In the same package as the purple Adolescents LP from the previous post was another one of Frontier Records‘ classic LPs on a matching color.

Circle Jerks – Group Sex LP is now available on translucent purple vinyl. Just like its purple cousin, this too is one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. When I first bought this album something like 25 years ago, I played it so much I had the thing memorized from start to finish!

This grape Jolly Rancher colored platter with a fancy lyric sheet/insert can be acquired directly from Frontier Records from the two nicest ladies in all of punk rock.

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.

Last week at the Abbey Pub the city of Chicago became home to a handful of bands from the DeKalb area that were around in the 1980s that all reunited just for a pair of shows (the other being in the actual town of DeKalb). The highlight of this show for me was the reuniting of Blatant Dissent, who I’ve been a fan of since their first 7″ came out while I was in high school (on my friend’s Landmind Records label), but never got to see “back in the day”.

Otis Ball and the Chains

Otis Ball and the Chains

Otis Ball and the Chains

When I walked in the club the first band, Otis Ball and the Chains, were about half way through their set. Their music was pretty upbeat almost country twanged rock and roll. The singer, Otis, had some goofy outfit on which I believe has been his trademark as long as he’s been doing the band. They were pretty fun.

Ring 13

Ring 13

Ring 13

Next up was Ring 13. I was told they were pretty wild in their day and that they only put out a cassette which I sadly never heard before. They were more of a traditional punk rock/hardcore band and I could see sparks of volatility in there which would explain why the band was so short lived. I really liked them and now I hope somebody unearths their tape and digitizes it so I can hear it!

Happy Hunting

Happy Hunting

Happy Hunting

Happy Hunting

Happy Hunting soon followed. They featured a member from Blatant Dissent. They reminded me a lot of the mid 1980s “College Rock” sound that labels like SST and Homestead were releasing back near the end of my high school tenure. The songs were very melodic and had a variety of musical influences. It made me feel both old and young again at the same time. They played about a half hour, all of which was pretty enjoyable.

Subverts

Subverts

Subverts

Subverts

A band I always assumed was from Chicago but turns out was from Sycamore (near DeKalb), The Subverts played next. I have their one and only 7″ and thought it was quite good so I was pretty jazzed to see them. I think they were one of the Suburbs’ first punk bands as they pre-date just about any Suburban Chicago punk band I can think of. They played some songs from their 7″ along with a couple of covers. They were a little rough around the edges, surely a sign of not having played together in over two decades, but they still sounded really good and it was neat to see such an obscure old band!

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

At this point the moment had arrived, I’d finally be seeing Blatant Dissent! They started playing and I was almost instantly transformed in my mind to my teenage skateboarding years where I used to listen to their first 7″ constantly. They played all the songs from that EP, the second 7″ and some other tracks that ended up on the Hold the Fat LP. They tagged drummers in and out twice during the set depending on which songs they were playing.

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

The songs all sounded great and considering some of those guys hadn’t been up on a stage in over a decade in any band there was no real sign of “ring rust”. I know they took the show pretty seriously and rehearsed quite a bit before it and it really showed, they sounded awesome. When they played “Hands are Tied” it made the 25 year wait to see them live all worthwhile!

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

Blatant Dissent

After 45 minutes Blatant Dissent ran out songs and then members from all the various bands came up on stage and played a final number together before the club had to clear people out for the next show. On my way out I saw a lot of smiles on people’s faces as the crowd was like some sort of High School/College reunion of sorts and it was fun to be a part of it.

Last week I happily went to Reggie’s yet again, this time to see The Germs (or what’s left of The Germs anyway). They played an all ages show that got off to a nice early start which was fine with me considering it was on a “school night”. We got to the club a little early and treated ourselves to some of the fine food the club serves and then it was time for the show.

Rule 22

Rule 22

Rule 22

Rule 22 were the first band up and are a local band. I’m pretty sure I have seen them before as they looked and sounded familiar to me once they got going. The reason they sounded familiar though could be their resemblance to early Green Day however, so I can’t say for certain if I’ve actually seen them before or not. Their songs were pretty melodic and punchy and they sounded pretty good. There was a small group of kids there who seemed like they came to the show just to see them and were dancing about. The band played about a half hour which was just the right amount of time for me to sit through them without losing interest.

Krum Bums

Krum Bums

Krum Bums

Austin, TX’s Krum Bums quickly followed. They played hardcore with a hint of metal seasoning. All their songs were fast and many sounded similar. They really packed a punch and got the crowd going quickly. The singer would often appeal to the kids in the crowd to dance and they alwasy oblidged and he actually got them going in a proper cricle pit as opposed to the usual human bumper cars of chaos that usually happens at shows. It fit nicely with their somewhat retro sound which made me felt like i was back at a show in the mid 1980s. The band really seemed to win over a good amount of the crowd that night, my only two complaints is their ridiculous name and the fact they soiled a 7 Seconds song by doing a cover of it (during which they invited someone from the crowd to come up and sing it which probably made that kid’s day for sure judging by the smile on his face). If they change their name and ditch the cover song I’d happily see them again.

