TIMES-UP 20th (team spider/ japanther)

WOW...
last night an amazing night,
rocked the TIMES-UP 20th ANNIVERSARY PARTY..
(featuring TEAM SPIDER and our pals JAPANTHER).

this was a special night in many ways because we got to honor the amazing organization Time's-up, and finally rock a gig with one of our favorite bands: JAPANTHER.

first off, why japanther rules, because they are a minimalist 2-piece, that seems equally influenced by punk rock as fine art. oh,,, and crime.

their microphones are clipped payphone receivers, their riffs, sometimes stolen Iron Maiden bass lines & massacred Misfit tunes, and a sound theat seems lifted from 80's high school movies! It's so rockin' that John Hughes wishes he could go back and rescore all his films with a Japanther soundtrax. All the while they are playin' along with mangled cassettes that contain samples, and extra drum lines in case IAN's manic playin isn't enough for your ADD'd self. In other words... they could be my favorite band ever, but it's over before i can ever decide!

So, the night started biking over to the gig pullin all our merch in an old lady cart behind my bike. Just tied w/ rope to the little rack on my beater, it really works amazingly well. The old lady cart even pivots so nicely at turns, you can often forget your pulling 50 pounds o merch, samplers, lights, and banners behind you. i reccommend the old lady trailer over a cab anyday.

All the TEAM arrived by bike, even violinist BIG BENN who has been very busy on his disertation, but made time! Who can say no to the non-profit organization that helped both XRIS, BENN and so many other cyclists stand up for their rights after being cycling and harrassed by the city and the NYPD.

The TEAM were kept on a tight schedule by volunteer LINCOLN, who had the unthankful position of drill sargeant/ stage manager. I was worried about he and i having a major conflict when the T.S. was given what i considered a short ( 1/2 hr set ) with a fairly inflexible start time...
Whenever T.S. plays the last friday of a month, i insist we dont start playin' unil Critical Mass riders have had their fill of riding and start arriving at the party/gig. For better or worse, the participants in the beaten and bruised ride kept it short in order to spend more time partying and less time battling facism. Tenaciously proving that harrassment and persecution is not going to kill the spirit of riding en masse with your friends, yet still having time to party afterwards! Talk about multi-tasking.


The night was rockin', as we played w/ samples of the now infamous NYPD loudspeaker announcements ( "It is dangerous, and illegal to ride a bicycle, if a permit has not been issued..." ), the team also resusitated the "SMOLKA POLKA", not heard since the FREEWHEELS Revolocity party ( MAY? 06) featuring our good pal and auxilliary spider BEN ICKIES ! Mr Ickies is a great according player who touches the core of partial Pollocks DAYV "Satkowski" Spider, and $ammy "Palubniac" Spider. Also making an appearance during that tune was racing champ / spin class master KYM, who danced sang, and helped demostrate the SMOLKA POLKA's many dance steps ( pulling girl's hoods over their heads and cuffing them. etc )

So, a good LOUD time, with our old buddy Seam Kershaw from BLIND PHAROAHS rockin the PA / Soundsystem. Somehow we supposedly ended up trashing a drum stool that co$t us a hundred bux. oh well, no one said helping non-profit was cheap!

XRIS ts.hq

ps. Times-up will soon findthemselves homeless... can you offer any assistance getting a new space? visit times-up.org ;)
times square photo: tomas melchor