Pennywise, Lagwagon and Stick To Your Guns. Commodore Ballroom, Feb 21st

***Usual disclaimer: If you are looking for an in depth review that includes a set list then this is probably not the place for you, soz bro.***

So, I thought Pennywise were pretty good with Jim and really good with Zoli but now Jim is back even though it seems a bit awkward and forced but hey who am I to judge? If you've been a punk band 25 years and are making a living out of it then you can do whatever the hell you want in my book.

I showed up early and had the misfortune to be second in line behind a wigger in his 40s who was off his face. The gentleman in question had a pretty haggard wife sitting at the bus stop and he seemed genuinely amazed that I had heard of Bouncing Souls. I took a quick walk to rid myself of his attention and was rewarded with the sight of Joey Cape from Lagwagon walking towards me. We gave each other 'the nod' and said hey, just as a scalper asked the bemused singer if he was buying or selling any tickets for the show tonight. And so an incredulous Joey went back into the venue and I lost my chance to talk to the guy. Oh well.

Stick To Your Guns

Sticking out like sore thumbs, these passionate, vaguely emo hardcore menchildren (and a man from Evergreen Terrace) were probably always going to struggle to make an impact on this tour. I quite enjoy them in small doses so I joined the other 11 people who decided to watch them and they weren't half bad until the singer started his motivational speeches. The BELIEVE IN YOURSELF type of POSITIVE THROUGH STRUGGLE hardcore stuff is pretty lol already, but when they guys saying it are younger than 99% of the audience the lols go into overdrive.

'Yo, if you're in a bad place I understand man. I know most of you have kids and mortgages and I spend most of the year in the back of a van with a bunch of dudes, but I understand. My cousin is in prison so I've been through some shit.' - Jesse Barnett, Stick To Your Guns

Lagwagon

DAT SIZE DIFFERENCE

Undoubtedly on my list of 'bands I'd love to see but will probably never get to see' I was probably most excited about this set. On many levels they didn't disappoint! Cramming tonnes of old songs and new favourites into their relatively short set, Lagwagon strike a balance between fun, punk and good musicianship, a combination that is a rare thing in the punk world. The sounds was pretty awful, which sucked doubly as the sexy guitar work is half the appeal of the band for me. The sound is pretty much out of their hands though and they still joked and rawked their way through a set that included Mr Coffee, Lazy and May 16 amongst others so I was happy enough overall.

Pennywise

As well as the backdrop and general stage layout, the sound also magically transforms when headliners Pennywise go on. I picked my usual gig spot just behind where the bros were OPENING UP THE PIT and tried to avoid the plumes of weed smoke that are a staple of most gigs in Vancouver. It's pretty lol when men in their 40s introduce a song as being against fathers, but Same Old Story is one of my all time favourite P-wise songs so I headed into the flailing maelstrom that is the punk rock pit. Taking a breather at the front of the sweaty black hole, I got barged in the back in one of the continental drift movements that happens at theses gigs and somehow found myself at the front, with a hand on the barrier. With teenage years of experience at positioning myself as close as possible to bands, it was then no problem for me to ease myself into a spot along the front row, directly in front of Randy.

The Pennywises steadfastly ignored the new album and its solid to excellent material and stuck rigidly to the old stuff, which I guess is the point of a 25 year anniversary tour. I would have thought they could have been the bigger men and just played one or two songs, but I guess when you're still encouraging people to put their middle fingers in the air when playing a song called Fuck Authority 12 years later you're a bit set in your ways. The band are a well oiled machine and it looks like Fletcher at least is still enjoying it.

I obviously like a lot of Pennywise songs that aren't popular enough to be included in the set list (Open Door anyone?) but I had a good time shouting along about the System and Perfect People and all that noise. I got a mandatory neck crushing hug during Bro Hymn, delivered by an overly enthusiastic Mexican gentleman beside me.  While it was amazing to see the performance from a few feet away, it felt more professional than punk. Understandable of course and it did mean the songs were played to near perfection. I just wish I had seen them a decade ago. Best parts of the night were when a fan, confined to a wheelchair, rolled onto stage at various points to drink beer and sing along.

Still, another of the 'bands to see before I die (or they die)' off the list, next up; Bad Religion!

Jim is back in Pennywise and they're touring with Lagwagon! Say whaaat?!

Holy yes, this tour! While I have stated that I thought Pennywise were better without Jim, and I'm bemused by him pulling a prodigal son on it, I'm really excited for this tour. WITH LAGWAGON.

