The FU’s / Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One / Dead Friends / Bob Cenci “Rockin’ Bob” / The Doll Eyes / BarRoom Heroes / Double Minor
The Beachcomber Quincy MA 11/5
Well, today I’m going to see over ten bands at two different gigs, both in the same town and I’m gonna split the review into two parts and split my cranium with a crowbar at the same time! Part one was put on by Carrie Bell, the lovely and talented manager of BarRoom Heroes, at the scenic Beachcomber on Wollaston Beach for a Saturday afternoon show. Carrie is a big supporter of Thrash N’ Bang and she is just about the biggest supporter of everyone in the scene I know.
The first band to play is Double Minor. Its funny when I first heard their name, I thought of the fancy music theory term and thought, why would a punk band reference this? Later, I finally figured out they’re talking about hockey so, into the penalty box for me! I miss them ‘cause I don’t get my hungover ass there till two but I’m gonna review them anyway. (I don’t feel too bad, the singer of Double Minor says he woke up about a half hour before the gig). How will I complete such an ardent task, you say? Well, I checked out about a half hour of them on youtube and thought they were very good. They’re a pretty straight ahead hardcore band but they do mix it up well with tempo changes, some nice growly bass guitar and some almost metal-ish guitar with some good tunes to boot. I look forward to seeing them soon.
Right after I get there, BarRoom Heroes takes the stage (band profile: here). This is a punk trio whose ages range from 12 all the way to 13 years old. They may be young but guitarist/singer Jake Bell is a natural. Even for these young guys it’s early to play but after a while they get going with great originals like “Outta Weymouth” and “Punk Rock In The U.K.” along sides great covers like “White Riot” by The Clash. The crowd starts to wake up with them as the set goes on. And any rumor that they’re going to change their name to “The Little Shits” or “The New Fartz” is untrue and only started by unscrupulous websites.
The Doll Eyes (band profile: here) is next led by Phil McCafferty formerly of The McGunks and powered by Gary Traylor on drums; Nate Shaw on vocals/ guitar and Mike O’Shea on bass/vocals contribute a lot and round it out. They’re probably my favorite band on this site so I guess you could say I like them. They always put on a great show and today is no exception, starting off with the explosive, “Tell Me” they do a set of punk influenced rock songs. Great songs, great lyrics, great performances and my favorite cd of 2011 – need I say anymore?
Next a change of pace with Bob Cenci, guitar player of The F.U.’s and formerly of Jerry’s Kids. He’s gonna do a solo acoustic guitar set while stomping on a tambourine. And best yet he has free Jerry’s Kids t-shirts and cds at his feet. After grabbing my XXXL t-shirt I hear a set of good tunes. At one point in- between songs he says, “I wanna give advice to young musicians with a metronome. Get your metronome, put in a new battery, calibrate it, then throw it out the window.” My favorite song is “Pot Smoking Kids In The Neighborhood,” where he tells of certain neighborhood characters and their concerns with each verse ending with the line, “But they don’t give a damn about the pot smoking kids in the neighborhood.” Very effective.
Dead Friends (band profile: here) is next and it’s a first time seeing them for me. Not the first time for a lot of people, obviously, as they seem to bring the biggest crowd of the day. They mix elements of rap and rock in a kind of Rage Against The Machine sort of way. They crack me up referring once to “that motherfucker Whitey Bulger,” and play my favorite song by them, “On The Run.” A little different from a lot of the bands we cover but good nonetheless.
Lenny Lashley (band profile: here), formerly of the Darkbuster, is next. He does a solo acoustic thing now, as well, but is accompanied by a pedal steel player and mandolin player. This is my second time seeing him (and later tonight will be my third) and this is much better than at The Agnostic Front show I reviewed recently. I’m noticing what a good voice he has; it was somewhat obscured in the loud, abrasive Darkbuster and I was already aware of his talent at writing songs. Today the song, “Delay On The JFK,” sticks in my mind, a kind of sing along tale of how he’s always late and uses the unreliable transportation system as his alibi. “Viva Rock N Roll” is great; too, he performs an excellent set.
Now, it’s time for The F.U.’s (band profile: here), a legendary local hardcore band that goes back to the very beginning of hardcore in Boston. We always seem to catch them as they always put on great shows. To see them is a little different from other bands as in this band all the players leap about while the singer stands mostly still. John Sox is the singer and his unique voice is still strong and clear. They do my favorite song by them, “Young Fast Iranians,” which has the crowd slammin’ and singing into the mike. They follow it with their cover of the Queen’s tune, “Tie Your Mother Down.” That’s supposed to be the last song but them and the crowd want more. After some discussion they decide to do, “Father Christmas” by the Kinks with some difficulty which causes John to remark to the crowd, “Well, it looked like some of you know that song, maybe more than the people on stage.” I enjoyed it all and now I’m off to Part Two at The Future Bar. I can’t stay to say anymore! I gotta split.
(Jim Slimedog)
