OCT. 1, 2009 OCT 14, 2009
Blink-182 Interview & Live Photos
Urban Cowboy Nearly Kills Country
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SCENE PHOTOS BY AARON RUTH, STUDIO 13
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3 Bad Jacks (pictured), Iron Outlaws, Haystack Racket concert. Narducci’s Café, September 19.
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E D I TO R ’ S N OT E
BAKOTOPIA
October starts today!
STAFF
hat means two things in Bakersfield: Oktoberfest on 10/3 and Halloween craziness! Our city hosts two of the best independently produced haunted attractions in the state - The Chamber and Talladega Frights. The Chamber has been featured on the Travel Channel, and has been successfully laying down local scares for 6 six years. Both funhouses have been featured in previous issues of Bakotopia.
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EDITORIAL Olivia Garcia VP/Content ogarcia@bakersfield.com 395-7487 Matt MuĂąoz Editor/Product Manager mmunoz@bakersfield.com 395-7660
In this issue we feature Talladega Frights, who in their second year are looking to outdo last year's heart-pounding debut. You thought it was freaky walking through that maze that felt like an intestine? Just wait til' it opens on Oct. 2! It’ll make a perfect ‘first date’.
Teresa Adamo Associate Editor tadamo@bakersfield.com
ART
Contributing writer Dana Martin and photographer Aaron Ruth of Studio 13 paid a visit to the scene of many upcoming nightmares. Look at those freaks! I'm not just talking about the creators either! Make sure to support both attractions - there's always room for more screams...
Kent Kuehl Designer bsimkins@bakersfield.com
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Photographer Joseph Gomez also captured Blink-182 during their visit to Bakerfield on 9/14. They went from playing the BC Outdoor Theater to Rabobank! Local bands, keep the dream alive.
Jaime De Los Santos Sales Manager jdelossantos@bakersfield.com 716-8632
Thanks to all of this week's contributors! Please support our advertisers and keep spreading the word about Bakotopia! See you at Oktoberfest!
OFFICE Marisol Sorto Office Administrator msorto@bakersfield.com 716-8640
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October 1, 2009
Sound Advice
Francis Mayer
Francis explains how to enjoy yourself on the local tip. By Francis Mayer / KRAB, Bakotopia.com contributor ’m here to set the record straight: burning up money in other places is lame. You don’t have to take fun money to LA Spend it here in Bako! Plenty of people are doing it these days because being frugal is the new black. It’s not cool to tell people how much you spent scoring primo seats to the upcoming U2 tour that KRAB band Muse is opening for ... In fact, cheap entertainment is to be had by the handful in Bako. Making the onerous trek over the grapevine isn’t really necessary for world class entertainment. Take the epic Blink-182 show at Rob The Bank Arena. Blink didn’t rob anyone’s bank in the end; they had a good number of tickets at the affordable price point of 25 bucks. If you combined the sets of Asher Roth, Taking Back Sunday, and Blink, you probably paid less than 50 cents a song. Plus, if you got tanked up at the show, and that was one of the “partiest” shows I’ve been to in a long time, you could easily walk home or fork out the 20 or 30 bucks for a DUI and possi-
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bly life-saving taxi cab ride home. Driving home from a late show in LA can suck. Especially, say, if you were dumb enough to once go to a HUGE rock show at the House of Blues for one New Year’s Eve and ended up sleeping in your car for a few hours because all the hotels in the Southland jack their prices through the roof that night ... um ... not that it happened to me, but ... Also want to thank “Taking Back Sunday” for showing some of our friends and listeners a really good time before the show on 9/14. The guys were really accommodating, goofed around with us, posed for a million pictures, and signed every autograph and item we had. In fact, their manager wrapped the thing up because they had to go warm up. We had a great time, and our winners had a great
time ... especially since they won their tickets. The Panic at the Disco and Great Northern showcase at American Sound Recordings was awesome as well. We took a bunch of our listeners to hear a very intimate show at a world class recording studio planted in downtown Bakersfield. Once in a lifetime opportunity and some Panic fans were very stoked....Just more reasons that Bako beats LA in a footrace ... plus, we'll all have such nice beachfront property once the state snaps off into the ocean during the next “big one.” Yay for us! Stay up to date with all of the KRAB jocks at: www.KRAB.com Listen for Matt from Bakotopia on the KRAB morning show every issue drop date. Next Appearance: Oct.15 in the 9 a.m. hour!
