Sunday, Dec 9th 2001
Mission Records - San Francisco, CA

We pulled it off, I think.

Our little Joshy Pooh was up in his homeland, and so we had to do this show without him. No jumpin' wailin' vodka swillin' mania, and poor li'l Mark and Karen had to make up for the void.

Karen got a 40 of Bud. Mark, a 5th of JD, and if you've ever been to Mission Records, this is the perfect place for that shit. It's a punked out little record store in, you guessed it, the Mission. Grime and graffiti, and no distinction between patrons and staff. A super chill attitude, and friendly folks who save the sabath for the Mission Records afternoon shows.

We went on first. And seeing that most people had not heard jj before, they were very accepting of the Bass/Drum lineup. And we were thankful. We tried to keep the driving intensity of the jj trio, but when the cat's away, the mice do play. So we pulled out Sunbeam, dusted it off, and played the long lost beauty, if only for our own secret pleasures. Josh, you would've been proud.

We played with 3 other bands. The first one I can't really remember their name, cuz it was hard to remember. And then Bevelacqua. This is Hanson gone wrong. Three brothers, all with the last name, Bevelacqua (makes sense) and all with a musical knack that obviously runs in the blood. Zack was the drummer, and frankly, I spent most of my time oogling over his beats, that I have a hard time trying to remember what they sounded like. Thankfully I got a cd.

Let's see...well...actually, upon listening, I still can't tell you what they really sound like. Too perfect for punk, to quirky for rock 'n' roll, too cool for eclectic. Let's just say they're good, and tight and fierce and fun and you should check 'em out.

Then was the glorious Kung Fu USA. John, and Jennifer and Danny (I think), made up this sweet mix of twisted indie punk pop. I always get excited when I see a chick rockin' out on the drums, and damn if Jennifer didn't do just that. Her style is very heavy rock/metal. Lots of big triplet fills. But the best thing, is that she was so good, that I stopped watching her. She wasn't a novelty. She was a drummer. And a good one. And one that fit with the music, and wasn't just a pretty package. Thank you.

John was the lead guy. Guitars and vocals. He reminded me of Mick Jones. Maybe just in look. But it was there. And well, they were great. Catchy tunes. Infectious energy. And their tunes keep you glued the whole way through. Excellent show.

Thanks to Daniel for setting us up with this show. It was perfect! And thanks to Mission Records. A very cool shop. Go there.