Tag Archives: Teenage Bottlerocket

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Babble Blog: Spending My Friday Night w/ Grandma, NOFX, & Friends

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So as many of you know last weekend I took Friday off of work and headed down to Cincinnati/Covington, KY with my pals to take in a NOFX show.  My previous post obviously is the review of the show itself but sometimes I feel the need to review my weekend for everyone’s entertainment.  After having an interesting yet busy week I was stoked to just get away even if it was for just one night.

After dropping of my dogs at my folks I headed to Columbus with my pal Kolb to pick up Pete and Mary Alice aka The Electric Grandmother and from there the trip would be in full effect.  Weeks earlier we agreed that it would be awesome to take a road trip to see NOFX, Tony Sly, and Teenage Bottlerocket.  Hang out with old friends and see one of my favorite punk bands?  Yes please.  To make matters even better I had just found out a couple days prior to the show that a band I recently became an instant fan of, The Menzingers, were opening!  I was just thrilled and could not wait for Friday night at the Madison Theater.

Before continuing our drive we of course had to stop at one of my favorite bars in Columbus to grab a late breakfast.  Granted I had only been to The Blue Danube once before I deemed it my favorite place for breakfast in Columbus after trying their vegetarian breakfast burrito.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it but my stomach was too quick and I devoured the huge burrito full of eggs, potatoes, and all sorts of veggies and cheese.  I took a chance eating that monster of a meal and getting trapped into a food coma but I lucked out and was fine.  Once we were all nice and full we hopped in the car and proceeded to Covington, KY to our hotel.

It was about 4pm when we got to our hotel and with time to kill we all decided to chill out for a bit.  I took the opportunity to check my email and discovered I was supposed to interview the Menzingers.  Although I did not have my gear for an interview I decided to give the band a call anyways and see what we could work out.  Man am I glad I called them.

Greg, the guitarist, answered the phone and after a couple of confusing seconds he realized I was not just some random person and we started chatting.  He sounded stressed out and I soon found out why when he said he and the band were running late on account of their drumming having what they thought was food poisoning.  From what I learned the drummer might have eaten some bad shellfish and was not in good shape causing multiple stops along the highway.  Greg did not know if he should take him to the hospital or just let him rest but he did know that he was having a tough time getting in touch with the tour managers and that the band was going to have to sit Friday night out.

Not wanting to take up too much more of their time I wished them luck and told him we could do an interview another time.  With all the hell going on Greg was super cool through the phone conversation and even texted me later in the evening letting me know that they were in fact not going to make it and were able to get a hold of Teenage Bottlerocket to let them know.  As bummed out as I was to not be able to see the Menzingers that night I was not about to be selfish about it and knew that health is way more important that rocking out.

I am just glad I checked my email when I did.

At around 5:30 we regrouped and headed over to my favorite Irish pub in Covington, Molly Malone’s.  Grabbing some dinner and a couple pints we just relaxed for a bit and talked about what we thought we would expect during the night.  I can tell you this, if you are ever in Covington, KY go to Molly Malone’s and get a pint of Guinness.  They pour it perfectly and even embed a shamrock on the head of the beer.  The food is pretty damn delicious too.

Deciding to hoof it to the Madison Theater we made it there in no time.  The place was like the Agora but with less isles to access the standing areas.  I already wrote about the show so if you missed it click HERE and read away.  Sadly I did not take a lot of photos at this venue but the couple I did are enough to remind me of the awesome evening.

Towards the end of the show a girl who sat by us in the balcony invited us to the Mad Hatter for a Loudmouth after party.  They were the band that started off the concert that night in case you missed my review of the show.  She kept saying NOFX was going there too but honestly I was not sure if that was really going to happen.  She was cool as hell to talk to and very nice but after talking with my gang we decided to skip it after we saw people handing fliers out for it.  I doubted my self a couple of times throughout the rest of the night but honestly I was happy with our decision to head back to Molly Malone’s for $1 Killians.

As we walked back to Molly Malone’s we kept talking smack to one another and bragged how much Killians we were each going to drink. As we rounded the corner we ran into a sketchy looking fellow who started talking to us about the Mad Hatter.  He kept eying up my camera I had in my hand and looked to size up Kolb.  For a brief moment I thought that there might have been an incident brewing up but soon realized the kid was just hammered and so was his friend who was pissing in the alley.

