December 2005 Live Reviews

(scroll down to read all of them)

LEFT ALONE
DIE HUNNS
THE HORRORPOPS
October 31, 2005 @ the Glass House (Pomona, CA) Photos and text by Todd Markel

On Halloween night in Southern California, you pretty much have your choice of a hundred different things to do. However, there was only one true choice of where to go, and that was the Glass House for a rocking night of horror—The HorrorPops, that is.

With many ghouls and goblins present in the audience, the main stage was adorned for the occasion with skeletons, monsters, and spider webs. I wasn't really familiar with the opening band, Left Alone, but I was pleasantly surprised when they played good old punk-ska. With a name like "Left Alone," I assumed they were an emo or hardcore band. They made it very clear that they hate emo. They even played a song called "I Hate Emo" to emphasize this point. Their sound showed the musical influences of The Clash, Operation Ivy, and Rancid. The entire band came out with liberty-spike mohawks, dressed as skeletons with their faces painted like skulls. They made quite a horrific sight. Lead singer Elvis said that he has been coming to the Glass House for over 10 years but that this was the first time that he ever played here. As a treat for the crowd, they had some guy dressed like a large baby come on stage and toss candy into the audience. They closed with "Dead Red Roses" from their CD LONELY STARTS & BROKEN HEARTS (Hellcat Records).

Cory Parks, bassist of Die Hunns, towers over her bandmates. The former member of Nashville Pussy started the opening bass line to Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times", and the rest of the band joined in. Duane Peters, the punkest motherfucker to ever grace a stage, came out, and the music changed tempo as they busted into "Love and Hate" (from their CD LONG LEGS). Duane is decked out in his punk threads and spooky white face makeup and is immediately in "Duane" mode, dancing his trademark punk jig and all sweat and spit. Roger Mirret and the Disasters were scheduled to play tonight but dropped out (for an unknown reason) just days before the show. I, for one, was glad that Die Hunns agreed to fill in. Duane and Cory, the "rude 'n' tattooed fun couple of punk," have at least five bands between them, and they never fail to entertain. They next played their hardcore cover of The Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today". There's never a dull moment with Duane. His bodyslams to the stage may be in his past, but there's still a feeling danger and unpredictability. Showing his surf and skate roots, they played "Surf Sacrifice", followed by "Skate Away". The big highlight of the show had to be Cory spitting fire during "Burn in Hell". They closed with their homage to their old stomping ground Huntington Beach, "Nuke HB".

Tonight I came to appreciate some minor details about the Glass House. I had recently attended some shows at a couple major venues and paid for overpriced, stale beer and lousy food. Granted, the Glass House serves no alcohol, but right across the street is a little old bar called Yesteryears. In-between acts I found myself following the trail of the 21+ crowd across 2nd Street to indulge a little before it's time to run back for the next act.

With her hand raised in anticipation, Patricia Day of The HorrorPops stood ready to signal the start the show. Her hand came down. and they kicked the show into high gear with "Ghouls" (from their debut album, HELL YEAH!). Guitarist Kim Nekroman approached the microphone and, in his spookiest voice, greeted everyone with a "Happy Halloween". They asked crowd "Who has the new CD?" The crowd responded with a roaring cheer. They then played "Hit and Run" from the new CD, BRING IT ON! (Epitaph). "Hell yeah!" became the battle cry of the evening, as Nekroman encouraged everyone to shout it repeatedly. The HorrorPops put on an entire show with their ghoulish go-go dancers Naomi and Kamilla, who, with their bizarre synchronized dancing and stage props, bring a totally different aspect to the stage show. Their set was almost an equal mix of songs from HELL YEAH! and BRING IT ON! At one point, Kim put down his guitar and showed what he does best: play the stand-up bass (as he does in his other band, The Nekromantix). Geoff Kresge (formerly of Tiger Army and also a stand-up bass player) now plays rhythm guitar for The HorrorPops. Don't call them a psychobilly band; they consider themselves to be "basically, good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll." But with a standup bass and members of two of the biggest psychobilly bands in the world, it's hard for them to distance themselves from the comparisons. They continued their rocking set with "Kool Flat Top", and the audience demanded and received a encore that started with "Psychobitches Outta Hell". They closed the night with "Where They Wander".