COURTESY PHOTO
Above from left: Spencer Smith of Panic At The Disco, Meathead, Brendon Urie of Panic At The Disco, Miranda, and Francis on 9/21. BAKOTOPIA 4 BAKOTOPIA 4
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October 1, 2009
Ode To Urban Cowboy
John Travolta in the movie “Urban Cowboy.”
Or: “How Scott Glen nearly destroyed Americana with a fish-net shirt.” Catch Johnny Lee live at Fishlips, on 10/13. By Craig Fraser, Bakotopia.com contributor was recently asked to write a 500 word article on Urban Cowboy. At first I thought there must be some anniversary for the movie coming up. Nope. This was about the soundtrack to the movie. You see, Johnny Lee, songwriter and performer of “Looking For Love” and “Cherokee Fiddle” is coming to perform at Fishlips, 1517 18th St., on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Now mostly I write about cars, airbrushing, and the kustom kulture. In this case, I was singled out by the mere fact that I evidently quote or refer to this movie too many times to go un-noticed. So, here goes ... For those of you that have never seen or heard of the movie “Urban Cowboy,” here is the skinny on the story. ‘Bud Davis’ (played by John Travolta) is moving from Houston, Texas to another part of Texas. (Nobody ever leaves Texas in this movie). He gets a job at the local refinery with his uncle ‘Bob’ and marries ‘Sissy’ (played by Debra Winger). They move into a bitchin’ single-wide. Together they discover the joys of mechanical bull riding at the famous “Gilley’s” Country bar. Well, actually Bud has fun ... Sissy just watches.
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Against Bud’s wishes, Sissy gets secret lessons on bull riding (obvious metaphor) from ex-con Wes Hightower (enter Scott Glen and the fish-net shirt). After showing Bud how flexible she is on the mechanical bull, Bud gets mad. Wes cranks up the juice on the Johnny Lee bull, throwing Bud and breaking his arm in the process. The newlyweds are on the rocks. Sissy moves in with Wes. Bud finds somebody named Pam. Everybody is mad at this point, including the audience. Bud starts this “Rocky-style” workout scenario with uncle Bob to beat the evil Wes at bull riding. Suddenly, uncle Bob dies in an industrial accident. (A necessary catalyst for any great success story is unnecessary death). The big Bull Riding Showdown at Gilley’s approaches, with the gargantuan prize purse of $5,000. Bud beats Wes in true “Rocky” fashion. Wait, it’s not over! Wes goes to rob Gilley’s for the prize money. Bud foils the crime and knocks out Wes (symbolizing the return of his manhood, and arm). Bud and Sissy hug in his pickup truck. Fade to black. Now if this does not have you in tears, the soundtrack surely will. With greats like Joe
Walsh’s “All ‘Nite long,” Mickey Gilley’s “Stand by Me,”and Johnny Lee’s “Looking For Love,” the soundtrack is a “who’s who” of the top country and pop stars of the ‘80s. “Urban Cowboy” did for country what “Saturday Night Fever” did for disco. It revolutionized the nightclub life in the early ‘80s. Every bar wanted to look like Gilley’s and mechanical bulls were everywhere. It was also the beginning of the Reagan era. We had a president that looked good in a cowboy hat, and disco had been defeated. “Urban Cowboy” was the right non-intellectual movie at the right time. So if you want to taste a piece of Americana, need an excuse to dust off that 10 lb. buckle, and want to sport that fish-net shirt without being beaten to death: Then don’t miss the Johnny Lee concert at Fishlips. Johnny Lee and his ‘Urban Cowboy’ band w/ guest Paul Chesne —Tuesday October 13 —Fishlips, 1517 18th St. —324-2557 —7:30 p.m. / 21+ only / $30 Tickets available at the club and all vallitix locations
www.vallitix.com
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October 1, 2009
Please Share My Umbrella! Bakersfield beauty Corky Blain talks tracks, as Burn the Witch comes under BECA’s umbrella - returning to Bakotopia Mag 10/15! By Jen Raven, Bakotopia.com contributor s the summer draws to an end and the weather begins to change, so too have changes come to our local arts scene. BECA member Corky Blain understands this well. As a new art teacher at Paramount Bard Academy in Delano, she has recently made the transition from arts ‘student’ to arts ‘professional.’ Blain is also a returning artist to Burn the Witch, the annual allwomen arts extravaganza in Bakersfield, opening Oct. 17 at Metro Special Events, 2801 F St. Between lesson plans for work, and new oil paintings for the upcoming show, Blain spoke with me about all the changes that are being made to our beloved celebration of female creativity. “I’m so thrilled to be coming back as a return artist this year ... I can’t wait to see everyone’s new artwork,” she said. “And with a new, bigger venue, and a new curator ... this is going to be really exciting!” she said. Blain was introduced to Burn the Witch through a good friend, returning artist Theresa Tate. “Theresa knew that I wanted to get
