Archive for October, 2009

It would appear we have been duped and reports of Chuck Biscuits’ death were all just some hoax. Why someone would want to start such a stupid hoax is beyond me, but I’m glad to hear that Chuck is in fact still alive and kicking. After reading the news yesterday on two reputable sites, I figured it had to be true and I apologize for unknowingly reporting false news. Welcome back Chuck, we missed you.

Saturday night was a big night in the world of Chicago punk rock, it was the official DVD release screening and show for the documentary, You Weren’t There.  The documentary does a monumental job of telling the history of punk rock in Chicago, which was a city whose punk scene never got the recognition that places like New York and Los Angeles did, despite the fact that we had a number of great and unique bands here.

Regressive Films rented out the same theater to host the DVD screening of the movie that they did almost two years ago for the initial release of the film, the Portage Theater on Chicago’s northwest side. The sizable crowd, though not as large as the last time, was full of familiar faces from bands past, some of which were featured in the film. There were also some younger faces in the crowd who weren’t actually there at the time, but have just as great of an appreciation for the history of punk rock in Chicago as the old timers, making the entire event feel like some sort of wonderful family reunion that included all your distant cousins. The movie was even more enjoyable a second time around and warrants multiple views which is now possible thanks to its release on DVD this week.

Tutu and the Pirates

Tutu and the Pirates

Tutu and the Pirates

Tutu and the Pirates

Tutu and the Pirates

Tutu and the Pirates

After the film, the Empty Bottle played host to a three band bill of old school Chicago punk bands reuniting for this special occasion. Chicago’s first punk band, Tutu and the Pirates, started the show off and were probably the band everyone was most excited to see despite the fact they never released any records ever in their career! They came out with nearly their full original lineup (the drummer I believe was the only non-founding member but has been around since the early days) and completely stole the show. They played such punk favorites as “I got Zits” and the song about the Janitor complete with the toilet seat bass and plunger gimmick! The crowd were totally entertained and if you didn’t know better you’d swear these guys never stopped playing because they sounded great and even timeless. Age has been kind to this fun group of guys and hopefully they’ll dig up any old demo tapes and get them released somewhere. Hell I’d do a 7″ of their old material on my own label just to rectify the sad fact that they never put one out before!

Savage Beliefs

Savage Beliefs

Savage Beliefs

Savage Beliefs

Savage Beliefs

Next up was Savage Beliefs, or what was left of them anyway. Original Members Brian Gay and Wes Tabayoyong joined Rights of the Accused’s Anthony Illarde and You Weren’t There Filmmaker and former Life Sentence member Joe Lasurdo to do a set of Savage Belifes songs as well as a cover of Government Issue’s “Sheer Terror”, a band that Brian Gay was a member of before coming to Chicago and forming Savage Beliefs. They sounded great as well and as someone who never got a chance to see the full original band, I was pretty happy to see some form of it close to three decades later. The band seemed to be having quite a bit of fun as there was a lot of smiling going on up on the small stage. They finished their set with their amazing song, “Big Big Sky”.

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse closed the evening with about a 45 minute set of mostly older material plus a couple newer songs off their new CD they were selling at the show. This saw the first new Silver Abuse material in over a quarter century! If you didn’t know any better you’d think they were all old songs they were playing because the new stuff sounded that much like the other Silver Abuse material it was like no time had passed since the creation of the old songs and the new ones.

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse

Silver Abuse

It was nice to see a decent turnout in support of such a fine documentary which pays tribute to the great and original old punk rock music this city spawned in the late 1970s and early 1980s, something that has left a lasting impression on its generation plus those that followed. Those that weren’t there (again!) really missed out on a special evening that isn’t likely to ever happen again, just like the subject matter documented in You Weren’t There. At least do yourselves a favor and pick up the DVD, it will be the best punk rock film you’ll watch for some time to come.

To honor its release on DVD, this Saturday there will be a special screening of the excellent Chicago punk documentary, You Weren’t There. The documentary is a wonderful telling of the history of the early Chicago punk scene and is a must see for punk rock fans of any age. The screening will be at the Portage Theater in Chicago at 7pm.

After the movie, The Empty Bottle will play host to a special night of old punk band reuniting to celebrate the DVD release. The lineup includes Tutu and the Pirates, Silver Abuse, and Savage Beliefs! That’s a great lineup of punk rock history all in the same club. The show starts at 10pm and promises to be a really good time.

Click on the flier image for a larger version which contains all the information you’ll need about the evenings festivities or check out the Regressive Films website. I’ll be there and am looking forward to it!

There was no resting for me after Riot Fest because the very next night I went to one of my favorite clubs in the city, Reggie’s, to see Kylesa. After being totally blown away by them when they opened for Mastodon in the spring, I simply had to see them again so there was no way I wanted to miss this, no matter how tired I was!