Victory Season
elijahfell
November 10, 2005 @ the District Lounge (Orange, CA)
By Joe Licavoli

Two new Orange County rock bands playing together for free in a bar sounded like a good idea when I decided to check out Victory Season and elijahfell at the District Lounge in Orange. This was a special night, as Victory Season was releasing its first EP and elijahfell had released its EP a few weeks prior with a CD-release show at the superb Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. The District Lounge was packed with people eager to support the new acts.

Kicking off the show with its intense brand of dark and eerie indie rock was elijahfell. Armed with songs from the band's new EP, SKYLINE they fit in perfectly with the dim and intimate atmosphere of the District Lounge. The band played one of the most intense songs from the EP, "Forecast", with ferocious intensity. Drawing from rock bands ranging from Sunny Day Real Estate to Radiohead, elijahfell really showed its innovative sound. Another incredible rocker, "Ghost Pains", showed the band's incredible vocals. The only drawback I found with the band was singer Kevin Earnest's lack of stage presence. However, the guy has amazing pipes. With time, I think the stage presence will improve. elijahfell has been consistently playing shows around Orange and Los Angeles counties building up its following. Do yourself a favor and check out the band live, and get a copy of the new EP at www.elijahfell.com.

With its new EP THE WORLD WON'T WAIT in hand, the members of Victory Season hit the stage to blast through some upbeat rock tunes. Starting off its set with the jolting rocker "Pills", Victory Season showed it has been focusing on its music and live show, with each member moving along to the beat of the song. A great thing about Victory Season is that the members look like they are having a great time on stage while playing their well-constructed rock songs with precision and intensity. Singer/guitarist Stephanie Esparza seems to get more comfortable on stage each time I see the band, showing her unique vocal style. Her vocals are strong and have a slight resemblance to a country singer's (in a good way). Heads were bobbing up and down and a couple people were dancing with a vengeance as the band played, which was great to see at a rock show (as opposed to people just standing around watching the band and trying to look cool). Victory Season really knows how to keep its set lively, throwing in fast rockers "Machine Life" and "Operator Now", then switching gears with slow-paced ballads such as "Venice" and "Asleep and Dreaming". I definitely recommend checking out the band and the EP. For more information, cruise to victoryseason.com.

HOUSTON CALLS
ALLISTER
FENIX TX
November 12, 2005 @ the House of Blues, (Anaheim, CA) Photos and text by Todd Markel

The Drive-Thru/Rushmore Records tour made a stop at the House of Blues in Anaheim. They were calling this the Before the Blackout/After the Breakup Tour (BEFORE THE BLACKOUT being the name of Allister's latest release, "after the breakup" referring to co-headliner Fenix Tx's abrupt breakup in 2002). This is a reunion tour for Fenix Tx, who are playing in support of a brand-new live CD recorded this past August. With a 5:30 p.m. start time, it was a given that I wouldn't be seeing the first bands, Denver Harbor or A Day at the Fair.

New Jersey's Houston Calls were just getting warmed up as I walked in. They play a catchy, energetic pop-punk with the added bonus of a synthesizer's electronic sounds (sort of in the vein of fellow Drive-Thru artist Hello Goodbye or Reggie and the Full Effect). They have a CD on Rushmore Records called A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES featuring songs like "Bob and Bonnie" and "Exit Emergency". These guys go all out for their show and keep the energy level at 100%. Keep an eye on their keyboardist Okie, as he is all over the stage.

Chicago's Allister have been on the Drive-Thru Records roster since 1998's DEAD ENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS, and they have always found a second home here in Orange County, with legions of fans and consistently sold-out shows. There seemed to be at least as many people there for Allister as there were for Fenix Tx. They started their set with a new song called "D≤" (i.e., D squared) and went right into "Overrated" and "Scratch" from their 2002 breakout CD, LAST STOP SUBURBIA. They only played a few songs from the new CD, instead relying more on the crowd-favorites like "Somewhere on Fullerton" and "Flypaper". Tim Rogner and crew brought the crowd to their feet by closing their set with their best-known song, "Radio Player" (from LAST STOP SUBURBIA).