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PHOTO BY TODD POWERS
Above: Corky Blain. more involved with my arts scene, but I was hesitant,” she said. “I hadn’t had a whole lot of experience displaying my work, before. When Theresa told me how mellow the group was, and how much fun the show was, I decided to jump in. And I’m so glad I did!” “At first, I was blown away by the style of the show, and the collaboration of artistic mediums,” she said. “This show went way beyond just paintings on the wall! I didn’t know the range we had, in Bakersfield. But everyone was so friendly ... I met some
amazing new people, made several new friends, and overall the experience was so positive; I made more art sales, at that one event, than I had in the last six years as an artist, combined!” Blain is positive about all the changes to come in October. “Nyoka is great to work with, and I know she’s going to make an excellent curator for Burn the Witch,” she said. “And I’m happy to know that Burn the Witch is joining forces with BECA. I think this will be a great thing for building our local arts scene, because Burn the Witch has a strong following, and BECA is ambitious. I think the two will help each other, equally.” But the best change of all? “The Halloween Party!” Blain said with a laugh. “I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years, so I’m really looking forward to the second opening on Halloween. All these amazing artists ... in costume? Everyone is going to be blown away by the creative energy generated by this group of women! “I feel so privileged to be a part of an event this big, and to work with such a talented group of women. Burn the Witch has, without a doubt, boosted my confidence as an artist, beyond anything I could have ever imagined.” Stay tuned to the Oct. 15 issue of Bakotopia, featuring this year’s ‘Burn The Witch IV!’ ‘Burn The Witch IV’ opens Saturday, Oct. 17 at Metro Special Events, 2801 F St. www.myspace.com/burninginbako www.beca.ws
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October 1, 2009
How to get your stuff in Bakotopia Magazine Follow these steps and you are in - it’s so easy! Best local promotion in town! By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia Editor
loop! 14,000-print readers, over 9,000+ registered web users, 100,000+ monthly
Follow these steps and you are in, it’s so easy! YOU BECOME THE MEDIA! The web is buzzing with good stories and blogs about everyday life in Bakersfield and the surrounding areas, and readers want you to share! 1) Get your ideas together: a story, event, photos, band, show, food review ANYTHING FLOATING AROUND YOUR MIND & COMMUNITY IS COOL! 2) Start writing to your heart’s content! 3) 400-500 words will do, but if you’re on a roll, keep writing, or if it’s short and sweet, go ahead and submit it online or via e-mail! 4) Don’t worry about being the best writer out there - we’ll help you with editing. 5) Make sure to include a high-res photo or graphic to accompany your piece. If you don't have one, we'll find one for you!
Helpful tips... Get your stuff in before deadlines so we can make adjustments, if necessary! Events posted on www.bakotopia.com get priority placement in the print calendar! Sign-up for your free profile at www.bakotopia.com, to get regular e-blasts about upcoming happenings, news flashes, contests, and more to stay in the
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UPCOMING PRINT DEADLINES / FOR ISSUE RUN DATES:
10/14 ....................................... ISSUE 66 (10/29 - 11/11) 10/28 ....................................... ISSUE 67 (11/12 - 11/25) 11/11 ....................................... ISSUE 68 (11/26 - 12/9) 11/23 ....................................... ISSUE 69 (12/10 - 12/23) 12/9 .......................................... ISSUE 70 (12/24 - 1/6/10) If you have any ideas or feedback, or need some help with story development, give me a shout anytime! YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED!
