Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Intoxicating Suds and Gastroenteritis

Dead Rock West tours the toilets of the U.K.
Dead Rock West tours the toilets of the U.K.

A genealogy of Dead Rock West and its crew of hard-/punk-/folk-rock collaborators would gobble twice the space allotted for this emission. To the (momentary) point: since 2003, Frank Lee Drennen and Cindy Wasserman have often found the golden mean with John Doe and Exene Cervenka (X/the Knitters), who are featured on the new DRW album, Bright Morning Stars. As does Americana aficionado and seminal power-pop player Peter Case; keyboardist Phil Parlapiano, who helped Social Distortion sharpen its edge; and San Diego Music Awards’ “best hard rock” designee Charlie McRee of Lord Howler, with his buddy Jack Reynolds and the Truckee Brothers’ Chris Hoffee, plumped up DRW’s recent U.K. tour.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I ask McRee about the U.K. junket.

“I was drumming and singing backing vocals. The road is usually amazingly great in England, in no small part due to the cask-conditioned ales. The difference between these suds and their American craft beer counterparts is their low alcohol content and lack of pasteurization. The beers taste of fresh ingredients and live yeast. The result is surprisingly intoxicating and delicious.

Cindy says everyone got sick but you?

“Five dates in, at Tingewick Village Hall, a ferocious bout of gastroenteritis snaps Frankie up into its vile hand and doesn’t let go for the remainder of the tour. He’s forced offstage, mid-tune, to shower the back sink in blasts of terrifying-looking vomit. Shortly thereafter, Cindy, Jack, and Chris get milder versions, but they soldier through as best they can. Frank is essentially down for the count, and they’ve rented gear, and plane fare, and are paying side guys — you understand? This is a disaster — but the show must go on.

“We rely on Frank for cues on tempo and mood, and it’s a near-40-song set list. Of those, Cindy sings lead on perhaps 10. The first night we barely squeeze in a set long enough to get paid. How are we going to carry this off? There’s no time for Chris to learn Frank’s guitar parts; he’s been playing atmospheric effects and dobro and such — and now he’s the sole harmonic instrument. Jack and me figure out which of Frank’s tunes we can sing lead on with Cindy and cobble together a list that’s approximately 50 minutes long. We’ve been contracted to play an hour and a half each night...

“But the patrons tell us it’s wonderful, and we only miss two gigs, one of which would have been a five-hour slog to Glasgow.”

Bright Morning Stars was released by Red River Records on April 12.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Dead Rock West tours the toilets of the U.K.
Dead Rock West tours the toilets of the U.K.

A genealogy of Dead Rock West and its crew of hard-/punk-/folk-rock collaborators would gobble twice the space allotted for this emission. To the (momentary) point: since 2003, Frank Lee Drennen and Cindy Wasserman have often found the golden mean with John Doe and Exene Cervenka (X/the Knitters), who are featured on the new DRW album, Bright Morning Stars. As does Americana aficionado and seminal power-pop player Peter Case; keyboardist Phil Parlapiano, who helped Social Distortion sharpen its edge; and San Diego Music Awards’ “best hard rock” designee Charlie McRee of Lord Howler, with his buddy Jack Reynolds and the Truckee Brothers’ Chris Hoffee, plumped up DRW’s recent U.K. tour.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I ask McRee about the U.K. junket.

“I was drumming and singing backing vocals. The road is usually amazingly great in England, in no small part due to the cask-conditioned ales. The difference between these suds and their American craft beer counterparts is their low alcohol content and lack of pasteurization. The beers taste of fresh ingredients and live yeast. The result is surprisingly intoxicating and delicious.

Cindy says everyone got sick but you?

“Five dates in, at Tingewick Village Hall, a ferocious bout of gastroenteritis snaps Frankie up into its vile hand and doesn’t let go for the remainder of the tour. He’s forced offstage, mid-tune, to shower the back sink in blasts of terrifying-looking vomit. Shortly thereafter, Cindy, Jack, and Chris get milder versions, but they soldier through as best they can. Frank is essentially down for the count, and they’ve rented gear, and plane fare, and are paying side guys — you understand? This is a disaster — but the show must go on.

“We rely on Frank for cues on tempo and mood, and it’s a near-40-song set list. Of those, Cindy sings lead on perhaps 10. The first night we barely squeeze in a set long enough to get paid. How are we going to carry this off? There’s no time for Chris to learn Frank’s guitar parts; he’s been playing atmospheric effects and dobro and such — and now he’s the sole harmonic instrument. Jack and me figure out which of Frank’s tunes we can sing lead on with Cindy and cobble together a list that’s approximately 50 minutes long. We’ve been contracted to play an hour and a half each night...

“But the patrons tell us it’s wonderful, and we only miss two gigs, one of which would have been a five-hour slog to Glasgow.”

Bright Morning Stars was released by Red River Records on April 12.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity
Next Article

Not enough Readers in Mission Beach

Mayor Todd Gloria's skin color
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.