Dutch pop-punk band The Windowsill are streaming two new songs from their upcoming record Focus. Check out “Love You Better” and “Born to Hike” below, and pre-order the album here. Focus will be the band’s first full-length album since 2017’s Make Your Own Kind of Music. Shield Recordings is releasing the album on CD/digital November […]
Dutch pop-punk band The Windowsill are streaming two new songs from their upcoming record Focus. Check out “Love You Better” and “Born to Hike” below, and pre-order the album here.
Focus will be the band’s first full-length album since 2017’s Make Your Own Kind of Music. Shield Recordings is releasing the album on CD/digital November 16th, with plans for a vinyl release in May, 2023.
The Clash‘s 1985 death knell Cut the Crap has long been the subject of severe scrutiny from fans and critics alike. This album, the obvious black sheep of their discography, was recorded at a tumultuous point in the legendary band’s career. A few years prior, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon made the decision to give […]
The Clash‘s 1985 death knell Cut the Crap has long been the subject of severe scrutiny from fans and critics alike. This album, the obvious black sheep of their discography, was recorded at a tumultuous point in the legendary band’s career. A few years prior, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon made the decision to give longtime drummer Topper Headon the boot due to his increasingly problematic heroin addiction (though it’s worth noting that even Topper himself admits it was the right choice). The subsequent firing of founding member and songwriter Mick Jones dealt an even more significant blow to the Clash, ushering in a new era of the band, often referred to as “The Clash Mark II”. But Strummer and Simonon made their bed, and when it came time to record Cut the Crap, they got to lie in it.
Joining the duo beneath the sheets (along with new guitarists Nick Sheppard and Vince White, and new drummer Pete Howard) was manager Bernie Rhodes, and boy did he shit the bed. Rhodes, who was fired by the Clash in 1979 and soon after re-hired, supposedly at the demands of Strummer, handled production duties on Cut the Crap. One small problem: the guy had no fucking clue what he was doing. Unless you count his involvement in the recording of Vic Godard & Subway Sect’s 1980 LP What’s the Matter Boy?, Rhodes had virtually no experience as a producer before Strummer handed him the keys to the Ferrari (or Ford Fiesta, considering the present state of the Clash).
The lack of a competent producer becomes blatantly obvious within a few seconds of pressing play on Cut the Crap, as you are immediately greeted by the barrage of absolute bullshit that is the opening track “Dictator”. The first thing that is immediately apparent is that new drummer Pete Howard is not playing on the recording; Rhodes instead opted to use one of the cheesiest sounding drum machines you’ll ever lay ears on. Soon after, your ears begin to bleed from the incessant radio chatter, coupled with piercing synthesizers that seem to be 100 decibels louder than everything else in the mix. You can barely hear Strummer’s vocals or any of the guitars under the mountain of noise. And it’s a real shame because it sounds like there might actually be a decent song somewhere in there.
“Dirty Punk” is a major improvement over its predecessor, sonically at least. It seems Rhodes may have put down the psychedelics for a minute and let Strummer do his thing on this track. Unfortunately, while the synthesizers, horns, and general noise are not present, the lyrical content is disappointingly shallow and fails to grab me. We get it, Joe! You’re a dirty punk and you’re really excited to drive, drive, drive your big, big, big, big, big car up the boulevard. You don’t have to remind us a dozen times in the span of three minutes.
Another major misstep made in the production of Cut the Crap was the decision to use gang vocals on every. single. fucking. chorus. I’m not exaggerating – just listen to the album. Every chorus is shouted, full throat, regardless of lyrical context. As a result, all nuance is removed from the songwriting. The otherwise beautiful, heartfelt “This is England” is tarnished as Strummer is joined by a choir that can barely carry a tune, leaving little to differentiate the song from ultra-hollow tracks like “We Are The Clash” and “Are You Red..Y”. If scholarly source Wikipediais to be believed, Rhodes is not to blame for this decision, as most of the band was in favor of the liberal use of “football-style chants” for the choruses.
Now that we’ve gotten all that negativity out of the way, let’s switch gears and focus on some of the more positive aspects of Cut the Crap. Let’s start with “Fingerpoppin'”! This groovy little number is without a doubt the crown jewel of Clash songs, with its funky slap bass and introspective lyricism – ah, who am I kidding? This song fucking suuuuuuuucks! It is awful. A lot of tracks on this album have the potential to be pretty good if Bernie Rhodes didn’t take a god damn baseball bat to their kneecaps; “Fingerpoppin'” is not one of them. This is an aggressively corny song that should be erased from existence. I listen to this record from time to time because I’m mentally unstable, but I cannot in good faith advise you to listen to this track.
