Rockin’ Bob Punk Band / The Lost Riots / Michael Kane & The Morning Afters / Mongorellis
O’Brien’s Pub, Allston, MA 5/12/17
As The Beatles say, “Today’s your birthday, we’re gonna have a good time.” And it is and I shall and I can’t imagine that it was just ten years ago that it became legal for me to drink.
Or that four years ago I spent my birthday, in a young punkette’s apartment, platonically- alone with her, drinking the night and early morning away while she tried to force feed me psychedelic mushrooms. But you do know how I make things up, right?
Mongorellis starts the night off and they start it off right with my favorite song by them, “Politician Death Camp,” which takes the moderate view that the solution for all of today’s problems will be solved with the extinction of all politicians.
This is a fun, punk band from where, almost all bands I love have sprung from- namely Salem, Japan. This band mixes punk with sixties pop, glam rock and I believe, sixties girl groups and come up with a style that is unique and punk and wonderful.
Near the end of their great set they play my favorite song by them, “Choke You,” about a psychotic killer and his deceased love interest. All I know is, if I was a girl, I would still give these guys my unbridled love!
This is my second time seeing Michael Kane & The Morning Afters only after just seeing them at the Midway a few weeks ago. They start off roaring from the get go and I recall their singer/songwriter style with a punk’n’roll pulse, seasoned with a country tinge.
They have a bit of covers, inserting “Skull” by The Misfits in one tune and playing “Knock Me Down” by Dropkick Murphy’s (or if you’re as old as me, you remember that song from The Outlets.) And ending with a strong version of “Born To Run” by Bruce Stringbean. And best of all, a cover of “Poison Heart” by The Ramones.
But there’s lots of great originals, too. This band brings a bit of the past towards a lot of the future and are a pretty great band, right now.
I usually take notes during shows, little texts to myself. I usually do it during lulls in the music. I take zero notes during The Lost Riots set and it wasn’t because I have nothing to relay.
I’m just so riveted by their set. I figured I would enjoy it. Hey, they recorded my favorite ep/cd I reviewed last year out of nearly fifty. And this is my first time seeing them.
But I did not expect to be so blown away. This band from Connecticut plays traditional punk with a hardcore delivery. I did not get the hardcore connection until talking with the singer, Jeffrey, before the set and he mentions spending time in hardcore bands.
But seeing him perform live, jumping off the stage and careening around like a loose pinball, and his intense, near hysterical vocals- I see that influence. But as he told me, his hardcore is of the very early bands like Black Flag and Circle Jerks.
He mentions from the stage that it’s my birthday and Matt, the bass player’s, birthday as well. Seems that Matt and I was born as Siamese twins, separated at birth, and are now just meeting each other for the first time! (The resemblance is uncanny.) And a girl in the crowd is yelling out it’s her birthday, too- but it turns out she’s not related to us.
I get to sing along on my favorite song by them “Dead Boys.” And my friend, Linn, from the late, great Bad Movies, shows up and commands the stage.
This isn’t a great set. This is a set where the band places every ounce of sweat and desire and love and pain of everyday lives and lays it out true and pure with a fury and guts behind it that blows every second of ordinary life of that week, away, makes a few moments worth the many hours of strife, and that’s much better than great. And I will say, this is the best set I’ve seen this year.
Rockin Bob Punk Band is up to take it out. Rockin Bob was one of the original members of Jerry’s Kids meaning, he was one of Boston’s original hardcore musicians.
His band usually plays a more subdued punk, but tonight I sense a bit more energy and intensity.
They play songs like “Never Trust A Terrorist” which give off a cold, eighties vibe like Gary Numan and a great, rockin’ number “I’m Offended,” with some wah-wah guitar. This is a more focused, more aggressive band I’m seeing tonight and I like it.
Towards the end of their set Bob is joined by former bandmate and original singer (still is) of The F.U.’s, John Sox. They commence to play some classic punk tunes starting with “Neat,Neat,Neat” by The Damned- “All This & More” by The Dead Boys and, one of my favorite songs, “I Got A Right” by Iggy & The Stooges, (Which causes me to wildly gyrate in front of the stage, that and the couple of Jamesons.)
I must not forget to mention the sound was superb tonight and that thanks goes to Tan, the club’s great soundman.
I think my favorite part of the night though, was when I was standing in the crowd with Linn, who besides being a talented singer and songwriter is a young, pretty gal, too.
I notice a young guy saunter up to her, say something to her and then quickly, scamper away. I ask her, what she said to him?
“He asked how come I was here without a date, so I pointed at you,” she explains.
“And he didn’t laugh,” I say. But it does make me smile.
“Well, if I’m your date, let me buy you a beer.”
And for you all reading this, I welcome you all to step up right now to the bar, ’cause I’m buying.
After all, it is my birthday.
Cheers!
(Slimedog)
