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Harmony Studios - The Switch.

In the first room of the first floor of Harmony Studios is a hipster Emo band called the Switch. Bleach-blond Kate on lead vocals and bass guitar. Most would consider her extremely sexy. Pale skin with huge, colorful dragon tattoos on each arm. Sleek, form-fitting black dress. Petite, slender body. Little pointy Indie shoes. Euro-mullet hair. Pretty, slightly-exotic face beaming with confidence. She exudes a cooler-than-you, you-wish-you-could-fuck-me attitude. Basically a bad-ass rocker chick. Her voice is screechy, haunting, delicate. Her man Devo (real name Devon) plays keys and sings some backup. He's got the full over-the-top, heroin-chic, leather-clad, pasty-white emo-rock look. Leather pants slung low with studded belt. Tight. Tiny black polyester 70's shirt with big collar. Died black band-guy mullet. Big, mesmerizing blue eyes that transfix the ladies in the audience when he plays. Rob plays drums. He attempts to cultivate the rock-star look but falls short, settling for an trendy faux-hawk haircut and a wife-beater and levis getup. He's a solid drummer whom Kate and Devo found through Craigslist.

Kate and Devo met in an LA Goth club in the mid 90s. They both grew up upper-middle class Valley kids who idolized X, Joy Division and early Janes Addiction. Devo was never the best musician but he was a wizard at combing through the thrift stores on Melrose and putting together flamboyant outfits.

Kate grew up singing in the choir of her community church. Her parents were socially-conservative Republicans who sent their kids to Catholic school and believed in discipline, manners and guilt. Kate was the model daughter, so they thought. Beautiful, chaste, did well in school, yadda yadda. But Kate secretly despised her parents and their white-bread, cookie-cutter hypocritical, self-righteous attitude. Under her school uniform she wore her Suicidal Tendencies patch and listened to Jello Biafra and Ani Difranco. On the weekends, when her parents thought she went to choir retreats, she really took a bus to the clubs in downtown LA. She stashed her ripped-up short skirt and army boots in her big backpack. She applied her dark black eyeliner and rocked out. Eventually she met Devo and they quickly fell in love. Soon The Switch was born. After high school Kate moved in with Devo and they started gigging and recording. Kate's parents disowned her and in response she got a giant dragon tattoo. This particular dragon was, according to Kate, a symbol for freedom in feudal Hokkaido.

Bartok

Bagel's friend Kim Cogan painting (photos from fecalface.com)
niceness

niceness

Andy Mueller photo
niceness

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 10:28 AM

Will the beach recover from this pounding?

Posted by: Walker at January 4, 2006 10:39 AM

From surfline


SURF:
25-30 ft. - 5-6 times overhead with occasional 40 ft. and fair-good conditions.


AM UPDATE: Clean, massive peaks. Fun to watch.

Partly cloudy skies with light E to SE wind in the 5-10 knot range. Expect variable SE wind 5-15 knots through the day.

Posted by: Mexi at January 4, 2006 10:46 AM

i'm so tired of that hipster rocker look. how is one anti-establishment while conforming to vain fashions?

tow-ins on mavcam.

Posted by: unwound at January 4, 2006 10:46 AM

e,

great description. do they have a website?

the beach was crazy this morning!

Posted by: lerm at January 4, 2006 10:47 AM

hey walker...

of course it will. think of it as christmas morning
the next OB got out. a brand new set of toys (sandbars)
to play with and figure out.

i saw waves breaking toward the south and toward
the north this morning. an unruly freaky mess out there.

Posted by: korewin at January 4, 2006 10:49 AM

word.. lerm.. it's all fictional

Posted by: e at January 4, 2006 10:53 AM

on the way to work today, 3 gutter punks got on in cole valley. every 2 minutes or so, one of them would say Destroy!, and they would all growl.

Posted by: lerm at January 4, 2006 10:53 AM

damn. you got me!

Posted by: lerm at January 4, 2006 10:54 AM

E, you are a master of words in any subject. And did you give up the herb again this January?

BVB, don't get too nice. Keep it real.

Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at January 4, 2006 10:55 AM

http://www.theswitchband.com/

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 11:06 AM

Was watching the Maverick's cam and it looks HUGE. Why isn't Barney invited to the contest this year? Was it because of his pre-contest wipeout last year?

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 11:10 AM

thanks 3to5. thanks dude.

I still have youre afghanistan book.

... still puffing the hibbage on occasion.

Posted by: e at January 4, 2006 11:17 AM

I mainly surf on surfline.

Posted by: Nor Cal Heavy Ripper Guy at January 4, 2006 11:18 AM

the 1st peak look like it was about a half a mile our this morning.......stopped me in my tracks!

Posted by: stunned at January 4, 2006 11:23 AM

So yesterday I'm all stoked cause I have today off and it looks like the weather will cooperate. The swell looks like it'll hang around and the tide will be just barley low enough at dawn. I get up this morning at the first sign of the sunlight. Tree's aren't moving so the wind is good. I grab and go. My first peek at it looks like there are good waves, too big at the lame so I keep going to where I'd really like to surf. Looks like 6-8' with off shores, nobody out as the sky turns orange. I call zebra but he's got work today, looks like I'm in it alone. Suit up and head down to jump off piss point. A few ducks and I'm out of the cove but shit I'm way down the line. I make it out but in 15min of strong paddling I'm makeing no ground back to where I want to surf. I make a decision to go in before I exauhst myself needlessly. A good overhead one comes to me and I stinkbug it through the chop. I catch another but don't even make it to my feet. I get out of it and find I've just made things worse by going past the cove I can go in at so I head strait for the "beach." On the inside waves are bouncing off the cliff and rocks and I'm glad I decided to head in before I got tired. I see heads up on the cliffs keeping an eye on me yelling for me to go in over at that cove. Yeah I know, it's just not as easy as it looks, I apreciate the backup anyway. I finally make the cove with much effort and hesitate before jumping up onto a boulder. That was a mistake as the next wave pulls me back out and my feet slide on the sandless mud-reef. I make it back up and waist no time clamering onto the boulder. I climb slowly up the boulders and iceplant to smilling faces on the cliff. Are they proud of my courage or laughing at my stupidity? I thank them for keeping an eye on me and talk a short while about the long paddle and one wave i got. I take the long walk back up to my car and cross town hoping for more managable surf further inside the bay.

Posted by: #3 at January 4, 2006 11:24 AM

Okay, how big are the waves at Mavs today? I am looking at the cam and am curious.

Oh crap, I named! I am so screwed!

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 11:27 AM

guys who are wizard at combing through thrift stores for flamboyant outfits are somewhat dubious. i love chicks with mullets though. switch sounds like a name for one of those cheesy meth influenced rap / metal type bands that were in all the snowboarding videos back in the mid 90s, like filter. the studio profile is great though e, you have a good eye for detail.

Posted by: eric at January 4, 2006 11:29 AM

cool story #3

Posted by: e at January 4, 2006 11:29 AM

Dude, their called switch because Kate is Bi- curious.

My surf today was not as hectic as #3's.

The logs in the line-up were a bit of a buzz-kill though.

And I don't mean Longboards. And I don't mean snickers bars either.

Posted by: friend #1 at January 4, 2006 11:35 AM

The Switch play "Class Rock from the 1950s to the present"???

Your friends should have Googled their band name. Truly bad artistic mojo to share the same name with a classic rock cover band, IMO. Coulda been worse thoough, coulda been a jug band.

Posted by: Dem at January 4, 2006 11:35 AM

STICK A FORK IN IT
RAISE THE FLAG
PLAYED OUT
DONE.
...kicking addictions to booze, buds and bad vibes; - bad dreams - sleep brings fear and a vile sticky sweat....
The beach is done for the year - best head south from now on... looking for the sandbars? You'll find them 1 mile out to sea...

Posted by: Agnes at January 4, 2006 11:43 AM

Posted by: cadaver at January 4, 2006 11:55 AM

why isnt there ever big tuesdays or big thursdays?

