NEWS!!

• 7/25/03 - Hello??!??! Is there anybody out there? Apologies all around for the delay in communication from Pills Headquarters. Since we were drumerless, we didn't really have much news, but now, after all these weeks, the Pills are finally BACK!!!!! We hooked up with an excellent drummer -- the one, the only ROB CASTENEDA!!!! You may remember Rob from such bands as the Heather Hills (that's right, Rob was our very first drummer!!!), Anonymous Beef, Frightwig, the Gay Barbarians and more!!!! Give a few more weeks and we'll be out playing shows and wreaking havoc!!!! We'll probably even have some new Pills tees. You see, we've been working night and day at the MCL Screenworks workshop printing stickers, t-shirts and even some posters!! In addition to printing Leather Pills and Closetlames merchandise, we've had the pleasure of working with some really cool local bands and businesses like Riot-a-go-go, Extra Small Records and Closer Recordings. For more information on our screen printing business, check out the MCL Screenworks page. In the meantime, watch your local listings and this very website for updates on the next Leather Pills show!!!!

• 5/26/03 - COOL NEW PAGE!!! Check out the new mp3 page, it's got a couple songs from Rats Ep, and a couple songs from the forthcoming release MACH 18. Go listen to the shit and then let us know what you think!!
  
  We're still looking for a new drummer, but in the meantime we've been busy here at Pills headquarters. We're working on new stickers and t-shirts, new webpages, new songs. Check back soon for new merch at the store.
  
  
• 4/24/03 - Pills In Search of New Drummer!!!!! Joey is leaving the band to pursue his other musical interests (he's a dj), which is good news for Joey, but sad news for the Pills. So, if you are a drummer, or know a drummer, who totally rocks and can keep up with us, let us know!!! Joey's last show with us will be May 15 at the Stork Club in Oakland, so come on out and help us kick Joey in the ass!!!!


• 4/11/03 - Death by influenza narrowly averted. The whole band has been sick over the past week, really sick, but we're all healthy now. The show at Kimo's was rocking. Mickie Rat from The Secretions had an unfortunate accident, but I think the doctors were able to save his leg. Luckily they'd almost finished the set, but they left all of us begging for more. And The Hollowpoints? They do indeed rock. They're punk, but with a bit different flavor, and it makes for a really interesting set.
  
  The winners of the tickets to the show at Kimo's were Nikki Edwards and John O'Malley. They both correctly answered that End of the Century was the highest charting Ramone's record -- Nikki correctly guessed that it reached #44 , so Sammy bought him a beer.
  
  We're set to play at The Stork Club in Oakland on May 15; it'll be our first time playing there. With Deadfalls and Dopesick. Check back for more details.



• 3/29/03 - All right Pillheads, watch your inboxes this week for details on winning tickets to the big show at Kimo's on Friday, April 4. We're playing with The Secretions from Sacramento and The Hollowpoints from Seattle. If you're not a member of the Pill List, sign up now, or miss your chance to win!!!!
  
  
  The show at Bourbon Street was a great time!! We saw lots of old friends, and played with some great bands. It was cool to see the guys from The Sore Thumbs again, they always put on such a great show; and Gunpowder (which is Erik Core's new band) is awesome -- they play this mean, punk rock influenced, country type stuff, very dark and a bit quirky. We are defintely planning to do shows with them in the future. In fact, we are going to work on a multi-media show with Gunpowder, with art on the walls, projection screens, maybe some dancers, etc. Once we have the details worked out, we'll tell you all about it.



• 3/17/03 - Mixing! mixing! mmixing! We had a great mix session last week with engineer Steve Armstrong. Mixing's going smooth and we should be done in another few sessions. We can't say enough how excited we are about these tracks, and all the people we're working with. We're still working out the design for the record cover, and we've almost settled on a title, but we have to duke it out a little longer.


• 3/17/03 - In honor of the onset of Spring, we'll be making a rucus at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill in Concord this Friday (March 21, 2003). It's going to be ALL PUNK!! ALL NIGHT!! with The SoreThumbs, Erikcore, Fuller and Out of Reach. The show starts at 9:00, $5, 21+ Bourbon Street is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from the Concord BART Station at 2765 Clayton Road. We go on last.


