Article about one of former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing's first bands, Color Me Gone
By Don Yates.
Courtesy of Stan Bennett. Transcribed by Rasmus Holmen for NFC,
February 2000.
Everyone is now waiting for the last band to play, Color Me Gone.
Color Me Gone is another of the newer Anacortes bands, and one of
the youngest. Color Me Gone evolved from another Anacortes band,
Malcontent. Mark Madenwald, Tami's 15-year-old brother and lead
guitarist for Color Me Gone and Malcontent, explained, "We
never got along. There were always arguments during practice." Stan Bennett,
16, and lead singer for Color Me Gone and Malcontent, added,
"We kicked the old drummer out and got Chad about three months ago."
Chad Channing, at age 18 the oldest of the band, has lived all over and
had played for many different bands before becoming a part of Color
Me Gone. Channing had few kind words for the comtemporary music scene:
"I'm not a computer whiz or anything. It seems like all you need to get
on MTV is to plug in some electronic keyboards and have a weird voice."
Bassist Doug Cassidy, 15, rounds out the group. When Cassidy's parents
are mentioned, the band's mood darkens. "My parents suck so bad. They're
trying to close my eyes to the world after I finally got 'em open," Cassidy
said. "His folks hate the band," Madenwald explained. "They don't want
him to be a rock and roller."
The group's enigmatic name was lifted from the wall of Ballard's Graffiti Room. Color Me Gone was inspired by another Anacortes band. "Public Service was the reason I was getting into it," Madenwald acknowledged. Public Service was the first Anacortes punk band to surface after Spoiled, and they owe a lot of their precursors' music: many of their early songs were covers of Spoiled tunes. One of the more-idealistic bands, Public Service jumped on the Ethiopia benifit band wagon by staging a December fundraiser that packed the Depot. But the show didn't make any money - a brick was tossed through a window, and the money raised for Ethiopia instead went to pay for the broken window.
The young musicians of Color Me Gone are as dedicated to their
music as the older Anacortes bands. "I'm not doin' it for fame and fortune
- I'm doin' it because I like it, " Madenwald said. Cassidy agreed: "All
I want to do is play music and live."
"I want to be filthy, stinking rich, " Bennett interjected. "You're
a fascist," Cassidy added. Color Me Gone - like Malcontent
- argue a lot among themselves. Sometimes, it seems they wont' last out
the week. "Doug's too temperamental, " Bennett said. "And you're so egocentric,"
Cassidy replied. "But we get along", added Bennett.
It's now about 9:30 PM, and Color Me Gone takes the stage. Their
first-ever gig, no one quite knows what to expect.
Rumor has them a tight, hardcore band. As soon as they rip into their
first song, it's apparent the rumor is reality. Bennett, with his bright-red
hair, flaring eyes and husky build, looks fierce and sounds even more fierce.
Murderous. "This is 'Small Town Attitudes,' " he snarls with a scowl. "You
guys think about this one." Behind him, the band sounds like The Apocalypse.
Channing, a long, silver earring dangling from his left ear, furiously
pounds his drum kit with the precision of a veteran, while Madenwald, looking
cool and collected, plays a very credible hardcore trash guitar, and even
adds an ominous, psychedelic touch to a couple of songs. Meanwhile, Cassidy
plays the part of the unimpressed bassist, laying down a solid underpinning
while seeming a bit bored with the pandemonium surrounding him. The ferocity
of the band leaves the audience stunned. They can handle punk when the
connections to the great protopunk bands of the past are made explicit,
but this band seems to have nothing to do with the past.
The audience begins to dwindle. Heavy metal fans, aghast at a band so fast and tight, begin heckling the band: "Let's hear some Metallica!" "Ozzy!" A pint-sized metalhead grabs Bennett's mike and shows off his heavy metal eloquence: "I say you all suck my fuckin' penis!" Bennett takes it all in stride. He takes the mike back and Color Me Gone launches into another frenetic, trash tune with renewed anger. The bands looks discouraged with the audience response, but they keep up the furious pace. Only about 20 people are left when the band attacks its final song, a kiss-off to all the band's detractors, "I Hate You." After the song's 60 seconds of primal, vindictive trash, the show is over. The lights go on and the crowd slowly filters out of the Depot. Color Me Gone, The Few and The Larrys leave the Depot for some beers.
Note: I believe "Anacortes" is a city in the state of Washington, and the 'Depot' is a venue there.