Rock Bottom: A Retrospective

In the Summer of 2012 we decided to take the show on the road. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. What ended up happening is something that I won't ever forget. 

That first show was just amazing. We played two songs: one original and one cover. At that point the only real original we thought we could play was a semi-freshly penned tune called "Drive." Little did we know at the time, but this track would go on to become a sort of anthem and calling card for The Almas, and it all started here at these open mic shows. We also busted out "I Wanna Be Like You" from Disney's The Jungle Book, which really put us over the top. The element of surprise with a jazzy and rollicking version of a quirky song really caught the crowd's attention and helped push us into the winner's circle that week.

The next show was an epic 8 song stunner where we were the featured artist and we got to appear twice throughout the night. We had a good mix of covers and originals this time around and even had a costume change half way through. Woodman and the RB crew didn't know what to think of us, but we made sure everyone had a good time.

The semi-finals was a scary scene and they put us on last because they knew we were the ones to beat. We also proved we could bring a crowd as over 60 people packed into the bar area to come see us. Some guests even had to sit upstairs because there was no room. Surprising them out of the gate with Devendra Banhart's weirdo track "Chinese Children" we continued to gain confidence and we sailed into the finals. "Nobody But Me" was performed for the first time live and we really grew a lot during this show. 

Anyone who attended the finals will recall that it was a bit of a shit show. Being the lead singer, band leader, and principal songwriter, I was super nervous and anxious to the point where I was almost not able to go on. I was sick to my stomach and puking at the house before we even made it downtown. Anders and Trev and I proceeded to get pretty sloshed as we had to wait once again til after midnight to go on. You gotta remember that this was a Monday night in the fall and people had to work the next day. We felt a bit slighted and sabotaged being put on so late. It all fell apart at the seams, but we still managed to finish in a close second.   

It was hard because we had had so much success right away from that first show that we didn't know what to do when the pressure was turned up. That being said, we needed that early failure to help us move forward. After we fell off at the Rock Bottom Finals, we used that as motivation to help us crush our Christmas show at The Mac & Cheesery a couple months later. Riding that high gave us the confidence to put on our own show at TikkiFest that involved so much more planning and many more theatrics than anything we had done before. We hosted a real festival in our own backyard with TikkiFest and had over 100 people attend. That gave me the confidence to go on and perform by myself. And looking back, I wouldn't change a damn thing. Those were some of the most fun moments of my life, those trips downtown, all of us together, listening to Graceland and getting amped up to play. I will always treasure these times.

And now here we are 4 years later. We will continue to improve and have some good performances and some not so good performances. I have am sure that we will eventually play some live gigs again in the future, but maybe we'll just do it for fun and keep it to ourselves and our personal enjoyment. But I look back at those first shows and can't help but smile. The Almas rocked that venue harder than anyone before us. And it ultimately helped us grow as musicians and friends.

They say, once you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go but up. The friends we made, the people who took time out of their day to come see us, I have absolutely no regrets about our time there. The performances still stand up and I can never thank you all enough for helping me take my first steps into performing. You made me feel like a real rock star, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Rock Bottom, I'll remember you always.

Drummer Dustin Debuts with One Day Forecast

Long time Almas folk strummer and drummer Dustin Fuentes has set a date for his debut performance with his band One Day Forecast. The Tikki Court legend will bring his talents on the kits to a show on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the Analog Cafe & Theater in Portland, Oregon.

The band will be opening for SWMRS, a group featuring the son of Billie Joe Armstrong (of Green Day fame) and is sure not to disappoint. One Day Forecast is known for bringing an nostalgic classic rock sound, and SWMRS is sure to infuse the event with some pop punk debauchery. Show starts at 6pm. Tickets are $10.