"Powerful and empowering, the Extra Action Marching Band seduces the pre-civilized will. They are immediate and visceral - more of a sweaty invitation than a show. They are a parody of idioms with shattering volume - guerrilla theater with the rug rolled up. Extra Action has performed in back alleys and at the Hollywood Bowl, they have played Black Sabbath in a synagogue for dancing octogenarians - but their preferred venue is a small locked room with the heat turned up."
Hey Gang, D.A. here. Extra Action has been my family since 1998 when pretty much the entire band lived together in a crazy "Live-Work" warehouse space simply known as SPACE in Fruitvale, Oakland CA.Space was a raw and explosively creative warehouse convergence powered by some wild and crazy kids all hailing from parts unknown to make amazing things happen in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1998, it was as if the beacon, the call, the lightning rod was here... and we answered it. In the short time that we were all together, from Oct. 98 —Feb. 00, some truly epic shows combusted within those walls. Crash Worship, F-Space, Seemen, Spaz, AWD (before they reformed as Xeno), and the End of the Word Cirkus, just to name a few. Once upon a time, the legendary Master Musicians of JaJouka from Morrocco held a very special and sacred show for us and our friends in Space that will never be forgotten. To this day, the Master Musicians laugh and refer to us as "the scary place." Those were the days..
But apparently... those days are alive and well. With deep-rooted friendships, veterans of Space led by Extra Action, Beat's Antique, and Yard Dogs, came together once again to rally for our dear friend Vanessa, to give you the Bitchass Benefit. It was a lovely spectacle. Watching the videos of the Benefit, it's fun to hear all the references to "Space" as if alluding to outer-space. Those of us who lived that experience know that Space was our home. Beautiful to think of our inside joke to be in reality, the fertile ground and jumping off point for the collaborations that would take us through the next phase of our lives.
Proud to know that 12 years later, those collaborative friendships are still making their way through the world into the future.
I would like to take this moment to thank those crazy kids from Space. You know who you are..I see you.
Thank you,
D.A.
