Sprained Ankles / Squallie & The Chaotix / The Radicals / The Pity Whores / Loser’s Circle
O’Briens, Allston, MA 10/31/13
So this is Halloween where people dress up funny, drink a lot and run wild. Sounds like just another punk rock show to me but who am I to say? Now most nights I do spend trying to hand out candy to little boys but since it’s allowed tonight I decided instead to take my weary carcass to Allston to see a show.
At work today I saw the young girl, Christina, dressed as a giraffe. She had on giraffe ears and tail and her face was painted a yellowish brown with black around her eyes. And she had circled specks of coloration on her neck and face. Also, she carried a stuffed baby giraffe in her arms- best costume of the day.
Me- I’m decked out in my usual Mr. Bean costume as I am every day but I also realize I’m still trying to be Lou Reed like I have for most of my life with my short hair and black leather jacket. I got a tribute on him that just went in this week.
I walk in on Loser’s Circle set and bassist Jaime is decked out as one of the Blues Brothers. Seems like I missed their version of “Soul Man” which I would have liked to seen. I ask him how did it sound? “Like a punk rock version of Soul Man,” he says. Which sounds great as well as the three of four songs I did hear of their great punk/pop, garage/punk sound. Looks like we’re off to a great start.
Then the despicable, disposable, diarrhea inducing Pity Whores are next. They start their set with an instrumental tune of viola, guitar and drums which is respectable. Only to be discredited with the next song which sounds like a Bavarian waltz played by the drummer on keyboards while the bassist, (dressed as a dog like Scooby-Doo) and the guitarist, (dressed as a mime) do a ballroom dance in front of the stage. This is, of course, the way they start all their sets.
Afterward they chastise the bassist for being a “bad tar tar” which becomes relevant as he forgets to plug in his bass before the next number The Ramones “Pet Semen-Tary”. Then these perverted, Mongolian sheep herders continue to drink, unflinchingly, from golden chalices that I can only assume contains virgin’s blood.
They do a Misfits cover where a poor, unsuspecting saxophone player has his able efforts demolished by these heathens. Then a new song about how parents are the new drug dealers by giving their kids so much medication which I must admit kicks ass along with “Ghouls Don’t Like Me,” and many other tunes. Though they should be banned for their attempt to lead our children to the well of sinfulness I am happy to dip my ladle in it and they do turn in a mighty rockin’ set.
Now it’s time for The Radicals a group who wants to destroy our democracy- Oh, sorry, that’s the Tea Party. I get them confused. These guys just wanna destroy the tepid waters of mainstream rock by annihilating it with their pulverizing stew of hardcore, street punk and pop punk. My favorite song tonight I think is a new one where they switch to a swing jazz beat towards the end. They bring up the sax player as well and do a medley of “Twist And Shout” (originally by The Isley Brothers not The Beatles) and La Bamba to cap off a fun, energetic set.
Next it’s Squallie & The Chaotix which consists of the bass player from The Old Edison singing while the members of The Radicals back him up musically. They keep the punk spirit going but it’s slower at times, dare I say hip hop like at times? Anyways they play a great set and I’ll have to hear them again to make a more decisive evaluation of their sound when I haven’t been jagermeisted.
Which reminds me of the second best costume of the day. Strolling down Harvard Ave to get here I noticed a girl crossing the street dressed as Jagermeister! She had black shorts and a black t-shirt with the emblem on the back and she was carrying a bucket with fake ice with a fake (I think) bottle of Jager in it. Sometimes I look at women with desire but this was of a different sort. Hooray for Jager girls!
The Sprained Ankles are on to take the night out and are not a punk band but more like a loud, rock’n’roll party band which is not a bad thing. They have seven members, call themselves garage/punk and are attired in many fanciful costumes. They put a fitting end to the show and their version of “Black Cadillac,” an old tune once covered by The Clash, sticks out in my mind.
All’n’all a ghoulishly, great, gory night!
(Slimedog)
