| Jay Hale Rambles About Three Punk Shows
The Red Sox may not have been playing up to snuff over the past few weeks but Boston has at least witnessed a good showing from their punk bands. We got that going for us.
Darkbuster got it started at Axis on July 22 with Gang Green and the The Pug Uglies in tow. While the crowd seemed a bit young for a Darkbuster gig, you could tell it was going to be another one of their beer-fueled barnstormers when you walked up to the door, passing the shirtless, drunken zombies sloshing around and a big puddle of blood in front of Axis that looked like leftover chum from “Jaws.”
The Pug Uglies sounded super tight and the new tunes they showcased were awesome but Gang Green was a huge surprise. The last time I saw them was at the Linwood for a 15-minute set maybe three years ago and before that back at The Rat in 1997 during a nasty heatwave. Chris Doherty sounded great and so did his backing band. The kids loved it.
The following Friday saw the punk festivities move to TT’s for a gig headlined by The Ducky Boys and Far From Finished taking the stage right before them. Although FFF vocalist Steve Neary thought their set was terrible – as he usually does for some strange reason – their new material was fantastic. They still don’t have a permanent bassist so Mark Lind from the Ducks was filling in. Again. The band is currently mixing their next album at The Outpost in Stoughton with the legendary Jim Siegal. Rumor has it there will be some crazy shit going down on the next disc so stay tuned for it on Sailor's Grave Records.
The Ducky Boys have been making up for their years of dormancy by releasing two new discs in the span of about a year. On Friday, they busted out a more rock and roll version of “The River” off their debut, “No Gettin’ Out.” I hardly recognized it. Their set was cut a few songs short when guitarist Douglas Sullivan broke a guitar string and then snapped it again while it was being restrung. And Mark cut his nutsack while shaving his beard before the show. Long story, ask him about it.
The weekend of fun wrapped up where it began – at Axis – this time with the The Street Dogs. Before the gig, I had a chance to catch up with Mike McColgan about living out in California and the band’s forthcoming album, “Fading American Dream,” which will be out October 11. The first two Street Dogs albums were recorded in Boston but this time out they opted to put it down with Ted Hutt out in Los Angeles. There may have been fewer distractions away from the homefront but McColgan says the recording session was the most difficult of his career. “Ted Hutt is very intense,” he says. “Probably the toughest producer I’ve ever worked with and let me tell you, Lars Frederiksen never went easy on us.” When asked if “Fading American Dream” is a continuation of the Street Dogs’ experimentation with punk, hardcore, roots rock and what have you, McColgan, turned, smiled and replied: “Honestly, if the three albums “Do or Die,” “Savin Hill” and “Back to the World” went out back to fight in the alley, “Fading American Dream” would be what walked through the door.” The three new cuts they played during their set were good and it’ll be interesting to hear them fleshed out in the studio.
On tour with the Street Dogs, and headlining in most cities, are the Adolescents and, let me tell ya, this is no old man, 80s punk rehash-a-roo cabaret act. They were intense, they sounded tight and they played all the hits. Phenomenal. Tony Reflex’s pipes haven’t aged at all and he can still blast out the vintage LA punk. The young kids in the front (by the way, were the fuck are you getting those little brim JFA hats?) were super-stoked the whole set and kept stage diving away. Axis was actually pretty cool about it for the most part. Hearing “Kids from the Black Hole” played live for the first time almost gave me wood. I’m gonna try to hit the Adolescents up for an interview after the tour so keep your eyes peeled. Now go look at some pictures.
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