In 2024, The Get Up Kids celebrated the 25th anniversary of their seminal pop-punk/emo record, Something to Write Home About. In conjunction with the milestone, the band teamed up with another mainstay of the scene with Smoking Popes. The tour hit several North American cities and was so successful that they’ve continued to book Something […]
In 2024, The Get Up Kids celebrated the 25th anniversary of their seminal pop-punk/emo record, Something to Write Home About. In conjunction with the milestone, the band teamed up with another mainstay of the scene with Smoking Popes. The tour hit several North American cities and was so successful that they’ve continued to book Something to Write Home About dates through March of 2025.
The Get Up Kids were set to bring the show to Minneapolis in October of 2024, but unfortunately had to cancel due to Matt Pryor losing his voice. Thankfully for those of us in the Twin Cities, the group booked a makeup date on January 28th at the Fine Line.
The Fine Line is a fantastic venue that’s part of the famous First Avenue set of locales. The club features an eclectic mix of artists from all genres playing in one of the greatest music cities in America. This isn’t the first time we’ve covered a show at the Fine Line (check out our Chat Pile gallery & review), and it’s quickly becoming a favorite. The Get Up Kids show was another highlight as both bands treated the audience to some good old-fashioned pop-punk, emo and indie rock.
Smoking Popes
Since 1991, Smoking Popes have been playing their signature brand of melodic pop punk, indie rock and emo. Hailing from the Chicagoland area, the band has carved out an impressive place for themselves in the scene which includes a dedicated fanbase and several acclaimed projects. They were a perfect opener for the Get Up Kids on this night as well, setting the tone on a night of emotional melodic pop punk and emo.
Smoking Popes played a mixture of new and old material, showing off the quality that exists throughout their decades-old discography. The lion’s share of the setlist came from their seminal records, Born to Quit and Destination Failure. A particularly popular moment in the set came when the band played an interlude of the Replacements “Can’t Hardly Wait” during their own song “Gotta Know Right Now.” The interlude is a regular part of Smoking Popes’ set, but it was especially appreciated in Minneapolis where the Replacements are king.
The band played for roughly 45 minutes and was a perfect opener for the night’s festivities. Smoking Popes are a staple of the Great Lakes Scene and are always well-received at live performances. While the crowd received their old material well, it was also exciting to hear new music. The band is putting out a new album in April titled Lovely Stuff. If the songs they played at this show are any indication, fans of the band are in for a treat when that album drops.
The Get Up Kids
“What became of everyone I used to know? Where did our respectable convictions go?” The opening lines of “Holiday”, the opening track of Something to Write Home About, hit as hard now as they did when they first hit the airwaves in September of 1999. “Holiday” is a perfect opening track to the record as it sets the tone of cold longing and morosity that defines the album. It also is a well-constructed melodic song that is a real earworm. In both of those ways, it also functioned as an excellent opener for the band to play live as they started their set with a full playthrough of Something to Write Home About.
While “Holiday” is among the band’s most popular songs, a full album playthrough of Something to Write Home About allows for a set full of crowd pleasers. The crowd was behind all of the Get Up Kids material, but especially enjoyed tight renditions of “Valentine,” “Ten Minutes” and “I’m a Loner Dottie, a Rebel”. When revisiting Something to Write Home About, it’s clear how it became such a touchpoint for the pop punk and emo movements of the early 2000s. The writing is crisp, the hooks are addictive. It’s anthemic, but personal. The album is also perfect for a live format with several ebbs and flows of high energy fun songs, interspersed with emotional tracks too.
The main attraction of the night was the band playing their seminal hit album, but the Get Up Kids had more tricks up their sleeve as well. The band played excellent renditions of “Don’t Hate Me”, “Shorty” and “Stay Gold, Pony Boy”, all standout tracks from their celebrated debut record Four Minute Mile. The Kansas City outfit also reached deep into their discography for a couple of rarities as well including “Let the Reigns Go Loose” (first time playing since 2015 according to setlist.com) and “Martyr Me” (First time since 2019). From playing the classics to some of their lesser-known material, the Get Up Kids prove they are still as powerful in their lane as ever. Their show at the Fine Line was an excellent night of music. One that is certainly worth writing home about.
The GardenAmp hosted the Ska Smackdown on January 18. Featuring sets from ten bands in six hours, the show was a celebration of old faves, local faves, and new blood within the genre. There were enough trumpets, trombones, and saxophones to make this the horny-est (rim shot) show I’ve ever been to. The show started […]
The GardenAmp hosted the Ska Smackdown on January 18. Featuring sets from ten bands in six hours, the show was a celebration of old faves, local faves, and new blood within the genre. There were enough trumpets, trombones, and saxophones to make this the horny-est (rim shot) show I’ve ever been to.
The show started in the Locker Room, an intimate smaller stage within the GardenAmp that holds about one hundred people. The low-lit room has a graffiti mural that reads “CAN’T BE STOPPED” on one wall and a bar and green room on the opposite side. The walls are lined with framed concert posters of some big names in all genres of music that have played at the GardenAmp. The stage has a few strobe lights above it and a collage of what looks like concert flyers on the wall behind it.
