Here’s the second set from the Rye Coalition show. Considering how sick I was that day. The moment the music started I was healed. This one’s pretty heavy on the guitar. Great seeing everyone from Tom & Ticia to Zee & Testa. Enjoy.
Tag: Punk
The Rye Coalition kill it.
When I think about all the great music I’ve been privileged to see and document lately it makes me feel as if I’ve been spoiled. During an interview last night I was reminded of the drier times. Nights when there was no show to look forward to. Days when a trip to the record store seemed pointless because the same act was being recycled over and over again. Right now there is an abundance of great shows happening at venues of all sizes. Bands that played in our salad days are doing reunions and even making new music. My eyes and ears are constantly be treated to amazing sounds. Bands I worshiped back in the day and ones I missed. The term “Best show ever.” keeps repeating itself over and over. Saturday night was one of those “Best Show Ever” moments as Rye Coalition poured every drop of energy, sweat and testosterone into their reunion show. Like many of the best bands from their era they were underrated and under appreciated. It wasn’t until they were gone that a lot of people realized what they missed out on. I was lucky to be there front center to take shots for Jersey Beat and of course, myself. Thanks to Jim Testa for getting me the ticket. This will be the first of two sets of the shots I love most.
Concrete Cross, Sweet Diesel and Capital shots from Santos Party House 02/12/11
Before it becomes the thing of legend I wanted to post some pictures from the Supertouch show @ Santos Party House. All four bands played stellar sets but Supertouch and Sweet Diesel were just off the scale. I’ll post the Supertouch shots later. Here’s an appetizer.
!No Pasaran! @ Maxwells
I’ve been pretty busy this week and haven’t been in the best mood. Bone chilling cold weather tends to do that to my fragile psyche. However I did want to see !No Pasaran! who were playing Maxwells tonight. One of my absolute favorite current bands that have been kinda floating under the radar and keeping a low profile. A Jersey Politico Punk three piece that have a sound reminiscent of Fugazi and Quicksand with a little element of jazz and a lot of distortion thrown in. Maybe I’m a little off with the Jazz but what the hell. No one’s paying me for this shit. Some of my favorites shots have a little bit of blur and were taken without flash. Anyway, the interview I did with them is 2009 can be found here. Check it out. http://www.unitewebzine.com/Home.html
Pictures from the Citizens Arrest show @ Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory.
I was on the way to Beacon New York when my phone lit up with a text reading “Citizens Arrest tickets are almost Sold Out. Get ’em fast or miss out!” I thought “Oh, I’ll order them as soon as I get home tonight.” As soon as I walked in the door I walked over to the computer to place my order. This was something I would not procrastinate on. To my dismay and dispare they were “Sold the fuck Out.” Damn, I was pissed. I’d been hearing about this reunion long before it was even book and it was not to be missed. I posted a “If anyone out there……” and thanks to Freddy Alva and the band I was covered.
About ten of us (including Freddy New Breed, Charles from Rorschach and Amy Edge) me up for a pre-show dinner before heading over to Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory. I think I missed a couple of bands, including Mind Eraser but was lucky enough to catch Asshole Parade. I’d never heard them prior to the show but really liked their sound and overall vibe. Citizens Arrest followed and the place went ape shit. Between the moshing and the stage divers I wasn’t sure I’d make it out alive. I was front center and between being thrown into the stage and about five different stage divers delivers blows to my head with boots and body fat I was dazed and at one point almost went down. All of it was totally worth because CXA kicked some serious ass. The original lineup was all there including Janis Cackers and Ted Leo. Playing so many favorites from their good old days and even throwing in covers from SSD and Youth of Today. After the set Daryl Kahan pulled my lifeless body up on stage to take a picture of the band and Fab Five Freddy Alva. It was so good seeing so many familiar faces including Rich Trash, Justine Demetrik, Javier and so many others. Thanks to Janis for the ticket and to everyone that made it such an amazing night.
Jenifer Convertible? Are you fucking kidding me?
When I heard Jenifer Convertible were getting together to play the Dromedary showcase I was pretty psyched to say the least. During my time living in Hell’s Kitchen I saw them about a half dozen times and loved them. Their Maxwells set did not tarnish my fond memories in the least. In fact they renewed them. I don’t know if they have plans for more shows. Judging from this one. They certainly haven’t missed a step.
Four Fingers and Bombay dirty up Montclair.
