*** Please note: I am not a writer. I destroy the English language on a daily basis. You mad? Sorry, dawg. ***

So lets just start out by saying I’ve always been a fan of Check Yo Ponytail. I had been seeing all these crazy lineups from the first incarnation of CYP and not only was I highly impressed, but really jealous that Franki got to put parties like this together, but also that people got to see these as well. Coming from Portland, OR, where there just isn’t a way to support something like this. Check Yo is a rare, special thing.

I got really excited when Franki brought CYP back. I was like “Oh shit… He’s back” He had been chillin for a bit on stuff, and the first handful of lineups, it was like damn! But it wasn’t just the lineups. There was the website, which was super clean, and the great photos, the great mixtapes and the recap videos which was legit the clincher. I could be a part of the show without having to be there. It was a complete total package. Nothing like it.

So when I saw Franki announce the Andrew WK x Wavves x Trash Talk show, my jaw dropped. I was already planning on being in the bay around that time, so I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to extend my trip and jump down to LA for this. I hit Franki up; we’ve been contacting each other around this time quite a bit, catching up and talking about having a Portland band I was helping out, Reporter, play a CYP. “Hey, Im in Cali during this, and Trash Talk are good friends of mine, can I possibly jump on and DJ for a little bit?” “Sure, I got money for you, come down!”. Damn. I’ve known the Trash Talk dudes for years. From Leeroy topening the doors of West Coast World Wide when he was 14, them moving to Seattle, hanging and booking them in Portland for years. They had just all moved to LA a little before this and moved into 119. So to DJ with the squad in LA at CYP was definitely kinda unbelievable.

I came down a couple days before the show. Got to go Disneyland for the first time in years, went to my first Mustache. Next day I hung out at a friends, prepped for my set then rolled out to the Echoplex. Franki greeted me at the door, and told me to ” talk to Zane. You know each other”. Who the fuck is Zane? Then I go find this kid Zane, sorta looked familiar, he looked me up and down like I was familiar as well, and he sorted me onstage etc. Franki walks by with a big ass slice of Two Boots in the middle of our conversation, (obviously we were trying to figure out how we knew each other with out saying anything) “Hey Dickheads you know each other. Zane’s Seattle, Conrad’s Portland, fucking talk” then walks past us munchin his pizza”. Check Yo starts, Franki played the opening set and drops Jawbreaker… This is why we are friends. So Zane comes up to me before the first band, Man Assasinating Man, and goes “OK I remember you. I just didn’t recognize you with out your camo shorts. I used to live w/ Ben Colton” Ahhhh, now I remember. He was the dickhead spock rocker that lived with Ben and hung out w/ the Blood Bros, makes sense. I just laughed cause he took a jab at me for being an old straight edge hardcore kid. So of course my rebuttal was “Oh word, sorry didn’t recognize you without stupid spock hair”. So obviously we hit it off instantly and still bond over our dickhead smartmouths and love for Morrissey.

TTC rolls in and all give me the whats ups. Whole squad is hyped that we’re out here, playing this crazy ass sold out gig on a Tuesday. They asked me if I like Freedia… Of course! So before their set I slapped a bounce set for them. Good times. They come on, Im already pretty drunk, drank my drink tickets, a bunch of the beer… started going buying drinks for my friend Nelson, who drove me from the bay to LA, and Nick, who were staying with. Why not right? Trash Talk crushes their set. Kids diving off the speakers, insane amounts of stage dives, literally swinging from the rafters, just goin full hammers. Did a little drunk mosh, then ran up to play my 2nd set. I met Jacob Cooper, Wavves drummer at the time, who also shares a fondness for being a shithead, for the first time, before they were about to setting up for their set. Little did I know, he’ll become my best friend after moving here. Funny world we live in.

Wavves crushed it of course. First time seeing them. Nathan and Steve playing in dresses LOL.  So I go on to play my  next set and just say fuck it. Set Andrew up nice. Opened up with New Noise (Bloody Beetroots Remix) into Slayer Angel of Death (DJ Ayres Remix) then just went  in.  Banned from the Roxy (Crass) > Sound System (Operation Ivy) > My War (Black Flag) > California Uber Alles (Dead Kennedys)> Firestorm (Earth Crisis)> This Charming Man > Girls and Boys  and closed out w/ Disco 2000 by Pulp.  That was fun.

Andrew came on and the place went berserk. More stage dives, kids dressed up like him jumping on stage and doing a little dance with him. Franki came out and brought an Andrew WK cake and smashed homie in the head with it. Haha. Turn Up. Closed out my set, kids left. Almost left my card at the bar. Closed out my tab…. Oh tite I drank my guarantee. Woops. LOL.

Went home the next day hungover, and decided as soon as I landed, that I need to move to LA. And a little less than a year later… I did. To work for IHEARTCOMIX and help book Check Yo Ponytail. Some of these memories were kinda blurry, but fuck it. You get the picture. Looking at all these pictures and seeing all these people who are were strangers at the party, now I consider family, is pretty mindblowing. This is my first Check Yo Ponytail experience, as well as my first blog entry. See you on tonight for the 3 Year Anniversary. What a strange ass trip its been…