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DS Show Review & Gallery: Authority Zero, Beat the Smart Kids, and Nightcap – Live from Reggie’s in Chicago

Authority Zero, the Mesa, Arizona skateboard punk group returned to Chicago on September 28, 2002, headlining at Reggie’s Music Joint. Playing in support were the Blue Island hardcore band Nightcap and the Second City ska/punk band Beat the Smart Kids. Chicago’s Beat the Smart Kids is patched together with former and current members of Waste […]

Authority Zero, the Mesa, Arizona skateboard punk group returned to Chicago on September 28, 2002, headlining at Reggie’s Music Joint. Playing in support were the Blue Island hardcore band Nightcap and the Second City ska/punk band Beat the Smart Kids.

Authority Zero, whose sound is a fusion of skate punk and reggae, has been around since 1994 and has cycled through lot of personnel changes. With its current lineup of Jason DeVore on lead vocals, Mike Spero on bass, Chris Dalley on drums, and Brandon Landelius on guitar, it continues to be fun to watch. The midweek show at the smaller of Reggie’s two music rooms provided so much entertainment it had the small but enthusiastic crowd dancing and singing along.

Chicago’s Beat the Smart Kids is patched together with former and current members of Waste Basket, The Indecisives, Still Alive, and The Damn Tracks. The ska/reggae group features not one by two sax players who seem to be the engine of the band. However, the whole group works well in conjunction and is a good complement to this night’s headliners.

Nightcap, skate punk from southside Chicago’s Blue Island, kickstarted the show with a hard-charging set. Bass player Chris Cope (Copoulos) is a leader in the Windy City hardcore scene, and is often seen making the rounds at the local punk and rock clubs with Nightcap, Fighting For Scraps and Fear City. He and his bandmates powered through their set list with sans a trace of slowing down. Nightcap was a great choice to set the tempo for a the show looking to give fans a midweek respite to get them through to the weekend.

See below for more photos!

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by Staff Writer MerGold
Tags: 
authority zero Beat the Smart Kids NIGHTCAP reggae Reggies Live

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DS Show Review & Gallery: Voice of Addiction, Torch The Hive, and The Last Great Riot (Chicago – 12/18/2022)

Voice of Addiction, Torch The Hive, and The Last Great Riot took over Reggie’s Music Joint on Saturday, December 18, 2022. Whilst the stage was small, none of the trio of performances could be described as the same. Ian Tomele, founder, bass player, and vocalist for Voice of Addiction, could be known as “The Shoeless […]

Voice of Addiction, Torch The Hive, and The Last Great Riot took over Reggie’s Music Joint on Saturday, December 18, 2022. Whilst the stage was small, none of the trio of performances could be described as the same.

Ian Tomele, founder, bass player, and vocalist for Voice of Addiction, could be known as “The Shoeless Singer.” He’s been performing sans footwear since he was a teenager. The 6’2″ self-described “slouch” told me,

“I hurt myself a lot especially when performing haha so I think it started as a way to feel the stage and my surroundings better (so I would stop hitting my head!)“

This show was the band’s last set in what has been its comeback year. Tomele explained,

“We had not played since we were on a month-long southern tour in early 2020 when the pandemic hit. It was super surreal pulling into Chicago from tour as the sun was rising and the mayor was giving the stay-at-home order over the radio. Since we were already together we felt it was safe to still get together for rehearsals and started working on the new album Divided States. To coincide with this release we started playing a couple shows this summer as well as a Northeast run in August. Mainly to test the waters and see what was possible for future shows and tours.” [The band’s second show of the year was at the Dying Scene Chicago Resurrection Party. Tomele thankfully helped with the logistics of the event).

Tomele’s bandmates Tyler Miller on guitar and brand new drummer Kevin Amaro, closed out the year with zest. Amaro’s drum kit continuously lit up in a variety of colors adding a festive touch to the stage. The rip-roaring set included, “Unity,” “Modern Day,” “Shinigami,” “Rustbelt,” and “Wrecking Ball.” That last song also bears the name of Tomele’s booking and promotion company, Wrecking Ball Productions.

As 2022 closed out, Tomele was optimistic about the band’s plans for 2023. He told me,

“In my opinion winter is for writing. I have a handful of new songs to show the guys including one I wrote with the new drummer Kevin. We are back at Reggie’s on January 12th. And then we get back at it in March and April with our southern tour. Spreading the new full length all over the damn place!“

Looking forward to it!

