I had yet to catch King Parrot live before this, but after hearing nothing but praise my expectations were high and they absolutely delivered. As someone raised on heavier metal and grindcore, their set hit hard and filthy. A perfect appetizer, leaving us hungry for the carnage coming up next.

Unfortunately, there was no media allowed during Soulfly’s set at the band’s request. Honestly though? I wasn’t mad about it.. it almost made the experience hit harder, bringing us back to times where we were forced to live in the moment with no cameras. It was definitely one of those moments where you had to be there.

If you have struggle with sensory overload, a GWAR show on a Thursday night might not be on the top priority list. From insanely elaborate costumes, their own constructed characters called the Scumdogs from Scumdogs of the Universe, to their signature blend of red liquids, I was in awe the entire time. Fluids flew (as expected), the crowd pushed to the front in their soon to be blood soaked white t-shirts, mockery directed towards today’s political climate was had. Including: chopping off Kristi Noem’s boobs, slicing open Trump’s stomach, and decapitating Bill Clinton (in that order).

Those who aren’t in the loop would refer to them as “shock-rock”, or maybe just a lousy metal band begging for attention, but honestly? GWAR doesn’t just put on a regular old concert; it’s an entire artistic production.

Here’s some deep lore and context:
“The story of GWAR is carved across the history of this barren and hopeless planet, but GWAR themselves are not of this world… their story begins in the deepest reaches of outer space. Long ago, the beings who would become the rock band GWAR were part of an elite fighting force, the Scumdogs of the Universe. For eons, they served as thralls to a supreme being known only as the Master. But one by one, each future member of the band earned a glaring reputation for being an intergalactic fuck-up. And so, they were banished, sent away on a fool’s errand to conquer an insignificant shitball floating in a dark corner of the universe; the planet Earth. Once here, GWAR shaped the face of the globe, destroying and rebuilding the natural world, and giving rise to all of human history. Aliens to some, gods and demons to others, our erstwhile Scumdogs fucked apes to create the human race, and this fateful unplanned pregnancy would prove to be truly disastrous!”

If there’s one thing to know, it’s that GWAR’s fanbase falls nothing short of diehards no matter how young or how old. From longtime devotees in battle blood worn shirts (circa Oderus Urungus era, may he Rest in Peace!), to first-timers bracing for their first baptism in blood. There’s a shared understanding when you walk into a GWAR show that you’re not just watching, but you’re fully participating.

Check out more photos on Instagram!

Supporting Kid Cops were East Bay emo rockers, Midcourse Correction and North Bay indie band, The New Westerns.

Sadly, it looks like this will be the last show I see Thee Parkside. This iconic bar and venue has been prominent in the Bay Area punk scene, but with the uncertainty of the new ownership of the building, they are ending shows. It is quite fitting though that the last show I see is with my friend’s Casey (Kid Cops) and Travis’ (The New Westerns) bands.

The first show I saw at Thee Parkside was with Casey Deitz’s other band, The Velvet Teen in 2009. In 2011, I first met Travis Hayes when he was a talent buyer at Thee Parkside. I was working for Asian Man Records at the time and we met during the Asian Man Records 15 year anniversary show. That show inspired me to later move to this neighborhood in 2012 and spend countless times at this great bar/venue. I’ll be creating a separate post with archived highlights from the AMR15 festival, so stay tuned for that.

Hardcore local bands Belligerent and QUIZ (in photo) packed Cinco’s by opening up for the next two following bands.

Bands like Belligerent, DUEL, and SPACED are truly redefining what the hardcore scene looks like.. and proving that it’s not just a space for “the boys,” but one where femme-fronted and queer voices are essential. In a genre that has been male-dominated, their presence isn’t just a breath of fresh air, but a necessity.

DUEL was formed in NJ in 2024 by some friends looking to carve out their own space in the scene, and the band really channels community into their set. You can tell just by seeing the amount of people singing back the words, being handed over the microphone. DUEL is on the rise and I’m so here for the ride. They recently released their heavy hitters, two song EP “Counting Sheep” and “The Cost of Living” back in October. Hard recommend if you’re a fan of: GEL, Jivebomb, Gouge Away, Niis.

I think I’ve lost count now on how many times I’ve seen SPACED by now; from larger festival crowds to mid-size venues opening tours and let me tell you… it never feels the same twice. Right now they’re on tour with Sweet Pill, but this show specifically was their own intimate, headlining, side quest show.