Trucha opened the show in the Locker Room with an instrumental that got the crowd moving, and then went into their cover of the Misfits’ “Hybrid Moments.” This is probably one of my favorite arrangements of a Misfits song. The setlist was very similar to when they opened for Bite Me Bambi back in August. They’ve narrowed their sound a bit more which is more dancey, but also played some punkier songs towards the end of their set. They’ve been practicing and sound tighter, but they didn’t need much as they sound great. Hopefully they can get some songs released soon; Trucha are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
The Goodwin Club had the biggest amount of people on the stage for the night, which is saying a lot for a ska show. They had an extended horn section that included three trumpets, three trombones, and one saxophone. Everyone in the band was clad in Karate Kid / Cobra Kai costumes, ranging from Daniel LaRusso’s shower costume to skeleton jumpsuits to the famous black and yellow dojogis worn by the members of Cobra Kai. The Goodwin Club was a good choice to open a big fun night of ska bands. Singer Tami Demaree had lost her voice and did her best to get through a set including their songs “Little Girl” and “Join the Club,” but also covers of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” This was my second time seeing them and their confetti shooters during their set, and it was just as fun as the first.
As the GardenAmp filled up with more people, it became increasingly harder to get to the Locker Room to see the bands on the smaller stage. They were scheduled between sets of the bands on the bigger stage, but set times were stacked pretty tight. Most of the time they were starting as the band on the big stage was finishing. It was apparent I would miss some of those bands’ sets. The Ruffalos were the first of those bands. When I walked in, they were doing a cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Nothing But A ‘G’ Thang.” Some of their other songs had a bit of a spooky feel to them. Two singers traded back and forth. They reminded me a bit of very early Rx Bandits with some Sublime thrown in. They closed with a song about Samuel Jackson which, of course, had the word “motherfucker” in it.
Half Past Two was next on the main stage. Purple-haired singer Tara Hahn danced through a fun ska punk set. Laying claim to her Orange County ska bona fides by playing their song “Heather,” which describes her friend who would take her to the legendary Chain Reaction in Anaheim. I hadn’t paid too much attention to Half Past Two previously when I saw them open for the Aquabats a year or so back, but I wish I had. The band announced they would be playing a show at the venue in May of this year. It may be a good excuse to go to the Chain Reaction.
Buck-O-Nine got the pit moving pretty quickly with fans alternating dancing and slamming through their ska punk set. Their set included the songs “Calling in Sick,” “Fever,” and their radio hit, “My Town.” When I saw them last summer, it was a family event, and they weren’t able to play “Irish Drinking Song” or their cover of Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie,” but while there were families at this show, it wasn’t a family show. It was during this set where I saw people walking into the pit with a coffee cup. It’s a “bold” move, but the world is full of “bold” people.
Mustard Plug came out and played an energetic set. They brought a beach ball out that the crowd spiked around the venue and at the band, who continued to hit back out into the crowd. Playing a mix of songs of old favorites like “Not Enough” and “Vampire” and new song “Fall Apart,” the crowd went crazy for them. Their set contained a cover of Fugazi‘s “Waiting Room.” I didn’t know horns could make that song better, but it does. It was no surprise that veterans of the scene can play so well and keep the crowd’s attention after a long night of bands. They closed their set with “Brain on Ska” (their 2057th time playing it) and the “Beer” song.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch too much of Hooray Our Side’s set. I did catch them doing a cover of “Margaritaville,” which sounded pretty good as far as Jimmy Buffett covers go. It was the same for Codename: Rocky. By the time they went on, it was so close to the end of the night it was the choice of watching all of their set or getting a good spot for Mustard Plug and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. This also caused me to completely miss all of Matamoska‘s set.
Finally, it was time for the main event, the Voodoo Glow Skulls. It’s been at least ten years since I had seen them as a band and close to twenty since I’ve seen them with Frank singing. Nothing against Efrem as he held his own during his stint as singer of the band well, but it’s great to have all three Casillas brothers on stage. The beginning of the set was very heavy on their album, Band Geek Mafia, with tracks “Human Pinata,” “Misunderstood,” “Delinquent Song,” and “They Always Come Back.” The next section of the set was very focused mostly on songs from Firme, but also managed to slip in the song “Insubordination” from their first record Who Is, This Is? After playing a couple of songs in Spanish, “El Mas Chingon” and “El Coo Cooi,” the band closed with “Voodoo Anthem.” They sounded fantastic. Fast and intense, but still keeping with those horns reserved for the soundtrack of nightmares—I mean that in the best way.
It was definitely a positive vibe. The venue was pretty lax on security. There either wasn’t any or they didn’t care people were jumping on the stage for the most part. It was almost like they let the crowd self-police, and everything was fine. Which is weird because I legit saw like three fights at the Fishbone concert last month. There seemed to be more people dancing compared to the potent untethered energy of the Fishbone crowd. That crowd took themselves a little too seriously.
Everyone here was out to have fun. There was lots of crowd surfing with a few close calls, but everyone was caught before they hit the ground. It was strange to see kids climb and point where they were jumping to make sure they would be caught then waiting until everyone below agreed. The scene has changed a lot since I was their age. Punks, metalheads, ska kids, luchadors, people dressed as produce (one banana and one pickle) came out and united to have a fun night of music. Here’s hoping there are many more Ska Smackdowns.
*Editor’s note: In a previous version of this story, Half Past Two’s Tara Hahn was identified as having pink hair. She does, in fact, have purple hair. We apologize for the miscommunication.*
2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary Stone Pony, the Asbury Park, New Jersey icon that has been the lifeblood of a region and of numerous music scenes since well before any of our regular readers were born (except probably my parents!…hi guys!). The venue closed out its 50to year anniversary celebration with the […]
2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary Stone Pony, the Asbury Park, New Jersey icon that has been the lifeblood of a region and of numerous music scenes since well before any of our regular readers were born (except probably my parents!…hi guys!). The venue closed out its 50to year anniversary celebration with the return of another local institution that helped revitalize both the venue and the Asbury Park area itself: the Bouncing Souls Home For The Holidays celebration.