I’ve covered Torch the Hive twice this year and it has been 2 for 2 in terms of fun. The highly energetic trio makes quick work of engaging the crowd. This night was one of a flurry of shows the band played as the year wound down. It blasted through its set which included “Copaganda,” “F.E.A.,” “Deku,” “Burn Me Out,” “Shame On You,” and “Molotov Trail.” Mike Fruel, on vocals and guitar, Tyler Sanders on bass, and vocals, and drummer Sergio Apanco put on a provocative show in both song and movement. Fruel played his guitar above his head, behind his back, sitting on the floor, lying on the floor, and of course in traditional stance. Sanders was such a whirlwind on stage, with frenzied head shaking. So frenzied that his mop of red hair and beard (which perfectly complemented his bass) caused him to appear in flames on top. Apanco looked ready to explode from behind his drum kit.

Post-show Mike Fruel reflected on the year that was and the year to come:

“This was a good year for us, we’ve played sold out shows at SubT and Reggie’s and made a ton of new friends in the DIY scene. We also released one new single this year ‘Seeds,’ and plan to release a bunch more music in 2023. Next year we’ll be on the road hitting the south reaching New Orleans and the west coast late next year.“

Hopefully the band members can catch their breath at the start of the new year so they can keep that excitement strong over the course of 2023.

The Last Great Riot, comprised of vocalist/guitarist John A. Beavers, bassist Mario Mazzone, and drummer Scott Durand, closed out the evening by pumping it up. As in Elvis; the capper of its potent set was “Pump It Up“ by Elvis Costello & The Attractions. The rest of its set was dedicated to original tunes by the band including two new ones, “Immortal 30” and “Fluid Ounces,” in addition to “Happy When (Bad) People Die, and “Neighborhood Legend” from 2021’s Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Rough.

Beavers looked back on the year just concluded and revealed some of the band’s plans for 2023,

“As far as ’22, we just played shows. Finally hit Milwaukee for a show, a few at Burlington and Reggie’s and some other spots. For ’23 we’re starting the year on a “new baby break,” so nothing book[ed] so far. Just finishing up mixes at Squeezebox Recording Studio on two singles, be releasing this late winter or spring.”

Best of luck guys!

Please see below for photos from the show. Have a happy and safe new year everyone and thank you for joining us on the ride that was 2022!

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by Staff Writer MerGold
Tags: 
chicago Illinois Reggies Live Reggies Music Joint The Last Great Riot

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DS Show Review & Gallery: Night 2 of Sounds of the Street Festival with Lower Class Brats, Subversives, Killing Pixies, Doc Rotten, and more. (Chicago 02.11.2023)

The second night of this year’s Sounds of the Street Festival was capped off by yet more Texas punks. In this case, the capital city’s Lower Class Brats. The Austin-borne legends were joined several popular Chicago groups, as well as bands from across the United States. (Check out our coverage of Night #1 here.) Lower […]

The second night of this year’s Sounds of the Street Festival was capped off by yet more Texas punks. In this case, the capital city’s Lower Class Brats. The Austin-borne legends were joined several popular Chicago groups, as well as bands from across the United States. (Check out our coverage of Night #1 here.)

Lower Class Brats, originally from Austin, TX, but presently based out of California, have been tearing up stages for nearly 30 years. The band brought its ferocity to 2105 South State, wasting no time demonstrating why it has such a devoted following. Lower Class Brats, with a song called “Ultraviolence,” takes some inspiration from “A Clockwork Orange.” One of the nods to the Stanley Kubrick film adaption of the Anthony Burgess novel, was the black Bowler atop Bones’ skull. Bones, one of the two remaining founding members in the band, was perpetually in motion throughout the set, He and his bandmates powered through their performance leaving throngs of fans sweaty and satisfied.

The Subversives, out of Minneapolis, MN, have been around since the 1990’s. However, with a new singer, there’s a renewed energy in the form of an intense young singer with the moniker Quinn T. Sensual. Sensual confidently led his veteran bandmates through their time on the stage with piercing confidence. It was a solid set, keeping the fans moving on the floor. The Subversives are back. And quite a few were glad to see it.

