Planets West vs. Stratford 4
Smackdown!
Edinburgh Castle
April 25th, 2001
People who joke about indie rock fans being Bright Eyes listenin',
ill-fitting trouser wearin', Hello Kitty backpack shlupping wimps got an
education last night. The upstairs "smackden" at the Edinburgh Castle was
the setting for the most chilling example of, as Joseph Conrad said in The
Heart of Darkness, "life without a policeman" ever seen. There was a
horrifying willingess to employ the deadliest of arsenals, as witnessed by
one band member who declared solemnly, "Shit, I think we're gonna take out
the grid. Look at all these fucking pedals!" Additionally, there was a great
deal of liquor. Too much to be of any good to anyone. We now turn to the few
survivors of the carnage to give us a better idea of what really took place:
Planets Kevin: Though the "hassle" was officially deemed a tie, i think we all know that
the tie goes to the runner.
Chris Stratford: We went there to chew bubble gum and kick ass and we were fresh out of
bubble gum. Planets Wimps put up a valiant fight but it was all in vain. The
Stratford 4 rose skyward in pedal-rific triumph. We crushed our enemies, saw
them driven before us and heard the lamentations of the women... PW were
last seen hustling their gear (and bodies) somewhere on Larkin Street early
Thurday morning... Stratford 4 hold the chalice. Peanuts West have been
woefully humiliated. STRATFORD FOUR RULE BARTERTOWN! embargo lifted.
Planets Mike: We went in confident that we would win, we came to play and win. We know the only way to do that was to take it to them and make them play our game. We
have a good coach and and a good system, and the guys all really trust each
other. There's a lot of chemistry, you know, and a lot of heart in this
band. The Stratford 4 is a great franchise, and they played and gave it
their all. I just thank Jesus and I prayed to Jesus for the opportunity to
play indie rock.
Jake Stratford: Wannabe canadians can't rock. and i can't spell. someone said last night
ended in a draw. lets look at the score:
- Stratford 4: 4 songs
- Pud Whacker: 6 songs, if you can call them songs
And we still walked away victorious with out so much as breaking a sweat. So
on both verbal and musical prowess the Stratford 4 gave Penis Wrinkle guys
the royal sonic wedgie! rocking their asses so hard the decided to put thier
collective tails between their legs and cancel the stork club gig. which is
probably for the best considering the last gig they played there was such a
stunning display of thier lack of proper skills to pay the bills, so much so
i saw mike filling out his application for remedial rock school. So guys its
time to pack it up move out of yer space and make room for a band that might
improve after 2 years of practice lord knows it has not helped you guys in
any way. So to quote drew one more time "THATS KICKIN YER ASS!"
Planets Sean: What a night. The S4 fight pretty hard for a bunch of hippies, but we were
ready for them. The thrilling escalation of sound and fury could have gone
on all night (or at least the PW had plenty more to dish out), but it wasn't
just about kicking ass. It was about forging in the smithy of the Edinburgh
Castle the uncreated conscience of our music community... I think our last
waltz-style group exposition of "What Goes On" says it all: Simple music,
for simple tastes. Thanks to all who came to witness the spectacle. We'll miss playing for you. Thanks to the ModLab's Marc, Kevin, and Eliot for providing the forum and
Eric for doing the sound. But let the smackdowns continue! What two sf indie
bands dare enter the Thunderdome next????
Sheetal Stratford: "2 bands enter, 1 band leaves...Unfortunately, one of the bands really is leaving. Planets West - even though the VU cover descended into chaos, I'm
glad we got to share the stage for your final San Francisco show. Sorry we
drove you out of town."
Planets Brendan: Some mornings you wake up and the world feels right. The morning following our resounding defeat of the Stratford 4 was just such a moment. Birds were
chirping, my coffee was hot and fresh, and I walked to work knowing that the
mighty Planets West had once and for all put the Sickly 4 in their place - a
place whose landscape is so desperately bereft of "space" or "rock" that it
could only be inhabited by the 4. To their credit, though, the S4 gave it their all, and to reward them for that we've blessed them with memories of Planets West. Now we're off to the corners of the globe to develop new horizons of rock. Or something like
that. [exeunt PW]
Andrea Stratford is still coming down from the high of the skirmish and sadly could not be reached for comment.
Planets West, Daz and I will miss your shows terribly. Mikey and Brendan, we
wish you Godspeed. Canada sucks. Stratford 4, you better get restraining
orders now, coz we've decided we like your shoegazing asses. See you at your
record release party. Eliot, sorry Daz broke that chair over your head.
Thanks to both bands proving that the SF scene is not, as some people think,
completely diseased with posturing and posing. The sight of a group of
friends all playing one last song together at the end of the night is a
memory we'll carry with us for a very long time.
More "Hassle in the Castle" Photos
Get some Stratford 4 MP3s at Epitonic.com or from their website at www.stratford4.com
Check out the Planets West review from their March 20, 2001 show at Café du Nord here.
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Chris Stratford: We went there to chew bubble gum and kick ass and we were fresh out of
bubble gum. Planets Wimps put up a valiant fight but it was all in vain. The
Stratford 4 rose skyward in pedal-rific triumph. We crushed our enemies, saw
them driven before us and heard the lamentations of the women... PW were
last seen hustling their gear (and bodies) somewhere on Larkin Street early
Thurday morning... Stratford 4 hold the chalice. Peanuts West have been
woefully humiliated. STRATFORD FOUR RULE BARTERTOWN! embargo lifted.
)
Planets Mike: We went in confident that we would win, we came to play and win. We know the only way to do that was to take it to them and make them play our game. We
have a good coach and and a good system, and the guys all really trust each
other. There's a lot of chemistry, you know, and a lot of heart in this
band. The Stratford 4 is a great franchise, and they played and gave it
their all. I just thank Jesus and I prayed to Jesus for the opportunity to
play indie rock.
)
Jake Stratford: Wannabe canadians can't rock. and i can't spell. someone said last night
ended in a draw. lets look at the score:
)
Planets Sean: What a night. The S4 fight pretty hard for a bunch of hippies, but we were
ready for them. The thrilling escalation of sound and fury could have gone
on all night (or at least the PW had plenty more to dish out), but it wasn't
just about kicking ass. It was about forging in the smithy of the Edinburgh
Castle the uncreated conscience of our music community... I think our last
waltz-style group exposition of "What Goes On" says it all: Simple music,
for simple tastes. Thanks to all who came to witness the spectacle. We'll miss playing for you. Thanks to the ModLab's Marc, Kevin, and Eliot for providing the forum and
Eric for doing the sound. But let the smackdowns continue! What two sf indie
bands dare enter the Thunderdome next????
)
Sheetal Stratford: "2 bands enter, 1 band leaves...Unfortunately, one of the bands really is leaving. Planets West - even though the VU cover descended into chaos, I'm
glad we got to share the stage for your final San Francisco show. Sorry we
drove you out of town."
)
Planets Brendan: Some mornings you wake up and the world feels right. The morning following our resounding defeat of the Stratford 4 was just such a moment. Birds were
chirping, my coffee was hot and fresh, and I walked to work knowing that the
mighty Planets West had once and for all put the Sickly 4 in their place - a
place whose landscape is so desperately bereft of "space" or "rock" that it
could only be inhabited by the 4. To their credit, though, the S4 gave it their all, and to reward them for that we've blessed them with memories of Planets West. Now we're off to the corners of the globe to develop new horizons of rock. Or something like
that. [exeunt PW]
)
Andrea Stratford is still coming down from the high of the skirmish and sadly could not be reached for comment.
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