10.8.2008 - SF Weekly 3.1.2007 - Jerseybeat 2.20.2007 - Mog.com 2.20.2007 - Blogcritics 2.6.2007 - Daily Rock 1.6.2007 - Sleazegrinder 2.3.2006 - Ali Gua Gua - blog 12.1.2005 - One Way/ Kaleidoscope 11.24.2005 - Splendid 10.1.2005 - CultureBunker 10.1.2005 - Terminal Boredom 9.9.2005 - High Bias 8.16.2005 - NowOnTour 8.15.2005 - Left Off the Dial 8.12.2005 - Pop Matters Media 7.29.2005 - Swiss Radio (Switzerland) 7.19.2005 - Midheaven Music Mailorder 7.1.2005 - Toxic Flyer 7.1.2005 - Razorcake 6.24.2005 - Nacho Cheese and Anarchy 6.1.2005 - The Odyssey 6.1.2005 - Bite Me! 6.1.2005 - Skratch 6.1.2005 - Panache Magazine 5.29.2005 - John Shelton Ivany Top 21 5.27.2005 - Blogcritics 5.26.2005 - Salt Lake City Weekly 5.19.2005 - Des Moines Register 5.19.2005 - The Pitch - Kansas City 5.12.2005 - Time Out New York 5.11.2005 - Nashville Rage 5.7.2005 - Sleazegrinder 5.6.2005 - San Antonio Express-News 5.1.2005 - babysue 5.1.2005 - New York Waste 5.1.2005 - Ear Candy 5.1.2005 - Rocknworld 4.28.2005 - Horrorwood Babble-On 3.7.2005 - Swiss Radio (Switzerland) 10.1.2004 - Ink 19 6.9.2004 - Desperation Squad - Blog 6.7.2004 - Arcata Eye 6.3.2004 - Desperation Squad - Blog 3.20.2004 - Splendid 3.8.2004 - Indieville 11.1.2003 - babysue 10.6.2003 - Delusions of Adequacy 9.24.2003 - Greg Bolsinga - Blog 9.1.2003 - SF Bay Guardian 7.2.2003 - SF Weekly 7.1.2003 - Walla! (Israel) 2.26.2003 - East Bay Express 2.1.2003 - Splendid 1.1.2003 - Stylus Magazine (U. of Winnipeg) 12.13.2002 - Exclaim (Canada) 12.2.2002 - Splendid 11.27.2002 - SF Weekly 11.18.2002 - Indieville 10.1.2002 - Mote Magazine 10.1.2002 - Eddie Shaw (The Monks) - Blog 12.1.2001 - Ruta 66 (Spain) 11.1.2001 - DocRock Show (Germany) 10.19.2001 - El Correo - Bilbao (Spain) 10.19.2001 - El Correo - Granada (Spain) 10.18.2001 - Egunkaria (Basque Country) 10.1.2001 - IndyRock/ Ideal Diario (Spain) 9.1.2001 - The Vox 7.1.2001 - Realmusik (Germany) 7.1.2001 - dreamers.com (Spain) 5.1.2001 - Rock de Luxe (Spain) 3.1.2001 - Pack de So (Catalunya) 3.1.2001 - BAM Magazine 2.1.2001 - Karma Dice (Spain) 1.1.2001 - Top Music (Spain) 1.1.2001 - 40. Magazine (Spain) 1.1.2001 - Vibora (Spain) 1.1.2001 - unknown (Catalunya) 12.1.2000 - Zona LP (Spain) 12.1.2000 - Bad Magazine (Spain) 4.9.1999 - BAM Magazine 4.1.1999 - Toast Magazine 12.18.1998 - BAM Magazine 9.1.1998 - SnackCake! 8.18.1998 - SF Bay Guardian 8.1.1998 - Magnet 7.1.1998 - Amplifier Magazine 5.1.1998 - CMJ New Music Report

Date: 6.3.2004 Author: Mr. P Magazine: Desperation Squad - Blog THE D-SQUAD LEGEND GROWS You'll have to forgive the Graves Brothers Deluxe if they feel that things would have turned out differently if only the D-Squad hadn't shown up to play. The plucky band from San Francisco had everything going their way. They had booked a good show at one of the top and most influential clubs in California, Spaceland in Los Angeles, they had secured the services of a popular local band, Third Grade Teacher, to headline and sell more tickets, and they had blown through what was by any measure a successful show in front of an approving crowd of Tuesday night club crawlers, they earned a little money at the door and even managed to sell some merch. By the time most of their LA-based well-wishers had paid their respects to the band and gone off into the night, the Graves Brothers had every reason to believe that they would be back at Spaceland someday, with a better slot and more support. And, indeed, if the show had finished at midnight, when Third Grade Teacher stopped playing, they would at this very moment be regaling their fans about the wonderful show they played in Los