Back in THE VALLEY

The Valley, with its heavy, fuzzy punk and garage-influenced alternative rock sound, reissued its stellar, full-length 2005 recording, known in some circles as “Blue Bear,” on vinyl this month (originally, it was released only on CD).

The record is half blue and half black, and it looks amazing. It also comes with a sweet insert which includes liner notes, a band photo and photos of flyers from shows they played in the past.

I’ve listened to my advance copy several spins, and it hits you in the gut in a good way. The remastering is top-notch goodness. It’s not all bash and crash either: There are hooks and melodies to be found.

If you dig Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr., then you will surely appreciate The Valley. With the group playing a reunion gig Saturday night at Hogan’s, in Clarkston, I thought it was a good idea to have a chat with main songwriter and guitarist Dan Beloit.

Marvin Lee: Let’s get to know your musical history a bit. At what age did you think, “Hey, music is pretty neat”? What were your favorite bands when you caught the music bug?

Dan Beloit: I fell in love with music at a very early age. Growing up, I played saxophone in middle and high school bands. I did pep band, marching band and zero-hour jazz band all four years of high school. Total band geek. Around 13 or 14 years old, I talked my grandma into buying me a bass guitar from Hirzel’s in downtown Lewiston and that opened up getting into rock and then later underground rock.

I’ve always played and been into music and being a musician. As far as bands that made me want to play or made me realize I could play the style of music that became The Valley, I’d have to say Mudhoney changed my perspective, along with other great Pacific Northwest bands like Love Battery, Screaming Trees, Flop and Mono Men. The list goes on and on and on.

ML: When did you start playing guitar? What was your first guitar? What was your first amplifier?

DB: I played bass for years, but I picked up the guitar when I started writing my own songs. I think that was around 1992-93. I bought a Fender Telecaster from Roger at Guitar’s Friend in Moscow. My buddy Sean Florence loaned me his old Fender Quad Reverb. I was lucky to be spoiled with rad gear from the start

ML: What was the first band you were in and do you have fond memories of that experience? What other local bands were you in before splitting the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley for Seattle?

DB: Shack Nasty was my first band — yes, very fond memories. We played some great shows and parties in Moscow and Pullman in the early ’90s. Jim Laws was in that band, along with Doug Manis. Then I was in a punk band called The Sugar Daddies that later morphed into a band called Glow.

ML: When did you start The Valley and what bands influenced the music you wrote for it?

DB: I started The Valley around 2001. I was in Seattle and grew frustrated with finding a band to join that floated my boat, so I decided to start my own. At the time I was really into punk, garage rock and stoner rock-type stuff. I wanted to do something louder, faster and heavier than anything in Seattle at the time. Fu Manchu, The Ramones as well as bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain were and are big influences.

ML: How did you link up with drummer Jim Laws and bassist Taku Mineshita, who play on the “Blue Bear” record? Did they contribute to the songwriting process?

DB: I met Taku thanks to the original drummer for The Valley, David Welker. He knew Taku and suggested he come jam. Taku was into learning the bass and joining forces. I’ve known Jim since I started playing in bands in the valley around 1990-91. He was in Shack Nasty with Doug Manis and me. He was one of the first of our peers to move to Seattle, so when the time came to find a new drummer before we started recording what would be the “Blue Bear” record, he graciously agreed to join up and helped take my song ideas to the next level.

The songs are brought to the table, and then Taku and Jim write their parts. The arrangements get tweaked as we hash out the tunes.

ML: The “Blue Bear” was recorded 20 years ago. Is that the reason for the reunion shows? And of course the band put the recording out on vinyl this year on half black and half blue wax. Why vinyl?

DB: Yes, The Swingline Records originally released the recording on CD back in 2005 (see column on Page 5). They decided to start the label back up and wanted to do vinyl releases of some of their catalog that only came out originally on CD. So The Swingline committed to releasing the album on vinyl and, in turn, the band agreed to reform to play a couple of reunion/release shows.

ML: For the guitar nerds out there, what gear did you use for “Blue Bear” that made all the killer heavy and trippy sounds?

DB: OK, cool, my favorite topic!

Fender Jazzmasters and loud Fender tube amps. As far as effects, I use Big Muff fuzz boxes, a Boss digital delay, MXR Phase 90 and an old Electro Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress flanger. It’s all pretty much the same gear I’ve used for the last 30 years.

ML: The band got Seattle-based musician/producer Johnny Sangster to engineer and produce the recording. How did that come about? What was it like working with him?

DB: Johnny rules. I met Johnny while helping out a friend’s band that was tracking some stuff at Egg Studios with Tim Kerr. Johnny was engineering that session, and we sort of hit it off. I asked him to record some demos of my band, and since then we’ve pretty much only had Johnny at the helm when we go into record.

His style suits our style perfectly. We like to record live to 2-inch tape with very little overdubs or “studio magic,” so to speak. I had to have the original recording remastered for the vinyl pressing, and what stands out is how live it sounds.

ML: Besides your show coming up Saturday at Hogan’s Pub in Clarkston, what other reunion shows do you have lined up?

DB: Sept. 28 in Seattle at the Clock Out Lounge with Tom Price Desert Classic and Sleep Capsule.

ML: Does The Valley have any plans to stay together and write new music or are the reunion shows a one-off?

DB: Never say never. It would be fun to work on some new Valley tunes and see what happens from there.

ML: One last vital question: Rocky or Bullwinkle?

DB: Bullwinkle — or maybe Natasha Fatale! !

Lee is a self-professed music nerd and part-time artist. He can be reached at marvin.lee@live.com.

IF YOU GO

What: The Maple Bars (featured in the Nov. 16, 2023, Inland 360) with The Valley

When: 10 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Hogan’s, 906 Sixth St., Clarkston.

Cost: $5 or a donation to The Green Apple Project, a Lewiston-Clarkston Valley-based nonprofit supporting families affected by autism.

Of note: The Valley will open with a reunion performance, followed by Lewiston-Clarkston band The Maple Bars. 21+.