Tuesday, April 7th
Words by Devin Rinker

I’ve never held much stock in astrology, but the punk rock planets must be aligned. Lately there’s been a slew of amazing shows from people who were actually around when punk was punk. Bands I never thought I’d have the chance to see, much less in Chico, have been popping up left and right and leading me out of my hermit’s cave like the Pied Piper. Last Tuesday was no exception as The Freeze was back on tour and coming to Monstro’s behind excellent local support.

Opening up the show was the much-heralded Purple Dragons. Despite my good intentions, I unfortunately missed this young crew for the second time. When I say that these kids were young, I mean under 10. Apparently they rock some miniature instruments better than they can ride a bike. With song titles like “Back to Hell,” you need to check out these child prodigies.

Up next was Severance Package, who are presumably the parents of the Purple Dragons. A relatively new local three-piece, the Package got their start playing with Nobunny and The Shankers at Studio 46 back in January. They came out with a gritty garage-rock sound that got the heads bobbing and the beers flowing. They reminded me a lot of Scared of Chaka, which was a pleasant surprise. Alternating between male and female vocals and backed by some serious drumming, Severance Package definitely has the chops to fill a dance floor, so long as the infamous Purple Dragons haven’t already staked out their turf.

After the Dragons had been sent back to their cave for slumber, The Serfs were able to come out and celebrate with a little street-punk ribaldry. Playing right before a legend like The Freeze is a big slot to fill, and The Serfs filled it well. The combination of Trevor’s massive guitar and Andrew’s scathing, punctuated vocal delivery got the crowd fueled up, ripping through originals and a cover of “Go Nowhere” by Reagan Youth. Chris and Jaime lashed on the bass and drums with a frantic abandon, keeping everyone bouncing off of each other. When all was said and done, The Serfs ended up with one of the cleanest, tightest sets I’ve seen them play. As they exited, they called out: “Get ready for THE FREEZE!” It was met by a smattering of expectant shouts, but seemed the majority in attendance didn’t know what they were about to witness.

The Freeze. In Chico. All the way from Massachusetts, these guys were a big part of the Boston hardcore scene in the ‘80s and have been around since 1978. While associated with the hardcore scene, their music has always had more of a melodic approach than counterparts. The only remaining original member is lead vocalist Clif Hanger, but the plethora of lineup changes has not extinguished the glory. They were playing without a lead guitar due to an injury, but rhythm guitarist DB managed to hold down double-duty, keeping the songs full and shredding. Clif writhed and twisted around like a man truly possessed, wearing the majority of the sawdust in Monstro’s. Classics from all eras of their music were covered; “Nothing Left,” “Warped Confessional” and “Timebomb” were presented in all their glory, though the highpoint of the night for me was when Clif announced a song about his brother, “Terminal.” I must have been pretty in to it because the next thing I know, Clif’s thrusting the mic into my face for the chorus. Epic. Although many people may have come to the show not knowing who The Freeze were, they definitely knew the score when they left. Everyone I talked to seemed pretty impressed. If you consider yourself a connoisseur of punk rock and have never heard of these Boston badasses, do your research.

By: Shea Cardinalli

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.... .. .. Media Credit: Brian Randle A sweaty John "The Baker" Eppard of Oakland-based punk band Instant Asshole rocks the crowd of intensely excited music fans. [Click to enlarge]

"Zombies," "Leftover Crack" and "Straight Edge Failures" all have something in common. Some can be found in horror movies, while others might show up on your doorstep at 3 a.m. - but all are punk.

The aforementioned are just a few of many off-the-wall titles of songs dished out at Monstros Pizza on Friday night to a small group of die-hard punk rockers.

Chico natives Gruk opened the show, followed by Death Crisis.

Oakland-based Instant Asshole and close friends Duck and Cover, also from Oakland, treated the audience to a healthy dose of brash punk and some choice attire.

Lead singer Alberto Guadalupe of Death Crisis rocked a tank top so short his undulating midriff dared audience members to keep their food down.

Setup and teardown of each band's equipment was prompt, thanks to a conveniently located side door at Monstros, and the bands' members helped carry each other's gear to speed up the process.

