That '77 Show
HEAP/Red Invasion/Crimson Sweet/The Sleazies/Bamboo Kids//Trash//2/3/06
So, yeah.
As soon as I saw that the Sleazies were playing I knew I was going, but it wasn’t until after Joey Boy told me that his band, Red Invasion, was also on that bill and I told him I already planned on going did I realize what date that was. Had I remembered, I probably would’ve stayed home—I mean, I probably would’ve stayed locally.
It’s funny that Red Invasion has a song called A Year Ago Tonight. Because it is a year ago that night that I wiped out on my way to the Lucky Cat, where The United 32s and The Ruffians were playing. I didn’t just merely kiss the sidewalk, I full-on Frenched it. And then, already in a ton of pain and feeling like crap, I figured I’d only feel worse if I missed the show. But a year later--tonight--the Sleazies are playing across the street from there. And I promised Joey the pix.
At least with Trash I know that an 8:00 start time doesn't really mean 8:00 and there's no reason to rush around. Hell, I probably should've known last year that an 8:00 start time doesn't really mean 8:00--irrgardless of the sharp that the email promised/threatened--but you know me. Anyway, this time around I'd planned to go up a a few blocks on Bedford and secure pizza and not wait till I got to Grand St. to first find it. Of course I take the back staircase out--the signs up about the L reroute was for B'way Junction and further back--and come face-to-face with Driggs Pizza. And after I had to head back to Bedford, passing signs for a shuttlebus, and then head down, lest history repeats itself.
Joey was thrilled that I remembered the pix. "Oh my God! You made my whole entire night! Yes! Oh my God my nose looks huge! Look!" Joey showed the pix to the band and I'd seriously considered asking him if I could trade out a CD for the pix since the film developing was more than the CD, but I didn't. As I sat down I got this warm fuzzy feeling. I'm not making any band's whole entire evening by putting all the film in a box, but then again I'm not making a whole lot of money.
HEAP plays rock that's loud and power-pop but without calling attention to the sound, which was nice. But glam punx Red Invasion (with their backward R), Boston's answer to the NY Dolls and the Dead Boys and the Stooges and such, look like they all go shopping together--that's Joey Boy on the left, with Mick Stitch of the Threads/LES Stitches and Walter Lurie of the Waldos--all in tight black jeans, white studded belts as well as bullet belts, creepers, bandanas (around ankles and hanging from belts and ass pockets) as well as scarves, the mandatory padlock around Joey's neck, eyeliner, etc., which makes you think that calling a band a "gimmick punk band" is all a matter or perspective. Bassist Iain Lyons, Tigers, and Bears (oh my!) was celebrating his birthday--"the big deuce deuce!" sez Joey. Wait, that's....yeah, that's pretty much what I thought in the 1st place. They did a Boys cover. "You've heard of The Boys, right? They're a UK punk band from the 70s!" After their set I planned on pointing out that the film developing cost $13--well, $13 and change but who am I to split hairs--and the CD is $10, but I don't. I buy their pins--"All of them? Are you sure?" Joey asks. Then again, I am going to have to buy frame #5 for all my pins so it's a good thing that I did.
Crimson Sweet is more rawk than the punk that just played, but it would've made more sense to have Red Invasion right before the Sleazies. Since they are on tour together ("Sponsored by NAMBLA and Ikea!"--Joey) and on the same rekkid label, after all. Also out of place was Know Your Rights, which Owen played before Red Invasion took the stage. I was sitting down before the Sleazies started and noticed a nervous-looking guy writing in a small notebook. Is he a reporter? Taking notes on the show? Give me a fucking break. He kept looking in the direction of the couch, writing things down, and looking at us again. And then made more notes. (The spirit of '77 was alive and well at the Trash Bar as kids too young to experience punk rock the first time around flocked to the club to see Red Invasion and the Sleazies, proving that in this day and age, the fate of CBGB is irrelevant.....) Please. When I first decided to write it all down, I got a steno pad and used it like twice. Then I thought that a small notebook in the pocket of my motorcycle jacket would work better so I ran out to the 99-cent store and got one of those little chunky notebooks. I never used it.
