The Throwaways! w/Downers, The Wastoids (Oct. 21)

(photo cred - Throwaways myspace, as I didn't have a camera or my phone handy)

Its always a bummer when a really, REALLY good show is held on an odd day... like a thursday night. Its great for guys like me with seesaw schedules, who don't really care for the whole "responsible living" idea or any of that jazz. I'll gladly stay out till 2 in the morning, drink, carouse, and get rowdy at a show... then wake up the next day for work. But that may be my ever prevalent youth talking. Point is, no matter how awesome the bands are, those off days just lend themselves to a weird vibe amongst the crowd.

I kinda feared this walking into Tubby Dog, more then a few drinks strong. (note; for those of you who haven't experienced it yet, Tubby Dog is a great and intimate venue. Free, all ages, communal vibe, and red couch to jump off of!) For instance, none of the bands showed up till about an hour later then the show was supposed to start. The place was relatively empty for awhile as well, until a few of the usual suspects showed. So I had my reservations.

The Wastoids set things off on a good note though. Musically, the band is a Calgary institution; I've been seeing them live for about 4 years and nothing has really drastically changed. But goddamn if it isn't a well oiled, tight, energetic institution. Fast punk rhythms, anchored by insane bass work and a whole lot of punk shouts and yells, The Wastoids do it fast and loud. I was really stoked in fact, because the last time I saw them they were short a guitarist and quite sloppy. Not so tonight, as they blared through a 20ish minute set with precision and fun. Thats the key really; The Wastoids are fun, happy-go-lucky bullshit.

As I hinted at before, however, the crowd was unnervingly polite.

The Downers were next and I was really excited! I had heard good things of them through some friends and better yet, I heard rumors of them doing a front-to-back cover of "Dude Ranch" by Blink 182 at the Halloween show I am so anticipating; groovy!
They sure delivered, though it wasn't at all what I expected. I was expecting something akin to The Wastoids, and what I got was spastic nuggets of pop punk craziness with howled vocals and knee jerk guitar work. The girl on drums was awesome, playing that really jangly jungle style drumming rather then straight up punk drumming while simultaneously throwing a feminine howl into the mix of guy shouts. It was sorta like this time I put Dr. Pepper into my Froot Loops; sugary, violent, with a sweet/sour aftertaste. Awesome!

Now here's the odd thing; despite them being the headliners it felt like alot of people left before The Throwaways got there time onstage. Shame to! I have a feeling a little more rabble would have been roused had more folks stayed around.

Now I use the term "pop punk" quite carefully. After all, it can mean ultra produced, warped tour style break down music (which has its place, don't get me wrong) or it can be boiled down to its literal meaning; a punk band with poppy, catchy hooks. Iggy Pop meets Beach Boys. Garage-y and scummy, but still sweet enough to hum. The Ramones were arguably the first pop punk band ever. Keep this in mind, as this is the definition I have in mind.

Fronted by two female vocalists and guitarists, The Throwaways are a glue sniffin', hip shaking, freak-out-your-mom, poppy-like-a-dr.pepper fuzzy punk band. Loud, fast, sugar fueled, sweet like pixie stix, sharp like a buzz saw.... its fucking perfect is what it is! Check out there recent split with Spastic Panthers. The music and lyrics is so fast that if you blink for a moment, you might miss it... but its so mesmerizing, so eye catching, so CATCHY, you wont blink. At all. Like Mika Miko on speed, like the Descendants with a shot of estrogen, its impossible to just stand there and listen to it. You just gotta give in and trust me, given a bit more time, everyone would have lost there shit. And you could feel the tension building to, as the adorable singer screamed bloody murder into your face.

And yet... it just had to end. And it was 11, on a work/school night. And all the responsible kids, they had to leave. Including myself, as my ride was leaving right away. Bummer to, as there was one last band scheduled, the Grown Ups, who are absolutely phenomenal.

Its a bit disappointing when you go to a show like this and end up standing still or sitting the whole time, but it happens. Its no-ones fault, its just life. Here's for high hopes over the weekend! In the mean time, I'm just gonna listen to sugar induced, female fronted pop punk all day.

Against Me! in Calgary! (again)

Monday, Sept. 20th
MacEwan Hall Ballroom

Imagine you have an old friend who you periodically drop in and out of contact with. We all have them; that one person who just "gets it," the guy or gal we click with on a level so profound that it never lasts. And sometimes, when out of contact with them, you hear things about them, like how arrogant or moody they have become. A terrible haircut. Perhaps some piece of gossip. You hear these things and you have your worries and your doubts, you stress out without realizing, right up until the moment you drop back into contact with them; maybe for an insane bender of a night, maybe for a few weeks of philosophical talks over tea. Regardless, your worries melt away and your left with one impression when they leave again; They're every bit as amazing as you remember, and they have simply grown.

This is what seeing Against Me! live is like.

Perhaps all the shouts of "sell out" and "poser" get to you, maybe the new album just sounds to slick and produced, the merch is to expensive, whatever. It's very easy to lose faith in those onetime "mysterious anarcho punks" from Gainseville. Hell, I've seen them 4 times now myself and I still get that feeling.
But then, you see them live. You see them live and you realize, this is one of those bands that matter. This is the band that you cheat on your favorite band with. These guys make you want to scream, clap your hands, clench your fist, hold your friend, and lose yourself to. Fuck what everyone says; Against Me! may not be playing in laundromats and basements anymore, but they may as well be for what they inspire in you... passion.

