Last year I was in Philly for Halloween. I went to a covers show in some dingy basement with a few friends. It being some sort of holiday, none of which I’m inclined to observe, I wasn’t in costume. Kind of a bah-hum-bug, I know. But, being at a punk show was comfortable, like I was in enough of a costume just wearing my dirty traveling clothes and disheveled hair. In a strange, new town with a one old friend and a few new, going to a punk show was the most sensical thing I could do, and I showed up looking the part.
Punk bands covering punk bands, or metal bands (often not being above covering hair metal bands), is a sort of Halloween ritual. It happens in most cities across this country every October 31. So, clearly I’m not the only one who is either too lazy, or too narcissistic, to regale in dressing as my very own “scene”. It sure beats wearing a Lady Gaga outfit.
On with the show! The lineup that night included The Descendents, Fugazi, Team Dresch and Screeching Weasel. Actually, there was a group covering Lady Gaga too, but I missed them. For the rest of the bands I was down in that basement singing along with every fucking word – these were the bands of my youth. I thought, “Man, Philly really gets me. It’s like they know me.” I was buzzed on beer and high on sweaty dancing to my favorite songs.
Tomorrow, two great bands are playing at the 404 (4th and Broadway). Although, they weren’t the bands I danced alone to in my bedroom during high school, I guess they were pretty influential on the ones I was. Here’s a couple of my favorite tracks – you probably know them. (Oh, and I’ll be tabling with the distro. I have tons of great shit in stock – I’m not even joking, these could be the bands you’ll be dancing to in your bedroom all winter long.)
The Replacements from Minneapolis:
Guided by Voices from somewhere in Ohio:
