Lux Interior of the Cramps died suddenly (was murdered) on February 4, 2009. I think it’s important to make allegations of biomedical murders where the evidence is there, and in this case, it’s there. Sudden aortic dissection, no previous heart problems, died at 4:30am. Incredibly traumatic for him and his wife.
The Cramps were a big influence on Chris’ music, and so Chris wanted to do a tribute to Lux. To this end, he put out a call on MySpace for other interested musicians who might want to form a band, learn some Cramps songs, and perform a one night tribute/benefit show. I answered the add, offering to play guitar. We started practicing probably in late February, and I’m still trying to figure out when the performance was; I’m thinking it was April 2009, at Kelly’s Olympian. Chris and I became a couple mid-March (marking our anniversary March 13-14), and sometime in April, Chris began to think about starting Boo Frog with me and the drummer we were playing with, Paul Vega.
Boo Frog played our first show at something called Shine and Show – a car show – at Eagles FOE 3256 on Hawthorne.
Unlike the Napalm Beach/Snow Bud shows, I’m documenting these shows by date rather than by venue since the post 2000s landscape is different than it was in the 1980s and 90s. There are now a lot more small venues with performance spaces (and a lot more bands as well). Also, with aside from larger venues and bigger performances, the idea of a headliner vs opening bands is not as significant. Typically these bills would be 3-4 bands. On a four band bill, the third spot was usually seen as ideal. Sometimes the playing order would shift around on the night of the show. Most of our shows were small shows like this.
Most of the following is taken from a wiki called pc-pdx.com where anyone could post show listings. Beginning in late 2009, I tried to make sure our shows were listed on this website.
We were trying to get somewhere. I was constantly sending out promotional materials, trying to get reviews, trying to book tours in the summer. In 2011 we tried to get to South by Southwest. Chris was a very strong performer and I knew Chris’ history was significant enough to make him an interesting story, and a draw.
Other than Portland, we played in Seattle. Seattle dates are not listed on this website; we probably played Seattle clubs – Funhouse, Comet Tavern, Slims – about a dozen times. I guess I noticed by 2012 there was something wrong – we were putting out good records, playing good shows, but we couldn’t draw more than about 35 people. We should have been doing much better than that. We should have been able to build a following. We should have been drawing closer to what Pierced Arrows was drawing, and we should have been able to book tours.
2009
July 18 – Shine and Show, Eagles FOE 3256 – Boo Frog went on at 7pm, and then Chris performed a second set with his band Lost Acolytes at 10pm
Note: we recorded our first album over a period of three days at the end of July, I believe it was July 28-30.
September 5 – Ash Street Saloon w Hairspray Blues and The Spokes
September 11 – Re-erect Hung Far Low Sign Benefit w/ Diamond Tuck, Pinehurst Kids, Nether Regions, the Rosenbalms, Last Regiment Of Syncopated Drummers (L.S.D.),
M.C.
Tres Shannon Of Voodoo Doughnut
October 3 – Dunes w/ Welfare State and D.J. Mark Death
October 30 – Red Room w/ Cootie Platoon, Atomic Housewives, Whoregasm
Note: there’s a listing for October 2 at Dunes w/ Hornet Leg but I don’t remember it and I suspect it didn’t happen. There’s a listing for October 10 at Red Room that may be an error, as there is no posted flyer and no other bands listed
November 7 – Duff’s Garage w/ Oblivion Seekers
November 27 – Kelly’s Olympian
December 4 – Twilight Bar and Cafe w/ Dreams Jaded
2010
March 6 – Eugenio’s – this was not Boo Frog but sort of a Chris and Erika songwriter showcase where we played some of our songs separately and together
March 19 – Plan B w/ Severance Package, Defect Defect, Amalgams
April 2 – Ash Street Saloon w/ Spider Babies, Hairspray Blues
April 16 – Music Millennium Eastside – Better Than The Rest album release
May 22 – Eugenio’s
