Closest You Can Get To Going To a Punk Show Without Actually Going

I know I have been out of the blog game for a while so I hope this makes up for it (reader beware: this is a very long post but it's well worth reading it). I spent a while on it so if you want the full effect, read it all and watch the videos) :

The Bouncing Souls show at Downtown Brew in SLO on 10/25/2009 was one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of shows. It blows my mind that these guys still tour every year and continuously put on an insanely good show. We got to the venue right as the doors were opening and there was a long line out side, so I was slightly worried that I would not be able to claim my usual show spot right in front of the lead singers microphone. Luckily, I had 3 experienced show-goers with me and we were quickly able to claim our rightful spot in the front row. With Lenz's camera in tow, I was able to take some good pics and videos, chronicling the epicness:

The guitar player for the opening band, Broadway Calls. They are a really sick pop-punk band from Oregon that I had never heard of before the show. A little on the emo-pop side but they have a pretty original sound and they put on a good show. The opening bands are sometimes the sickest part because they have so much energy and make barely anything and they are usually pretty good. Here is a video of one of their more popular songs:





The drummer for Bayside, the second band. The lead singer had a sick Yankees tattoo on his arm that was one of the cooler tattoo's I've ever seen. Like Broadway calls, I had never heard of them and they turned out to have a really unique emo/post-hardcorish sound with a pretty big metal influence. One of their songs had such a good chorus I had to buy their CD.


I tried to think of something clever and informative to write about the Bouncing Souls, indisputably one of the best punk rock bands to ever pick up instruments, but I couldn't say it better than this:

From The Bouncing Souls Website

You can count the number of bands who've stayed together for 20 years on two hands, and you can use just one to count those who've consistently released quality material for two decades. This year, The Bouncing Souls enter that esteemed category, and in keeping with their D.I.Y. roots, they've done it without major labels, corporate radio, MTV, or teen magazine pinups.

When married couples celebrate twenty years together, they're usually showered with anniversary gifts. The Bouncing Souls are celebrating their milestone by reversing that tradition and giving back to the fans, releasing one original song per month throughout 2009. More on that later, but first let's look back on some earlier days…

Picture it: 1989, a Knights of Columbus Hall in Bernardsville, New Jersey. A supportive music-loving teacher throws down $120 to cover expenses. A bunch of sweaty high school kids gather to sneak beers and rock all night at the debut show of a band called The Bouncing Souls. And a Jersey institution is born.

Though it wasn't until 1995 that the band was able to tour on a full-time basis, they soon found the road to be a more frequent home than the comfort of their own beds. From headlining tiny rooms in remote towns to playing Wembley Arena with Green Day and Tokyo's Budokan with My Chemical Romance to spending time on seven different editions of Vans Warped Tour (totalling 11 months, with more sure to come), The Bouncing Souls have clocked more travel time than most airline pilots.

Since 1996, the band has had a constant traveling companion and honorary fifth member - their primary touring vehicle, lovingly called The White Castle. For ten years, she gave dutiful service, until The Gold Tour, when her engine gave out - with 300,000 miles on the odometer. Regarding her decade of service before temporary retirement (the proceeds from that tour are rebuilding the old gal's guts), Attonito says, "We converted those miles into road hours. Estimating about 40 MPH - because a lot of them aren't highway miles, with plenty of time sitting in traffic - it was staggering. Our estimate rounded out to 333.33 days driving in our truck! No exaggeration: that's about a full year!"

Fortunately, there are many more tour dates in store for both the band and their beloved Castle. Exactly how many of those dates is impossible to say, though, since the band hasn't exactly been keeping score. "I'd love to figure out how many shows we've played...I wish we kept count," says Steinkopf. "I know bands that have and it's awesome. It must be way up in the thousands by now, though."

Frequent attendees of those gigs (true believers, all) hail the Souls as one of the best bands in the world, and the boys feel the same devotion to their fans. "Bouncing Souls fans are the greatest friends ever," enthuses Attonito, "They're passionate and full of life. They really are part of the band in the sense that we're plowing a path through life together in good times and in bad."

"It's pretty much across the board too," adds Steinkopf. "every age group...all different kinds of people. My favorite is when we meet people that were there from the start and now they have kids of their own that they bring to our shows. We really are a part of each others' lives."

"And any time someone says you've influenced them certainly makes an impact on you. To know that someone has looked at something you've done and they have taken something from it - whether it be in a lyric or the way you play your instrument - has got to be the highest compliment paid," says drummer Michael McDermott. As a final piece of evidence, Kienlen points to the MySpace gallery of band-based tattoos adorning their admirers: "Last I checked it's up to almost 300 and counting. Our fans are hardcore in their unwavering support. We really are one big family."

Doing it for the sake of the music, the fans, and their own inspiration for twenty years, the group – and their White Castle – are going pedal to the metal on a full tank of gas. According to their frontman, "The shared driving force is part of the mechanics that keeps the beast truckin' down the next highway. We were - and still are - a few passionate, rebellious, creative, idealistic, party loving punks looking for a good time, for something to believe in, and for something meaningful to live for."

With twenty years behind these legends from the Garden State, there's a lot more still to come from The B.S. – and that's no bull.

- Bruce J. McDonald

________________________________

Greg: The lead singer of the Bouncing Souls
Brian, the bass player of the Bouncing Souls
some sick art at the venue

The 21 song, hour long setlist that is currently in my possession. Maybe the most complete set list i have ever seen.


Still hatin on Bush. Always thought this saying was punny.

Brian's, the bassplayer for the Bouncing Souls, legendary bass guitar.

Here is a video of the Godfather of Punk Drumming, Michael McDermott, doing what he does best. This video is why it makes me so pissed off when I hear someone say that punk is dead or that punk music is too simple. If someone ever asked me to show them a video of punk drumming, I would show them this. A Pure Genius:

This is a video of the Souls performing a song called Lamar Vannoy, which is one of my favorite songs and I am nearly convinced it was written about me:

"People and money came and went but the only thing that stayed the same
Were the feelings he felt when those records played"



Finally, the best part of the night. As many of you may know, I was able to get up on stage during the Soul's performance of True Believers, which I have tattooed on my shoulder. In the beginning, I had a tough time explaining to people why I got the tattoo, and my story never really sounded how I wanted it to. So now, I decided to post the lyrics to the song and the song itself and let the Souls do all the explaining for me:





I've met some people along the way,
Some of them split some of them stay,
Some of them walk some walk on by,
I've got a few friends I'll love till I die
From all of these people I try to learn,
Some of them shine some of them burn,
Some of them rise some of them fall,
For good or bad I've known them all

We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers

Well you can fight or you can run,
Hide under a rock till the war is won,
Play it safe and don't make a sound,
But not us we won't back down
True believers all the way,
You and I...

We live our life in our own way,
Never really listened to what they say,
The kind of faith that doesn't fade away
We are the true believers
We are the true believers
True believers

And now, the video of me on stage: ( the camera man only captured the last part of it so it is slightly anti-climactic but it was one of the coolest moments of my entire life) I think its pretty coll that I jump off right as they sing "we are the true believers".



Hopefully this post has given you guys a look into what I sincerely believe to be the best genre in all of music. You will never find people that work harder for what they love and I find that sincerity, honesty, and integrity to be infectious and inspiring. I love talking about, listening to, and sharing punk music with people so if anyone saw or heard anything they liked or wants a dope mix guaranteed to brighten your day, hit me up. This post started out just as a recap of a punk concert, but I think it turned into something a little more than that. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.

GP