I will admit rather candidly that I love Asbury Park. I’m not “from there.” But I was raised in a house where music was ever-present and the music of Bruce Springsteen was probably the closest thing we realistically had to Gospel, so the myth and the lore of both the city as a whole and the Pony as a singular place have been part of my upbringing pretty much from the beginning. Some of my earliest family vacation memories were my parents loading my younger brother and I in the car for the six-hour drive from New Hampshire to my aunt and uncle’s house in one of the Brunswicks so that the adults could go see Bruce at what was then Giants Stadium.
You certainly don’t need me, very much an outsider, to explain to you the importance of the Stone Pony to Asbury Park and to the history of modern American rock music. That’s been done before by people smarter and more connected than I – check out Nick Corasaniti’s wonderful I Don’t Want To Go Home: An Oral History of The Stone Pony that came out last year and includes discussions from everyone from Springsteen and Southside Johnny and Steve Van Zandt to Brian Fallon and Geoff Rickly and Pete and Bryan from The Souls. But what I can tell you that 2024 being the Pony’s 50th anniversary was enough to get the Souls to resurrect their “Home For The Holidays” festivities for the first time in almost a decade. And what I can also tell you is that because of where it fell on the calendar and because of who was on the bill, it made sense to finally make the drive to Asbury in the Winter and to finally…FINALLY…see a show inside the friendly confines of 913 Ocean Avenue.
I’m a veteran of a few Bouncing Souls “Stoked For The Summer” festivals. They tend to be a highlight of any summer season. If you’ve not been, they take place on the Stone Pony Summer Stage, which is essentially an outdoor venue created in the lot immediately adjacent to the Pony. It’s a big, outdoor space that holds somewhere around 4500 people and it’s directly across the street from the Boardwalk and the beach and the Atlantic Ocean, and on the right day it’s just a perfect place to see a show. (Seriously…watching a sold-out hometown crowd sing the chorus to “Gone” in unison under a warm, mid-summer twilight sky is the type of memory that can make the hair stand up on the back of your next for years after.) The bonus is that the regular venue is open, so you can use the bar and merch area and bathrooms inside the venerated venue and take in the history and the weight of the place in comparative calm. It’s a pretty cool experience and you should do it.
But seeing a show inside the Pony itself – as yours truly finally for the middle night of this year’s HFTH – is different. The decor and the footprint have changed a few times and the audio and lighting rigs have been updated several times over, but for all intents and purposes, walking in under the awning at the corner of Ocean Ave and 2nd Ave feels much the way it has for five full decades. The venue is much wider than it is deep, so even if you’re in the back by the soundboard, you’re not super far from the stage. When the show is banged out – as was the case for all three nights of this year’s Home For The Holidays – it is really banged out. It’s a tightly packed venue that becomes a little hard to maneuver through, but when everyone is dancing and enjoying themselves, it very much feels less like a crowd and more like a living, breathing organism.
Seaside Caves kicked off the festivities on this particular evening. As memory serves, it was the New Jersey-based four-piece’s first show since before Covid, yet you’d never really know it. Their half-hour dark synth pop set was super enjoyable and took advantage of what seemed to be the venue’s surplus of smoke machines and chaotic lighting. The band also just put out a new album on bandcamp. Entitled drugless, it’s a collection of songs written and recorded over the course of the last four years. It’s fun and moody and it was recorded by Pete so it obviously sounds great. The Ratchets (pictured below) were up next. Aside from the Souls themselves, The Ratchets have probably been as synonymous with the Asbury Park punk scene as anyone over the last decade-plus. The Pirates Press stalwart four-piece ripped through a half-hour set of no-fuss, no-muss, straightforward street punk jams that included the recently released ripper “Hoist A New Flag.”
Dave Hause And The Mermaid occupied the direct support slot on this middle night of the weekend-long festivities. I’ve seen Dave solo, as a duo alongside his brother Tim, and fronting numerous iterations of The Mermaid for years now, but this was the first time I’d seen him on anything close to “home turf.” Yes, I know Dave and Tim are Philly guys, but Philly and Asbury Park are only just over an hour apart, and Dave spent years as a part of the Souls camp, recorded with Pete a few times, and has been a part of the scene for years; his first solo record, Resolutions, has a song about the old Lanes that name checks a great many of Asbury Park regulars (hey Christina!).
Hause and Co. took the stage accompanied by Tom Waits’ junkyard boot-stomper “God’s Away On Business,” a song that would have been particularly apropos in Asbury fifteen years ago, a spiritual kin to Springsteen’s “My City Of Ruins,” which, while it appeared on the latter’s post-9/11 ode to NYC The Rising album, was actually written about Asbury. But I digress. The band ripped immediately into “Pretty Good Year,” the first of two classic Loved Ones tunes that the band would perform on the evening. While they aren’t Hause solo songs per se, they do have a special place in his musical catalog, as the Loved Ones second album, 2008’s Build & Burn, was recorded by Pete and Bryan from the Souls right down the street at Little Eden. We did an oral history of that whole project a few years ago – read it here if you like.
Hause has employed numerous iterations of his backing band, The Mermaid, over the last decade or so, but the one that appeared on this night at The Pony is probably the tightest and highest energy, with longtime collaborator and Jersey native Kevin Conroy on drums, another Jersey native Mark Masefield on keys, Nashvillian Luke Preston on bass and Hause’s brother Tim on guitar and backing vocals. The band is a juggernaut and seeing them in this capacity at this venue accentuates the elder Hause’s ability to engage the crowd as in a way that draws heavy on his past life as a punk rock band frontman. A personal favorite in the set was “Autism Vaccine Blues,” and other highlights included “Damn Personal” and “Dirty Fucker” and set closer “The Ditch.”