e-mail: matt@bakotopia.com WWW.BAKOTOPIA.COM
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Talladega Frights returns this year bigger (and sicker!) than before - opening Oct. 2! By Dana Martin, Bakotopia.com contributor hat’s the difference between a haunted house and a house of worship? Well, a lot, actually. But in October, guests of Talladega Frights in Bakersfield might just invoke the name of their creator in a desperate attempt to escape with their lives. Doubtful? “Last year, we had two girls stop in our room, crouch down and start praying: ‘Lord, please help us get out of here safely!’” laughed Adam Stubbs, who plays the role of Bart Heywood, a maniacal chainsaw wielding hillbilly from somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains. Taking a break from what has evolved into an almost 12-month job creating the haunt, Mike Wilbur, 34, Adam “Bart” Stubbs, 31, Jesse “Lester” Gutierrez, 26, and Keith Jensen, 46, sat down to describe what makes Talladega Frights, located at 6221 Norris Road, even more of an uncommonly all-consuming frightful experience than last year’s show. “It’s more in your face,” explained Gutierrez, grinning at the other three men as they sat in the kitchen of “Hillbilly Hell,” one of four new areas in this season’s Talladega Frights, which opens Oct. 2. “Last year we went after phobias: people who were afraid of clowns, of slasher movie characters, werewolves, corpses-whatever it may be,” said Jensen. “Last year it was whatever baggage you brought with you, your fear and your phobias … and you got to experience it.” But this year, the haunt is 100 percent authentic Talladega Frights, and the scares and characters that guests encounter will make their experience horrifyingly interactive. In other words, you get to participate in adrenaline pumping terror scenes and experience them for yourself because new this year are the “back stories” posted on the haunt’s Web site, TalladegaFrights.com. The back stories will make guests feel like
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they’re part of the show. “If you were watching a scary movie, you’d be watching (the horrors) take place. That’s one thing. But now, you’re not only able to know the “movie,” but you’re actually taking part in it, too,” said Wilbur. “When you walk into one of our themed areas, you have the history, and you’re walking into part of the storyline. “You’ll get to know the Heywoods, and you won’t want to walk through their house.” A quick Google search reveals that many of the large, long-established haunted attractions across the nation provide these types of stories to describe fictional past events that made their attraction “haunted” to begin with. Wilbur agrees with that philosophy. “For those who want to maximize their experience, you need to read the stories,” he said. In addition to Wilbur’s claim that his back stories will enhance guest experiences, the stories helped the crew during the building process, too. “The mine was our bastard child,” laughed Gutierrez. “In the yard where we were building, it just sat there. The whole time we were building, we ignored the mine.” “It took on a life the night the story was read to us,” remembered Stubbs. “Now it’s my favorite,” grinned Wilbur as if he’d just admitted to loving one of his kids more than the others. “They’re all my favorite!” he clarified, laughing. Wilbur had the basic ideas for each of the four themed areas and provided creepy details to incorporate into the stories. “But I never mentioned blue cheese dressing!” (They all laugh-gross!-at the blue cheese element in the asylum story.) In addition to the cannibalistic Heywood hillbilly house and Black Sally (the abandoned mine), the Green River Asylum and the Drakemore Hotel combine to create 23,000 square feet of unapologetic freakish fear at every turn. It takes 65 actors to pull off a show this size, and the rooms ooze realism so the actors can do their thing. When asked to describe what they mean by
Above from left, Talladega Frights’ creators: Adam S Opposite page, top: TF’s host of horrendous hillbilli realism, the room erupts in laughter. “ … She asks, as she’s surrounded by skulls and skins,” teased Wilbur, sitting amongst the many horrifying props. “Look at the pig head next to your note pad!” pointed out Gutierrez. (More laughter.) “Every chance we get, we hit Adam on the head with a hammer to get more blood on the walls,” laughed Wilbur. “That’s realism.” “We have improved the floors and ceilings. You’re walking on carpet or linoleum instead of dirt or asphalt,” added Jensen. Wilbur explains that realism is making the sets look like the real thing. “Back in their Appalachian swampland, we think - what would the Heywoods’ house look like? What would their kitchen look like? Then,
we Wil a1 “ you boa roo mo thin rea W eve and “ sam as floo
October 1, 2009
PHOTOS BY AARON RUTH / WWW.PHOTOSBY13.COM
rs: Adam Stubbs, Mike Wilbur, Jesse Gutierrez, Keith Jensen. us hillbillies await your visit. Bottom: Mike Wilbur as a maniac miner. Cover: Mason Folger.