Molly Malone’s was packed when we got there.  I bought the first round and as we drank our tiny little plastic cupped Killians we realized we would rather just go back to the hotel.  Good thing we did because they closed the patio as we were finishing up and I really did not want to listen to the cover band that was playing in the pub.

Me and Pete with special guest Kolb in the back...

Did you know that in Kentucky they stop selling alcohol at 1am at most gas stations and stores?  We didn’t.  We found that our rather quickly and chose to try and find a bar within walking distance to have a couple more drinks.  While doing so we met up with these two guys who said they saw NOFX too.  We all thought we found a sports bar but it was closed.  The two guys pointed down the street to another bar they said they just came from and told us they would meet us there.  After a failed attempt at buying beer at a BP we decided to head over there.  The place was called Joy’s and it was DEAD.

For about an hour we sat and had drinks and started talking about 9/11 of all things.  Funny what alcohol does to bring back those memories you try and not think of often.  Still, it was good conversation with some of my favorite people in the world.  Joy finally asked us to leave around 2:30 in the morning so we thanked her for letting us hang out at her bar and were going to call it a night – or so we thought.

Late night hunger crept up on us all.  Kolb decided to go back to BP for snacks and the rest of us were going to try and fight the urge until we saw there was a White Castle right in front of our freaking hotel.  We must have waited 10 minutes before we came to our senses and got out of there.  During that 10 minutes we made fun of drunks who were passed out at various tables including one guy who was old enough to be my grandfather.  We were not that drunk and we sure did not need stomach aches so back to the hotel we went and we grabbed some overpriced snacks at the front desk.  Yum…Combos.

Saturday morning came way too soon but as much as I wanted to sleep in I knew I had to get up and start the day.  What better way to start the day than an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet???  Let’s just say there is nothing like a giant Belgian waffle, a made-to-order omelette, and a pot of coffee to get your day started.  I did not eat nearly as someone else who’s name I will not mention did but lets just say a dozen eggs may have been used up rather quickly…

Pete and Mary Alice wanted to check out some place called the Creation Museum that was about 20 minutes away.  I will be sure to put a link RIGHT HERE once they post something on their blog about this place.  From what they told me later on this place believed dinosaurs and humans coexisted and Earth was only 4000 years old.  Now I am not that religious but I studied my ass off in science and history classes and spite what my folks think paid attention in Sunday school…  I was not having it and did not want to go.  Plus I heard they take their beliefs very seriously and if you make a mockery out of them the place will ask you to leave.  I am not about to pay money only to be thrown out after three minutes from laughing my ass off.

So I dropped Pete and Mary Alice off at the Creation Museum and headed to Newport, KY with Kolb to catch a movie while they learned about dinosaurs and bibles.  Kolb and I caught The Losers (I thought it was great in case you were wondering) on the big screen and then returned to the Creation Museum to pick up the happy couple.  I kept my fingers crossed that they would not be in white robes waiting for me outside the establishment.  Luckily they were not brainwashed when I picked them up and even bought me a bumper sticker!

Time was speeding by so we canceled our trip to Ikea and Shake-It Records in favor of having dinner with a very close friend of mine and his soon to be new family.  We opted to have Thai at some mom and pop place down the street from his house.  The place was frigging amazing.  That might have been the best pad thai with tofu I had ever had in my life.  Their sushi was less than desirable but the main encore was perfect.

I really wish we had more time to kill as we were all enjoying ourselves at dinner but we all had to head home after dinner.  We said our goodbyes and headed back to Columbus.  We said goodbye to Pete and Mary Alice and continued home.

It was the quickest day in history if you ask me and before I knew it the sun was setting and I was just getting on to I-76 about to get back to reality.  It was a great hangout with friends that included a great punk show.  I needed that…

I am already thinking about my next road trip.  Gaslight Anthem in Detroit or Columbus this July anyone?

Cincinnati, Folk, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Photography, Punk, Review, Road Trip, Ska, The Awesome

The Fermented & Flailing Tour Featuring NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, & Tony Sly – Madison Theater – Covington, KY – 04/30/2010 – Concert Review

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Punk rockers of all shapes, sizes, and age filled up the Madison Theater last Friday night to see the Fermented & Flailing Tour in Covington, KY.  The tour, featuring long time independent punkers NOFX with special guests Teenage Bottlerocket as well as Tony Sly of No Use For A Name (NUFAN), did not make it to Northern Ohio during this tour as much as I would have like it to have, but I did the next best thing and drove 4 hours to the tour and do not regret it one bit.

