The moment a few of you have been waiting for.
From this idea’s inception it took me 11 months to get to this point. Personally, I don’t think that’s too long of a time to get eight records ready to sell, but if it is, I would love to know.
In theory it shouldn’t be that hard to send a CDR to someone in a different part of the country and have them turn it into a record. Yet it is, because:
A. You actually have to talk to two or three people;
B. You have to have the grip of money that’s required to be sent with it.
Oh, and one quick note: I’m doing this so I can start a label and put out more records you’d want. So, to make yourself feel better when you’re buying this, you can tell yourself you’re helping start a non-profit.
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Unnatural Helpers + Tyvek = Awesome. Noise Pop = a total ripoff.
Noise Pop is a bunch of bullshit. The company behind this stupid festival, Noise Pop Industries, makes a big event of having a few good shows, which should be happening all the time anyway. No, wait, what am I saying? It already does. A lot of these bands play the San Francisco Bay Area already, and pretty frequently — the show I went to featured two S.F. bands on the bill, one of which, the Oh Sees, was the headliner.
The show was my first Noise Pop show. I had two spots on the guest list because I wrote a preview for what-shall-be-an unnamed publication. I was forwarded an email from the publicist, or more specifically from a co-worker of the publicist (important later on) saying I had a +1 on the list for the show.
Around the same time, Dean, drummer for the Unnatural Helpers, gave me permission to record his band at the show. I’ve acquired more recording equipment over the years and this was a great opportunity to try it out so I planned on bringing my equivalent of a mobile studio to the show. (Thank god I had a +1, though I don’t think Rob, my guest, appreciated having to carry two 10-pound microphone stands around Market St.)
This led to me making my first mistake — actually looking forward to going to Noise Pop.
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Their upcoming show in San Francisco should be pretty good.
So I’ve been waiting to put up this video and these songs u on the site for a while now but they’ve been pushed aside because of my busy schedule. But Unnatural Helpers are coming down to S.F. again, this time to play Noisepop. They play Thursday, Feb. 26, with the Oh Sees at Cafe Du Nord.
I, with the help of my friend James Buck, filmed this video the same night we filmed Kinski, all the way back in 2007. It’s kinda sad how lazy I’ve been.
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My lazy ass is finally getting up and doing what I should’ve been doing a year ago.
This post is a long time coming. Basically I slacked on making a video of this show for more than a year after Kinski and the Unnatural Helpers gave me permission to film them. Sure, I have excuses, but who cares? My selfish butt denied you, faithful readers, this wonderful material from two totally outta sight Seattle bands.
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Unnatural Helpers = Best Band in Seattle
I have loved this band since their first lineup, which featured Dean (the main songwriter) on drums and vocals, Lars (the brains behind the Intelligence) on guitar, and Jed (former guitarist of the Ninja Boners) on bass. Funny enough, at this same time, this was also the lineup of the Intelligence, the era when they recorded the songs for the Popular Shapes split 7″on Dirtnap. This lineup of the Unnatural Helpers can be heard on Babyhead comp on SS records.
Many lineups later, the Unnatural Helpers are still totally kicking the shit out of any other rock band out there today. The current lineup, which must be something like six or seventh, now features guitarist Chris from Kinski, Kimberley from the Fallouts on Bass, Mike from Dean’s old band Double Fudge on guitar, and of course, Dean on drums and vocals. With a lineup like that and with Dean at the helm, it’s no wonder they kick out the jams full force-style.
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