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we go looking for old antique furniture,” said Wilbur. “I drove down to Los Angeles to dig up a 1950s oven. “We’re taking you back to 1950. We want you to experience the hotel that has been boarded up for years, the elevator, the bedrooms; we want to take you there. I will spend more money to make it authentic than anything else. I want you to feel like you’re in a real house, or an asylum-whatever.” While the crew plans to change the haunt every year, they also hope to keep what works and build on it. “The point is that we don’t want to be the same, we want to get better and add stories as we want to. This year, you will see two floors of the Drakemore Hotel. Next year, you
will go to different areas of the hotel you couldn’t go in this year - maybe the elevator wasn’t properly working and you couldn’t go to all the floors. Next year, it will go to the floors you couldn’t go to this year,” said Wilbur. This year’s haunt swallows up half of an acre, but the crew loves teasing Wilbur about his habit of downplaying the size of Talladega Frights and the length of time it will take guests to walk (or run) though the attraction. “The bet is $50. I say it’s over 20 minutes; Mike says under 20 minutes,” announced Stubbs. “I want in on that!” Gutierrez sits straighter and grows serious (money is involved now!). “I honestly think it will take over 30 minutes.” Stubbs thinks for a moment, then agrees.
“There’s so much stuff to look at. You get scared so many times that you’ll take four steps backward for every five steps you take forward.” -TALLADEGA FRIGHTS!, 6221 Norris Rd. at Fruitvale-Norris Park. -Thurs. - Sat., Oct. 2 - Oct. 24 at 7 pm. -Mon. - Sat., Oct. 26 - Oct. 31 at 7 pm. -Tickets: $12 ($2 off coupons avail. at Subway, Carl’s Jr., Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 3-Way Chevrolet, Volvo Rents, KERO-TV 23, Monster Golf, and NOR). Support your local high school by purchasing tickets online at:
www.talladegafrights.com WIN FREE TIX AT: WWW.BAKOTOPIA.COM BAKOTOPIA 9
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October 1, 2009
AGENDA WHAT’S ON IT B
= Highly recommended
OCT. 1
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Salvador - LIVE! “Christian Ozomatli” Budweiser Pavilion KC Fairgrounds 8 p.m. / FREE / All Ages Karaoke (Every Thurs. & Sun.) The Belvedere 3090 Brundage Ln. 9 p.m. / 21+ / 325-2139
OCT. 2 First Friday Art Walk & Taste of Downtown 19th & Eye St. Downtown Bakersfield Everyone welcome!
Talladega Frights! “Haunted Funhouse” (Also Sat.) 6221 Norris Road 7 pm / $12 / All Ages www.talladegafrights.com
PRCA Rodeo KC Fairgrounds 1142 S. P. St. 7 p.m. / $13 - $9
Jinx & Jezzebelle (acoustic music) Mama Hillybeans 426 E. Tehachapi Blvd. Tehachapi, CA. 7 p.m. / $8-10 / 822-BEAN Major League Improv (Every Sat.) Empty Space,706 Oak St. 6 p.m. / 327 - PLAY
OCT. 3
Bakotopia presents… “Bakersfield Oktoberfest” Stramler Park, 3805 Chester Ave. Todd Hannigan & Heavy 29's 3 - 10 p.m. / 21+ w/ Soulajar $5 pre-sale / $10 gate Fishlips, 1517 18th St. $35 - 40 party packs 9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557 Info: 706-3138 bakersfieldoktoberfest.com Evil Dead - The Musical! The Spotlight Theater 'Re-Group Art Show' 1622 19th St. The Basement / J.F. Moore 8 p.m. /634-0692 Studios, 1810 Chester Ave. 7 p.m. / All Ages Wine Tasting 'The Other Reds' Evil Dead - The Musical! Imbibe Wine & Spirits The Spotlight Theater 4140 Truxtun Ave. 1622 19th St. 4 p.m. / 21+ / 633-9463 8 p.m. /634-0692
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Velorio - LIVE! w/ Opus Dai, Out of Frame, Cidona The Gate, 2010 “O” St. 7:30 p.m. / $7 /All Ages
DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!
