Violent Femmes, the legendary folk punk group out of Milwaukee, WI, returned to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. The band is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its self-titled debut album Violent Femmes. Lending support was Elizabeth Moen, originally from Iowa, now of Chicago. Violent Femmes, founded in Milwaukee WI in 1981, originally consisted of Gordon Gano on […]
Violent Femmes, the legendary folk punk group out of Milwaukee, WI, returned to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. The band is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its self-titled debut album Violent Femmes. Lending support was Elizabeth Moen, originally from Iowa, now of Chicago.
Violent Femmes, founded in Milwaukee WI in 1981, originally consisted of Gordon Gano on lead vocals and guitar, Brian Ritchie on bass, and drummer Victor DeLorenzo. Gano and Ritchie remain part of the present line-up, with multi-instrumentalist Blais Garza and drummer John Sparrow joining in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
As mentioned above, this concert tour celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut, Violent Femmes. The group kicked off its set with what is arguably its most famous and likely most popular tune, “Blister in the Sun.” It seems not often that a band will play its biggest tune right out of the chute. But when those iconic first notes hit, the crowd was immediately thrilled and that feeling appeared to never let up. Gano’s unique voice is as strong as ever.
Violent Femmes is immensely suited to sing-alongs by the audience. Sure, audience members singing along is pretty much standard operating procedure at many concerts. However, at a Violent Femmes show, the art is a bit elevated. Seemingly every word is sung in great unison by, often sold out crowds. At one point Brian Ritchie, if I recall correctly, raised an arm in the same manner as association football aka soccer, players do, to urge fans on. It might not technically fall under the call-and-response definition but was pretty cool to witness.
Speaking of Brian Ritchie, he was a charismatic presence throughout the show. Moving to the edge of the stage several times, he delighted those in close proximity. If there was a leader on stage among the band members, it was clearly Ritchie.
Zooming through the track listing, the energy level from band and audience never waned. The crowd did understandably appear to skew older, many likely discovering the debut album when it actually debuted, or soon thereafter. It was refreshing, however, to see younger fans scattered throughout, a family affair for some. Highlights included the aforementioned “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” “I Held Her In My Arms,” and “I’m Nothing.”
All of the band members are adept at playing multiple instruments, as is the case with many groups. Gordon Gano, for example, plays the violin along with the guitar. However, some of the instruments are, to say the least, non-traditional. Ritchie plays not only bass, but a conch shell as well, and a box he slaps as he sits upon it. I don’t know of any other punk bands in which a conch shell is used. (It also made me regret not taking home one of the beautiful conch shells I saw during my time spent in Belize years back.)
But eliciting cool sounds from unusual sources is just one of the things that makes Violent Femmes music unique.
John Sparrow, plays an instrument more unusual even than a conch shell. As in a Weber Grill in the role of one of his drums. Yes, that American barbecue grilling classic. The first sight of it is always amusing, but it’s played it to great effect.
Sparrow plays roughly along the same onstage line, as Gano and Ritchie. With the exception of briefly trading box slapping duties with Ritchie, he performs standing, slightly hunched over a simple set-up. Sparrow was one of the most animated of the performers on stage.
Also, because he was not obscured by a combination of factors: distance from the photo pit, blocked by an expansive kit and/or a high stage, and poor lighting in the back area, it was refreshing to be able to actually grab some pretty decent drummer photos. His deft playing was fun to witness as well, especially when he was let loose for an occasional solo. On stage, Ritchie described Sparrow as a “Grill Master.” Fitting. Hey Weber Grill, give this guy a sponsorship if he does not have one already.
When attending a Violent Femmes show, it is hard to not immediately notice another thing set toward the rear of the stage. A giant saxophone, known as a Contrabass Saxophone.
Played by Blais Garza, the instrument made its first appearance with the group in 2004 and has been used on subsequent Violent Femmes recordings.
The manner in which Garza plays the instrument, towering high above him, leaves no doubt he has complete command of it, evoking lovely and compelling sounds.
At first glance, those unfamiliar with Violent Femmes’ music and shows might dismiss instruments such as conch shells, Weber Grills, and supersized saxophones, as gimmicky. And yes, there are many gimmicks to be found in punk music. Way too many for me personally. Schtick Punk is not really my jam. Violent Femmes are not that at all.
However quirky Violent Femmes is, the band is not given to cheap and easy artifices. This is a band, decades on, with some personnel changes, which remains, at its core, a band of great musicians. They put on a clinic of how to stage a show the attendees will long remember and leave, looking forward to the next time Violent Femmes hit their towns.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention that Violent Femmes is also backed by a formidable horns section, integral to the show and the music. Add it up (hey, I had to do this at least once) and the show was a blast. All of the band members seemed to be enjoying themselves if the wide smiles they sported during much of the performance were any indication. Gano, in particular, kept a never-fading look of joy on his face. The smiles of those in the crowd indicated the same. I might have grinned a bit as well.
Oh, and a quick note, one of songs off that debut album, “To The Kill,” references Chicago and a certain legendary mobster. The Riviera Theatre sits across the street, just yards away from the historic Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, where Al Capone held court in his booth, facing the entrances of course. Having myself enjoyed a night of jazz with friends in that very same booth, though no fan of the murderous Chicagoan, I found myself trying to contain slight chuckle.
Ending the show with “American Music” the second of a two-song encore, made for a rousing capper to a kicker of an evening.
Violent Femmes U.S.tour continues through November 18, 2023, closing out in Huntington Beach CA.
Opening up for Violent Femmes was Elizabeth Moen, from Vinton, Iowa, but now of Chicago.
Moen and her band provided the crowd a terrific start to the evening as her powerful vocals spread through the venue.
Elizabeth Moen’s most recent recordings include the album Wherever You Aren’t, from 2022; and For Arthur in 2023. That latter is an album of covers of Arthur Russell‘s music. Moen has pledged all of the Bandcamp proceeds from “For Arthur,” to One Iowa, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ Iowans.
Moen will be headlining at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, on November 4, 2023.
Please check out more photos from the show. Thanks & Cheers!
One of my favorite quotes in photojournalism is from the legendary William Albert Allard. He famously said, “I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.“ It has long been a sort of mission statement for me in my career as […]
One of my favorite quotes in photojournalism is from the legendary William Albert Allard.He famously said,
“I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.“
It has long been a sort of mission statement for me in my career as a photographer. One I try to apply every time I have my camera with me. This year, I decided to forgo the photo pits and let my fellow DS Team Chicago member Mary handle those duties. First time since we started documenting Riot Fest I was not in the photo pit. I missed being in the photo scrum but being able to cover all the other wild, cool, fun and compelling parts of the festival was well worth it. A few of the following Characters of Riot Fest I knew already and am friends with some. But I also met so many more fantastic people. A few I’d like to introduce to you dear DS readers.
The Son also Rises
As Riot Fest’s main focus is music, let’s start with one of the great bands. Sludgeworth had the Rebel Stage with a time slot in competition with Foo Fighters. Yet, the Chicago band first founded in 1989, held its own. The band is comprised of singer Dan Schafer aka Dan Vapid, in the front, Brian McQuaid aka Brian Vermin, on drums in the back, and their bandmates, Adam White and Dave McClean on guitars, and Mike Hootenstrat on bass, long-time Sludgeworth fans were ecstatic. McQuaid, who was in Screeching Weasel prior to Sludgeworth, told me,
“We played RF with Bad Brains back when it was at the Congress, but this time was just bigger and more exciting. It was an amazing experience to be part of such a massive production. +-This time was more special because the first time was a one off, and this time we’re gonna keep going.“
The band returned this year earlier, taking the stage at Cobra Lounge and garnering newer fans and introducing a new part-time member, Brian McQuaid’s 13 year old son Max McQuaid. The younger McQuaid has been playing for 5 years but at Cobra, he made his live performance debut. It was fun to document that performance and see the warm welcome the young musician was given. Not just because his dad is in the band but because the kid has a legit talent with the sticks. Did not have to be a drummer to understand that when the Max smashed his way through “Anytime.”
“Max has played both Cobra and Riot Fest. He worked really hard and played like a pro both times, I can’t express how proud I am. He’s gonna go places I never have with his work ethic and indoctrination into this music scene.”
Riot Fest is the Pits
Another person making his Riot Fest debut its Kamran Khan. Rather than on the stage though, Khan was stationed near the stage, He worked as a member of the team regulating the photo pits. Among, the duties, making sure photographers in the pit had the proper credentials and providing instructions to the shooters as to the general protocols, as well as the individual mandates of the various bands. The team ensures that we photographers get the best images we can, at the same time making sure everyone stays safe. Khan was pretty confident he could handle the job.
“I’d never worked a press pit before but I’ve been a bartender, a teacher, a bouncer, a real estate agent, a minister, a waiter at a Russian bath house, an editor/publisher, a ditch digger, a secretary, a babysitter, a writer, and I even lasted one day as a line cook. So, I figured he thought I’d have the skill set covered.“
And his impressions?
“Well, besides the fact I got to see some of the most badass musicians around performing at the top of their game from just several meters away, the best thing about it was meeting all the heroically hardworking and talented people that keep the Fest going that also happen not to be wearing artist wristbands. There’s so many moving parts to get this many acts going on in front of this many people smoothly, and so many people trying to do their best to make sure everybody’s safe and having a good time, and you gotta do that gig amongst the constant shifting demands and constraints of all the different emerging variables, pivoting and adapting on the fly. Working a fest is kinda like being Harrison Bergeron, (from that Kurt Vonnegut Jr story) trying to dance in a metal suit, and pulling it off.
