This past weekend I decided to celebrate turning the big 60 a bit early and hopped a plane to sunny LA. From there I would head to Huntington Beach on Saturday and Sunday for the Back to the Beach Festival. I got there on Saturday just in time for Suicide Machines. Suicide Machines only occasionally gather together to perform one offs, usually at fests and never, ever have played Seattle since getting back together. So even though I arrived late, I consider myself fortunate to have arrived in time for their set. Front man, Jay Navarro was nothing short of amazing. He constantly strutted about the stage while singing into a cordless mic. He sported dread locks that roamed almost to his shoulders. Toward the end he got into the crowd and sang a couple songs, often seeming to serenade those close by and often shoving the mic into the crowd for sing-alongs. So if Suicide Machines or any Seattle promoters read this, get this band to play in Seattle. I would love to see them do their own show. The rest of Suicide Machines is Ryan Vandeberghe, Rich Tschirhart and Justin Malek.
Mad Caddies
Following Suicide Machines was one of my long time faves, the Mad Caddies. They’ve never disappointed me and didn’t this time either. Lead vocalist Chuck Robertson was a bit more clean shaven than I’d ever seen him as he sang favorites like Back Yard and Monkey and a great ska version of Green Day’s She that sounded frikiin awesome!
Less Than Jake
After Mad Caddies came another of my favorites, Less Than Jake. These guys are always full of energy. Bass player Roger Lima always looks like he’s having the time of his life. He oozes charisma from every pore while trombone player Buddy Shaub ran about the stage, stopping every once in a while to rile the crowd. Guitarist/vocalist Chris DeMake made great facial contortions as he played and sang. One of the highlights of their set was when they brought a little boy on stage who was wearing a sky high mohawk wig. He couldn’t have been older than five or six and several band members took turns singing to him. The other two members of Less Than Jake are, Vinnie Fiorello – drums; Roger Wasilewski – sax. I always enjoying seeing them play and am looking forward to seeing them play in Seattle tonight.
Hepcat
After Less Than Jake was another band I’ve waited a long time to see, Hepcat. They’re another band who just never play Seattle. They’ve played the Victoria Ska Fest many times, but never make a stop here. So if you’re reading this, Hepcat and/or Seattle promoters, you know what to do. Hepcat play a varied ska sound. They wove elements of jazz, ska, reggae and even some hip hop into their repertoire. They play their instruments while dancing non-stop and never missed a note. At the end they brought up a couple of young children, about two and five years old and took turns dancing with them while colorful balloons bounced about the stage and into the crowd. The kids appeared to be having a great time being up there. I hope Hepcat comes to Seattle as they’ve snubbed us for way too long and I’m dying to see them do their own full-length show. I really loved their set. Hepcat is, Vocalists: Greg Lee & Alex Desert, Keys &Vocals: Deston Berry, Guitar: Lino Trujillo, Drums: Greg Narvas, Sax & Guitar: Efren Santana, Trumpet & Vocals: Kincaid Smith.
Aquabats
The Aquabats were up next and they’re another band who never disappoint me. They have one of the best live acts of any band. They wore their obligatory space cadet outfits and battled various monsters. This time the monsters were sand fleas who claimed Huntington Beach was their turf and the Aquabats were invading. A battle ensued with Aquabats and sand fleas throwing punches. But as much fun as their stage show and antics are, the Aquabats’ music can stand alone. I can listen to their songs and enjoy them as much as I do their live shows. They ended their set with Pool Party and invited children and parents to join them on stage to sing and dance along and before long the stage was full of young children, (some of whom were toddlers) and stage props (a giant snake and a giant pizza slice). Their set was as silly and fun as ever. The Aquabats are, The MC Bat Commander – Vocals, Crash McLarson – Bass, Jimmy The Robot – Keyboards / saxophone, Ricky Fitness – Drums, and Eagle “Bones” Falconhawk – Guitar.
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Following Aquabats was Boston legends, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They came on stage wearing matching black suits. Singer Dickie Barrett sang many favorites with his deep gravelly voice. When introducing their song Royal Oil, Dickie Barrett explained that when they wrote that song twenty years ago it was about things that meant a lot to them and how little has changed today. He added that we must still have hope. I got the distinct feeling he was comparing the evils of Bush and Trump. At the end of their set some Aquabats and the horn section from Less Than Jake joined them on stage and it was one big party. The rest of the Bosstones are, Trombonist Chris Rhodes, Joe Gittleman “the Bass Fiddleman” – bass guitar, Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton – tenor saxophone, Ben Carr – backing vocals, manager, dancer and “Bosstone”, Joe Sirois – drums and percussion, Kevin Lenear – alto saxophone and baritone saxophone, Lawrence Katz – guitar Chris Rhodes – trombone, John “JG” Goetchius – keyboards.
311
Closing the first night was another band I’d never seen before, 311. I remember hearing them on the radio back in the early 90s and always thought they were a pop punk band and was unaware they were still together. I was blown away not only by their performance, but by their musical ability and varied style. I heard not only power pop, but some reggae and even a bit of hip hop. They did a hauntingly beautiful cover of the Cure’s Love Song (better than the original, I thought).
Guitarist Tim Mahoney had long hair that often fell into his face and he made his guitar strings shriek and cry as if begging for mercy. Drummer Chad Sexton performed a solo and made his drums sound like a sitar. When the rest of the band returned to the stage they all played different drums and the concert became one big drum fest. The rest of 311 are, Nick Hexum – vocals, guitar. SA Martinez – vocals, and P-Nut – bass.