Silent Treatment - LIVE! Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557 Ladies Nite! (every Sat.) LADIES IN FREE! The Nile Bar, 1721 19th St. 9 p.m. / 21+ / 323-8575 Velorio - LIVE! Sandrini's, 1918 Eye St 9 p.m. / 21+ / 322-8900 PRCA Rodeo KC Fairgrounds, 1142 S. P. St. / 7 p.m. / $13 - $9
w/ ESPN Radio LIVE! Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 5 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557
OCT. 6 Mac Attack's Karaoke (Every Tues., Wed., Fri.) The Junction 2620 Buck Owens Blvd. 8 p.m. / 21+ / 327-9651
OCT. 7 The Ghost Inside Jerry's Pizza 1817 Chester Ave 5 p.m. / $9 / All Ages 633-1000 W.E.E.D. Wednesday “We Enjoy Eating Downtown” Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 4-9 p.m. / $5 dinner specials *Travis Byler live at 8 p.m.
OCT. 8
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Talladega Frights! “Haunted Funhouse” OCT. 5 (Also Fri. & Sat.) Monday Night Football Nite! 6221 Norris Road (Every Monday!) 7 pm / $12 / All Ages Giant screen TV, $8 buffet www.talladegafrights.com
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October 1, 2009
SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, OCT. 10 800lb. Gorilla, Haystack Racket, The Iron Outlaws (punkabilly nite)
OCT. 14 W.E.E.D. Wednesday “We Enjoy Eating Downtown” Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 4-9 p.m. / $5 dinner specials *Travis Byler live at 8 p.m.
Fishlips, 1517 18th St. • 9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557 *Post your events at: www.bakotopia.com to see them in the print calendar! Wine Tasting 'A Cab Odyssey' Imbibe Wine & Spirits The Chamber! 4140 Truxtun Ave. “Haunted Funhouse!” (Also Sat.) Sam Lynn Ball Park 4 p.m. / 21+ / 633-9463 4009 Chester Ave. 7 p.m. / All Ages / 322-5200 OCT. 10
OCT. 9
Evil Dead - The Musical! The Spotlight Theater 1622 19th St. / 8 p.m. / $20 /634-0692
Via Arte 2009 “Italian Street Painting” The Marketplace, Ming Ave. All Day / Free Outside *Mento Buru live at 6 p.m.!
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash Fishlips, 1517 18th St. Evil Dead - The Musical! The Spotlight Theater 9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557 1622 19th St. / 8 p.m. / “How I Learned To Drive” $20 /634-0692 Empty Space, 706 Oak St. HAVE A BEER & FALL IN LOVE! 8 p.m. / 327 - PLAY
OCT. 12 Monday Night Football Nite! (Every Monday!) Giant screen TV, $8 buffet w/ ESPN Radio LIVE! Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 5 p.m. / 21+ / 324-2557
OCT. 13 Johnny Lee from “Urban Cowboy” & Paul Chesne Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 7:30 p.m. / 21+ / $30
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The Academy Is w/ Mayday Parade & more The Dome, 2201 V St. 6 p.m / $17 / All Ages
Trout’s Nightclub ~ 7 days a week (399-6700) 805 n. chester ave.
lone oak lounge ~ MON., Tue. & thur. 8pm - 1am 10612 rosedale hwy.
le corusse rouge ~ Tue. 8pm - midnight 4647 white lane
the wright place ~ Thur. 8pm - midnight 2695-c mount vernon
Horse The Band & I Wrestled A Bear Once Jerry's Pizza 1817 Chester Ave 6 p.m. / $14 / All Ages 633-1000
OCT. 15 Brand New w/ Manchester Orchestra Rabobank Conv. Ctr. 7 p.m. / $24 www.ticketmaster.com
OCT. 16 The Go-Getters, Lonesome Ones, Midnight Sinners Narducci’s, 622 E. 21st St. 8 p.m. / 21+ / $10
“Project Sin” Empty Space, 706 Oak St. 11 p.m. / 327 - PLAY
OCT. 17 Mento Buru w/DJ Mikey! BRyder's, 7401 White Ln. 9 p.m. / 21+ / $5 397-7304 Stan Ridgway (Wall of Voodoo) w/ Paul Chesne Fishlips, 1517 18th St. 9 p.m. / 21+ Evil Dead - The Musical! The Spotlight Theater 1622 19th St. / 8 p.m. / $20 /634-0692
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Bakersfield Gay Pride Fest '09 'Music, vendors, family fun' Stramler Park 3805 Chester Ave. 3-9 p.m. / $10
POST YOUR EVENTS AT: WWW.BAKOTOPIA.COM Evil Dead - The Musical! The Spotlight Theater TO SEE THEM HERE! 1622 19th St. / 8 p.m. / $20
Mon – Sat • 11AM – 2AM Sundays • 1PM – 2AM Lunch 11AM – 4PM M-F 11AM – 2PM Sat Oct. 16th The Councilmen & Brass Knuckle Voodoo
nikki’s smokin bbq ~ Thur. 8pm - 12am 1616 30th st.