But so many cool hardworking folks pull it off and it was great to have a killer weekend with them all. I also got a kick outa watching all the press do their work, the elegant yet clumsy dance of the “Where’s a damn angle where I can get a transcendent shot before I have to run across a city park dodging drunk grey bearded punk rockers between rain soaked lakes without twisting my ankle or breaking the strap on my camera (which can be fixed with a zip tie if it happens I learned) in order to hopefully get a shot that may or may not get cut depending on what somebody in an office 2000 miles away thinks. And getting to sit in the press tent and jaw with you about old pictures. That was a blast.“
Describing his experience with vivid and poetic details is not surprising for a person whose Instagram handle is “Punks With Books”. And Khan’s last statement about pictures was actual a reference to 1970’s cinema. Khan, with headband and his style of facial hair, appears to be straight out of central casting for a Sidney Lumet or Alan J. Pakula directed film. It was a blast to be able to discuss, in general, cinema’s greatest decade, and specifically, Al Pacino. I need to go watch Dog Day Afternoon now. “Attica! Attica!”
Shoot to Thrill
One person who did not make his Riot Fest debut this year is photographer Mike “MXV” Vinikour. While a good portion of photographers, including myself for DS, have covered multiple Riot Fest, only Vinikour has wielded his camera and his vision at Riot Fest every year. The Downers Grove, IL-based photographer and Associate Game Developer at Stern Pinball runs his own site called The Punk Vault.
Vinikour described to me how he got started shooting Riot Fest, how it has changed over the years, and what it has meant to him.
“Back in 2005 I saw a flier for this two day punk festival at the Congress Theater called Riot Fest. I saw the lineup of bands and it was full of all these great old punk rock bands I grew up with, some of them still mostly intact and some of them a fraction of what they were with different/new singers. I had only been shooting shows for about a year or so at that point and was still pretty green. I didn’t know who the promoter was at the time, but I had connections through a couple of bands that were on the bill. One of the days I think I got my passes from the Dead Kennedys’ publicist, and the other day I either got in through The Effigies or Channel 3.
It was a really fun two days and there were so many great bands both old and new, though it was the old punk bands of my youth that got me to go to it.
After the fest I had posted my show review and photos on my site. I was the only photographer at that first Riot Fest. A few months later, Riot Mike [Michael “Riot Mike” Petryshyn, founder and owner of Riot Fest] came up to me at a show and thanked me for the nice review of his show and giving him some exposure and he liked my photos. He told me of his plans for the second Riot Fest and that got me really excited. He invited me to come shoot it again and that started a long relationship I’ve had with Riot Fest. I haven’t missed shooting a single one and Mike, Luba [Vasilik], Heather [West of Western Publicity], and everyone in the organization have been wonderful to me over the years. I can’t say enough good things about all of them.
I liked it when they were just in the Congress Theater because I loved shooting at that venue, and it had a lot of space. When they added that second stage in the lobby though it made navigating in and out of there more difficult. That club had great lighting and the barricade had enough room in there to drive a car inside of it. The rest of the place was falling apart though.
When they moved it to the different clubs, it really made it difficult to try and shoot multiple shows, and many times I had to make a difficult choice of what ones to do because as good as modern technology is, I was never able to clone myself to be in two places at once. Driving between the venues was difficult too, having to find parking, going through traffic if you had only a short window of time to get from one club to another, and some venues were harder to shoot in than others due to their size, lack of barricade, etc.
I was pretty happy when they moved past the multi-club thing (which was always an exhausting week) and moved it to the big outdoor festival. I was blown away at that first one at Humboldt Park with how massive it was and what a huge undertaking it was on Riot Fest’s part to do something that big, but it turned out awesome and to this day it’s the only outdoor festival I like or want to participate in. They adapted well over the years of being a huge fest to make the layout more user friendly and I think the last few years have been even better than ever with how they’ve managed it all.
It was kind of a neat parallel with how Riot Fest grew over the years and how I grew and honed my craft at photography. We both started close to the same time and have both gotten way better over the years. I definitely own a part of my growth as a concert photographer to Riot Fest.
I started taking photos around 2004 for my website The Punk Vault. I had been writing about music since 1985 when I started a fanzine called Spontaneous Combustion. That ran until 1997, then a few years later I did a web version of that which then morphed into The Punk Vault site that I’ve been doing the last 20 years.
RE: the way shooting bands has changed at the fest over the years: Well in the old Congress Days I was allowed to shoot the full sets of every band and had all access passes, so I had the full run of the place. I was pretty spoiled, and Mike made me feel really special and appreciated. When they became a big outdoor fest, I understood the logistics of that wouldn’t work anymore. I was just happy that when the fest became huge, they. never forgot me and told me that I’ll always be welcome to come shoot the fest as long as I want. It went from me being the only one there, to being in a pretty small group of photographers sharing the pit, to now being one of probably 100 that shoot the fest every year. It can be challenging at times being in there with so many people all vying for the same three spots to shoot though those giant speaker stacks that are blocking most of our view, but I’ve been so many awesome photographers over the years at the fest that it feels like a family. There’s a core group of us that have been shooting the outdoor fest for so many years now that it really has become the most fun weekend of shooting bands of the year and the one I look forward to the most. It’s like a brotherhood of photographers and we all laugh and have a great time.
Sometimes being crammed in there with so many people can be hard on me because I have anxiety and that can trigger me, but it’s always been manageable and in a way it’s good for me to challenge myself. Also, there’s been times where instead of 3 songs, we only get 1 due to them splitting us in groups, or certain bands may have restrictions that only let us do one song. That has made me a more efficient photographer so when those situations happen I can roll with it a lot easier than ever now.
I almost never just watch a band unless I’m shooting them. The enjoyment of shows for me is shooting photos, I won’t go to shows unless I’m shooting them. I’ve made exceptions at the fest for bands I really love that may not allow any photography, (The Misfits for example) but typically if a band won’t let me shoot them, I won’t stick around to watch them, and I’ll go shoot someone else.
Having a Senior Moment
AnnaBelle “Bee” Pant, is a 12th grader at what her mother Monica described to me as a “progressive-ish” high school in a small, conservative Michigan town. AnnaBelle wanted something a little different from the typical senior portraits she had seen with classes coming before hers,
“I’m 17, and I live in southwest Michigan, which is basically just a bunch of cornfields. I wanted to get my senior pictures somewhere a little more “me.”
AnnaBelle and her parents – Ben & Monica Pant – and her 11th grader brother Trey, made it a family affair.
“This is our third year at Riot Fest, and I’ve always loved going with my family seeing concerts. I know it’ll be some of my best memories with my parents.”
As for the family’s favorite sets? AnnaBelle spoke on behalf of the quartet,
“For sure Bowling For Soup!! and The Used were awesome, we were camping at the barrier for both.”
Oh and the Pants also brought along a friend named Ryan, whom the Pant family befriended at the festival in 2021. Well, sort of. The actual Ryan was unable to attend this year so family carried “Flat Ryan,” inspired by the Flat Stanley travels the word idea. This is just one of the many long-lasting friendships formed at Riot Fest every year.
Maker of the Mosh
Nik Simmons describes himself this way,
“Stay at home dad and drumming for Exegesis until Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press needs me.“
But Simmons is also a man with an annual mission to organize the best Riot Fest mosh pits, or at least the most unique.
Over the years, it has become a Riot Fest tradition to have a gimmick pit. As soon as I read that Corey Feldman was playing, I knew he was the perfect act.
Feldman became famous as a child actor, including in the classic 80’s films, Stand By Me, The Goonies, and The Lost Boys. During the past few decades he has concentrated on music but has never really been acclaimed for his musical talents.
Still, Feldman elicited both enthusiasm and snickers from a good number of fest attendees. Simmons told me,
“His name stood out from the lineup so much that I had to see him perform. I’m sure many went for the irony. However, even those who went in with that attitude were soon won over by Corey Feldman’s performance.“
Simmons, who cited The Lost Boys as his favorite Feldman film, didn’t get to meet the star but does believe the actor was aware of the pit,
“I think he did. It was posted on one of his social media accounts.“
More importantly, the crowd seemed to enjoy it as Simmons described the result,
“Excellent. A bunch of people had a great time.“
This was not Simmons’ first such experience as he informed me,
“Yes, there was a wall of death for The Village People, corn dog pit for Sincere Engineer, and a pit for Devo. I’ve made a sign for each of those mosh pits too.“
Looking forward to witnessing what Nik Simmons comes up with at Riot Fest 2024.
Board with Riot Fest
Cooper Greenslade, 13, caught air and grabbed attention as he flew high above the Riot Pop! skate ramp set up against the Riot Fest Devil. Greenslade shared with me, via instagram, his first Riot Fest experience.
“Yes, this was my first time at RF, and as far as the experience it totally exceeded my expectations honestly. I didn’t really know how kool it was gonna be till I walked through the gates and saw all the people and heard the insane music I was immediately stoked about being there. I have not skated any other music fests but I definitely intend on going to more in my life.
I have been skating 5 1/2 years not pro (yet) but hopefully one day. I am sponsored by Character Skateboards, GROM USA, Static Hardware, Fargo. I would say my overall experience with RF is the bands were amazing and the stages were close enough to get to see a lot of bands quickly, and the people watching was amazing.
