Tag: budget rock

August 9, 2019

Burger Boogaloo 2019: Day 1 Recap

We can’t believe it’s been a decade since the Burger Boogaloo‘s humble beginnings as Total Trash Fest, where Marc Ribak and his intrepid crew packed cozy San Francisco venues the Knockout and Thee Parkside with bands such as the Spits, Shannon & the Clams, and Thee Oh Sees. Two years later in 2011, Total Trash teamed up with Burger Records and renamed the beer-soaked weekend “Burger Boogaloo,” inviting garage-punk favorites such as King Tuff, Nobunny, Traditional Fools, and Davila 666 to tear up Thee Parkside. In 2013, the Boogaloo moved across the bay to roomier digs (Oakland’s Mosswood Park) and expanded even further in 2015, when it unveiled an extra stage and welcomed legendary director John Waters as its master of ceremonies. (If you missed the magic of previous years, visit our posts from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.)

This year, the two-day Boogaloo celebrated its 10th anniversary by inviting back some of the bands from its early days (Shannon & the Clams, King Tuff, Nobunny, Davila 666) as well as Boogaloo veterans such as the Phantom Surfers and Nikki Corvette; embracing an Aussie contingent (the Scientists, Amyl & the Sniffers, the Chats); having post-punk paragons the Jesus & Mary Chain headline both nights; and scaling back to one stage to avoid displacing the homeless population that had set up camp in the park. Happily, the Pope of Trash also returned with hilariously bawdy band introductions that were eagerly anticipated if rarely family friendly.

Amazingly, we managed not only to catch all the Boogaloo bands but also have enough energy for the weekend’s afterparties, which featured the likes of Billy Childish, the Sneaky Pinks, and Tommy & the Commies. Here are some highlights from day 1 (for full videos of the weekend, check out PressureDrop’s playlist). Click here for day 2, and stay tuned for portraits of some of the fine folks who helped make the weekend a winner!

NIKKI CORVETTE WITH PRIMA DONNA

Detroit’s bubblegum queen and her LA backing band kicked off the weekend with hip shakers such as “He’s a Mover,” “Girls Like Me,” and “Shake It Up.”

TERRY & LOUIE

Terry Six and King Louie unleashed not only a thousand catchy, glammy guitars but also Exploding Hearts and Persuaders tunes.

AMYL & THE SNIFFERS

Hearty head banging and hair flinging ensued when this Aussie group tore up the stage with the fervor of Iggy and Wendy O.

SHEER MAG

These Philly punks cranked out ’70s-tinged rockers that were perfect for a lazy, sunny afternoon.

NOBUNNY

A masked imposter (taken out by the real Bunny with a beer bottle), flaming drums, and a crowd-surfing panda were just a few of the delightful shenanigans that marked Nobunny and his motley crew’s hippity-hoppity garage-punk set.

PHANTOM SURFERS

Clad in snazzy pink suits and their signature masks, this Bay Area quintet ripped through surf instrumentals and garage punk classics while a primitive soap opera unfolded onstage.

THE DWARVES

Blag the Ripper, He Who Cannot Be Named, and their cohorts whipped up the pit with tunes ranging from the poppy “Everybodies Girl” to the sludgy “You Gotta Burn.”

THE DEAD BOYS

We didn’t know what to expect here, what with Cheetah Chrome being the only original member, but he and the Bay Area musicians who supported him delivered an impeccably solid set. Even singer Jake was seemingly possessed by the spirit of Stiv Bators as he belted out a handful of Young Loud and Snotty stalwarts like “Sonic Reducer” and “I Need Lunch.” Protopunk pioneer James Williamson joined them at the end for “Search and Destroy” and other Stooges classics.

JESUS & MARY CHAIN

The Reid brothers and co. ushered in the night with “April Skies,” “Some Candy Talking,” The Living End,” “I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and other fuzzed-out favorites that spanned their tempestuous career. While we were slightly disappointed that neither Nikki Corvette, Amy of Amyl & the Sniffers, or Tina Halladay of Sheer Mag provided backing vocals for “Just Like Honey,” their tribute to Roky Erickson (“I Think of Demons”) was a sweet surprise.

WILD BILLY CHILDISH & CTMF

Headlining two nights of sold-out shows at Starline Social Club, thee garage-rock legend and his latest project cranked out lo-fi goodies from his early bands and ’60s giants like the Kinks and the Who.

