Sonar the Funk Robot Band from Boulder/Aquatari

 

I recently acquired some original band tee shirts (Black Creek Band - Southern rock in the late 80s - 90s from Tallahassee, Florida; and Sonar from Boulder, Colorado via the planet Aquatari, in the early 00s) from friend and band member himself, Jason McDaniel, aka "bass player Commander Colt 44."

 

For those of us who have been personally deprived of the knowledge and pleasure of seeing the "four shimmering clouds" of Sonar perform live all we are left to do is piece together the psychonautics from old videos and actual articles that were actually published and distributed in actual local newspapers in the early 00s. 

 

For instance, here is an inter-dimensional gem of an interview from the Steamboat Pilot, October, 2001:

Sonar invades the Wolf Den Tavern

News | Oct 5, 2001

Kelly Silva

 

Steamboat Springs — They claim they’re from an underwater planet called Aquatari. They claim they’re colorful vibrations of energy that slipped into human bodies when they came to Earth.

 

They wear alienesque masks on stage and claim their sound is something like an old-school funk like a New Orleans-style blend of blues and jazz.

 

They are Sonar five vibrations that slipped into five male human bodies and began playing music and Atari to communicate with their home planet Aquatari.

Members of Sonar have names such as Captain Star 69, Commodore 64, Commander Colt 44, Doctor NC 17 and Admiral RX-7. They also produce waves of audio energy from instruments such as impact-induced vibration cylinders, an organi-magnetallic resonating chamber, a low-frequency modulator and multi-chromatic variable wave inverters and don’t forget the Atari 2600 Game Machine.

Their story may seem odd to the humans on Earth, but it won’t be long before they head out of Colorado and into California to tour and keep communication with Aquatari.

“We do a lot of off-the-wall songs; we do spoofs on songs,” Captain Star 69 said. “We really are from another planet.”

The story begins when the vibrations lived on Aquatari under the rule of the super-fine sea goddess.

“We were just vibrations without bodies and we played a sort of music there,” Captain Star 69 said.

Sea goddess Shanaqua controlled Aquatari, but when Manta tried to overthrow the planet, the vibrations with musical talent were sent through a porthole. The members leapt out of the Boulder Reservoir and stumbled upon some men changing a tire on the side of the road.

After the vibrations snuck into the human bodies, they found musical instruments and 8-track tapes in the van.

In order for members of Sonar to communicate with Aquatari, they must play music and Atari. Sonar has decided to give Earthlings a glimpse into what they’re really all about.

“For the time being, we’re just linking up with our home planet,” Captain Star 69 said. “People either love us or hate us. That’s a great thing.”

++++++++++++++

This is something that was published. "We really are from another planet." 

Here's one more supernaturally glowing profile from the Deseret (Salt Lake City, Utah) News from December 2001 - this gives a little more depth and detail.

Band Sonar is out of this world

By Deseret News

Dec 30, 2001, 12:00am MDT

Scott Iwasaki music editor

The funk, jam-rock band Sonar was formed earlier this year in Boulder, Colo., but not in typical garage-band fashion.

According to its biography, the band came together when "four shimmering clouds" of spirits from the planet Aquatari found themselves stranded on Earth after being exiled through an inter-dimensional vortex. That same instant four Boulder musicians, whose names weren't given to protect their innocence, saw these clouds racing toward them. And while they gaped, the clouds shot down their throats and took over their bodies.

Sound like a low-budget B-horror movie?

Perhaps, but the resulting band Sonar is ready to take on Salt Lake City during First Night celebrations Monday night.

Sonar — drummer Captain Star 69, guitarist Commodore 64, bassist Commander Colt 44 and keyboardist Doctor NC17— will hit the Gallivan Center Stage at 10:30 p.m.

During a telephone interview, Captain Star 69 talked with the Deseret News about his band and its mission:

Deseret News: When did the band officially form here on Earth?

Captain Star 69: In Earth years it was 2001, but on Aquatari we measure years by multiples of 9.667. So we actually formed around the Aquatari year 19,000.

Deseret News: What are your goals as a band? 