With this in mind, I walked into the ballroom with my good friend Richard and surveyed the small crowd gathered by the stage. Now I've never been in the Mac Hall Ballroom before; I must say, compared to the hall beneath it, its a a far more superior and intimate venue. Granted, the walls are still rather tall and echoing... there's still guarded railing right in front of the stage, preventing you from crowd surfing or stage jumping. But you feel far more connected to the band, with the venues smaller size and low level lighting. Observing a mixed crowd of teenaged hipsters, bearded surf dudes and corset wearing woman folk, I glanced at my ticket. a band called Young Livers was up first.

OK!

I've never actually heard of or listened to Young Livers, so it was pretty neat seeing them. They played a rather intense blend of 80's punk, heavy rock, and modern hardcore; whiskey fueled vocals with heavy guitars and plenty of breakdowns. To be honest, they sounded a bit like Alexisonfire trying to cover Motorhead; an odd combination to say the least but it was actually pretty sweet. I must admit though, the songs got a bit repetitive and the energy was low... but that could be blamed on the audience I guess, as alot of people were busy being pretentious and hanging out in the beer garden's, leaving a couple overly zealous kids in trucker hats to half heartedly mosh and bang there heads. Ah, the curse of the opening band.

Next up was Flatliners, some straight up punk rock. They did what they do best, which is unfrilled, no bars held punk played with a giant shit eating grin and a jump in there step. I say this as both a compliment and a criticism, as I'm actually a pretty big fan of there records! But maybe I was just in an eclectic mood; the power chord blitzkrieg they uncanned on everyone was awesome, but rather one dimensional. Thank god for the occasional break into punk-reggae they made! Neat band, clearly with some hardcore fans who know every lyric to all of there songs.

So the stage cleared. Kids began pressing against me (see what I did there!) from behind, clamoring to get close to the front. Joints started getting passed, lyrics chanted, and I'm pretty sure I felt an ass grab. I should point out that I had ripped the sleeves off of my t shirt prior to the show.

I knew what I was getting into!

It was at this point I started having the inevitable doubts that I mentioned above, watching the roadie set everything up. A banner? Lighting? Towels beside the amps? Come on now.
But then Against Me ran onstage. I promptly stopped thinking and started singing.

Opening with "Amputations" (off of Tom Gabel's solo album,) I pretty much lost it from then on out. A constant push pit of sweating bodies and screamed lyrics formed. I befriended a fellow in a Clash shirt named Kevin, by way of standing upfront and having him wrap his arms around my shoulder, screaming every single lyric along with me. I flailed and jumped and screamed, utterly primal, so caught up in this band I loved... this band I love. I really can't describe to you the emotion and energy Against Me brings to a stage, no matter how big or small.

Being the overly emotional fan boy I was, I was far to busy smashing into people and waving my fist at Tom. But let me tell you, this is a band that never forgets where they come from and the sojourns they've taken along the way. Blending songs like "White Crosses," "Pints of Guinness" "Sink Florida Sink," "Up The Cuts," and "Miami" from almost every album they have released just goes to show these guys haven't changed; they've just grown, and the incredibly varied music shows it. From the angered folk of older work, over driven punk of more recent albums and the sleek shimmer of there modern output, I really don't care that Tom Gabel isn't screaming into a cassette by himself anymore as long as he still knows how to scream. This band has become the new Clash, constantly growing and evolving there art no matter what shit is flung there way. This is music that resides somewhere in these guys hearts, and they simply want to share it with you. Thats music, friends.

Highlight of the show? Band runs offstage; Tom runs onstage alone moments later, acoustic guitar in hand. He plays something I've never heard before; an acoustic version of "Joy," one of Against Me's most heartfelt songs. I nearly cry, so over whelmed with the emotion shared by the songs title, arm in arm with Kevin and Richard singing along. Then the rest of the guys run onstage; "This one's for you" Tom says, before kicking into the folk punk anthem to end all anthems, "Reinventing Axl Rose." You can feel the ground shaking as everyone is renewed with energy. Some random chick besides grabs me and kisses me. Kevin leaps the barrier separating us from them, joining the band onstage and pounding his heart with his fist, screaming every lyric along. I hold my hand out, started leaning over the barrier; I want to join him! To bad security slaps my hand away and shoves me back.

"Are the punks still singing the same song?"

Set List;

1. Amputations
2. New Wave
3. High Pressure
4. Pints of Guinness Make You Strong
5. Cliche Guevara
6. White Crosses
7. Don't Lose Touch
8. Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart
9. Up The Cuts
10. White People For Peace
11. Suffocation
12. I Was A Teenage Anarchist
13. T.S.R. (This Shit Rules)
14. Rapid Decompression
15. Spanish Moss
16. Miami
17. Stop!
18. Thrash Unreal
19. Sink, Florida, Sink

Encore:

20. Joy
21. Reinventing Axl Rose
22. Walking Is Still Honest
23. Baby, I'm An Anarchist!