disengage, free spirit, wolves and thieves, nails and ceremony @ the new oakland metro 2.26.11

the new oakland metro is a pretty big space. there were a lot of kids at this show, but not enough to even come close to filling up the place. because of this there was that giant awkward horseshoe for a circle pit that no one really danced in.

disengage played first. i thought there front man was pretty awful. he kept throwing first pumps off tempo with the drums which made me think he had no rhythm. but then he switched with their bass player who i thought was a better frontman. not much else to say about this band. kind of boring straight edge hardcore from philly.

free spirit were a little better than disengage but still didn't really do anything for me. both bands talked too much in between songs. i don't like being preached to. both bands also had to many 'guests' do vocals for multiple songs. i thought that took away from there performance. free spirit are from boston.

i got a wolves and thieves demo at an asian man records birthday party at the oakland coliseum about a year and a half ago. i probably listened to it once. they kind of reminded me of afi. my friend said the lead singer reminded him of fred durst. a fight broke out in the middle of their set. that's what kind of band this is.

nails was brutal as always. they played mostly songs off of unsilent death. the crowd came up closer for them filling that awkward gap. i really enjoyed them.

ceremony is still one of my favorite live bands. the venue was just a little awkward, so this definitely wasn't my favorite set from them, but it was great nonetheless. they played the hits. this was toasts' last show with the band.

ceremony, punch, nails and cardboard funeral @ gilman 8.22.10

gilman has easily become my favorite venue. the history has a lot to do with it, but mostly it's the little things like how they still sell copies of maximum rock n roll, or how hardcore kids and punk kids hang out together, or the black on white pictures on the wall when you first walk in. i guess when you add up all these little things, it makes every show there seem special.

cardboard funeral played first. maybe i'm wrong because i don't really know anything about them, but i feel like they are a pretty new band. their sound wasn't bad, but they just weren't for me. they didn't stop in between any songs, which i liked. but because of that they played a really short set.

nails fucking rocks. todd jones is a pretty amazing frontman considering he does what he does while shredding on guitar. this is my third time seeing them this year, and they get better every time. during their set todd said something to the effect that, "we have a new album out. you can pick it up in the back if you liked what you heard, and if not we only have two more songs. . . nobody in this band is cool. nobody in this room is cool. if you don't like something than you don't like something and that's it. don't be pretentious." i always like to hear what people have to say. i'm really rooting for this band. they're fucking great.

punch played third. this was my first time seeing them. there has been a lot of hype on this band at least among my friends, so i was pretty excited to see them. needless to say, they lived up to the hype. the lead singer, meghan, broke her ankle so she was in a huge cast and on crutches. i imagine that had she not been in crutches, her stage presence would have been incredible because despite the fact that she could not move on stage she was still really good. the fact that she is beautiful doesn't hurt either.

seeing ceremony at 924 gilman st. is a must. last time i saw them, i swore that there front man was the best i've ever seen in a hardcore/punk band. i stand by that. they opened with "the doldrums" which i thought was cool because it's a not a punk or hardcore song, but they still play it with the same aesthetic. the lead singer was on the floor just running into people for it. when the song was over they went right into "sick," and there was no going back for the rest of the set. it was loud rambunctious hardcore. meghan from punch sang lead vocals on a song which was cool. screaming, "i've got a lot of problems/i'm a fucked up kid" with a room full of people has been my favorite part of their set both times. all in all, a pretty perfect show.

nails and creatures @ the cabin 5.31.10

the cabin is this really awesome house in garden grove. the bands played in the living room, and the sound was surprisingly good. there were probably a good seventy people at the show yesterday. we showed up a little bit late and missed the first band, but we got there just in time for nails. nails is really heavy. they do more as a three piece then some hardcore bands do with five people. there was not a lot of room for dancing, but kids seemed to make the most of what little floor space they had and really go off. i would love to see nails again; they're a great band. creatures had members from downpresser filling in on guitar and drums. they played a few new songs off their upcoming 7". there were kids who knew every word to every song, which was really cool. i've seen creatures play better shows in more appropriate settings, but seeing them play in a house was awesome. this show made me want to listen to more hardcore.

React Records Showcase @ Gilman 4/10/10

some of the kids at this show were really fucking rude. bands affiliated with react records preach in between almost every song. they talk about being vegan, being straight edge, and keeping the scene alive. numerous times, while these preachings were taking place, kids would scream, "shut the fuck up and play some music," which i can understand, but i also think that if all you came to hear was the music then why didn't you just listen to their albums in your room. why did you come to the show at all? but with that said there was also a lot of really cool people there as well. it was nice to see hardcore kids and punk kids dancing together. it was nice to know there were eight bands that played and not one fight broke out. i'm glad gilman exists. i'm glad hardcore exists. and i'm glad seven seconds is still playing thirty years after they started.

not sorry played first. they were okay. didn't really stand out.

praise played second. the lead singer was definitely the happiest frontman i saw all day.

nails played third. they were a three piece hardcore band. the only band that day without a "front man." the had a lead singer, but he played guitar as well. it was a nice change of pace.

keep it clear are from vancouver, canada. the lead singer was funny and made a lot of jokes. i liked them.

common cause are from norway. it was nice to see how welcoming the kids made this band feel.

on was the first band that actually stood out. they were really solid hardcore. i really liked them.

mindset was awesome. their leadsinger was really intimidating. he looked like an ex marine. this band was completely captivating. i really enjoyed their set.

7 seconds hasn't played 924 gliman st. in twenty-three years, but kevin said, "it's nice to be back." i think a lot of punks were disappointed that there wasn't a circle pit. but this wasn't a punk show it was a hardcore show so be respectful: stage dive and have fun. after the first few songs everyone seemed to do exactly that. it was fun. they played a great set. all the hits. they ended with rock together. i hope they play for another thirty years.

i rode the bus back with this kid max from germany. he is in this really cool band called the booze brothers. you should check them out. they're really good.