Stray Bullets / Nick And The Adversaries / Unlisted / Pomps / Yo Ticonderoga
Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA 10/3/15
Jill is the Saturday afternoon bartender or Drink Dominatrix, as she is known, at the Midway. You don’t tell her what you want to drink, she tells you. And punishes you severely for your transgressions.
And early this week she helped save the life of a guy, wandering around the tracks on the Orange Line trains. She alerted the train coming in and got help.
She thought he might have fallen in but heard later on the news that the guy was trying to retrieve a nip of Vodka that he had dropped.
I commended her on her diligence and suggested it was because of her occupation- and since the mishap involved alcohol it was her sworn duty to act.
So this show started a little early, and I tried to arrive a little bit early, but I ended up getting there a little bit late.
Yo Ticonderoga is in the middle of their set, but I checked them out earlier and liked what I heard. They play pop/punk, punk’n’roll or, if that’s too convoluted for you, you can say they play straight up punk with a dash of alternative thrown in.
But it sounds great from where I’m standing and their last song, I think it’s called “Coffee Song”, was brewed the finest.
Next up is The Pumps who play what I’d call ska/pop. It’s sort of like if Elvis Costello’s band jammed with The Specials- which is not a bad thing at all, but it’s not my favorite style.
I want more substance, more meat, more dairy products with artificial coloring, tv dinners that sing out to me and engage me. And, I want, desperately, to write coherently again.
I do like the cool sounding high-pitched sixties keyboards and everyone sings and plays very well. But the music is so happy and bouncy that it just makes me depressed, sick individual that I must be.
They end with what I think is a Madness cover but I’m too distraught to remember which one.
Next is one of my favorite bands so my spirits are immediately lifted. It’s Unlisted and they play “no wave” an obscure 80’s genre with loads of dissonance, tribal and punk rhythms, abrasive vocals and music that’s made to make people frown but just fills me with euphoric glee.
I’m talking before their set with Derek, soundman/doorman.
“I guess they’re friends with the other bands,” I say. (Though their style couldn’t be more different). “So I figure at least, people won’t throw things at them. But I think some people are gonna be a little surprised.”
“Oh, like what the fuck.” Derek laughs.
“Exactly.”
This is my third time seeing them and all I can say is, even if I didn’t want to see any other band on the bill, I would still be here to see them.
They play songs with the energy and spirit of early punk but with music that fits more in with “noise” or “experimental”. And they put on one hell of an exciting, creative, never know where the music’s gonna go, kind of set.
They leave me looking forward to the fourth time.
Nick and the Adversaries are next and like The Pomps are not my thing. But they certainly sound top notch at what they do. I’m a little lost at how to describe them so I check their facebook page and they say they’re mod/rock/indi which is okay with me.
They have an amazing rhythm section and an incredible drummer but there is one slight slip up during one song.
I only mention this because my punk daughter, Elle Dubs, is here today and I’m so proud that she picks up on it as she is a novice drummer.
“I always pay attention to what the drummer does now,” she proclaims.
And if you like the style that Nick & The Adversaries play then I’m sure you’ll like them, and the same goes for The Pomps.
The popular Stray Bullets are up last who also play a style I’m not wild about- ska/punk. But when it’s played this well how can one resist?
The same bass player played earlier with The Pomps and I consider him one of the best on the scene. He plays full sounding, tight bass lines along with the drummer, Scotty, who also plays with The Black Cheers. And Scotty’s one of the best drummers I know adding his propulsive, precision, percussive pulse.
Add to that an excellent front man, great songs and a guitarist who can ska it up or punk it down- how can you lose?
They play a forty-five minute set which is long for a matinee show. But for me they don’t overstay their time and it looks like the crowd agrees with me.
I mention after the set to the bassist the 45 minute and set and how he played earlier, too. “I just want to make sure you fill out your time card properly to get paid.”
All ‘n’ all, a good day, a good time. I got nothing to add just have to find out what Orange Line train station that Jill was at.
There might be a lost Vodka nip that needs rescuing.
(Slimedog)