Fenix Tx (known long ago as Riverfenix) came onstage to a huge reception. They kicked it off by going back to the song that started it all for them, "Minimum Wage". Most of the crowd was singing along: "I can't survive this day and age / It's guaranteed / I'm making minimum wage." (Many of the kids could probably relate to that message.) It was great seeing singer Will Salazar and bassist Adam Lewis back together again on the same stage. Though they both have had their own projects since the breakup (Denver Harbor and Sing the Body Electric, respectively), nothing has matched the success that they had in Fenix Tx. I've seen them many times over the years, and seeing them again reminded me of some good times. They kicked into a blazing version of Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings". Dedicating the next song to the best tits on the silver screen, they played "Phoebe Cates" from 2001's LECHUZA (an homage to the babe from FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH). "Flight 601" sounded strangely melancholy in light of the breakup and reunion: "Another time might make you crazy / But all I've got is time." Will called his old friend Johnee Tran of Home Grown out from the wings (to a warm welcome from his hometown crowd) to play guitar on their hit "Threesome". Will asked the crowd what song they wanted to hear next, and a number of very vocal fans up front shouted: "'Oblique'." He told the rest of the band to take a break while he treated the fans to a rare solo rendition that began, "And I bet you wonder why / I can't look you in the eye." They introduced the next song as being a Journey song—"So if you like Journey, you'll love it; if you don't like Journey, get the fuck out"—then played a dead-on version of "Any Way You Want It". I was surprised by how many of the younger crowd knew every word. They introduced "Tearjerker" as a "sad song" as guitarist Chris Lewis played the intro. Will made a stupid tampon joke, and he was rewarded with dozens of tampons being thrown on stage. Chris played around with them a bit, testing their absorbency in a water bottle. With a limited amount of time left to play, they closed the show with their hit "All My Fault" (an appropriate closer: "I guess we've had our fun / But it seems our fun is over now / And that's all right." Get their new live CD, PURPLE REIGN IN BLOOD, on Adrenaline Music.

THE ADICTS
BANG SUGAR BANG
SO UNLOVED
THE DIFFS
November 13, 2005 @ Showcase Theatre (Corona, CA)
By Marcus Solomon

This was the 31st and final show of the Get Adicted Tour, The Adicts' longest tour since 1994. Of course, it was a night of collective euphoria.

Opening the show was The Diffs, a relatively new band from Los Angeles. Since signing to SOS Records, this youthful four-piece plays a lot of gigs at the Showcase. This band jams out the straightforward, genuine punk rock of the early '80s with a distinct new-wave undercurrent. 13-year-old drummer Maxi Pad is often the standout performer with his amazing, steady pounding, which combines the best of the basics and some precocious technical ability. The pretty Ms. Pauline on bass sounds a lot like Dead Kennedys' Klaus Floride. Vocalist Richie often reminds one of another DK performer, Jello Biafra, in that his moves complement his vocals (but without the trademark Biafra warble). Lead guitarist Elvis is no slacker, with his focused and energetic attack on any number of three-chord combinations accentuated with brief and effective solos. The only thing that detracted from this evening's performance was that every member seemed a bit fatigued. Pauline later explained that they were all bummed because this was the last show of the tour.

Unloved hit the stage following The Diffs. In a previous review, I suggested lead singer/guitarist CeCe should SING more—and lo and behold, she does! The band sounds much better and a bit tighter now. The music itself is big, aggressive, guitar-oriented punk with some interesting breakdowns, a few blues riffs, and even a hint of reggae and ska thrown into the churning froth. Some people might doubt that three young women (and one dude on the drums) can make this much glorious noise, but KA-BOOM! Then it happened again: that gravel-voiced velociraptor screaming came into play and drove me from the room. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it—and at least CeCe let the emotion build before reaching for her vocal-chord lacerator.