I always get super stoked riding with older dudes cause they have a lot of experience and all of them are super kool and they are always giving me tips and advice to get better, the Chicago skate scene is very positive and motivated. I’m super excited to have so many good influences around me.
Yes, I would love to make this a full time career, but for now I’m having a ton of fun and meeting a lot of amazing skaters all over the US. I’m just gonna keep hustling and see where it takes me.“
Punk Rock Nuptials
The wedding party wore t-shirts emblazoned with Cards Against Humanity style references to past (“Throwing Meat at Morrissey“) and present (Dave P., a Dave Grohl doppelgänger, wore a shirt with the Foo Fighters singers’ name on it) Riot Fests and the group’s all too often reaction whilst watching Chicago Bears games (“Shit Got Fucked”). The Bride and Groom wore t-shirts where the traditional “til death due us part” was wrapped around corpse hands, and Old Skool Vans with their initials and the wedding date printed on the heel. The corsage was made out of Riot Fest lineup cards, and there was a swarm of (fake) adorable bumblebees. For Angela Vetrovec-Schiller & Aaron Schiller, there was no doubt the chapel they would head to would be the Riot Fest Chapel.
“Riot Fest means so much to me. Music is a huge part of my life. I’ve been going to Riot Fest since the start. It’s basically a holiday weekend for me and my friends. Moving away from Chicago was a hard decision for me. Riot Fest has now turned into a yearly reunion. The random run ins are one of my favorite parts. I met my husband at a show, fell in love with him at a fest, he proposed to me at another fest, so getting married at Riot Fest was the perfect way to do in front of all of our best friends. I love being at Riot Fest, I love the people of Riot Fest, I love our scene. “
Punks Care
Punk Rock Saves Lives and Riot Fest have combined to save lives for years. PRSL founder Rob “Rover” Rushing explained why Riot Fest is so meaningful to him, his wife and board member Tina Rushing, and all involved in the beloved nonprofit.
“PRSL was formed in November 2019. As a continuation of the work that we did with the Love, Hope, Strength, Foundation. It Is my dream and my wife’s and quite a few others’ dream to use the positivity of the punk scene to make incremental differences in our lives every day.”
As LHS or as PRSL, I believe Since 2013, possibly before, and that includes all of the Denver ones as well, we were invited by Sean (McKeough), the co-owner of Riot Fest as a kind of a personal mission because he had beat cancer before his untimely death from a brain aneurysm. We’ve swabbed close to 400 every single year we’ve been at Riot Fest, if not more. Considering 1 in 100 matches to save a life, and 1 in 1000 of those make it to the donation, Riot Fest is way above normal averages for saving lives. Something about Riot Fest is just special because people not only come to have an absolute blast but seem to care.
Seems like that is the community and it’s even with, you know, years where it’s more punk rock, or it’s more rock or it’s more rap, it doesn’t change. The community of Riot Fest is pretty amazing.
One of my favorite moments of Riot Fest ever, and it’s kind of sad to say it this way, but the year Sean passed away. They went forth, obviously. Very, very sad. But also, they had his Gator, his golf cart type thing. And they brought it, and they displayed it as a memorial for him. And they came and got me at my booth. When I got there to set up, they drove by and took me to the Gator and had me put a sticker on the Gator because they knew how much our charity meant to him.
That just proves that the people of Riot Fest, it’s not only a business and obviously it’s that, but it’s also a community and they believe in it and seeing, you know seeing Mike’s article this year, where he came out as on the spectrum, it was a very inspirational and awesome article. So that’s just some of the cool things about Riot Fest. That makes it special to me and I will always, always be there as long as we exist.
“Going into it, I obviously thought it was more rock-centric than it had been in the past. But it ended up being just so widespread that I didn’t even realize that. It was so cool. And you know, having The Dresden Dolls on the main stage…luckily Amanda gave us an amazing shout out for the charity. And because of her, we probably signed up an extra 90 to 95 people within the next 15 minutes at our little pop-up booth, as well as people going into the booth.“
“Mr. Bungle doing thrash, which was incredible too. Learning about a whole bunch of new bands and just the community and the people embracing what we do. It just warms my heart, you know? It’s incredible. So, Punkers do give a fuck. That’s one of our slogans, punks give a fuck. And it’s true, right? Riot Fest is proof.“
Please check out more sights from Riot Fest 2023! Thanks and Cheers!
Skating in the Gloaming
Viagra Boys Crowd Surfers
Garren Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Max McQuaid with his father Brian McQuaid are Sludgeworth Drummers
Mike “MXV” Vinikour
Mike “MXV” Vinikour
Garren Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Annabelle Senior Class Photo Portrait?
The Pant Family: Monica Pant, AnnaBelle Pant, Trey Pant, and Ben
Flat Ryan with the Pant Family
Tim and Junebug Atop the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Skating in the Gloaming
Nick Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Merry Christmas Everything is Terrible
Punk Rock Saves Lives Has Many Fucks To Give
Rob from Punk Rock Saves Lives
Malort Fan
Malort Toast
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Late Night Riot Fest with The Interrupters
Kamran Khan
Photo Booth Fun
Flogging Molly Crowd Surfer
Aaron and Angela Got Married!
Aaron and Angela Got Married!
Wedding Bouquet Made of Riot Fest Line-Up Cards
Till Death Do Us Part worn but the Bride and Groom
Wedding Koozie
Wedding Party t-Shirts
Dave P is Dave G’s Doppleganger
Cooper Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
T-Shirts at Riot Fest
Dan Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Insane Clown Posse Fan at the Corey Feldman set
Corey Feldman Moshpit
Corey Feldman Moshpit
Corey Feldman Moshpit
Corey Feldman Moshpit
Moshpit Feldog
Corey Feldman Moshpit
Corey Feldman in the Press Tent
Atop the Riot Pop!! Ramp
Andrea Skates the Riot Pop!! Ramp
About to Drop In at the Riot Pop!! Ramp
A Different Approach to the Riot Fest Devil Photo Op
The Riverboat Gamblers are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its 2003 Something to Crow About. The band decided it was a good time to reflect on the significance of the record. I asked the below questions of two of The Riverboat Gamblers’ band members, singer Mike Wiebe (MW) and guitar player Ian MacDougall (IM). I also […]
The Riverboat Gamblers are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its 2003 Something to Crow About.
The band decided it was a good time to reflect on the significance of the record. I asked the below questions of two of The Riverboat Gamblers’ band members, singer Mike Wiebe (MW) and guitar player Ian MacDougall (IM). I also spoke to the pair about how the Riverboat Gamblers came to be and where it is now. Along with Wiebe and MacDougall, the band also includes Fadi El-Assad on lead guitar, Rob Marchant on bass, and Sam Keir on drums.
On Something to Crow About:
(NOTE: The Q&A below has been edited and condensed for content/clarity’s sake.)
MG: How did the decision to re-release the record come about?
IM: “We’ve been wanting to have all of our releases available and we wanted to start with the one that’s been unavailable the longest.“
MG:Was it simply a matter of 20 years being a milestone amount of time?
IM: “This record is really special to all of us and to have it back is awesome. 20 years just happened to be how long it had been when we got it back. It sort of lined up perfectly.”
MG:How long have been planning/working on the re-issue?
IM: “I had met this great dude John Kastner over the years touring in other bands and he helped facilitate this so we that we could re-release this ourselves and have it distributed properly. Everything has been pretty in house here now which is at the time great.“
MG: What went into the decision-making as far as the artwork and presentation of the re-release?
IM: “As far as artwork etc. We brought in original bass player Pat Lillard that recorded on this album, to help update some things. We added a quote from producer Tim Kerr and changed some fonts around that had always bugged some of us.“
McDougall summed it up with:
“We got a great remaster from Jack over at Enormous Door here in Austin. He really woke this thing up and gave it a shower, shave and a hot pot of coffee.“
Mike Wiebe (vocals) “Long story short- after Gearhead went under it was tied up for a bit…“
MG: Reflecting on the album now, were you aware or did you have a sense of how special it was at the time and how important in might become in the future (and now history) of The Riverboat Gamblers?
MW: “I knew we worked really hard on it we were happy with it but no, I didn’t really know how special it was and that it would be such an important factor in our lives 20 years later. I knew people liked it at the time but it’s kind of hard to see or feel that stuff when you have nothing to compare it to. ”
MG: Was it simply a matter of 20 years being a milestone amount of time?
MW: “In editing the video for “Rattle Me Bones” a few weeks ago and looking at all the old footage of us playing I really started to feel the weight of all of it. I think for the most part I/we are always kind of moving forward and thinking about the next record or the next project and I don’t really take a lot of time to reflect on that stuff. So it was nice to look back and really appreciate how lucky it is to have the experience of a little magical pocket where everything kind of clicked at the same time.”
On the Past, Present, and Future of The Riverboat Gamblers
MG: How have things changed since you started the band?Have your goals been met and are there new goals?
MW: “I mean it’s you know it’s completely different. I mean we were little babies when we started. I know the band’s over like 25 years old I think. The band can rent a car. You know, the (band) living on its own, can vote and drink and everything.
Honestly my goal is just like I just want to see the band name on a screen-printed poster. I want to have a 7-inch out like that was that was the big goal or whatever.”
