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Pop Culture Press Review
Baby Robots
Ten Year High
Bunkhaus Records
A probabilistic algorithm of sounds; Austin transplant (by way of Florida) Bobby Baker’s Baby Robots hint at everything from Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr to Spacemen 3 and Brother JT to the Tall Dwarves and the Butthole Surfers. Like watching Fantasia to Spacemen 3, their psychedelic potential (epitomized by their adroit cover of Pink Floyd’s "Astronomy Domine") is obvious. The songs on Ten Year High ("a collection of unreleased recordings and experimentaions from the Florida years, plus two brand new Austin ones") have a certain elastic quality to them - the notes slide and bend in and out of tune, like that point during an acid trip when your mind dives overover the deep-end and everything moves at a different speed and objects come into view from alternate perspectives. It’s enough to bring a tear of pride to the third eyes of at least two historic Austinites of the psychedelic persuasion : Roky Erikson and Gibby Haynes. But be forwarned; occasionally, Ten Year High elicits a random scream of "my mind is melting" - but it’s only the music, so just sit back, and enjoy the trip. It’s only right and natural.
-Don Simpson -
BOTS TOUR BLOG
DAY 1
SUNDAY SEP. 9
BOBBY: The first day was a doozy! On preparing to embark on our 15 hour drive to Atlanta, My 20 year old cat Tinker decided to throw in the towel. I have to thank her for sparing us the agony of checking out while we were away. It would have sucked really bad for us, especially for our friend Heather, who was nice enough to stay at our place, who also would have had to clean up bloody vomit and stool!! So at this time...I want to dedicate this tour to "Rink-ie". She was a good girl and she was a good friend. (sigh...) Other than that, things went relatively well. Thankfully, the trek was uneventful and boring. Doug was a good boy and I don't think anyone wanted to strangle him, not even once. We left Austin at 11am and got to Atlanta 'bout 5am. We're staying with Shannon, an old friend from South Florida and her husband Mike. They do tons of stuff in the Atlanta scene. I'll report more on that later. I guess the highlight of our day, a day where we spent 16 hours in a rental van smoking joints and telling stupid jokes, would have to be our dinner at a fuckin' Crackle Barrel in Louisianna . I know they're an evil restaurant who hates homosexuals, but damn they make good chicken fried steaks and chicken and dumplings etc.!!! It was a great dinner, for reals! I got us to Atlanta safe and sound. So there, it was a good day. We didn't need to use an AK! Tell Dirty Kittty and Silas and Strudel and Bats and Lemons and Basil we miss them .
RIP Gran.
DAY 2 - ATLANTA
MONDAY SEP. 10
Ol' DOUG: Monday. Usually a day of dread for most Americans. Not for us, cause we don't have to wake up and go to our jobs. Hahahaha. Our day started with deliciousness. Food from the gods or god in this case. Big Mike Big Mike!! That man can cook. Off to Williams Street where they make Adult Swin. Got a behind the scenes tour of the smallish but potent complex and a sneak peak at a Aqua Teen hunger Force episode that may or man not make it to broadcast. How the fuck does Ted Turner sleep at night knowing he is corrupting millions with The ATHF?? Stopped at a bar called Vortex for a afternoon beer then back to the bunker for a nap. Off to the club. Unload gear. Ate some good food then played an decent set. Hell it was a Monday night, gimme me a break. In the end the rock came through and we got our wads off. Not to mention almost $100 in cash. I can smell that gasoline now. Well I need some coffee or I kill you all. More later...Thanks a million times to Shannon and Big Mike for hospitality fit for kings and queens. You guys rules.
GLENN: breakfast by big mike - bbq grilled salmon with curry and pancakes, need i say more?. . . at the show free meal burgers and sweet potato fries . . . jodi greenburg was there in full force. rob best showed up but couldn't stay to see us play because it was a late monday night. tim from milky filth and his wife donna were ultimate fans.
DAY 3 - CHAPEL HILL
TUESDAY SEP. 11
BOBBY: We ate some super duper scooper chewper BBQ in Chapel Hill! Or was it Durham? I dunno. Glenn did some BBQ research and our adventures landed us at the Back Yard BBQ Pit. It was amazing. I got the pork ribs with turnip greens and macaroni & cheese. SO GOOD!! I don't know what the other assholes in my band got. It looked good too though. Killer Karolina BBQ!! After yummy BBQ we head on over to the Night Light...YES! Inspector 22 and Bramble Ramblers killed it with some really cool experimental stuff. Cool drony shit with a paper shredder shredding thru effects. I want to thank the other dudes from the Kingsbury Manx for doin' some acoustic versions of their tunes (and Tubeway Army too!). Some nice couple liked Baby Robots sooo much, they offered to make us breakfast! We declined and went back to Clarque and Caroline's...got mega wasted drunk. Well I did, anyway. Rumor has it that I was found on a cushion-less couch in my boxers muttering the word "Comet". More on that later...
GLENN: food perfection in the form of pork, collard greens, black eyed peas, and hush puppies(i miss ella!)