Angeles and planning a return trip. However, the show wasn't over, not by a long shot. The Desperation Squad was still left on the bill, though this meant nothing to about 90% of the crowd, who walked out without even a cursory glance in the direction of the band, despite the fact that D-Squad was hand-picked to play by old friends Third Grade Teacher as a favor. The Squad had last played Spaceland in Oct. 2001. And though the Squad was not overjoyed by playing in front of yet another near-empty club (really the only people left were members of the other bands), they still took the stage with the same energy and verve they would if there was 2000 people in attendance. In fact, the beginning of the set was so fiercely aggressive that what was left of the crowd immediately began dancing ferociously. By the time the tortillas started flying, and the mayonaisse and cheese sandwiches were offered, at least two members of the Graves Brothers started getting extremely rowdy and began pestering the band by throwing non-approved items on the stage, at first wadded up newspapers and beer bottles and so forth. This culminated in a bizarre raid of the Spaceland mens room where they appropriated a waste basket and a huge piece of floor tile and threw those on stage as well (smacking Mr. P in the shin and drawing blood). Whatever wild energy was being chanelled from the D-Squad to Graves Brothers Deluxe, it lasted for the whole entire set. Afterwards, Mr. P scanned the club for a sign of the band, especially the curly haired singer who was responsible for the lions share of the harrasment, including trying to stick a beer bottle up Mr. P's ass. He was told the singer was outside getting reprimanded by a Spacland staff member for his overtly unseemly behavior. In fact, the Graves Brother singer was informed that he was kicked out of the club for life! Mr. P went outside and confirmed this. The singer, named Stu, at first only said, "We've been banned because of your band." And it was true. Though the other two members of the band emerged unscathed, Stu had in essence blown the deal for the whole band, as now they can never return for another gig (unless they get another singer). And while everyone assembled tried to put the best spin on it as they possibly could, the full weight of the banishment could been easily gauged by the hang-dog I-didn't-actually-do-that look on Stu's face. But he did. He did and he and his band payed a fairly steep price. Too steep, that's for sure, but that is for others to judge. As Mr. P pointed out to Stu, this same behavior would have barely raised an eyebrow at a place like Mr. T's Bowl, where the D-Squad has been physically attacked on stage on several occasions. And to soften the blow, the Squad made a gift of a couple of their CDs, just so the band could relive the exciting night over and over again. Still, one has to marvel at how the whole dynamic of the night changed considerably when a band that almost no one even bothered to stick around and watch managed to scuttle another band's hopes and dreams, by doing nothing more than playing and not calling in a tank gig, although they could have easily done so. If the D-Squad doesn't play, the Graves Brothers Deluxe return. But D-Squad did indeed play, spread their foul message once again, and this time they managed to take another band down with them and the band won't be returning, at least not to the influential Spaceland booking consortium. No word yet if the D-Squad was summarily banned. (But you just have to figure they won't be asked back either!) And that, my friends, is the power of rock and roll!