I was highly bummed out when I arrived to Covington in the afternoon as I found out first hand that another band that has been touring with them, The Menzingers, were cancelling their performance that night due to food poisoning.  I was actually on the phone with Greg, the guitarist of the band, trying to set up an interview with them before the show when he informed me that they were behind in schedule and considering going to a hospital as their drummer, and friend, was not in good shape.  As much as I wished I could have seen this amazing up and coming band I understood the situation and wish them luck.  There is always a next time.

The Madison Theater was packed by the time I got there and after scoping out the area and seeing how inconvenient the photo area was I decided to forfeit the idea of getting up close and snapping some shots of the bands.  As much as I wanted to it just was not a good idea.  The stage overlapped the sectioned off area and there was hardly enough room for the bouncers to stand there and do their thing.  Not to mention this venue did not have adequate isles or areas where people could move freely around the sides.  I made my choice and was ok with it.  I was still able to snap off a couple shots but more importantly I still was going to enjoy the show.

Locals Loudmouth opened the night with their impressive 90’s inspired pop punk / ska sounds.  There were a ton of fans in the house that were very aware of who this act was who hail from the Cincinnati / Covington areas.  Their lead singer admitted that he had “whiskey hawk” in between songs and pointed at the green mat of hair on his head promising that he tried to get it up over and over.  The band clearly was stoked to be sharing the stage with members of the Fat Wreck Chords family and put forth a great set.  I am kicking myself still as I missed their merch table after the show but I plan on looking into these guys some more very soon.

Tony Sly, seasoned punk rocker and front man of NUFAN, took the stage with his acoustic guitar in hand and informed the crowd he wanted to play some songs.  The response some of the crowd gave him was disrespectful as they booed him.  Sly did not let that bother him and played songs off this new album such as “Keira” and “Already Won”.  I know I was excited to hear “Toaster In The Bathtub” and “Soulmate”, a NUFAN cover that I could not help but sing along with.

I cannot say that everyone in house was rude to him but there were enough drunk fools around where I was that just went overboard making fun of him to make my blood boil.  Perhaps an acoustic set was not what those concert goers were looking for that night but I think what pissed me off the most was that all the folk who were mocking and booing him literally had no idea who he was.  This guy helped pave the punk rock road that these kids were standing on and they had no idea who he was – I guess I just wish those coming to early conclusions could have been a little more educated.

The brave Sly continued through his set and thanked everyone for listening to him.  An intimate performance down the street at Molly Malone’s may have been more appropriate for his set but honestly I was not complaining and was thrilled to have finally seen him live on his own.  Still I could not believe how many so-called punk rockers booed him…

Power pop punks Teenage Bottlerocket (TBR) delivered a killer set opening with “Skate Or Die” and pretty much did not  break until their last song.  Their punk rock thrash assault on the crowd had the tightly packed venue going insane with tracks like “Bigger Than Kiss”, “I Don’t Wanna Go” and of course brought more calamity when they announced they were going to play “30 Seconds Of Rad” and commanded all to a pogo throw-down.  Their set was fun, fast, and just what was needed to get the fans ready for the headliner.  Most folk there that night may have solely came to see NOFX but I am positive that they left glad they were there in time to see Teenage Bottlerocket do their thing.

The venue seemed much warmer once TBR left the stage and was filled with smoke from cigarettes and other substances.  I decided to head up to the balcony area and I did so just in time as NOFX emerged on stage.  The foursome clearly was pre-gaming it a bit before performing that night but did not hesitate to play for all who paid to see them.  Greeting the crowd Fat Mike noticed a fan in a wheelchair and asked her to be brought onto stage.  After words were exchanged between band and bouncer the girl finally emerged to the left of the stage and had the best seat in the house.  The band said they had a song they were going to play her later as she reminded them of someone they once wrote a song for.  Fans all over cheered in approval.