MG: What was scene like back when you started?
MW: “So, (back) then you know, we were in Denton, TX. It was really just like playing these house shows mostly, and the scene was really big and booming then. Right when Green Day was like blowing up and Rancid and all these bands.
My friend calls it the “Gilman Gold Rush.”It was something to sign all these punk bands. It was just this really exciting fun time to be a band in Denton Texas because Denton, this little suburb outside of Dallas where there was like one or two clubs.
So, there’s all these old houses that everybody lived in kind of, you know, just college kids and we were just throwing these house shows, and it became this really kind of like underground famous place to play a show at the time for touring bands. Touring bands, a lot of times, they would skip Dallas. They would skip a club show in Dallas to play Denton because – especially punk bands would do that – because that was such a popular place. It was just kind of like this known fact that like if you come, you do a show in Denton. A lot of times like this you’re like, you know, a smaller touring punk band. It’s going to be the best show of your whole tour and the word kind of got out.”
MW: “So, between all the houses we were living at, there was there was just plenty of opportunities to play and like kind of cut chops as it were. And so, we were just kind of like playing shows all the time and setting up shows and kind of making connections for when we were going to go out, ultimately later.
I would say, I mean, I would think this started up when I was like 20-ish, you know? Probably 20, like 19, 20… This is, this is before Something to Crow About. But yeah, this is maybe even before the Gamblers, like when the scene was just kind of getting started. But we were all in different bands and you know? Fadi and I were in a band together and then some of the other guys, we all, everybody kind of just started playing in multiple bands. And sometime, you know, over the course of a couple years, we all started Gamblers together.”
MG: I have always had an interest in the origin of band names. How did you come up with the name The Riverboat Gamblers?
MW: “I don’t remember exactly all except for kind of It was at the time, band names were really, and felt like, you know, our purview that, like a lot of bands were…there’s a lot of very…emo at the same time. The emo movement was like, really kind of up-and-coming. It was kind of like the pre, before emo kind of became what it is like now. Or what it would become.
But the emo movement was very like pretentious long-winded names, you know? I mean you know you name your band after some obscure French poets. Then there’s like a band called something like – and they might have been great, I don’t mean to disparage them – but their name was Fall into the Seer and the Yellow Leaf, and there was always very like very and on the flipside of that, the pop punk bands would kind of be like The Veronicas! or you know, the Choppy Boys or whatever. And so we were, The Riverboat Gamblers seemed like it stuck out in a weird way. At the time I think we liked it kind of sounded like a little bit more like oh this could be like a country band or like a classic rock band.
Yeah, it kind of fits there. Texas swagger to it which ultimately, it’s fine, but there was a period where it kind of bit us in the ass, because it was like everybody just assumed because we were from Texas and called The Riverboat Gamblers that we were like a stand-up bass rockabilly band. And everywhere we go it would be like ‘what rockabilly band in town are you going to play with?’ Rockabilly can be great and all, but at some point it was it was like…it was a little bit of effort in like no, that’s not, you know, that’s not what we want to do. We’re not in that world you know, and that was what it felt like and can’t accept it, that people the world kept trying to put us into that universe and was a little bit of effort to not stay in there.
But there was a lot of that in the Dallas area. There was at that time, especially.
IM: Yeah, Dallas had the Rockabilly thing. I feel like Dallas has like a huge skinhead thing too here as well but…Because there’s also less of a line between. But it was. It was. I remember being a kid and being freaked out going out to shows for sure for a while there. It was kind of a mix. I feel like there was. I feel like with any of that stuff, there’s always going to be some sort of, you know, people coming out of the woodwork. “
MG: Ian how did you get involved with the Gamblers?
IM: “I met the guys when I was probably like, the guys in Gamblers. I met them when I was probably about 15 and I caught the tail end of what Mike was talking about. Like the house shows, and the Gamblers were already a band. They were kind of playing around and yeah, I would go and see them. And then eventually, like, go up to them and I met all the guys. There was a record store across the street from my school [in Carrolton, TX, where MacDougall lived at the time] called CD Addict. And I’d go there after school and I bought a Buzzcocks record from, you know, it’s just like, oh, I’ve always wanted to check this out and I bought a Buzzcocks record and the guy behind the counter was like, oh man, well if you like this, you might really love my brother’s band. And that band was The Marked Men. And it was Jeff Burke’sbrother. [Jeff Burke plays bass player for The Marked Men. His brother, Mark Burke, opened CD Addict in Carrollton, and now owns Mad World Record Shop in Denton] And so, I came back, and I was like, I love this. He was like, well, they’re actually playing this weekend. He gave me a flyer and I got my buddy to give me a ride and we both went up to the show and saw The Marked Men. And I don’t remember who else was on the show. It might have been The Marked Men and The Dirty Sweets.
For me, when I was a kid going there like Mike, I had a little bit different of an experience with it because I didn’t live there and so I would come up. [Carrolton is just under 25 miles southeast of Denton] I mean, I spent like all of my time up here though and it was really cool to come up. And we had a really cool little group. I would come up whenever I got out of school, and everybody else is still working jobs or not working, and we would just all hang out at somebody’s house and then there would be a show there or something like that at night. And because it was a college town, every house would be having some party or something and so we would just like walk around and go in just like party hop and then eventually go to some show and then you end up back in somebody’s house staying the night or hanging out staying up listening to records and stuff.”
MG: Mike, what was Ian like, with him being much younger? Do you recall what you thought of the kid at time?
MB: “I was 10 years, yeah, about 10 years older. You could say who you know who you are. Again, kind of game meet game as far as like somebody that’s into the same type of music. It’s still, you know, even though that was defined as a cool Bohemian (place), Denton it wasn’t like this is the sort of specific style of punk music style of. Punk music and stuff that we were into was a little bit more obscure. So, you know, Ian kind of came in and like kind of had the same background of genres of rock and roll and punk music and stuff like that. So, it was really easy. Old soul too. And I’m very immature. So it was easy to kind of meet there and then when we recorded Something To CrowAbout and he didn’t play on that but right after, right after we recorded it, we started touring a whole bunch. He hopped in the van with us and our guitar player couldn’t do it because it was looking like an extensive amount of touring, and it was more than he could do for work and stuff. That’s when the band kind of went from being a weekend warrior band to kind of like a full-time deal. Ian was just graduating high school.“
MG: Ian, what was it like to tour so young, and being too young for some of the venues?
IM: “That was around was in the mid -90s. Around the first tour that I did with Gamblers, you know I was pretty young. I wasn’t 21. We toured with this band Burning Brides for the first tour that we did together and Burning Brides they had that advance money where they got money. We were still in the van and trailer but they had a bus on this tour. And so, there were a lot of shows where I couldn’t go in. I could go in and do sound checks, play the show, but I couldn’t hang out. And so they would let me come and hang out on the bus. I just watched TV in the back with Dimitri [Coats] the singer in Burning Brides. It was, you know, just hanging out.“
MG: So now you both are in the band. How long before you starting hitting the goals, like you had the 7 inch and next…
MW: “It felt pretty natural, but there was definitely some huge buzz surrounding Something To Crow About. We toured and toured on that record for a long time and shortly thereafter it was time for the next record. And so around then it’s when things really started changing because, you know, we wanted to do something bigger scope and to get out there. I don’t know, there were demos that were floating around that we had done and then there were, you know, we started working on songs and so we actually were talking about working with all these different producers and labels and you know, the people that really came out and really went above and beyond to show us that they cared were Volcom. Volcom Entertainment. They had a really great team of people, and you know we were kind of like gonna be their first dance. They were kind of basically treating us like it was going to be their first real big like “we’re going to go all in on this” (thing).
And that’s really where it started to feel like things were changing because all of a sudden we’re living in an apartment at the Oakwoods (Apartments in Los Angeles), which like actors and other bands and were there for like a month and we have an allowance and where So, all of a sudden we’re in LA for like, you know, for a month or more. I feel like it feels like so long that we were out there, but we all lived in an apartment together and we were out there, you know. It wasn’t uncommon. This was, like, a super common thing for bands to go out there and live at this giant apartment complex, that was for like entertainment industry folks. So, there was a lot of actors there. Here was I remember like being in a swimming pool with Pat, our old bass player and like all the kids from Malcolm (In The Middle) on the grounds. “
IM: “Like that, like sort of that thing where, yeah, like we go to the gym and there would be like Garrett Morris from Saturday Night Live. It’s crazy, but around then you know, and then afterwards, we were working on a record with this guy Andrew Murdock. Same things, as he went above and beyond to really prove that he wanted to do this record and because of that, we knew that we wanted to spend more time on Confusion. You know this is my first experience. I had recorded stuff in the past, (but this was) my first experience like, you know, working with the guys and Gamblers in the studio and it was a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun working on that record.“
MW: “During that was that was that during a time it was a cool experience. Not that I thought like oh it’s going to be like this every time. I think I knew it was kind of special but now in retrospect like wow what a unique experience.”
IM: “Cool, weird, lucky thing that we got to do that. A lot of bands maybe don’t get to do that. And you know, we didn’t really get to do it yet. But it was, yeah, it was what years were those? That’s when there was still money in the music industry. Remember that one, 2005 maybe? [Mike adds: “yeah something like that “].”
MG: When did you notice the crowds getting bigger. When the floors where you were earlier on the bill were filling up? Was out slow or all of a sudden?