Posted by: bagel at January 4, 2006 12:31 PM

So how big are the waves at mavs? Gotta love the report:


------------------
SURF:
25-30 ft. - 5-6 times overhead with occasional 40 ft. and fair-good conditions.

AM UPDATE: Clean, massive peaks. Fun to watch.
------------------


Ahh...only 5-6 times overhead.
holy cow that sounds insane. I see ob is having the 'occasional' 25 footer. What a day. I wish I was in town.

(I do hope my naming doesn't causing any overcrowding now!)


Crap - I wish I was in town. Powder in the mountains and mountains at the beach...pahh!!!


Posted by: ankors at January 4, 2006 12:31 PM

"...kicking addictions to booze, buds and bad vibes"

On the subject of kicking addictions...I'm reading James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" right now...that book is seriously intense and I highly recommend it.

Posted by: Q at January 4, 2006 12:42 PM

i think i just saw MCC get one!

Great question Bagel. Where is Blakestah when you need him......?

Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at January 4, 2006 12:43 PM

Rain Advisory
A rain advisory is issued anytime there is significant rainfall that may affect bacteria levels in ocean waters. Levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean waters especially adjacent to storm drains, creeks and rivers during and after rainstorms. Elevated levels of bacteria may continue for a period of up to 3 days depending upon the intensity of the rain and the volume of runoff. Elevated bacteria levels in ocean water may cause someone to become ill. The Department of Health Services recommends that beach users avoid contact with ocean water, especially near flowing storm drains, creeks and rivers for a period of 3 days after rainfall ends.

Posted by: Phat Pharm LockDown at January 4, 2006 12:43 PM

surfed the beach this morning. it was awesome.

psyyyyyche!

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 12:45 PM

James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" is incredible, and yes, intense. His second book just came out I believe. I second the recommendation.

Posted by: gttim at January 4, 2006 12:48 PM

in a land far far away...I have no idea. Good luck to Alex when they run the contest!...

The bars may not be ruined. And they may...the best lesson I learned about winter surf at OB is that you can rarely tell what will be happening in late January from what is happening in early January..you just gotta stick it out, stay in shape, and stay on top of it and hope. Some years its mostly shiiite, some years it is not.

Posted by: blakestah at January 4, 2006 12:51 PM

Oprah is pimping the shit out of A Million Little Pieces right now. Not that the book doesn't deserve the acclaim its just incredible what she can do to a books popularity. It's harldy what I would have thought of as "suburban mom" reading but that's what its become. I'm looking forward to the new one. Dude writes well and AMLP's was a great success story.

Posted by: tucker at January 4, 2006 12:54 PM

wow mavs is looking fucking amazing

Posted by: bbr at January 4, 2006 12:56 PM

What up - hope this new year treats you folks well. Looks like some people got some this past week.

Posted by: artifact at January 4, 2006 01:02 PM

Bagel - that's an easy one. Wednesday is hump day. Do I win anything?

Posted by: Dennis at January 4, 2006 01:13 PM

Ummm Can you say AIR!!! Somehow I don't think those dudes pulled em off
Hey Mexi, Did you score waves?

Posted by: artifact at January 4, 2006 01:14 PM

the melvins fucking slay! listening to the album "stoner witch" right now. I know it's supposed to be one of their "softer" albums.. but.. damn!! heavy!

Posted by: e at January 4, 2006 01:14 PM

that shop should be called azgayaziam

Posted by: bbr at January 4, 2006 01:16 PM

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 01:32 PM

this is a cool album too

Posted by: e at January 4, 2006 01:34 PM

[img]http://www.medianugget.com/img/000241.gif[/img]
[img]http://www.alohacriticon.com/images/alohapoprockfotos/zumaneil77.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.stonerrock.com/store/images/covers2/ath-593.jpg[/img]

Posted by: bbr at January 4, 2006 01:39 PM

oops.


Posted by: bbr at January 4, 2006 01:40 PM

<img src="http://www.stonerrock.com/store/images/covers2/ath-593.jpg"></img>

Posted by: blakestah at January 4, 2006 01:42 PM

God, I could use a beer...