All jokes aside, there are some very enjoyable songs to be found on Cut the Crap. “Movers and Shakers” is really, really good – one of the few tracks with a chorus that lends itself to the gang vocals (in fact, I can’t listen to this song without singing along to the chorus). “This is England”, generally considered the best song on the album, is excellent as well. “Three Card Trick” and “Play To Win” remind me a lot of Strummer’s later output with his other band Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.
What frustrates me the most about Cut the Crap is that deep, deep down, under the many layers of horrendous production, there’s a solid album. That’s made abundantly clear when you listen to recordings of “The Clash Mark II” playing these songs live. There is a stark contrast between what this record was intended to sound like, and what was ultimately realized after Rhodes had his way with it. Take a minute to check out the live recording of “Dictator” below – it’s actually incredible how much better it sounds than the catastrophe of a studio version. This YouTube playlist with live versions of eight tracks from the album is a great listen, and the Out of Control demos also paint a very different picture of these songs.
Was Cut the Crap ever going to usurp classic Clash records like Give ‘Em Enough Rope or Combat Rock as a fan favorite? Of course not; I’m not that delusional. But I think it certainly deserved a much better fate, and could have made for a respectable sendoff for “The Only Band That Matters”, had there been a serviceable producer at the helm (or anyone not named Bernie Rhodes). If you want an idea of what that version of Cut the Crap could have sounded like, I recommend checking out the “Mohawk Revenge” remix of the album. This fan-made release does a masterful job of mixing some of the salvageable elements of the original tracks with fully re-recorded instrumentation. The cacophonous sounds of drum machines, blaring synthesizers, and the many other downright malicious production decisions are nowhere to be found. Even the most ardent Cut the Crap haters will probably enjoy this re-creation of the much-maligned album.
Ultimately though, Cut the Crap would be the final nail in the coffin of the Clash. Joe Strummer disowned the album, and after unsuccessfully threatening to sue Epic Records to prevent its release, he went into hiding in Spain. The band did not tour in support of the record; they broke up within weeks of its release (though Bernie Rhodes allegedly made a last ditch effort to replace Strummer and keep “The Clash” on the road). And with that, “The Only Band That Matters” was no more.
Tennessee based emo punks Rough Dreams just released an awesome new single titled “Good Days/Bad Days”. When we asked frontman Jake Jones about the new single, he told us “It’s a song about overcoming adversity. It’s about looking at your problems in life dead in the face, evaluating your options, making a decision, and standing […]
Tennessee based emo punks Rough Dreams just released an awesome new single titled “Good Days/Bad Days”. When we asked frontman Jake Jones about the new single, he told us “It’s a song about overcoming adversity. It’s about looking at your problems in life dead in the face, evaluating your options, making a decision, and standing by it. The track is a b-side from our album DISAPPEAR. REAPPEAR. that came out last September and we’re thrilled to finally release it.” Well, thanks for such a positive message, Jake! ❤️ We’re equally as thrilled to listen to it!
Blink-182 is coming. I’m sure you’ve heard. There are not many things in this world that I love more than those three old men. My parents got divorced in, like, 2002 and I still felt more feelings about Blink’s breakup in 2005. Matt Skiba made a much better step-dad than mine, sorry Dave. Their new […]
Blink-182 is coming. I’m sure you’ve heard. There are not many things in this world that I love more than those three old men. My parents got divorced in, like, 2002 and I still felt more feelings about Blink’s breakup in 2005. Matt Skiba made a much better step-dad than mine, sorry Dave.
Their new single, “Edging”, is no doubt going to be at the top of my plays in my Spotify mix for the year. With the announcement of a 2023/2024 World Tour with Tom DeLonge returning I had to snag a ticket, I mean, it’s my favorite band. Then the prices came.
“I bought tickets for two of our shows myself just to see what the experience was like.” Mark Hoppus explained to fans in the Blink-182 Discord, “I had tickets yoinked from my cart and the whole thing crashed out.” This entire fiasco chalked up to the supposed anti-scalper measure, dynamic pricing. When the band themselves can’t even get tickets to their own show then what hope do we common folk have?