Cinco’s was packed from the start, the windows were fogged up, and the neighbors were probably pissed by the time Buffalo’s SPACED hit. They played some classics from their first LP “This Is All We Ever Get”, mixed in with some absolute bangers from their new EP “No Escape”. From start to finish, everyone was engaged.. and that goes for every single time I have seen them. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.

Check out more photos on Instagram!

The Venue

If you’ve never been to Characters, it’s a rad spot. The building is a big brick structure with a spacious outdoor patio. Inside, you’ll find a long bar running along the right side and a few billiards tables to the left. The bands set up outside under a tented patio area, which actually gives the space surprisingly good acoustics – clear enough to hear everything without blowing out your ears or needing earplugs.

I walked in right at the 9 p.m. start time.

Broken Cuffs

First up was Broken Cuffs, a three‑piece punk band from Palmdale, CA. They had some tech issues that delayed the start and caused the singer’s mic to cut out for half a second here and there, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the set. Once they locked in, they delivered a solid, energetic performance.

Setlist:

• Police Brutality
• Cultura
• Uniform
• Quarantine
• Murphy’s Law
• Fight
• Media Takeover
• New song (title uncertain; lyric included “I don’t care what you think about me”)
• These Boots (dedicated to the working class)

Bomber

Second up was Bomber, a newer four‑piece made up of veteran LA musicians who’ve been playing punk, rock’n’roll, and Oi! since the ’90s. I’m not sure how many of their members are originally from the UK, but the singer definitely was – and he also handled bass duties, which is always cool to see.

This band absolutely ripped. I walked in without really knowing their music and walked out a fan. The pit had English punks and LA locals mixing it up, and the energy was infectious. I noticed a Chelsea F.C. bag near the stage during setup, and later, when the crowd broke into big anthemic chants, it all made sense; anthems are engrained throughout many areas of English culture. The songs were raw, catchy, and built for shouting along.

Not all of their tracks are available on streaming yet, so a few titles are based on lyrics.

Setlist:

• We Don’t Trust You (title uncertain)
• Choose Your Fate
• We Won’t Fight No One (title uncertain)
• System
• He’s a Skinhead (title uncertain)
• Hard Working Man
• Big Business (title uncertain)
• Fuck Ice, Fuck You Too (new song released March 25)
• Bomber Rules O.K.

I wanted to grab their EP or a shirt to support, but by then I had already bought a MESS LP, a MESS shirt, and two other LPs from a vendor with an incredible vinyl selection – records from the UK, Australia, the U.S., even Brazil.

MESS

Closing out the night was MESS, an Oi! punk band from Guadalajara, Mexico. Frontman Abraham Vilchis has a killer raspy, gritty voice that cuts through everything. The crowd was fully locked in from the first song to the last. Standout moments for me were Revenge, Falso Poder, Leave Me Alone, and Street Boys.

Setlist

• Revenge
• Traidores
• Leave Me Alone
• Fire, Fire, Fire
• Sal de Revolver
• Dolor? (title uncertain)
• Falso Poder
• My Own Game
• Street Boys
• True Love
• Sospecha

Marbled Eye is a post-punk band from Oakland, CA. They brought their enthusiastic raw energy to Bottom of the Hill.

Singer/guitarist, Chris Natividad is very prolific and is not only is several bands, but also puts on awesome shows like this one under the moniker “No Time Gigs”. A positive force in the progression of the Bay Area music scene.

Main support was Cemento LA. Self-described as “Grimy, depressive post-punk…monotonous yet melodic cruz through the bleak underworld of human nature and party fallout.”

The record settles comfortably into itself with gauzy, mellow opener “Wanderlost”, under hazy layers of guitar propelled by a rolling beat. Caught between disillusionment and alienation, the journeys we embark on as we begin to wander off the path of convention will force us to consider how– and if – we want to be seen.

From there, we are led across the album’s ten tracks through a labyrinthine funhouse of feelings as the band sorts through the myriad manifestations of confusion and pain. Time slows on lead single “Tieluck”, an amber-trapped study of the only holdover in a small town quietly slipping into obsolescence, and spins twilight into an endless day on the breathless, lurching “100 Million Sheep”, rhythmic switches mirroring the uneasy cadence of being tugged in and out of a half-sleep. When it all becomes too much to bear, vanishing acts take the form of refuge in addiction on the beautifully harmonious and deceptively upbeat “Solace”, quick comforts for the desperate and lonely that take a dark and poisonous turn. Our emotional wreckage eventually washes up on the shoes of the jeering, semitonal “Like Helium Balloons”, stripped down to a shouting chorus taunting the listener for having been abandoned by their better angels in a pointless quest for the truth.