The Atlas Moth

The Atlas Moth

The Atlas Moth

The Atlas Moth

The Atlas Moth, who I had never heard of and as a result didn’t know they were from these parts got things started. They were pretty noisy and very heavy with mid tempo sludgy guitars. They kind of sounded a bit like a bluesy early Isis at times and also sometimes even more noisy. Their singer had a crazy handlebar moustache too! About two songs into their set and I was already eying their merch table in search of any vinyl. My fix came in the form of a 7″ single they had for sale. Sure I am unemployed and cash poor, but I had to have it so it was a birthday present to myself! I’m definitely going to see this band play again, they made a fan out of me for sure.

Red Fang

Red Fang

Red Fang

Red Fang

Another band I was unfamiliar with, Portland’s Red Fang, took the stage next. They were heavy yet much more melodic and had a 70s retro vibe to them too. I’d file them perhaps in the stoner rock category. Their songs were super catchy and the band was a bunch of solid and talented musicians. The songs had a few tempo changes and some unique styling and they too made a fan out of me and I’d like to check out their records someday. My friend Jon who went with me to this show was really taken by this band as well.

Saviours

Saviours

Saviours

Saviours

Saviours

Saviours made the journey from Oakland, CA to bring their form of metal to the Windy City. They had a stoner metal thing going for them too with dual layered guitars and some Motorhead-esque sounds but much more intricate and full. As much as I liked the two bands that preceded them, Saviours blew them off the stage and I wish they would have played even longer! The singer had all these huge tattoos too and must have spent most of his life under a tattoo gun getting all that work done!

Kylesa

Kylesa

Kylesa

After a long setup process that included setting up two drum kits and a sound check, Kylesa took the stage and I was prepared for awesomeness. I think the best invention in music was the idea someone had to have two drummers play together on stage. Kylesa subscribes to the theory that two drummers equals twice the power and they are correct.

Kylesa

Kylesa

Kylesa

The two drummers started playing and the guitars kicked in and the band was firing on all cylinders from the beginning. Their sound is so huge, so thick and so powerful that their records, while extremely good, can’t come close to capturing that feeling that you get when seeing the band live. The two guitar players weave their sounds in and out and the wall of sound that comes out of their amps is simply stunning. The bass player is a ball of energy and he never stops moving around and banging his head while he pounds notes out of his instrument without ever stopping or slowing down to catch his breath. I think his energy could power a small automobile alone.

Kylesa

Kylesa

Kylesa

The two males and one female took turns with various vocal parts and all of them sound like they are summoning some mystical demon from far below the earth who would come and unleash violent fury on the world. I was surrounded by people banging their heads and being blown away by the magic these five Georgians were summoning on the Reggie’s stage. The sound was perfect as was Kylesa’s performance. After they stopped playing the crowd wanted more so they gave us one more song before they had to close the club for the evening.

After a week of fine shows that preceded this night, my seven day run of shows ended on the highest note possible: four great sets by four excellent bands in an excellent club. What a week!

Sunday was the fifth and final day of the biggest Riot Fest yet, and it was being held simultaneously at two different venues. I choose to return to the Congress Theater for the show being held there and the chance to see a couple bands that I’d never seen before.

She Likes Todd

She Likes Todd

She Likes Todd

When I arrived She Likes Todd was getting things started for the day. I had never heard of them before this day. They were a fairly fast melodic hardcore band. They weren’t bad at all but nothing really stood out much about them either. They played a half hour and it was a pretty solid set for the most part.

The Arrivals

The Arrivals

The Arrivals

Local punkers, The Arrivals soon followed. I have seen them play before and they put on a good show then and this time they did much the same. Melodic punk rock that is really catchy and punchy. They kind of sound like a band you might also find on No Idea Records which is quite a compliment.

Pegboy

Pegboy

Pegboy

Pegboy

Pegboy, who recently played one of the secret Riot Fest shows took the stage in front of an eager crowd. They just returned from a small tour and it showed in how tight the band sounded on stage. When I say the band, I mean the musicians. Larry still ran out of breath and was complaining he was tired like three songs into the set. He sat and knelt down a lot during the set but also still managed to muster up enough energy to do a good job singing the songs and came down into the barricade to sing into the crowd a few times. Their bass player busted open a finger and was bleeding all over his bass but that didn’t slow down his playing one bit. Now that is hardcore!

Screeching Weasel

Screeching Weasel

Screeching Weasel

After a decade long hiatus, one of the evening’s highlights was the return of Screeching Weasel. I wasn’t much of a fan back when they were around so I never bothered to go to any of their shows. I remember everyone I know liking them and never really understood the appeal so I thought maybe I needed to see them to figure it out. This version of Screeching Weasel featured founding member Ben Weasel and long-time cohort Dan Vapid returning to his guitarist role in the band after a longer than decade hiatus for that particular member.

Screeching Weasel

Screeching Weasel

Screeching Weasel

Screeching Weasel

When the band started playing the crowd, which was at near capacity, was going insane. It consisted mostly of younger folks who seemed to know the words to every song. The entire main floor was a sea of bodies. They played a pretty good mix of songs from their various releases which seemed to please everyone in attendance. Honestly I think they could have played country songs and those kids would have still gone nuts. I did understand the appeal though during the show, they have perfect the pop-punk craft and have become masters of it. I think I’d go see them again for sure as I was really surprised by how good I thought they were and I barely own any of their records (only the earliest ones). To me they ended up being the highlight of that day’s show.