Bang Sugar Bang came on just before The Adicts and properly adjusted the mood toward something happier and more melodic. I have been puzzled in the past about why so many people have gone ga-ga over this band, but now I am starting to get it. There is definitely more BANG than sugar in this Los Angeles-based trio, but it's still pretty sweet. I heard vocalist Cooper's smiling lament that "Everyone compares us to Cheap Trick," but that is due to the key of the harmonies and some of the musical arrangements on their debut, THWACK THWACK GO CRAZY. Live, the band is extremely energetic, to the point where it is easy to see why so many reviewers think this is a punk group. This is a supercharged, aggressive pop band with a distinctive punk influence combined with gripping melodies and great harmonies. BSB's cover of Black Flag's "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" did not translate well due to the extreme happiness factor, but the tip of the hat was much appreciated. The crowd showed its approval with a small sea of heads nodding in tempo. Don't be surprised if this band suddenly becomes the darling of KROQ and/or INDIE 103.1 FM.

We could hear the sound of the intro music, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". "Shit!" exclaimed guitarist Pete Nicholson, and The Adicts made their way down the stairs to a packed room filled with shouts and applause. Each took up his respective instrument and position, as the fans pushed tightly against the stage. Dan Gratziani then joined in with Beethoven's masterpiece on his violin. Just as he finished, Monkey came bounding down the stairs, and the party had officially begun! From the balcony above, I could see everything at all times. Of course, the place was filled with pounds of glittery confetti, balloons of every color, party poppers, beach balls, sweet music, and hundreds of overjoyed, sweat-soaked fans. The wall behind the stage served as a screen showing half-tone images from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and live imagery of the concert in progress. Almost all The Adicts' standards were played to loud ovations. During "Bad Girl", about a dozen young ladies (and one good-natured fat guy) danced on stage to this fun ditty about very friendly women. During the encore, we were treated to a real oldie, "Straight Jacket", a song not performed live for some 15 years. An Adicts show is more than just a gig, it's a celebration of life itself.

Check out all the bands here at www.sosrecords.us.

MINUS THE BEAR
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES
BIG BUSINESS
THE PHOTO ATLAS
NOVEMBER 14, 2005 @ Fox Theater (Boulder, CO)
By Brian Kenney

The first snow of the season couldn't keep Colorado fans away from the recent Minus the Bear show at Boulder's Fox Theatre. The venue, long considered nationally as having one of the best sound systems in the business, hosted the huddled masses for a rare punk show in an area normally reserved for bluegrass and jam bands.

Denver's The Photo Atlas (formerly Atlas) took the stage first. They are in the vein of the not-so-recent renaissance of '80s nostalgia, with a trebly, tweaky guitar sound that got the evening off with freaky-deeky danceable tunes such as "Your Such a Cancer", which echoed a mix of BOY-era U2 and Hanoi Rocks (if Robert Smith fronted them). It was refreshing to hear something other than bluegrass coming from Colorado, and this is proof that the Denver's simmering punk scene is about to boil over. The Photo Atlas will open a can of worms the size of Seattle.

The lack of variety in drum-and-bass hardcore duos gets on my nerves. I know what to expect. And Big Business did little to win me over. But the fans at the Fox were a bit kinder to the duo of Jared Warren and Coady Willis. My hardcore heart went out to the two fans front and center who tried desperately to start a pit but ended up doing little more than creepy-crawl around. (Ironically, these two seemed more like crowd plants than actual ticket-buying fans.) Warren's dropped-D-tuned bass riffs and Willis's heavy pounding percussion plagiarized the backbeat of AC/DC and Motorhead, but these boys know their instruments. So, if you're a fan of the magazines MODERN DRUMMER or BASS PLAYER and of Zeppelin minus Page and Plant, then Big Business (and their unoriginal moniker) is your act.