Of the 25 or so people in attendance, about a quarter took part in the waxing mosh pit, with steadily growing intensity. Paramount to this communal form of dance is the lack of violent blows or malicious behavior. Moshers take care of their own by picking each other up off the ground to avoid a trampling.

The mosh pit was possibly the most entertaining aspect of the show, with some riding on the backs of others as they slammed into one another.

The downright shameless and drunk rolled on the ground in the venue's sawdust.

The standard punk lineup was thrown a curveball with several women performing in the bands, including Duck and Cover drummer Ali Roth and 17-year-old vocalist Dharma Mooney.

Instant Asshole bassist Leasa Catera was also among the females of punk rock, along with Gruk lead singer Rachel Loveless.

Audience member Star Hooper said she likes it when women are involved in punk.

"Some guys think they can't handle it, and I like to show that girls can step up to the plate," she said.

An avid fan of punk, Hooper thinks moshing is a great way to vent, and admits being a "sucker for chick bands."

Even small children expressed their wild sides at the back of the room.

"They're definitely into punk, that's for sure," said Marianna Pantoja, whose 3- and 8-year-old boys jostled and shoved, forming their own mini mosh pit, much like their older counterparts.

All-age venues tend to be the destination of choice for punk bands because the younger generations of music fans help a great deal in supporting underground and local artists.

"It's great," said Instant Asshole drummer Bill Jackson. "We have to ensure our species keeps rockin'."

The night was a celebration for Catera who, much to her surprise, received a birthday cake and a "Happy Birthday" sing-along. The entire venue joined together in song.

Instant Asshole played an intense set, with lead vocalist John "The Baker" Eppard joining in the mosh pit sporadically. The pit was fueled by members from the other bands, and bodies were sliding everywhere on the sawdust-laden floor.

There was much to be appreciated Friday night, not just the pizza and live bands Monstros is known for.

Shea Cardinalli can be reached at
scardinalli@theorion.com

Best hamster cage/pizza joint/ rock venue/Pyrate hangout

Montros Pizza
Yes. You read that right. Monstros has become one of the best all-ages venues in town, bringing in an impressive list including out-of town (and out-of-country) bands like Monotonix, Mathematicians, Fierce Perm as well as locals like Zabaleen, Gorgeous Armada and Dirty Sister. Adding to its charm are the vintage posters that line the walls (including one of Army of Darkness), a floor covered in wood chips and the colorful crew of the local chapter of Pyrate Punx. Add cheap bottles of PBR and slices of pizza the size of your face (including the Breath of Death pizza with jalapeños, garlic and pepperoni), and you've got your one-stop rock shop. No boom-sticks required. 628 W. Sacramento Ave., 345-7672

By: Rebecca Rosa

Posted: 4/16/08

Three half-naked obese men in makeup consumed an eager audience at Monstros Pizza on Saturday night.

With an "I love meat" sticker on the guitar and white paint on members' faces, The Misfats, billed as the "fattest Misfits cover band in the world," was a hefty spectacle among a fierce lineup of bands at the all-ages show.

"We play shirtless, which is horrifying or hilarious depending on your perspective," said guitarist Bill Niese.

Perhaps inspired by the largeness of The Misfats members, people in the audience gorged on pizza and beer while several punk bands took the stage.

The first band, Suspicious Activity, made the audience feisty with its energetic sound.

The band covered songs by The Casualties and AC/DC while a mandatory angsty-punk mosh pit formed several times throughout its performance.

There was a lull in the action when the next band, Stay Tuned, set up its gear and did a mind-numbing, 20-minute sound check.

A band member did the standard "check, one, two" for so long, he began to say "check, cash, credit" to switch up the monotony.

The long setup was worth the wait; Stay Tuned exploded into a finely tuned rock version of Mr. Rogers "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

Donning a sweater vest and sunglasses, the keyboardist and vocalist lent his energetic voice to a lineup of TV theme songs.

Songs from "The Jeffersons," "Gilligan's Island," and "The Golden Girls" were some of the notable covers.

The Misfats took the stage next, bringing a riotous sense of excitement to the room. A skinny drummer hid behind the shirtless bodies of the three other band members.

"Hey, you're not fat," someone yelled to the drummer, to which he responded with an expletive.

