Super friends

On Wednesday, we got to the Troubadour just in time to see Ray Barbee and the Mattson 2. I hadn't see Ray play for a while, definitely not since he started playing with the Mattson twins. The sound is frantic and heavy--not even close to the mellower, surfy jazz that Ray played at my wedding two summers ago. Intense and awesome. The one-time Bones Brigade skater told me that when the band heard the acoustics during sound check, they realized it was best suite for them to go for it and "just charge."

This is the album the new combo put out in Europe. It costs something like 30 or 40 bucks, and hopefully someone will release it domestically. Perhaps Brushfire. Until then, you can get his domestic stuff. It's soooo good. Next up: an action-sports trade show in Florida and NAMM in Anaheim. When are his WeSC headphones coming out?


The headliner was Money Mark. We bumped into him at the club's entrance and talked for a little bit. He was excited about fresh starts: new manager, new music... Everything was good. That's how it always seems to be when I see Mark. Funny thing is that the show started like it was his Keyboard Repair days. He came out blowing that kazoo-type thing before sitting behind the drums and becoming a one-man band. Then the group came out and the set transitioned to the melodic, beautiful, and mostly sad songs that he's become so good at writing and playing. I think the evening was slightly more rocked out than the last time I saw him, with rawer guitar and extra rave-ups. Maybe it just seemed that way without the female backups. Seeing Money Mark is always empowering; he's not a rock star in any way, just an incredibly talented and humble guy sharing good music about bad times.

It's good to get out. We saw our friends Tom and Trish. Also spotted skate dudes Atiba and Ako Jefferson, who I posted in the Naked Raygun blog. This time, no cameras. I'm sure there were other skate and music folks hiding in the darkness, but we split right away.


We were stoked that Olene and Robocon were able to battle through jetlag and attend the show with us. The newlyweds were incredibly beat, but I'm pretty sure they were glad to be there, too.