CS69: We want to play music to as many people as possible, hopefully creating another inter-dimensional vortex that will transport us back to our home planet. Once we return to where we were born, we want to cast out the evil Black Manta who overtook our beautiful Sea Goddess and our world. Right now our music can be transmitted through the positive vibrations from our shows to our home planet, and that vibe sustains the Sea Goddess in this rough time.

Deseret News: ???

CS69: In other words, we want to play our music and create a huge following who, we hope, will buy our music and continue to come to our shows. In other words, we want to start a chain reaction that will make us famous.

Deseret News: Are there any plans to release a full-length album of your "positive vibrations"?

CS69: (After citing Glen Campbell and George Clinton's P-Funk as his main musical influences): We have been listening to what you Earth beings call music. And we have been writing our own music that emulates what is being heard around the world. We hope our creation, called "Pop Song," will help kick-start the vortex.

Deseret News: What is the biggest challenge so far in reaching your goal to return to Aquatari? 

CS69: I don't think this is as much a challenge as it is an honor, but some Earth beings have been coming to our live shows dressed up in robot garb. In fact there have been so many who attend our concerts in this fashion that it is getting difficult to decipher which of the audience members are human and which of them are Aquatarians.

Deseret News: What has been the most offensive thing you've experienced on Earth?

CS69: Nothing.

Deseret News: What has been the most interesting?

CS69: The positive reactions to our positive vibrations, and Red Bull vodka. 

++++++++++++++++ 

This is all fascinating as hell but at this point audios and visuals are necessary.

 

This early morning TV news clip could headline the Found Footage Festival. It's 6AM New Years Eve morning live in Salt Lake City. The TV host, Kevin, says -- "This is Sonar, they're playing live tonight, that's right, at First Night and look at 'em! They come from the planet of Aquatari. That planet...? That's an underwater planet. Guys, welcome to Utah." 

 

Check out their stagewear. Chrome bicycle helmets and alien masks. Jumpsuits.

 

Guitarist Commodore 64 says to Kevin: "We've gone six days without sleeping in our Earth bodies and...we're just gonna rip it up, we're gonna tear it up, we're gonna have fun at First Night."

 

Then they break into a couple minutes of some serious first class underwater space funk jams

 

After break, the flabbergasted news anchorlady Mary at 3:25 says "Kevin, the more we read about this band, the freakier weird they get."

 

Kevin: "They've got their own stuntmen and they're enjoying their First Night celebrations. Here they go, now! Sonar comes from the planet of Aquatari, so we've been told. As Mary mentioned there were four of these... band guys, all of a sudden they got infiltrated by clouds and other things and here we are. They're playing tonight at First Night celebration, they're giving away some CD's, in fact we've got 2 CDs to give away to the first 2 callers and [laughing] also... these guys are FREAKS! [laughing] the first 2 callers and the first 2 E-MAILS that come in..."

They communicate via email! And have Karate stunts! Breaking boards! "The Karate Expo - Sonar the Robot Band" at Boulder's Fox Theatre July 27, 2002 - ("The Karate Expo was an audience favorite at a Sonar show. It involved Commander Colt 44, and their trusty stuntman, Admiral RX-7, on the high kicks") :

 

 

Importantly, the music kicks ass too. Here they are jamming out the old school Newcleus hit Jam On It at South x Southwest 2002 - 

 

 We can all agree that we are dejected to have missed this audiovisual spectacle live 20+ years ago, but we can still celebrate the vibes with these tee shirts today:

Sonar Aquatari Quiet Please t-shirt

 

 

 

 

 Sonar Wavelab graphic t-shirt

 

 

To shimmering clouds, karate stunts, "old-school funk like a New Orleans-style blend of blues and jazz" - long live the planet Aquatari and its temporal vessels -  Sonar - the freaky weird band from Boulder. 

Behind the T-shirt: Uncle Sam's Nightclub

 Uncle Sam's was a disco nightclub chain in several US cities from the mid 70s to the late 80s. 

 

There were clubs in Houston, Detroit, Providence, Levittown, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Des Moines, and Syracuse. At least. There were probably more. 