Talking about an exciting reunion with Tom DeLonge, it feels almost impossible to not talk about former fill-in-turned-full-timer Matt Skiba who wasn’t 100% sure of his own status in the band. While many harbor ill will towards the albums and songs from the era, most Blink fans will speak highly of Skiba’s live talents.
Many fans remarked on the odd nature with which Skiba was abandoned and Delonge seemingly ousting him from his earned spot. Tom DeLonge made sure to quell any notions of ill will with a public Instagram letter which he also personally sent to Skiba.
Personally, I’m still hoping we get some sort of festival appearance with all four of them but that’s because I’m very stupid. If that was in the cards I’m sure Tom would have spilled the beans already like he did with the tour. If you like Mark Hoppus discord quotes then you’ll love “Tom wasn’t quiet at all…Literally walking around shows telling everyone the band is back together.” Hoppus vents to the fanbase, “Like. Someone tackle him. I hate him so much.” It’s all fun and happy feelings though, but we all know the score at this point.
Earlier this year, Dying Scene introduced our readers to Noah Corona, the founder of Punk Rock Tacos. Corona put on a party for PRT’s 1st Anniversary on October 21, 2022. Held at PRT’s home venue, Cemitas Poblanas in Villa Park, IL, it doubled as a Halloween costume party and featured bands from in and outside […]
Earlier this year, Dying Scene introduced our readers to Noah Corona, the founder of Punk Rock Tacos. Corona put on a party for PRT’s 1st Anniversary on October 21, 2022. Held at PRT’s home venue, Cemitas Poblanas in Villa Park, IL, it doubled as a Halloween costume party and featured bands from in and outside of Illinois, including headliners Boss’ Daughter.
Boss’ Daughter, out of Reno, Nevada, actually took to the stage just after midnight on the 22nd. The trio, composed of singer/guitar player Chris Fox, Jamie Locks on drums, and Danny Paul on bass, ran through a generous set, including “Stupid Chords, Stupid Words, Stupid Song,” “Help To Forget,” “Religious Convenience,” “Embrace Impermanence, and “Photography.” That last tune is a lovely song, which naturally I liked, not just for the title, but rather for the sentiment expressed within. It describes a query, likely most of us photographers will ask ourselves every once in a while.
“We will see our last moonrise
I will wish I had those pictures
Though mostly lost that snap of beauty remembers
Somebody wrote the song for how I’m feeling
So I’ll just sit and listen.”
Simply put it, was a very affecting set.
SUMPP is normally composed of Neil P. and Weftin, but on this night drummer, Phil Warren, was added to the mix. The group’s set was highly animated. I use the word animated because the band members, with limbs flailing and growling facial expressions, brought to mind Taz, The Tasmanian Devil from the classic Loony Tunes cartoons. SUMPP drove through “Consume!,” “Laid off,” “The Best, The Worst, and the Most Likely” (written by Weftin, unlike all the other songs which were written by Neil P.) “Pillz,” “Terminator 2 was Right” “Talkin’ Spit,” and “Cranks.” It was an absolutely frenzied performance, one which left many uninitiated to SUMPP, slightly stunned. But the gaped look on many of the attendees soon turned to smiles and laughs. It was a reaction I am betting Neil P and Weftin were pleased to see.
The Turdles – yes that band name is spelled correctly and a play on we all know what, from Elgin IL – played a lively set with “Courtyard,” Dick Pic,” “Why You Gotta Call The Cops,” and “Empty Hallways” included in the set list. As evidenced by their name, this is a band that uses humor to engage the audience. Lead singer Josh Holbrook, Dave Cherek on bass, Dan Cuchiara on guitar, and drummer Charlie Stanley hit their marks this night, and have been doing so for more than a decade and a half. If you have a chance, go catch one of the band’s shows.
Grey Trash Aliens has a unique name and as this event was a costume party as well as a first-anniversary show, band members appeared looking pretty unique as well. Bass player and vocalist Patrick Mineau appeared with a large fake blood stain on his t-shirt to resemble a stab wound to his right side. Said shirt emblazoned with the words, “I’m Fine.” On his cap, a pair of scissors appears to be lodged into his skull. Adam Spizziri, Lead guitar wore a cap and bug-eye sunglasses. He matched in this themes, guitar player Mike Milman who wore a full-on alien bug-looking costume, including full mask. The set, which included among others “Unsocial Media,” “Basement,” “Believe It,” and “Addiction,” was as quirky as the name of the band. It zoomed through the set serving up a blast-off of a good time.
