A Prayer For The Complete And Utter Eradication Of All Generic Pop-Punk

I've written on this subject in the past, but i'll continue it here. It has been way, way, WAY, too long since the last time i was at a good ol' ska show. I love being in the crowd at a show and just feeding off the energy of the band on stage.

When i look back, three specific shows come to mind that stood out as the best. And since i have your attention for the time being, i'll list them here for you. And they're in no particular order, so don't think that whatever is listed #1 is my favorite of all time. If anything, they just stand out the most as being overall fun. Just remember that it's all my opinion and if you think that show was complete shit and the bands sucked...well hey, that's your opinion. Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has 'em.

1. Slim's - Cracktoberfest

Not only is this show memorable, but it was when i got to see one of my new favorite bands: Leftover Crack. The opening bands were nothing really to talk about. 1) cool punk band that we came in half way through their set but were still pretty good. But we still got to see STZA(lead singer of Leftover Crack) sing a song with them. 2) ok punk band from new york. not as good as first band, but i liked it. The lead singer had some of the nastiest dreads you could imagine. These things went down to her ass and were as thick as a fucking lead pipe. still, a decent band. 3) Holy shit! must've been the shittiest hardcore band i've ever seen. ha. Now this band, i remember the name: Toxic Narcotic. Now, the music was decent. Decent drums, decent guitar and bass. But as soon as the vocals started...ok, imagine a pitbull just barking and barking. Vicious and gnarly sounding. Now imagine that sound sped up about 10 times. And not only did his singing suck the biggest balls imaginable, but every song sounded like he was saying the same words...or atleast yelling the same inaudible screams.

But of course, the show was stolen by the headliners, Leftover Crack. They started the show with the typical song about killing cops and living in a squat. They played some songs from the original band that leftover crack spawned from, Choking Victim. The first Choking Victim song played was "500 Channels". Now the bass line in the album version is hard enough, but the bass player speeds it up about 2 times faster. The show was full with almost every song in both the leftover crack and choking victim library. The highlight, though, came when the band played the most depressing song that i have ever heard (and i listen to Bright Eyes). The song was Operation MOVE and the band played it with so much intensity and emotion. When stza yelled into the mic, i couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow and pain. The part that really hit me about the live rendition, however, wasn't while the band was playing, but after. When they started playing a kind of upbeat song, i couldn't get into it. i was still clinging on to the emotion that hit me during the last song. The only thing that would have made that night any better was if i met stza himself. But i'm sure that opportunity will arise the next time they're in town.

3. Ashkenaz - The Phenomenauts

What can i say about the Phenomenauts that hasn't already been said about star wars? They're interstellar musicians bringing a message of peace throughout the universe. With their rockabilly sound, they find their ways into each of our hearts. ha. But in all seriousness, they are one of the best live bands ever. They come from Oakland, so they're a local band to the bay area. They have the most original show that i have seen and when they play, they are full of so much energy. They come dressed up in their space gear ready to play the show. There's not much else that i can say about the band. Their shows are something to be experienced. No words can fully capture the intensity of the show. So....go see em!

3. Nickel City, San Jose - Bomb the Music IndustryNow, some of the greatest things i have witnessed gave all been at shows. Never before this show, though, did i see a band play at an arcade. Not only was it the first time seeing a band play at an arcade, but it was also the first time i saw bomb the music industry!, my new favorite band. You see, some might think that having a show in such a small confined place would be horrible and sweaty and cramped. True, it was all these things, but did i forget to mention it was bomb the music industry! playing? It didn't matter to me one bit being in such small space. Besides, that only meant that i could be closer to the band. which i was. Btmi! played their hearts out and played their fingers to the bone. The only thing that was bad was that they only played a 20 minute set....!!! Of course, being so close, i was able to get some decent pictures with my phone. They played some really good songs, a couple covers, and ended it with one of their best songs "Syke! Life is Awesome". After they played, we got uninterested in the bands after, so we went and enjoyed the free arcade games. Soon after, we got to witness the greatness that was Jeff Rosenstock (the lead singer) play DDR.

A really cool thing that the band does is let's the fan bring a shirt to the show and they'll spray paint some stencils on it for free. So, i took the opportunity to get a free btmi! shirt. But we were feeling drowsy by this time and wanted to go home. And who do we see but Jeff Rosenstock playing some arcade games. I nervously approached him and asked about my shirt which i gave the merch girl early in the night. He said, Yeah sure, just hold on one sec and i'll check for you. As we waited, the merch girl was with him playing games and asked if we wanted to play. We couldn't refuse, after all that would be rude. While playing an intense game of Bust-a-Move, Jeff came back and placed the shirt on my back, but we couldn't leave until i could get the chance to beat him at his own game. I reigned champion for a few matches, but of course, everything must come to an end. It was seriously one of the best nights of my life. So, we got his autograph and started the journey home.

My reason for sharing these things with you is to help me cope with not going to any shows in recent months. But i do hope that i atleast entertained you for the time you spent here.

So until next time...