The Re-Adjusters are an up-and-coming ska band from Huntington Beach, California. Their lineup boasts an impressive 5-piece horn section, so you know these guys aren’t fuckin’ around. The band just released a new four-song EP called Together Again, complete with a cover of “Light Up My Room” by the Barenaked Ladies. Check it out below! […]
The Re-Adjusters are an up-and-coming ska band from Huntington Beach, California. Their lineup boasts an impressive 5-piece horn section, so you know these guys aren’t fuckin’ around.
The band just released a new four-song EP called Together Again, complete with a cover of “Light Up My Room” by the Barenaked Ladies. Check it out below!
If you like what you hear, I recommend giving The Re-Adjusters’ 2021 debut album Capital Vices a listen as well.
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!
The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell, has been hard at work; in 2014, he created a well-thought-out alter ego known as Aaron West, best defined as “a character study conducted through music” – basically a fictitious telling about his alter ego’s life. The first album, We Don’t Have Each Other, told the story about Aaron […]
The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell, has been hard at work; in 2014, he created a well-thought-out alter ego known as Aaron West, best defined as “a character study conducted through music” – basically a fictitious telling about his alter ego’s life. The first album, We Don’t Have Each Other, told the story about Aaron West’s worst year; in 2019, Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties released the follow-up, Routine Maintenance, which according to Campbell, gave the fictitious alter ego a redemption arc and focused on him learning to deal with tragedy instead of going down the self-destructive route. Five years later, the Americana folk project released a new album, In Lieu of Flowers, the third and final album for Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties.
In Lieu of Flowers kicks off with “Smoking Rooms,” a slow acoustic song with voices from a crowded room. Towards the end of the song, horns, guitars, and the beating of drums appear to underline what’s in store for the rest of In Lieu of Flowers. The acoustic guitar is placed in a corner for the following song, “Roman Candles,” which tackles the effects of COVID-19; “But Mom works at the hospital / Every shift is a curse / She’s never seen people this sick before / She says it’s only getting worse”. While we’re two songs into the album, you can already hear it becoming an emotional one because the relatable feeling of wanting to sleep through the horrible pandemic and one’s life standing still throughout it is very evident in the song.
Jumping to “Alone At St. Luke’s” and “Spitting In The Wind”, take it upon themselves to pick the tempo of the songs again; with “Alone At St. Luke’s”, the lyrics are cheeky, (“Fuck The Tories!”) and begin to tackle the narrator’s downward spiral with alcohol again. The pop-punk anthem “Spitting In The Wind” sees West drinking more frequently and tells the story of how it is affecting his relationships around him. “Runnin’ Out Of Excuses” starts with a gentle piano key while West’s vocals are softer. At the same time, we are taken on a journey of entering rehab after his relapse with alcohol, and throughout the song’s progress, he admits that while he has stuff to do, he is staying to make himself better.
The title track and penultimate song, which was also the first single from the album, are relatively upbeat and feature a tremendous horn section. The song serves as an apology to those his drinking affected. You want to sing along with the chorus; the glimmer of hope is there, and not everything is as bleak as you thought. The closing song, “Dead Leaves”, is similar to the opening song—a slow song—but unlike the first song, which was filled with the angst of hopelessness in the air, we hold on to the feeling of hope that came to the surface during “In Lieu of Flowers”. “Up the block when I come to I see our name on the marquee / And smile cause I love you and I know that you found what you need”, finally finding peace.
The ability to build tension in songs, with the same amount of passion from start to finish, has been one of the most profound abilities that Dan Campbell has done in his decades-long career. While not comparing this to any of The Wonder Years albums, Campbell has always been great at writing lyrics for the listeners to interpret for themselves and sometimes even be able to build the visualization in their heads. However, being able to capture the same level of emotion for a fictitious alter ego really gives the listeners an insight into his creative process.