rockstarz ~ wed. 8pm - 2am 7737 meany st,
B-Ryders Sun. 8-12 - Esquire Lounge Sat. 8-1 7401 White Ln.
2507 S. Chester Ave.
661-343-5602
OCT 30th Halloween Party for St. Judes
2303 River Blvd. • 661-871-2303 BAKOTOPIA 11
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Blink-182 / Taking Back Sunday live at Rabobank Arena on September
Bakotopia.com/seen
See more photos at:
PHOTOS BY JOSEPH GO
BAKOTOPIA 12
October 1, 2009
tember 14.
OSEPH GOMEZ
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BAKOBIT from Bakotopia.com
October 1, 2009
Blink's Back! EXCLUSIVE: Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus recalls glory days and moving forward in the midst of tragedy. By Matt Muñoz,Bakotopia Editor t's been a bittersweet comeback year for Blink-182 . After going on indefinite hiatus in '05 to concentrate on life out of the spotlight as one of pop music's all-time most successful rock trio's, Blink members: Mark Hoppus bass, Tom Delonge - guitar, and Travis Barker - drums, have returned with guardian angels in tow. Formed in the inland city of Poway, CA in 1992, “Blink” as they're known to fans (182 was added in '94 after being sued successfully by an Irish rock band of the same name), paid Bakersfield a return visit on Sept. 14 in front of a packed Rabobank Arena. After releasing their underground self-titled debut in '94, it was 97's sophomore effort, “Dude Ranch” with the teen break-up hit, “Dammit!” that made them pop music darlings. If you remember MTV videos, then you couldn't avoid their comedic video to “What's My Age Again?” from '99s, “Enema of The State” that featured the boys running naked through city streets. Holding steady atop the rock charts through most of the late '90s into the 2000s, things came to a frustrating hilt in '05, sending each member off to pursue other musical ventures - DeLonge's 'Angels and Airwaves', Hoppus with '+44', and Barker's 'The Transplants', among others. Like all of the band's side projects, Barker's recent drum work with DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) grew in popularity until the night of Sept. 19, 2008 when both artists miraculously survived a South Carolina plane crash. Following Barker's recovery, Blink-182 would make their return announcement during an appearance on the 51st Grammy Awards held earlier this year. But just as fans rejoiced and friendships were renewed, it all took a back seat to tragedy. Goldstein is found dead in his NYC apartment from an apparent drug overdose this past August 28. Some speculated it was due to the pain caused by burns suffered in the plane crash. In spite of all the emotional pain and scattered tabloid fodder, all three friends plan on paying tribute to the youthful spirit of their music for Blink-182 fans with a new appreciation for life and friendship. Bassist Mark Hoppus, 37, took time before the band's Bakersfield show, to turn some bright lights on their reunion, audience evolution, and life as a pizza guy in his hometown of Ridgecrest, CA.
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PHOTO BY JOSEPH GOMEZ
Above: Mark Hoppus at Rabobank on 9/14. You are from Ridgecrest, CA - a city not known for a fertile music scene. What inspired you to pick up the bass and form your first band? I started listening to bands like The Cure, Bad Religion, Pennywise, and The Descendents, and a bunch of friends of mine in Ridgecrest liked the same kind of bands, and we picked up our instruments and started our own little thing, which was just like covers at that point. I was approached by a fan to ask if you ever worked at Johns Pizza & Ice Cream in Ridgecrest? I totally worked there. 4 or 5 years? I started off making pizzas, worked my way up to the register, then up to waiting tables. How would you describe yourself as an employee? I was a model employee. I abided by the rules, worked my a** off, and I think I was a really great waiter. Hopefully I was an asset to the restaurant. "Pop punk" goes all the way back to The Jam and Ramones in the '70s, and now to Blink-182. How did your sound develop? We drew from a lot of different influences. We drew from The Beatles, NOFX, Face To Face, and everything in between… When Travis joined the band, we had such a wide range of musical influences, that I think we just found our own sound. Do you hate the term "Pop Punk?" Not at all, I'm totally cool with the term “pop punk”. I think that fits Blink-182 for sure. I think “pop punk” is where we came from and where we started, but hopefully we've branched out from there onto our own territory.