Chicago hardcore trio Anger is composed of half of the Chicago two-tone band The Crombies. Each member has their own distinct performance style. Dave Simon, its lead singer, is also the guitar player for the very popular rocksteady group, Deal’s Gone Bad. Simon is a prominent and colorful figure in the Chicago punk scene. His usual performance incorporates spins, climbs on front stage amps, and being carried through the crowd, on the shoulders of friends, but when in the role of lead singer/guitar player he is more closely tied to the microphone. But he is no less compelling, and every vocal break sets him free to engage the crowd. Matt Meuzelaar is a power drummer. Stoically pounding away, he perfectly balances out the rowdiness of Simon. In the middle, Kevin Lustrup, is light on his feet as he bounces, usually in place. Lustrup and Meuzelaar drive the backbeat’s engine. Altogether, this adds up to forceful performances on the regular. On this night they jammed through another solid set including, “Hard Livin’,” “Earth,” “Lost Last Night,” “Blood,” and “Fucked Up.” Anger also played “Listen Up” written by Simon way back in 1986. The crowd seemed pretty happy to have Anger at this party and Anger seemed pretty happy to have the crowd.
Torch The Hive, from Chicago, kickstarted the party with a fiery performance. The band is made up of Mike Fruel on guitar and vocals, Tyler Sanders on bass, and drummer Sergio Apanco. The set included “Copaganda,” “F.E.A.,” “Molotov Trail,” and “Evil Men,” along with other tunes. The band did not torch any hives at this event, but it did torch the stage. It was a blazing performance, and the crowd obviously dug it. I did too.
Punk Rock Tacos has had a terrific first year full of shows featuring great bands, but the atmosphere is an equal draw. Events take place inside the venue as well as outside. The latter sometimes requires making stages out of trucks and other objects. It is a good time, where old friends hang out and new friends are made. I, for one, hope Corona along with Matt Durica, his partner in this venture, keep it up for years to come.
Philadelphia-area ska festival This Is Not Croydon Fest has announced the lineup for its 2023 installment, taking place on April 22nd at Broken Goblet Brewing in Bensalem, PA. The festival headlined by the legendary Fishbone will also feature newly reunited Florida ska-core veterans Against All Authority, The Slackers, and Catch 22, among others. Head over […]
Philadelphia-area ska festival This Is Not Croydon Fest has announced the lineup for its 2023 installment, taking place on April 22nd at Broken Goblet Brewing in Bensalem, PA. The festival headlined by the legendary Fishbone will also feature newly reunited Florida ska-core veterans Against All Authority, The Slackers, and Catch 22, among others.
Head over to This Is Not Croydon Fest’s website for additional details and tickets.
This is the second festival performance Against All Authority has announced since ending their 15 year hiatus. Last weekend the band made their return to the stage at The Fest in Gainesville, FL (check out some video from that show below).
In case you missed it, legendary Bad Religion front man Greg Graffin is releasing another book in the very near future. Entitled Punk Paradox, this one is billed as his “life narrative before and during L.A. punk’s early years, detailing his observations on the genre’s explosive growth and his band’s steady rise in importance.” It […]
In case you missed it, legendary Bad Religion front man Greg Graffin is releasing another book in the very near future. Entitled Punk Paradox, this one is billed as his “life narrative before and during L.A. punk’s early years, detailing his observations on the genre’s explosive growth and his band’s steady rise in importance.” It of course also chronicles his simultaneous rise in scholarly fields and on how he “managed to reconcile an improbably double-life as an iconic punk rock front man and University Lecturer in evolution.”
Punk Paradox is due out November 8th; pre-orders are available here. What’s even cooler is that if you’re in the Los Angeles area, Graffin is doing a book signing event THIS SUNDAY (November 6th) at Book Soup in West Hollywood. It’s a ticketed event and you can get yours here (signed copies are available at the same link).
Graffin’s last book was 2015’s Population Wars: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence.
The Ataris have announced the reunion of their So Long, Astoria-era lineup in honor of the album’s 20th Anniversary. The band will be playing the record in its entirety at a special one-off show in Los Angeles this coming April. More details are to come. The pop-punk band made their major label when they released […]
The Ataris have announced the reunion of their So Long, Astoria-era lineup in honor of the album’s 20th Anniversary. The band will be playing the record in its entirety at a special one-off show in Los Angeles this coming April. More details are to come.
