her mouth shut. I was taken into an uncomfortable, bright room where I was told I resembled a possible match they had regarding intelligence that a member of an elite, radical international terrorist group was smuggling WMD’s into the country. They then subjected me to a humiliating body cavity search. I was cleared but did receive phone numbers from a male agent who resembled Marcus Bachmann.

Gig 4: Seattle Hempfest, Seattle

We were thrilled to have bellebrity Dave Str@y Ney riding with us as he needed a ride to Seattle and we were going to Seattle. In need of coffee, we stopped at Starbucks, which DSN didn’t quite care for due to their global corporate etc, etc. as he texted on his iPhone. Still a lovable fellow and one of the truly great Jewish country singing pirates. So, we dropped DSN off and headed to the fest where we were treated to speakers like Dennis Kuchinch and Rick Steves while mingling with top activists, doctors and lawyers in the cannabis movement.

The next day was the gig and we were closing out the fest. The Waterboarders had a substitution with Luke Warm, who had kindly agreed to fill in for Scott Greene, who was very, very, very busy with numerous things. Before the set the band decided to hit the smoking area backstage, which was very intense to say the least. Anyway, the drummer hasn’t said a word to me since we were in that tent. The set was powerhouse, really thrilling and loud. What a way to close out the tour. We packed up our gear and said our goodbyes. As we were heading up I-5, exhausted from the six days of insanity, we were stunned as we heard a loud thud, it was a flat tire. We pulled the car off to the side of the road and waited after calling for assistance. I decided to get out of the car and get some air when all of a sudden a bus pulled up behind us on the shoulder. It was believe it or not, Willie Nelson and he was headed to B.C. for a huge festival. We went on the bus and Willie then had one of his crew fix our tire. I told him we just played Hempfest and he thought that was great and pulled out a joint which we had with him.

We got in the car and went home to Bellingham. When we hit the driveway to our home, the Van broke down. Just like it does for every group who has ever done a Tales from the Road.

Sarah Strongbow Jerns

Before we get to this month’s 11 Questions with the fabulous Sarah Jerns I would like to bid you all a fond adieu. After 45 interviews and 180-plus record reviews in over four years, I am moving on from What’s Up! to pursue other interests. I want to thank Brent for what has been an amazing experience. You should all support this publication’s efforts for as long as there is music. Now that I’m all teary eyed, on to the life and times of Sarah “Strongbow” Jerns, a.k.a Pan Pan…

Boris Budd: Tell us a lot about yourself. What’s your background?

Sarah Jerns: Tell you a lot? I guess I will start out with the standard. I’m a musician who has been stuck in Bellingham my whole life. I like it here, even if that makes me seem sheltered. I’m mainly know for my piano based project, Pan Pan, and being a guest trumpet player with other bands such as Rooftops and Yogoman Burning Band. My music tends to be very melancholy and I normally just use the word “soundtracky” to describe it. I also tend to swear too much and have a habit of making fun of the audience when I perform.

BB: Discuss the impetus for Pan Pan’s awesome New Arms record and describe the recording process from concept to completion.

SJ: My drive for all my music, not just the album New Arms, comes from my personal emotions and the need to explore my knowledge of music theory and musical concepts/techniques. I like to find techniques that I’ve studied and try to build a piece off of that. New Arms and a lot of my other recordings are very lo-fi. Most of New Arms was recorded in Garageband using my built in mic on my powerbook G4. I don’t like to get caught up with super fancy recording equipment. I mainly just want to record a song asap so that I may share it with others. I’m very proud of my work and I think that others will enjoy it.

BB: You have done guest spots on many records including a tune by The Presidents of the United States of America. Talk about those sessions.

SJ: I did do some records with PUSA, but that was so long ago. I don’t want to focus on them because I believe that’s been talked about before. I want to focus on the part where I got to play/learn from other musicians. Being a trumpet player, I’ve had the opportunity to play with a lot of other great musicians in Bellingham/Seattle. It’s when I join another band, that I find myself learning that not everyone approaches music the same way I do. I like learning how others write/approach songs and how they practice. I recommend that others try playing with other local bands. Its a great learning opportunity and it’s often a great to time to let loose and play some new music.

BB: What is the itinerary for your perfect day?

SJ: I would say that I’m almost currently living my perfect itinerary. I’m very lucky to work at two great bars in town, The Shakedown and The Ridge Wine Bar. Working at these music venues allows me to live the the life of an active musician. My perfect day consist of sleeping in, drinking coffee for hours, having a band practice, booking and few bands for The Ridge and then working the kitchen at The Shakedown. The Shakedown is the highlight of my day because I’m surrounded by other musicians and get to be around huge shows with great bills. It’s an awesome niche I’ve found and I feel very lucky.

BB: Describe your experience as a member of The Love Lights during the band’s heyday.

