PATTERNS AND TONES

San Francisco in the late eighties was a place of transition. In this international city you would always encounter people visiting from all over the world. Some stayed for awhile, while a few dug into the city scape.  But it was a rare bird from Southern California that ever made it a permanent destination.  Erik Bluhm, a friend of mine I had met in college, was one of those rare birds that came up to stay. He had been in a band called The Primates down in Los Angeles before he moved up to the City. One of his bandmates, Brett Miller, decided to follow in his foot steps and brought his newly formed band called Dama Thrush from LA and made San Francisco their home as well. Their hair was longer and their music was heavier than we were used to but their attitude and shenanigans they got into were right up our alley. Dama Thrush was a band out of time. They followed their own beat and created a following of friends and fans that filled local halls and their ba...