And the emotional impact of feeling lost during the pandemic, letting yourself fall back into the self-destructive behavior that we all heard him work hard to get out of on Routine Maintenance, can have listeners cheering for a happier ending than how the bleak portrayal of the first half of the album seems to be heading. And do we get it? I don’t know, but we get something: the self-realization of how destructive his drinking got, how it affected his surroundings, and checking himself into rehab, all while the undertone of “I can leave whenever, but what does that help me?” lingers in the air during “Runnin’ Out Of Excuses”. And to the end, where the narrator, Aaron West, sees his ex-wife finally having the life he couldn’t give her and being at peace with it, does maybe explore the theme of forgiving oneself instead of him jumping into the gig and getting wasted. While it’s the final album, those last lines of “Dead Leaves”, “The future’s a rhetorical question / So I open the door, and I walk in,” leaves it up for interpretation. I would like to think that while life has given one hardship, the future is untold.
I loved the album. The way In Lieu of Flowers weaves storytelling and music together is one of a kind. From the gut-wrenching moments of listening to Aaron West fall back into a downward spiral, to the moment of reassurance of him realizing that it can’t go on and getting help, had me on an emotional rollercoaster. It can be rare to find an album that has the intensity of pulling you in with the ups and downs. The way the album touches on the different genres, blending with Americana, country, pop-punk, and the modern-day emo that reminds one of the likes of Hot Mulligan and Spanish Love Songs. The album isn’t just music; it’s a story.
It’s weird to think of an album as being a “back to basics” record when you’re a band that has gone through as many changes in sonic direction as Lucero has over their quarter-century run, but that’s exactly where the Memphis-based quintet find themselves on their latest release, Should’ve Learned By Now (out today on […]
It’s weird to think of an album as being a “back to basics” record when you’re a band that has gone through as many changes in sonic direction as Lucero has over their quarter-century run, but that’s exactly where the Memphis-based quintet find themselves on their latest release, Should’ve Learned By Now (out today on Thirty Tigers/Liberty & Lament). The album marks the band’s eleventh full-length release – twelfth if you count The Attic Tapes, which you’re certainly allowed to do – and represents the band’s most straight-forward dare-I-say “rock and roll” record in quite some time, probably since at least Nobody’s Darlings.
The festivities get started with “One Last F.U.” which is a song that’s been floating around for the better part of the last half-decade at this point, a crowd favorite that finally made it onto a proper record. It’s a raucous barn-burner of a song, three-and-a-half minutes of four-on-the-floor rock (complete with cowbell, albeit maybe not enough) and squelchy guitars and more piss-and-vinegar in the lyrics than we’ve heard from the mouth of Ben Nichols in quite some time. More on that later.
The gas pedal stays pinned down for “Macon If We Make It,” a ripper of a tune that intertwines a literal storm outside with a figurative storm back home, a theme that returns a few songs later on the acoustic-driven ditty (am I allowed to call a song a ditty on a punk rock website?) “Raining For Weeks.” “Nothing’s Alright,” another track that quickly made a great impression when it debuted live toward the end of last year, brings with it a big, anthemic chorus. Throughout the record, Brian Venable continues to do that thing that really, only Brian Venable does, his wandering, pinch harmonic-filled guitar lines as snarly as ever, shining brightly on tracks like “One Last F.U.” and “Macon If We Make It” and personal favorites “Buy A Little Time” and the title track. The latter two continue the album’s general sonic theme of big uptempo rock songs that will quickly make their way into the setlist, to the delight of many a longtime fan from back in the band’s more raucous early days. While many of the tracks on Should’ve Learned By Now have been around a while and didn’t fit stylistically with the likes of their last record, 2021’s When You Found Me, “At The Show” is a straight-forward track that really could have been a thematic holdover from the Tennessee sessions two decades prior (or, hell, even from the Red 40 years).
