Mordred and The Ghost Next Door at Bottom of the Hill
Many San Francisco venues have the advantage of being centrally located or near areas with lots of foot traffic. Other venues, like Bottom of the Hill (located at 17th & Texas Streets), are located off the grid and only draw folks to the area that already made plans well in advance.
Talent buyer Ramona Downey, who has done a splendid job of booking local, regional, national, and international talent for years, hit yet another home run Friday night when she booked the Bay Area’s once dormant Mordred to play a warm-up date before its European tour.
Not only was the turnout solid, a veritable who’s who of the local scene from the much missed Omni (now defunct venue in Oakland) and The Stone (also closed but once located in San Francisco on Broadway amid a bevy of strip clubs) days was in attendance.
Berkeley’s The Ghost Next Door played main support and dished out a heaping serving of experimental and slightly progressive rock and metal as the night’s support act.
The band recently released its self-titled album on Mausoleum Records, a Belgium-based label who’ve put out records by the likes of Voivod, Warhead, Ostrogoth, Hirax, and Hawkwind.
The band’s setlist included tracks from the new album including the plodding “Eleven O’Clock Blues” which is fast becoming the band’s hit on YouTube. Although the band’s sound shows hard rock leanings that point toward Alice In Chains or even Gruntruck, it has much more going on live and is far darker in scope. Also of worthy mention and soon to be a fan favorite as evidenced by crowd reaction, was a new song called “Behind The Mask” marked by subtle and then abrupt mood shifts.
Drummer Paula Sisson and bassist Seanam Gridley worked wonders together against the formidable guitar onslaught of Aaron Ashgari and bandleader / singer Gary Wendt (previously of thrash legends Sacrilege B.C. and Release).
After a brief set change, Mordred exploded onto the stage just around 11:30 p.m. and hit its hungry fans hard with “State Of Mind,” the lead track from its long out-of-print Fool’s Game record released in 1989. From then on, nearly everyone cleared out of the back patio area to hear classics many haven’t heard in 30 years.
For the uninitiated, Mordred came onto the scene in 1984. And while the group started out as a much different beast playing heavy metal, band member changes ensued and its eventual sound — a rap, funk, and metal hybrid — got the band signed to Noise Records. Consequently, the band landed a coveted support slot playing overseas supporting Ice T & Body Count and became a headliner abroad seemingly overnight.
Singer Scott Holderby, who once mirrored a young Mike Patton during his early Mr. Bungle and Faith No More days, looked and sounded great though missing his long, trademark mane and opting for a clean-faced, black clothes mafioso-style ensemble.
Art Liboon’s bass was most deafening at the start of the set and made songs like “Spectacle Of Fear”and “Killing Time” sound immense but, at times, quite nerve-racking in the main room. Unfortunately, he would later encounter some technical issues which the band would eventually find out was a fried cord.
Jeff Gomes (of Fungo Mungo and M.I.R.V. fame), who replaced previous drummer Gannon Hall awhile back, was ferocious on his custom Montineri drum kit and often led the band into the next song with a hard-hitting groove. Although he played the original songs like “Everyday’s A Holiday” a lot harder and was certainly more cymbal heavy than his predecessor, his style worked alarmingly well with the band against the backdrop of guitarists Danny White and James Sanguinetti.
Other highlights included “The Vagrant” from the hard-to-find Vision EP featuring the highly talented DJ Aaron “Pause” Vaughn on the 1’s and 2’s and older fare like “Sever And Splice” which featured some nice guitar handy work by Sanguinetti.
Unlike some of the current indie and rock scenes, the Bay Area thrash scene during the late ’80s was a tight-knit community. Judging by the many smiles on members and ex-members of Mordred, Forbidden, and Death Angel in attendance (as well as many lesser known local bands of note), this Friday evening couldn’t have been any better and a friendly reminder what a special time it was to be making music back then.
Seeing drunken thirty and forty-somethings slam dancing with shit-eating grins was a laugh and a half. Many ended up in the pit after being randomly shoved in, only adding to the fun.
Europe, you’re in for a big treat come early August. Buy your tickets now.
Critic’s Notebook:
— Thalmus Pace, Mordred’s longtime roadie and friend, was the star and obvious MVP of the night. He stood side stage during the band’s 100+ minute set holding bottles of Blue Moon beer and a constantly lit joint. But instead of delivering it to the band in between songs (as customary), Pace dodged between members like a true professional, delivering herb and libations to DJ Pause while many stood in awe at his ability to criss-cross the stage without running into anyone.
— Bottom of the Hill still has one of the greatest auras of any Bay Area venue and always has a smart, friendly staff who engage and still talk to customers. Even if you only visit once a year, it’s a special place that always recalls good times. From the doorman to the bar staff, any club owner would kill to have these folks in their crew.
— Parking in this area is always easy unlike other Bay Area clubs. Should you see something that piques your interest, this is one place where you won’t have to circle the block of the club for 30 or more minutes. Once more, they serve up some great pub grub so you don’t need to leave during the show if you’re hungry. Order early, as it can close down if orders are slow.
(SF Weekly)