The Germs

The Germs

After a lengthy setup and sound check process, The Germs took the stage. For those who may not be aware, the surviving members of The Germs decided to take their show on the road with Shane West (who played Darby Crash in the movie, What We Do is Secret) playing the part of Darby Crash. So while they are billing themselves as The Germs, and feature all the surviving members, without Darby Crash they really are nothing more than a Germs tribute band.

The Germs

The Germs

I’ve seen this show a few times before and it never was as bad as I imagined it would be. There is something neat about seeing the surviving members all up on the same stage playing those amazing old punk rock songs. Shane West is about as good of a Darby stand-in as you could hope for except he remembers the lyrics and to sing into the mic a whole lot more.

The Germs

The Germs

They played everything you’d want to hear and the crowd, which was about 95 percent young kids, were jumping all over the place, singing along and just going nuts. Shane passed the mic out into the crowd more often than not and allowed them to sing along. While Shane kept the crowd going, Lorna, Don and Pat played those songs with a smile on their faces the entire time. Just like the last time I saw them it really looked like they were having fun up there.

The Germs

The Germs

The Germs

After about an hour of playing which included one encore, the show was over and the sweaty kids in the crowd gathered themselves up and left the club, seemingly satisfied with the show they witnessed that night. Overall I thought it was a pretty entertaining show from top to bottom and added it to the list of fun nights I’ve had over at Reggies.

After a winter-long show drought I started making up for lost time by going to my second show in as many days last week. This time it was for the classic hardcore band MDC. I saw them play here a few years ago and thought they were still quite good so I was looking forward to seeing them again especially because they were playing at one of my favorite clubs, Reggie’s.

Embrace the Kill

Embrace the Kill

Due to a mix up on my part, I got a late start and when I got inside the club the second band, Embrace the Kill, were part way through their set. They played some really fast thrash with metallic guitars. Their tempo remained constant as the singers would growl and yell their vocals. Their songs were pretty short and to the point and they pelted out one after the other in pretty rapid succession. The crowd was still pretty thin at this point but I saw a few heads bobbing in approval.

Mouth Sewn Shut

Mouth Sewn Shut

Mouth Sewn Shut

Mouth Sewn Shut

Mouth Sewn Shut quickly followed and the size of the crowd also grew quite a bit at this point. I had heard of them before but never heard their music until they started playing. They were a bit similar to Embrace the Kill but with far less metal in the guitar sounds. They were much more straight forward hardcore punk but they also threw in more tempo changes and “mosh parts”. Speaking of mosh parts the kids in the crowd went pretty nuts for many of their songs, and would also do so on command by the frequent pleas from the singer.

MDC

MDC

MDC

MDC closed the show after a fairly lenghty setup process. There was a big banner behind them with some classic early artwork on it that looked pretty cool. The minute they got into their first song the now even larger crowd started going crazy. I got knocked around a couple of times which made shooting photos rather difficult. I quickly moved over to one side to get out of the line of fire and resumed capturing their performance.

MDC

MDC

MDC

They played a lot of songs from the first album, each one resulting in the kids going nuts. They peppered in some brand new material too which sounded a lot like the early material. Over the past couple of decades their sound has remained very consistent which is a good thing. In between songs on occasion, Dave would talk to the crowd or at the very least announce what their next song was. A couple of times he even asked the crowd what they wanted to hear. When they finally got to “John Wayne Was a Nazi”, the kids went berserk! They left the stage for a few minutes to catch their breath and came back and played a couple more songs for an encore.

MDC

MDC

Overall this was a pretty fun hardcore show that had newer bands and one classic one sharing a stage so there was a little something for everyone. Another muscial evening well spent!

Rosemary’s Babies – Talking to the Dead CD
Ghastly Records

Rosemary’s Babies were a very short-lived New Jersey hardcore punk band who were around between 1981-1983. Their sole muscial output consisted of the Blood Lust 7″ EP which came out the year they disbanded. Those of you who are Samhain and Danzig fans will be interested to know that this was the band Eerie Von was in prior to joining Samhain. In fact they credit Eerie’s departure for Samhain as the reason Rosemary’s Babies disbanded.

Now a couple of decades later the music of Rosemary’s Babies has finally available to those of you without trust funds to spend on old punk records on ebay. The original EP along with tons of unreleased material is convienetly available on this CD. This CD actually came out a few years ago, however I think they have again reissued it or something through some arrangement with MVD.

The music is pretty standard fare hardcore punk for its time, the songs are short, fast, angry,and loud. I’ve owned the original EP for over twenty years now and a couple songs from it would always end up on mix tapes I used to make for my car or for people. This CD contains 25 tracks, 20 of which are studio recordings with the remaning songs being live from CBGB’s in 1983. The studio tracks were all remastered and it pains me to say it but they sound infinitely better than the original vinyl (which had a rather muddy sound to it). I don’t know if they remixed it as well but it sounds better than ever. While the disc itself is great, the packaging was kind of a let-down. There were no lyrics or liner notes of any kind. The booklet simply contained a couple of photos and the band logo. I wish they’d taken some time to at least put a band history and the lyrics in the packaging. It seems like it was done very much on the cheap.

I’m always happy when some classic punk from the early days gets reissued so people can hear these great bands from the past. Anyone who is a fan of Eerie Von, Samhain, or Danzig would do well to pick this up for it’s part in history, so should fans of early 1980’s hardcore so they can check out a band they probably missed out on.