Reflections on the Glory of Music, Vol. I - with Dylan Sam Jones

Reflections on the Glory of Music, Vol. I

Well Chris, here goes . . . . . music and my thoughts on such a beautiful, meaningful, and complicated aspect of society, eh? That’s the premise here . . . my assignment, if you will! But there’s a bit more of a focus I believe. Local bands? Bands that nowhere and no one has heard of yet (other than of course the 73 people in their respective hometowns who know they kick ass and already understand and dig their music!) . . . these are the types of bands Chris Hahn from Zomie! Media Records wants me to write about, eh? Ok Chris, my brother from another mother . . . . here goes!

Kind of like that splendid scene at the end of Almost Famous when Russell is asked, “What do you love about music?”, to which he calmly, and warmly answers, “For starters . . . . everything!”. Well, just like that, I would like to start this article in a similar manner and say that I too absolutely and resolutely love music. Hell, there’s more to it than love. I need music. I am music. It’s something you can’t fully explain to those that do not already understand this unapologetic obsession. If you have no clue what I am writing about currently, well, then you probably never have and you unfortunately probably never will. You are either made out of music or you aren’t. Period. The people who are truly made of music, and I mean the people who are hard wired and daily electrocuted in the mind, body, and soul by music, know exactly what I am talking about right now. And this is the same regardless of music genre. Rap guys who truly and deeply love music are obvious to spot from a mile away! So too are the country music fellas with natural and pure hillbilly hearts. Punk rock diehards and stoney reggae dreadlockers are one in the same here in this regard. So too are the agro metal heads and the mellow bonfire surf rock acoustic guitar players dreamin’ of strummin’ some waves. The foundation is categorically similar and doesn’t necessitate debate and aggression. We all are fueled by music. It is our religious and political world. It is our place of worship. It is our White House. It is our home. We one and all were put here on this earth to be deeply involved in music, every single day, for the rest of our lives.

So then, with that said, and with my recent re-exposure to the local rock n roll scene of Southern California (after taking a few years off from playing in bands) it is useful to proclaim that I have been re-baptized in the glorious waters of a scene that is super refreshing and regenerative. Being a member of The Howlin’ Roosters, a local band that is both firmly tied to the southside of Riverside County (the I.E.) and the northside of San Diego County and Oceanside (“North County” as everyone here refers to it), I have trial-by-fire found a handful of bands that have already made their mark on my soul. As I currently write this article the world is in the midst of a four month long pandemic and social quarantine in which live gigs have quickly become a thing of the past. Now more than ever music has become a powerful medicine for our souls as we wait and wonder when this contagion-and-fear-era will come to an end and allow music to re-infect society with brilliance and grace. While the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic is not the focus of this article, the desire to dive deeper into music (especially during this disheartening time) will remain at the center of my application. In response to Chris Hahn’s request, I’d love to write about some of the local Inland Empire and San Diego music that fills my heart with adoration, my mind with imaginative inspiration, and my body with soulful vitality. First up . . . Hard Fall Hearts.

Man! Where to begin on these kats? I vaguely remember seeing Hard Fall Hearts back in what must have been like 2011 or 2012 at The Flying Elephant in Carlsbad, California opening for either a Green Day or a Social D cover/tribute band. Fast forward like 10 or so years later and my band has played a handful of shows with Hard Fall Hearts and I am just as pumped on this band now as I was the first time I saw them. Hell, to be truthful I am even more pumped now! HFH is fucking real. Drive All Night is a badass song. So is Sweet Savannah! This band is rad, and they shred! Bryan has a Brian Setzer-mixed-with-Morissey quality to him, which is both haunting and entertaining. Eli is a salty ol’ Cocksparrer oi punk rock surfer drummer, and he’s a badass too! Andrew? That dude stands up on his standup bass and slaps his way into your heart with charm and dignity. These guys are right out of a surfy greaser movie that was never made in the mid-1980s. I’m glad to call these guys friends, and I seriously get stoked every damn time we book a gig with them. This is the type of band I highly recommend right now to those that like pure rockabilly, warm and melodic rock n roll, and the Tiger Army type of harmonious psychobilly.