That’s not to say that the album is all boilerplate up-tempo rockers. “She Leads Me Now” is a pretty, mid-tempo not-quite-ballad that actually features vocal harmonies, a rarity on a Lucero record. The aforementioned “Raining For Weeks” comes complete with a pretty piano melody that belies the track’s melancholy lyrics. “Drunken Moon” is a legitimate ballad with even more vocal harmonies (perfected by the trio of Edwards brothers from LA Edwards on the last East Coast run if you were lucky enough to catch it). As per usual, the rhythm section of Roy Berry and John C. Stubblefield provide a stable foundation for the rest of the musical structure to build off. Neither would win awards for flashiest or over-the-top playing, but that’s never been what Lucero has called for musically. With Rick Steff on keys (and again on accordion as an unexpected and welcome treat on album-closer “Time To Go Home”) providing texture and melodies and Nichols and Venable’s inimitable styles of guitar-playing, Berry and Stubblefield – both live and on record – serve as the closest thing you’ll find to guardrails in a Lucero sound.
Lyrically, Ben Nichols has made a career out of tapping into the role of barroom poet. He’s been heart-breakingly honest at times and revealed a lot of himself through tales of loves both unrequited (especially in the earlier years) and more recently, unadulterated, especially with the prominent role that the women in his life have taken over the last handful of years. And of course there have been the more character-driven songs that have spoken to the human condition and to people trying to make their respective ways through various trials and tribulations and staring down the ghosts of the consequences of their actions. On Should’ve Known By Now, Nichols seems to have also stripped away some of the imagery in his stories, keeping the context a little simpler (look, mom…curse words!) yet somehow, perhaps unintentionally, revealing more of himself in the process than meets the eye, particularly on songs like “Buy A Little Time” and “Drunken Moon.”
I’ve been dyed-in-the-wool Lucero fan for a lot of years and have traveled many, many miles to see the band and its members and I’m happy to follow them down whatever musical rabbit holes they want to venture down. You want so sing tear-jerkers about unrequited love? Check. Whiskey nights and rodeos? Check. Keyboards and horns and a traditional Memphis soul influence? Sounds good. Accordion-infused World War II songs? Let’s do it. Synthesizers and soaring guitars and post-apocalyptic retellings of Little Red Riding Hood? Absolutely. Campfire singalongs inspired by an incredibly bleak Cormac McCarthy western novel? Let’s do it. Trap-horror instrumental movie soundtracks? Sign me up. The weirded and newer the direction, the better.
And yet, I really, really enjoy Should’ve Learned By Now. There’s something about the singularity of musical focus and putting forth a no-frills rock record that results in a record that fits in the collection like a glove. Without really sounding like any previous Lucero record, it somehow encapsulates some core tenets of all of the albums that precede it in the band’s oeuvre. Once described semi-tongue-in-cheekily as “too country for punk rock and too punk rock for country,” Lucero circa 2023 probably don’t qualify as either one now, because they’ve carved out their own niche. They’re not really country or punk or Memphis soul or Americana or roots rock or whatever other labels we might want to throw at them. They’re Lucero. We really should’ve learned by now.
I am very excited to be reviewing Mustard Plug’s latest release on Bad Time Records, Where Did All My Friends Go?. In my younger years, I spent a good amount of time with my terrible ska-punk band opening for them. The heroes of the Michigan ska-punk scene have been known to put on a very […]
I am very excited to be reviewing Mustard Plug’s latest release on Bad Time Records, Where Did All My Friends Go?. In my younger years, I spent a good amount of time with my terrible ska-punk band opening for them. The heroes of the Michigan ska-punk scene have been known to put on a very energetic live show that can be hard to capture in the studio. Let me tell you, that is not the case regarding Where Did All My Friends Go?. They have captured what has made Mustard Plug a force to be reckoned with in the ska scene. The raw energy can be felt throughout this entire album. It really does take me back to being crammed in the small basement of the Dolphin House in Kalamazoo, shouting along with horns being blasted directly into your face. It’s amazing.
Check out the video for the latest single “Vampire”
Stand-out songs on this record for me include “Another Season Spent in Exile” which has the dynamic mix of the catchy ska verses mixed with more punk “whoa-oh-oh” choruses that I see becoming a staple during lives shows. “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” is such a catchy ska/reggae song and the melodica in the intro gives off serious Big D vibes and fits in so well throughout the rest of the song. My second favorite song on this record is “Distraction.” From the moment the horns come in, I am hooked on the intensity, and it’s a great juxtaposition to “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” Arguably, the hit here (and my personal favorite off this album) is the title track “Where Did All My Friends Go?” and it is the best way to lead off the record. This song will become one of the classic Mustard Plug songs and is sure to become played at every show.
