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THE STORY OF SUBSIDE (as told by Mike Meyers)
SUBSIDE IS A FOUR PIECE PUNK ROCK BAND FROM MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN. |
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MONTE THOMPSON (VOCALS/GUITAR) AND MIKE MEYERS (BASS/VOCALS) MET IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IN THE SMALL TOWN OF ELKHORN, LONG BEFORE PURSUING THEIR SHARED MUSICAL INTERESTS. AFTER GOING THEIR SEPERATE WAYS IN HIGH SCHOOL THEY MET UP AGAIN IN 91. AT THE TIME MONTE WAS IN A BAND NOTORIOUS FOR THROWING JUST OUT OF HAND SHOWS CALLED THE TRIBE OF KARMA PLAYING DRUMS OF ALL THINGS WITH FUTURE MANAGER MARC SOLHEIM SINGING. MEYERS CAUGHT ONE OF THESE SHOWS AND SO STARTED THE 2ND PART OF THEIR LONG LASTING FRIENDSHIP. AT THE TIME THERE WAS A PRETTY GOOD PUNK SCENE GOING IN TOWN LIKE JANESVILLE AND GREEN BAY WITH BANDS LIKE ALLIGATOR GUN, VESICULAR BASALT, VACUUM SCAM, BORIS THE SPRINKLER AND DOUBLESPEAK. ALONG WITH BANDS COMING THROUGH SUCH AS THE LIBIDO BOYS, TRENCHMOUTH, SCREECHING WEASEL AND GREEN DAY. AFTER THE BREAK UP OF THE TRIBE THOMPSON AND MEYERS STARTED PLAYING TOGETHER IN BANDS HERE IN THERE WHEN MONTE COULDNíT FIND A DRUMMER, GUITARIST, SINGER WHATEVER KEEP IN MIND MEYERS DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PLAY A FUCKING THING UNTIL FINALLY HE ENDED UP ON BASS. TWO YEARS LATER THEY DECIDED TO FORM SUBSIDE AND STARTED WRITING SOME OF THE MOST CRAPTACULAR SONGS EVER WRITTEN SUCH AS MASTURBATION AND DIRTY MELINDA. FINALLY FINDING A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN DRUMMER. THEY HAD A LINE UP AND PRACTICED NON-STOP FOR WEEKS UNTIL THEY HAD WRITTEN 6 SONGS. PLAYING THEIR FIRST SHOW AT A PLACE CALLED THE GLOBE. STRUGGLING THROUGH THE SET TO MAKE A HALF HOUR THEY MADE UP FOR THE LACK OF TIME BY TRYING(I CANT STRESS THE WORD TRYING ENOUGH)TO BE FUNNY BY PLAYING NAME THAT TUNE WITH A FUCKING KAZOO. WEEKS WENT BY AND MORE SONGS WERE WRITTEN SO THEY DECIDED TO CALL MARC SOLHEIM AND ASK HIM TO MANAGE THEM. MARC ACCEPTED AND STARTED BOOKING THEM SAYING THEY SOUNDED LIKE EVERYTHING FROM HUSKER DU TO GREEN DAY TO GET A SHOW. AFTER A FEW SHOWS IT WAS DECIDED A DRUMMER THAT DIDN'T HAVE TO REST BETWEEN SONGS WAS NEEDED. THROUGH A MUTUAL FRIEND THEY FOUND SAM ARNESON, WHO IS THE CURRENT DRUMMER, FOR HIS FIRST SHOW THEY WERE BOOKED WITH ALL PUNK BANDS FROM BEER CITY RECORDS. NEEDLESS TO SAY THEY DIDNíT FIT IN AND THE NIGHT WAS CAPPED OFF WITH SAM'S SISTER GETTING HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A PITCHER OF BEER AND A STRIP SHOW IN FRONT OF HIS PARENTS BY BEAUTIFUL BERT A 400LBS PRO WRESTLER/SINGER. THEY FINALLY GOT A BREAK WHEN SOLHEIM LANDED THEM AN OPENING FOR CITIZEN KING. WITH A GOOD CROWD RESPONSE THEY WERE ASKED TO DO 3 MORE DATES WITH THEM. WHICH GAINED THEM SOME CONSIDERABLE RECOGNITION. IN TIME THE NATIONS GREW WEAK AND SORRY !IN TIME THE MUSIC GOT FASTER AND THEY STARTED TO DEVELOP A SOUND OF THEIR OWN. GETTING BIGGER AND BETTER SHOWS WITH BANDS SUCH AS SMASHMOUTH, WEEZER, FACE TO FACE, LAGWAGON, THE ODD NUMBERS AMONG OTHER BIGGER MILWAUKEE BANDS SUCH AS ALLIGATOR GUN, FIGUREHEAD AND THE PROMISE RING. THE NEXT 2 YEARS WENT WELL OTHER THAN THE OCCASIONAL GETTING KICKED OFF A SHOW AND REPLACED BY JUGGLER. IT WAS FINALLY DECIDED TO GET ANOTHER