The pop-punk band made their major label when they released So Long, Astoria through Columbia Records in 2003. Having sold over 700,000 copies in the US, it is The Ataris’ sole record to be certified gold by the RIAA.
This lineup featuring frontman Kris Roe, bassist Mike Davenport, guitarist John Collura, and drummer Chris Knapp has not played a show together in almost a decade.
Greetings, fellow degenerates! Welcome to the latest installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we got it. So kick off your shoes, pull up a […]
Greetings, fellow degenerates! Welcome to the latest installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we got it. So kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!
NOFX makes yet another appearance on the Record Radar, this week with two releases! Up first is their upcoming record Double Album, which is now available to pre-order on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck has the LP (along with a shitload of bundles) available on their webstore. Europeans can grab it here, and our Australian friends can buy it here. Check out the album’s latest single “Punk Rock Cliché” below.
The other NOFX record making an appearance in this week’s column is a brand new EU-exclusive color variant (see the picture) of the almighty Punk in Drublic. Go here to get your hands on this one.
Next up is Bad Religion with a new pressing of 2004’s The Empire Strikes First. This red and black marbled LP is a Newbury Comics exclusive, limited to 600 copies. Grab it here.
Also from Newbury Comics: a new pressing of Flogging Molly‘s Drunken Lullabies, limited to 500 copies on “clear with yellow and purple splatter” colored vinyl. Get your copy here.
In addition to recording a new album, Frenzal Rhomb recently announced 2003’s Sans Souci would be released on wax for the first time. If the “Russel Crowe Shit Brown” colored vinyl didn’t do it for you, they’ve revealed additional variant! The LP is available to pre-order on “Ballchef Blood Red” colored vinyl here.
Another recently-announced reissue to get a new color variant is Less Than Jake’s ever-divisive In With the Out Crowd. In addition to the purple LP limited to 1,000 copies, LTJ now has a blue variant on their webstore. It’s limited to 500 copies and they want… $40 for it.
Revelation Records has an exclusive color variant of the upcoming LP from Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One. This pressing of Five Great Egrets on yellow vinyl is limited to 100 copies. Check out the first single “Heart of Stone” below, and grab the record here.
The Dickies have announced a new 7″ with some old-ass (previously unreleased) songs. “Blink 183” was supposedly recorded for a Fat Wreck Chords compilation but didn’t make the cut, and “Clean Money” is a b-side from their 2001 album All This And Puppet Stew. These are good songs (listen below for yourself), but $16 for a two-track 7″ is insane. If you can stomach the asking price, feel free to buy it here.
The 1991 debut album from French melodic punk veterans Burning Heads is getting a 30th Anniversary reissue on Radiation Records. If you’re a fan of that fast, melodic 90’s Epifat sound, I highly recommend checking these guys out (they were briefly on Epitaph btw). Check out my favorite track below, and go here to get a copy of this great record.
Spanish Love Songs‘ 2018 LP Schmaltz is back in print on a few new color variants, limited to 250 copies each. Grab your copy here. A few colors have already sold out, so you’ll want to act fast.
Citizen‘s Youth has been reissued on “highlighter yellow” colored vinyl. Head over to their Bandcamp page to grab this one.
Today’s the day! Now available to order (and shipping immediately) are three brand new reissues from MxPx. After being out of print since the turn of the century, Life in General, Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo, and The Ever Passing Moment are back on wax. Head over to the band’s webstore to get a piece of the action.
RECORD OF THE WEEK!
We here at Dying Scene are all about trying new things, so this week I’m challenging you, loyal reader, to listen to something new! This week’s Record of the Week comes from a band featured on our recent “Ten Underrated Punk Bands That Should Be On Your Radar” column. If you like blazing fast skate punk in the vein of Belvedere and Mute, you’ll wanna check out Quebec City’s Fullcount and their 2018 LP Part of the Game. Give it a listen below, and grab that beautiful colored wax here.
And that’s all, folks! Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs. See ya next week!
*Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Type “Record Radar” in the search bar at the top of the page!
Don’t you just hate when life gets in the way of the fun things? It’s taken me way too long to get this written up, and for that I wholeheartedly apologize. So without any further ado, here are my thoughts on what has turned into Lucero’s annual mid-October visit to New York City. I arrived […]
Don’t you just hate when life gets in the way of the fun things? It’s taken me way too long to get this written up, and for that I wholeheartedly apologize. So without any further ado, here are my thoughts on what has turned into Lucero’s annual mid-October visit to New York City.
