I woke up today on the couch a bit confused. my alarm was going off, but not loud enough to compete with the Pennywise mix I’d evidently dialed up. Turns out that I wound up at “Punk Night” at Tower Bar last night, and well, that seemed to have worked itself into punk morning.
It was a great night. I went to Tower Bar, my neighborhood watering hole and punk rock establishment. (if you don’t have one of these, please start one) Fine bands played, well five of them to be a bit more specific.
I knew a couple of the bands from the before times. I’ve even played with some of them, but a couple of newer and out-of-towners were there too. How great is that? People starting new bands. Bands from other places coming over to play cool-ass songs for other people places!? It is rad. Obviously not to discredit the San Diego bands, because they were all entirely awesome as well. (I mean maybe I tried to start an unhinged one-man circle pit … nah, that was probably a doppleganger or something. 😉 )
If recall the lineup, it was:
New Dystopians
Strychnine Ninety Nine
Celebrity Stalker
Punch Card
Blue Elephant and the Seven Snakes
Incredible lineup at a legendary venue (possibly legendary because of the number of vehicles that have crashed into it)
If you’re new to the San Diego punk community, it’s a welcoming bunch. There’s a few venues where you’re likely to see punk bands on any given night and Tower Bar is among them.
It’s hard to condense the experience into a few paragraphs, but if you like having a couple drinks and hanging out with your friends while a musical cacophony happens around you, it’s a must.
I rolled in a bit after 8pm and New Dystopians were playing. It was a thin but appreciative crowd. The sound system seems like it’s been upgraded since the last I was there. It was a solid set.
My friends showed up after a bit and we took over the second best table in the house, as evidenced by the photos. The opening band (New Dystopians) were packing up and Strychnine Ninety Nine was loading up. They played a kick ass set of hardcore punk. If you like your punk rock on the old school hardcore style , these guys rule. The crowd seemed to have somehow doubled at this point. 😉
Celebrity Stalker was up next. Out visiting neighbors from the nearby village of Los Angeles busted out some of the freshest jams I’ve heard in a minute. It’s a little hard to describe, like how it’s hard to describe umami, but seriously don’t just take my word for it, check this band out.
Long running San Diego band, Punch Card was up next and once again I was blown away at the level of art and artistry that punk has achieved. I’m always a sucker for a trio, but they brought the goods. Focused, energetic, and involved. No one was checking the clock.
Finally Blue Elephant and the Seven Snakes were up. If you’ve not had the chance to see them, please do. They bring some seriously kick-ass thrash punk to the San Diego scene. If you like insane blasts of irreverent punk, with an entirely in your face delivery, they are not a band to be missed.
Check out the bands I mentioned, but above all, please go out and see some shows in your area. Help out the bands, the venues, and yourself.
Cheers!
Jerry Actually
How about a little bit of “Local Punk Friday”? That’s a thing now. I said so. So, for Local Punk Friday I’m listening to the debut album from San Diego punk upstarts, 
The Dance Thunder EP is strange and good and cool…reminds me of weird early 90’s bootleg tapes that we’d listen to in the high school photo lab, or mid 90’s albums you’d hear wafting through dorm halls on move-in day. It’s a bit Pixies, a tad Modest Mouse, a smidge mellow Sonic Youth. The songs have that fun sound of indie tracks peppered into Chuck or this-season’s-Juno movies.
I got the increasingly rare opportunity to attend a Buck-O-Nine CD release show last Saturday at their, and my newly re-adopted, hometown stomping grounds. The show was at The Casbah, a downtown San Diego ska friendly staple. It is a great little venue, perfect for intimate shows with your favorite bands and the 24oz. cans of PBR aren’t stupid expensive. As a bonus for attending the show, every ticket holder received a copy of Sustain, their first new release in seven years. For fans of Buck-O-Nine, you wont be disappointed. As far as I’m concerned the disc is an instant ska classic. The songs are tight. The horns hit. They can hold muster to a couple adult beverages and remain dance-able. The shout along choruses are intact. If you are new to ska, (wow that cave must have been crazy dark and quiet all these years) dig into their back catalog. There is more good stuff to be had. What more can I say about the disc other than it is a great piece of work from one of my favorites and now on one of my favorite labels too. For those that didn’t get to attend the show. Buck-O-Nine was opened by another local ska act, The Lifters. They too put on a great show. Check ’em out if you have a chance.