SJ: My experience was pretty awesome. The Love Lights got me into the music scene when I was only 17. I looked up to them like Gods, especially Rob Stauffer and Ben Ballew. Everything they did was the coolest. They really gave me the foundation that I needed to start my own project, Pan Pan, a few years later. Without The Love Lights, I probably would have been clueless on how to “operate” in the Bellingham music scene.

BB: Why did you choose the name Pan Pan?

SJ: I get this one a lot and it’s not really a good story. There was an old Bellingham band by the name of Chip and Pan. I always loved the band name and not the band so much. They broke up and I stole half of it… and then repeated it. I also had a serious love of banana pancakes at the time. There is the secret. Probably doesn’t seem so cool anymore.

BB: Who are your influences in music, life and why?

SJ: Almost any musician who does their craft well is an influence to me. I get buzzed when I see other musicians doing really cool things. For example, whenever I see Lupe Flores beat the hell out of her drums, all I want to do is go home and practice so that I can be a kick-ass musician like her.

And for life, I look to my friends who are doing great things in their lives as inspiration.

As for straight up professional musical influences, the Esbj rn Svensson Trio, Yann Tiersen, Brad Mehldau, and Max Richter supply me with endless musical genius.

BB: What can we look forward to from you in the near future regarding recordings or live performances ?

SJ: I will always keep performing in some capacity. Sometimes it will be as Pan Pan and sometimes it will be as a guest musician with other great bands. I’ve recently indulged in my need to play louder music and have started a project with Matt Curtis called Chambers. Its loud, gritty, and oh so wonderful. I think there are parallels to my “sad piano” music, but the music now requires ear plugs.

BB: Discuss your tenure with one of the greatest bands in history, Sad Dad & the Lonesone Fathers aka Dad Shredder aka Strongbow & the Bitches?

SJ: Who doesn’t already know about Sad Dad? It’s the greatest band I’ve ever been in. It was the product the the latest Band Lottery, hosted by JINX. It’s the band that gave me the guts to play guitar and sing in front of people. I’m sure it was very out of tune and a bit difficult to listen to, but it was all balls to the wall and I had a great time doing it. SAD DAD!

BB: Why Strongbow?

SJ: I don’t drink beer and Sean Jerns introduced me to my very first Strongbow about three years ago. It was love at first sight. For all of those that don’t know, its a great and cheap cider. Although, I like to get classy sometimes and drink the “pricey” cider. It’s all about class with me. FOX BARREL 4 LIFE!

BB: What is your goal in life?

SJ: Play music. Be happy. Have good health. Make enough money to pay rent and buy musical gear. Make a lot of good friends along the way. Done.

BB: Is your family interested in finding out who stole then susequently returned baby jesus to Jerns Funeral Home lawn because they felt bad during the holidays circa 1980 ?

SJ: Yes.
LONG LIVE BABY JESUS!

Dylan Morrison’s 8-song record Constant State of Spring is a tight singer -songwriter piece with witty introspective lyrics, solid acoustic hooks and appealing vocals.

The CD starts off with a song which for all intensive purposes we will call “track 1″ that sounds like that song you hear if you walk into a Starbucks. Ya know, really good, pro, Zimmerman like folk with more of a baritone, commercial voice. As the journey of this record continues, Morrison shows a lot of acoustic blues chops and silky smooth delivery. The tunes throughout the album contain a lot of passion, which is really the most important aspect of believing a performance according to some people.

The fact that Dylan Morrison writes, sings and plays well is a given. The energy of the combination are what captures the ear and heart. Morrison seems to write about a lot of topics both macro and micro, and how things fit into his world. Very neat indeed.

Production was almost stellar, though I did sort of feel like Dylan should have more confidence in his strong voice and not double vocals as much. But for the most part, those mixing issues were very, very slight.

Self Released
For more, visit dylanmorrison.bandcamp.com

Erin Corday’s new record Where the Body is is an 11-song LP loaded with really swell, introspective songs that are part of a top notch package of lyrics and CD art that sets this project apart from other records of its ilk.

Corday writes, sings, plays guitar and commands the recording as her infectious voice and relaxed charm draw the listener in and makes them want to hear more. Much of the style I guess would be classified as ambient, singer-songwriter stuff with flawless accompaniment.

My favorite song was the sarcastic “Lullaby for a not yet Dead Boy.” Corday does this little spoken word thing in the tune that was just fabulous and had me smirking. After contemplating this CD for a little while I realized that the true hook of the whole thing is Corday’s amazing voice. Her soothing, free and easy delivery is big time and you understand why so many folks who enjoy easy listening kind of stuff hold Corday in such high regard. The fact that the group behind her executes like a finely tuned machine doesn’t hurt either. I am glad to have reviewed this record. I like it a lot. Check her out.