Posted by: Kaiser at January 4, 2006 01:56 PM

Posted by: bbr at January 4, 2006 01:58 PM

http://www.pbase.com/chucklantz/image/54343793

Posted by: WTF? at January 4, 2006 02:37 PM

http://www.pbase.com/chucklantz/image/54343706

Could it be BvB on the board?

Posted by: bvb? at January 4, 2006 02:39 PM

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 03:17 PM

Nice choice of shaper. Beer is a little suspect. Could do worse.

Ain't no Lucky Lager.

Posted by: Kaiser at January 4, 2006 03:23 PM

building #7

Posted by: controlled explosion? at January 4, 2006 03:24 PM

Posted by: left field? at January 4, 2006 03:45 PM

from way, way out

Posted by: PNW at January 4, 2006 03:47 PM

usually the guys who make fun of other surf spots like lindy suck.
-anonymous

Linda Mar's cool.
- no_kooks

learned on Sammy Steamboat's big red rental boards
- goodmorning

it's no wedge, but if you're looking for a beating (short rides, thick barrels, lots of time pinned to sand in 3 ft of water), baker beach will fill the bill.
- cgl

Baker beach is a legit body whomp spot- I have tested it and been whomped.
- goodmorning

Any band that plays the band, is a serious band.
- kookdom

enjoy what you got... hit that shit, and keep sharing the stoke.
- j.o.c.

I hope everyone got slotted and pitted around here
- Sutro D

I dropped into a mackin set wave, streaked across and zipped into shore heart thumping.
- bagus

Never so happy to surf some marginal windswell.
- dano

Life doesn't get much better.
- dennis

Saw one guy fully slotted
caught-on-the-inside

attributing it to sac as opposed to poor judgement is most gracious!
- ck

The best way to assess swell potential is emailing me or Mark Sponsler
- blakestah


Oh, I almost forgot, i had another kid!
- jdz

Sweet bowls this am.
- maynard

there ARE girls in bikinis in NorCal, they're just hidden under 4 mm of neoprene. Maybe they should be worn *over* the wetsuits instead. Hm.
- sharkbait

You get girls in bikinis at your beach. We get good-size windswell.
- kaiser sose

forgot to wear my earplugs and i brought a little bit of ob to work via my head.
- bagel

daydreaming of log-gliding at the boatdocks.
- klooless

Did one huge top turn and it felt so good I had to let out a little yelp.
- kookdom

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 03:56 PM

In matters of principle, stand like a rock. In matters of taste, swim with the current.

Posted by: Thomas Jefferson at January 4, 2006 04:12 PM

A temper's the only thing that doesn't go away when you lose it.

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 04:15 PM

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

Posted by: Philip K. Dick at January 4, 2006 04:17 PM

dont stop believing, hold on to that feeling.

Posted by: Journey at January 4, 2006 04:21 PM

mELVINS RULE!
can't stop listening to their Atlantic albums: Stonerwitch, Houdini, Stag. Their stuff on Ipecac is equally potent and eclectic.
Check out lysol ep, it just rules how can you go wrong with a flipper cover and a Alice Cooper cover!
'nuff said

Posted by: cosmo at January 4, 2006 04:24 PM

Notice the red eyes, crazed look and the greasy sweaty face

Posted by: Slade Sees All at January 4, 2006 04:26 PM


Enjoy!

picture

Posted by: sd_rider at January 4, 2006 04:29 PM

midgets are so sexy.

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 04:30 PM

midgets are so sexy.

Posted by: damn! at January 4, 2006 04:31 PM

damn SE PAPA !

Posted by: 48' at 16s at January 4, 2006 04:53 PM

Its a "post-off" - GOOOOOOOOO.....

Posted by: Kaiser at January 4, 2006 04:54 PM

move those ships out of port. can someone say rouge wave!

Posted by: run! at January 4, 2006 04:56 PM

No flip that shizzzzzz - GOOOOOOOOOOOO

Posted by: Kaiser at January 4, 2006 04:58 PM

i think I liked it better when they were turned around.

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 05:03 PM

Sorry Kaiser...not trying to take your posting position. I promise not to post anymore midgets.

