The Manglers / The New Frustrations / The Grommets / Kermit’s Finger / The Instamatics / The Unstables
Jamaica Plain Porchfest, Jamaica Plain, MA 7/13/19
Besides the two shows I organize a year, the show I most look forward to is the The Grommet’s Porchfest, which occurs in early July and is walking distance from The Midway.
And besides the great bands and free hot dogs, this event is a welcome respite from the usual, sleazy nightclub experience. This is more like a family cookout with punk bands playing. I was lucky enough to visit Gilman Street in California once, and this is the closet I get to that experience. The family, community vibe is also here. (Though some free whiskey from an attendee is offered today, some kind of promotion from a bar.)
But seven hours in sweltering heat drinkin ard liquor outside, that’s not for me. I may not be too wise but I am too old to imbibe (okay, I took a sip towards the end.)
The Unstables are just about to play when I arrive and I was really looking forwards to seeing them as I missed them opening up, one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. That was the one that happened on St. Patrick’s Day at the Midway.
They’re a seven piece cover band that plays punk/new wave songs from the eighties, generally. They have Tom from The New Frustrations and three members from the gone but great, all-girl band The Killer Abs.
They play a lot of great songs, greatly. My favorites being “Private Idaho” by The B-52’s and a rockin’ version of “She Cracked,” (complete with lyrics being shown in word or picture by a member flipping pages) from The Modern Lovers.
An instrumental surf trio, The Instamatics, are next with Eric The Fruitbat, from The Grommets, playing bass. They specialize in doing unexpected covers of songs done surf style, such as songs by The Cure or, my favorite, “The Model” by Kraftwerk.
They play a stupendous, splendid, spectacularly, superb set. What I mean was- it was really swell!
Kermit’s Finger is next, a band that’s been around for twenty years. They’ve been around long enough that their music was originally called hardcore but now, I guess they would be considered punk. Meaning, the original bands that I knew as hardcore such as- Angry Samoans, Black Flag, Circle Jerks are now categorized as punk.
So this band has no growly, death vocals- no metalish drums or guitar, but they do have some really great songs!
And a guitar player, Pete Pasted, who is my favorite on the scene. As during each of their sets he chooses to play one “noise/experimental” solo playing licks above and below his fret board, simultaneously.
And I guess it seems I like them as they have headlined both my birthday shows. And I enjoy them a lot, today.
I’d call the next band The Grommets- great, but I’m afraid of being called biased as I am a member of the band.
I only sing one word in one song but as I told my friend, Lisa, recently I read a review where it said that not only was I the best part of their set but the best part of the whole show!
“Oh, wow. That’s great,” she proclaimed.
But then admitted I was the writer.
“Well, that figures,” she said.
The Grommets are a husband/wife duo who both write songs and both sing them. I have noticed that Kris, the female component of their partnership tends to write more thoughtful, sad songs while Eric The Fruitbat, of the inferior gender tends to write songs that are fun but more frivolous. But both write equally enjoyable songs. (Note: Don’t forget to mention the formidable Ida on drums.)
Yes, I get to make a fool of myself on one song, but my favorite is their song “Cerveca”, which, I believe, is Italian for beer. And the crowd seems to love their cover of Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World,” a song from the British punk class of “77.”
And yes, I was a student then, on this side of the ocean and from what I’ve learned, I can hear that The Grommets are one of the few bands I cover that fully encapsulate (Oh my! what a fancy word!) what punk music means to me.
The New Frustrations are next. A power pop punk trio with melodic, punk songs and impeccable playing. (There he goes again with the fancy words!)
At their best they conjure up the spirit of The Replacements and end their great set with a cover of “We Got The Airwaves,” by Los Ramones.
They’re a solid, tight band with good harmonies and enough punch and grit in the mix to keep it interesting.
The Manglers are the second cover band of today and they play late seventies, early eighties punk classics with a lot of bands starting with the letter “D”. Namely- Dictators, Dead Boys, Damned.
They match the spirit and sound of the early bands they cover.
They also do other lettered name bands, as well. During their cover of “I Got A Right,” by Iggy & The Stooges- Jason, the singer from Baabes pops up to sing it and does an amazing job. His drummer, Pennwise, is filling in ably with The Manglers today.
I’m dancing to The Manglers with Kimi Hendrix, of The Unstables, when I, inadvertently, elbow her arm which causes her to spill her raised cup of water onto her face!
I try to apologize, but end up laughing instead.
She proceeds to pull out my shirt and pour the cup of water inside of it!
“You got me wet,” I truthfully, tell her.
I can’t recall now, what song they ended with.
I do recall how much of a show it was, how I’m never disappointed coming here.
And I can’t wait for next year.
(Slimedog)
