The Bodega Boys, Revisited

Starting in September, 2008, Thurday nights would find me throwing my guitar in the back of my car to truck some ten miles out of Oaxaca City to the town of San Pablo Etla.

The destination was Casa Raab, a rambling country spread owned by ex-pat Tony Raab. Tony hosted a weekly music jam that encompassed the range of styles--Blue Grass, Country, Rock & Roll and Blues were all standard fare.

We'd set up and play by Tony's Bodega (workshop) in a remarkable setting. There is a stone patio with the building looping around it, creating near perfect acoustics. A few seats ring the patio, welcoming the audience into the fold. Trees spring up on all sides, framing the moon, the clouds and the night sky.

A ramshackle array of regulars and swashbuckling visiting musicians would pass through, from a steady supply of California lawyers who fancied themselves the second coming of Jerry Garcia, to Kim Burly, an actual Grammy winner from the Canadian group the Stampeders!

Tony would croon & strum, taking frequent breaks to top off everyone's mezcal, audience and players alike. We'd take turns leading tunes from an every evolving repetroire.

I was drafted into this singular weekly scene by one Todd Spiehler, a polymath musician who was equally at home on guitar, harmonica and mandolin. I could barely play when I first started in with "The Bodega Boys", but Todd had no problem with that and showed me the ropes. What a generous soul!

 

Tony Raab, photo by Jeff Charles

Tonight, it's Thursday night and I miss the Bodega Boys. It was never professional, and wasn't meant to be--just people standing up together to make some music and have a ball. It's where I learned to play in an ensemble, and more importantly, to listen to what's being played!

Tony has been working in the States mostly for the past two years. He drops in here and there and convenes  his magic jam with his good-natured hospitality, but mostly he's away. Across the street from Casa Raab, the Bodega Boys have continued at the home of master washtub bass player Bill Black. This man, in full swing on the washtub, is a sight to behold--a true artist, a beautiful human being and the heart and soul of the Bodega Boys. We are now the Pool Boys as it were, convening on a less frequent basis by Mr. Black's pool

So, the weekly Thursday session is no more. The pool sessions are infrequent. Indeed, the Bodega scene has attracted more and more expats who like to play a bit, and several local bands have sprung out of the weekly jam. Fine bands they are, playing here and there in Oaxaca, but the freewheeling mayhem and profound good cheer of those magic Thursday evenings seems to have passed us by.

This is all by way of introduction -- I'm linking to a piece here that I posted four years back, about a night with the Bodega Boys.

I think I captured a bit of the feel in the piece, do enjoy it!

Steve

Jack Black Song - New Home

I've reposted the cartoon video for my song Jack Black here. It's produced and performed by my defunct band, Radio Insecto (Bill Stair and myself).
This tune is an homage to Mr. Black, but it also pokes fun at him for making some less than stellar flicks.

Enjoy!

Steve Lafler

Electrical Heart Block:Try Taurine

I just posted a piece on my running blog about the amino acid supplement Taurine at this link.

I used it to mitigate an electrical heart block condition, and want to spread the good word on this.

Video: How to Fund a Startup

Sent in by Amy Clark, a great video on how to fund a startup business.

Click here to see it.

Steve Lafler Paintings & Comic Art at Ebay

I've posted some original Dog Boy art and Bughouse acrylic paintings on auction at Ebay.

Click on the words Dog Boy or Bughouse to see the auction for that item.

Email me with questions, etc.

Steve Lafler

Dog Boy "Dogumentary"

I've put together a documentary short about Dog Boy, my 80s comic book series. Here is the link to the documentary video.

I had an ecstatic time writing, drawing and publishing Dog Boy, which enjoyed a 17 issue run from '83 to '88. The character also appeared in several stories in my 90s comics anthology Buzzard.

Dog Boy first appeared in my title Guts #3 in the summer of 1982. I was so taken with the character that I instantly decided create a comic magazine around him.

All this took place as the independent/alternative comics movement emerged. The revolutionary underground comics movement of the late '60s had stalled with the '73 Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, and mainstream comics were mired in their own small world, folding in on themselves. With the appearance of Seagate distributors and a handful of indy comics at the end of the 70s, the ground was seeded for dynamic change in the world of comic books.

Indeed there was a mini explosion of indy comics at the dawn of the 80s. There were profitable small press comics like Cerebus and Elfquest, along with the Comics Journal beating the drum for innovation. Comic specialty shops sprung up along with distributors to serve them like Bud Plant. Pacific Comics started publishing and distributing, going great for a few years before bombing out in a blaze of glory.

I published my first title, Mean Cat, in the spring of 1981 and sold 400 copies to Glenwood distributors, and another several hundred from my own frenzied marketing efforts, leaving no stone unturned. Mean Cat was favorably reviewed the Comics Journal along with another interesting self-publishing debut entitled Love and Rockets. Cat Yronwode also gave a thumbs up to Mean Cat, reviewing it for the Comics Buyers Guide.

Soon after the success of Mean Cat, I revived the idea of Dog Boy, who had first appeared on a poster for a rock and roll show/publishing event from March of 1980.

These days, Dog Boy enjoys a renaissance with weekly posts at the fantastic CO2 webcomics site, the brainchild of former Comico publishers Gerry Giovinc and Bill Cucinotta. Weekly posts can be read here. 

Steve Lafler

Hey Portland, Manx Wants to Print Your T-Shirts

Manx Media screen prints custom T-Shirts in Portland, Oregon.

Here's the details at this link on the Manx Custom Screen Printing Blog.

David Perkin pulls the prints at the shop over in St. Johns in North Portland. I handle the pesky business details from my laptop in Oaxaca. Having been in the T-Shirt biz for a good while, we happily guarantee the quality of our product.

Call me at 503-213-3671 or zip me an email for a quote on your shirt printing job.

Steve Lafler, proprietor