Since I often listen to music in my car while the wife and I are out, I thought I’d get her take on this album. So, for my album reviews, I will be including the wife’s comments in a section I’d like to call “Wife’s Comments.”
Wife’s Comments: “This album is really hopping!”
Be sure to check out Mustard Plug “Where Did All My Friends Go?” September 8th and, following a handful of album release shows in their home turf of Michigan, will be out on tour this fall, starting off with Big D and the Kids Tables and Matamoska!
Slackfest, the annual event presented by The Slackers hit Reggie’s Rock Club recently. Dying Scene was on the floor at the S. State Street venue. The ska fest was a night of joyful noise featuring plenty of the subgenre’s signature horns. The Slackers, the iconic NYC ska group, once again provided an energetic capper to […]
Slackfest, the annual event presented by The Slackers hit Reggie’s Rock Club recently. Dying Scene was on the floor at the S. State Street venue. The ska fest was a night of joyful noise featuring plenty of the subgenre’s signature horns.
The Slackers, the iconic NYC ska group, once again provided an energetic capper to the weekend’s festivities. It was a dynamic set with trombonist and singer Glen Pine out front and center with an especially animated performance. The band is playing out west for the next couple of weeks before heading back to its native east coast. Don’t slack on catching a set (yes I know that was lame. But the band is everything opposite of that).
Eastern Standard Time, from Washington DC, led by the smoothly charismatic Unikue Peace on vocals and percussion. It was a lively set and the perfect penultimate one to the headliner.
Los Vicios de Papá, out of Chicago, performs its music in Spanish. I once was more fluent in the language than I am now. No matter, it was a high-powered performance combining Latin ska, reggae, and Cumbia. Los Vicios de Papá had the crowd stomping on the venue’s concrete floor in the very best way.
Lady Hatchet, aka Kristin Forbes, kicked off the night with a fun set. Dunia Best joined her for several songs which upped the already entertaining level a notch. This is the first time I have seen them perform. It was also the first time I have seen performers literally dancing as they set up and take down their gear before and after their set. I look forward to seeing both parts of these musicians’ performances in the future.
Please see more photos from the 6th Annual Slackfest night 2 below. Thanks and Cheers!
House of Blues welcomed Bayside back to Chicago. Winona Fighter and Armor For Sleep lent support. Finch, with the penultimate set, was billed as a special guest. Bayside, named for the Bayside, Queens neighborhood of its origin, brought its There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive tour to Chicago at the end of April. The […]
House of Blues welcomed Bayside back to Chicago. Winona Fighter and Armor For Sleep lent support. Finch, with the penultimate set, was billed as a special guest.
Bayside, named for the Bayside, Queens neighborhood of its origin, brought its There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive tour to Chicago at the end of April. The tour name doubles as the title of the band’s brand new album from Hopeless Records.
It’s an album garnering positive reviews and it pulls no punches. “The Devils” haunting intro sets the mood:
“We are the trade-ins, the souls that needed saving
Counting on a tired god who didn’t really want the job
If he’s on vacation, as I wait to be taken
Then nothing really matters now
So what am I so worried about?“
As for the Monday night show, Bayside’s powerful performance was a 21-song salute to its 2-plus decade history. Included in the set (not in order of how played at the show) were “Devotion and Desire” from Bayside’s 2005 self-titled record, “Sick, Sick, Sick” off of 2011’s Killing Time, and “Prayers” from 2019’s Interrobang.
Of course, the band also peppered the set with cuts off of the new album, including, “Castaway,” “Go To Hell,” and “The Devils.”
Bayside will be playing the Not Just A “Phase” Fest in Kansas City, KS on June 2nd. The band will then head to The United Kingdom to play a couple of headling shows, in Brighton on June 11th, and in Huddersfield on June 12th. On June 14th, Bayside will hit the Avalanche stage of Download Festival, at Donington Park, in Leicestershire, England.