Day 2 – Mustard Plug
The next day, Sunday, I returned for more great ska bands. Late again, I arrived in time for Mustard Plug. I’ve seen Mustard Plug once before, but I’ll see them 100 times more if given the opportunity. They were a ton of fun. Vocalist Dave Kirchgessner bounced about the stage like the beach balls that were being tossed about amongst the crowd. Guitarist Colin Clive had long hair that whipped as he twisted and gyrated about. Dave mentioned how the band lived in a place that was infested, not by rats or cockroaches, but by Nazis. And punks don’t like Nazis living with us or in the White House. Several cheers erupted from the audience. Mustard Plug had many people crowd surfing pretty non-stop. I think they won the record for the most crowd surfers of the whole fest. The rest of Mustard Plug are, Rick Johnson – bass, Nate Cohn – drums Jim Hofer – trombone and Brandon Jenison – trumpet.
Interrupters
The Interrupters followed Mustard Plug. The interrupters are fronted by the very lively Aimee Interrupter. She was barely in one spot for more than a few seconds, spending most the time running back and forth or leaning into the crowd while belting out songs on a cordless mic. Bass player Justin Bivona: Bass, sported a short cropped mohawk and he and his brother (guitarist Kevin Bivona) often ran across the stage to swap places or stood on the monitors never missing a lick. Their other brother, Jesse on drums, rounded out this always fun band.
Save Ferris
After the Interrupters was Save Ferris. Singer and founding member, Monique Powell never ceases to amaze me. Not only does she have pipes like no one else, she knows how to put on a performance. She tantalized the crowd with her sexually provocative antics, caressing herself and giving those in the audience a come hither gesture. She came on stage wearing a tight black dress with black fishnet stockings and high heeled sandals. About the third song in, Fishbone vocalist Angelo Moore joined her on stage and they performed a duet, both oozing charisma. About half into their set she stripped out of her dress to reveal a skimpy pair of rompers she’d been wearing underneath. She strutted and danced about the stage, continually tantalizing (I could see many of the dudes frothing at the mouth), before stripping out of the rompers to reveal a one-piece swim suit, the fishnets and black high-heeled sandals firmly in place.
Every time I see Save Ferris I am blown away.
Fishbone
Up next was another legendary band, Fishbone. Angelo Moore is no slouch in the charisma department. Even without duetting with Monique Powell, he oozes charisma. But no one is the star in this band. All of them are doing something all the time, making it difficult to know who to watch. I’m always afraid I’ll miss someone doing something wild because I’m watching another member do something wild. They’re either jumping up and down or prancing or dancing about the stage. Angelo dedicated their song Party at Ground Zero to all the rude boys and rude girls out there. Fishbone are one of the best live bands on the planet. The ban consists of, Angelo Moore – Vocals / Sax / Theremin, John Norwood Fisher – Bass / Vocals, Walter “Dirty Walt” Kibby – Vocals / Trumpet, Phillip “Fish” Fisher – Drums,John Bigham – Guitar and Chris Dowd – Keyboards / Trombone / Vocals.
Goldfinger
After Fishbone left the stage it was time for Goldfinger. Singer/frontman John Feldmann is already a half century old, but he can still fly through the air with the greatest of ease (literally). When not churning out songs into the mic, he’s often doing mid-air twists, never missing a lick on the guitar. His humor knows no boundaries either. He mentioned his kids were with him and that in his family there’s an agreement that every time he swears his kids get $20. If this is true, he’s headed for the poorhouse because he lit into a song about Ted Nugent, getting the audience to sing along, calling Nugent an asshole and fuck the NRA and fuck Donald Trump. He had borrowed horn players from other bands including Reel Big Fish. And Reel Big Fish’s lead vocalist Aaron Barret joined him on stage. Travis Barker (Blink 182) slammed away on drums. Mike Herrera (MXPX) played guitar. Goldfinger are another band that hasn’t played a show in Seattle in like forever. So, hello again, band and Seattle promoters. Bring Goldfinger here.
Sublime With Rome
Closing the night and the fest was Sublime with Rome. I never did see Sublime before the demise of their original lead singer Bradley Nowell. In the early and mid-nineties I had young children at home and wasn’t getting out much. But the more I heard their songs on the radio, the more I loved this band. The two surviving members (Eric Wilson on bass and Bud Gaugh on guitar) reformed in 2009 as Sublime with Rome (Ramirez), a friend from LA. Rome possesses a fair bit of charisma and a lot of congeniality, though his voice is quite different than BradleyP’s. He is a very good singer, but I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the songs being sung by anyone other than Bradley. Since they really weren’t an active band on stage, I took my tired aching feet and sat down adjacent to the stage and soaked up the songs. When they played one of my top three favorite songs, April 29,1992, I realized that that date was the same date as this show, only 26 years ago. The song is about the LA riots after officers were acquitted of brutally beating Rodney King after pulling him over in a traffic stop. The incident was video-taped and went viral. As I sat and listened I lamented the fact that little has changed in terms of police brutalizing black people and getting away with it. Other songs included Wrong Way and Santeria before the night ended and hoards and hoards of people streamed out of the compound, still singing Sublime songs as they meandered to the exit.
All in all this was a great festival. All the bands I saw were outstanding. I got to see some bands I’d never seen before as well as some favorites I’ve seen many times. My only complaint was the lack of water. There was no free water, nowhere to refill a water bottle anywhere in the compound. You could buy a small bottle for $6, but I needed at least six of those to get through the day and that would drain my coffers pretty quick. Being press, they let me come in and out and there was a water fountain just outside the gates. By the end of the event the grounds were saturated with empty plastic bottles and we were on the beach, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. If they really wanted to be good stewards of the environment they should have encouraged people to bring their own water bottles and have ample fountains for refills. As I write this, three days later, I am still basking in the glow of all the fun I had.
– All photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
