>>>US Bombs singer Duane Peters has a side project, Duane Peters and the Hunns, who've just released an album, Unite, on a label with the oh-so-punk name of Disaster. It's a good ol' reliable, snarling, Pistolsesque punch, just what you'd hope for. The album's standout song is clearly “Nuke HB,” a blunt editorial commentary that starts with a rousing “1-2-3 Nuke HB!” shout-out and touches on—well, we'll let Duane's lyrics speak for him: “We don't belong in Huntington/ Don't associate us with Huntington Beach/Night Moves and the Rhino Room brought them all here/Now the Offspring Korn kids claim/The pier is just a mall/ Downtown is really gone/Mix a prison with a gym/A lot of squares with flares and long hair.” Ouch!All that, and not a word about More-Disgraced-by-the-Minute Mayor Dave Garofalo!
>>> MIXED NOTES Fire destroyed a storage room at the Coach House the afternoon of June 24, setting off sprinklers (which left the room not only smoky but also humid), injuring three people and ultimately forcing the cancellation of the scheduled gig that evening by Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, on tour from their Detroit home base. Damages were estimated in the neighborhood of $80,000. The fire was caused by a faulty toaster oven in the storage room. . . . Plans for a fall Coachella Music N Arts Festival have been scuttled. Instead, promoters Goldenvoice report that the fest will be pushed back to spring 2001, retaining the same eclectic mix of smallish indie bands, big-name alterna-rock acts and electronic/techno explorers. Reasons given for the move include a glut of other music fests going on (which suck away available talent, not to mention ticket-buying customers) and the lesser likelihood of a heat wave—similar to the one that kicked up last October. But maybe they just need the extra time to round up enough free drinking water for everyone, a promise that went unfulfilled last year. . . . The Gypsy Lounge, pretty much the only room south of Irvine consistently booking local, original bands (that is, not lame-ass Jimmy Buffett cover bands), begins a residency program this Saturday, with the band Tom Racer playing that night, as well as on July 15 and 28. The program is the idea of former Chain Reaction booker Aaron Christopher, who'll offer regular weekly slots at the club, each lasting one month. If you're interested (and in a band, natch), send a pack to him at 23600 Rockfield, Ste. 3A, Lake Forest, CA 92630. It's all part of a grander plan to bring a more diverse selection of bands into the room, which still retains something of an all-punk-all-the-time rep from its previous life, when it was known as the ultradivey Rockfield Tavern (trust us—new owner Mike Concepcin has seriously spruced things up). They also intend to make more of an effort to book better-known national bands, such as the Murder City Devils. A Tuesday Open-Mic Night will be inaugurated July 18, too, with an Open Mic DJ Night every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday (after the last band plays) debuting around the same time—people who spin will be able to work their wheels on everything from drum N bass to deep house to jungle. “As long as they have their own turntable,” Christopher says, “it won't matter if anybody knows them or not.”
>>> THE SKY IS CRYING Katrina Vasquez, 25-year-old lead singer of OC-based ethereal band Pumalin, was driving home early in the morning after her group's June 19 debut gig at the monthly Goth club Eternal near the Queen Mary in Long Beach when she missed a sudden, sharp turn in the road and careened into Long Beach Harbor. She was knocked out from the impact and drowned inside her car (officials concluded that Vasquez wasn't intoxicated, just driving too fast on an unfamiliar road). The next day, members of her band went to the morgue to identify her body. As is the case with many musicians, Vasquez's friends and band mates were really the only family she had, and they're trying to raise funds to hold a proper funeral for her. If you're interested in contributing, send a check to the Katrina Vasquez Memorial Trust, c/o Cal Fed, 3677 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107. Meanwhile, Pumalin's Phil Van Overeem says he hopes to release some of the now-defunct band's music, with Vasquez on vocals. You can hear a few songs on Pumalin's MP3 site, and if you want more info about Vasquez in general, e-mail Van Overeem at ge*****@ao*.com. (Rich Kane)