The weight of three of the band's members is something The Misfats needed to address, Niese said.

"You can't really leave it unspoken," Niese said.

Instead of denying their size, they embraced it, changing lyrics to be about food, Niese said. Instead of the words "I turned into a Martian," the band performs "I turned into a lard-ass."

Though this crowd was relatively respectful, audience members often react strangely to The Misfats, Niese said. Women occasionally like to fondle the lead singer and bassist while they play.

"The guitar player of The Iron Maidens came up and fed me carrots once," Niese said.

Somebody also threw a piece of pizza at them at a show, Niese said. It was strange because the place didn't sell pizza.

Though no pizza was thrown Saturday night, audience members still managed to harass the band in a good-natured manner.

People started yelling "Freebird" Lynard Skynard requests, and Niese responded with a witty remark.

"That joke never gets old. It retired now. It's going in the Smithsonian," he said.

After a lively performance, The Misfats turned the stage over to Season Of The Witch, a Chico-based gothic punk band.

The lead singer, Jared Glenn, channeled Freddy Krueger's style in "Nightmare On Elm Street." In addition to creepy face makeup, he wore a "pro-cannibalism" patch and a Leatherface mask attached to his belt.

"I've got flesh swingin' from my belt," he said. "I'm like the Irish cannibal."

Corpus Kristy, bassist for Season Of The Witch, donned a Freddy Krueger patch on the back of her dress and zombie-like face makeup.

"I was inspired by horror in general," she said. "It took my boyfriend about 40 minutes to do my makeup."

Season Of The Witch members set up the stage with elaborate Halloween decorations before playing. A jack-o'-lantern sat idly on the floor next to a fake head impaled onto the mic stand.

The band continued with the horror theme, playing a song called "Blood and Fur."

With the Misfats' huge bellies and Season Of The Witch's cannibalistic tendencies, there were several horrific moments during the show.

Rebecca Rosa can be reached at
rrosa@theorion.com

Judgement Day brings metal's wrath to Monstros Pizza

Innovative Oakland band utilizes string instruments to expand sound, show talent

By: Karla Hernandez

Pyrate Punx sailing against the current
By: Amber Morley
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Entertainment

It's Sunday night and a group of people is sitting around a wooden table outside a recording studio on Nord Avenue. They're drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes while talking about music and upcoming concerts. No, this isn't a group of college kids winding down from the weekend, it's a meeting of the Chico area Pyrate Punx.

But these aren't your typical pirates. They are pioneers helping pave the way for counterculture bands by putting on shows at local venues.

"We started working together long before the Pyrate Punx," said Shelby "Saint Ann of Archy," a hairdresser from Chico and the first mate. "Most of us were already in bands and putting on shows. The Pyrate Punx really just put a blanket over what we were already doing and made it easier for us."

The Pyrate Punx concept came to Chico about a year ago, but its original chapter in Oakland has been around since 1997. Pyrate Punx has 25 chapters worldwide, including chapters in Amsterdam and Indonesia, Saint Ann said.

Pyrate Punx are so dedicated they go by their counterculture names, not their real ones.

"The details of how you become a member differ from chapter to chapter, but typically there are 13 rules of agreement," she said.

Although no specifics were given, Shawn "Captain Ray DeHated" said a dedication to the counterculture lifestyle is a must for becoming a member.

"You have to demonstrate the right skills," said Captain Ray, a Chico State and Butte College professor. "You have to prove that you can run your own concert. That's when you move from cabineer to a member of the Pyrate Punx."

Captain Ray said cabineers must be sponsored by a Pyrate Punx member and prove they can handle the responsibilities of putting together a concert.

But concert responsibilities and details are not just left to future Pyrate Punx. Members work together to iron out the details.

"The shows are organized in detail," Captain Ray said. "Ticket sales, smoking and nonsmoking areas, green-room areas all have committees to decide about details of events. We always have at least five people working at every show so that way no problems will occur."

The Punx also make sure the bands are taken care of, especially if they are from out of town.

"We feed them and house them at our own houses," said Barb-b, a member of the Pyrate Punx. "The bands get the option of staying at a party house, a mellow house or a sleeping house."