IM: “It was at around the time that we started this touring constantly and there was headlining stuff, and also a lot of like support act stuff. But for big bands, where we were actually playing, we went from playing little clubs to getting to open up for bigger bands in really big rooms. And noticing the people were staying for the early acts and I think that was just like from touring.”
MW: “It took a really long time to get to get used to that. I think maybe it was everybody else acquiesced easier. But for me, it took a long time to get used to, like figuring out the animal of those big stages far away from the crowd. There’s like less people to try and figure out how to translate that. To do what we had been doing, what I had been doing in those little clubs, and to try and translate that to giant things. Well, it was slow. Like you notice here and there in some towns, I mean there’d be little pockets of like ohh wow we just kind of leveled upin this one area.
For us was really slow. We never really had an overnight kind of thing you know and never any like real…umm… navigating all of it was pretty confusing and weird and still is just the business side of music. The business part is something we’re still kind of, you know…I mean I think we’re more aware of it now but now of course it’s changed so much but back then it was, like, confusing. Really confusing.“
MG: How soon did you get out of Texas and start doing national tours, criss-crossing the country?
IM: “That was like immediately. I mean like the first tour that I did with Gamblers like we, it was a full U.S. tour and all of these things that we did when they were all like we would go out like everywhere. And that’s one thing. It’s like getting out of Texas. I remember that always being like, oh, we got to start this tour in New York. So, we would drive 24 hours from Austin or Denton and go straight to go and meet some tour out in like. New York or like Morongo, California…that’s where we started the X and Rollins tour. And these things would go all over the place We would go all over the place and then we’d hop over to Europe and play everywhere you possibly could over there too.“
MG: What was the first huge tour and was there any nervousness or sense of starstruckness?
IM: “I think you know like we the the one of the like one of the bigger ones that we went on early on like we toured with Flogging Molly and that was like that was a pretty big one…but there was no like starstruckness with that. I think when we had when we toured with X and the Rollins Band. That was when it was like, like, holy shit, there’s that dude from Black Flag. And then that’s X Oh my God.
And then it was cool to the eventually like befriend these people. Like, I remember an experience in DC and being at the 9:30 Club and sitting there and talking with Ian McKaye and Henry Rollins, like about about Eater. You know, this old 70s punk band. I was wearing an Eater T-shirt and they were like, “Can you believe that there’s kids wearing an Eater T-shirt?” We were talking about that. And I was like, Oh my God, this is so crazy. I got pictures from that still from that night and I look like I’m a child. And then we toured with Joan Jett and that was another very like, wow. “
MG: And were they all pretty cool with you?
IM: “Yeah, everybody, we got along with pretty much everybody we’ve toured with. Yeah, yeah, for the most part. That’s the cool thing with this bandandits experiences. Not only are you meeting all of these band people, but you’re meeting the crew as well that worked for these folks. And like the world is so, so small, you know. Because I mean, like eventually, I started working in in crew stuff, doing tour management stuff. And you know, lifer types, you’re going to run into these people like 10 years from now. And it’s been pretty neat because it’s all been from, you know, our time with Gamblers. And I’ve worked with some of these crew members that we met in the early days when I was a teenager and, you know, worked with them like, you know, 10 or 15 years later.“
MG: Looking back have your views on the scene changed? Are you still as eager?
MW: “Yeah, well, I mean like I think for me it’s, you know, getting older and still doing it and still feeling like there is no room and stuff to say. And the goals are a lot different, like all that hype and stuff is not…you know we’re not young anymore. So, the only reason to keep doing it, not that we were doing it for any other reason before, but the only reason to do it really when you’re older is because you still really love it, and it’s you like creating music and performing it and stuff like that.
I mean, you know, it’s less about like, well let’s get out there and conquer the world, touring and stuff. It’s more like let’s keep it real pure, like let’s just make some cool shit because there’s not any pressure of like being super, super full-time with it in that way. There’s not any you know…we’re kind of on our own right now. There’s just not that like vice-like pressure of like, well, we gotta tour six months out of the year and we have to, you know, fulfill this record, by this date, by this time for these people. It’s more just like, no, we wanna do it. So, no time limit. It’s just, it’s just for the for the love of the game.
IM: As we got older, people go off and do other things and start families, but we’ve always been writing music together. We had all this time, like our last record came out in 2012. And I mean, we have songs from back then that didn’t get released, that only for the sheer fact that they didn’t really fit kind of the vibe of the record. It wasn’t like they were kind of throwaway things.
So, we’re kind of revisiting a lot of stuff and we’re also. I mean Mike and I and Fadi and Rob, you know, like we constantly have these ideas that we’re in little song demos and stuff that we’re shooting each other. It’s a cool thing.
Everyone’s like, you know, the guys with kids, the kids are old enough now that that, you know, they can kind of get away for a little bit to hop in the studio and knock out some stuff or we can go and do these weekends. And so right now it’s sort of like, you know, picking up the pieces a lot. For things, you know, because all of our labels that we had releases on, they’ve all dissolved.
So going back and getting these records back available for everybody that want them and making sure that you know…like Something To Crow About was out of print for, you know, over 15, close to 20 years. And you know, it’s kind of like a shame that nobody could buy it at the merch table, because it’s still like 80% of our set are those songs.
And so we got that back together and we’re going to rerelease Confusion as well, or repress it. And we’re also just like we did a 7-inch last year. Over this last year for the songs, one of them is super old, but you know, nobody heard it, so it’s brand new. There’s that new generation and hopefully you know hopefully also reading Dying Scene will help our little tiny bit but just getting out there and yeah word of mouth.
MW: You know, like what is? I’m just excited to make new stuff. You know it’s always…this band has been around for so long and there’s like a core of what we are, what we keep. We’ve always kind of evolved and tried to do a little bit different stuff and you know now being so old and like it’s kind of like I said like I feel this real…there’s no… I don’t really feel a lot of pressure that I might have even like 10 years ago of what a record should or shouldn’t be. Like I have in my head some stuff that I want, some parameters that I think that we should kind of be, that the Riverboat Gamblers are in my opinion. But it’s still it’s still really open and it’s really like the thought not that we were ever like, you know, overthinking like well what what are people going to like? But now the thought doesn’t really necessarily cross my mind so much. It’s more just like, man, let’s just get in there and make some cool stuff and that feels pretty good.”
MG: Mike, I was incredibly impressed with your energy level at the show at Reggies [late 2022). Are you finding more aches after a show and are you more careful now about that type of thing?
MW: “I find aches and I’m 48 and I find aches without playing a show. Like, I’m definitely stretching. I’m stretching as we’re talking right now because I’m about to go into the studio and just knowing that I’m going to be on my feet for a long time, I’m making sure I get my stretches in.
I’m just a little bit more careful. I think, when the mood strikes me, I’ll do whatever I feel like. here’s a little bit more like, let me look and see where I’m going to fall. Well, there’s a little voice in my head that says, like, how we can’t recover like we used to. Yeah, you know, the Wolverine’s healing factor. And now? Not so much.“
The Riverboat Gamblers recently announced its Inaugural “AC Hell Festival” set for October 14, 2023. The band will be playing Something to Crow About in its entirety. The bill also features, amongst others, The Starving Wolves, The Get Lows and User Uauthorized. Further information on the event and tickets can be found here.
Ween hit the outdoor stage at the Salt Shed in Chicago, IL on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The show was sold out and at nearly 3 hours long, even sans supporting bands; a pretty good bang for the buck. That the night was gorgeous, with late summer slightly overcast skies setting the temps perfectly between […]
Ween hit the outdoor stage at the Salt Shed in Chicago, IL on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The show was sold out and at nearly 3 hours long, even sans supporting bands; a pretty good bang for the buck. That the night was gorgeous, with late summer slightly overcast skies setting the temps perfectly between just a tinge cool and hoodie weather was a lovely bonus. The only water in site was that of the Chicago River to the side of the venue and the free water station on the Salt Shed’s midway.
The outdoor stage at The Salt Shed is situated so that in the backdrop Willis Tower looms large. Scan a bit to the left and 875 N. Michigan as the building at that address is presently called. Of course, to those who love the two iconic buildings, they are better known, respectively, as the Sears Tower, and the John Hancock Center. Having worked in the latter for almost 5 years, I am among those who stubbornly continue call it by its original name. The buildings will likely remain beloved whatever the name. They just stand on their own no matter what some corporation decides to deem them.
Fortunately, fans of Ween have not had to deal with similar names changes. And as with the two architectural landmarks, Ween has kept unique its contributions to musical landscape for decades. With a voice distinctly its own the band has a devoted, a benevolant, cult-like following. There was little doubt the love ran deep for this group. Ween, with its scheduled set time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, obviously reiterates that love.
Ween fans were so excited for the show to begin that once the doors opened 2 hours earlier many of them had to be told by venue security to slow down or walk as so many of them were seen racing to secure a spot as close to the stage as possible.
Ween kicked off its set with “Nan” from its debut album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness. It then immediately rolled right into the immensely popular ode to heartbreak, “Take Me Away,” off 1994’s White Pepper Album.
“Gabrielle,” “Object,” “Even If You Don’t,” and “The Golden Eel,” followed.
The band kept the crowd pumped as it jammed through most followers’ favorites.
The moment in the set in which the band takes requests was especially lovely for newlywed couple, pressed up against the barricade. The bride waved a sign requesting the band perform “Oh My Dear (I’m Falling in Love).” Ween presented the couple with a sweet rendition of it as a sort of wedding gift.