The rest of the night was just a blur of NOFX tracks from their lengthy catalog, insults from the band to the crowd, and just overall madness.  At one brief moment Fat Mike hinted that the band was thinking about playing “The Decline” but a fan in the crowd told him that he played it last time they were in Covington so not wanting to repeat himself Fat Mike said never mind and then joked that the band was thinking of playing Heavy Petting Zoo in it’s entirety.  Sadly that did not happen either and I was rather  bummed out as I have always wanted to hear “The Decline” live.

Poking fun at the crowd, they yelled at fans for waving erratically at them and even pointed out a couple ICP Juggalos who apparently were not ashamed to show up in painted faces.  The fans took the insults just fine and some chose to throw their drinks on stage soaking Fat Mike more than once.

The band did play tons of tracks including “Bob”, “Linoleum”, “Murder The Government” and even “Cokie The Clown” with Eric Melvin lending his pipes.  At one moment El Hefe picked up his trumpet and started playing the opening notes to “Arming The Proletariant With Potato Guns” and I honestly felt privileged as this was the second time I had seen NOFX play the song in less than a year.  They may have had a hard time getting through the jokes this time around but it was still hilarious.

Other tracks the band played included “Kill All The White Man”, “Franco Un-American”, the tear jerking “My Orphan Year”, “Bottles To The Ground”, and even “The Brews” which was the perfect sing along for a Friday night punk rock show.  After a quick encore which included the highly anticipated “She’s Nubs” dedication to the girl who had been on stage all evening the band slowly left the stage while Eric Melvin serenaded the crowd with his accordion skills.  Dodging their stagehand/keyboardist Melvin kept playing songs to everyone for what felt like ten minutes before finally giving up his instrument and calling it a night.

The band may have screwed up on a lot of their songs, were off key more than once, and did not look entirely thrilled to be playing that night but I would never expect anything else.  It was NOFX, they can do whatever the hell they want to do during their show and I would leave satisfied.  Having seen them tons of times in span of 15+ years I know what to expect from the foursome who just do what they want and don’t care what you think.  I can admit that as long as they continue to tour I will be making my best effort to see them live because a NOFX show is just that damn entertaining.

Cincinnati, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Punk, Road Trip

Road Trip: Fermented & Flailing Tour Feat. NOFX – Covington, KY

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I will be embarking on my first road trip of the year with my good pals this weekend to see NOFX, Tony Sly, Teenage Bottlerocket, and The Menzingers play at the Madison Theater. 

Fat Mike is not looking so fat as of late...

I am beyond stoked to see such a line up and will be covering it so expect a full review of the shows and my personal shenanigans before, after, and during.

Until then, have a good one!

Interview, Music, Music Video, Punk

Interview: Ray From Teenage Bottlerocket

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There is nothing like a good ol’ fun punk rock song that keeps me going. Sometimes I like a simple, to the point, quick song that’s perfect for singing along to.  I don’t need anything fancy or over produced all the time to keep me entertained and in fact it’s those short humorous tracks I find myself returning to over and over.

Teenage Bottlerocket (TBR) is one of those bands out there that keeps the fun and the punk flowing at a great level. Hailing from all the way up in Wyoming the foursome has started to make their name in the punk community with their Ramones infused power punk jams.  Recently signing to Fat Wreck Chords the band dropped their fourth release on the independent punk label.  I had a chance to talk with Ray one of the guitarist / vocalists of the band just before they headed out on tour in support of the release.

Shall we begin???

BHP – Thanks for taking a moment to chat. How are you doing today?

Ray – Doing ok, I drank to much last night and had to work for 12 hours today. Life rules though.

Ha ha, before I even continue can you just take a moment and introduce yourself to everyone?

I’m Ray and I sing and play guitar in TBR.

Does the band name Teenage Bottlerocket have anything to do with a certain Wes Anderson movie?

No it doesn’t, but after we came up with the name we watched the movie and really enjoyed it.  Fantastic Mr. Fox was cool too.

You boys are from the mean streets of Wisconsin right?

We are not from Wisconsin but don’t feel bad, we get that all the time. We are from Wyoming.

Oops, I knew that. So anyways how was it growing up in Wyoming?

It’s really cold there, the weather and the people.

How was the punk scene in Laramie, the city you grew up in? Is it any different from cities you have toured in?

It’s a lot different. We have a bit of a home town following but the venue situation is a little weird. We use our practice PA for the shows and it just doesn’t really pack the punch that a regular PA would at a venue in a big city. The kids go off though, and we always have fun playing in Laramie.