 

Uncle Sam's - "Let's Spend the Night Together"

Shiny Happy Customers Night in Buffalo looks like fun.

Shot of the Minneapolis merch table in 1977. T-shirts cost $3.99!

This 70s Uncle Sam's t-shirt seems to be from 1976. It's in great shape and ready to do the hustle. Check it out at Skippy Haha Vintage Etsy now!

WTF Wednesday: Thursday Edition - On Shrooms at Ikea - Guadalajara Joe

Swedish meatballs fly around everywhere in sight!

Check out the crazy WTF newest funnest video from Guadalajara Joe - On Shrooms at Ikea!

ON SHROOMS AT IKEA (Guadalajara Joe! featuring Darien シールド) - watch more funny videos

Guady's silky Adidas rainbow paraglider shirt is from Skippy Haha Vintage!

Also if you like what you just saw and want to hear more, stream Guadalajara Joe's new album ('or more like a group of songs'), "Children of the Corn Dogs" here at bandcamp for the low, low price of zero dollars.  

(This week is GJ's birthday, so if you'd like to kick him a few bucks, that's cool too!)

I think we can all use some more laughing, singing, shrooms, and nuts dancing in capri pants and aquasocks in our lives right about now! 

hootie & the rebel flag

In a UNC dorm room in 1994, I listened to the the South Carolina band Hootie & the Blowfish CD "Cracked Rear View" many, many times. 

One song, "Drowning" was about racism, but I never understood the first verse clearly, Darius Rucker kind of mumbles through it. 

But 21 years later, it's timely. Very timely. 

Trouble with the world is we're too busy to think about it, all right
Why is there a rebel flag hanging from the state house walls?
Tired of hearin' this shit about heritage not hate
Time to make the world a better place

Why must we hate one another?
Well no matter what we gotta live together
Just that you don't look like me, tell me what do you see
When we pass on the street what do you wanna see

P.E.'s coming is all I gotta say
Wanna turn and run away
They're just telling you how they see it
Right or wrong they don't care, you wish that they would quit

chorus:
Drowning in a sea of tears
Hatred trying to hide your fears
Living only for yourself
Hating everybody else
Cause they don't look like you

Nanci singing it's a hard life wherever you go
About some fat racist living in Chicago
Trying to teach his kids to hate everyone
Well tell me why is that something you wanna teach your son?

Why must we hate one another?
When the people in the church, they tell me you're my brother
You don't walk like me, ... you don't talk like me, saying
Go back to Africa, I just don't understand

(chorus)

I'm trying to be someone that he could look up to, but
When I walk down the street, tell me what do you see
I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man
No I'm not like you
Why do you hate me so
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Hating everybody else cause they don't look like you  

This week I found an authentic vintage 90s Hootie & the Blowfish tour t-shirt with that lyric on back "Cause they don't look like you."  

I am glad there is no longer a rebel flag hanging from the statehouse walls. It's a start.

widespread puppy

if you ever want to be popular, walk a puppy through the lobby of a westin hotel at 1 AM on new years eve.

we went to charlotte for widepsread panic on wednesday and sugarhoney came with us. she was the star of the city.

while walking her past the nascar hall of fame, a cop drove by, leaned her full torso out the window, gave a thumbs up, and yelled "that is the best dog ever!"

kevin carried her on the elevator to avoid her scaring people in their fancy clothes.  a cop in the lobby saw this and said, "uh oh, is that dog too drunk to walk?"

dozens of people passing by stopped, turned around, and squealed "PUPPY!!!" to each other, asking to pet her. she just wagged her tail, cool as a cucumber.

one kind young man flyyyiiiiiing high on new years spirit on the full elevator grabbed her ears (lovingly), got nose to nose with her and yelled "YOU ARE JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE FUCKER!!!!!!"

the show was excellent, the band sounded great, the setlist was thoughtful, uplifting, and everybody was having a good time...



it was an awesome way to ring in the new year. 

best wishes for a healthy and happy 2015 to all! 

avett brother in SHV

Hey, I recognize that t-shirt!

via Crackerfarm instagram

Here it is closer:

via avettbabes Instagram

Scott Avett in a Central Park 4 seasons 70s t-shirt.