A guy comes over to me and asks me if the band is setting up or just about to leave. Obviously not the type of guy you see at these shows, he's fingering a cigar and can't hear me when I reply. What's the name of this band? You've never heard of them? About how long are they going to play for? If he could hear me, I would've told him that even though I've heard of them but have never seen them perform, the set probably won't be that long, as all good punk tends to be. Then he starts unrolls the paper and starts licking it. The Sleazies, Rhode Island's friendly neighborhood punk band, play pogo-punk that covers essential punk subjects like drugs/alcohol (Underage Cokewhore, Wild Turkey Is Not A Meat, Better Drugs)--which made a nice soundtrack for when that guy fired one up--and brain damage (Airpockets In My Brain). The type of punk of the good, dumb fun variety that would fit in with The Briefs. The singer can share their hair bleach. And crowds.
I never saw The Bamboo Kids before, though I heard a lot about them. As in the Press saying the best reason not to hype a band is because it makes them worse. They introduced themselves by saying they were from right around the corner (why is it that so many bands are from "around the corner"?) They were kinda country and I guess the Press was right.
There was nobody at the merch table, so I took a Crimson Sweet pin off their board and was going to leave a dollar and a note when their drummer stopped me. I explained what I was doing and he asked me if my camera was digital. Nope. Did I get any pix of them? Yes. Can I send them to him? Sure. In the meantime I'll pop over the pix of them @ CBGB, opening for the Real Kids in like 2004. "It's my second gig with them and I want pix." Yay. Now I hope I got pix of the drummer, as drummers tend to get obscured.
I had to remind myself to look down as I headed back to the subway. I wasn't really hungry and I passed my usual bodega for another one, thinking it would keep me from getting donuts and stuff. I ended up with Pringles. When waiting for the subway, my only choice of seat was between a guy fiddling with his iPod and a girl fiddling with her boyfriend and a slice of pizza. Yuck. She's wearing a flimsy skirt and legwarmers. It's February. Wear pants for fuck's sake. Two guys sat next to me on the L and the one in the marajuana leaf-print Vans turns to me and says, "Dude, can I get a Pringle?"
Dude.
I give him a chip and as he sang my praises I got one out for his friend, dressed all emo down to the white studded belt, ring in the side of his lip, dark-framed glasses, wallet chain, and disks in his ears.
Aw, cheer up emo kid.
So, yeah.As soon as I saw that the Sleazies were playing I knew I was going, but it wasn’t until after Joey Boy told me that his band, Red Invasion, was also on that bill and I told him I already planned on going did I realize what date that was. Had I remembered, I probably would’ve stayed home—I mean, I probably would’ve stayed locally.
It’s funny that Red Invasion has a song called A Year Ago Tonight. Because it is a year ago that night that I wiped out on my way to the Lucky Cat, where The United 32s and The Ruffians were playing. I didn’t just merely kiss the sidewalk, I full-on Frenched it. And then, already in a ton of pain and feeling like crap, I figured I’d only feel worse if I missed the show. But a year later--tonight--the Sleazies are playing across the street from there. And I promised Joey the pix.At least with Trash I know that an 8:00 start time doesn't really mean 8:00 and there's no reason to rush around. Hell, I probably should've known last year that an 8:00 start time doesn't really mean 8:00--irrgardless of the sharp that the email promised/threatened--but you know me. Anyway, this time around I'd planned to go up a a few blocks on Bedford and secure pizza and not wait till I got to Grand St. to first find it. Of course I take the back staircase out--the signs up about the L reroute was for B'way Junction and further back--and come face-to-face with Driggs Pizza. And after I had to head back to Bedford, passing signs for a shuttlebus, and then head down, lest history repeats itself.
Joey was thrilled that I remembered the pix. "Oh my God! You made my whole entire night! Yes! Oh my God my nose looks huge! Look!" Joey showed the pix to the band and I'd seriously considered asking him if I could trade out a CD for the pix since the film developing was more than the CD, but I didn't. As I sat down I got this warm fuzzy feeling. I'm not making any band's whole entire evening by putting all the film in a box, but then again I'm not making a whole lot of money.