What else did you do for fun growing up other than music?

Brandon, TBR drummer and my twin brother, and I have older brothers that got us into skateboarding at a young age. We grew up skating and always looked up to Matt Hensley and other skaters on the H Street Team.

I kind of figured you skated back in the day after hearing a couple of your songs.  So who is the skateboarder in the “Skate or Die” video and where was that shot at?

The skater’s name is Otto Phlanz. He is from Denver, Colorado and skates for Conspiracy. The video was shot at the Laramie skate park.

Rumor has it that not only does the band consist of you and your twin brother but also 2 engineers. Is this true?

This is true. The 2 engineers are Brandon and I. We are in Bakersfield, California right now doing work on an oil well. Technically we are chemical engineers, because of the work we perform, but I graduated with my business degree and Brandon graduated with his Geology degree. We both went to the University of Wyoming. Miguel, our bass player, just graduated from UW with his business degree.

Dumb question, but what do you prefer more, working the oil wells or rocking out the clubs?

Playing music is my real passion. If we were all able to do nothing but play in the band, that would rule. Punk rock saved my life, but my job pays my bills.

I could not agree more. So how hard is it to split up the two career paths?

It’s difficult, but we’ve managed to do alright so far.

Teenage Bottlerocket material clearly shows love for classic punkers like The Ramones, Screeching Weasel, and even the Queers. Who are some of your other influences?

We listen to a lot of crust stuff. We really like Conflict as of lately. I wouldn’t say they are one of our influences but we’ve been listening to them a lot. We really like Cobra Skulls and Randy.

When I think of fun and punk rock in the same sentence I think of Teenage Bottlerocket. You guys are an energetic punk rock act with quick and to the point songs. Was this how Teenage Bottlerocket always was from the get go?

Well shucks dude, that’s cool. We just write tunes that we like and it seems to work.

Do people even use “get go” in sentences anymore?

Yes, they do.

How does it feel to be a part of the Fat Wreck Chords family?

It feels great. It’s exciting. We were always happy on Red Scare and it stokes us that Toby has been so cool with our decision to move to another label.

Who is your favorite band so far that you toured with?

Cobra Skulls.

Is there a certain band you wish you could tour with?

NOFX.

Wait, aren’t you going to tour with NOFX soon? How stoked are you?

We are really excited. We’ve been working on the set list and rehearsing as much as possible. We cant wait to play the Aggie in Ft. Collins. The whole tour is going to be a lot of fun.

“Bigger Than Kiss” was one of my favorite tracks off the new album as well as has a hilarious video for it. Any song that praises Slayer over Kiss is ok with me. Where did the song come from? Would you really “beat the piss out of Peter Criss”?

Kody has a friend named Charlie in Newcastle that said to him, “you know, Gene Simmons is pretty cool, but Paul Stanley is a total d-bag”. I’m not sure if that is exactly what went down, but it was something along those lines. Kody cracked up and got inspired to write the tune. It is my favorite lyrics Kody has ever written. I don’t think I would beat the piss out of Peter Criss, I heard he was in a wheelchair.

What seems to be the favorite foods throughout the band?

I like sushi, Brandon likes this pizza place in Ft. Collins called La Collina, Kody likes everything but seafood, and Miguel likes anything that is hotter than hell.

Best city you have played so far?

That’s a tough one. There’s a bunch: Chicago, Toronto, St. Louis, Orlando, San Diego, and Sheridan Wyoming.

How about the worst?

I’d have to say Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Why?

Probably because it was a Tuesday night and no one in the city of Las Cruces, with the exception of 20 people, knows who we are.

One of my best friend’s kid’s who is 6 adores you guys and listens to you every night before he goes to sleep. Care to say anything to him or give him some advice?

Tell him to play soccer.

I hope Brennan takes Ray’s advice…

Here are some TBR videos for you to all enjoy!

