Here's The Wind-Up. . . .

Deck-Of-Jack/Clay Pigeons//Continental//6/30/06

Promising that all will witness the band’s best stage attire ever, perhaps the greatest stage attire EVER to be worn in the history of rock music!, and with a singer, Juiceman, recovering from a microphone-induced tongue injury from their CBGB show a few days earlier in the week, there was clearly no other way to start off a long weekend of rock than with Deck-Of-Jack @ the Continental. I can’t believe how late I left for this; they were scheduled for “10” and I left at like 10 after 9. I got there at the same time another group of guys did. They fumbled with their IDs, so when asked who we were there to see, I had a ready answer. While I was waiting for my change the guy with the MA license in his hand explained: We’re not here to see any band in particular. Do you still have that $5 drink. . . .

First time I saw Deck-Of-Jack (opening for Northern State) they had a gal on turntables, giving them a slacker, Beastie Boys, party feel. This time around they had a drummer, giving their ditties about pizza on the floor with the 3-second rule in effect and Starter jackets a pop-hardcore hip-hop flavor. Since the song about Starter jackets was all early 90s, they kept in the groove with a cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Wish. Since it was their favorite song, they rehearsed it for 30 seconds. CBGB is closing, the Continental is closing, and all of their crew fled the city like its on fire that weekend, so they ripped through Blitzkrieg Bop. “We brought turntables into the Continental, we brought samplers into the Continental, so maybe when the rock returns to New York City they’ll rebuild the stage and let us play here again.” To which one of their friends asked, “Was that your last song?” Their best stage attire EVER was handmade kilts (I asked—the fabric came from Jo Ann Fabric) and Hotrod shirts in homage to their man Rowdy Roddy Piper, the subject of one of their songs. As is their homey who drives the Zamboni.

Since I asked if the kilts were homemade, I had to know what the deal was with the tongue because their email went on to explain that Juiceman had a jackal’s tongue grafted onto his in order to sing, which could’ve just been a metaphor for a silver tongue. He somehow sliced his tongue tossing the mic stand. “Blood was gushing all over. It was glorious. My blood is on the stage at CBGB!”

So while I was talking to them, Clay Pigeons has set up and were about to go so I had to stay. They were your basic hard rock/local rock band. I saw their drummer hanging out during Deck-Of-Jack’s set and their drummer looks like he takes rock way too seriously—in a bad way what with his facial hair and long pony tail. Their singer seemed like a nice guy despite his shirt that said I Hate You, but then again it also had a happy face on it, which fits. It was kind of funny, watching him stomp his foot on the stage like a horse in a pen. And all of a sudden, it was the Continental again.

“God bless Deck-Of-Jack!” their singer said.
“God bless you!”
“And God bless America!”

And in a way, they weren’t that terrible—in that first day of a big vacation, summer way. Even though they brought out a stuffed Energizer bunny during one of their songs and Deck-Of-Jack surfed it through the crowd.