What the early days like? We were always blown away by what our band achieved. Starting with selling out a small club in San Diego to having a song on the radio, selling a million records…Every step of the way we've been humbled by appreciate all the hard work that it took to get to those places. I don't think we've taken anything for granted since day one. With all that fame, at what point did you feel that you had to go on hiatus? When nobody thought that they were enjoying themselves in the band and nobody getting along. It just became really acrimonious. We needed to take a step back and find ourselves, what was important to us in the band and as individuals. Was there any fear as an artist that this tour might not be as well-received? We had no idea. Our booking agent had a giant ulcer in his stomach for three months as he put this tour together, then the dates when on-sale and everyone was just completely blown away by how well the tour was selling. What does the make-up of the audience look like now compared to 1999? There are people that have obviously just started listening to Blink or listened to Blink for a few years. We have people in there late20s, people in their teens... Travis’s plane crash, and the recent death of DJ AM in the midst of a Blink-182 reunion. How has the band been able to stay focused? We just really keep to ourselves, keep our head down, deal with all that other stuff on our own time, and try and keep going on the tour as best we can. It's definitely been a huge blow to the tour with the loss of our friend, DJ AM. We took some time off and tried to gather ourselves and are continuing on with the tour as best we can - but, obviously very saddened by the loss of our friend. Will there be a full-length Blink album soon? Absolutely - when we get back from this tour, we're going to go back in the studio and finish the album and hopefully have it out sometime in 2010. Any parting messages for Bakersfield and of course your Ridgecrest brethren? Thank You very much for your support, and we'll see you at the shows. Is there anything you'd like the public to know about the band? We're all very sexy men.
www.blink182.com
BAKOBIT from Bakotopia.com
October 1, 2009
Bakersfield meets Silent Treatment
PHOTO BY SAMUEL GAO
Above: Silent Treatment from left - Steve Abel, Jerry Wu, Dave Rosales, and Rico Esparza
It only took one trip to get bit by the Bako bug for this LA quartet returning to Fishlips on 10/3! By Silent Treatment, Bakotopia.com contributor e really didn’t know what to expect the first time we rolled into Bakersfield a little over a year ago. We were a band based in LA, but getting our feet wet by slowly venturing out of our comfort zone. It was a warm day, nothing much going on and we decided to troll the streets before our first show at Fishlips, 1517 18th St. We needed some strings and some other what-have-yous and stumbled across a gem of a place called Front Porch Music - helpful and friendly bunch in there. We followed our noses up to Jerry’s Pizza on Chester and ordered up some food. One of us went downstairs and came running back up to tell the others that there was a basement stage that looked like something out of a horror movie dark and creepy-like. We had no idea the history of Jerry’s and fell in love with the joint. We even happened across a very interesting midget that was infatuated with our drummer Rico (I think the politically correct term is ‘little person’), but I digress.
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Flash forward a little over a year and we feel truly amazed and blessed by the fans and friends we have made in this town that we really only knew as a stop before rolling up and over the Grapevine has quickly become a home away from home. Not only have we been welcomed by these great people, but the other bands, bookers, promoters and others involved in the Bakersfield music scene - the faith, generosity and appreciation you have given to Silent Treatment and our music is unparalleled. “New American Dream” is over a year in the making and influenced by many of the experiences we have had on the road over the past year and a half. While many of our friends have suffered through these tough economic times, this album is about hope for the future and the people that are at the heart of this country. “New American Dream” was produced by Mark Renk who recently worked with Daughtry and P.O.D., plus Kevin Churko, producer of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Black Rain.” We look forward to being back in Bakersfield Oct. 3 at Fishlips and once again, truly appreciate all the love and support we have received here - hopefully we can find that midget again. “New American Dream” is available now on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com and anywhere else digital music is sold. You can also order the album by going to our website: www.SilentTreatment.net BAKOTOPIA 15