I am not the most well-versed Avett Brothers fan, but I could listen to their album  I and Love and You on repeat for months. 

WTF Wednesday: Jimmy Swaggart, Puppies with Jeans, Valentine Clouds

Good day, Wednesday! Good day, WTF!

Again the vintage gods have presented us with some fine record albums to ponder. 

 
 Jimmy Swaggart - I've Got Nothing to Lose. Oh yeah? Well then go right ahead meeting hookers at parkway motels, Mr. Swaggart! 

WTF?!

This is not so much WTF as I want to hang out with these people. 

Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band. Awesome outfits! Awesome faces!

I can't get enough of these family gospel singers. The dad in this one is especially cool.

The Hansel Hensley Singers. Do they go as a group to buy suits? Were they instructed not to touch each other? Why is the kid standing on the bench?

Next up, Marshall Henson, Over the Next Hill.

I'm not sure about mountain climbing in those white snakeskin boots, but you go for it, Marshall!

Let's move on to doggie items. How about a framed photo of a Lhasa Apso with glowing eyes stuffed in a Christmas stocking?

Hello K-9.

What cute German Shepherd puppies. What do they have there?

Jeans? They brought you your jeans and belt.

WTF?!

Last but not least, how about a giant, i mean giant, plug-in, whirring, wheezing, glowing HAPPY VALENTINE hearts and clouds installation? Just one Valentine's day i'd like to wake up and find this in my kitchen.

 it's really huge, like 6 feet tall, 10 feet wide.

WTF?!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

•  80s Unicorn on the Beach T-shirt
• 80's Tennis 3-D applique sweater
• 80's Rabbits Sweater Stripe Sweatshirt 

WTF Wednesday: Vintage Album Edition

Hello Wednesday, hello WTF! 

Welcome back to the day of the week where we marvel at the depths of human randomness. This week will be short but sweet as I am working on a Vintage Halloween Costume post that should go live this afternoon. In the meantime, let's WTF, vintage record album style! 

Here's a bejeweled Rita Coolidge looking fine, sensually touching a wall. But hold up! The lady's not for sale. 

For sale? In the Indecent Proposal sense of the word? In the "How much is that doggy in the window" sense of the word? 

WTF?!

Next we find the Shifflett Family. 

Better than Ever. I don't know where to begin. So I will not.

Last but not least we have the Happy Hearts Quartet.

 I hope their singing is better than their math. 

WTF?!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

just the hits

we had 3 row dead fuckin center seats for beck.

downtown at the thomas wolfe auditorium last saturday night.

we were 15 feet away from the guy. he was doing high kicks and moon walking. knee slides like marty mcfly in back to the future. the fly on his black jeans was halfway down. his tips are frosted. he is tiny. but the dude has moves! kind of prince-like in his dance style. it was a fantastic high energy show, and the seats were unbelievable. no xenu sightings.

went to a very different show this saturday night. chris smither at the grey eagle. sit down show. started at 8. walkers in the front row.

he is a fantastic storyteller and guitar player, and the show was full and happy.

our garden overfloweth with yellow cherry tomatoes. i don't know why they are yellow. they taste red. there are 10 new ones every day.

pouncey is still suckin on pillas.

SHV at HSMF

High Sierra Music Festival jammed on this past weekend in California.

I was not there, but a slew of Skippy Haha Vintage shirts made the trip.

Behold members of ALO and Tea Leaf Green happily sporting SHV torso shields on stage.

photo by Wally Meerschaert

(L to R) Josh Clark in Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt, Bo Carper in vintage western, Trevor Garrod in embroidered 70's western, Steve Adams in Hot Tub t-shirt, and Dan Lebowitz in picnic gingham button down.