SNEAKY PINKS

They made merry and dished up ooey-gooey garage punk at Eli’s Mile High Club, and it’s just what we needed.

August 1, 2018

BURGER BOOGALOO 2018: Day 2 Recap

The second day of the Burger Boogaloo (head here for day 1) boasted punk pioneers the Damned, several reunited bands (Battleship, Gris Gris, Le Shok…the Rip Offs with the original line-up), and Firestarter’s first-ever show in the U.S. We don’t know what Marcos and the Total Trash crew have planned for next year but it’s definitely worth investing in the early-bird tickets for 2019, which are on sale now for dirt cheap! Here are some of our favorite moments of day 2. Click here for the neat neat neat faces of Burger Boogaloo!

BATTLESHIP

Ash from nearby wildfires fell from the sky as these Oakland malcontents unleashed their demons in the Toxic Paradise amphitheater.

GRIS GRIS

A cloudy sky, majestic redwoods, and kitschy stage decor formed the perfect backdrop for this Oakland four-piece’s distinctive brand of psychedelia.

SUBSONICS

These Atlantans administered primal beats and lo-fi rock’n’roll swagger.

NOBUNNY

A last-minute replacement for the Dwarves, the lovable masked maniac and his crew charmed the audience with cheeky, lo-fi garage-pop gems that were, according to John Waters, “catchier than herpes.”

THE FLAKES

This Bay Area five-piece, featuring ever-energetic Russell Quan on drums, delivered punchy garage punk.

FIRESTARTER

The former Teengenerates thrilled the crowd with their power-pop imports and an encore that included smash hits such as “Dressed in Black” and “Sex Cow.”

QUINTRON & MS. PUSSYCAT

This inventive New Orleans duo dished up quirky diversions followed by a puppet show.

THE RIP OFFS

After transforming the Pleasure Pier into a crime scene, these nylon-loving budget rockers rolled onstage on an SFPD motorcycle and bulldozed each other and the audience with classics such as “Rip Your Heart Out” and “Fed Up.”

LE SHOK

Southern Californian electropunks brutalized the Toxic Paradise before smashing all of their guitars (which we missed, alas).

GIUDA

These Roman rockers slayed (slade?) with their hand-clappin’ stompers.

THE DAMNED

Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, and company waited for the blackout, jammed out on “Neat Neat Neat,” and smashed it up, ending the night with a tribute to Steve Soto (of the Adolescents, Agent Orange), who had passed away four nights earlier.

July 30, 2018

BURGER BOOGALOO 2018: Day 1 Recap

Six years in, Oakland’s two-day Burger Boogaloo music festival at Mosswood Park still continued to excite, surprise, and shock with its lineup of 22 punk trailblazers, trashy rock’n’rollers, and weirdo whathaveyous. Sultan of sleaze John Waters (noted filmmaker, rebel rouser, and wordsmith) and Chuck Ribak (father of Boogaloo organizer Marcos Ribak) returned as hosts, supplying laughs and groans in between sets by Boogaloo veterans such as the Mummies, Quintron & Ms. Pussycat, and the Spits, and new Boogalooers such as the Damned, Giuda, Firestarter, and the Rip Offs. (If you missed the magic of previous years, visit our posts from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.)

This year, we managed to capture all of the bands at the Toxic Paradise amphitheater and Pleasure Pier stage except for the Francis Lau Experience, who performed the very first slot of the festival. We regret missing this talented boy with a keyboard, who was no doubt the perfect start for Devo day. Devo-tees were out in full force, rocking trademark red energy domes as well as homemade outfits. Here are some highlights from the first day (head here for our day 2 recap and here for the neat neat neat faces of the Boogaloo)!

NOTS

This Memphis quartet filled the Toxic Paradise amphitheater with glorious, synth-laden noise.

POOKIE & THE POODLEZ

This Oakland trio dished up sassy lo-fi bubbleyum.

THE OKMONIKS

Pleasure Pier patrons were treated to Okmonik-vision glasses and garage-pop goodies by this local four-piece.

THE FLYTRAPS

These L.A. rockers shredded Toxic Paradise.

HUNX & HIS PUNX

Seth Bogart and his fabulous team served up fresh and fruity summertime surprises.

THE SPITS

John Waters introduced these pyromaniacal punks, whose firecrackers and incendiary set ignited the crowd.