And then it was time for the Souls. At 9:25pm promptly and accompanied by their longtime walkout music, Simple Minds’ 1985 classic “Don’t You Forget About Me,” the quartet took the stage and immediately vaulted into the singalong that is “Here We Go.” Granted every song in the Souls catalog turns into a singalong at some point, but if there were any audience members who weren’t already primed and ready to go based on the openers, they were immediately brought into the fold here. Frontman Greg Attonito sported a walking boot and a cane, the result of an injury suffered while he was playing soccer with his son. He stated from stage that he’s almost all healed, and he was still just about as energetic as ever, but there’s no doubt a joke to be made here about lacing up your Samba’s and kicking it about above a certain age.
What followed was a solid mix of longtime crowd favorites and more than a few “holy shit!”-inducing songs from the back catalog that keep the audience guessing. Near as yours truly can tell, this night marked the first time that “Serenity” had been played since pre-Covid and the first time that “Holiday Cocktail Lounge” had been played since before current drummer George Rebelo joined the band in 2013. The Bouncing Souls – Pete and Bryan and Greg and now George – have attained legendary status for a reason, and it was on full display on this night, as the band blew through two dozen songs in as tight and energetic and catharcit fashion as they ever have. They really do seem to be getting better and better with age. Oh, and speaking of drummers…old friend Michael McDermott, who was in town to play the following evening’s HFTH show with his new band The Kilograms, hopped behind the kit for “Gone.” Another fun moment was “Lean On, Sheena,” a song that was certainly popularized by the Souls but was initially written and recorded by The Kilograms‘ Joe Gittleman in his Avoid One Thing days (Gittleman would join the Souls on stage for it the following evening).
Sure the Souls got their start in the New Brunswick area in the late 1980s, but for all intents and purposes, they’ve been synonymous with the Asbury Park area for close to twenty-five years. They’ve started businesses there and raised families there and brought more friends and attracted more like-minded individuals that have helped shephard the Pony and the greater Asbury area through the resurgence it’s seen in the last decade. Obviously the Home For The Holidays long weekend is trickier to pull off now, what with only Pete and Bryan being locals nowadays (and George splitting his time with a little band called Hot Water Music). That just made this tenth (and final? maybe?) HFTH that much more special. Home For The Holidays is obviously more than just a punk rock show or three. It’s an art show and a flea market and an acoustic singalong and it features events at a variety of venues and it helps breathe life into a week that can be a little slow, what with a lot of folks traveling between the holidays. For those who do stick around – or in our case who make the journey – it can feel like Olde Home Week, with lots of friends and hugs and familiar faces that we see less and less frequently. To have all of it take place in such a storied venue in such a hallowed place seems nothing short of special. And sure it’s the last (?!?) Home For The Holidays, but the Souls aren’t going away. They’re recording as we speak, in fact. So they and their influence and certainly this weekend’s festivities are by no means in jeopardy of being forgotten any time soon.
Mustard Plug headlined one of the final punk rock holiday shows in Chicago. Bottom Lounge was the site for this midwest ska celebration with Grand Rapids, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee represented respectively in Mustard Plug, The Crombies, The Operators, and Something To Do. The blasting of the horns represented how much of a blast the […]
Mustard Plug headlined one of the final punk rock holiday shows in Chicago. Bottom Lounge was the site for this midwest ska celebration with Grand Rapids, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee represented respectively in Mustard Plug, The Crombies, The Operators, and Something To Do. The blasting of the horns represented how much of a blast the whole evening was for all those present.
Top-billed Mustard Plug, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, delivered another spirited performance befitting the spirit of the season. This included a bespectacled dancing bottle of mustard and a Santa outfitted in traditional St. Nick garb but matching in color, the iconic condiment most closely associated with hot dogs. As a nice holiday touch, one member of Mustard Plug sported a mini-Christmas Tree hat.
Mustard Plug frontman Dave Kirchgessner took to the barricade encouraging the fans join in the singing much to the delight of the attendees.
This band and this event were the perfect tree-toppers for this holiday celebration of Ska.
One of Dying Scene’s favorite two-toners, Chicago’s The Crombies, brought the jollity yet again. The band’s rollicking performance delighted its fans per usual.
This was a sort of catharsis after the band was struck with the tragic death of its beloved drummer Matt Meuzelaar earlier in 2024.
Cristian Riquelme of The Operators filled in on drums for The Crombies performing double duty on this night though facing a tough situation himself. Days before Christmas, a fire destroyed Riquelme’s home and most of his belongings. He also lost his beloved dog Brutus in the fire. Friends quickly set up a GoFundMe to help him out. And Riquelme generously helped out The Crombies.
But these sad events could not keep The Crombies and friends from this celebration. Indeed, the band members seemed inspired to celebrate in honor of their loved ones. A reminder to always dance, sing, and smile when the opportunity presents itself.
The Operators, out of Indy, returned to Chicago, just a seeming blink of the eyes after last appearing here for Slackfest. As with that earlier show, the band brought tidings of comfort, joy, and kinetic good times. Just the Operators’ standard operating procedure. Many thanks for that!
