Brooklyn Bound With Killer Of Sheep

     Back on December 28^th, 2019, I was invited by Killer Of Sheep to get in the van and head toward Brooklyn, NY where the band was going to open for Poison Idea.  Killer Of Sheep was booked to play the first of two shows that were serving as the farewell to Poison Idea because after over thirty years of service, the band was hanging it up.

     This was the first time in years that I was traveling with a large group of people.  I had to remember how to live collectively and also as a passenger.  I can't even remember the last time I was in a vehicle and wasn't driving.  Luckily, the social anxiety was held at bay by the task at hand.

     Since we were traveling on the Saturday after a holiday, every single rest stop was overcrowded with people that had no idea what the fuck they were doing.  I was the third person in line at the coffee place that shall not be named and it took almost a half hour to get through the line and get the coffee in my face.  The person in front of me spent his time playing video games on his phone and had no idea what he wanted to order when he got to the counter.  While he was discussing out of season menu items with the employee, he decided to jam his hand down the front of his sweatpants and proceeded to (what I can only hope) adjust his junk for an extremely long time.

     I shocked the cashier when I knew what I wanted and had the exact change plus dollar tip ready to pay for it.  I thought that might speed up the process of getting me out the door but to no avail.  I had to wait for them to make the four overly complicated drinks that “Hand In Pants” had ordered before they would hand me the iced coffee that I had ordered even though they had poured it and left it sitting behind the counter until my number was called.

     Due to an excessive amount of traffic, we got to Gold Sounds later than planned so I was not left with any real amount of time to roam around the neighborhood to take pictures and potentially find a record store.  The no record store thing probably worked out for the best since there might not have been enough room in the van to bring back what I'm sure would have been a comically large purchase.

     Mati, was the first band up.  From what I remember, they were pretty good.  I couldn't really focus on what they were doing since I was trying to figure out how to get around the lighting issues that I was having.  There was just enough red light being used to wash out the pictures I was getting.  The more I do this, the more I learn to despise red lighting.

     I was happy to see Killer Of Sheep get a positive response out of the crowd when they played. Sadly, they had to drive eight hours to get away from the typical Pittsburgh indifference but the New York crowd seemed to be into what they had to say.  Poison Idea singer, Jerry A joined them on stage to cover “Circle One” by The Germs and absolutely crushed it.  Every time I see Killer Of Sheep play, I feel fortunate that I get to witness it and am grateful that I'm included to tag along.  It might seem like a minor thing but it does mean a lot.

     Deathcycle played next and brought even more red lighting with them.  It was time to switch to the flash so I could at least have some sort of workable pictures.  Deathcycle played an abrasive flavor of punk/hardcore that could easily clear a room.  Their singer bounced around the crowd like a pinball while screaming his head off.  I was an instant fan.

     Philly punk legends, YDI (pronounced “why die”) were the last opener.  I had first encountered YDI on the soundtrack for the American Hardcore documentary and it took me a few minutes to connect the dots when they started playing.  By the time they were done, I was smitten.  They even threw in a State Of Alert cover to completely win me over.  At the end of the night, I made my way to the merch table to pick up their record but had missed my chance since they had sold them all.  Luckily for me, it was a reissue that is readily available through mail order from the mighty Southern Lord.

     Poison Idea came out with a blazing cover of the 13^th Floor Elevators' “You're Gonna Miss Me” and almost brought me to tears.  Since the passing of Roky Erickson, I never thought that I was going to be in a room while that song was played live.  Let alone standing stage left, next to the guitar player while it was happening.  I saw the song on the set list before the band came out and it still leveled me even though I knew it was coming.

     Poison Idea was one of the many bands that I was aware of but never really crossed paths with over the years.  I had a few of their records but never really spent much time with them.  There are way too many bands, way too many records and not enough time in the day so some bands fall through the cracks.  Recently, I did start to spin the records and give them more attention and now I've got the entire Poison Idea back catalogue to play around with.

     It is interesting to be in a room full of die hard fans watching a band and observing everyone losing their collective shit.  Poison Idea meant a lot to these people and they made sure the band knew it before the end of the night.