Sometimes a band reminds you of why you go out to shows and still get a rush of blood to the head when it all clicks. Last night I was reminded twice when I got to see Bombay and Four Fingers at the Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ.
Bombay features two members from Four Fingers (Chris and Jeff) with Chris switching from drums to the bass. I didn’t get the name of the drummer but he does most of the singing while bashing away on the skins. Bombays sound brings me back to some of the more experimental indie and post core bands of the nineties blended with a good dose of late eighties Dischord. I couldn’t help but think how well they’d fit onto a nice round 7 inch.
After heading over to Jakes for a beer I returned in time for Four FIngers set. This show kicks off their mini tour and despite a case of Montezumas Revenge I would not have missed it for all the Pepto Bismol in Montclair. I had met Tohm at a Reagan Youth show a few years back and immediately formed an easy friendship. Fast Forward to 2010 and I got a chance to interview the band a few blocks away a few months ago. He is currently being offered the vocalist role with Reagan Youth. FF play fast paced Punk with a ton of energy and plenty of crowd interaction. Tohm is an animal on stage while the rest of the band kick some serious ass. Since the interview they’ve added a fourth member to play Bass. Freeing Tohm to be even more of an animal. The band kicked off their tour with a new 7 inch in tow.
Congratulations to the band on the new record, the tour and the stellar set last night. All the best.
Joe Coffee and a host of others @ Dingbatz in Clifton
On January 2nd my buddy Chris and I decided to brave the below freezing temperature and ring in 2010 with some live music. Cold, hungry and thirsty we gassed up the Civic and headed to Dingbatz in Clifton for (in particular)Joe Coffee and a host others. As usual we arrived early so we grabbed a couple of seats at the bar and just watched as the people began to come in from the cold.
- Let it be said that I have never been a big fan of Oi but 45 Adapters (great name btw)were an eye opener. Good on the ears and a great stage presence. Their singer had the crowd dancing and singing along. They were a definite crowd pleaser. They brought a following with them and definitely left with some new fans.
Next up were another NY band Step to Far. I remember meeting their singer Frank in the 90’s down at CBGB’s. He was always a familiar face and a friend on the scene. On this particular night he was doubling on sound while also fronting his band. Step 2 Far brought some gold old NYHC to Jersey on this particular night. Just in case those Jersey kids forgot who was runnin’ shit. Nice seeing Frank. It’s been a while now. Maybe since the closing of CBGB’s.
By the time Joe Coffee took the stage I was a bit snoggered but steady on my feet. As Paul and the band took the stage I felt a slight crack in the concrete as the world seemed to shift on it’s axis. I had not witnessed Paul Bearer’s greatness since his days fronting Sheer Terror but have had Joe Coffee’s “As bright as the stars we’re under” on heavy rotation for some time now. Needless to say the man is an ominous, dark anti-hero. Yet he still has this “favorite yet oft hidden uncle meets W.C. Fields” quality. With all that said Joe Coffee is a band to be reckoned with. Mixing so many different styles. Call them Punk. Call them Hardcore. But I’d best describe them as brutally honest Rock n’ Roll. In between songs Paul went on lengthy rants while drinking a bottle of gin. Brutally honest, spiked with humor, fueled by booze. I’m glad the years haven’t softened him.
Last and not least were the Hub City Stompers. I’ve been hearing about this band for quite some time now but finally got to see for myself what everyone was talking about.After the dark cloud (and I say this with great respect) that Joe Coffee brought. This band was definitely what the crowd needed to send the crowd home on a very high and positive high. The Hub City Stompers hailing from that great band factory New Brunswick keep that great Reggae/Ska/Oi beat going strong. Great musicianship and a contagious energy. They had the whole place showing love. I love a show when you have bands who bring different styles and moods. This was a really good example of it. I think all of the taste buds were refreshed with this one. It was good seeing a familiar face in Brian Macko and meeting the guys from the band Feet First. The ride back to Hoboken was an adventure and story in itself. Flirting with the Dunkin Donuts girl at 3:00 am and Chris’s Jack Daniel’s fused jibba jabba. One of those nights that reminds why live music will always be a special part of our lives.
Scream reunion @ the Black Cat in Washington D.C.