HEAP plays rock that's loud and power-pop but without calling attention to the sound, which was nice. But glam punx Red Invasion (with their backward R), Boston's answer to the NY Dolls and the Dead Boys and the Stooges and such, look like they all go shopping together--that's Joey Boy on the left, with Mick Stitch of the Threads/LES Stitches and Walter Lurie of the Waldos--all in tight black jeans, white studded belts as well as bullet belts, creepers, bandanas (around ankles and hanging from belts and ass pockets) as well as scarves, the mandatory padlock around Joey's neck, eyeliner, etc., which makes you think that calling a band a "gimmick punk band" is all a matter or perspective. Bassist Iain Lyons, Tigers, and Bears (oh my!) was celebrating his birthday--"the big deuce deuce!" sez Joey. Wait, that's....yeah, that's pretty much what I thought in the 1st place. They did a Boys cover. "You've heard of The Boys, right? They're a UK punk band from the 70s!" After their set I planned on pointing out that the film developing cost $13--well, $13 and change but who am I to split hairs--and the CD is $10, but I don't. I buy their pins--"All of them? Are you sure?" Joey asks. Then again, I am going to have to buy frame #5 for all my pins so it's a good thing that I did.
Crimson Sweet is more rawk than the punk that just played, but it would've made more sense to have Red Invasion right before the Sleazies. Since they are on tour together ("Sponsored by NAMBLA and Ikea!"--Joey) and on the same rekkid label, after all. Also out of place was Know Your Rights, which Owen played before Red Invasion took the stage. I was sitting down before the Sleazies started and noticed a nervous-looking guy writing in a small notebook. Is he a reporter? Taking notes on the show? Give me a fucking break. He kept looking in the direction of the couch, writing things down, and looking at us again. And then made more notes. (The spirit of '77 was alive and well at the Trash Bar as kids too young to experience punk rock the first time around flocked to the club to see Red Invasion and the Sleazies, proving that in this day and age, the fate of CBGB is irrelevant.....) Please. When I first decided to write it all down, I got a steno pad and used it like twice. Then I thought that a small notebook in the pocket of my motorcycle jacket would work better so I ran out to the 99-cent store and got one of those little chunky notebooks. I never used it.
A guy comes over to me and asks me if the band is setting up or just about to leave. Obviously not the type of guy you see at these shows, he's fingering a cigar and can't hear me when I reply. What's the name of this band? You've never heard of them? About how long are they going to play for? If he could hear me, I would've told him that even though I've heard of them but have never seen them perform, the set probably won't be that long, as all good punk tends to be. Then he starts unrolls the paper and starts licking it. The Sleazies, Rhode Island's friendly neighborhood punk band, play pogo-punk that covers essential punk subjects like drugs/alcohol (Underage Cokewhore, Wild Turkey Is Not A Meat, Better Drugs)--which made a nice soundtrack for when that guy fired one up--and brain damage (Airpockets In My Brain). The type of punk of the good, dumb fun variety that would fit in with The Briefs. The singer can share their hair bleach. And crowds.
I never saw The Bamboo Kids before, though I heard a lot about them. As in the Press saying the best reason not to hype a band is because it makes them worse. They introduced themselves by saying they were from right around the corner (why is it that so many bands are from "around the corner"?) They were kinda country and I guess the Press was right.
There was nobody at the merch table, so I took a Crimson Sweet pin off their board and was going to leave a dollar and a note when their drummer stopped me. I explained what I was doing and he asked me if my camera was digital. Nope. Did I get any pix of them? Yes. Can I send them to him? Sure. In the meantime I'll pop over the pix of them @ CBGB, opening for the Real Kids in like 2004. "It's my second gig with them and I want pix." Yay. Now I hope I got pix of the drummer, as drummers tend to get obscured.
I had to remind myself to look down as I headed back to the subway. I wasn't really hungry and I passed my usual bodega for another one, thinking it would keep me from getting donuts and stuff. I ended up with Pringles. When waiting for the subway, my only choice of seat was between a guy fiddling with his iPod and a girl fiddling with her boyfriend and a slice of pizza. Yuck. She's wearing a flimsy skirt and legwarmers. It's February. Wear pants for fuck's sake. Two guys sat next to me on the L and the one in the marajuana leaf-print Vans turns to me and says, "Dude, can I get a Pringle?"
Dude.
I give him a chip and as he sang my praises I got one out for his friend, dressed all emo down to the white studded belt, ring in the side of his lip, dark-framed glasses, wallet chain, and disks in his ears.
Aw, cheer up emo kid.
posted by heather @ 2:06 PM
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