Something To Do, from just down the road in Milwaukee, also made a return trip to the Windy City. The crew last played Chicago at Reggie’s, supporting Mad Caddies in September 2023. The something to do by the band was to bring the mirth and the merry in generous portions. Something To Do wildly succeeded in this with a killer performance.
Home For The Skalidays was a wonderful way to close out a 2024 composed of good and bad and happy and sad. Despite a tough year, the show brought some sweet relief to the fans in attendance. It was a much needed celebration met with lots of gratitude.
LA and NY punk collided on December 21st as Fear and Leftover Crack played to a crowd at the Teragram Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles. While the surrounding area could be described with some lines from Fear’s own “I Love Livin’ in the City,” the venue represents a part of a movement to revitalize older […]
LA and NY punk collided on December 21st as Fear and Leftover Crack played to a crowd at the Teragram Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles. While the surrounding area could be described with some lines from Fear’s own “I Love Livin’ in the City,” the venue represents a part of a movement to revitalize older concert spaces in the area. Formerly known as the Playhouse Theatre, this historic building was once a silent movie house before becoming a diner, but eventually became a fairly popular location to film TV and Movies.
The six hundred capacity venue has a compact area for merchandise sales and an adjacent bar with a few tables to order food, remnants of the Teragram Ballroom’s past. The main floor of the venue itself has a bar on its back wall behind the sound booth. Blue lights and big band jazz music gave the hall a 1950’s feel. An ironic sentiment given the night of chaos ahead.
The High Curbs from Chino, CA opened the night, blending punk, hardcore, and nu-metal. This five-piece had a lot of energy. While these genres have some crossover in sound and themes in the lyrics, combining them gives The High Curbs a unique enough sound to differentiate from a lot of bands in the scene. It makes them a little more versatile. For every moment of shredding hardcore there was an equal moment of songs with effects pedals with an evolving set that became more melodic as time went on.
Leftover Crack has always been a band a lot of my friends were into, but never clicked for me. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy their set. From their first chord the pit opened up and continued to grow in size and intensity as time went on. Kids were falling left and right and getting hurt all over with at least one kid spraining their ankle, but eventually even that kid hobbled back in after determining it wasn’t broken. There was a group of about five to ten people who would just stay in the middle of the pit while people slammed around them. They seemed to gain or lose a person at different times. Leftover Crack plowed through that included the songs “Nazi White Trash,” “Gang Control,” and Choking Victim’s “500 Channels.” Not being super familiar with their set, some of their songs were moodier than I expected.
Fear was filming a music video at the show. Before the doors opened, we got to see Lee Ving do a few takes of walking up to the venue. Age has set in with Lee Ving, but he’s still entertaining as fuck to watch. Lee goads and provokes the crowd and relishes as the crowd returns the gesture. Fear plowed through a twenty-plus song set list that covers the hits and some of new material. Despite Lee not being able to play guitar anymore, his voice still has some growl and bite. His guitar parts have been given to Henchmen guitarist Eric Razo. Razo doesn’t clone Ving’s lead parts, but is in no way disrespectful to them. This shines through in Fear’s partially bluesy, but low constructed “Beef Bologna.” Newer members Frank Meyer and Amos Cook’s respective guitar and bass playing mesh well with Spit Stix’s precise drumming. With as much as Lee’s own vocals and guitar are a staple for the band’s recording, Spit’s clean and perfectly timed drums remain crucial to their sound, as well.
The punk rock scenes we revere were lightning in the bottle. It’s always a mixed bag on if shows with veteran performers are going to be good. It doesn’t always mean they can’t perform or shouldn’t. It just means it’s going to be a different experience. Lee was still energetic and hit most of his marks well, but he does need the lyrics in front of him for reference. He can’t move like he used to, but he doesn’t need to. He’s done his time in the trenches and came out fine. Lee Ving is still revered in a scene that seems to be moving away from the crass and brash that has made the earlier pioneers of punk infamous in some circles, currently. Through it all, Lee and Fear have endured.
(*Editor’s note: This show was originally scheduled for the 1200 capacity Vermont in Hollywood before getting moved to the Teragram*)
Fishbone and their Red Hot Holiday Tour came to Orange County at the Garden Amp in California, bringing along Damnage, Strawberry Fuzz, and hometown ska-band Bite Me Bambi. This show was definitely one for the books. Damnage from Los Angeles came out swinging. This thrashy hardcore trio band tore through their thirty-minute set that seemed […]
Fishbone and their Red Hot Holiday Tour came to Orange County at the Garden Amp in California, bringing along Damnage, Strawberry Fuzz, and hometown ska-band Bite Me Bambi. This show was definitely one for the books.
Damnage from Los Angeles came out swinging. This thrashy hardcore trio band tore through their thirty-minute set that seemed to mostly take influence from old hardcore punk bands like Suicidal Tendencies, but you could definitely hear the Transplants in their newest song “Time to Kill.” Bassist Jonny Goood and guitarist Tim Stewart took turns singing leads while drummer Tosh Peterson kept time. Opening with their song “Wasteland,” the band didn’t take too long to get the crowd pumped. The band played a cover of the Circle Jerks’ “Wild in the Streets” on steroids. They closed out their time with the midtempoed “Important.” I say this a lot, but this band deserved a bigger crowd. Damnage’s set was a great opener for an amazing night of bands. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on in this new year.
