July 16, 2011
First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia PA
I’ve been listening to The Bouncing Souls since I was in middle school. They were the first band I ever snuck out of the house to go see, my first pit experience, my first time crowd surfing any my first sweet black eye from some guy I didn’t know. That concert started something in me – a need to experience bands live, because we all know that sometimes things are just better in real life. The Bouncing Souls are no exception to this, and I can say the same for the other two bands that opened for them – The Scandals and Blanks ‘77. First Unitarian Church, while perhaps not what someone would think of when they think of a venue for a punk show, is actually the perfect spot. It’s small, so people can be right on top of the stage – literally, when kids were trying to crowd surf they would get up on stage right next to the performers and jump off. It’s that kind of collective closeness that makes a real punk show – getting punched in the boob is just a perk I guess. I got a little fuzzy inside when we drove past the church to park and I saw all the people sitting out front just chilling. There was just a collective energy of - 'I don't give a fuck' and excitement for the music. The only bad thing about small, tightly packed venues in the summer is that they’re hot as hell – hence my need to pass out on the couch right in front of my air conditioner once I got home.
The Scandals opened the show, and while I’ve seen them before, I’m always struck by this sort of electricity that builds up when they perform. They’re classic Jersey punk, which tends to draw me in, and Jared Hart’s voice is awesome. It’s lower than you would expect, coming from the skinny 21 year old, but with their heavy guitar riffs it just fits perfectly. What little crowd that was there to begin with definitely enjoyed the set; I saw some kids in the front row singing the lyrics to a lot of songs, which always makes me happy. And I always love when I see bands making themselves available and chatting with people before small venue shows like this was, so I have to give The Scandals props for that.
Another Jersey punk band, one that’s been around since the early 90’s, Blanks ’77 has gained a huge following over their years together. Never one of my favorites, I can honestly say that seeing them changed my mind somewhat. It’s not their hectic sound that I dislike, it’s Mike Blank’s whinny voice. Don’t get me wrong, I like different sounding voices – Frank Iero during his Pencey Prep days was extremely whinny in a way that I found appealing, I have just never been attracted to Blanks ’77 vocal style. They do know how to rock out however, and I must say, they got the crowd going big time. Their fast paced, loud style of punk is hard not to get hopped up on, and I admittedly love guitarist Renee Wasted, because let’s face it, she can shred with the best of them. They played a nice long set too, and who doesn’t love getting every penny’s worth of an $18 ticket.
The place was wall to wall, body to body packed by the time The Bouncing Souls went on, since it was after all, a sold out show. Ironically, they played the entirety of two of my favorite albums – The Gold Record and Ghosts on the Boardwalk, one that came out the year I graduated from high school, and the other just last year. It’s amazing, that a band that’s been together for over 20 years can put out consistently good albums and tour and sound just as good as they did when I saw them 7 years ago. I still got that rush when Pete Steinkopf played the first riffs of The Pizza Song and Greg Attonito started singing – it was awesome. Their laid back sound translates so well into melodic but punky songs that are both catchy and memorable, even after all this time. It’s hard to find something wrong with a band as well known as The Bouncing Souls, who have done stadium tours with bands like Green Day and My Chemical Romance, when they’re getting back to the roots, and playing a venue like First Unitarian Church, with bands like The Scandals and Blanks ’77.
It’s not hard to argue why I tend to be so loyal to these Jersey punk bands, among others. Their sounds, while different, cross the spectrum of the punk genre and have helped to dictate past and present trends. Like almost every band I’ve seen recently, I would recommend seeing any one of these acts if you get the chance. Each of them had something different to offer, and it was worth every penny and every sweaty second to see them.
- RIOT! (aka Morgan)