Finch, out of Temecula, CA, returned to playing shows in 2023 for its What It Is to Burn 20th Anniversary Tour. The band played shows in NYC, Chicago, Boston, and Anaheim. Being the special guest of Bayside this year has allowed even more Finch fans the opportunity to see the band live again or for the first time.
Finch’s set, including, “Rainy Day,” “Letters to You,” “Post Script,” “A Piece of Mind,” “New Beginnings,” “Insomniatic Meat,” and “What It Is To Burn,” was a throttling one. The reception the band received made it clear that its fans are glad to see it back on stage.
Teaneck, New Jersey’s Armor for Sleep, disbanded in 2009 and reunited in 2020 for the 15th Anniversary of its album What To Do When You Are Dead. The band then released a new album, The Rain Museum in 2022. This year the band is spending a great deal of time on the road. Along with providing support to Bayside, Armor For Sleep will be joining Hawthorne Heights‘ 20 Years of Tears tour. That second tour celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Hawthorne Heights’ debut album, The Silence In Black And White.
Blasting through a set including “Remember to Feel Real,” “Dream to Make Believe,” “Williamsburg,” and “Awkward Last Words,” Armor For Sleep gave a solid and tight performance. When the band returns to Chicago on June 28, on the above-mentioned tour, no doubt many of the same fans at this House of Blues show will be amped up to see them at The Salt Shed.
The fantastically named group, Winona Fighter, from Nashville, TN, kicked off the evening with a massive bang. The highly energetic lead singer Coco utilized all sections of the stage as she led the band’s propulsive performance. Winona Fighter ripped through a set including “Hamms In A Glass,” “I’m in the Market to Please No One,” a cover of Blur’s “Song 2,” and “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers.” She got her first taste of punk in Boston, MA before moving to a city more famous for country music. Winona Fighter, formed in 2022, was the revelation for me on an evening stacked with decades-old veteran bands. I am looking forward to seeing the band again, whenever that might be. I am also curious to find out what other punk bands call Music City home.
Mad Caddies almost did not make its headlining gig at Reggie’s. The band had been stranded in an airport in Halifax for nearly 18 hours due to a canceled flight. But of course, the operative word is “almost” because the band did make it to the venue as the opening bands were on stage. Those […]
Mad Caddies almost did not make its headlining gig at Reggie’s. The band had been stranded in an airport in Halifax for nearly 18 hours due to a canceled flight. But of course, the operative word is “almost” because the band did make it to the venue as the opening bands were on stage. Those opening bands, Something To Do and The Iron Roses provided strong support. What a terrific evening of music!
Mad Caddies, out of Santa Barbara, CA, brought the punk/ska fusion to the S. State St. stage. Perhaps due to the aforementioned travel issues the band members arrived ready to bust out. And bust out they did, with an upbeat and energetic performance. The set included “The Dirge,” “Reflections,” “Backyard,” “Tired Bones,” and “Lay Your Head.”
Mad Caddies has a run of September shows with Ballyhoo! on deck. In November, the band hits the road with Authority Zero and Belvedere.
Perhaps the most exciting show will occur on October 5th in San Pedro, CA as part of the Punk In Drublic Festival. There, the band will provide support on “Faturday” for NOFX‘s penultimate show. That should be a blast.
The Iron Roses is a fairly new ska/punk band composed of veteran musicians. Nathan Gray of Boysetsfire and Becky Fontaine share lead vocals. The band put on a snappy, boisterous performance with both singers taking leave of the stage to groove in the center of the crowd on the floor. The rest of the group killed it as well. Tight yet fun work.
Iron Roses complemented Maddie Caddies perfectly. The band’s showing at Reggie’s makes me look forward to the next time I can catch the band.
Iron Roses has North American tour dates scheduled for September and October. The band is also on the lineup at The Fest 22 in late October, in Gainesville, FL.
Something To Do out of Milwaukee had something to do at this show and they did it marvelously. That is, kick off the show with a bang. With all members seeming in perpetual motion, the band tested the attendees’ stamina. The horn section was particularly kinetic. The entire group was both in grand unison, with each member’s personality shining through.