MUDHONEY

The Seattle grungemasters cranked out earsplitting staples such as “Suck You Dry” and “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and even a cover of the Angry Samoans’ “You Stupid Asshole.”

TRADITIONAL FOOLS

Ty Segall has come a long way from playing house parties and basement shows, but he and Fools Dave and Drew easily picked up their surfy garage jams like it was yesterday.

THE MUMMIES

These bandaged budget rockers are mavens of making an entrance. At past Boogaloos, they peddled in on tricycles and paraded in atop their mummie-mobile. This year, they were escorted on stage by prominent primate Dr. Zaius and his furry cohorts. Of course, their classic “(You Must Fight to Live) on the Planet of the Apes” kicked off their delightfully shambolic set. By the end, smoke from fires in a nearby county colored the sky.

DEVO

Devo needs no introduction, but it was a hoot hearing John Waters wax nostalgic about this seminal band, exclaiming that they’re a “Burger Boogaloo wet dream!” With actor/comedien Fred Armisen on drums, they crushed hit after singalong hit. Booji Boy made a special appearance during the encore for “Beautiful World” and “The Girl Can’t Help It.”

July 5, 2016

Burger Boogaloo 2016: Day 1 Recap

Total Trash Productions and Burger Records proclaimed 2016 the “summer of filth” and brought back the Pope of Trash himself, John Waters, to host the Burger Boogaloo. Now in its fourth summer at Oakland’s family-friendly Mosswood Park, the Boogaloo weekender has become somewhat of an annual pilgrimage for budget rockers, goners, and garage punks around the world. Meet-and-greets by B-movie babe Traci Lords and schlocky off-color comic Tony Clifton (yes, that one!) added extra spice to an already sizzling line-up of rock’n’roll trailblazers. (If you missed out on previous incarnations, you can look back on 2015 here, 2014 here, and the second day of 2013 here.)

Each day saw 12 bands divided between two stages (Dirty Mouth amphitheater, Tassel Castle stage) and this year we somehow managed to catch each one, although we were sad to miss some of Waters’ delightfully bawdy band introductions. Here’s a recap of the first day, which includes the return of the Mummies, the Trashwomen, Thee Oh Sees, and The Thunderroads’ graceful amp dive. (Here’s Day 2. Check out the many faces of Burger Boogaloo here!)

THE OKMONIKS

This San Francisco quartet kicked off the festivities with Farfisa-infused garage-pop confections such as “Not That Good” and “Teenage Timebomb.”

PSYCOTIC PINEAPPLE

Berkeley’s zany party rockers shared the stage with a giant dancing pineapple.

AMPLIFIED HEAT

This Austin trio channeled Lemmy Kilmister’s bluesy side.

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS

Seattle goofballs, including the Fastbacks’ Kurt Bloch on guitar, bounced through their poppy set. Their drummer, who wore a bulky white spacesuit, somehow defied both gravity and heatstroke.

INTELLIGENCE

Angular post-punk by Lars Finberg and friends

ANGRY SAMOANS

Metal Mike and his cohorts riled up the pit with ’80s punk staples such as “My Old Man’s a Fatso” and “Inside My Brain.”

REAL KIDS

The Boston legends had trouble hitting the high notes on anthems such as “Solid Gold,” “Do the Boob,” and “All Kindsa Girls” but their fans were singing along so loudly they probably didn’t notice.

LYRES

Tokyo upstarts The Fadeaways backed up Jeff Connolly’s garage-rock screamers.

THE THUNDERROADS

These Tokyo garage punks’ third consecutive Boogaloo appearance featured their now-legendary amp dive.

FINK WITH THE THUNDERROADS

Fink of Teengenerate joined The Thunderroads for classics such as “Mess Me Up,” “Dressed in Black,” and “Let’s Get Hurt.”

THE TRASHWOMEN

Bay Area surf queens rocked the tonsils off the Dirty Mouth.

THEE OH SEES

John Dwyer, double drummers, and enthusiastic fans shredded the Tassel Castle.

THE MUMMIES

With the help of a bonafide marching band, the Bay Area’s bandaged budget rockers surfed to their exclusive stage atop their mummie-mobile, an old ambulance emblazoned with their handiwork. They cranked out crowd favorites atop the mummie-mobile and, on occasion, a sturdy Farfisa. As far as we know, the only casualty at the end of their raucous set was a sunburst guitar.