The Pyrate Punx also make sure at least one local band plays in the shows so some "raw Chico music" is included.

"The bands pick us," said Brent "Blacklisted," a Chico graphic designer. "At meetings we usually have a list of bands who want to play at a show, and then we listen to their music and pick. We won't ever book any bands that are racist, sexist or homophobic, so we always request that they send us a demo tape."

The Pyrate Punx has shows booked up until December, including The Melodramatics, PAWNS and Leftover Crack.

Leftover Crack is a nationally recognized band from New York and is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords. The band will start a West Coast tour Friday in Portland, Ore., and will play at Monstros Pizza on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. show, making it a big show for the Punx.

But a big show does not mean big pay for the Pyrate Punx.

"We pay out-of-town bands 70 percent of door sales," Blacklisted said. "We take the remainder of the sales to make fliers and for other stuff that happens along the way."

The Pyrate Punx are also trying to raise money to help out the Long Beach Warehouse, an underground punk show venue that was shut down and received fines.

"They aren't Pyrate Punx, but they are friends," said Zeke Optimo, a computer programmer and founder of chicolist.com. "Real punk rock is a very dry thing. It's a culture. It's a tribe. It's a world tribe, and it ends up being a very small world."

The Pyrate Punx hope to dispel myths about the punk-rock culture.

"We aren't just a bunch of funny looking people," said Barb-b. "We are a lot of highly educated people who do a lot outside of the group."

For more information on upcoming shows visit www.myspace.com/chicoareapyratepunx

Women face off in all-female-fronted punk show
By: Amber Morley
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Entertainment

The Monstros Pizza sign read "Thrash Yer Heart Out," and that is exactly what the crowd did Saturday night when the pizza parlor put on a female-fronted punk-rock show.

The show featured bands such as Voetsek, Gruk, Madmom and Tierra Muerte.

Tierra Muerte was the first band to go on, and even though its frontman is exactly that - a man - he still dressed the part of a woman.

He proudly wore a plaid, pleated skirt and a tight-fitting women's shirt.

The audience laughed as one person from the crowd yelled for him to drink more.

Next was Gruk, a Chico area band that features members of the Chico Area Pyrate Punx.

This thrash-punk band got the crowd moving with its darker, political-activist song lyrics that bellowed through the small restaurant and discussed issues such as going into the army and not coming back, and pharmacies refusing to sell birth control to underage women.

Gruk even drew laughs from the crowd with its song "Zombies," which is about dealing with Chico State fraternities and sororities on a daily basis.

But the Gruk audience kept everything light-hearted when it laughed and called band members terrorists after they played a song about lighting the American flag on fire and enjoying it.

Voetsek, a thrash-punk band from San Francisco, was next to amp up the crowd with its thrashing guitar sounds and lyrics.

"I love the sawdust on the floor man. It absorbs our spit and our sweat," said Voetsek's Ami Lawless.

Lawless tried to get the crowd involved by doing a rap-roll call song, but the crowd wasn't compliant and only one audience member played along.

As the band began to play, the crowd jumped around, moshing and knocking around the lights while weaving into the band's set and around the Pabst Blue Ribbon bottles that covered the floor.

Last was Madmom, the band that claims it was born from the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. It stole the show.

Audience members circled tightly around the band to get a closer look and a feel for the music, making Madmom's set the rowdiest of the night.

As Madmom played, audience members sang along and pushed each other around. One crowd member even felt compelled to attempt to surf on top of the small crowd, which resulted in Madmom's lead singer, Irene, being kicked in the nose stopped the show momentarily.

Though most of the band's instruments drowned out its vocals, the crowd didn't seem to mind. Everyone was there for the same reason - to hear some music and support their friends.

The show was like looking in on a family dinner: jokes, drinks, good friends, food and good music.

Monotonix storm Monstros
Israeli band delights eager Monstros crowd with wild stage antics, rock 'n' roll, rabid singer
By: Maxwell Rowe
Issue date: 4/4/07 Section: Entertainment

The night began with West by Swan and the Americas. Both put up decent performances, but both bands proclaimed the night was all about the Monotonix.