These Arms Are Snakes activated the crowd into a frenzy with their opening metronomic keyboard pulses, as singer Steve Snere declared, "We're happy to be back in Colorado—but we've been here like 40 fuckin' times this year, so we're playing new songs!" Snere, with prop-comic enthusiasm, treats a TAAS show as more than just a musical showcase: it is performance art and a happening, and the band occupies the entire theater. With Iggy Pop-like prancing and posing, Snere inhabits the stage as every frontman should, playing to the crowd with limp-wristed pouts that would make Steven Tyler jealous and playing the amps for microphone feedback. Snere even drops down onto the drink rail, walking the fine line between crowd and stage monitors. Guitarist Ryan Frederiksen follows suit, and before long bassist Brian Cook disappears into the crowd while still playing a song, before finally being boosted back up from front-row fans (who also hand his bass back up. Audience participation at its best!). By this time, Snere, having grabbed a fold-up chair and a broom, proceeded to shovel things around the stage—the chair, amps, anything the broom can or cannot move. These are truly kids mistreated by their parents! In between songs, someone yells out, "Wake up, people! Wake up," to which Snere responds (while toasting his audience), "Everybody take a drink!" Some may say that his onstage presence and command of the audience makes this Snere's band, but watch the melodic duo of Frederiksen and Cook, who are at their best when they are dueling, be it the hypno-trance of keyboards or with Melvins-esque reverb and feedback-laden Gibson guitars. They end their 50-minute set with "The Shit Sisters", the first track off of OXENEERS OR THE LION SLEEPS WHEN ITS ANTELOPE GO HOME.

Slightly more polished and melodic than TAAS are Minus the Bear. The pair of MTB and TAAS have toured together on and off for years, often sharing members in touring and recording. (Both consider Seattle home.) They open their set with "Memphis and 53rd" off of their latest recording, MENOS EL OSO (need I translate?), before edging into the "The Fix". With MENOS..., "the Bear" (as they are affectionately called by their adoring fans) have tried to grow up and take themselves seriously after four years of college beer-drinking/drunk-fucking songs (such as "This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" and "Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister", which they played back-to-back halfway through their hour-long set). MTB, nearing their tour's end, were showing signs of fatigue and between "Spritz!!! Spritz!!!" and "Let's Play Clowns", as vocalist and guitarist Jake Snider confessed, "We've played 60-plus shows in a row. [This is] the first time I've absolutely butchered the lyrics to a song. I just didn't know what they were." But MTB plowed on through their set of 13 radio-friendly rock songs, ending a bit before midnight, leaving a crowd somewhat satisfied but still with time left in their Monday night for an after-Bear martini.

THE SUICIDE MACHINESSTRETCH ARM STRONGWHOLE WHEAT BREADFORDIRELIFESAKENovember 18, 2005 @ the State Theater (St. Petersburg, FL)By Jonathan Carter

As the night started and Fordirelifesake took the stage, some in the audience were initially interested. As their drummer warmed up and their frontman paced between stage left and stage right, you felt a tension that hopefully would be released by well-played music. What you actually received was a set of six or so songs that really could have been one due to the extremely repetitive sound. Even if I tried to mention a particular track they performed, I couldn't pinpoint anything, because it was all a huge blur. It was very apparent that the majority of the crowd was not there for these Michigan natives and definitely weren't feeling what the band called "metal." After a short speech about needing to reevaluate your thinking if you don't agree that all music is punk, they played their final song, "Recover", which wasn't horrible, but still wasn't going to cut if for what the masses wanted.

For anyone who has ever seen Whole Wheat Bread, you know that despite how you feel about their music (which honestly sucks), they usually make for an entertaining show. Being from Jacksonville, this three-piece pop-punk band is always welcomed heavily at the State Theater. They opened their set by asking if anyone was willing to make any pot donations and then challenged everyone there in a blunt-smoking contest. At this point, the crowd went from bored and confused (from the previous band) to pumped and ready to dance. As the band started to play, a circle pit opened up and every Misfits-patch-wearing kid in the venue began to skank her or her heart out. They performed a fair amount of songs off their latest album, MINORITY RULES, such as "Broke", "Feel Like Shit", and crowd-favorite "Police Song" (which united every 15-year-old in the building in their hatred for authority). Between the racial innuendo, the massive number of drug-related comments, and the jovial stage presence of the band (who refer to themselves as Black 182), it was a pretty good show. Surprisingly, after set was over, the crowd screamed for "one more song"—and an encore was given to an opening band.