Posted by: sd_rider at January 4, 2006 05:19 PM

shit! im sick of having sex with the same chick!

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 05:23 PM

at least you're having sex!

Posted by: sick of the palm at January 4, 2006 05:31 PM

Some pictures I took today






Posted by: Brian at January 4, 2006 05:47 PM

Posted by: Brian at January 4, 2006 05:50 PM

nice pics

Posted by: anon at January 4, 2006 06:14 PM

neither is a mind...

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 06:24 PM

e, in my view the bartok pic looks like an ape...

Posted by: at January 4, 2006 06:27 PM

Go Brian! I was in the Float Lot at 7:00 am. Can you help me understand waves (not wind slop) breaking a mile or two from shore? Where's Blakestah?

Posted by: Confused at January 4, 2006 06:31 PM

I live up north in Bodega Bay, so I look out my window at 4:00 or so and see those things breaking out in the middle of the ocean... I guess it only breaks with a big swell, guess its just an outer reef. Pretty cool though.

Posted by: Brian at January 4, 2006 06:32 PM




Forgot one of the best ones.

Posted by: Brian at January 4, 2006 06:35 PM

those are so sick wheres this at ? is it some secret Norcal break you gotta hike hella far too or is it easy access cause ill jump from SF any day for the bottom shit

Posted by: RichardtheGReat at January 4, 2006 07:32 PM

Check out maptech's online maps, nautical charts. If you can estimate where the breakers are on the maps, you can figure out the water depth in which it was breaking, and guesstimate the wave size from that.

I'm guessing it was hitting a shelf between 40 and 50 ft deep.

The next day's swell coming through SE Papa compares well to 100 ft Wednesday, a little smaller, and a LOT shorter lived at the humongous size, it'll really pick up tomorrow afternoon...maybe 3 hours of tow-in size for the guys with the skis.

Posted by: blakestah at January 4, 2006 07:46 PM

thanks blakestah. i want to get out there someday, my friends dad has a ski. be SO bloody fun

Posted by: Brian at January 4, 2006 07:55 PM

Surfline = clueless

Did they notice this at 11:50 am this morning? 50.9 feet at 17 sec.

Tomorrow's Surfline call: Thursday,Jan 5: 8-12 ft. - 3 ft. overhead to double overhead + occasionally 20 ft. and fair+ conditions.

What's wrong with this picture?

Posted by: dano at January 4, 2006 08:30 PM

That big pulse never hit the California Buoy? I'm a little skeptical of big waves this afternoon. But I won't be tide-pooling this PM either. Do buoys lie?

Posted by: obro at January 5, 2006 08:27 AM

It's all about midget porn.

Posted by: cosmo at January 5, 2006 09:09 AM

Buoys don't lie. But they can be misinterpreted. The pulse at the SE Papa came from a small well-organized low centered almost on the buoy. It didn't have much fetch aimed far enough south to hit the California buoy. I am in some disagreement with others on how much will be aimed at NorCal...and how much will be aimed much further north. The ETA is around sunset today PST, so the truth will be known then...I've been wrong plenty before.

Posted by: blakestah at January 5, 2006 09:16 AM

"Lie" was a bad term. I guess I was suspecting that maybe a local disturbance had created 50' seas in the area with low periods and somehow the buoy associated these large heights with the longer period energy underneath. Which leads me to ask the question - how do the buoys associate periods with heights given the raw data. I imagine the use a fourier transform to get the dominant periord but how do they match the heights to the period? Maybe a NOAA link explains this?

Blakestah, I didn't mean to sound like I thought you were wrong, I was just pointing out some inconsistencies I observed in how I attempt and track swells. I suck but I have to make due with my basic understanding when the premiere forecaster leaves the area.

Posted by: obro at January 5, 2006 09:46 AM

Its ok that blakestah is wrong sometimes

Posted by: at January 5, 2006 09:58 AM

Thanks b-stah. To me it is strange that so much long-period energy (17-20 seconds) would hit the 06 buoy and apparently completely miss the 59 buoy.

Posted by: dano at January 5, 2006 01:12 PM
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