Playing songs that mostly involve drinking, partying, and getting hassled by the cops, Strawberry Fuzz is a force to be reckoned with. Opening chords were strummed while lead singer Colby Rodgers opened a Modelo tallboy, establishing them as the night’s designated party band. Hailing from Venice Beach, Strawberry Fuzz’s driving punk rock guitars took the crowd on a journey every which way but sober. Rodgers has that live-fast-die-young swagger only punk rock lead singers possess. If the rest of the band is half as hammered as Rodgers is singing about, then kudos to them for not missing the beat. The crowd ate up the mantra-like chorus from their song “Green Room”: “If you don’t like the music then go the fuck home.”
After being on tour for the majority of the last two to three months, Bite Me Bambi seemed a little road-worn but still played an energetic set. Playing a good mix of new stuff, old stuff, and covers, they were welcomed with open arms to a hometown crowd. New songs “Too Many People” and “Do the Damned” fit in well with previous staples “Strippers on a Sunday” and “Hot Lava.” I don’t care how many times I have seen them played; I always love when Bite Me Bambi throws in covers “One Step Beyond” and “Gangsters.” Although they played a short set, it was still great to see them do what they do so damn well.
In all my years of going to shows, I had never seen Fishbone. I’m admittedly a casual listener and an even more casual fan, but one Fishbone show has the power to change that. This set was a bolt of energy from a band that age has not slowed down. Angelo Moore was a madman on stage for a set with fluctuating moods. Priming the crowd with “Fishbone (Is Red Hot),” Moore brought the tone down and started retelling the story of Noah’s Ark before jumping into the metal-tinged “Swim,” but definitely kept their ska cred in check with “Skankin’ to the Beat” and “Cubicle.” Chris Dowd came out from behind the keys to sing a couple of songs, including the newest single “Racist Piece of Shit,” but it was definitely Moore running the show. Between singing, playing sax, and the theremin, Dr. Mad Vibe had full command over this crowd. Whether it was the high energy of “Subliminal Fascism” or the slowed down version of “Drunk Skitzo,” we were under his spell. The pit for the show was pretty random. It had everything: punk rockers, ska kids, Spider-Man, Santa Claus, Adrian Young. They were just as manic as the band. Despite a fight or two breaking out, the spectrum of their fandom and love most were showing was endearing to see. Fishbone closed with fan favorite, “Lyin’ Ass Bitch,” with Tahlena from Bite Me Bambi on guest vocals. While they ran out of time for Party At Ground Zero, this was still pretty cool to see.
Seeing Fishbone is an experience. This is performance art on a different level. They put together a hell of a good night of music. There was something for everybody and lots to discover. Go see Fishbone or any of the other bands when they tour again; you will not be disappointed.
The Lawrence Arms once again played host at the War on X-Mas. Dying Scene was in the house for both nights at Metro (a third show was added for December 5th at Cobra Lounge). The band was joined by good friends in fellow Chicago bands, Smoking Popes, Royal Dog, and Still Alive. American Steel, out […]
The Lawrence Arms once again played host at the War on X-Mas. Dying Scene was in the house for both nights at Metro (a third show was added for December 5th at Cobra Lounge). The band was joined by good friends in fellow Chicago bands, Smoking Popes, Royal Dog, and Still Alive. American Steel, out of Oakland, CA, also performed. It was a jolly good time!
Friday
Chicago’s The Lawrence Arms was founded a quarter of a century ago, but it remains as beloved as ever. The 10th Anniversary edition of the band’s annual holiday season event demonstrates it gets better each time. Brendan Kelly, Chris McCaughan, and Neil Hennessy were in top form as they ripped through an extensive set which included “You Are Here,” “Beautiful Things,” “Seventeener (17th and 37th),” “Metropole,” “The YMCA Down the Street From the Clinic,” “Chapter 13: The Hero Appears,” and “Like A Record Player.”
It was a terrific performance and surely filled fans in the jam-packed venue with much cheer.
Smoking Popes, another adored Chicago band, chose seasonally appropriate walk-on music for this event: the iconic “Linus and Lucy” instrumental by Vince Guaraldi Trio. The band members then kicked off their set, telling the crowd they did not want to “Simmer Down.” That’s good because things were just heating up. The blazing set further included “Let’s Hear It for Love,” “Rubella,” “Megan,” and “Gotta Know Right Now.” Smoking Popes also performed an enchanting rendition of “Pure Imagination.” Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley composed that wonderful confection specifically for the classic 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. In addition, Scott Lucas of Local H joined the Smoking Popes on stage for “Off My Mind.”
The Brothers Caterer – Josh, Eli, & Matt, along with their “brother from another mother,” Mike Felumlee, once again delivered. This pattern is pretty routine, but their performances never are.
Royal Dog, completing the Chicago trifecta for this evening, gave a high-spirited performance to get the festivities started. Royal Dog, composed of Anthony, Micki, Joey, and Castle, went from a solo project started in 2018 and transformed into a full band in 2023 year. However, the group is certainly leaving a terrific imprint on fan’s senses. This was demonstrated by its high energy set, which included “Pickle,” “Crabbed,” “Worried, Sick,” and “The Deal.”
If you have yet to check the band out, I advise you to do so at your first opportunity. You can thank us later.
The Lawrence Arms‘ Saturday night set was also decidedly non-Grinchy as far as length. It was also rollicking as the band tore through “The Devil’s Takin’ Names,” “Light Breathing (Me and Martha Plimpton in a Fancy Elevator),” “Lose Your Illusion 1,” “Alert the Audience!,” “Recovering the Opposable Thumb,” and “Are You There Margaret? It’s Me, God.”
The Lawrence Arms remains on the nice, albeit a bit cheeky, list. Lumps of coal need not be given to this trio.