I arrived at Music Hall of Williamsburg a little earlier than expected due to a surprising lack of traffic on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway aka the BQE (if you’re from NY, you know what a surprise it is whenever there isn’t any traffic on this highway). So walking into the venue, to see the room completely empty was a bit startling. At about 8 PM the handful of people in the room were greeted on stage by an unannounced comedian friend of Ben Nichols and the band. (I apologize for not having caught his name but if anyone does know it please leave it in the comments so that I can include it in this piece.) Not surprisingly, standing on a stage in front of maybe a dozen people in a room meant to hold up to 600, led to this sparsity of people to become the focal part of the act. Eventually hitting his stride, especially when he got on the topic of a certain sex act which much to his surprise, millennials have brought to the mainstream, the crowd (or those who were there at least) quite enjoyed the act.
L.A. Edwards, a foursome consisting of 3 brothers plus one, from Nashville by way of San Diego are the official opening act on this tour and they took the stage right at 8:30. With a vocal style very reminiscent of Jackson Browne, lead singer Luke Edwards along with brothers Jay and Jerry as well as guitarist Landon Pigg offered up a really nice opening set laced with soulful Laurel Canyon style harmonies backed by a mix of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers crossed with Dawes brand of rock and roll.
Ben Nichols, Brian Venable, John Stubblefield, Roy Berry and Rick Steff AKA Lucero took the stage shortly before 10 PM and started things off with “For The Lonely Ones” from 2018’s Among The Ghosts. Following this up with 2 fan favorites in “Chain Link Fence” and “Sweet Little Thing” both from their classic Tennessee LP, the boys now had the audience (which had grown into an actual “crowd” by now) singing and shouting right along with Ben at the top of their lungs.
Which brought us to the first of what would be 5 new songs on the evening. As you all have probably heard (or read right here in Dying Scene), Lucero will be releasing their latest full-length LP, Should’ve Learned By Now in February 2023. “Drunken Moon” is a slow burner ballad with actual backup vocals included which the Edwards boys from L.A. Edwards would come onstage to help out with. Ben, while calling them out onstage to help out with vocals, made fun of himself by saying that he’s been called an “anti-harmony” singer since such things are so rare on Lucero songs.
Throughout the rest of the evening we would be treated to “Buy A Little Time”, “Macon If We Make It”, “Nothing’s Alright” and “One Last F.U.” (encore) from the upcoming album. Unlike “Drunken Moon” these other 4 songs are for the most part serious rockers which the band seemed to be having a blast playing. This brings me to one observation which I was happy to see. We all know that 99% of the time we can expect Ben to be…well for lack of a better way to describe it, BEN. And of course this “Ben-ness” often has a direct correlation as to the amount of whiskey passed to the stage from the crowd. This night in Brooklyn was no different than in the past with one exception.
Brian seemed to be much more animated than he has been in quite some time. He jumped into one of Ben’s monologues at one point to say that Lucero had been playing at Music Hall Of Williamsburg for quite some time now, going all the way back to its days when it was known as The North Six. He even started to tell the story of when he played on this stage completely naked, then he came to his senses and held off on sharing the grim details.
In any event, my point is that more so than I’ve seen in the recent past at least, the boys in the band appeared to be having a truly great time on stage. Of course John was his usual campy self on bass and Roy just sat back and had a grand old time beating the hell out of the skins.
It was particularly great to see Rick doing well sitting behind the keyboards with his stately new (to me at least) tied-back ponytail. (Unfortunately, we were not graced with Rick pulling out the accordion on this particular evening, but it was really great to see that he was clearly on the mend from his health issues). Ben even took the time to mention that while this might have been the smallest crowd that they’d thus far played to on this tour, it was by far the most fun and best show (from his perspective) so far.
All in all, it was a fantastic way to pass away an otherwise mundane Tuesday evening in NYC. In what turned out to be a bit of foreshadowed irony, Ben did mention at the end of the show how he was really looking forward to their drive after the show over to beautifully scenic Secaucus, NJ which got quite a cackling of laughter from the crowd. Of course, the irony reared its ugly head the following day when a member of the band’s touring crew had some medical issues and the tour bus was basically sequestered for the next 3 or 4 days in “beautifully scenic Secaucus“.
