The return of Cali Nation to the stage continued Thursday night at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. The band was on hiatus for over a year and have returned better than every with Andrew Knack still fronting the band, Mony on bass and James Moore on drums. This was the second show for the new incarnation of the band and they sounded tighter and more together.
I came in late so I did not get to hear Chris Willcox perform. ZuhG I caught and what was great about these guys outta Sacramento is that they bring a cello into the mix which really added a dynamism to their music not see too often in this genre. Pion 2 Zion headlined and these guys were great. I really wish I was there for the full show but I was outside holding down a toolbox while an alternator was changed by streetlight. They are outta Santa Rosa so its a pretty good haul from Monterey to check them out but it would be worth the drive.
May 5, 2008 Lit released a statement on Myspace canceling their tour of the US and UK due to a severe medical problem for drummer Allen Schellenberger is currently fighting. Its sad news and we all hope that he pulls through this.
“Dear Friends,
We are sad to have to be writing you all this letter. Our brother, Allen Shellenberger, is currently in the hospital undergoing testing and treatment for a brain tumor that was just discovered. We are still not sure what his prognosis is and we are all standing by and waiting for test results to come in. Please say a prayer and keep him in your thoughts.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to make the shows this week in the UK and Europe. We were all so excited to come. At this point we have to just stay put and be by Allen while he goes through this difficult time. We will make it up to you as soon as we can. We know some fans who made travel plans from other countries to see us and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Our West Coast dates right now are on hold until we know what is going on.
We will post another update soon. Allen sends his thanks for the well wishes and he’s sorry we had to cancel these shows.
We’ll be showing Allen the Lit Myspace page with your comments of support.
<----Click on the Pic to go to see the rest of the pics from the show!
Ok so here they are, the pictures from the Reel Big Fish Show in Santa Cruz, CA at the Catalyst. The opening band, Half Past Two, was great. Their 5 ft tall lead singer had a great attitude and the band had a ton of energy and personality. They had a very ska sound with a lot less of the rock thrown in.
Chase Long Beach came up next, I have been Myspace friends with these kids for a couple of years but had yet seen them in concert and in fact had listened very little to their music at all. They put on a really great show, they were much more rock than ska for this group.
Reel Big Fish, I had not seen them perform live since the warped tour almost a decade ago. I am a huge fan of these guys so I think I should apologize for not seeing them sooner. They played all of the “classic” Reel Big Fish songs including Sell Out and Beer which they teased the audience with. They also played a few of the songs off of their new disc Monkeys for Nothing and Chimps for Free which is a really strong album for this post Jive! group. I recently picked up the album and its on the Zune in hot rotation right now.
From opening of the show to the end the audience was engaged by the band who paused for Scott to tell a lovely story about womanly love just before they broke out with “She Has A Girlfriend Now” with the formerly Monique sang vocals belted out by Scott in a lovely falsetto voice (smell the sarcasm). It was hilarious, and entertaining and that is what makes RBF so great. There is so much energy that comes through in their music and they have a ton of energy on stage and got a packed house pumped and moshing and dancing. Go see RBF but do not buy the Best of album, get the live album instead.
The openers were Salinas California’s very own Wasted Noise. They put on a good show. At times they sounded like they needed some refinement but they brought a big crowd with them and riled them up pretty well. With some work on getting things nailed together a little better they will be a great band, they are a great band but they will be more so.
This was the first time I got to see The B Foundation live and I am glad I drug my arse out on a Thursday night for this show. They performed with a ton of energy, maybe it was the 7 shots they consumed during the show as the fans kept sending them up. A real tight California Surf Rock/ Reggae/ Roots Rock mixed together. I left without buying a CD, don’t make that mistake. I was tired and delirious when I walked out of there at 1:15 while the guys from The B Foundation drank more with the fans. I will now have to order one before they hit the road in Japan, that’s right folks these guys are going to Japan next month. Good luck in the land of the rising sun.
None of the estimated $400 million that the RIAA received in settlements with Napster, KaZaA, and Bolt over allegations of copyright infringement has gone to the artists whose copyrights were allegedly infringed. Now the artists are considering suing the RIAA.
So last night I made it out to check out FUBAR, Skaflaws, 880 South and Badfish (A Tribute to Sublime). The Pics are up!!
I had seen none of these bands prior to last night and have been meaning to get to an 880 South show for over a year and a half. 880 South hit me up on Myspace and I listened to their posted tracks and then just kind of brushed them off, why I don’t know. 880 South is a great band and the singer really reminded me of Bargain Music but he can really sing. Not a dis on Bargain but if you are a fan you know what I mean.
It was a Tuesday so the sets were really short with FUBAR opening and they were good. They need to season in the oven for a little longer but they are headed in the right direction musically.
Next up were the Skaflaws with a female vocalist who had a ton of energy and a voice reminiscent of Monique Powell from Save Ferris. They opened up with an 80’s cover and I can not remember the tracks name but I will edit it in when I go watch the clip I took of it. They were a really great group of young talented musicians but I unless there is a resurgence of heavy ska I am afraid they will be the opening band for a long time. Don’t get me wrong I love this style of ska and miss the days of No Doubt and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones but I am not sure the emo public at large will go back to something that you can be happy and dance to. I will go see them again and I wish I had grabbed one of their CD’s.
Left Coast Board Wear recording artist 880 South, what can be said for them? I am not sure why they are not on a bigger label like Stoopid Records. Real smooth and confident performance without any issue. On Feb. 22 they will be opening for Fishbone in SF which I see as an ideal match up. 880 South does not perform the high energy stuff that Fishbone does but the styles are still similar and will mesh well and I think they will pick up a lot of new fans in the process. They have several discs out which I will have to check out and get back to all of you on but if the show was any indication its something that I can sit, smoke a stoke or take a long drive down the 101 to.
Badfish. I love me some Sublime and the singer from Badfish comes through in the vocals and pulls off a great interpretation of Bradley. The music was perfect, the show was great. Being an all ages show there were kids in the audience I am sure were not alive when Bradley died but I love that they can get into the music. I myself was not a big Sublime fan until near the end and I sadly did not get to see them perform live but Badfish gave me the next best thing. Crazy thing to say after seeing Long Beach Short Bus, Dub Cat and all the bands that have come from the remaining members of Sublime. If you are a Sublime fan, you have to see Badfish.
So yes, I am finally posting about the Slightly Stoopid show with Fishbone in Santa Cruz, CA at the Catalyst night club.
The show once again was unbelievable, and thanks to the Catalyst having two shows with the one I attended for 21+, there were no little bastards in the audience getting in the way and I could enjoy a beer right up front.
I had never seen Fishbone live but it was an experience that can hardly be put into words. Fishbone, namely Angelo, put on an amazing and energetic show. They came out into the crowd and sang and danced several times during their set and jammed with SS at the end of the show. And like any great band I found Angelo down at the merchandise table autographing CDs for the fans and posing for pictures.
If you have not seen them perform then catch them on this tour, hopefully we see them pair up again real soon. So click on the link and head over to the, crapptasticlly barely working, gallery and check out the rest of the images.
