DECEMEBER 18TH 2005:
ALIENS PLAYED AN ELECTRIC SHOW AT THE LEGENDARY PUNK ROCK LABORATORY CBGB
AT 315 BOWERY IN NEW YORK CITY. IT WAS A RESOUNDING COMEBACK FOR BLAKE
(GUITAR/VOCALS) AFTER SURVIVING A TEN DAY STINT IN THE HOSPITAL FROM A SEVERE
ALLERGIC REACTION TO A PRESCRIBED MEDICATION.
BLAKE HAD LIVED IN DOWNTOWN NYC FOR YEARS BUT AFTER FACING GROWING HEALTH
PROBLEMS SINCE 2001, MOVED TO HIS HOMESTATE OF TEXAS. BLAKE HAS CHRONIC EAR
PROBLEMS, EAR PAIN, AND RELATED SYMPTOMS. HIS REACTION TO MEDICATION
ADMINISTERED TO HIM HAS CAUSED PERMENANT HEALTH PROBLEMS BEYOND THE EAR AND
EQUALIBRIUM PROBLEMS HE ALREADY HAD. AFTER NEARLY 10 MONTHS OF
RECOUPERATION FROM HIS NIGHTMARISH HOSPITAL ORDEAL BLAKE RETURNED TO NEW
YORK AND PROCURED A SHOW IN THE LAST SPOT ONE NIGHT AT CBGB. THERE WERE
RUMORS AGAIN THE CLUB WOULD BE CLOSING, BUT HAD OFTEN BEEN RUMORS BEFORE
AND FEW BELIEVED IT COULD REALLY HAPPEN, IT’S CBGBS, RIGHT! NOW CBGB IS GONE.
THIS RECORDING SURVIVES FROM A MINI DISC RECORDING AND A VIDEO TAPE ALSO WAS
RECORDED BY A FRIEND OF THE BAND. BLAKE WAS SUFFERING FROM BRONCHITIS THE
NIGHT OF THE SHOW AND THIS CAN CLEARLY BE HEARD IN HIS VOICE. HIS VOCALS SOUND
THIN, JAGGED, HIS VOICE CRACKS, AND HE SOUNDS SHORT OF BREATH ADDING A
DESPERATION TO HIS VOICE. THE CLUB WAS FAIRLY EMPTY, POPULATED BY A FEW BAR
HANGERS AND TEN OR SO LOYAL LISTENERS ON A COLD DECEMBER NIGHT. SUPRISINGLY
THE PATRONS WERE INTO THE BAND AND DANCING, DESPITE THE DANCE ORDINANCE. THE
SOUND WAS GREAT AND THE DRUM MACHINE SOUNDED HUGE WITH BLAKE’S GUITAR
RINGING OVER THE LOW END AND HIGH PRIEST’S ROTARY SCRATCHING PIERCING THROUGH
THE MIX OCCASIONALLY. THERE WAS AN AIR OF ABANDON PRESENT, ANYTHING COULD
HAPPEN.
THEN EVERYTHING WENT WRONG, THE CD OF HOME-MADE “LOOP BEATS” STOPPED
WORKING. DJ HIGH PRIEST MADE IT INTO A PROJECTILE, THROWING IT INTO THE AUDIENCE
LIKE A FRISBEE. BLAKE’S GUITAR WAS GOING OUT OF TUNE AFTER BEING COLD ON THE
STREET AND THEN WARM STANDING ON STAGE A FEW FEET FROM THE HEATER’S BLOWER.
BLAKE BROKE TWO STRINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING “ENJOY KILLING TIME” HE WAS
PLAYING SO HARD AND HE HAD ONLY ONE GUITAR. SOMEHOW HE CHANGED BOTH STRINGS
RAPIDLY WHILE THE HIGH PRIEST KEPT THE CROWD DANCING. THEN THEY WENT STRAIGHT
INTO “WATCH AND LEARN,” IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT DESPITE ALL THE PROBLEMS THEY
BROUGHT IT TOGETHER AND THE CROWD WAS INTO IT, JOINING IN THE CHAOTIC ENERGY OF
THE PERFORMANCE AND YELLING, BARKING, SINGING, AND SCREAMING INTO AN
OUTSTRETCHED MICROPHONE THE HIGH PRIEST HELD OVER THE AUDIENCE.
FOR SOMEONE WHO GREW UP DREAMING OFGOING TO NEW YORK AND WHO STUDIED
PUNK ROCK RECORDS, BOOKS, FILMS AND POURED OVER A COPY OF
“EAST VILLAGE AFTER DARK” IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT. PERFORMING ON THE STAGE
WHERE THE TALKING HEADS, THE RAMONES, TELEVISION, PATTI SMITH, BLONDIE, FLIPPER,
HELMET AND SO MANY GREAT BANDS CREATED A UNIQUE AND POWERFUL SOUND. ALIENS
TOOK ALL THE NERVES, CHAOS, PAIN, ADRENALIN, AND CIRCUMSTANCE AND DELIVERED A
DYNAMIC SHOW OF EAR OPENING HYBRID MUSIC.
CATHARSIS FOR THE ALIENATED
J.M.
RECORDINGS APPEAR ON: MISC004 “DON’T PANIC” 7” AND SECRETLY PAIRED WITH ALIENS
“COMMITTED TO WIND” CD SINGLE MISC005
AS THREE BONUS TRACKS