The rowdy set included “Sweet Caffeination” and “Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls.” Both of those tunes are off Something To Do’s new album called Here Comes the Panic!
This month Something To Do will be sharing the stage with Mustard Plug and Authority Zero a few times. If you need something to do…well you get the idea.
As so often is the case, Reggie’s was the cool place to be for a hot show on a warm summer night. Cheers!
I will be the first to admit that my main (aka only) interest in venturing over to Prospect Park on a hot & humid Friday night was to see New Zealand’s one and only The Beths. I knew next to nothing about the 2 opening acts, Charlotte Cornfield and SASAMI. I can only say now […]
I will be the first to admit that my main (aka only) interest in venturing over to Prospect Park on a hot & humid Friday night was to see New Zealand’s one and only The Beths. I knew next to nothing about the 2 opening acts, Charlotte Cornfield and SASAMI. I can only say now that am I REALLY glad I got to The Lena Horne bandshell early enough to witness one of these sets.
Cornfield took the stage promptly at 7 PM and proceeded to treat the crowd to a steady and competent set of rather quiet and subdued indie folk to which the NPR types in the crowd thoroughly enjoyed. For my ears, however her set just didn’t resonate all that much with me and after the 3 song photo allotment was met I found myself chatting with some of the other photogs in attendance for what seemed like a rather long time considering Charlotte was an opener on a three-band bill at an outdoor show that had a strict New York City mandated 10 PM curfew. Before I go any further, to be clear, Cornfield’s set did seem to be quite good but it just wasn’t my thing and I just kind of lost interest. That’s not to say that she didn’t make a lot of those in attendance very pleased with her set.
Next up was SASAMI who hit the stage shortly after 8 PM. Truth be told, I had given SASAMI a bit of a listen on Spotify prior to the show and was merely lukewarm about what I had heard. Their first (self-titled) album released in 2019, was a quite polished indie pop album which while very listenable, didn’t exactly get my juices flowing. And then there is this year’s second full-length LP, Squeeze which hit the shelves back in February. You’d have to do some serious searching in order to find a sophomore LP which takes as strong a departure from its predecessor as does Squeeze.
The set started off with Sasami Ashworth’s “The Greatest” off the new album. And while the song on the album is rather subdued, the band came out and raged. They took what already sounded like a homage or at least a response to Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Gift Of All” and turned it into Whitney’s Greatest Gift from an alternative (much less hospitable) dimension. From here the set only got darker, darker in a heavy metal kind of way with thundering bass lines and loud abrasive guitar chords coming from both Ashworth’s axe as well as the other guitarist who’s name I did not get. To say the least I was almost completely shocked. From here the band ripped through song after song with a fiery electric vengeance which I for one was 100% unprepared for.
Sticking with a setlist comprised entirely of titles off the new one, SASAMI’s set was absolutely mesmerizing. The energy set forth by Ashworth and the rest of the band was transfixing. A combination metal hell fest combined with an almost performance art presentation made for a show to which I (and virtually every other photographer in the pit) was paralyzed to stop clicking the shutter button. Every moment following every moment felt like something that needed to be captured.
SASAMI’s set lasted roughly 40-45 minutes yet it flew by in a flash. I for one felt winded after witnessing the whirlwind of a set which they had treated us all to. My initial reaction when it was done was, “I can’t believe it’s over so soon”. Looking at their other setlists online however, it looks like we got pretty much their entire show.
Which brings me to the headliner, The Beths. It wasn’t all that long ago, you read from me that they were the only real impetus for me being at Prospect Park in the first place. And now as I stood and waited for them to take the stage, I couldn’t help but ponder, “How the hell are they going to top THAT?!?” Having seen the band make a steady progression from DIY venue, Alphaville to 400-person Music Hall Of Williamsburg to 1000-person capacity Webster Hall, they were now faced with the unenviable task of playing (BY FAR) their most high-profile show ever in New York at the 5000 to 7000 person capacity Lena Horne Bandshell AND having to do that following an absolutely blistering set from the opener, not to mention their backs against the wall relative to a 10 PM curfew.
