SHOTWELL - Live at UN Plaza and on the Radio - Tape - 1999

   I pulled this unmarked tape off the shelf (see below) and thought "What the fuck is this?". When I popped it into the tape player and pushed play, it all came back to me. Depending on who you ask, SHOTWELL is a San Francisco legend that should be as recognizable as the Golden Gate Bridge or some sloppy punk band from the Mission District. They started as SHOTWELL COHO back in 1994 and (depending on who you ask again) continue to exist to this day. A live Shotwell show can either be the best thing you've ever seen or depressing, frightening and dangerous. They are always the best when they are playing out on the streets of SF (literally on the streets using a generator for power) in the middle of the day or playing a protest. Once, I played drums for them on the back of a flatbed trailer being pulled down Mission Street during a "Punks Against War" parade. It was one of the most fun shows I've ever played.

                   (photocopy of a photo by Paul Curran)
    This tape starts off with SHOTWELL playing "Half the Truth" at a Stop the NATO Bombing protest at U.N. Plaza in SF, where you can hear the crowds of protesters chanting and Jimmy making fun of Marxists. They only managed to play 3 songs at this show. During the first song, everything broke. Then, they played "Half the Truth" and then they tried to play an Avengers cover, but someone cut the power on them. I have the Avengers cover somewhere, but it's probably unmarked in a pile.  The next 4 songs are from a live radio broadcast...maybe on the college radio station in Davis, CA...I'm not really sure. There are some good, classic Jimmy rants between songs on this recording, but unfortunately it cuts off after 4 songs. Enjoy...or don't..or complain like a baby on a messageboard about the sound quality.

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