Teenage Bottlerocket will be touring soon. Don’t be a fool – check them out when they hit your town…
03/20/10 Austin, TX – SXSW Music Festival
04/21/10 Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
04/22/10 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
04/23/10 Billings, MT – Shrine Auditorium
04/25/10 Saskatoon, SK Canada – Odeon Events Center
04/26/10 Winnipeg, MB Canada – Burton Cummings Theater
04/27/10 Fargo, ND – The Venue
04/28/10 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
04/29/10 Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
04/30/10 Covington, KY – Madison Theater
05/01/10 Sauget, IL – Pop’s
05/02/10 Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont
05/04/10 Fort Collins, CO – The Aggie
05/05/10 Albuquerque, NM – The Sunshine Theater
05/06/10 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
05/07/10 Las Vegas, NV – Sunset Station Amphitheatre

Blog On, Festival, Guest Blog, Music, Punk, Review, Road Trip, Rock

Blog On: Invasion of the Yuppie Punx featuring Pete “The Electric Grandmother” Faust

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Two of my favorite people in life had the chance to hit up this years Riot Fest Chicago in, you guessed it, Chicago.  Pete and Mary Alice were gracious enough to share their experience with me and all you crazy readers out there.

Riot Fest, for those of you who may not know, is basically a 5 day punk rock Lollapalooza.  Instead of me listing all of the bands here, I felt it best for a busy guy like myself to post the concert poster of it:

Pete, aka The Electric Grandmother, has been a good friend of mine since the days when I was young.  We have always shared a true love for punk rock and even if he keeps telling me over and over that punk is dead, I know he is not speaking of the punk that binds our friendship so strongly.

Please enjoy Pete and Mary Alice’s hilarious and heartfelt story/review about the time they left Ohio to see some classic punk rockers play out in Chi-Town.

Thanks guys for the share!  I turn it over to Pete now:

It’s Friday morning, and we’re about to get breakfast at Wendy’s in the Columbus airport.  Two young ladies are waiting in line with us, one with green hair and one with pink hair, both decked from top to bottom with authentic punk rock garb.  “You guys going to Riot Fest?” I asked them.  “Yeah, which night are you going?” the green-haired girl responded.  “Um,” I swallowed.  “All three nights.”  After breakfast, as I walked with our laptop slung over my shoulder, hand in hand with my beautiful well-dressed wife, I realized that we had officially become yuppie-punks.

Who’d of thought?  Not me, but then again I never picture myself in the future, I just do a lot of planning ahead. It wasn’t careful planning, but an uncharacteristic spur of the moment idea by my wife and I to go see our beloved Screeching Weasel in Chicago at the 2009 Riot Fest.  Those who know my wife Mary Alice know that she only travels in style, and since I’m lucky enough to be attached to her, I travel in style by proxy.  Here’s me getting punk rock in our hotel room:

And here’s my wife showing everyone how a hotel robe should be worn:

After an exciting trip to the newly renamed Willis Tower, we ventured downtown to the Congress Theater for the first of three Riot Fest nights.  The doors opened at the venue at 5:30 PM, and we left our hotel room at 7:45, as we were only interested in seeing the Dead Milkmen, the fourth of five bands scheduled to perform that night (told ya we were yuppies).  Being that we hail from Columbus, the land of late-starting shows, we figured we’d be there in plenty of time – not so.  When we arrived at the Congress, the Milks were already 10 minutes into their set.  We were a bit disappointed, but not crushed since we’re hardly Dead Milkmen aficionados.  We found out later that we had missed them performing “Punk Rock Girl,” but did manage to catch “Bitchin’ Camaro,” as well as a few other well known singles that poseurs like us enjoy.  The staff at the venue seemed really cool, and the crowd in attendance made us not feel too old to be there.  There were lots of people there in their 30s and 40s, interspersed with the kids that were born after the Dead Milkmen were formed.  We left before the Murder City Devils came on, because we’re old and don’t like to watch bands that we know nothing about.  All in all, we were at the venue for maybe 45 minutes.  Such poseurs.  We went back to our fancy hotel and drank until bedtime.

The girls who we met at the airport said they were going only to see Cock Sparrer, a 70s/80s-era Cockney-Oi!-Working Class-Skin-Et Cetera band who reform occasionally to do Oi! things on stage.  We managed to catch Cock Sparrer on Saturday, as we had made sure to leave early to catch NOFX, a longtime favorite of ours that has enjoyed a listening renaissance with us in the past year.  We made sure to go to the venue’s upper balcony while Cock Sparrer performed, as we wanted no part of the inevitable skinhead roughhousing that was to occur below.  We ended up enjoying the band on many levels, and they seemed like cool people. They were nice bald guys in their 50s, who were just there to perform British working-class anthems for a bunch of rich American kids, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  Even if that Oi! stuff isn’t my thing, I still enjoy watching a crowd sway and wail and “Whoaaaaa” to Sham 69-style boot boy music.  My wife kept laughing at the similar thematic elements in the bands songs, i.e., “This song’s about working!”  (Seriously, they have a song called “Working.”)