“Tell me where you come from, was it heaven above? Oh my dear, I must be falling in love Can you climb the sunny peaks of a fortress in mud? Oh my dear, I must be falling in love Did I tell you I want more than what you’re really made of? Oh my dear, I must be falling in Love“
The band’s present line-up consists of founders Gene and Dean Ween (Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, respectively) both on vocals and guitars, plus drummer Claude Coleman Jr, multi-instrumentalist David Dreiwitz on bass here, and Keyboards player Glen McClelland. Together they kept the excitement going on as the gloaming changed to night.
Ween’s set also included, among others, “Light Me Up,” “Tried and True,” “Chocolate Town,” “Buckingham Green,” “The Mollusk,” and “Ocean Man.”
One of the highlights of the night was the live debut of “I Fell In Love Today,” from its 1995 album Shinola, Vol 1. It was a pleasant surprise and evidence that a band, decades on, can still provide a few to even its most devoted fans.
Please see more photos from the show. Thanks and Cheers!
The Chicago punk community, and the punk world at large, were shocked by the sudden death of The Effigies lead singer John Kezdy on August 26, 2023. Kezdy, 64, died in Glencoe, Ill, in a bicycle crash with a delivery truck stopped in the bike lane. He is also being mourned by the legal community […]
The Chicago punk community, and the punk world at large, were shocked by the sudden death of The Effigies lead singer John Kezdy on August 26, 2023. Kezdy, 64, died in Glencoe, Ill, in a bicycle crash with a delivery truck stopped in the bike lane. He is also being mourned by the legal community in Illinois, as post-music career he became a longtime and well-respected prosecutor.
“Born in Belgium in 1959, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 with his parents. Kezdy graduated from Evanston Township High School and attended University of Wisconsin for a year before his brief, but intense, stint as the frontman for a punk band The Effigies in the 1980s, during which he toured the U.S. and Canada in a van and contributed to several record albums. Later, he earned his B.A. in English from Northwestern University in 1988 and his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 1991. “
Kezdy was a devoted family man as his obituary further noted,
“Beloved husband of 24 years to Erica Weeder, devoted father of Lena and Lucas Kezdy. Brother of André (Cheryl Jewett) Kezdy, PhD. and the late Pierre (Heather Sheedy) Kezdy. Loving uncle of Claire, Annelise, Nicole, Mary, Peter, and Ivan Kezdy and Mirabai Gould. Son of the late Marie-Thérèse (nee Colas) and Ferenc “Francois” Jano Kezdy, PhD.”
In 2022, Kezdy, and his wife were among the survivors of the mass shooting that occurred at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL which claimed the lives of six others.
His death occurred just under 3 years after his brother Pierre Kezdy, also a Chicago punk legend, passed away from cancer on October 9, 2020. Pierre, the younger of the Kezdy brothers, was a member of several bands, including Naked Raygun and Pegboy.
One of the people close to Kezdy was his good friend, and bandmate in The Effigies, Joe Haggerty. Joe is now drummer for Pegboy, the band for which his brother John Haggerty is the guitarist. The two sets of brothers, the Kezdys and the Haggertys, were, and are influential members from the early punk scene in Chicago.
I spoke with Joe Haggerty via phone earlier this month. He shared with me, stories and reflections of John Kezdy.
Haggerty was not an original member of The Effigies but he became an integral part of the band. At the time Haggerty was part of the band, the other members were Kezdy, guitar player Earl Letiecq and Chris Bjorklund, first on bass and then later, on guitar.
” I grew up on Effigies and Articles of Faith and bands like that and I just looked up to John Kezdy like he was THE fucking man back then you know when I was a teenager. And I was also petrified of him because he was really mean-looking. Turns out he is one of the nicest guys I ever met. So being in a band with someone you idolized for years and years and then being in a band and playing their music with them and realizing what a solid fucking dude he is you know it was just you know just incredible. That’s as good as it gets for me you. I don’t want to meet any fucking rock stars. I could care less about you know rock idols and shit like that. “
Haggerty added,
“The coolest thing about punk rock is that I had this cool relationship with this fucking idol of the punk rock scene. I mean not recognized by the rock and roll hall of fame but who fucking cares.”
“Him and his brother, they should get awards because when there was nothing. I saw them in a fucking meat locker on Fulton Street. First time I saw them. It stunk like meat too because it was literally a meat locker. It was called the Space Place I think. Anyway, yeah I was just blown away. Every show my brother took me to I was fucking blown away. To this day that’s what drives me, I’m fucking 57 years old and I still love playing in punk rock bands.“
Haggerty shared a memory from life on the road with The Effigies he still finds amusing,
“I actually have one story, a funny story, The Effigies are on our first tour with me and Chris Bjorklund as the new members.“
“It’s a low-budget tour, so low-budget that John bought an old Pontiac Bonneville station wagon. It’s like the real deal, kind of like you know station wagon. We were on a shoe-string budget and we literally slept outside at a truck stop and Earl is sleeping on the hood of this fucking Pontiac station wagon“
“Before the tour, John took the station wagon and pulled the air conditioning unit out of it. He said it was going to be so much better on gas. But I did not know this, but Earl he would be sweating if he was in an igloo in the Arctic Circle. He’s just one of those guys who sweats all the time and so I’m in the back seat and I’m pretty sure he did it just to piss Earl off and I’m in the back seat swimming next to Earl.”
“It was fucking deadly hot on the east coast. It was a funny kind of a ball-breaking thing.“
I expressed solidarity with Earl on the subject of air conditioning,
“Yeah, well we all were with Earl. John took the whole compressor out and left that at home”
Haggerty reflected on the past few years for the Kezdy family,
“It’s one fucking tragedy after the other for that family. Pierre, you know I still have a hard time talking about it. We were buddies on tour, we were best buddies.“
A funeral mass for John Kezdy will be held on the morning of October 14, 2023, at Christ Our Hope Parish, in Chicago. A devout Catholic, Kezdy served as an usher in the Parish.
We, at Dying Scene, extend our deepest condolences to the Kezdy family, his friends, and to all who loved John Kezdy.
Liar’s Club rocked in September 2023 with hard and fast punk rock on the first two days of the month. Headliners for Friday and Saturday were Negative Approach and Zero Boys respectively. With strong support by a combination of local and out-of-town bands such as Criminal Kids, Off With Their Heads, Fast Eddy, Bad Sons, […]
Liar’s Club rocked in September 2023 with hard and fast punk rock on the first two days of the month. Headliners for Friday and Saturday were Negative Approach and Zero Boys respectively. With strong support by a combination of local and out-of-town bands such as Criminal Kids, Off With Their Heads, Fast Eddy, Bad Sons, Shitizen, Man-Eaters, and Fighting For Scraps, the sold-out weekend was a blast to cover.
Night 1
Negative Approach closed out the first night of Punk-O-Rama with a hard-driving set. One of the Motor City Hardcore pioneers, the group still delivers Detroit sound and fury four decades on from its founding. That signifies a lot.
When it comes to Off With Their Heads, on this particular weekend, drummer Kyle Manning’s hair was not the only thing shorter than in the past. Ryan Young informed the crowd they had a 15-minute set. Young, Manning, and Zack Gontard managed to crank out the entire track listing from the band’s very first record in that time. Actually faster than that, as from start to finish the clock time was roughly 12.5 minutes long. Doing the short thing the right way.
Man-Eaters, out of Chicago, chewed up the stage with a wild performance. Microphone and cord-swinging around like a lasso until it made contact with the floor or stage, breaking off the top of said microphone. That pretty much represents how the band’s set went.
Chicago’s Fighting For Scraps always provides its fans an intense performance. Members of the Windy City Southside punk scene, the band is well-versed in why they have the solid following they have. Another sturdy set from Fighting For Scraps.
Night 2
Zero Boys closed out the weekend with a set that demonstrated that while civilization may be dying the band is not. The Indianapolis quartet’s powerful performance left the crowd sated.
Criminal Kids are rarely, if never less than fully, fun to watch and listen to. It was a smoking performance, literally and figuratively.
Fast Eddy sped through a rip-roaring set. The zooming pace never wavered and it was a blast to behold.
Bad Sons make for good punks, resulting in rambunctious performances. The energy level was high, and the low stage allowed for an amazing connection with the attendees. Of course, the low stage also makes for many bruises to the photographers and attendees at the front during crowded shows. But those are the types of bruises I’m ok with getting, as long as my gear and my glasses remain intact.
Shitizen thrills. Not sure what else I can added that I have not said about this group many times over. Thrilled it and killed it.
Please see more photos from the show. Thanks and Cheers!
Chicago, IL saw the debut of another multi-genre music festival. The one-stage Cultivate Music Festival was at the same time, a celebration of Cannabis Culture. For festival organizers, vendors, musicians, and attendees, it was a good time. It was also a celebration of the fact that in the year 2023, citizens are able to use […]
Chicago, IL saw the debut of another multi-genre music festival. The one-stage Cultivate Music Festival was at the same time, a celebration of Cannabis Culture. For festival organizers, vendors, musicians, and attendees, it was a good time. It was also a celebration of the fact that in the year 2023, citizens are able to use cannabis not only medicinally but recreationally and in the open sans fear of prosecution. Of course, there was also some really good music and performances, including one of the more famous marijuana anthems in decades. Punk was just one of the genres, but those representative bands presented rollicking sets in an otherwise, yes, mellow weekend, including for those who don’t partake in cannabis themselves but agree its use should be legal.
