Live Photos by Sesar Sanchez
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
The Orion - Basement of Frustration (2015)
The Orion (chico state newspaper) did this rad report on the Basement of Frustration back bank in January of 2015. The short video they made to go along with the article is still one of my favorites. Every time I watch it, I get stoked! It showcases the height of the Basement of Frustration. When endless shows were happening and tons of new kids where joining the scene.
Punk Venue Takes
Chico Underground
Fans enjoy Icko Sicko's set during a Basement of Frustration show on Monday. The venue welcomes all ages and offers a drug-and-alcohol free environment to see punk bands perform. Photo credit: Caio Calado
Near Ninth and Flume streets, a sign on a porch that exclaims “pizza in the back” gives a welcoming and free vibe for anyone attending this local in-home punk venue.
An all-ages show on Monday had local bands such as Outside Looking In, Icko Sicko, Gorilla X Monsoon and Oakland hardcore band, Trenches.
Once through the entrance, there was a congestion of guitar amps, roughly 12 skateboards, low couches, a TV blasting and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle posters that hung on the wall promoting a young, adult-run funhouse.
The basement, where all the raw energy took place, was small but intimate for this strong and rebellious form of music. Speaker monitors and guitar amps in the back were stacked to the ceiling. A PA system in the middle looked old but alive, and random clothes and pizza boxes with personalized writings and messages were everywhere.
Outside Looking In opened with a huge, booming sound accompanied by their bassist Tommy Ghiorso, who is also the guitarist for Gorilla X Monsoon.
When he slapped his bass at full force and later brought it up to hit the wall, it displayed an honest passion for his love of the music. The singer would lean back and occasionally fall over due to the last breaths the lyrics demanded. These antics provided for amazing stage presence.
Gorilla X Monsoon had chugging guitar and bass tones as well as incredible, almost sporadic drum fills.
Icko Sicko’s vocalist went completely nuts when performing as he ran around sweating and screaming while being immensely artistic for the hardcore genre. At the end of one song, he said calmly “don’t do drugs” to reinforce a that the shows are drug and alcohol free.
Trenches, who was in town for their second-to-last show for their West Coast tour, seemed to have a majority of older members compared to the other bands. They crushed their set and maintained their all for a great way to close the show.
The audience gave back to the bands all night by enthusiastically raising their fists, singing along and banging their heads between intense moshing.
Local fan and musician, Mackenzie, who has played there herself said, “It’s a really safe venue. We have been going here a few months now. It’s my favorite venue in town.”
Anyone wanting to attend these shows can get in for just $5 or pay-as-you-can generosity — anyone willing to experience punk with the fast-paced, immersive power that comes with it.
Flyer by Sawyer Goodson
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - Demo (2011)
I always said that after Scared to Death broke up I was going to go on to front a band. I had never just been a singer in a band before. I had always played guitar or drums, so I really wanted to try it out. By the fall of 2010, Scared to Death was on hiatus and the other 3 bands I was in (Damaged / Geist / TMI) broke up. I felt depressed and a little lost at the time. Forming a new band to fill the void didn't feel like the right thing to do, either. I was feeling overwhelmed by a lot personal things in my life at the time, so I decided I should take some time off from playing in bands to focus on myself. I had been writing songs, though, for over a year that I wanted to sing. So I decided to start Outside Looking In as a one person recording project instead of forming a new band.
It took me a couple of months to finalize all the songs for the demo. The music was easy but writing the lyrics took me the longest, because I wanted them to be good and not filler. Lyrically I want to talk about my confusion and frustration with my life (Exhausted But Nowhere), judgmental people (Old Man), personal shame (Can't Talk Can't Hide), shortcomings of the punk scene (Another Disheartening Night / Blah Blah Blah), and toxic masculine (Sick of Your Shit / Conquest For Death). Being that I'm fairly a private and introverted person, writing the lyrics were a healthy outlet for myself.
I started recording the demo in late May and finished in mid July. I recorded it all in a storage unit and my apartment on an old busted 4-track cassette recorder. At the time, I had a decent digital recording setup, but I decided to record on my 4-track instead for a more gritty sound. In the end, the demo turned out differently than I had hoped, but as a whole, I was happy with it.
By time the demo came out, I felt comfortable about playing in bands again and decided to form a live line up. I wanted to still keep the band as my personal recording project but play shows from time to time. After a year of playing shows, though, it just didn't feel satisfying to keep it as only a personal recording project. I wanted to work together as a group and push what we were doing. Playing in a band with all of my closes friends has truly been the best, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Year: 2011
Second Show Ever
First Tour 2012
THUNDERDOME FLYERS (2008-2010)
The THUNDERDOME was the HQ of Redding hardcore from 2008 - 2010. It was the house everyone hung out at, local bands practiced at, touring bands stayed at, and where shows happened. It also had a distro built in the dinning room with a collection of radical literature and records. One of the only places in Redding you could get anything like that at the time. The garage, where all the shows happened, was a narrow one car garage, but it was just big enough to host decently large shows. People would pack in super tight and others would stand on top of the washer and dryer for a better view. I have a lot of great memories from there of slamming, skating, and hanging out. A huge thanks to all the roommates that lived there for opening their home to the community.
I sadly only have a handful of the flyers, but here's what I have in my collection.
2008
2009
2010
ZABALEEN - Live at KCSC 7-19-05
ZABALEEN was a Chico punk band that formed in the mid 2000's out of the ashes of the NOGOODNIX. The second local show I ever went to in chico was with them at Fulcrum Records during the summer of 2005. Around that same time, they released a lo-fi demo on their Myspace page. I don't believe it ever had a physical release, but I always dug this demo. The fact that it's rough and blown out just makes it sound more snotty and in your face. Perfect!
Genre: Trash Punk
Year: 2005
Format: Digital
DOWNLOAD
Year: 2005
Format: Digital
DOWNLOAD
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