New York Shitty Tonite!

11 of the bands on the NY Shitty CD//Nikki & Sam's//4/22/06

I am hereby unqualified for any NYC music-writing job because even if I didn't have 2 big punk shows that weekend, I have 0 interest in seeing the Scissor Sisters at the Bowery Ballroom.

This show is a big ole double-edged sword, saying bye to the Stackers and hi to New York Shitty. First The Spunk Lads broke up last year and then moved to Jamaica, now their sometime gigmates Stackers are moving to Japan. Me? I've been thinking about Philly. I have to do something. I'm torn between staying in the city and hoping things will get better because I'm trying, believe me, or admitting defeat. Thing is, I shouldn't have to leave the city I was born in just because the yahoos are driving up the cost of living and housing. And whenever I think about it, I always used to tell myself, but my bands are here. I know the NYC rock scene. I mean, yeah, there's bands in Philly; I'm still on the R5 list ever since getting the ticket for the final Atom gig in '03. Bands do play thru there. But touring bands. Maybe I'm just being stubborn. I'm sure they have a local music scene. I'm sure it's very good. After all, there was that big article in the Times about how Philly is the 6th borough (I thought it was Jersey City, but what the hell do I know?) and all the peeps who can't afford Brooklyn anymore are moving there.

It's sad that The Spunk Lads couldn't stick it out and be part of this show. I mean, there's a reason they chose NYC for their comeback and not Philadelphia. Then again, look what happened. Again, maybe I'm just being stubborn. Anyway, enough of that. New York Shitty time! Yeah!

There actually are bands on the comp that I haven't seen yet, and I did consider getting there @ 2, when it started, but spending 9 hrs in any venue probably makes you a candidate for the nuthouse, regardless of who's on the bill. Besides, I figured if I was there for all 15 bands, there was a greater chance of being there for bands added on at the last minute, someone taking an hour to tune up or to fight over what timeslot they have, or someone going, "C'n we do 5 more? They're really fast, I promise." Stuff like that. So even tho I got the rundown of the lineup, I just picked a time that would allow for most of the bands that I like and figured on spending the day, until the show closed w/Stackers, on at 9, and figured the lineup wasn't going to happen exactly like that at all. So I left the sched home, knowing that I was going to see good bands all nite long.

It was raining when I got to Franklin St. and I found out too late that my umbrella was broken. Maybe I should've brought that schedule along. Thankfully there weren't many other major set changes--the last time I went to one of these I timed it accordingly and No Place To Piss had switched around with someone and I missed pretty much their whole set. This time they switched off w/SMUT and it didn't really matter 'cause I wanted to catch both. I gotta hand it to everybody, the set changes were quick and nobody played 10 encores. I was surprised. Tho without the band list I kinda felt lost at times; I was like, Who's playing this thing, again? What bands am I gonna see?

It was cold in there and my back started bothering me. I had to sit down thru some sets. People were standing there taking pix and the pit was going around them. Dammit, I should've brought my camera. After Sammytown Jones, I think it was Seth--I had to sit down again and the chair was off to the side of the stage (man, I should've moved the chair to the bar, across from the stage--and then parked it there all nite) said, "Spunk Lads, up next! Up next is The Spunk Lads. I mean, The Spunks!"

“We are The Spunk Lads, as announced!” Hajime said. “We’re playing this show for nothing! We’re playing this show for Stackers! Go die!” A bit later: “This is for The Spunk Lads!” and then he said something in Japanese. Al asked him to translate, and he said, “It’s raining.” Yeah, maybe The Spunk Lads are better off in Jamaica, after all. “No, it means ‘Me love you long time,’ ” said Al. They did a cover of Hajime’s “favorite band in the universe, the Clash.” “The Crash? I never heard of them before.” “Clash! Fuck English!” They covered Brand New Cadillac.

I started getting hungry at around 8. Mykal Board was there and came right up to me and told me that I look familiar. I reminded him that when I met him, he thought I looked like a Japanese woman. (Which, I gotta admit, is a nice change from the whole “What county are you from {Queens}/Where are you/your parents from {Flushing and the Bronx}/you can't be born here" routine. But then again, now that I’m too old to be chatted up in a bar, I kinda miss it. Well, not really.)

(<---It was kinda like this x 100. I know this one's all about Stackers, but this is a cool pic.) I got to take pix for Blackout Shoppers, and it would’ve been nice if I could stand there and take pix and the pit would go around me. Uh, nope. Not a chance. I didn’t even try. Damn, I should’ve brought my camera because if I screwed something up, at least I could’ve had mine as a backup and I have a zoom, however small it may be. I guess there was a reason people had cameras with big-ass zoom attachments--to zoom over the pit. Then again, the Shoppers look much better in cartoon form and I can’t compete with that. Nobody could.

(<---It was kinda like this, but x infinity.) I do regret not bringing a camera for Stackers, though. I figured I have more than enough pix of many of the bands that played, and most of them I have left to develop. Anyway, the 1st time I saw Stackers I didn't care for them that much (I also thought Distraction used to be Distraction UK and I didn't like them either. I'm pretty sure it was @ Siberia, which would explain that, at least about Stackers, and I was thinking it was probably in 2003--have I really been seeing these bands that long?) and later on, when I was going to a Spunk Lads show that Stackers were on (I think it was @ the Pyramid), and I caught them and they were great and I was like, Shit, I've been missing a good band all this time? It was an appropriately amped-up sendoff, with the pit circling and fists and feet flying, plenty of stage diving. I just stood there trying not to feel sad, trying to burn the memory into my mind so I'll always have it. They are a really good, tight punk band who have it down pat and should've gone further here than the NYS scene.
I left my umbrella behind, and I found this out after Xtene and I left to find the R train and food. It doesn't really matter since half of it was busted, anyway, but it was really pouring to the point that a broken umbrella would've been better than nothing. What I wasn't counting on, though, was the shortness of breath that suddenly befell me upon leaving the place, which made running thru the rain even better. I probably should've taken Airborne just because. Even tho Xtene just saw Supersize Me the other day, the only place open was McDonald's. She gave me her Happy Meal toy. So now we're buds. We took the N up to 42nd because I didn't have the strength to walk around to the R @ Canal. And we waited. 2 more Ns passed and there was an annoucement about trackwork. I didn't have it in me to walk around to the E, so I hoped that wasn't it. I felt a breeze. Xtene said that if the R train is next, that means that we're gonna find true love and other good things. I told her to put in something about my getting a better job and S.M.U.T. becoming wildly successful. The next train was on the downtown platform--an R. The next train on the Queensbound platform? An R.