Robots of Fury - Sep 3 @ Bottom of the Hill

Valerie - guitar/vocals

Logan - Drums

Jamie - lead guitar

Amir - Bass



LittleBook: Why did you start a band??


Robots of Fury: The band began as a project focused on experimentation with distortion and effects that could compliment solid songwriting. We also wanted to incorporate more artistic/creative elements into the imagery and persona of our band.



LB: How did you find each other??

ROF: We met through mutual friends and via the interwebs.

LB: Where do you practice?

ROF: We practice at Soundwave in Oakland.

LB: What do you drink at practice?

ROF: We drink beer of various origins at practice.

LB: What do you do at practice when you’re not practicing?

ROF: When we're not practicing at practice we sit around and stare at each other.

LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??

ROF: A memorable moment I can reference would be after our show at Blakes on Telegraph this past June. It was our second show with all the current members of the band and we just nailed the set. After the show we had quite a few people come up to us wanting to buy merch. There was an excitement in the way these people approached us that implied we had made an impact on them. It was neat.

LB: What's the hardest thing about being a band in 2009?

ROF: I think the hardest thing about being in a band in 2009 is pressure to package the band with some sort of image. We don’t make attempts at coming across in a contrived fashion that might make us more marketable.

LB: What's the best / worst thing about being a band in the Bay Area??

ROF: The Bay Area has many interesting groups of people and I think that gives bands more options to appeal to one of those groups. There is a certain appreciation for creativity and diversity here that does not exist in many other areas. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a certain “bandwagon” mentality that hinders people from discovering new bands on their own.

LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next??

ROF: We have evolved into a band that is pioneering a distinctive genre of music. “New grunge” as we have been called could spread in the same way that plaid shirts have become fashionable again. We plan to record new material and release our next EP in 2010.

LB: What’s up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??

ROF: “Reverse in Reverse” is available both digitally and physically. Go to itunes, Amazon mp3, Napster or Rhapsody for digital copies. For a physical copy of the album, please consult our webstore: http://www.robotsoffury.com/store.html

LB: Favorite local band?

ROF: Scene of Action

LB: Favorite venues to play?

ROF: The Uptown, Annie’s Social Club, Blakes

LB: Have you played The Bottom of the Hill before??

ROF: We have not played Bottom of the Hill before.

Run Amok - Jul 19 @ DNA Lounge

Max Curry - Drums

Damien Blair - Bass, Vocals

Matt Morales - Vocals, Guitar

LittleBook: Why did you start a band??
Run Amok: For me, the main reason was that I had a lot of songs in my head that I truly believed people would enjoy and I wanted to get them out.

LB: How did you find each other??
RA: (Drummer) Max Curry and I are both comedians so we actually met on the open mic stand-up circuit, believe it or not. He was playing a child-size drumkit in a comedy duo and I noticed he actually knew how to play. Damien came later after Max and I were in a band called the Hacks for a couple of years. He was recommended by a friend who was, big suprise, a fellow comedian.

LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??
RA: Right now I think recording our last demo really sticks out. We had a great time doing it and it came out just how we wanted it to. Not a lot of people know that that doesn't happen very often.

LB: Where do you practice? What do you drink at practice? What do you do at practice when you’re not practicing?
RA: We practice at a rehearsal studio in South San Francisco. The drinks are pretty tame - water for me and Max and Gatorade for Damien. None of us are big drinkers and I actually don't drink at all. Most of my lyrics are about prior substance abuse, actually. When we practice we don't do much else other than shoot the shit for a second. Once we're in that room its time to either get our old songs down or write some new stuff. No screwing around.


LB: What's the hardest thing about being a band in 2009?
RA: I don't think there is a new type of rock around the corner that's ready to take hold. There's this whole new-wave revival going on which is great if you've got a slew of analog keyboards but if you're just looking to play hard rock nobody seems to care right now.

LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next??
RA: All people need to know about Run Amok is that we're an uncompromising hard rock band with real lyrics and zero image. What's next? Wish I knew for sure!

LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
RA: CD is available at all of our shows or you can listen to it right on our myspace. We recorded it in San Jose with the help of engineer Steve Murr (murrmanproductions). Check his stuff out, its incredible. He really know how to bring out the intensity of a variety of different types of music.

LB: Favorite local Band or a memorable show??
RA: Favorite local band has to be Von Iva. Those chicks rock.

LB: Favorite venue to Play??
RA: Thee Parkside, hands down.

LB: Have you played at the DNA Lounge before, what do you like about it?
RA: Haven't played there before but we can't wait. That's a great club and has a cool vibe.

LB: Do any of the members ever take their shirts off at a show or at practice??
RA: Max took his shirt off at one show. Photos of his man breasts kept that from happening again.

LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
RA: Not to pick on Max but I'll have to nominate him. I've never taken a whiff but he plays the drums so hard that he leaves the stages completely drenched.

LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual??
RA: We always seem to find a Mexican place before a gig, which seems like a bad idea. Jumping around with a stomach full of carnitas is dangerous.

LB: Where do you think live music is heading??
RA: hopefully to more smaller venues. I love local music and while arena shows can be cool, I think the lagging economy will bring folks out to some cheaper places thus exposing them to new talent.

LB: How do you feel about people downloading your songs for free , do you offer free downloads??
RA: Hey, if you're listening to the music and enjoying it that's all that matters to us right now. We appreciate it if you buy the CD but money isn't our goal right now. So please download, share with a friend, then come out to a show and support live local music!

The Paper Sons - Jun 26 @ Cafe Du Nord

Dennis Rodriguez
Tom McCullough
Phil Pristia
Fran Dickinson

LittleBook: Why did you start a band??
The Paper Sons: Cause we are addicted to music and rejection and couldn't figure out a better way to get our fix.