American Steel, the only non-Chicago band this weekend, hails from Oakland, CA. Composed of Rory Henderson, Ryan Massey, John Peck, and Scott Healy, American Steel has been together since 1995. This event was special and brought back memories for the quartet, as Healy told me days after the show,
“The whole weekend was amazing. The Lawrence Arms are like our brothers. We did a 42-show tour where we shared a bus and probably knocked a few years off our lives. The weekend was similar. Many hugs, wives, and partners of bandmates getting to see each other after many years, dinners together, seeing so many old fans and friends. It’s why we still play shows.”
The band, presently on Fat Wreck Chords, gave a muscular performance, powering through a set that included “Emergency House Party,” “Dead and Gone,” “Shrapnel,” “Sons of Avarice,” “Mean Streak,” and “Maria.”
I very much look forward to documenting American Steel again, hopefully, sooner than later.
Still Alive played its second-to-last hometown show to kick off night 2 at Metro. After 15 years, the band’s final show is scheduled for Detroit.
The band’s blistering set included “Trials,” “I Quit,” “Make Melodies,” and “Ransom Note. Still Alive also performed a cover of The Killing Tree’s “Switchblade Architect.”
Post-show, Singer Dan Alfonsi reflected on what the weekend meant to the band,
“It was great sharing a stage with Lawrence Arms and American Steel. They were both great. All of us have been listening to Lawrence Arms and their family tree of bands since high school. We’d see a lot of those bands at Metro, so it was awesome being a part of the evening. Hearing them play “Nebraska” was a highlight for sure. Definitely a bucket list show for Still Alive, and it was an honor to play War on Xmas as one of our last shows.“
Alfonsi also told me why he and his bandmates, Mikey Cervenka, Dom Burdi, Ben Standage, and Bryan Schroth, are ready to close this chapter of their musical careers.
“We all play in other bands, and we’ll stay occupied with those. Dominick plays in Beat the Smart Kids, Mikey plays in Radar Waves …[Alfonsi plays in Flatfoot 56 and Cult Fiend]… Ben plays in Blood People and Whipped, and Bryan is a part of Chart Attack. We may or may not have another ska-related band in the works.“
Still Alive will be alive for two more shows: December 27, 2024 as headliner at Cobra Lounge in Chicago, and on December 28, 2024 at Detroit’s The Majestic for Black Christmas.
I have been watching and covering Still Alive for several years. Grateful to the band for the always good time.
The 10th Annual War on X-Mas was, again, a great early gift. Season’s greeting to all and to all, a thank you!
Warning: Old Man Yells at Cloud. Senses Fail and Saves the Day brought their “New Jersey Vs the World” tour to a sold-out crowd at the Anaheim House of Blues. With Senses Fail being one of my wife’s favorite bands and this show being close to her birthday, we went. I was not excited for […]
Warning: Old Man Yells at Cloud.
Senses Fail and Saves the Day brought their “New Jersey Vs the World” tour to a sold-out crowd at the Anaheim House of Blues. With Senses Fail being one of my wife’s favorite bands and this show being close to her birthday, we went. I was not excited for many reasons, but most of them logistical.
Since the venue moved to the Gardenwalk down the street from its previous home at Downtown Disney, the House of Blues has not been able to find a way to effectively set up the merch table. You have to make the choice: Do you miss getting a good spot or go after the show, waiting at least an extra hour or so to get the leftover merch scraps from the people who didn’t want a good spot? We chose to forego a good spot and get merch. Even with stanchions set up to create a condensed line and clear up traffic in the lobby, getting merch was still a cluster-fucking mess. I was unsure if it was the merch guy’s fault or the venue’s not setting the lines up properly, but my wife fixed it for them.
Once we got to the floor, a screen had been set up on the wall behind where the band’s gear had been set up. Playing ad nauseam was about a minute or so clip of Emo-ish American Apparel models showing off Senses Fail and Saves the Day’s merch, including a plush of the cutesy Grim Reaper that appears as Senses Fail’s mascot. Eventually, a QR code came up for you to scan to enter for a chance to win a trip to New Jersey with singers of both bands, Buddy Nielsen (Senses Fail) and Chris Conley (Saves the Day). Using a clichéd New Jersey image of James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano smoking a cigar inside his pool, the ad then flashes to restaurants and clips of the New Jersey Devils indicating what the prize will include.
Opening support for the “New Jersey vs. the World” tour came from the Houston, Texas, band Narrow Head. Narrow Head sounded like Filter if they were an emo band. While I liked the subtle influences from early emo bands in the music, I couldn’t tell where the first song ended and maybe the second and/or third began. While I’m not so out of touch that I’ve not heard bands do this, there is typically a clear distinction of where that moment is (e.g., the first two tracks off of Ozma’s Rock n Roll Part 3). While they played their instruments well, they sounded stereotypically 2000s emo. Emo, for Emo’s sake. Maybe I just don’t like this era of Emo in general. I didn’t get a lot of energy from this band, but I will take into consideration they were three to four days to the end of a four-month tour.
I don’t think I even know a handful of Saves the Day songs, and at least two of the ones I know are covers. Their set was mostly dominated by a play-through of their 1999 album, Through Being Cool. I have friends who revere this album, but I never saw the appeal. It’s probably one of those things I found too late. Singer Chris Conley is the sole remaining member of the band, and while he did compose the majority of the songs on the album, these anniversary concerts feel more organic when some of those other members are present. Given the list of former members found on Wikipedia, maybe that wasn’t possible, but I digress. As the lights went out, the band walked out to the overture from the movie “Dancer in the Dark,” which was composed by Björk. Conley, clad in a Fugazi shirt, came out and played with his band for a little over an hour. This was my first full listen of Through Being Cool and probably my last. After playing through the album, the band played random hits starting with “At Your Funeral,” but also included “Cars and Calories” before closing with “Nightingale.” I should end this paragraph with: everyone in the band played their instruments well.