Rewinding the festival from Sunday, August 27 to back to Friday, August 25:
Day 3
Fishbone had the crowd in hand. Angelo Moore led his bandmates through a non-stop set with his legendary facial expressions and dance moves. Strutting across the stage, kicking out his legs at times, other times playing the sax, Moore was electric.
As hyper as Moore was, John Norwood Fisher on bass and vocals was just as powerful in his stoicism while Walter Kibby aka Dirty Walt blasted away on his trumpet.
The trio, along with the rest of the band members, kept Fishbone sounding as fresh and as powerful as ever.
Afroman is not considered to be in the punk genre. However, watch the video to “Lemon Pound Cake,” the first song he performed at this fest, then look up the events that inspired Afroman to write the song. The man is punk AF.
Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, announced in December 2022, that he was running for President in 2024. I am not sure of the present status of his campaign but his judging from his abundantly fun set at this fest, I wouldn’t bet against him getting more than a few votes. Backed by DJ on The 1, Afroman led the crowd in a rousing rendition of his most famous tune. Many members of the crowd, those who partake holding up their various cannabis delivery implements, and those who don’t holding up their empty hands, sang loudly, when the title lyric came up.
Oh, and the set was especially a treat for Vee Sonnets of The Crombies, as Afroman borrowed his guitar to play during his set. Afroman shows you don’t have to be “Punk” to be punk.
The Crombies, one of the Chicago punk scene’s favorite hometown two-tone ska outfit, put on an exuberant performance. Lead singer Mike Park (note his Instagram and yes that is me in his most recent image, with long-time friends, including those in the band, and familiar-looking new acquaintances. Photo by Corinne Lydon) in his signature chilled out mode. Despite a recent very serious clavicle break earlier this year, guitar player Dave Simon spun around the stage, as bass player Kevin Lustrup pogoed in place.
Guitar player Vee Sonnets, drummer Matt Meuzelaar, and keyboardist Karl Gustafson provided powerful, if not flashy, work. They put the steady in rock steady. Gustafson sported a t-shirt emblazoned with words that perfectly sum up the spirit of the festival: “Everything Dope About America Comes From Chicago.” As a born and raised on Long Island transplant to the Windy City, I have slightly conflicted feelings about it. But I dig it and think much is true about it, sans pizza. (NY Slices for life!) Prodigious trombone player, Andrew Zelm added a dash of classic 2-tone ska flair at the far side of the stage. Though Zelm is not always on stage with the band, he has played trombone on every The Crombies recording.
Speaking of horns, Park, who started playing trumpet in the 4th grade, showed off his considerable skills on the instrument.
I never get tired of watching a Crombies set. I am not alone in that, by far.
Milwaukee’s Highball Holiday returned to Chicago and gave an energetic and affable performance. Paraphrasing the band’s lead singer, Shahanna McKinney Baldon, after spotting my cap with this site’s name emblazoned across it, she loudly alerted the crowd that “Dying Scene is in the house!” And we were, though the house was actually a parking lot on a steamy day. She also held up her phone throughout much of the set as she live-streamed the band’s performance.
Highball Holiday also dedicated its performance to Matt Norberg, a member of the band who died on July 18, 2023. David Wake of De La Buena joined the band on stage to make sure they could still perform in the absence of Norberg.
McKinney Baldon spoke of the struggles of mental illness, and had the crowd recite back to her, various crisis hotlines numbers. The national crisis hotline number is 988.
But the band members also celebrated all of their loved ones, and life in general with a delightful set.
Finally, McKinney Baldon made sure to point out sports teams in Milwaukee are better than those in Chicago, while simultaneously bemoaning that Wisconsin has not yet decriminalized cannabis use.
These highballers sure know how make every single day a holiday.
Day 2
Day 2 was an easy one for DS, as there was just one band on our “to cover” list. The Goddamn Gallows, with Mikey Classic, at the helm, put on a rambunctious set. Baby Genius, was a spark plug on both on drums and when he took the mic and the headed to the front of the stage. The hard-hitting ensemble, which also included Jayke Orvis and Bafunfa, tore through its performance. The Goddamn Gallows are currently on tour so check them out when they hit your town. It’ll be a favor you grant yourself.
Day 1
Lucky Boys Confusion, another Chicago group, gave a forceful performance as the day moved into evening. It was an enjoyable set and the popular band fit well on the bill.
Andy Frasco & the U.N. put on a set easily described as dynamic. Frasco, at the keys, gave a magnetic performance. This was even more so when he moved to the hot pavement of the crowd area sans shoes. Dancing joyfully, Frasco requested those in attendance to hold hands as they sang a rendition of the Jewish Folk song Hava Nagila. Naturally, the crowd enthusiastically complied. Hava Nagila is traditionally played at various celebrations, perhaps most notably weddings. Andy Frasco and the U.N. left little doubt it found this Friday a time for celebrating.
Mac Sabbath, the fast food-themed Black Sabbath parody band, may seem silly at first and indeed they elicited many a laugh. But underlying the goofiness of musicians dressed as demented and eerie versions of the mascots for a certain fast food behemoth, there is actually a more serious message. Vocalist Ronald Osbourne, guitar player Slayer MacCheeze; bass player Grimalice on bass, the Catburglar on drums, are sending a warning. The warning being how fun, corporate-created characters are actually devices used to manipulate children into unhealthy eating habits which may last a lifetime. Neither the fun nor the message lost on a certain heavy metal legend and loving “Papa” to a young girl name Pearl in 2018.
OTNES, out of Nashville, TN, kicked off the music at this fest in a solid way. Self-describedas gender-bending pop, OTNES aka Emily Blue, might not be considered punk. However, the pleasant performance was a great way to kick off the festival.
Please see more photos from Cultivate Music Festival. Thanks, and Cheers!
Chicago’s Pegboy returned to the stage for two sold-out nights (July 26th and 27th) as they prepped for shows in the UK, including Rebellion Festival. Heavy Seas provided an opener to the second night. Pegboy sold out the first night of their two-night weekday stand at Chicago’s Liar’s Club in advance of the band’s trip […]
Chicago’s Pegboy returned to the stage for two sold-out nights (July 26th and 27th) as they prepped for shows in the UK, including Rebellion Festival. Heavy Seas provided an opener to the second night.
Pegboysold out the first night of their two-night weekday stand at Chicago’s Liar’s Club in advance of the band’s trip to play several U.K. shows and festivals, the most famous being Rebellion Festivals. The demand was so fierce, a second night was scheduled for the day before the first announced show. Both sold out in under 24 hours.
Pegboy is a legendary supergroup of sorts but the individual members all hail from much-loved earlier punk bands in this city. Singer & guitar player Larry Damore previously led Bhopal Stiffs, lead guitar player John Haggerty was formerly with Naked Raygun, and his brother, Joe was a member of The Effigies. New bass player Herb Rosen was with Rights of the Accused. Both nights were filled to capacity with family, friends, and fans. I am honored to be counted in the middle category and very much part of the latter one. So a little biased I admit.
However, said bias aside, the second night’s show which I covered was explosive. It was also hot as hell in the sauna that was Liar’s Club. I would guess that every member of that crowd was soaked and glistening with sweat. Between the energy expelled and the temperature no doubt assisted in climbing by the sheer number of bodies packed in there, it was a hot sweaty mess. But a beautiful mess, By the end of the last tune played, a good number of the crowd were rapidly heading to the exit to gasp some fresh air on or near the venue’s well-trod and well-sat-upon stoop.
Speaking of legendary, John Haggerty is wholly deserving of that status bestowed upon him years back. From his days with Naked Raygun to Pegboy, Haggerty appears stoic onstage. However, his blazing guitar playing tells a different tale. Together with his brother, Joe, crushing it behind the kit, one can only imagine the Brothers Haggertys’ garage days when they first began on their respective instruments. A fly on the wall, I’d think more than a few of us would have liked to be just that.
Larry Damore may be a few years older since the band last played but he looked healthier and more energetic. Friends would joke about how many songs in would Damore sit down on the stage, occasionally taking his own pulse. Usually within four if memory serves. But this year, there were just some brief breaks to catch his breath and joke around a bit. Other than that, his performance, and that of his bandmates, remained hard-charging. Damore’s trademark moves of arms raised high and spread out remain. As did his generosity with the microphone. There is little doubt that a good dose of the fans can sing every lyric in that set and some songs not included. This was repeatedly in evidence.
This set contained all the big songs and some of the even bigger ones too. Kicking off the set with the driving “Field of Darkness.” During the powerful “Revolver,” the very best cover of Mission of Burma’s “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver,” Damore, as always, repeatedly made gun-to-the-head gestures to his head and many in the crowd mimicked it as well.
I was hoping, and I know others were too, that the Daryl Wilson of The Bollweevils, would join the band on stage for one of the last performed songs “Hardlight.” Damore and Wilson have dueted vocally on the tune to great effect. Alas, on this night, the Punk Rock Doc was there as friend and fan alone. But between that first song of the evening and the close out, “My Youth,” the band blasted through an incredible set, including “Through My Fingers,” “Superstar,” “Locomotive Lung” (featured in the Will Ferrell comedy “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby”), and “Dangermare.”