June 17 – Plan B w/ Lonely Kings, Black Delany, Dominus Mundi
June 23 – The Know w/ Old Growth, The Glib
July 16 – Ducketts w/ Charming Birds, Watch It Sparkle
July 31 – Ash St Saloon w/ Lordy Lords, Hairspray Blues, Primitive Idols
August 12 – Knife Shop w/ Molly Bolt, Minty Rosa
September 16 – Plan B w/ Hairspray Blues, Phil White
October 6 – Satyricon w/ Ghostrance, Slutty Hearts
October 22 – Wonder Ballroom w/ Roky Erickson
November 23 – Ash Street Saloon w/ Lamprey, Zmoke, Diaeresis
November 26 – Plan B w/ Terwilliger Curves, Hawthorne
December 17 – House of Preblon w/ Guantanamo Baywatch, Mean Jeans, the Reservations, Red Hex
December 20 – Tube w/ Guantanamo Baywatch, DJ Magic Beans (Maggie Vail)
2011
January 14 – Dante’s w/ Lexxi Vexx and Sons of Thunder, Falcon Glove
January 21 – East End w/ No Tomorrow Boys, Youthbitch, the Cry, Matty and Danny Beach Party (The Shivas were scheduled to headline, but had cancelled)
January 27 – Rotture w/ 1776, Hairspray Blues
March 4 – Plan B w/ Pierced Arrows, Hairspray Blues, East Side Speed Machine
March 30 – Matador
April 12 – White Eagle Saloon w/ Welfare State, From Words to Blows
May 21 – Pioneer Family Festival at Clackamette Park w/ Tribe of Outcast, Mark Elmer and Friends, Level 2, Diva, Searchlights, Renegade Minstrels, Bo Skinny
June 30 – Hawthorne Theatre w/ Don’t, The Warshers, Phil White
July 16 – Slabtown (LP release show) w/ Musicianers, Atomic Bride, Sick Broads
July 30 – Centaur Guitar parking lot show w/ the Vacillators, Wavesauce, Thebrotheregg, Crimson Dynamite, 8-Foot Tender, Primitive Idols, Pity Fucks, Cootie Platoon, the Warshers, Don’t, East Side Speed Machine
August 27 – Tonic Lounge w/ Hog Wild and LSD&D
September 17 – Tonic Lounge w/ F-Holes, Truth Vibration
September 29 – Plan B w/ Slutty Hearts, Crimson Dynamite
There is an additional listing for June 4 at Slabtown w/ Decliners, the Advisory, Zebra Omega, the Strychnines, saying that it’s Erika Meyer of Boo Frog, presumably solo. I don’t remember this and am not sure why I would be doing solo performances at this point. Chris did solo performances in part because he had a large and in-demand back catalog to work from. Maybe Chris was busy and I was helping out a friend.
2012
February 4 – Eugenio’s
February 27 – w/ Feeling of Love (France), Singing Knives, Delacave (France)
March 22 – Jack London Bar (Boo Frog plays two sets – 9-11pm)
March 23 – Dante’s w/ 1776, Brothers of Brazil, Hairspray Blues
May 5 – Ella St Social Club w/ Soft Bombs, Verner Pantons
May 25 – Backspace w/ Spirit Lake, Blood Owl, A Season of Tanagers, Pitchfork Motorway
June 15 – Kenton Club w/ Iron Lords, St Jack’s Parade
June 27 – Dante’s w/ Iron Lords, the Good Sons
July 13 – Plan B – Blue Skies For Black Hearts, the Upsidedown, 1776, Boo Frog, Slutty Hearts, Hawkeye, Shut Your Animal Mouth, Fanno Creek (Benefit for KZME radio)
July 28 – Plan B – Summer of Music Fest w/ Pierced Arrows, Eastside Speed Machine and others
August 23 – Wonder Ballroom w/ Nashville Pussy
August 25 – Record Room w/ Orca Team, Pink Slime
October 27 – Slabtown w/ Verner Pantons
2013
May 4 – East End w/ Miracle Falls, Paulo Zappoli
June 1 – Backspace w/ Lovesores
July 11 – Star Theatre w/ Napalm Beach, Snow Bud and the Flower People, Divining Rods – Chris’ 60th birthday
July 20 – Fixin’ To w/ Child Children, Slow Screams, Sultan – Benefit for St John’s Nofest
July 27 – Slabtown w/ 1776, Paradise, Snake Island
August 10 – St Johns Nofest
August 31 – the Annex w/ Planet Crashers, Less Cash
September 28 – Hawthorne Lounge – Boo Frog plays two sets, 9-11pm
November 15 – Alhambra Theatre “Lovefest” w Back Alley Barbers, Warshers, Soriah, Jagula, Don Lang, Don Schreiber, Monica Nelson
There’s one additional show scheduled for February 21, 2014, but like I said, after the debacle in January 2014, our beloved band, Boo Frog, was destroyed, in part, from within, as Doug Naish was always an infiltrator with a hostile agenda.
Some Chris Newman solo performances that took place during this time period – only a few are listed. He must have played a dozen or so of these during this time period, mostly at Eugenios.
Nov 6, 2010
December 10, 2010
October 14, 2011