With it already being after 9, it appeared that we were most likely going to get a truncated set. The band came on about 9:15, opening with “I’m Not Getting Excited” but clearly they were because they came out answering the call. Despite what appeared to be some lighting irritations, Liz Stokes was exactly that, STOKED. She, along with guitarist, Jonathan Pierce, bassist, Ben Sinclair and Tristan Deck on drums hit the stage running. Barreling through stalwarts ” Happy, Unhappy” and “Out Of Sight” before offering up the lead single and title track to the upcoming album, “Expert In A Dying Field” due to drop in mid-September.
It was right about here in the set that it dawned on me that the band had figured out how they were going to get their entire set done in roughly three-quarters the normal length of the set. They were speeding everything up and HOLY SHIT, it was working masterfully! I mean they were almost approaching Ramones kind of tempos and the songs and the vibes and the atmosphere were just perfect.
After “Dying Field” we got three more older songs before they cracked open another new one called “Knees Deep”, a bright sun-shiney rocker (come to think of it a Beth’s song and sun-shiney is just redundant…aren’t they all like that?)
Attacking each upcoming song at a breakneck pace which seemed different yet also quite right. “Jump Rope Gazers” into “Uptown Girl” into “A Real Thing”, all done fast but not quite furious.
When all was said and done, The Beths managed to come out of the evening having sleighed the dragon. They overcame the adversity which faced them and finished the evening around 10:10 after a two-song encore of “You Are A Beam of Light” and “Little Death” to the delight of all. Liz and crew put on a masterful show which while certainly sped up, never felt rushed. As a matter of fact it appeared that the band had as much fun as the packed crowd. The normally stoic Jon on guitar was flashing a big grin much of the evening. Liz showed off a little Chuck Berry-esque duck walk and the rhythm section of Tristen and Ben were amazing keeping the sped up pace at bay and even keeled.
When all was said and done, all I could possibly say was, “What a night!”
NOTE: For those in the NY/NJ area The Beths will be at The Asbury Lanes on August 26th and for those in or around western MA, they will be at Courtney Barnett’s Here and There Festival at MassMoca in North Adams on August 13th.
Friday, May 10, 2024, found Hot Water Music bringing their triumphant 30-year anniversary to a stop at Boston’s 1000-capacity Royale theatre. Coincidentally, it also marked album release day for Vows, the band’s dynamic 10th studio album. The confluence of those events created a pretty great Venn diagram sweet spot that found the genre-defining five-piece sounding […]
Friday, May 10, 2024, found Hot Water Music bringing their triumphant 30-year anniversary to a stop at Boston’s 1000-capacity Royale theatre. Coincidentally, it also marked album release day for Vows, the band’s dynamic 10th studio album. The confluence of those events created a pretty great Venn diagram sweet spot that found the genre-defining five-piece sounding just as vital and authentic as ever.
I understand that it’s not exactly an earth-shattering revelation to disclose that Hot Water Music has been one of my favorite bands over the course of the last two decades – I am a mid-40s bearded white guy after all. Still, it’s important to note the influence that the band has had not only as a guiding light in this quadrant of the music world, but on my own personal life both inside and outside the last baker’s dozen years I’ve been doing the Dying Scene thing. It’s a level of importance that is palpable when you’re in the room when the band plays, even thirty years on and minus an original member. What’s also palpable is the level of respect and admiration that the band have for each other and for the crowd. Co-frontmen Chuck Ragan and Chris Cresswell made repeat references to how honored they were to be able to celebrate a lengthy career and a new album in front of a room full of friends, and Cresswell seems doubly-appreciative of his spot as a fan first and, for the last seven years, a band member. Of course, how can you not appreciate playing in a band with the “human cheat codes” that make up the rhythm section of Jason Black and George Rebelo.