DAYS 4+5 - NEW YORK CITY
WEDNESDAY SEP. 12 / THURSDAY SEP. 13
BOBBY: New York New York is everything they say and no place I'd rather be. Where else can you do a half a million things? All at a quarter to 3. When they play that music, oh that modern music, they pack it with a lot of style...Words of wisdom from my favorite well hung rock star, Huey Lewis. Seriously, he has a 12 inch cock. I worked with a lady who fucked him. FOR REAL! Anyhoo, NYC was fun filled craziness. We went into the city pretty early, walked around central park, bumped into Lee Ranaldo at Grand Central Station, whom Tamara is on a first name basis with I might add. In the subway, we saw a man doing a rendition of "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. He did a bang up job! Hilarious! We ate at Glenn's favorite russian restauraunt Velselka. Yummy stuff. Oh yeah, we went to the MOMA too. I got to see, for the first time, Jackson Pollock's works. Dream come true! The show at the Cakeshop was great. Megan Reilly blew me away. Beautiful voice. Beautiful songs. Her band : The drummer of the Mekons & the bass player for Pere Ubu & guitar player from Patti Smith & Eric Morrison on piano & his wife Jenny on clarinet & accordian & backing vocals. Wow! Home was great too. They played a bunch of super old songs. I guess Brad is on tour with Animal Collective, so he wasn't there. But they killed it anyway. My hero, Chris Sturgeon played bass for them on a song. It was so good to see all the Florida love at the Cakeshop. At one point, I counted 15 people from the Sunshine State. I love you all. Off to Baltimore...
GLENN: this tour is insane!!! i don't think i've flossed in three days!!! but seriously, veselka restaurant was achieved, but the bots didn't like the service and now la bamba II might go to number one in the charts . . .
DAY 6 - BALTIMORE
FRIDAY SEP. 15
TAMARA: Hi, it's me, Tamara. So I've been instructed to tell the tale of Friday September 12?
My story goes like this... we ride with Eric Morrison from his lovely home (ed:in upstate NY) to Baltimore. Events include a random grandma receiving dental surgery in the back of a pick up truck, $4 bottled water, pulling into Baltimore so tired that Bobby & I accidentally walked into Tim Kearley's neighbor's house. (in our defense, all the flats looked strikingly similar). We just thought "awlriiight, more people showed up!" but they didn't recognize us, nor did we remember them.
So we played the Golden West. The vibe was smooth and welcoming. So many sweet familiar faced ones. Stacy (YET another former Floridian) was there. Love em. Kim was trying to give us cash for the band fund because she's beautiful, but we made her video our show instead. I was in a rare good mood. Heather made me laugh with stories of life as a wild dance party unto herself. How does she manage to drink so much scotch & National Bohemian (Natty bo's to those in the know) & remain vertical, while navigating spiral staircases in 6-inch heels? Monarch, we are convinced will be famous & loved. They are so very good, but surprisingly young in years, & still sweethearts! Thank you to Tim & family for a fantastic day & night of good people, surroundings & music!!!
Next day we rockin' rolled back into rehab. Then ate a fantastic meal, including bloody marys, corn pancakes, fried bananas, firey chorizo. Beany Sabiney, the 2 ft-and- change-genius, stole my heart (and you know how anti-breeder I can be). Hampden Fest was happenin' crazy with meats & faux meats alike. We walked in the sunlight & enjoyed the cool breeze.
GLENN: cheesesteaks at tony luke's in philly on the way to baltimore, top notch but people's stomach's whimpy . . . . my cheesesteak accidently placed on top of burger king whopper, the next day to have pit beef placed on top of that . . . bobby really scared of rare pit beef . . .hampden fest staurday afternoon in baltimore, great pictures of meat, stole a menu from the breakfast place (same place the show was at the night before)
BOBBY: I love Baltimore! I love you Tim! Off to Philly to play with my 1 & 2 favorite bands in the whole universe!
DAY 7 - PHILADELPHIA
SATURDAY SEP. 16
BOBBY: We hit some shitty traffic right before we got into town. ROCK OUT! Took acid and had a blast. JT & Alumbrados blew my fricken' mind. I'll have to tell you all about it later....mind is not working correctly....yet.
. . . Philadelphia was the clincher. We played a killer warehouse party with Alumbrados (Bardo Pond minus Clint Takeda, I miss you Clint!!) & the super fantastic Brother JT!! It was one of the best shows we ever played. When we got into Philly, a strange man called out my name...it was Steve Gigante! I was like...whoa!! So of course he sat in with JT. Kim came up from Maryland to the show, and also Eric & Stacy witnessed the craziness too. It was a psychedelic party for the ages. I'll never forget! We spent the night at the Bardo Pond Compound with John & Isobel. They cooked us breakfast and dropped us off at the Mutter's Museum. I was still feeling the effects of the...party, so I walked around and laughed at the babies in jars and all the other oddities. Tamara yelled at me. I couldn't help it!! Afterwards, we got some killer Indian take-out and went back to John & Isobel's pad and chilled the fuck out. They are the most amazingly nice people. I totally love them so much. Their music AND their hearts. Smmoooch!!! Now I'm home with my cats. Thanks for keeping up with us. See you soon.