Cock Sparrer from the balcony

Sorry it’s so blurry, our camera sucks.  Look at that well-lit guy at the bottom, that’s weird.

Following the Sparrer was the NOFX.  I had seen them perform only once before in 1996, and they were the exact same band – which is a good thing.  Fat Mike took the stage wearing Joker makeup, a la the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.  Following some intro music and a few minutes of self-deprecating jokes, the band launched full speed into the classic “Linoleum,” and the crowd went batshit crazy (as did we).  The band then proceeded to hammer through their (45-60 minute?) set in maniacal fashion, only occasionally interrupted by the trademark crowd-baiting banter from Fat Mike, which included his teaching a 12-year old audience member the definition of “Felching.” It was very cool to see all the characters that we’ve come to know from viewing NOFX: Backstage Passport multiple times, not just the band, but the wacky road/tech guys that work with them.  Our favorite is Kent, who Mary Alice got a picture of while working the sound board (see below).  The entire set was superb, except for their closing lip-sync dance number to Avenue Q’s “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.”  I wouldn’t call it un-funny, just wasted time where they could have played more songs.  Perhaps the funniest moment of the weekend occurred after we left the venue.  A school bus was parked out front to haul some of the crowd to an after party.  People out front were laughing and taunting them while they hung out of the windows of the bus, and the bus crew were yelling back in turn.  As we were walking down the street to catch a train back to our hotel, the school bus passed by with all the punks hanging out of the windows, making horrendous noise and yelling at people on the street.  Right before the bus left our sight, we saw the emergency roof on the top of the bus being opened by someone, who then stuck there head out into the night air.  Never had I seen such a hilarious and encouraging sight.  Watching it made me feel like a teenager again, and gave me hope for the future.  Poor bus driver, though.

Fat Mike aka Cokie the Clown

Kent!

Sunday night found us at a cool little restaurant having dinner with an old friend before heading to the Congress to see the one and only Screeching Weasel.  Much like the Dead Milkmen on Friday, the Weas were not the headlining band, so we knew we had to get there with plenty of time to spare.  After leaving the restaurant, we were under the impression that we were very early to see the band; we were not.  As we walked up to the balcony to watch what we presumed to be one of the first bands of the night already in progress, my wife turned to me and asked, “Does that sound like Screeching Weasel to you?”  I said with utter blind confidence that it didn’t, then ran out to the seating area of the balcony, only to see grumpy frontman Ben Weasel singing about a girl named “Cindy,” who currently was having a problem with methadone.  I turned in horror to my wife and stared blankly.  “WELL C’MON!” she shrieked, and we bolted down the stairs toward the venue floor.

Mary Alice had the good sense the ask a merch guy how long they had been on, who shrugged and offered that they maybe had been on five minutes.  Now normally this kind of situation would make me crazy, and I would not be able to get over how we missed the beginning of their set.  But once we stepped on the floor and saw the band under the lights, it didn’t even matter anymore.  Sure I’d been drinking, but I was still instantly sobered (ouch, sorry) by the sheer magnitude of it all.  Here was a band that I had been following with only my ears for 14 years, and suddenly their songs were coming to life before my eyes.  I had never seen Ben Weasel or Dan Vapid (the only two classic/recognizable of five band members anymore) move around before, and I was just mesmerized.  I’m not usually that much of a fan-boy geek, but I couldn’t help it.  The songs being performed were my life, and represented so much of the life my wife and I have made together.  During one of the last songs, my wife and I turned to each other and kissed amongst the surrounding mass of humanity.  At that moment she and I were the only ones there, and band was performing just for two lovers.

Now that you’ve barfed, I’ll just say that it was a great time.  The staff and crowd were getting irritable and stressed after three chaotic nights, Mary Alice was underwhelmed by Screeching Weasel’s performance as it compared to NOFX’s the previous night, I really had to pee after their set, but none of it even mattered.

We were all that mattered.