Released on Waterburg Records
For more, visit facebook.com/erincorday

Hambone Wilson’s new Suvthn Cookin is a 12-song sonically explosive blues record that remined me at times of a cross of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with Huey Lewis on lead vocals. Lots of slide guitar, harp and 12 bar stuff rule this album which is certainly a lot of fun for something that is supposed to be, well blues.

Songs like “Rockin it into the Night” and “Suvthn Cookin” really bring that point home. It was hard not to smile while I listened. A highlight of the record was when Hambone went rockabilly on “Dancin till Dawn.” HW showed more versatility on the country-ishlovin “Touch.”

I was also very impressed with the group’s guitar work, which was crisp and infectious. The energy level of this record is quite high which would lead me to believe Hambone is quite entertaining on the live stage. Overall the record is a professional release with the only major downside being the similarity of the tone after about an hour of music.

Self Released
For more, visit www.hambonewilson.com

The Staxx Brothers totally dominate with their ultra funky, genre bending, diverse record where they make no bones about the important quest for equality and progress while fighting the illegitimate, greedy powers that be in their lyrics.

The band is ultra tight as the record starts out with the awesome “War Path” where the group funks it out, singing about the insanity of war and our reasons for such engagement. The next song was the country-ish “Mama Said,” a shock to my ears after the initial track due to the wonderfully interesting and different dynamic that was presented by the SB. This pattern continued throughout with the hard rocking “Bad Neighborhood,” which was like a cross of that Alex Chilton like Memphis Big Star thing, Rage Against the Machine and Sly & the Family Stone.

What stuck out most were the crazy good back-up vocals that are prevalent on just about all of the tunes. Staxx Brothers write such passionate, relevant songs that are beautifully delivered in an inspiring and original way. This band really blows me away because they are one of the few bands I have ever heard in independent music who change gears so sharply and tastefully in a collection of songs that actually emit a complete thought.

Released on Soul United Productions
For more, visit www.staxxbrothers.com

Taylor Whipple’s The Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon title is inspired by the enigmatic Japanese Naval base in WWII located in the Caroline Islands. It was also called the Japanese Pearl Harbor by some historians. Anywho, the record is a soothing 10-song collection of classical/folk acoustic guitar compositions.

Whipple’s guitar sounds great as he passionately attacks his songs like “The Great Flood of 1936″ with haunting precision, his solo instrument approach almost creating a wall of sound that makes other instrumentation unnecessary for these tunes. Whipple’s work is in one word pleasant. I can picture myself sitting out in a field with my trusty dog at my side, doing some whittling and chilling out to some Taylor Whipple.

The local guitarist can be seen around town and his record is available in many places including bandcamp (no charge). I recommend you download and add some quality plucking to your library.

Self Released
For more, visit taylorwhipple.bandcamp.com

OmegaZero’s new release Overdrive is a 5-track screamcore metal thing with this cool female vocal lending a bit of ambience to the attack. The band is very tight and the mix is perfect and loud as the band roars through each song on the record with an edgy growliness that is shockingly precise, each beat perfectly choreographed into the performance, which is top notch.

As a person who usually does not care for this kind of stuff I must tip my cap to OZ for their true creativity, which combined with flawless execution makes this record a must for fans of new local music. The highlight of this collection was the terrific “The Haunted Armor,” a song in which it all comes together as OZ brings it all to a powerhouse crescendo complete with cool spacey effects and piecing guitars.

Self Released

This is a really neat DIY record with some totally infectious pop/punk songs recorded in a lo-fi fashion complete with revisions , mistakes, etc. in the recording. This is almost like a performance piece that is charming based a lot on the fact anything can happen on the record, making it unpredictable and at times a little shitty.

But songs like “Embrace the Empty” and “Hugs the ground” are so good and remind me of the underground sounds that ruled ‘back in the day” when bands recorded in the practice room with a tape recorder, then release a cassette. Other highlights were the hysterical “Smoking” and “Life on Mars,” which include a crying baby in the mix just because it happened. Terrific. Like I said though, a lot of this record is awesome. The listener may need to take some time in figuring it all out, but clearly some instant gems are on the surface.

For fans of totally original thinking and an avante guard approach to recording, this is a record to check out for sure. It also will warm the heart of old emo, 90′s punk/pop fans.

Self Released

Reverend JD & The Blackouts leave little doubt that they are an entertaining hard rock act with their hysterical Four Buck Chuck demo. The Rev. really tears into what seems to be a former significant other with unbelievable brutality and passion. While it’s obvious that Rev. seems to hold a grudge, he makes the point with loud, chunky guitars and solid production.

While it is easy to find similar chops from other groups of this ilk, the lyrics are what gives us a bit of separation (no pun intended). My favorite tune out of the four was the lead track “Havre” where the hook was explosive and unfortunately cannot be quoted by this reviewer due to standard decorum and an underage readership. I can best classify this record as ultra angry loud divorce rock…

Self Released
For more, visit www.myspace.com/blackoutalliance