Tour dates! Get your circle pit shoes on.

New Music Crush: Symphony of Distraction

Even though skate punk is probably my favourite of all genres (I've been listening to it for 10+ years now :/) I find it hard to keep up with new bands or get properly excited about new releases. Maybe it's because I've heard alot of it before, maybe it's because, paradoxically, I want it to also keep to the same formula, but most of the newer bands pass me by for one reason or another.

Luckily though the good folks at skatepunkers.net are there to kick me up the arse every now and then, giving me access to the most crucial of knowledge, with a kind of collective, manic grin borne out of the joy of sharing music and their exasperation that I haven't heard so many great bands!

The latest find for me from there has been Symphony of Distraction. Ever wished NOFX had a better singer?  Ever wish melodic punk bands could be faster? Ever wish Pennywise had a sense of humour? Well then Symphony of Distraction are the band for you! Their EP Pudwack was released in 2010 and it's fast and melodic, sure what more could you want?

• Really nice production, clear and heavy but not over-produced
• A drummer that plays as if he wants ppl to circle pit rabidly the entire time
• Lyrics that have just the right amount of humour, anger, satire and self deprecation
• Occasional forays into sweet guitar riffs
• Samples that are used sparingly
• Melodic vocals and harmonies

It's hard enough to track them down on youtube...this currently be my favourite song:

• Samples = always fun
• Breakneck speeed
• The vocal melodies are so good
• 00.53: The guest (I'm presuming..) vox and the 'oooohhhs' in the background <3 <3
• 1.30: Samples are still always fun (when not over done obvs)
• There's some of that occasional riffage in the outro, mmm.
   

• Harmonies!
• Uncoventional timing for the vocals <3
• Lyrics that pit resignation to being an alcoholic against a dark sense of humour, always good
• It's just good skate punk, no over-analysis on my part can explain it!

So yes, I've just ordered their new album 'Call It Off John' (which I'm sure is another hilarious in-joke that I'm not privy to) and you can do the same here. I'm sure to be rambling on about the album when I get it from the wonderful playground that is Japan. They also use the facebooked and have criminally few likes so go there and set that right and ask them to get in here and explain some damn in-jokes to me.

The new Pennywise is so good

Okay...so usually when starting a post like this I give a rundown of my thoughts on the band in question (liek u care!?) and it's a slightly rambling, unecessary affair. And this time it's going to be even more the case methinks... 

I first heard Pennywise through a video a friend made me (which was made up of stuff from the p-rock channel) and the song Same Old Story, which was a great song full of y u no understand me dad lyrics. I also heard Open Door on a compilation CD and it's one of my favourite punk songs to this day. Then I heard Fuck Authority and I was blown away by the intensity, aggression and guitar tones goin' on. The problem was their stuff was pretty hard to find in the middle of nowhere in Ireland and by the time I got their albums (several years later) I found they didn't have the humour of NOFX, the melodies of Bad Religion, the riffs of Strung Out etc. They didn't have a bad song, mind you, but something held them back from nestling a spot in my top 5 skate punk bands. (like they care..)

Then, last year, lead singer Jim left. If you take the story in 'The Other F Word' (which is well worth a watch) then he wanted to be with his family and the other guys weren't sensitive to this, kept pressuring him to go on tours etc.. If you take the story in this interview by Fletcher then Jim wasn't the only one with pressures, and his decision to go on tour with a new band soon after leaving the P-wise was a bit crap. Either way The Black Pacific came along and I was pretty excited when I heard them first but tbh I haven't listened to them much. Pennywise meanwhile regrouped and eventually picked the dude from Ignite as their nu guy. (I have no opinion either way on Ignite, think I heard one song, power metal punk? who dey tbh)

Anyway enough of me, here's one of their new songs 'All or Nothing', it's pretty class.

• The sound/production is great, they were getting a little over-produced
• Dat opening line, perfect to shout in ur bedroom when ur parents r out of da house!
• MMM 00.34... The change of pace, delicious. 
• Melodic gang vox <3
• Is it me or does he sound like a less whiney Dexter Holland?

• I can't even put my finger on why this is so good, it just all works
• The first part of the chorus is a bit 'epic' for me but the faster vocals parts are gooood
• It's very reliant on the vocals but they get better as the song goes on

I'm fully aware I sound like a teenager but I'm genuinely excited about hearing/getting the full album. This has such a late 90s/early 00s skate punk vibe. 4 thumbs up so far.