LB: How did you find each other??
TPS: I met Phil up in Chico State and started playing together around 2002. Tom joined us a couple of years later and we met Fran on craigslist. The more exciting version is i found a genie lamp and it gave me three wishes and these guys were it.

LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??
TPS: Oh too many to count. I would say our West Coast tour and being creative on the road on where to sleep.

LB: Where do you practice? What do you drink at practice? What do you do at practice when you’re not practicing?
TPS: We practice over at Secret Studios in San Francisco with hundereds of other San Francisco Bands. Neat little community. We drink whatever is cheap. It ends up being Bud. We talk about practicing when we are not practicing, seriously.

LB: What's the hardest thing about being a band in 2009?
TPS: Trying to live off of it.

LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next?? TPS: Just come out to one of our live shows and hang out with us and our fans. it is always a good time.
We are going into the studio around July to record our first full length and we are unbelievably excited for it.

LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
TPS: Our first EP is on itunes, our website and a few other places which are a secret. We recorded it at secret studio by Tecate Rob at Get Reel Productions. We followed up with our 2nd EP but it is only available at our shows and our website for download.

LB: Favorite San Francisco Band or a memorable show??
TPS: Favorite Show is Disgust of Us, Superfinos VTO or Raised By Robots. They are friends of ours and they always put on a rockin show. You would say they are our sister bands.

LB: Favorite venue to Play?? TPS: All of them are my favorite because they all treat us well. If i had a gun to my head, which i do, i would say Great American Music Hall.

LB: Have you played the Cafe Du Nord before? What do you like it?
TPS: We played a few times there and we like it because the staff is really awesome and the sound guy rocks. Plus they feed us before the show.


LB: Do any of the members ever take their shirts off at a show or at practice??
TPS: No gun shows at our practice or shows.

LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
TPS: That is usually a toss up. It depends on where on the body the smell is coming from.

LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual??
TPS: Beer.

LB: Where do you think live music is heading??
TPS: That is a good question. At one time i thought i had a good idea where but what i am hearing these days i think i'm taking crazy pills.

LB: How do you feel about people downloading your songs for free , do you offer free downloads??
TPS: Well we believe in the honor system so if someone downloaded our music for free, we will just wait for a check in the mail.

The Audiophiles - Nov. 26th @ Blakes - Dec. 26th @ Bottom of the HIll

LittleBook: Why did you start a band??
The Audiophiles: We started a band because we love to play music, and we're all best friends.

LB: How did you find each other??
TA: The Audiophiles started our freshman year of high school, when Jeremy, Greg, and a friend hosted a mock news radio show. Jeremy and Greg quickly ran out of material and began to jam. They never read the news again, and the friend quit the show due to creative differences. Greg then was offered a gig at The Oakland Metro, provided that he had a band, so he lied and said he did. He then recruited drummer Jacob Blumberg, and called the trio Wall of Sound, but quickly changed the name to The Audiophiles due to copyright infringement... and because it sounded better. We furiously wrote a set's worth of material in a couple of weeks and performed our first show as a drums, guitar, and synth trio. We were booed of the stage. We then made a pact to write songs that actually sounded good to us. Greg moved to guitar, and we proposed to Zak on a sunny fall day. He accepted and became our bass player. This summer our drummer went to college, and we found Connor, or rather Connor found us. He was the first drummer to audition, and we liked him so much we didn't audition anyone else.

LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band, ??
TA: Most memorable band moment would have to be half-naked chicken fighting in a reservoir in the grapevine outside of LA, whilst on tour.

LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual ??
TA: We do a team huddle to pump ourselves up before we go onstage.

LB: What do you drink at practice??
TA: Connor's mom makes us iced tea and cookies, if we're lucky... it's awesome.

LB: What’s the hardest thing about being a Bay Area Band??
TA: The toughest part of being a bay area band is getting other bands to play with us that draw well. When we put together bills, most bands are already booked or don't want to play with us. It's very damaging to our self-esteem... but we're seeing a shrink about it now. He's the same guy who keeps Metallica together.

LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next?? TA: We're currently writing new material and talking with various managers and producers about a debut album.

LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
TA: You can get our latest CD, "Run Away" on itunes, our myspace page, or at one of our shows. The EPs are cheapest at our shows. We recorded the EP at Bayview studios in Richmond. Tom Waits, Metallica, and John Lee Hooker have all recorded there.

LB: Favorite San Francisco Band or a memorable show??
TA: Our most memorable show was when we played a battle of the bands at the Oakland Metro, and the band before us was this hardcore punk band from Stockton. They brought the biggest fans ever, started a fight, and the police came and arrested some people. On top of that, one of their instruments broke every song, and this huge 6'6 300 pound guy took the mic and drunkenly shouted "man down!" "man down!" after the drummer broke his snare. By the time we got on stage, almost everyone had left.

LB: Favorite venue to Play??
TA: Our favorite venues are Blakes on Telegraph and Bottom of the Hill.

LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
TA: We all smell like flowers... especially when we're sweaty.... except for Zak, who doesn't sweat. It's a medical condition, just kidding... but not really.

Greg Fleischut -vocals, guitar

Jeremy Lyon -guitar, backing vocals

Zak Mandel-Romann -bass, backing vocals

Connor Irias -drums

Nov 26 2008
8:00P
Blakes w/ The Soft White Sixties + Guests (All Ages)
Berkeley, California
Dec 26 2008
10:00P
Bottom of the Hill w/ Two Seconds + Boy in the Bubble (All Ages)
San Francisco, California

http://www.myspace.com/theaudiophilescali