Well, last night’s show at the Half Penny Pub was hella fun. If you were Lisa, or Mariel, or Kerry, or Kristin, or Tom Around the World, or Jay from Sinpusher, or that dude who wants a job as a creative with us, you knew what you saw. If you weren’t, let me skool you on what you missed.
First, Undergang. We’ve played with these guys several times, and they never disappoint. This time, they seemed to have found some new magic. Gone is the Poland keyboard, which resulted in a rawer, more powerful sound. Even better, ditching it gave frontman Al Smead (Syracuse’s finest, btw) more room to roam on stage. His facial contortions, jerky movements, and “dramatic interpretations” of each tune kept your eyes glued to the stage at all times. At one point, he pantomimed making a caesar salad on stage. I am not kidding. If you haven’t seen Al and crew yet, you’re missing out.
Next up was Planeside. I had hyped this trio up as the “real deal,” and they did not disappoint. A tight, tight rockin’ unit that absolutely OWNED the stage. Their songs are amazing, and each guy in the band is incredible at their instrument. The bassist Ken, in particular, was a frickin’ beast! Their originals were catchy and memorable, and their covers — including the Descendents’ “Coolidge” — were great to hear as well. (Good thing Chris from the Half Penny paid off the ASCAP thug who shook him down.) On top off the kick ass set, they were all great guys as well. I hope we can get ‘em back to Syracuse again sometime.
While I’m on the topic of Planeside visiting the ‘Cuse, I have to share an interesting observation. They’re one of many bands we’ve brought in from out of town, and they said the same thing we’ve heard from every one of them: That Syracuse is VERY COOL town to play. They get a great reception from the audience, even if its not that huge. Apparently, places like the Half Penny are getting fewer and farther between — clubs that are willing to let bands come in and play originals. Bands like Planeside, the Blisterz, Suburban Vamps — they’re always glad they made the trip to Syracuse. And so are we.
Finally, Crankdaddy took the stage at about midnight:30. (Why does Rock have to happen so damn late????) It was the first time we had actually played together in over a month, and yeah, it showed. The word “sloppy” is actually one of Crankdaddy’s core values, and we reveled in it last night. But, we forged on, hit it hard, and had a blast. I promise to be a little more rehearsed by our next gig. (Which is December 12, btw. Channukalooza 6. Put it in your calendars now…details to follow.)
So thanks Undergang, thanks Planeside, and thanks to all our friends who came out to get stoopit with us.