Next up . . . Dark Alley Dogs. Man, these dudes are gnarly! Straight up rock n roll surf thrash . . . and I only throw the word “surf” into the mix because they all look like they definitely paddle out and/or sk8 a couple times a week. Brane, the singer, front man, and one of three guitar players, is a boneified wild man! This dude has Call of the Wild written in his eyes, and Peter Tosh written into his one dread lock on his forehead that he slicks back under a fedora feather hat. Fancy! Iggy Pop, wherever he is somewhere in the world, must smile every time you take the stage Brane. Pure gold, wild and dirty rock n roll . . . that’s what you get when Dark Alley Dogs take the stage. Shreddy guitar leads in the exact perfect spots from a badass dude named Jason who usually wears a cowboy hat to top it all off! The Dark Alley Dogs energy is high voltage and lasts their entire set! Truth be told, I both love and hate playing with these kats. I love the show they put on and the smiles on my face when I see them! Who doesn’t love a night full of smiles that are connected to good music? Oh wait, I have to play music tonight too?? Me?!?!?! Tonight!!?!?!?! And be compared to this band by everyone in the audience??? No way! Ahhh hell, alright, let’s go!!!! Anyways, Diamonds in a Rut is the tune to start with if you want my recommendation. Then wherever the murky, dirty ocean water moves you after that, just go with it and let the swell and the current take you where it may. The boys in the Dark Alley Dogs would probably agree and may even be moving right along with you too.

Last, but certainly not least (as the old adage goes) is Whiskey Dick Rebellion. We have played a bunch of gigs with these boys as well and I thoroughly enjoy watching these lads do their thing! These IE kats are definitely direct descendents of the IE punk rock world, but have also evolved into cultured rock n roll and country music aficionados. Joel is the lead singer and he reminds me of The Misfits mixed with Johnny Cash, if Cash and Glenn Danzig swallowed shots of tequila with chunks of razor blades in it. Joel’s vocals are raspy yet somehow smooth at the same time. The rest of Whiskey Dick Rebellion fit perfectly in with this ironic culmination of enjoyable sounds as well. Matty, on drums, and Robert, on bass, create a pillar of rhythm with Tommy shredding guitar leads that remind me of something you’d hear in classic Dwight Yoakam tunes. I’d start with the Whiskey Dick Rebellion’s songs Goddamn and Seasons. That’ll give you a solid sample size of what these punk rock country boys can do. Don’t blame me though when they’ve shredded your face off and haunted your dreams. You have been warned!

Well, that felt good to get off my chest! On my next installment of Reflections on the Glory of Music, Vol. II I will dive into a pillar of the San Diego rockabilly scene, Johnny Deadly Trio, a staple of the IE punk rockabilly scene, The Sandbox Bullies, and I will try my best to tackle the fast growing phenomenon called LME a.k.a the Local Music Experience, a small radio station bringing together what I see as a tight knit community of Southern California rock n roll bands who all have 73 fans each in their own home towns (and now everyone has a few more fans because of one another and this radio station) . . . Los Rockin’ Slugs, June Clivas and the Ditty Boys, Lil Sue and the Cowtippers, Howlin Moon, JP McDermott, Hotrod Hayride, etc. There’s a bunch of rad bands on LME, so I will try my best to break the code and figure out exactly what is going on with this spectrum of grandiose badassery! Until next time friends, let music be your distraction during these unprecedented times that we have been forcibly thrusted into! None of us are happy about the Coronavirus quarantine and the lack of live music that our communities now ultimately lack. We can however dive into music (both new and old) as a vessel towards salvation and inner peace. Travel safe my friends. Until next time . . . .

~ Dylan Sam Jones, The Howlin’ Roosters