When I got home late the other night there was a message from my old friend Freddy letting me know their was an extra ticket and seat for the ride down to D.C. for the reunion of the band Scream. It was an automatic and enthusiastic “YES” for me. I had been craving a road trip over the last couple of weeks and the opportunity to see the legendary Scream was as good an excuse as it gets. Though the weather called for snow I hoped for the best and kept my fingers crossed. Saturday came and the snow came as forecasted (imagine that, an accurate weather forecast.) The snow came and kept on coming. By the time Freddy called me Saturday night it had turned into a blizzard. Freddy’s voice did not sound good. “I don’t know man. The snow is pretty bad. I heard that D.C. is blanketed in it. I don’t know if I want to go.” I know how he felt but asked that he wait until the morning to decide. The next morning I was jolted by the phone. It was Freddy again. “We’re going. Meet us at Great Jones at noon. I jolted out of bed, got dressed and headed to the city. Freddy Alva, Mark Ryan, Nikki Sneakers and yours truly packed into Dave Steins car and headed out. Prior to our leaving I had pictured the cover of the D.C. benefit compilation “State of the Union” where homeless men are covered in tattered blankets while covered in snow. In all honesty I pictured us going 20 miles and hour in Antarctica like temperatures and Siberian snow drifts. But the roads were clear and there was no traffic to be seen. Within a few hours we’d be in D.C. The trip was pretty uneventful. Dave and Freddy in the front Me, Nikki and Mark in the back. Bad Brains and Cromags playing on the iPod. Eventually we arrived in D.C. and found a spot right in front of a good record store a few blocks from the club. I scored an Urban Blight and an Undertones record while Nikki seemed to make a serious killing. After that it was over to Busboys and Poets where we were joined by more people for dinner. B&P is a combination book store, bar and restaurant with some great books and even better food. I highly recommend the catfish btw.
Afterwards we headed up the block to the Black Cat for what would be an amazing night. What were originally scheduled to be four bands were narrowed down to two. Rust Buckit and Scream. Rustbuckit which features for members of Black Market Baby were a good teaser. Playing balls out rock ‘n roll that the crowd really got into. They had a good presence and got everyone whipped up. As the set ended I noticed the club was filling up quickly and from there I never looked back.
For the record Scream was perhaps the last of the great D.C. bands of the 80’s that I fell in love with. That said I have done a lot of catching up over the years. The band fired into a set that was powerful, emotional and memorable. The bands energy coupled with the crowds response were impossible to contain. Pete paced back and fourth on the stage belting out a set that was an even mix of old and new songs. Skeeter plucking away on his bass and Franz firing his guitar. I heard a few comments about them playing too many new songs but if you ask me the crowd was too whipped up to mind. When the band returned for an encore they were joined by none other than Brian Baker on guitar. My mind was blown. The crowd became even more frenzied and the bodies started flying off the stage. I remember seeing a sign that read “No stage diving or crowd surfing allowed. You will be thrown out.” But by that time it didn’t seem to matter. The night was just about over. Elated and exhausted we headed home. Special thanks to Dave Stein fro driving and the door to door service. It was much appreciated.
Dave Stein later had this to say and I couldn’t agree more.
“Taking a road trip like this just confirmed to me how important not just music is to my life, but LIVE music. I’ve hitchhiked, taken buses, flown, crammed in vans and trucks and cars to see bands I love and I look forward to having the reason to do it again.”
In case you missed it. Naked Raygun & Paint it Black @ Maxwells
After attending Mondays amazing show at the Court Tavern I realized that I hadn’t posted any images from the Naked Raygun/ Paint it Black show at Maxwells. I’d been listening to Naked Raygun since the original release of their second album “All Rise” so many lifetimes ago. seeing them again along with a great band like Paint it Black was pretty damn sweet. So here are those pictures. Enjoy and for Christ sake… leave a comment.
Both bands played mind blowing sets. The crowd was both enthusiastic and physical. It’s not often you get to see bands like P.I.B. at Maxwells. Dan was going off to every song and it seemed the stage could hardly contain his energy. Seeing Naked Raygun made me feel like a kid again. They are such a iconic band and I was in awe. Jeff did not look good. He performed well but moved slowly and was shaky. After the show someone told me had contracted Parkinson’s. I don’t know if that was the case but I wish him all the best nonetheless. It was great running into so many old friends and seeing all those familiar faces. A big nod to Jim Mc Dougal who drove all the way from Boston for the show and then turned around and drove home. Good seeing you brother.
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