As is basically standard operating procedure of late, Hot Water began their set with a blistering rendition of “Remedy,” the song that kicks off their landmark 2002 album Caution. This was followed quickly by “A Flight And A Crash” and “Jack Of All Trades,” a one-two-three punch that set a frenetically high bar for the evening. Because this was not only a thirtieth-anniversary tour but also an album release tour, one can imagine there was more than a little difficulty putting together a setlist that was appropriately reflective of the band’s career arc while obviously celebrating the new material. The next hour-and-a-half did a damn fine job of it, however. Vows was certainly well-represented by “Burn Forever,” “Menace” and “Remnants,” the latter of which contained a pause and restart while a crowd-goer who’d hit the deck was tended to. “Keep It Together” from 2004’s underrated The New What Next was a pleasant surprise that I feel hasn’t seen much love in the Cresswell era. Exister‘s two staples, “Drag My Body” and “State of Grace” were of course included, as were personal favorites “I Was On A Mountain” and “Alright For Now.” By the time the iconic “Trusty Chords” brought things to a close, the band had barreled through 20 songs in about as raw and real and life-affirming a manner as they ever have. Making and sharing music is not a responsibility that Hot Water Music take lightly, and to say that all four of the touring members leave it all on the stage night in and night out is to put it mildly, and I look forward to more nights like this as long as Chuck’s and Cresswell’s voices will allow.
Be Well kicked off the festivities early in the evening. A late add to the bill after the cancellation of their West Coast run with I Am The Avalanche and Grumpster, Be Well really are a perfect fit to help celebrate Hot Water’s 30th birthday given how intertwined frontman Brian McTernan has been with HWM for the last couple decades, having produced A Flight And A Crash (2001), Caution (2002), The New What Next (2004), Feel The Void (2022) and now Vows. (He also produced The Draft’s 2006 masterpiece In A Million Pieces.) The lineup was slightly retooled from the band’s previous runs through the Northeast; McTernan, Shane Johnson (drums) and Mike Schleibaum (lead guitar) maned their usual battle stations, while normal bass player Aaron Dalbec slid into perhaps his more identifiable role as guitar player (see Converge, Bane, etc) while newcomer Zach Crocket (who plays with Johnson in Richmond, Virginia hardcore band Beggars) assumed bass duties. Whatever the lineup, every time out finds Be Well solidifying their place as one of the most vital bands in the modern hardcore game, and I say that while fully acknowledging that I am very much “not a hardcore kid.” McTernan’s honest, earnest vocals and heart-wrenching storytelling are front-and-center, supported in full by the band’s strong concentration on thrashing, melodic tempos.
Off With Their Heads were up next. It had been a minute since I’d witnessed the full-band OWTH experience. Actually, it had been well more than a minute…maybe a decade? Maybe? On a tour with Alkaline Trio and Into It. Over It.? I should check my list. ANYWAY, I’d seen the OWTH acoustic revue a number of times, so it was gratifying to see that Ryan Young and friends (Kyle Manning on drums and Kevin Rotter on bass) have not lost a step off their plugged-in, punk rock set’s proverbial fastball. Kicking things off with “Let It All,” the band blistered through a nine-song set that was heavy on their last full band full-length, 2019’s Be Good. Set closer “Clear The Air” was as cathartic as ever and included a couple of local references (Billerica? Really?) for good measure.
Quicksand served as primary support on this night as they did for the duration of the tour. Speaking of bands who are naturals to open a Hot Water Music 30th anniversary run, Quicksand were also perfect not just sonically but because of frontman Walter Schreifels’ role as producer of Hot Water’s 1999 classic No Division, considered by many to be the first album that really found the band leveling up (as evidenced by it’s spot as one of the “album shows” the band did on its string of two-night stands on their 25th-anniversary tour a few years back). The trio (Schreifels on guitar and vocal duties, Sergio Vega on bass and Alan Cage behind the drumkit) hit the ground running with “Omission” from their own iconic record, 1993’s Slip, and tore through another thirteen-song set that included such staples as “Thorn In My Side” “Fazer” and “Dine Alone” before closing things out with a transcendent “Landmine Spring.” The band sounded as solid as ever, and the staircases that adorn the sides of the stage and lead to the backstage green rooms were adorned with members of the night’s other bands watching and singing along from the wings.