Throughout Saves the Day’s set, a guy with huge sideburns stood and flipped them off for the majority of their set. A woman behind us didn’t take too kindly to that gesture and threw a cup of ice at him. After trying to find the guilty party, Sideburns went back to flipping off the band. Once Saves the Day’s set had ended, the woman went over and attacked the guy. The two were separated, with Sideburns going further into the crowd towards the front while the woman went towards the back of the venue. Before Senses Fail started, security came by looking for Sideburns, probably to escort him out. If only there was something unique to identify him. I’m still trying to figure out who was the bigger asshole.
Senses Fail walked out to the whistling sounds of the song “Twisted Nerve.” While it was originally a part of the soundtrack from the 1968 movie of the same name, our generation knows it from the hospital scene in Kill Bill: Volume 1. Buddy Nielsen and crew were there to celebrate their album Let It Enfold You. I was mostly in the same boat as with Saves the Day. I had heard covers that the band played and a few songs from in passing when my wife plays them, but I couldn’t tell you the name of a song without looking up the setlist. Out of the two full albums I heard that night, I enjoyed Let It Enfold You more, but will still probably only hear it in passing. Being down the street from both Disneyland and the Honda Center, home to the Anaheim Ducks, Buddy led the crowd in a chant of quacks halfway through their time on stage. Senses Fail put on a pretty good set. If I am being forced to see a band perform live, they would be fine. At the end of the set, Chris Conley came back out and covered the My Chemical Romance song “Helena,” to which the crowd went crazy, but we left partway through. When you hit your late thirties/early forties, no special closing song is going to outweigh the glory of beating venue traffic.
Overall, it could’ve been worse. I had no real attachment to either of the bands, and at the end of the work week, my tolerance for people in general is low. I’m also probably not the best judge of the popularity of either band, as they had added another show a few days later back at the Anaheim House of Blues. I’m sure if this was your thing, this was a treat.
On 1 November, I had the privilege of hanging out with friends who took me to see City Mouse, Plaster, and Crimson Riot at the Red Dwarf. Located on the East Side of Las Vegas, the Red Dwarf is known for their Detroit-style pizzas and live music. If you find yourself in Vegas, this place […]
On 1 November, I had the privilege of hanging out with friends who took me to see City Mouse, Plaster, and Crimson Riot at the Red Dwarf. Located on the East Side of Las Vegas, the Red Dwarf is known for their Detroit-style pizzas and live music. If you find yourself in Vegas, this place is worth a visit!
City Mouse is a California-based pop punk band. The band’s energy on stage was and I was immediately drawn to Dee’s voice. It’s powerful and punchy and will resonate with you for days. Band members for this show included Miski Dee on vox and guitar, Jen Louie on bass, and Danny Michael on drums. Davey, guitarist, sat this show out due to hearth issues but is on the road to recovery. Find them here next.
Plaster is a Las Vegas punky indie rock band with members Aldred on vox and guitar, Eric on bass, Gabe on guitar, and Beau on drums. The band played a killer set and sounded great!
Plaster is preparing for the release of their self-titled, debut EP produced and mixed by Tim White of Sweet Morphine and Snowdonnas. Find them here.
Crimson Riot is a Vegas-based pop punk trio but played this set as a two-piece as they recently lost their drummer. The band’s set started out and finished strong with catchy tunes and and energetic stage presence. The band is Roxy Gunn on vox and guitar and Chris Reject on vox and bass. They’re currently looking for a new drummer. So, if you know anyone in the Vegas area who might be a good fit, let ’em know! Find them here next.
On 26 October 2024, the Pie Shop hosted a SOLD OUT pre-Halloween show featuring some of DC’s own punk legends (find out who below). This 17th Annual show featured Misfits Cover Band, Evilive and Ramones Cover Band, Huntingtons. The bands put on probably one of my favorite Halloween shows (ever) and I am looking forward […]
On 26 October 2024, the Pie Shop hosted a SOLD OUT pre-Halloween show featuring some of DC’s own punk legends (find out who below). This 17th Annual show featured Misfits Cover Band, Evilive andRamones Cover Band, Huntingtons. The bands put on probably one of my favorite Halloween shows (ever) and I am looking forward to next year! The crowd was packed and everyone participated in singing along to every song. It was epic!
Baltimore’s Ramones inspired punk band Huntingtons did not disappoint as they ripped through their set and everyone went wild. Band currently consist of Mike Holt (bass/lead vox), Cliff Powell (guitar/vox), Josh Blackly (guitar/vox), and Chris Elder (drums). Find them here next.
Misfits cover band, Evilive, headlined with a killer set from beginning to end. The lineup consist of mates: Tony Pee Pee (The Pee Circles) on vox, Jason Hamacher (Frodus/Zealot/Regents) on drums, Mike Schleibaum (Darkest Hour) on guitar, Tad Peyton on bass, and special guest John Christ (Danzig/Samhain) on guitar. The setlist ranged from Twist of Cain, Not of the World, Soul on Fire, Halloween and more.
You also missed Schleibaum atop the drum kick a few times flinging his locks while rockin out!
John Christ joining the band.
Evilive started off the night with Attitude, Horror Business, We Bite, Green Hell, London Dungeon, to name a few and ended with Bullet. The night was full of fantastic energy and a killer night.