GUITARIST. AFTER TRYING COUNTLESS GUITARISTS , THEY FOUND RYAN LARSH,(THE CURRENT GUITARIST) WHO FIT RIGHT IN. MONTHS WENT BY AND THEY STARTED PLAYING A LOT WITH A BAND CALLED SLURR AND THE TWO OF THEM TOGETHER STARTED TO CREATE SOMEWHAT OF A SCENE, WITH THE NOW BREAK UP OF ALLIGATOR GUN AND FIGUREHEAD IT WAS STARTING TO GET PRETTY STAGNANT. OTHER THAN THE GROWING SUCCESS OF CITIZEN KING AND THE PROMISE RING. LATER THAT YEAR IT WAS DECIDED TO MAKE THEIR FIRST FULL LENGTH AFTER A STRING OF SINGLES AND COMPS. WITH THEIR LAST SINGLE THEY SENT IT OUT IN HOPES OF GETTING SIGNED TO A RECORD LABEL, INCLUDING A SEND OUT TO 819 PRODUCTIONS, WHO THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THROUGH PLAYING WITH THE ODD NUMBERS. A COUPLE WEEKS WENT BY AND THEY RECEIVED A CALL FROM RAY STEVENS(OWNER OF 819, FORMER BASS PLAYER FOR ODD MAN OUT, FACTION, ETC., PRODUCER OF BETTER LIFE AND ALL AROUND GREAT FUCKING GUY. DID I MENTION HE IS ALSO THE SINGER OF CLAY WHEELS WHO HAS A 7" OUT ON SUPER SPEEDWAY SO AFTER YOU LOOK AT ALL THIS BULLSHIT CHECK THEM OUT. ANYWAY RAY CALLED AND SAID HE WASN'T IN THE POSITION TO SIGN THEM BUT WOULD LIKE THE CHANCE TO RECORD THEM. FINALLY AFTER SETTING TWO DATES SUBSIDE MADE THEIR WAY OUT TO CALIFORNIA WITH LIMITED FUNDS AND NO PLACE TO STAY TO RECORD WHAT WOULD BE BETTER LIFE. MEETING UP WITH RAY AND TOM BARTASI(OWNER OF SUPERSPEEDWAY) AT A BEACH IN SANTA CRUZ. THEY SPENT THE DAY JUST HANGING OUT TO CREATE SOME SORT OF COMFORT ZONE IN THE STUDIO. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS OF PRE PRODUCTION AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER A LITTLE BETTER. THEY STARTED MAKING THEIR DAILY TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCOS STOUT STUDIO. WHERE THEY MET UP WITH RANDY BURK (ENGINEER OF BETTER LIFE/OWNER OF STOUT)AFTER A 5 LONG DAYS IN THE STUDIO THE RECORDING AND ORIGINAL MIXING WAS FINALLY COMPLETED. AFTER TWO WEEKS IN S.J.AND GETTING KICKED OFF THE STAGE AT SAN FRANCISCOS PURPLE ONION FOR PLAYING TOO LOUD SUBSIDE DECIDED TO MAKE THE TREK HOME. AFTER A BREAKDOWN IN AMARILLO,TX, 3 DAYS LATER, 20 GALLONS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID, A NEW TRANSMISSION AND A BIG THANKS TO SAMS PARENTS FOR THE CASH THEY FINALLY MADE IT HOME. WHEN THEY GOT BACK THEY PLAYED THEIR FINAL SHOWS THAT SUMMER WITH THE LIKES OF BETTER THAN EZRA MUSTARD PLUG, TELEGRAPH AND AS ALWAYS SLURR. TENSION WAS GROWING BETWEEN BAND MEMBERS ABOUT ALL SORTS OF THINGS INCLUDING MONEY, DRINKING AND FAILURE TO SHOW UP FOR PRACTICE. THE BAND BROKE UP AND WEEKS LATER WAS SIGNED TO SUPERSPEEDWAY RECORDS. THE INTENTION AT THE TIME WAS TO JUST PUT OUT THE RECORD AND THAT WOULD BE IT. AS OF RIGHT NOW THE BAND HAS DECIDED TO GET BACK TOGETHER AND PROMOTE THE ALBUM AS WELL AS WORK ON NEW SONGS. TO DATE NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE NEW SHIT WILL SOUND LIKE AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF EACH PERSON GOING THEIR SEPARATE WAYS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MONTE AND SAM. REGARDLESS IT SHOULD BE GOOD SHIT ANYWAY AND AS ALWAYS FUN AS HELL TO SEE. POSTSCRIPT: ALAS THE REFORMED SUBSIDE WAS SHORT LIVED AS THE BOYS BROKE UP FOR GOOD IN 2001. THEIR MUSIC HOWEVER LIVES ON WITH "ONE DAY HABIT" RELEASE, GIVING US A GLIMPSE OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. |