Viva rock!  Festivaaaaaaal!

good stuff

we were 6 hours into a 9 hour road trip, in a hotel parking lot in columbus, georgia. we were on our way to the florida panhandle for 'parents weekend' - what would be the first meeting of our parents in the 5 years we've been together - picking up my parents at the airport the next morning to stay 3 days at the beach in a condo with kevin's parents. it was 10 pm and kevin asked "can i help you with your bag?"

i said 'sure....where is my bag?"

my bag was at home.

luckily, i am roughly the same size as kevin's mom, who hadn't left for the beach yet and was kind enough to bring me a big bag of t-shirts and pants and belts and jackets that i wore all weekend. along with some junk i scrounged off the target, dick's, and kohl's clearance racks in a one hour early morning shopping frenzy in dothan, alabama, (and one slight breakdown in the kohl's dressing room - why the hell are all these pants spandex! i hate these pants! i am buying these pants anyway! i hate these pants!) and a baseball hat from my dad, i made it!

which was great because we all had a great time. kevin was only slightly creeped out to see me wearing his mom's clothes all weekend. everybody was on their best behavior and there were no fights and lots of laughs. and cuteness.

this was followed by a nice week at home, including some pasture time with pouncey. and pouncey's tongue.




on friday we got in the car again headed for chattanooga and norman blake. this was hour 5 in what was supposed to be a 3.5 hour drive. it was rough.



but the show was smooth! norman blake is a guitar master. he was playing with his wife on cello and his friend on fiddle. it was very sweet.


we came home the next day and pouncey passed his first overnight test with flying colors! he didn't shred anything while we were gone and has earned enough trust to stay at the house next time we go away. no more kennel for pouncey! see you later, bed, bark and beyond.

music is a sound value

O.C. Smith - Love Is Forever 


OC sports a fine-ass Cowichan sweater.

Years of Kmart price tags in the corner.

If I had a turntable, this might have come home with me.

happy happy!

keeping with tradition, yesterday was the most beautiful weather day of the year! 75 and sunny!

had a great walk with pouncey & kevin.

went downtown & had malaga paella and mojitos at chorizo. muy delicioso!



went to a friend's house and saw the cutest little miniboots. laughing laughing laughing with awesome people.
 
we all went to the civic center and saw bob dylan! behold the splendor!

 

it was a great day!

time flies...

...when you're taking oatmeal baths every 3 hours! 

my case of poison ivy is definitely on its way out the door.

as somebody who doesn't like to take baths, this whole oatmeal bath thing has been a real eye-opener. they work!  i feel like a blueberry floating in a bowl of cream of wheat, but they work!

they have me in good enough shape to avoid steriods and still enjoy today! the weather is lovely, i plan on working this morning, going for an afternoon hike with pounceters, going to dinner downtown, and then going to see dawes and bob dylan at the civic center tonight with calvin my love, and my two best girlfriends lindsay and michelle!

if you're lucky and you know it, clap your hands! (clap clap)

let your love flow

this song was #1 the week i was born.

i love everything about this video!

the clothes. the hair. the synchronized strumming. the lyrics. the "country folk song with a disco beat."



the lyrics:

There's a reason for the sunshine in the sky
There's a reason why I'm feelin' so high
Must be the season
When that lovelight shines all around us

So let that feeling grab you deep inside
And send you reeling
Where your love can't hide
And then go stealing through the moonless night
With your lover.

Just let your love flow
Like a mountain stream
And let your love grow
With the smallest of dreams
And let your love show
And you know what I mean
It's the season

Let your love fly
Like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you
To all living things and
Let your love shine
And you'll know what I mean
That's the reason.

There's a reason for the warm sweet nights
And there's a reason for the candle lights
Must be the season
When those love rites shine all around us

So let that wonder take you into space
And lay you under its loving embrace
Just feel the thunder as it warms your face
You can't hold back.

Just let your love flow
Like a mountain stream
And let your love grow
With the smallest of dreams
And let your love show
And you know what I mean
It's the season

Let your love fly
Like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you
To all living things and
Let your love shine
And you'll know what I mean
That's the reason.