Killing Pixies, from Detroit, MI, came out full throttle. Buoyantly fresh sounding, the pop-punk quartet, delivered sweet sounding tunes which also serve as razor-sharp anthems. The band members are far from shy about calling out those who would deny them basic human rights; perhaps the biggest such targets being the men who work to end access to safe and legal abortions. Killing Pixies gave one of my very favorite performances during the weekend. I am excited to see what else they have for all of us in the future. I’m hazarding a guess it will sting in the very best way.

There are many different types of Rotten in the world, and two of them were on display during night 2: Rotten Stitches and Doc Rotten. The latter was up first. Its new lead singer, Johnny Douglas, alternatively scowling and smiling, was clad in an English football-looking Adidas t-shirt. But instead of an advert for a sponsoring airline or cell phone company, the words “Unite” across the front, and “Resist” on the back. Not only do those two words make up the title of band’s 2022 release, but they are a sort of mission statement for the Trenton, New Jersey crew as well. Known for politically charged tunes, this Rotten was relevant while honoring the spirit of the its street punk ancestors.

The other bands on Saturday’s line-up: Squared Off, The Oi!takus, The Decayed, Anti-Feds, and Fear City, all showed off their own brands of street punk, contributing to yet another exciting musical weekend here in Chicago, Check out more photos from Sounds of the Street Festival night 2 below!

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by Staff Writer MerGold
Tags: 
chicago Lower Class Brats music festival Reggies Sounds of the Street Festival

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DS Show Review & Gallery: The Eradicator, Bad Mechanics, Coronary (Reggie’s Music Joint – 10/14/2022)

Reggie’s Music Joint played Friday night host to a terrific trio of bands. The Joint is the smaller of Reggie’s music rooms but the energy explosion was no less than that of the Rock Club. The all-Chicago show was also the official celebration of The Eradicator’s new album. The Eradicator was inspired by a classic […]

Reggie’s Music Joint played Friday night host to a terrific trio of bands. The Joint is the smaller of Reggie’s music rooms but the energy explosion was no less than that of the Rock Club. The all-Chicago show was also the official celebration of The Eradicator’s new album.

The Eradicator was inspired by a classic Kids in the Hall sketch. As such, The Eradicator comes to the stage armed with a squash racquet, in a tennis outfit, and wears a ski mask. The character of The Eradicator may have been inspired by a comedy troupe, but its performance is itself inspired.

Because The Eradicator is an unmasked member of one of the earlier bands on the bill, it came on like a “hot ball” (no, that’s not a vulgar term). It also failed to stay within the service box that is the stage. But sometimes failure can be a good thing, especially when it produces an unshackled set which included “I Am The Eradicator,” “I’m a Squash Man,” “I’mma Be Me,” “One Rung at a Time,” and “Peak Eradicator.” The Eradicator also debuted tracks off of its new album, “Forever the Eradicator,” which is also billed as his final album, including, “Squash Stomp,” “Squash Bender,” “You Can’t Play Me,” and “Can’t Play Well With Others.”

The Eradicator may call this its final album, but un-retiring is a popular past-time in the USA so perhaps we will see The Eradicator on the court…err stage once again for a rematch with its fans.

Bad Mechanics is another band in the sub-genre of what I call humor-punk. It was in its full glory this night, eliciting smiles, laughs, and cheers from the crowd. The core duo of Ryan “Daddy” Durkin on vocals and Andy “Candy” Slania, were backed by touring band members, Danny Walkowiak on drums, and Scott Thomson on bass. The band tore through the chuckle-worthy set list, “You Drink LaCroix,” “Social Obligation,” “I Collect Stamps,” “Zine Festival,” “Donut in the Park,” DiCaprio Hit A Baby,” (hmm, I hazard to guess that last one could edge close to defamation but does not quite meet its standards) “USA Foods,” and “Must Be The Suburbs.”

That was the entire Bad Mechanics set. Not always possible to list a set list in full but here we are. Short, sweet, and please do a near future hometown repeat.

Coronary kicked off the hometown trifecta. The Windy City hardcore group jammed through a performance so intense, it required some tables near the small stage to be pushed back by venue staff members. Included in Coronary’s set list was “Victim of Truth,” I Quit,” “Bricks,” “Violent Era,” and “Scene Cops.” Coronary is as serious as a heart attack when it comes to expressing its collective opinions. Coronary will also get your blood pumping so catch one of its shows when next you can.

Check out more photos from the show below!

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by Staff Writer MerGold
Tags: 
Bad Mechanics chicago Coronary Illinois Midwestern Punk

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