Monstros' small quarters began to fill as people became anxious for the Monotonix, which made its first trip to Chico in 2006 for a show at the 1078 Gallery. Last year, singer Ami Shalev managed to hang from the rafters in what crowd members called an "insane performance and stunt." This show was no different.

While the other bands played, the Monotonix's three musicians - Shalev, drummer Ron Shimony and guitarist Yonatan Gat - sat outside Monstros eating spaghetti marinara and pizza next to their 1980s Chevy van, which was filled to the brim with equipment and luggage, and had a "powered by biodiesel" sticker smacked to the bumper. This wouldn't be the last time they'd stuff their faces with pizza.

As the Americas finished their melodramatic set, the Monotonix began to put its equipment in the small space cleared for the show. Gat plugged in his beat-up, white electric guitar, and Shimony placed his drum set in the back corner of Monstros standing up.

Just outside the bathroom, the three changed into their costumes within the audience's view. Shimony wore a cherry-red vest and bandanna, and the other two sported cherry-red, button-down dress shirts. The crowd hooted and hollered.

With a chug of beer, the band took the stage. Shalev laid on his back on the sawdust-covered floor, straddling the bass drum with his legs, as Gat sat on Shalev's crotch and Shimony stood on top of the bass drum with one foot on top of Gat's head.

The punk/indie band, which has been described as having such influences as Deep Purple, ABBA, the Sonics and Thin Lizzy, sprung into hard-rock riffs and simple drum beats with Ozzy-Osbourne-style vocals.

Shalev rolled in the sawdust through the first song, as Gat danced around the room. Shalev stood at the end of the song and spit a mouthful of sawdust at the crowd as he poured beer over his afro.

The band immediately went into the next song as Shalev bounced around the audience, taking every beer or drink he saw and showering himself with it.

Shalev climbed the tables, crawling from one to the next, like a hyper

2-year-old with not enough toys to play with. Then, it was on to the pizza, garlic bread and whatever he could stuff into his face.

An innocent bystander, who was eating pizza, caught Shalev's eye, and a battle over the slice of pizza ensued. It didn't last long, as Shalev jumped back in front of the audience, filled his shoe with beer and took a swig - singing his heart out the whole time.

Some of the people in the crowd seemed a bit disgusted with the whole act, but for the most part, the audience responded by dancing and moshing for the first time of the night.

Shalev continued his antics by lighting his shirt on fire, running into the wall and covering his head with a bag. He pulled paper towels out of the bathroom, streamed them in the air across the audience and wrapping some around Shimony's face, like Shredder from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

The instruments moved throughout the audience as the crowd participated by banging on the cymbals and hitting the drums.

The show culminated with the crowd lifting Shimony into the air while sitting on top of his bass drum. He played the last song floating on top of the crowd, as Shalev lay in the middle of the floor singing and Gat played the guitar as he held it angled from his crotch. The set finished, and the Monotonix exchanged hugs and high-fives with the crowd. The set by the next band, Gruk, was canceled because of the Monotonix's trashing and thrashing.

Hello y'all. Due to myspace mail being a royal pain to deal with and the fact that only two of us really check this, we have decided to change our booking procedures.
In the bio, it explains what we can do.
And in the members section, there is a list of pyrates that are going to help book shows. So, like I said in the other section, check out the list and email the person that you think will best suit you.

NO MORE RESPONSES VIA MYSPACE!

If you had already sent a press kit/cd to the PO box, that's OK. I'll still get it and proceed from there.
If anyone has any questions/concerns, feel free to email me (Rachel) or Brent.

ALSO...
MONOTONIX, AMERICAS, DIRTY SISTER ON SAT, NOV. 24.

RAWK!

Rachel
Monstros Pizza
Chico Area Pyrate Punx

Hey everybody, heads up, we're going to start selling Left over Crack, I Object! Tickets tomorrow, Tues, Oct. 2 from 7-9 p.m. at Monstros Pizza. Tix are $10. There are a limited amount. We will also be selling tickets on Sat, Oct. 6 at Monstros from 7-11 p.m. and Tues, Oct. 9 from 7- 11 p.m. Please talk to one of your friendly pyrate punx representatives for tickets, and don't bug Monstros employees.
Rock!