Pegboy also performed another one of my very favorite songs overall, the melancholy “Strong Reaction.”
“I walk alone through the sleet and snow and pouring rain to Get my heart broken, forever ever lost inside of I walk along to slip and fall on strong reactions Keep my heart broken, never ever amend myself That’s alright and that’s okay.”
It’s possible that I sang along to that. Maybe. The song is among the band’s most popular of all and part of roughly 100 million puns, give or take 11 or 23, used in a manner associated with discussions of the band. It’s also a song familiar to diehard skateboarders from its presence in a DC Skate Company video.
The song speaks of walking alone. A scenario we all have felt at some points in our lives. But on this night there was a collective joy. Joy in watching a great band perform, joy knowing that it was headed to one perform at one of the very best punk festivals in the world and joy watching friends and family and a beloved band continue to tear it up on stage after so many years.
As noted above, the band ended the night with “My Youth.”
“And I just can’t convince myself That it was long еnough But I just can’t convince myself That it was long enough In my youth.”
As long as the quartet can get up on stage and perform as powerfully as it did on this night, long enough will never come to fruition.
But one last item of note: Rosen, though known for Rights of the Accused as also noted above, and a member of Chicago party band, The Beer Nuts, is also the beloved owner of Liar’s Club. Rosen, Damore and the brothers have been friends for roughly three decades. In fact, there’s a short documentary, “Reverb: A Punk Rock Fish Story” about fly fishermen Larry Damore, Joe Haggerty, and Herb Rosen.
Rosen has the affable and genuine demeanor of a man of the people when he walks through his club. His arms seemingly always open to give and receive hugs. On stage, smiling and laughing, Rosen is a delight. He seems a perfect addition to the band.
Damore told me they are looking forward to the shows in the UK. As for the shows at Liar’s he added,
“Thought the shows at Liars went pretty decent but still working stuff out a bit.“
Here’s to hoping Pegboy plays some more shows in Chicago and elsewhere in the US once it returns to the States. If the shows they performed at Liar’s in late July were still the band working things out, I cannot wait to see the musicians return in full form. An opinion I have little doubt is widely shared.
But for the moment, safe travels across the Pond, and best wishes to Larry, John, Joe, and Herb and any accompanying crew members. Have a blast, take some, ok, lots of, photos and regale us of the tales of this adventure upon your return. I’m sure we’d all love to be there with you. I know I would.
We recently coveredHeavy Seas for its show at Reggie’s Music Joint. As with that last show, this night the band performed a real banger. Heavy Seas is a band that can more than hold its own with Pegboy. It provided a great opener that got fans to the stage.
Jeff Dean, Ron DiCola, and Justin Miller slammed through a set that included, “Waves and Dreams,” “Idle in Life,” “Oscillation,” “Monuments,” “Listen,” and “Stumble.”
Keep an eye and ear out for this intensely good band. You’re sure to dig them. I do.
Check out more photos from the show. Thanks and Cheers!
Joey Jonas, the drummer for Milwaukee’s Bad Year, passed away on August 2, 2023. He leaves behind a legacy of great musicianship and a life dedicated to helping others in need. Punkerton Records, LLC and Bad Year released this statement about Joey Jonas: “It is with profound sadness that Bad Year and Punkerton Records announce […]
Joey Jonas, the drummer for Milwaukee’s Bad Year, passed away on August 2, 2023. He leaves behind a legacy of great musicianship and a life dedicated to helping others in need.
Punkerton Records, LLC and Bad Year released this statement about Joey Jonas:
“It is with profound sadness that Bad Year and Punkerton Records announce the passing of Joey Jonas, a remarkably talented drummer and an essential part of the Punkerton Records family.
Joey left an indelible mark on the music world and will forever be cherished in the hearts of all who knew him. Joey was known for his passion, dedication, infectious energy and unwavering commitment to his craft. We are devastated by his loss, and he will forever remain an essential part of Bad Year’s and Punkerton Records’s legacy.
Joey was a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in public health. Beyond his musical achievements, Joey was also a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, harm reduction, and addiction treatment. His dedication to making a positive impact on society extended far beyond the stage, and he tirelessly worked to support those in need. He truly made a positive impact on people’s lives.
Bad Year and Punkerton Records extend our deepest condolences to Joey Jonas’s mother, his sister, his nephews and his friends during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to them, and we stand in solidarity with them as they navigate this profound loss.”
Joey Jonas was born on June 28, 1989 in Milwaukee, WI. He listed his work, on Facebook, as a Peer Specialist at Community Medical Services, in Milwaukee. He was scheduled to be in Chicago part of this weekend to work with Punk Rock Saves Lives at Lollapalooza. Jonas was open about his own struggles with sobriety. On Facebook he shared his graduation photo alongside a photo of his 5 year recovery coin in a post in which he wrote,
“For anyone out there who is still suffering, please don’t give up. Here’s to five years and one more day in this tragic beautiful journey.
I know the power of sharing a story. I know the difference it can make. Five years ago, I had no idea when I began that I would find my greatest strength in my struggle; that I could make a difference and through the pain and suffering I endured; that it was going to be okay.“
Jonas was to have been working with Punk Rock Saves Lives in Chicago for Lollapalooza on Thursday and Sunday (the band was scheduled to play another fest on Saturday).
Tina Rushing, Director of Operations at Punk Rock Saves Lives, spoke to me about Jonas:
“All in all he was a light in this world, he was in recovery, he really supported our recovery program and was going to get more in more involved and we were planning to put him on our Board of Directors next year.
Last month he brought a huge bag of Narcan, fentanyl test strips and alcohol wipes without asking. The band was playing our Punk Rock Saves Lives festival (in Denver).”
Rushing also shared her thoughts on Jonas as a musician,
“Omg he was a fantastic drummer, his energy was out of this world. Absolutely great to work with. I recommend people check out the videos of him.”
But Rushing emphasized how much he was about helping others who shared his struggles.
“From the moment he heard about Punk Rock Saves Lives he jumped all in, the whole band but especially Joey, because that was up his alley.
We are heartbroken and are dedicating this weekend and hope to save some lives this weekend in his honor.”
Bad Year, which signed with Punkerton in July of 2022, has had a jam-packed year with quite a few more shows still scheduled. This includes a brief upcoming Midwest run. The band played the July 23, 2023 Punk Rock Saves Lives Fest in Denver CO, as Tina Rushing noted above. The band was also scheduled to perform at the upcoming Rock for Recovery in its hometown on August 12, 2023.
As of this date there is no further info as the whether the band will continue with another drummer or if the shows will still be played.
No cause of death was released. We at Dying Scene extend our deepest condolences to all those who loved Joey Jonas, and to all those he loved.
Carbondale’s famous sons of ska returned to a rousing welcome back to a home state crowd at Concord Music Hall. They were supported by Chicago’s Celtic kings The Tossers, and by Weaker Youth Ensemble. My first knowledge of Blue Meanies came shortly after I moved to Chicago in 2009. I noticed cool-looking ink on my […]
Carbondale’s famous sons of ska returned to a rousing welcome back to a home state crowd at Concord Music Hall. They were supported by Chicago’s Celtic kings The Tossers, and by Weaker Youth Ensemble.
My first knowledge of Blue Meanies came shortly after I moved to Chicago in 2009. I noticed cool-looking ink on my new friend Anthony’s arm. It was a Blue Meanies tattoo. Flash-forward 14 plus years and I got my first chance to document the group. I am so happy I was in the photo pit for its return.
The band, founded in 1989, reunited for a rare performance. It was packed; a palpable excitement buzzed through the venue.
The band gave the crowd a night to remember as they tore through the set, playing in their 1995 album Kiss You Ass Goodbye in its entirety. Highlights included “Acceleration 5000,” “Vote No,” “Grandma Shampoo,” “Polka in the Eye,” and “An Average American Superhero.” Blue Meanies also covered Naked Raygun classic “Rat Patrol.” The hyper-kinetic Billy Spunke on vocals and megaphone, changed from a crisp all-white Perry Ellis suit to a more traditional but sharp-looking black suit during the show. His performance, however, remained consistently entertaining with quite a bit of playful banter between Spunke and his bandmates. Hopefully, this will not be as one-off reunion, a sentiment I can safely say most of the crowd likely shared.
Chicago’s The Tossers are one of the most popular Celtic punk bands in the United States. The group’s headliner St. Patrick’s Day performances are legendary for being fun celebrations, lasting hours. The group is far more than a holiday band though and this raucous performance made that clear.
Lead singer Tony Duggins was playing injured with one finger securely bandaged. A week prior to the show, he accidentally severed part of a finger on his left hand. Duggins referenced the incident with humor as some in the crowd showed expressions best described as in the aghast neighborhood. Lest anyone wonder if that would negatively affect his performance, they soon found the answer: no, it did not. Duggin’s growling vocals were as strong as ever, as was his mandolin playing.
The Tossers drove through “Rocky Road of Dublin,” The South Side of Town,” “Emerald City,” “Siobhan,” “Buckets of Beer,” and “Sláinte.” The performance was a lovely complement to returning headliners on this night.
Weaker Youth Ensemble, a two-tone group out of Madison, WI, kicked off the evening with a blaster of a set. It was far more than just the warm-up act as the group kept the crowd in rapt attention. I look forward to seeing this group again!
Please see more images from the show. Thank You and Cheers!