We are not always the sole architects of our own misery, however, as Promise to Disappear evokes in equal measure the ways in which love and loss reshape us, leaning into percussive elements that invoke a somatic response. Steeped in the sticky syrup of wistful reminiscence, “Faded Scarf” recalls once-cherished memories now wallowed in, a thumping bassline pulsing like a heartbeat under a heavy wall of slow, driving sound. Every drumbeat is like a blow to the chest on “All About You’s” vast and anthemic bridge, echoing the singular enormity of losing someone who came to define your existence. Who we are when these things fade away is a conversation we never quite seem ready to have.

Even the record’s more uplifting songs are tinged with melancholy, though no less with meaning. For those suffering the acute pains of heartbreak or burdened by the heavy impress of despair, there is the soft, emo-infused “Midnight Sun”, a gentle reminder that those less-than-ideal moments that make the nights feel endless are not everlasting. Disappearance can be graceful, it seems, when we are allowed to drop the exhausting pretense of perfection and settle a little bit more into who we really are.

Extensive meditations on love, loss and life tend to serve as fertile ground for existentialism, and it all finally comes to a head on the rollicking pop-punk “Spitshine”, from its jaunty opening bass lick through to the throat-ripping chorus outro: the song’s final moments find Menard’s control wrested away from him by his howling alter ego, whatever sensible opinion that might have been had on the meaning of life ultimately giving way to the sweet release of no longer caring at all. It certainly is no antidote, but as we have learned, we tend to take our comforts in whatever form they come.

On an album whose relentless pursuit of authenticity leaves us with more questions than answers, closing track “Following Protocol” serves as something of its thesis, a bitter final reflection on the lonely realization that a life spent doing as you’re told has yielded little reward. The slow-simmering track steadily builds to a colossally powerful outro, a cathartic tidal wave of feeling that crashes furiously down before receding quietly back into the sea. We are, ultimately, no less lost than when we started. But we might be more equipped to weather what comes.

Each song on Promise to Disappear pulls in a different way at the fabric of what it means to be human, unravelling the threads of personal experience and spinning them into familiar shapes. Love and loss, anger and confusion, the cruel distortions of time, the pains of separation: Promise to Disappear takes the intemporal, intangible, constantly shifting agitation of being alive and weaves it into a common and shareable language that permeates the boundaries of our individual selves, recounting the exhaustion of our endless negotiation with life in a vocabulary common to us all. Menard’s rhythm and LeBrun’s lead guitars twist and wind around each other in an intricate lattice of harmonies and countermelodies that layer over bassist Jay Changizi’s deft and melodious basslines to create a sound that is stunningly lush and deep, the perfect backdrop for Menard’s keen and incisive lyrics. The alternation of heavy riffs with sparse, porous bridges creates a pulse that radiates through the album like a living organism. What results is an record whose bracing depth and vulnerability are its most enduring assets.

From scene veterans with an uncompromising dedication to their craft comes a meticulously crafted and dazzlingly executed debut record. Be sure to head over to the group’s Bandcamp to stream Promise to Disappear or snag a copy of it on gorgeous butter-yellow vinyl. If you’re lucky enough to have a foot in the door of Montreal’s thriving underground, you can catch one of their electric live performances here and in the surrounding neighbourhoods throughout the spring and summer.

Photos by À L’affiche Montréal

Potrero Hill has always had a unique mix of industry, creativity, and community. Industrial buildings sit next to artist studios and music venues. Local musicians, photographers, designers, artists, and skaters share the same streets as longtime residents. The neighborhood’s creative spirit is shaped by places like Bottom of the Hill, Thee Parkside, DLXSF, Arch Art Supplies, and California College of the Arts.

That culture is now facing major change. Some positive, some still evolving, while others face an uncertainty.

SF Flower Market has been around since 1912 and after 70 years, found a new home in Potrero Hill. Now across the street from Bottom of the Hill, the Flower Mart continues to be a home for independent businesses and working class people.

After 35 years, Bottom of the Hill has announced that it will close under current ownership at the end of 2026. The owners will pass the baton onto another independent owner that will continue hosting indie bands as they always have done. Fans are grateful for the Bottom of the Hill’s dedication to the independent music scene and are hopeful its legacy will continue beyond this year as a positive force in the community.

The California College of the Arts campus has been purchased by Vanderbilt University, and CCA programs will end by fall 2027. The neighborhood will lose a major design institution, and the future of the student gallery on 17th Street is unknown.

Thee Parkside recently had its building sold out from under them and ended live shows at the end of March.

