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A while back there was a thread about surf being a mostly underground scene.
I know I get funny looks from most people when I tell them what kind of music
I play.
The upside of this obscurity is that last night at 8:45 I was flipping
through the local (Phoenix) alternative weekly newspaper, New Times, and saw an
ad
for Los Straitjackets starting at 7:30 at a tiny punk club in Tempe. My
perspective is a little skewed so I figured the show would be a sell out but I
figured it was worth a drive cross town just in case.
At 9:30 when we got there the club was mostly empty. The opening act, Big
Vinnie & the Cattle Thieves, a punk trio that at times reminded me of Black
Flag
with a little Rev Horton Heat thrown in. They turned in a solid set.
By 10:30 it was Damas y Caballeros time. Danny, Eddie and Pete were playing
matching DiPinto Belvederes kicking off their set with Outta Gear and didn't
stop rocking til about a hour and a half later with a rocking version of Telstar
as their final encore. After the show the masks come off and the guys talk
with the fans and sign autographs while they load up their gear.
Sure it's an underground scene that nobody's heard of but that's just one of
the cool things about it. I'd rather see a great band in a small club any day.
It beats the hell out of what the cats who dig the overground stuff are
doing. I probably spent less to see The Jackets than I would have spent on
parking
for the privledge of watching some socalled superstar act on the TV screens
they have to put up at stadium shows because nobody's actually close enough to
see the performers.
It was my first time seeing them play and was without a doubt the best and
most enjoyable concert I've ever been to.
Rocking in the underground,
GT
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