'Curses' abound from local punks
By Sarah Arturi
Staff Writer

      There was quite a rambunctious crowd at the Metro Saturday night. Punks from all over Chicago came out for the release show of “Magnetic Curses: A Chicago Punk Rock Compilation.” Fourteen of the 26 bands that appear on the brand new compilation were scheduled to play. How do you fit 14 bands into a three and a half hour show, you ask? Each band had a total of 15 minutes to give it all they got, and it was up to Billy Spunke, lead singer of the Blue Meanies and father of “Curses,” to get them on and get them off. The lineup was as follows: Tom Daily, Bitchy, Allistar, Muchacha, Mary Tyler Morphine, The Strike, Oblivion, The Arrivals, The Bomb, The Tossers, Gaza Strippers, Apocalypse Hoboken, Hot Stove Jimmy and, finally, Blue Meanies. The icing: those who came out to the show received a free copy of the Magnetic Curses compilation.

     Between the dozen camera men and women that were in the press area, several topless girls crowd surfing in skirts, and the two kegs that had been tapped backstage at about 6:30pm (and run out at about 8:30pm), the show had an anarchic atmosphere that Spunke calmly observed from stage left. Highlights included the screeching, raucous nature of the only band with a female lead singer to appear on the compilation—Mary Tyler Morphine. As the people in the crowd smashed into each other, shook their fists, and screamed lyrics, the lead singer belted out “I have a lack of tolerance/ I guess you’d say that I’m unstable” from their compilation release “Iron City.” The crowd went wild as bad attitudes, sweat and middle fingers filled the room.

     In complete opposition to Mary Tyler Morphine was The Bomb, headed up by Jeff Piazzatti, former member of punk greats Naked Raygun. Apparently, their guitar player was unable to make the show, so Jeff had put together a prerecorded background of piano and synthesized orchestra, which he and his drummer played along with. The first song was a fairly slow ballad, which included lyrics such as “I’d find the source of the Nile/ just to see you smile/ I’d do anything for you.” Quite a shocker coming from one of the most hardcore rockers of all time. Yet, it was interesting to see the versatility of Jeff Piazzatti.

     Oblivion, as always, filled all expectations to the fullest. They opened with their new song, which appears on the compilation “South Side Story,” and then threw in Van Halen’s “Panama.” It is amazing how much their lead singer’s voice, Pete, resembles Eddie Van Halen’s. Although it may seem strange for a punk band to cover an ‘80s metal band, it is really no surprise. Go to any of Oblivion’s shows and I guarantee you’ll see them play Iron Maiden, Rush, or Led Zeppelin. Maybe Scott will even wear his leather fringed jacket, if you’re lucky. However, opportunities to see Oblivion are running out, as they announced to the crowd on Saturday night that they are breaking up. Apparently one of their members is moving to Florida. Their last show will be at the Fireside Bowl in March. Even on this sad note, Scott still managed to smash a guitar case and throw it into the crowd.

     Definitely worth mentioning is the powerful yet tight performance given by the young group The Arrivals. Recently picked up by THICK records, these guys are an aspiring new talent. A great mesh of punk, pop, melodic vocals, driving guitar and steady rhythm, these guys gave a confident, clean, forceful performance. Nothing sloppy here. Lined up in a row, front and center, these guys produced not only a wall of sound, but had one of the best rock ‘n’ roll stage stances I have ever seen.

     The Tossers, as drunk as they were, gave a great performance. Starting off with their “Curses” release “The Crutch” the crowd could tell this band was much different than the rest. What sounded and felt like a mix between and Irish pub and a punk rock show, you could almost hear the beer mugs clinking together while people rammed their bodies against each other in the mosh pit. (I suppose holding a beer glass and moshing would be quite a task, though.) There is quite a lot of talent in this band. The lead singer’s voice has the perfect Irish edge to it, and he also plays mandolin, which marks The Tossers distinct sound. They also have an acoustic guitar, almost unheard of in the punk world, and what looks like a recorder made out of metal—a lute, perhaps. Even though it may seem like these guys just decided to pick up some unusual instruments one day in order to make a different sounding band, they are truly masters at them. The Tossers are scheduled to play the Metro on—can you guess?—St. Patrick’s Day to release their new album. They are definitely worth checking out, and who knows, maybe a drunken brawl will break out. Always exciting.

     Apocalypse Hoboken returned to Metro Saturday night after playing on Tuesday for Q101’s promotional show for their new local music compilation. Apocalypse Hoboken is getting a lot of exposure these days, and after having paid their dues in Chicago for many years now, may be on their way to the top. Their “Curses” performance on Saturday was for all their loyal fans, and they came out ready to rock, female backup singers and all. However, something seemed to go wrong, either with the sound or the band’s performance, and the lead singer, Todd Paglialong, ended up storming off stage before their 15 minutes were up. He announced that “You won’t see Apocalypse Hoboken for a very, very long time” and that they were “going down the drain.” Hopefully the band will resolve whatever problems they were having. For several years they have opened for almost every band at every venue in Chicago, and the fans would like to see them get their break.

     Blue Meanies finished the show, opening with a classic “Smash the Magnavox.” They also played their new one “This is Home,” and solicited the crowd for other favorites, as the trumpet player said, “As always, our wish is your command.” Although the band played well, they seemed tired. Billy Spunke was not in his usual snappy suit, but instead sported a dirty, worn out jean jacket. It wasn’t his night to shine, but his band’s night.

     The two biggest acts of the night, though, had to be Hot Stove Jimmy and the Gaza Strippers. Hot Stove Jimmy rocked the Metro with their punk, ska, hip-hop, experimental music. With such a full sound, both mighty and intense, Hot Stove invaded the body and mind of every person at the show, throwing them into a frenzy. Sexy lead singer Matt Irie, opened up with “Sweetheart”: “Hey sweetheart/ your legs don’t feel like/ like they used to”—which was enough to make any teenage girl either rush the stage or faint. Chuck Wren, creator of Jump Up! Records, Hot Stove’s label, also made an appearance, throwing out a few boxes of their new CD and a few T-Shirts. Fifteen minutes was just not enough time to see these guys.

     The band that absolutely stole the show was the Gaza Strippers. Look no further, because here are the true rock stars. The lead singer looked like he was straight out of some late ‘80s metal band, with punk-messy hair, shades, a black suit, wingtip boots and a shiny silver tie. Rocking out on his electric guitar, he had one foot up on the monitor, and screamed “Come on you Chicago Muthaf-----” into the microphone. And although he said, “We’re the Gaza Strippers, if any of you have even heard of us,” the crowd will now never forget them. What a performance. Rock and punk at its most extreme.

     Spunke took on quite a task trying to keep all these rock stars in line for one night, but what a success it was. Some of the best music in Chicago for $10 and a free compilation to boot. Hopefully Chicago will see another one of these shows sometime soon.