Stretch Arm Strong has played the State Theater numerous times over the years, and we have seen them evolve musically a little bit each time. This band tends to fare a little better with the hardcore crowds. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't quite the turnout for this show. Suddenly the pits died off, and all the kids who were running the floor were now standing in the back with their arms folded. The band played numerous songs from their new album, which were definitely more melodic than their previous efforts and not readily accepted by the audience. Everything changed when frontman Chris McClane gave a speech against the war in Iraq, expressing his disgust with the blood being shed over oil. He then dedicated the next song to all the troops under siege and proceed to play "We Bleed" (a track off their last album, ENGAGE), which got a small group of kids going. Now the hardcore dancing began, and the energy started to rise substantially. It was apparent that fans were more familiar with the band's older material and therefore gave it more respect when played. Overall, I think their performance has weakened and their stage presence isn't what it used to be, which was reflected by the lackluster attitude of most in attendance.

I hadn't seen The Suicide Machines in quite a while, and I wasn't sure how this concluding band was going to fare with this crowd. After the lights cut out, the speakers began to play "America Fuck Yeah" from the movie TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. This set the mood for the audience, and everyone began to move to the front of the stage ready to show their support. Not two seconds after the band jump-started their first song, the crowd got riled up 10 times more than they had for any of the previous bands. It became very clear that everyone was there that night for one reason: to see The Suicide Machines play. And for good reason, because they put on an awesome show. The music these guys do is quite diverse, spanning from ska to punk, hardcore, and even hip-hop (which they refer to "Capitalist Suicide" as), all of which ultimately translates into an entertaining performance. Singer Jason Navarro is by far the best asset of the group, as his fun-loving attitude mixed with his "noodly" stage antics make everyone in attendance smile Even after playing for close to an hour, the crowd still demanded of them an encore—and was given not one but two more songs. As the band ended their set and left the stage, everyone in attendance seemed to be in a much better mood than before the show had started. The Suicide Machines had successfully saved an otherwise failing concert and proved themselves worthy of the headlining position.

BLOCK JAM 4:
STOLE YOUR WOMAN
EUDORA
AMERICAN EYES
SECTION 8
VICTORY WITHIN
COMMON 3RD
NATIONAL PRODUCT
NOTHING SPECIAL
November 19, 2005 @ the Block Shop (Lancaster, CA) Photos and text by Todd Markel

On Saturday, November 19th, I took a journey way out to the high desert to the Block Shop in Lancaster for an event called Block Jam 4. Besides being a dirtbike event featuring over 50 BMX pros doing insane jumps on a dirt track, the Block Jam was also a cancer fundraiser. They were selling the yellow LIVESTRONG wristbands to help fund cancer research. Athletes in attendance included Stephen Murray, Bo Wade, Cesar Flores, Austin Coleman, Mark Laue, Mark Keel, Dennis Martin, Thomas Hancock, Brian Martin, and Mike Day. The track they had built for the event featured the sickest dirt section to date, with three huge hips jumps, a built-in wall ride, six huge sets of doubles, and a rhythm section. They had a killer street course, with half-pipes and a tabletop section that were provided by GT, Team Soil, and Real Ride. Specialized Bikes was there with a huge demo trailer full of bikes that you could try out on the test track. Besides a cool vintage bike show, they featured sets by eight happening bands playing on stage in the blazing desert sun. The band that kicked off the festivities with a pop-punk set was Stole Your Woman. At high noon under a deep azure sky, Orange County's Eudora played a high-energy set showcasing animated lead guitarist Tim M's onstage antics and highlighted by their song "Death of a Soap Opera". Agoura Hills's American Eyes played their catchy, danceable, inspired goth. There were also great sets by Section 8, Victory Within, Common 3rd, Nation Product (fresh off a tour of Mexico), and Nothing Special.

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