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio closed the show shop after a lengthy setup process. Somehow the crowd in the front shifted to a whole new group of people who looked just as eager to see them as the ones waiting to see Screeching Weasel before them. They delivered about an hour’s worth of pop punk with a heavy emphasis on the pop and I saw every teenage girl up front singing along lovingly. There was plenty of crowd surfing action too which kept the security guards on their toes and gave them their daily workout catching bodies and returning them safely to the action.

After they finished another Riot Fest was completed and logged in the record books. The biggest and most ambitious one yet was a huge success and made for nearly an entire week of non-stop fun. I was exhausted, but in the good way and am already hopeful that we can do it again next fall!

Saturday’s Riot Fest show (well one of the them) had me back to the venue where Riot Fest all began, the Congress Theater. I’m quite fond of that venue and it’s nice big stage and good lighting so I pretty much figured I’d be in for a good time and of course a good time is just what I got!

Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads

When I got there Off With Their Heads just started playing. They put on a great performance a few weeks ago at one of the secret shows and this time was no different. They played a half an hour of solid and crunchy melodic punk/hardcore.  They were every bit as good as the show a few weeks ago and I swear once I’m re-employed I’m going to buy their records!

Shot Baker

Shot Baker

Shot Baker

Shot Baker took the stage a few minutes later and it had been awhile since I’d seen them play. They had a temporary replacement guitar player for this show. That didn’t seem to slow them down one bit and if I hadn’t seen them before I probably wouldn’t have known they had a substitute in the lineup. Good solid Chicago punk sound. They played a half an hour and it too went by very quickly.

Youth Brigade

Youth Brigade

Youth Brigade

Youth Brigade

Riot Fest regulars Youth Brigade returned yet again and delivered a half hour of their trademark energetic punk. Some highlights included “Violence”, and of course “Sink With California” where a bunch of people came on stage to sing along with the chorus. They played some newer material in their set too and between songs Shawn Stern talked a lot about various subjects as he usually does. As always they put on a great set and are always a highlight of Riot Fest.

Street Dogs

Street Dogs

Street Dogs

Street Dogs

Boston’s Street Dogs were next in line. They were a huge hit with the crowd and played a set consisting mostly of newer material. They have a lot of singalong type songs that really get the crowd going and the singer talked a lot between songs and dedicated songs to various people like firefighters and friends. The band moved around a lot on stage and the singer would often hop down off the stage and sing with the crowd pinned against the barricade. While I probably wouldn’t listen to their records very often, the couple times I’ve seen them now have been very entertaining and they are a really good live band.

88 Fingers Louie

88 Fingers Louie

88 Fingers Louie

Chicago’s own 88 Fingers Louie donned the stage in their reunited format. They played a variety of songs from their past and sounded even better and tighter this time than they did at the secret Riot Fest show they did awhile back. It is obvious that they have been playing and practicing again as they sounded true to form. The crowd were way into them too, people were dancing all over and singing along and a few bodies came over the barricade into the waiting hands of of security who would get them back safely on their feet and back into the action.

Cock Sparrer

Cock Sparrer

Cock Sparrer

Cock Sparer

UK punk legends Cock Sparrer took the stage to what was now a totally packed house. The sea of people extended to every wall and people started chanting “oi oi oi” in anticipation of the band playing. They opened with “Riot Squad” and the crowd went nuts. By the time they got to their second song, “Watch Your Back” the crowd was already at a frenzy with crowd surfers flowing over the barricade like a waterfall, people slamming, pogoing, and singing along while pumping their fists. For a bunch of older guys even by old punk rock standards, they played with an amazing amount of youthful energy.  They played pretty close to non-stop for about 45 minutes and the crowd didn’t run out of gas for a single minute. When they were finished played the crowd was chanting for more! I’m pretty sure the band could have played another hour without anyone in the crowd growing tired.

NOFX

NOFX

NOFX

After what felt like a really long setup process, NOFX finally came out to close the show. Fat Mike came out dressed as “Cokie the Clown” which is the title track and character of their upcoming 7″ of the same name. A film crew came out with them too to film a music video for that song.  Fat Mike had a lot to say and was a big wise ass between every song they played.

NOFX

NOFX

NOFX

The other band members also got in on the between song fun and after some fun they’d belt out hit after hit of mostly newer material. About halfway through the set they played the aforementioned “Cokie the Clown” and filmed the video. It was the first time they’ve played the song live according to Fat Mike and it was good enough to make me want to pick up the single when it comes out.

NOFX

NOFX

NOFX

NOFX

From there it was more songs and more between song shenanigans. During their entire set the crowd was going bonkers and kids were crowd surfing throughout the entire thing giving the security staff a lot to keep them busy with. After about an hour of playing the band stopped and started dancing around the stage while a pre-recorded skit about everyone being a little bit racist was playing through the PA. When this was finished, they left and the lights came on indicating the show was over and another really fun Riot Fest show was on the books, leaving just one day left to go.