Just let your love flow
Like a mountain stream
And let your love grow
With the smallest of dreams
And let your love show
And you know what I mean
It's the season

Let your love fly
Like a bird on a wing
And let your love bind you
To all living things and
Let your love shine
And you'll know what I mean

great valentine's day message!

pushin the good vibes

this isn't an entire "great list" like betsy does every friday, but here is my attempt at finishing this week on a positive note!

see that sticker behind smiling pouncey's face? it says "pushin the good vibe!" 

pouncey is pretty good at that.

it's a line from an ALO song "country camper."

"country camper" can be streamed for free here. the whole show is on archive.org here.


you don't even have to listen to get the gist of this funny story.

 "country camper"

it was obvious enough
that we weren't going anywhere too soon
side of the road
LA traffic friday afternoon

from where i was standin
it was worse than i'd feared
her front had disconnected
from her rear

freedom never came so easily
for my country camper
on the dodge chassis

i guess i had the fever
ever since i was a little man
a life so free of maintenance
you store it in the back of your van

she was a thing of beauty
1979
and i was feelin lucky
pushin the good vibes

and my heart was thumpin
as i drove her off
hit the freeway
destiny laughed and coughed

cause freedom never came so easily
when it costs more than you can afford to be free
sometimes the dream is better than the real
sometimes the dream is better than the real
thing

better than the country camper on the dodge chassis

well uncle sam bought her off us
for a thousand bucks and a lunch
sometimes you gotta cut your losses
while there's something left to be cut

freedom called us
and we did her dance
lost our shirts
and forgot our pants

sometimes the dream is better than the real thing
better than a country camper on a dodge chassis
*****

here's an example of a country camper:

i hope everybody has a wonderful weekend and all good vibes are pushed to their limits!

chris smither

i won another contest!

my answer "new orleans" gained me 2 tickets for the chris smither show last night at the grey eagle from the sweet blog ashvegas.

i love his songwriting. the lyrics ring true. i love his guitar playing. his fingers are confident.

 "Leave the Light on"

If I were young again, I’d pay attention
To that little-known dimension
That tastes of endless time
It's just like water, it runs right through our fingers
But the flavor of it lingers
Like a rich, red wine

In those days we were single – and we lived 'em one by one  
Now we hardly see ‘em – they don’t walk - they run
But I got plenty left I’ve set my sight on
Don’t wait up - Leave the light on
I’ll be – home - soon

I’ve never seen my life in such a hurry  -  
But if I start to worry – 
I get left behind
It’s like a party, but you don’t get invitations – 
and there’s just one destination
You better be on time

For years we rhymed in couplets - 
And we sang ‘em two by two
Now we hardly rhyme at all – but here’s a few
And if they hurt, there’s bullets left to bite on 
Don’t wait up - Leave the light on  -  
I’ll be – home - soon

That drummer in my head needs inspiration
There’s a lack of syncopation – 
the holes need to align.
It’s just so hard to leave these cages that we think in
By stages we just sink in - 
to a slow decline

For years we lived in waltz time – 
and we danced three by three
Now it’s hard to dance, but if you'll stick with me –
We’ve got what we need to spend the night on -  
Don’t wait up - Leave the light on  - 
I’ll be – home - soon

These races that we’ve run were not for glory - 
No moral to this story –
We run for peace of mind 
But the race we’re running now is never-ending. 
Since space and time are bending, 
There’s no finish line - 

But I'll live to be a hundred  - 
I was born in ’44 -  
32 to go, but I ain’t keepin’ score - 

I've been left for dead before  - but I still fight on – Don’t wait up  

Leave the light on
I’ll be home soon

I been left for dead before  - but I still fight on Don’t wait up 

Leave the light on
I’ll be home soon

the show ended with this cover "killin' the blues"



good lord 

live music is best

optimistic thought

we're just spinning on some granite that we like to call a planet, and if you need to contemplate...

animated conversation

the outdoor stage at pisgah brewing is awesome. it's like a permanent festival. with great beer and food trucks. what a jewel.

RIP doc watson

Let it rain, let it pour, 

Let it rain a whole lot more, 

'Cause I got them deep river blues, 

Let the rain drive right on, 

Let the waves sweep along, 

'Cause I got them deep river blues