Rents continue to rise and only more unaffordable housing continues to be built. Build up and build more at the cost of the neighborhood culture and yet who are these units designed for?

Parkside just announced that the bar will host one last tricycle races on the 4th of July and the bar’s final day will be July 5th. It may not be realistic, but we have to hold out hope that it will be saved.

This is the beginning of a series documenting 17th Street and Potrero Hill as these changes unfold. It will focus on the spaces and people who have made this community special. Maybe if these stories are told, more people will realize why preserving these spaces are important.

With their cheeky, rowdy, and highly-infectious energy, The Chats popped off the night with hits “Identity Theft“, “6L GTR“, and “Struck by Lightning“.

The Australian “shed rockers” can be appreciated by fans of all ages with their old school punk rock sound reminiscent to being in high school again.

A surprise appearance was made tonight by Sarah Greenwell of Rhode Island punk band Gymshorts for a cover of their song “Heaps of New York“.

The Hives prove to be an essential part of rock and roll history, providing the standard of what a live show should be; intense, theatrical, engaging, a blast to your face non-stop energetic party that gives you the post-concert blues when it is over. This sold-out night at The Salt Shed was exactly that, leaving fans begging for more.

They released their seventh studio album The Hives Forever Forever the Hives on August 29th, 2025 via Play It Again Sam, and still have remaining festival dates this summer. Don’t miss out!

Check out all the fun below!

Bad Time locals would step up as opening acts for the 3 full-touring bands throughout the tour. For the West Coast run, it was Orange County’s Half Past Two, who opened tonight’s show. There was already a big turnout with people already dancing when they kicked the night off with ‘Talk is Killing Me’. Lead singer Tara dressed as glamorous as ever, showing off a new haircut. Multiple band members like bassist Eric and trombonist Luis had the chance to jump into the pit as well. Half Past Two was a great choice to open the show; they know how to get the crowd moving and love to experiment, like they did tonight.  They usually end their sets with horn-driven song ‘Shine’, but opted instead to close with ‘Dominoes’, another fan favorite. The crowd loved it. The OC vets set the bar high for the following bands.   

Next up would be Kill Lincoln from Washington D.C., fresh from a trip to Disneyland. When it comes to energy, they picked up right where Half Past Two left, starting with my favorite song ‘I’m Fine (I Lied)’. I couldn’t resist and jumped into the pit, where the fire was already burning hot and bright. The ska punk group had a lot of circle pits songs that were very horn-driven. Bass player CJ was super fun to watch as he ran across the stage and moving his body back and forth like those inflatables at a car dealership. (I’m sorry, that’s the best way I can describe it!). I also have to ask for the cardio routine for hype man Drew, who danced, jumped, and skank for literally the entire set.  Their grand finale? Trombonist Ume getting on top a photo booth and crowd surfing for ‘Pralines & Dick’. Kill Lincoln had a unique take on the sound of 3^rd wave ska that makes them one of the leading figures of the New Tone movement. I highly recommend that people go out of their way to see this band. 

Speaking of New Tone, New Orleans’s Bad Operation brought their coined ‘New Tone’ back to SoCal. Matching in black Dickies jumpsuits, the band leaned a lot more to the ska/rocksteady sounds of the night, opening with another favorite song that got me dancing in the pit, ‘Kinda Together’. After two animated sets it would be tough to follow, but Bad Operation is on the hype train for their upcoming sophomore album and kept the energy going with new songs such as ‘Rico” and ‘Free Dom’. When D-Ray wasn’t on keys (or trombone), he was headbanging and keeping the crowd excited, even crowd surfing during Robert’s drum solo. JER and saxophonist Emily would hop on horns for the last few songs that included their album-titled track, ‘Perilous’ and closing song ‘Bagel Rooks’. Singer Dom was able to get the crowd to sing the chorus for ‘Bad Operation’, which I thought was super cool. His vocal skills, as well as his guitar skills, were both super impressive and a pleasure to watch within itself. The band overall was able to deliver and got me even more excited to hear their new album. 

