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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2003)
BY VANESSA SALVIA The Detonators reunite Friday at John Henry’s. HOT & SPICY! SALSA DANCE EVERY! SATURDAY NIGHT! 8:00 pm - Midnight • All ages $4 FREE DANCE LESSONS Beginning-Intermediate 8-9 pm STUDIO-B 189 W. 8TH ST. • EUGENE (ABOVE BRENNER’S FURNITURE STORE) Punk Politics Detonators regroup to blast Bush. wenty years ago Bruce Hartnell was 22, roaming the streets of Redondo Beach, Calif., armed with a guitar and powerful anger over the country’s politi- cal situation with Ronald Reagan as presi- dent. Along with his friend, guitarist Juan Camacho, Hartnell formed The Detonators. California in the early ’80s was punk’s heyday, and The Detonators shared the stage with The Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, MDC, The Misfits, Fear, Discharge, Husker Du, D.O.A. ... the list goes on. Hartnell calls The Detonators “a working class-style punk band,” which uses a political approach to music like Stiff Little Fingers, Sham 69 and D.O.A. “When we started, the line of what punk rock was was definitely drawn. The whole punk rock thing for me was all about taking a stand,” he says. On Friday at John Henry’s Hartnell and Camacho join with drummer Scott Adamo and bassist Kirk Black for a gig timed to com- memorate The Detonators’ release of its first LP, Emergency Broadcast Systems, 20 years ago. The band put out two more full-length LPs, many singles and several songs on com- pilations. The musicians toured North America and Europe extensively, then relo- cated to Eugene in 1987. Hartnell formed other bands around town, including Los Mex Pistols del Norte. Camacho stayed active in the Eugene music scene, and is currently playing with Crimes of Ambition. The two haven’t played together as The Detonators since 1997. “Now that we’ve got some of the same guys running things as we had when Reagan was in office, and seeing how the mood of the country is right now, it’s got me wanting to play more punk rock and have these songs be heard again,” says Hartnell. Black played with The Detonators from 1993 to 1997 and Adamo played with them on the band’s third LP, Balls to You. Adamo is currently based in Portland and drummed with King Black Acid. Two fine hardcore acts from Portland are coming down to pay homage to The Detonators: The Weaklings and Blackjack. Local hardcore band The Bastard Saints will also play. Sam Bond’s will host a CD release party T Saturday for local “nuevo tango” sensations Mood Area 52. The self-titled CD features nine songs written by accordionist Michael Roderick, one by cellist Amy Danziger and one arrangement of the traditional tune “La Paloma.” Guitarist Adam Wendt, saxophon- ists Kee Zublin and David Roderick and vio- linist Anthony Dyer are also members. Mood Area 52’s instrumental music moves gently California in the early ’80s was punk’s heyday, and The Detonators shared the stage with The Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, MDC, The Misfits, Fear, Discharge, Husker Du, D.O.A. ... the list goes on. from tango rhythms to old-world melodies, anchored by Roderick’s skilled accordion playing. Close your eyes, and it’s easy to imagine yourself in a French café on a shad- owy cobblestone street, or in a gypsy village under the stars. Roderick enjoys composing film scores, and would like to do more of this with Mood Area 52. “I think we all harbor the aspirations of doing music for films,” says Roderick, “So I’m trying to shop this record- ing around in the hopes that someone will be interested in using it in that sort of context. We’re opening for ourselves [at the CD re- lease show] as a slightly different manifesta- tion, doing the score to the silent film Nosferatu. It will be the first and perhaps only time we’ll perform with a drummer.” Roderick is referring to Jim West from The Walkabout Trio who will join MA 52 on stage. Pianist Dustin Lanker, from The Cherry Poppin’Daddies and The Visible Men will also sit in with the band, and possibly marimba player Derek Trost. The film will run for an hour before Mood Area 52 takes the stage at 10 pm. Roderick started a record label to release this CD and plans to release material from Wheel of Meat, a brass band he also performs with. If you were lucky enough to hear MA 52 perform at the recent Chef’s Night Out event, you already know you don’t want to miss this show. ew APRIL 24 2003 23