• 2/25/03 - ANOTHER cool band!!! We had a great time at Kimo's with The Aversions and Don Cikuta on January 17; and it was so cool to see everyone out on a Monday night!! Read about it in our newest section THE SHOW DIARIES.
  
  I'd like to take a moment to thank Boom and everyone at Kimo's for their dedication to live music in San Francisco. The bar had been getting noise complaints from one particular neighbor, who even had one of the promoters arrested!! So, over the past few months, the crew Kimo's has put a lot of time, money and effort into soundproofing the upstairs room in order to keep the doors open. They had the SFPD come out to inspect and do noise tests, and they have the paperwork to prove that the noise levels are acceptable. In fact, read about what happened when the cops showed up at our gig on the 17th.


• 2/11/03 - Two shows just announced!! FRIDAY, MARCH 21- Just for all you East-Bayers, we'll be at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill in Concord on Friday, March 21. We don't know who else is playing yet, but we know they're gonna be loud!!!!!! FRIDAY, APRIL 4 - Ooooh, you guys are gonna love this show!!! THE HOLLOW POINTS, from Seattle; SECRETIONS from Sacramento; and, of course LEATHER PILLS, live at KIMO'S Nightclub. We're gonna give away tickets to this show, so check back for contest details!!!!
  
  
• 2/11/03 - Sammy's been busy lately!! Not only is he the guitar player in the PIlls, he's also a rock photographer and an audio engineer! One of his latest photos is on display at the Marky Ramone & The Speedkings website -- check it out! (It's the one on the front page of the two guitar players turning away from one another.)
  
  On the recording front, Samm recently assisted engineer Mark Willsher recording a string section for the new Spearhead record in Studio D at Hyde Street. He also just sent off the completed mix of a project for Rattracks, a New York label. Last June, Samm recorded Rattracks artist Antonio Estevan Huerta, both in the studio and live. The studio work was done at Desolation SF (Samm's studio) and the live set was recorded at the Edinburgh Castle. No word yet as to when either might be released, but we'll keep you posted!
  
  
• 1/28/03 - We just finished all the tracking for the new record, and boy are our arms tired. Check out the RecordingDiary for the grueling details. Check out the Pics page for, well, pics. We are scheduled to be in Studio A at Hyde Street Wednesday and Thursday for mixing.
  
  
• 1/28/03 - SHOW UPDATE!!! The Spanish punk rock band Don Cikuta has been added to the show at Kimo's on February 17, it's looking to be like a rockin' night!! Check Upcoming Shows for details.


• 1/13/03 - Just added to the schedule: Monday, February 17 (President's Day & Mom's B-day (hi Mom!!)) with our favorite East Bay band The Aversions at Kimo's right here on the lip of the crime-free tenderloin.


• 1/13/03 - We're going to be in the studio this weekend recording with engineer Erik Dyba, who recorded the latest Me'shell Ndegeocello record (Cookie: The Anthropological Mix Tape), which just happens to have been nominated for a grammy this year!!


• 1/13/03 - The show we played at the Pound SF with Marky Ramone & The Speedkings, DI, The Fuzz, The Cliftons and The Sore Thumbs was AWESOME!!! We had such a great time, and played with some excellent bands. Read about it here and see pics here. Find out about the contest and the mystery lady who won tickets to the show.


• 1/5/03 - We're planning on being in the studio at Hyde Street the weekend of January 17/18 to record our full-length album that we've been working really hard on for the past few months. We're hoping to have the records in hand by March or April so we can head out on tour in the spring.


• 1/5/03 - Tonight is the official launch of the new website. Check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be updating often!!


• 12/23/02 - The Pills were on Rampage Radio on KUSF (90.3) San Francisco. It was a really fun interview with Dirty Sanchez, Boom King and the whole Rampage crew. As soon as we get a copy of the show, we're going to put some clips up on the MP3 site, so check back!! Here's a picture of us with Dirty Sanchez.