Lastly, closing the show was JER from Gainesville. A lot of people in the crowd came to see specifically JER and were not disappointed. The lineup usually rotates since their start in 2021, but the current lineup has been their most stable. They played a lot of songs from their new album, opening with ‘The Way You Tune It Out’, also playing ‘I’m Still Bothered’ and ‘Capitalism Breeds Devastation’, which featured an impressive trombone solo from Robert. While singer Jer is super entertaining, even theatrical to watch, they are also politically conscious with their songs and unapologetically call out a number of issues and political figures. Jer’s monologue before playing ‘What Will You Do?’ is powerful and sets the mood for the song, showing their anger that the crowd responded to well. The transition from that song into ‘Say Gay or Say Goodnight’ was also really cool. The set also featured a mini-reunion for ska band Matamoska!, when saxophonist AJ hopped on with fellow members Robert (trombone) and Esteban (keys) for ‘I’d Like to be Better’. Their drummer Savannah also played drums for Half Past Two, which I want to shout out since that seems like a really hard thing to do. Their closing song was their debut album fan favorite ‘Sparkle’, that had probably the biggest circle pit of the night.  JER used their set to spread a lot of love for people and the music they were playing and it really showed by the end of the night. 

In a time where the LA ska scene is troubled with mistrust and low morale, this was a refreshing reassurance that there is still love for the community and that as long as people look out for each other, the music won’t die out. The Bad Time show was a lot more important to the people of LA than what it seems.  As someone deep in the LA ska scene, I’m inspired to spread the love that I felt at this show.  

Welcome to Four Records! Each episode, we feature one guest as they go over four records at four different times in their life. This week, Forrest and Jason speak with Nicole Laurenne, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of The Darts (US) and her solo project, Black Viiolet. Both projects released new records this year (The Darts (US) – Halloween Love Songs and Black Viiolet – Dark Blue). Nicole is on the road until the end of the year, so there are plenty of opportunities to see her perform:

Black Viiolet: 

April 15 – Deep Cuts – Medford, MA 

April 16 – Skylark Lounge – Rochester, NY 

April 17 – Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH 

April 18 – MOTR Pub -Cincinnati, OH  

April 19 – Portal – Louisville, KY 

April 21 – The Woodshop – Chattanooga, TN 

April 22 – Fleetwood’s – Ashville, NC 

April 23 – Gallery 5 – Richmond, VA 

April 24 – DC9 Nightclub – Washington, DC 

April 25 – Main Drag Music – Brooklyn, NY

July 31 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR

The Darts

May 1 – Starlet Room – Sacramento, CA

May 2 – The Alpine – Reno, NV

May 3 – Duffy’s Tavern – Chico, CA

May 6 – John Henry’s – Eugene, OR

May 7 – High Water Mark – Portland, OR

May 8 – Jazzbones – Tacoma, WA

May 9 – Clock-out Lounge – Seattle, WA

May 10 – The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA

May 12 – Bearded Monkey – Yakima, WA

May 13 – The Shredder – Boise, ID

May 14 – International Bar – Salt Lake City, UT

May 15 – Mesa Theatre – Grand Junction, CO

May 16 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO

May 17 – Sister Bar – Albuqueurque, NM

May 19 – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ

May 20 – Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AX

May 21 – Mexca – El Centro, CA

May 22 – Arroyo Secodelic Fest – Los Angeles, CA

May 23 – Alex’s Bar – Long Beach

May 24 – Pour House – Oceanside

May 25 – Pappy and Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA

May 27 – Usual Place – Las Vegas, NV

May 28 – Transplants Brewing – Palmdale, CA

May 29 – Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz, CA 

May 30 – Thee Stork Club – Oakland, CA

June 10 – The Basement at Bond Street Bar – Asbury Park, NJ

June 11 – Pie Shop – Washington, DC

June 12 – Cobra Cabana – Richmond, VA

June 13 – Neptunes Parlour – Raleigh, NC

June 14 – The Eagle’s Dare – Wilmington, NC

June 16 – Static Age Records – Ashville, NC

June 17 – Moodright’s – Savannah, GA

June 18 – Tin Rook – Columbia, SC

June 19 – The EARL – Atlanta, GA

June 20 – Blue Room – Nashville, TN

June 21 – PORTAL + ARTPORTAL – Louisville, KY

June 23 – Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN

June 24 – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

June 25 – Skylark Lounge – Rochester, NY

June 26 – Ohana Luau on the Lake 2026 – Lake George, NY

June 27 – Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT

June 28 – Main Drag Music – Brooklyn, NY 

Nicole Laurenne’s Four Records:

0-10: Hall and Oates – “Rich Girl”, Carl Douglas – “Kung Fu Fighting”, Pretty Poison – “The Night Chicago Died”

Teenage: Journey – Escape

Twenties: Sinead O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

Recent Record: Stiff Richards – Dig

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Email: fourrecordspodcast@gmail.com

www.DyingScene.com

Opening song: Rad Skulls – Loud as Shit

Closing song: Lucas Perea – Underneath Ashes