Music With Bands

Dum Cumpsters

Dum Cumpsters emerged from the ashes of our former band, Royal Shits. With a new bassist and fresh songs, we were determined to make our mark on the San Diego punk and hardcore scene. This photo was taken at our rehearsal space in Escondido, CA. The bond we shared was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced musically – we were a true family. They played at my wedding. We performed at our friend's funeral. We toured together. We knew each other inside and out. One of the highlights of our journey was our ultra DIY recording session for our demo, where we teamed up with our good friends Mike Gray and Daniel Lloyd at V-hive Records in South Park, San Diego. We recorded with the raw energy and grit that defined our sound, capturing the spirit of the scene we loved so much. Of all the bands I've been part of, Dum Cumpsters was the easiest to groove with and, not surprisingly, the longest-running group I’ve ever played in. I think about them every day and miss them deeply.

Personel:
Crystal Brandan - Vocals
Jeremy Lambright - Bass
Gene Mope - Drums
Walks Tall Keith - Guitar, Vocals on Jealous
Tamara Harrison (Tomo) - Backing Vocals on Jealous

Listen to our demo on Bandcamp

L-R: Walks Tall Keith, Jeremy Lambright, Crystal Brandan, Gene Mope

Royal Shits

Royal Shits was the brainchild of our fearless leader, Kurt Shit. Kurt was a visionary genius with a precise concept for our band's sound and overall aesthetic. He even orchestrated our studio time at the legendary Doubletime Recording Studio under the engineering direction of renowned Jeff Forest. Kurt's leadership brought out the best and worst in all of us, and together, we collaborated to create a killer record that you can still find on the shelves of many local record shops across southern California.

Personel:
Crystal Brandan - Vocals
Kurt Shit - Bass
Gene Mope - Drums
Walks Tall Keith - Guitar

Listen to our demo on Soundcloud

L-R: Gene Mope (top), Kurt Shit (bottom), Walks Tall Keith, Crystal Brandan

Wastage

Wastage was my introduction to performing at music venues. Until that point, I had only played at house parties and garages. I first met the lead singer, Crystal Brandan, at San Diego State University and we became best friends. When Crystal asked me to play guitar for Wastage, I never would have guessed we'd be glued together for the next ten years playing in not one but three bands. Crystal was, and still is, my partner in crime, my #1 musical collaborator, and my dearest friend. Wastage was unlike any band I'd ever heard before. A unique blend of dark horror metal mixed with mythological psychedelic stoner punk. The time signatures and melodies were all very technical and challenged me as a musician. I spent most of my time on stage doing math in my head while trying to keep time with an insane guitar player and a rock solid drummer. We had some times, man....

Personel:
Crystal Brandan - Vocals
Walks Tall Keith- Bass
Mellissa Kay - Drums
Chris Hammett - Guitar & Vocals

See our live performances on YouTube

L-R: Mellissa Kay, Walks Tall Keith (top), Stephanie Anne (bottom), Chris Hammett (top right), Crystal Brandan (bottom right)

Violent Peace and the Old People

My freshman year at San Diego State, I was a staff writer for the student-led satirical comedy newspaper The Koala. When they announced plans for the 2009 St. Patty’s Day party, I volunteered my band to perform. Violent Peace and the Old People (VPOP) was a ragtag group of high school graduates who had only been playing together for a few months and could barely play their instruments. After we were booked for the party, we later discovered that the Chief Editor of The Koala had a family connection to Slightly Stoopid—and that we were going to be their opening act. Needless to say, we spent that entire school year neglecting our homework, skipping class, and, well, not getting laid, all in the name of preparing for the performance of our lives. Of course, on the day of the show, we found out Slightly Stoopid had a last-minute conflict and wouldn’t be able to make it. So when we showed up to the party, we found ourselves performing for a room full of very disappointed people who came expecting a major, well-known band—but instead, they got us: a bunch of dumb kids who had no idea what we were doing. Still, we played our hearts out.

Personel:
*Vocals on Going Back to Feudalism
Caleb Roitz - Vocals, *
Walks Tall Keith - Bass, Vocals and Drums
Mike Brown - Drums, Guitar and Vocals
Wolf - Lead Guitar
Ben Meis - Rhythm Guitar, *
Mike Weisgerber - Alto Saxophone, *
Rachel Huckaby - *
Bobby Schult - Audio Tech, Roadie

Saturday Night Special

Damn Dirty Apes

Noise

Turn of the Century

Walkin' Man

Going Back to Feudalism

Sugar Pussies

Sugar Pussies was my first band, and it was the most influential period of my life. I was brought into the fold by my friend, Andrew Grano, who had just started learning bass. When he asked me to be their lead singer, I answered the call. The band was formed by Joey Mann, the youngest member, who was only a freshman then. We only played one official show: the Scripps Ranch High School Battle of the Bands. That year changed everything for me. Joey was a brilliant songwriter, lyricist, and multi-instrumentalist who taught us how to write, structure songs, and add emotion and color through music. Mike Gattrell, a wild musical virtuoso, was the greatest guitarist I’ve ever known. He could play anything and everything, and he still blows my mind. We only had a short time together, but in the early days of Sugar Pussies—singing songs like No Control and Bomb the Suburbs—felt like a spiritual awakening. I had struggled with thoughts of suicide during high school, but those guys saved my life. Asking me to sing gave me a voice, and I realized it mattered. After high school, the band carried on for a while. Grano went off to college, so I picked up bass. Joey got too busy with other bands, so my friend Mike Brown joined on drums. We spent one last summer together in the garage, lighting a candle to our childhoods, until Mike Gattrell left for the Coast Guard. Before his departure, we managed to record our songs with the help of our very talented friend Patrick Krier of PK Sound in the attic of what used to be Upholstery by Knox on Claremont Mesa Boulevard in San Diego, CA. Each track was raw, live, one take, and mastered by Patrick in exchange for a case of Corona. These tracks are a time capsule for a moment in our lives when the future was bright and all we wanted to do was make music. Only months after recording the album came the heartbreaking news that Joey Mann, our original drummer and founder, had taken his own life. By then, he was only a junior in high school. Losing Joey nearly shattered us, but his influence never left. He was the driving force behind everything we did, and his spirit lives on in these recordings. Joey taught us more than just how to play; he showed us the power of creativity, friendship, and living in the moment. His impact on all of us is something we carry with us every day.

Personel:
*not featured in the recording
Mike Gattrell - Lead Guitar (& Drums on Guns a Blazin')
Andrew Grano - *Bass (& Keyboard on Welcome to Grandville)
Walks Tall Keith - Vocals & Bass
Joey Mann - *Drums
Mike Brown - Drums (& Guitar on Guns a Blazin')
Rachel Huckaby - Vocals on Problem and The Pants Song

L-R: Andrew Grano, Joey Mann, Mike Gattrell, Walks Tall Keith

L-R: Walks Tall Keith, Mike Gattrell, Mike Brown

Frankenstein

Bomb the Suburbs

Stranger

Problem

The Pants Song

Ride

California Sun (by Henry Glover)

No Control

Welcome to Grandville

Guns a Blazin'