Keala C Ramos used to work at the San Francisco Amoeba Music and he moved out East in the last couple of years. He lives in Queens and likes living in New York City but notices certain cultural differences from San Francisco - like how coffee is served and the difference between the MTA and the MUNI.  Keala continues to make music in New York under his own name and also his band name, the Nervous Breakdowns.

The Breakdowns, who were named by Esquire magazine in 2004 as "the rock band to go and see if you are ever in San Francisco"  made  a rep for themselves also by getting into constant conflicts with the SFPD - usually while playing out on the street in places like the Castro.

The Nervous Breakdowns'  discography includes The Begining of the End EP (featuring the song  "Undependent" which also appeared on Amoeba Music Compilation Vol. V) and the full-length "Panic." As a solo artist Keala appeared on Amoeba Music Compilation Vol. IV with the song  “E Kaha'oe,”  The Nervous Breakdowns' lineup in SF was Keala Ramos (lead guitar), Matt Kajiwara (rhythm, vocals), Donelle Malnik (bass), and Charlyn Villegas (drums).  Check out their MySpace where, among other things, you can hear the songs "Garage Sale" and "Nervous Theme."

*This is the second interview with a former Amoebite who has moved coasts  to become a New Yorker.  The last one was with Nick Lesley

So what happens to Amoebites (people who work at Amoeba) after they stop working at Amoeba Music and move on in their lives?  And does their time spent at the music store impact or influence them in anyway later on?  These questions and a lot more are answered in this interview (the first in a series) with a former Amoebite, who is now a Brooklynite, named Nick Lesley who worked at all three Amoebas (Hollywood, Berkeley, San Francisco) before moving out to NYC two-and-a-half years ago. In California Nick played in the bands Vholtz, The Oma Yang,  and Felicia & Coctopus with whom he appeared on Amoeba Music Compilation Vol. V on the track "Whiskey Dick." Currently Nick is a student at Brooklyn College, updates several websites, and plays in several bands including Necking whose lineup includes Dong-Ping Wong and Josh Graver. He books shows at the cool Brooklyn living space (Dead Herring House) he shares with other artists (they had a giant show there just last Saturday night). For income Nick now works at a funky, fun  lil spot in New York City's  Lower East Side called the Cake Shop which is part record-store, part cafe, and part music club.  It was there that I caught up with the former Amoebite recently and asked him about  the differences between East and West coasts, about his studies, his music, and his life - before and after Amoeba.

                

    After yesterday's AMOEBLOG (the first part of this three part showcase of the graffiiti art outside Amoeba Music on Haight St.) two good comments were posted - both positive/pro graffiti art. Melissa in SF wrote that she is also in favor of graffiti as art but how she'd "wish they'd clean up them big heads in the back...it's all messed up with cheap tags and dirt, and that has been my fave piece forever!" - this in reference to one of the heads captured in the pic to the left here and also below in four pics. I agree with Melissa.  And to me these particular images are just so striking that I literally could stand (or sit) in front of them for hours on end gazing upon their blinding beauty. And truth-be-told I have spent a lot of time doing just that - sitting down for long periods and slowly taking in the street art in front of me.  It's no different than going to a gallery/museum and allowing ample time to fully absorb an art exhibit.  Which reminds me of one time a few years ago downtown San Francisco on opening night for the MoMa for some hot hot show. I wish I could remember exactly what the new about-to-be-unveiled exhibit was. It was one of those really well-publicized and hyped exhibits that everyone was talking about at the time...kinda like the buzz surrounding the ongoing Vivienne Westwood show in SF.  But anyways the point was that it was opening night and there was a huge mob of people (many there to be seen or to simply chug down the complimentary wine and cheese) all queuing up outside.  In fact the line was so long it snaked all the way down Third Street towards Mission and around the corner down this little alley/side street.  But on that side street on that chilly San Francisco evening, as everyone was chatting and looking ahead wishing for the line to move faster, right to their left (behind a wire fence) were all these stunningly beautiful fresh graffiti pieces.  But the people in line, anxious to get inside, all seemed to ignore the street art that (in my opinion at the time) was way better than the exhibit inside.  The point being that street art, like the graffiti that adorns the outside walls of Amoeba SF and across the street from the store too and all around the immediate Haight Street 'hood, is in reality a wonderful public art gallery there to be enjoyed and better still, it never has a cover charge.

                                    Since moving to the Bay Area from Fresno several years ago Jason Chavez, who works in the hip-hop and soul sections at Amoeba Music in San Francisco, has been extremely active outside of work busily recording and performing whenever possible. Under the name 4AM Chavez performs and records a rich variety of music. He also DJs regularly around SF at spots including Sip Bar in North Beach, the Beauty Bar in the Mission, and Milk directly across the street from Amoeba Music on Haight.   As a musician (producer, percussionist, vocalist, etc) he is most prolific and has an impressive catalog to prove this with both his solo releases and as a key collaborator with others including with the likes of  art-hop group Octavius, Dopesytle 1231, DJs of Mass Destruction, and most recently as a member of Black Fiction which also features some other Amoeba Music employees. One of those members is fellow Amoebite Big Ant with whom he has collaborated with on a cool DJ project.   4AM has appeared twice on the Amoeba Music Compilation series: on Volume IV as a solo artist on the track "Sorry Wrong #" and on Vollume V under the artist name The Dead Have Highways on the song "The Alone"along with the Count of Monte Frisco .  His DJ mix CDs, including the Hug Life series are available at Amoeba SF - ask for them. Meanwhile I asked the smart and always witty artist some questions about his life as a musician, an Amoeba employee, creator of the "Hug Life" movement, and a former Fresno resident.