Still Like That Old Time Rock And Roll

I'll start by just linking to a post written by my good friend over at the Wet Donkey. The first person that bailed on me was completely understandable - I know Dave, you had the Texas trip that you had been planning on for a while with the wife, I can understand that. But then when I asked the next person, he responded with a yes, but then when it came to showtime, he tells me that he's going to see a movie. Really? You're seriously going to bail when we made plans? You know I already bought the ticket, right? So that falls through and I'm scrambling to find anyone, even if I have to cover the ticket just so I don't have to go by myself. I ask my deviant 14 year-old cousin who says, yeah, that sounds cool. I go to the gym, I come back...and he bailed too. Headache. Of course, but you feel good enough to go and hang out with your drug dealing buddy and stay out all night when you're on probation and supposed to be home at 10pm every night. When did my family get so messed up?



So screw everyone, I went to the concert by myself. And I wasn't the least bit disappointed. I am not afraid to eat by myself, or even go to movies by myself. This is a new level of independence to be able to go to concerts by myself. I remember Robbie Haglund mentioning how he went to a Modest Mouse concert solo. And I know my buddy Mario has done it on many occassions. Mario is the same person who will fly out to a concert in another location, get so amped on the opening band, buy their album, and then leave the concert before the band he even came to see gets on because he was so satisfied with what he had already partaken of. That's just really funny to me.

But they were awesome. It was at the Pomona Glasshouse. These reasons three are why the Glasshouse pleases me:

1. You can do pretty much anything there. You can crowd-surf, you can go in and out of the place as you please, and you can mosh, should you so desire. They won't kick you out, they don't even get upset.
2. It's really easy to get to. Not being in LA is why. On a Friday night, you can leave at 830 and get there by 9, and it's just a couple blocks off of the freeway.
3. Parking. Parking is free. There is ALWAYS plenty of it, and it is RIGHT NEXT TO THE VENUE. It couldn't be any better. So awesome.

I also love the crowd that was at the Glasshouse for this particular show. The last two bands I saw there were Rufio and Unwritten Law. It's an all-ages venue which I don't really love that much, but at least it means no alcohol, but it also means that you get a lot of groms there. 13 year-old girls, and the like. Especially with Rufio. There are just a lot of kids and it makes a 27 year-old feel really out of place. But with Strung out it's like a 10:1 guy to girl ratio. All dudes, all wearing dark-colored t-shirts. It's just a totally different crowd, which I loved. And that stems from the fact that Strung Out is bad. Michael Jackson bad, not like milk dated April 2005. They have a lot of melodic stuff, but then a lot of it is really hard and it just has such a cool edge to it.

I have always said that Unwritten Law and Strung Out are my favorite bands to see in show, but Friday night I realized why I like Strung Out more: Jason doesn't talk at all during the show. Sure, he might say a few words here and there, but his thing is really just pumping out as many songs as they can, as fast as they can. The last show with UL at the Glasshouse, I felt like Scott talked in between songs for about as long as the songs are. As much as I love your music, I'm really not interested in much else you have to say. Although Scott does have cool moves and will play the guitar in some songs, especially since they lost their second guitarist.

And what's probably the coolest about Strung Out is that their stuff translates so well to a concert setting, especially a punk rawk show. If you want punk music, you're not really looking for stuff to sing to or dance to. In part, I think you always want to sing the songs. But you're looking for stuff that makes you want to push people, or make you feel coerced into unadulterated fist pumps in the air. Case in point, two sweet fights in the pits right next to me. So awesome. And like I was saying, the hard stuff they play is harder and has more edge and energy then ever can come across on a CD. That first one of the new one. If you listen to it really loud and when the intro finishes, the music pops in with guitars and drums. But in concert, it literally explodes. You know a band is awesome when you go to see them live and what you hear in concert sounds more exciting and more explosive than anything you would ever just hear on a CD. On top of that, listening and seeing them live reinvigorates the love you had for music that might have been getting old when listening to just the CD.

There is something so cool too about having so many people feel such a personal connection to stuff that you have produced in one way or another. I think that is what appeals to me most about writing. It is really exciting to hear that people feel like something touched them or that they connected in some way to what it is that I'm trying to convey. Even when people mention that they like reading this blog it totally gets me excited to feel like somebody is interested in things that I have to say.

I would think that musically, the feeling of satisfaction has to be somewhat similar, and then amplified many times over if your music is actually any good. For example, I will forever love Ted Bond of Craig's Brother. The stuff he wrote, especially on Lost At Sea, has such a special place for me just because I identify so personally with a lot of the things that he wrote. But it has got to be such a rush to play for an audience that paid money to see you and is screaming back at you lyrics that you wrote.

So...the concert was awesome. They played a wide range of songs from each of their albums, and while I didn't get to hear every song I wanted to hear off the new album, by no means was I disappointed with what they did end up choosing. What was cool was that afterward the drummer hung out with people in the crowd, looking at their tatoos of the band and just sat around talking to them. It's really awesome how intimate these punk shows can be. I don't think there is any place else where you can see two dudes punching each other, but then the next second see everybody reaching down to help someone up that has fallen down. It really is a weird dynamic at these punk shows.

I might go see them again September 15th at Long Beach with Lagwagon and Rise Against. I'm down, even if I end up going by myself. WHOA! I just checked the tour dates section and they are playing October 27th in Hollywood! I don't think I mentioned this on here, but I went and saw them on October 28th a couple years ago at the same place and that was the funnest show ever. That's the one where they opened with Analog and the old time music proceeded the raising of the curtain. They all wore costumes, Jason had an old school tux, one guy was Phantom of the Opera, drummer was Batman, another dude a crazed surgeon with blood all over his surgical mask and scrubs, and I can't remember what the other guy was. I'm going to that one FOR SURE. Please join me. That will be so fun. Ok...this post is done. I need to use the 2nd person voice less.