     After waiting for the crowd to filter out into the night, we threw the gear back into the van and hightailed it out of Brooklyn.  It was funny to see the New York traffic alert LED signs warning drivers to avoid Times Square due to the impending doom of the New Year's Eve events.  You don't have to tell me twice.  The dirty Elmo vs. dirty Spider-Man fights are enough to make me stay far away from Times Square.

     As far as I could tell, the drive home was uneventful.  I made sure to pass out as soon as I could in case I was needed to drive for a stretch but my number didn't get called.

     Even though it was only for a day, I was glad to see that I could still get in the van.  After several years away from it and becoming needy with my preferences in my old age/solitude, I had my doubts. Many thanks to Killer Of Sheep for having me along.

London Called And I Heard It Loud And Clear

     Back on December 14,2019, I was lucky enough to be invited along to take pictures at Mr. Smalls Theater when, The Clash tribute band, The Guns Of Brixton reconvened to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of London Calling being released.

     The Guns Of Brixton is loaded with players from various bands from different parts of the Pittsburgh music scene.  Witnessing load in and sound check immediately made my aching back appreciate that I was only there in a capacity to take pictures.

     There were four guitar players, a bass player, three singers, two drummers, a keyboard player and a horn section with four or five people.  Damn near every microphone and wedge monitor that could be found in the building was put to use.

     The reasoning behind showing up with a small army's worth of musicians was due to the task at hand of playing London Calling from beginning to end.  The Clash spared no track on the mixing board when London Calling was recorded and it was jam packed with so many sounds that if you listen to the record carefully, you can hear the kitchen sink in the mix.

     Beings that I wasn't even ten years old when The Clash broke up, I did not have the opportunity to see them on the two occasions that the band came through town.  I have heard mixed accounts of both shows from different people that were there so I'm glad that I still have the mental image intact of what I think it would have been like to see The Clash at the height of their powers.

     Joe Strummer never came through Pittsburgh with The Mescaleros and I did not have a chance to travel to Cleveland or Washington DC when they toured in the late 90s.  Any excuse that I had for not making those trips was rendered immediately regrettable when the man passed in December of 2002.

     The Guns Of Brixton opened the show with a set of songs off of The Clash.  A few songs in, it became evident to me that the hours of practice over the weeks leading up to the show were hours well spent.  I was able to steal a few moments from taking pictures to close my eyes and let the music sink in while I listened.

     Eleventh Hour hit stage next and played Give 'Em Enough Rope from front to back.  I'm not sure who anybody in Eleventh Hour is but the way they attacked those songs, I will definitely try to track down what they do on a regular basis.  They were another example of what can be accomplished after several hours of practice.

     After a brief change over, The Guns Of Brixton came back out to fulfill their mission of playing London Calling.  From “London Calling” to “Train In Vain,” being in a room while those songs were being played live was mind bending.  I have several hours of Clash bootlegs, from almost every era of the band, and none of them have the dynamic range compared to actually being in the room while it was happening.

     As much as the glut of cover bands in the Pittsburgh area drives me crazy, that is not the intention of The Guns Of Brixton.  They aren't going from watering hole to watering hole playing the greatest hits to scrape together beer money.  They get together once every several years to honor Joe Strummer and The Only Band That Matters.  Whether people were in the band or in the crowd, almost everybody in Mr. Smalls that night had The Clash in their DNA and needed to hear the music treated with the reverence it deserves.

     For me, Joe Strummer and The Clash loom large over my life and who I am as a person.  If the man were alive today, I can't help but think that he'd be leading the charge against the awfulness that seems to be surrounding us.  In his absence, it's up to all of us to figure out how we're gonna come while they're kicking at our front door.

Poison Idea At Gold Sounds On December 28, 2019

     Here are pictures that I took at Poison Idea's second to last show.  It took place at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn, NY on December 28, 2019.  The lineup was Poison Idea, YDI, Deathcycle, Killer Of Sheep and Mati.

Poison Idea:

YDI:

Deathcycle:

Killer Of Sheep covering "Circle One" by The Germs with Jerry A from Poison Idea on vocals:

Killer Of Sheep:

Mati`: