Bet the Levels at Pub Yahoo: Pop Punk Party! (4/5/2014)

This was truly a solid line-up

A couple of Satrudays ago, it was back to the Bet the Levels stomping ground: Pub Yahoo.  Yet again, they were the headlining band as they have really established themselves in the ratty, basement of a bar.  The first thing I noticed when walking in was the number of people that were in the place.  It was the largest crowd I have ever seen in Pub Yahoo!  You could hardly walk anywhere without squeezing past people.  It was an incredible turnout.  This is especially surprising considering that it was this extensive for the first (and only) solo acoustic act!  There were even more people funneling in later on to see the later bands.  I was pretty impressed.  I never thought I would ever see that many people in Pub Yahoo at one time.



Ben Buchnat

The show being advertised as the "Pop Punk Party!" got off to a quiet start with Ben Buchnat on acoustic guitar.  Ben is actually good friends with Bet the Levels guitarist Brendyn Wirtz who later joined in on a couple of songs.  Ben sounded pretty good for most of the set and seemed calm and collected for one of his first (if not, his first) show.  All of the songs were acoustic covers including "Dammit" by blink-182 (shocking).  This acoustic version of "Dammit" actually sounded very stripped down since only individual notes were played for the intro.  I would have played chords instead, if I were him, but other than that he sounded very good.

Just This Once

Just this Once was the one exception to this set being good.  They sounded terrible from the first downbeat to the last note.  The guitar player and bass player were solid most of the time but the singer and drummer were horrendous.  Now, granted, I did have a bad first impression with these guys since they were playing a Fall Out Boy cover when I walked in ("Dance Dance" for those of you that really need to know).  But from a technical standpoint, it just wasn't good.  The singer was flat most of the time.  This was especially apparent when they decided to attempt a cover of "Over My Head" by Sum 41.  The singer was very energetic and passionate but definitely needed some more practice.  The drummer would frequently blunder drum fills and, occasionally, speed-up at an unbelievable rate.  I usually don't recommend that a drummer should play with a metronome during a concert but he really needed it.  Needless to say, it was a very bumpy ride.  However, it was never bad enough where they had to stop in the middle of  a song.

The band ended with a cover of "Jesus of Suburbia" by Green Day which not only caused them to run over their scheduled end-time but was also the worst song they had played.  At this point, even the guitar player and bass player were messing up.  Clearly, they did not have the song down.  The poor aspects of the drumming were also amplified.  I was truly amazed that they were able to finish the song.

Where Shadows Lie

Where Shadows Lie was a bit of a change of pace from what I've normally seen at Pub Yahoo.  Although their sound was very pop influenced, the basis of their band was metalcore.  The timing of this is interesting considering that I just posted about metalcore not too long ago.  They did a Devil Wears Prada cover which, quite frankly, I thought sounded better than when I saw The Devil Wears Prada at Riot Fest.  They were very energetic and the music was good.  I"m not sure how many of their songs were covers or how many were originals since I'm not very familiar with metalcore but whatever they played, it sounded really good.  It got the crowd going enough where there was an actual mosh pit started.  There were probably a good six or seven people moshing which, for as packed as Pub Yahoo was, it managed to worke with only that many people.

Jaded State

Jaded State was probably my favorite band there other than Bet the Levels.  The band does almost exclusively Green Day covers.  The band's front man even had a pretty decent Billie Joe Armstrong impersonation going.  He had the tie, shirt, and hair for it and had a good Billie Joe voice too.  I remembered him from when I had first walked in because he complimented me on my MCR Bullets shirt.  I don't know what it is but almost every time I wear that shirt I get a compliment from someone (usually a complete stranger).

They played a couple of songs from American Idiot, "East Jesus Nowhere" from 21st Century Breakdown, and a few others.  The album that they covered from the most though was Dookie.  They played "Welcome to Paradise," "Basket Case," and "When I Come Around."  Their cover of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones, though easy to play, was spot on.  They played a couple of originals which, I must say, were pretty notable.  I actually got a chance to talk to the singer after the show and I suggested they play more originals since they were really good.  He said that they had a bunch they could play but they felt like doing Green Day covers that day.  So, that was that, I suppose...

If you get a chance to see Jaded State, especially if they are playing with another band you want to see, it's really an opportunity you don't want to miss.  They're a fun show and I hope to see them again in the near future.

Bet the Levels

Although they were originally scheduled for the headliner slot, Bet the Levels switched with Right on Red due to some scheduling conflict.  So, Bet the Levels ended up coming on in the penultimate slot.  It was pretty evident that Bet the Levels was the band people stuck around for that night too since not very many people stuck around for Right on Red.

But anyways, what is there to say about Bet the Levels that I haven't said already?  For that reason, I'm not going to review their show.  I refuse to do it.  No more Bet the Levels reviews!  I'm going on strike!  This person in-charge (who is me) keeps expecting me to write about Bet the Levels.  Well, I won't do it anymore!  I'm tired of this shit!  Having to constantly go to Pub Yahoo to review Bet the Levels is ridiculous!  I just can't handle these working conditions!

Okay, in all seriousness, the reason why I'm not going to review Bet the Levels this time is because I played with them.  I didn't just play one song either.  I filled in on bass guitar for the whole set.  So, it really doesn't make sense for me to review a concert that I was playing in.

However, I can talk about my experience playing with Bet the Levels.  Basically, it was a ton of fun.  The mosh pit got going enough to the point where the bouncer of the bar had to keep breaking it up due to how big and out of control it was getting.  It was an awesome time.  We played originals from their album Don't Punch the Driver and covered Nirvana's "Heart-shaped Box," (to honor the anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death) and "Weinerschnitzel" by The Descendants.  It was also particularly interesting when this drunk old man kind of came out of nowhere.  When I say he was drunk, he was really damn drunk.  He was trying to go to the bathroom (which is located stage-left) and, while trying to get there, he tripped over the PA stand and face-planted into the ground.  This happened right in the middle of a song as well which was comical because the lead singer, Dan, stopped singing and looked over, then looked at me with a very puzzled look on his face, and then kept singing.  When the song finally finished, we waited until the bouncer and some other guy could help him up.  This took at least a full minute and he still had trouble standing up on his own.  I heard that later that night, he tried driving home and the bouncer had to snag his keys away from him.

All in all, it was a fun show.  I'm really glad that I got to play with them.

Right on Red

Right on Red took the stage as the last band.  There really isn't a whole lot to say except that they were technically solid.  However, I found their set a bit dry.  The music was generally uninteresting and I found that this set felt longer than the others (except for Just this Once, that one couldn't have ended soon enough!).  I think that on any other night, Right on Red would have been just fine but the energy of Where Shadows Lie, Jaded State, and Bet the Levels blew them right out of the place.  I also think that for my personal preference, they were a bit too pop which could explain why I wasn't enjoying this set as much.  The singing was solid, the guitars were solid, the bass was solid, and the drums were solid.  They weren't spectacular but they were fine.  If you're more into pop, they're probably worth checking out.  However, I think that they were more-or-less run of the mill and that there wasn't anything particularly unique about them.  It seemed that the audience was also generally uninterested as the crowd shrunk down to about only ten people from the overwhelming number that Bet the Levels had. They may be a band worth checking out every now and then to see what they blossom into in the future.  But really, only time will tell.

Well, that was the Pop Punk Party! at Pub Yahoo.  If you weren't there, you missed a pretty stellar show.  The bands were good, the audience was good, it was the most fun I've had at a Bet the Levels show yet!  Granted, I did play the set with them but I have a hunch that even if I were an audience member, it would have still been a hell of a time.

Paul Revere and the Raiders at the Arcada

I have to admit, Paul Revere playing
a keyboard with the front of a Mustang
attached is pretty comical

On Sunday I saw Paul Revere and the Raiders at the Arcada Theater (a place that has essentially become the gathering place for classic rock bands and musicians that still perform).

I must say, this concert was a bit of a disappointment.  In fact, during most of the show, the thought of naming this post, "THE WORST CONCERT SINCE 1776," was a frequent thought.  However, the conclusion of the show was fantastic enough to where I could cut them a little slack... but not too much.

I will start with what was good about it first.  The warm-up band, The New Colony Six, also dressed in Colonial American garments and played classic rock.  They weren't bad.  They sounded good and put on a solid show.  My personal preference would have been to not have so many cheesy songs about love but that was the relative norm back in the 60s and 70s.  Overall, The New Colony Six were solid.  Certainly not bad at all.

Paul Revere and the Raiders started off the show with quite a bang.  Instrumentally speaking, Paul Revere and the Raiders are a much more talented and energetic group than The New Colony Six.  The ending to the show was also full of energy.  Essentially, the beginning and end of the concert was fantastic.

But the middle, oh man, the middle...

I think the whole concert they only played about 6 complete songs (over about a two hour period).  They would play one song and then sit around and tell stories and jokes for about ten minutes (on average).  It felt more like I went to a filming of David Letterman except that no one would say "We'll be right back after these messages" before playing the music.  Oh and the jokes were terrible.  They were really just God awful.  Instead of going on a great ride, Paul Revere decided it would be better to go on a lack-of-comedy routine.  The worst part is, he would only tell two different jokes the whole time.  He would tell the "I'm old, I don't know modern technology joke," over and over along with the "I'm old, I need surgeries all the time," joke.  It was not only not funny but really boring.  Here's the thing, the jokes could have been spectacularly bad where you're just fascinated by how bad they are but they were unremarkably bad in a way that made the whole thing really boring.  At one point he went on a twenty minute joke about how he didn't know the difference between the TVs at Best Buy.  Needless to say, it wasn't funny at all and the whole thing was just the one joke.

The worst part is that it seemed the audience generally found the show funny.  Maybe it was because it was relatable since most of the audience was about 30 to 50 years older than me.  But I think that even if I was old, I would have found it unfunny.  It was really just dumb.

Overall, the show was really boring and I wish that I stayed home and did homework instead.  I'm really just glad that I didn't pay for the ticket.  My parents were the ones who bought it and the price for our seats on the balcony were seventy bucks apiece.  That show wasn't even worth five, in my opinion.  I wouldn't recommend going to a Paul Revere and The Raiders show to anybody.  Until they decide to quit their stand-up comedy act and actually start playing music, their show, quite frankly, sucks.  I wouldn't say it was as bad as Best Coast since the songs that they played were really good (contrary to Best Coast's boring set list) but this show is definitely one of the worst big name acts I've seen.

They say that Paul Revere put up one lantern if the British were coming by land and two lanterns if they were coming by sea.  If I were the British, I would make sure he would have to put up two because then I could drown myself before I would have to endure the artillery barrage of bad jokes and the lead balls of boredom.

Reel Big Fish at The Castle

Some friends and I headed down to The Castle Theater in Bloomington a few weeks ago to catch Reel Big Fish along with Suburban Legends and Beebs and Her Money Makers.

Probably the most disappointing part of the show was not the bands, the sound crews, nor the acoustics of the venue.  It was the age restriction.

I use 'age restriction' loosely because this show was technically an all ages show.  What was disappointing about it was that you had to be 21 in order to enter the first floor.  Although I'm 21, my friend who was with us was only 20 so we were forced to go on the second floor.  This was particularly infuriating as there was no mention of this rule on the ticket or anyplace else as far as I could tell.  It didn't make any sense either seeing that there was a bar on the second floor.  If they wanted such a rule in place, they should have made it so that you had to be 21 in order to get on the second floor and buy drinks.  I was thoroughly disappointed in this policy and you will find me hard-pressed to ever set foot in The Castle Theater again.

Then again, why should I care?  I'm 21 and my friend who was 20 will be 21 this month.  However, if I were part of the under 21 crowd, I would be hesitant of any performance at The Castle Theater due to its house rules.

As far as the concert went, it was pretty good.  Beebs and Her Money Makers was the first band to perform and they were a solid ska act.  I didn't pay that close attention to their show but there really wasn't anything to dislike about the group.  They came in with their horns and played some ska.  That's really about it.

Suburban Legends was up next and, from my perspective, they stole the show.  In my humble opinion, I think they made Reel Big Fish look like a bunch of chumps.  Granted, this is pretty hard to do considering that Reel Big Fish is a pretty good live act.  But I tell you what, Suburban Legends really brings the party to you.  It's not a concert.  It's a party.  They play music and they party while they're doing it.  Sword fighting with brass instruments while covering Disney songs is just the beginning of what these guys do live.  I wish I could have been in the pit for this band because I know that I missed out on something fantastic.  If you ever get a chance to see Suburban Legends, you should take it.  I don't care if you're a ska fan or not.  This band is a must see!

After Suburban Legends, Reel Big Fish came on as what felt like a :"cool-down" band.  I wouldn't count Reel Big Fish out yet though.  Just because Suburban Legends stole the show doesn't mean that Reel Big Fish got blown out of the place.

But, now that I think about it, there was one act I forgot to mention.  Before Beebs and Her Money Makers came on there was a man with an acoustic guitar.  He also happened to be the drummer of Reel Big Fish.  His act was okay.  Based on my previous unintentional omission however, I would have to say that his set was particularly unmemorable.  It wasn't bad.  It just wasn't fantastic.

Anyways, Reel Big Fish still did a very good show.  They played what you would expect them to play along with a "Self-Esteem" cover and an end to their set with a "Take On Me" cover.  That was essentially their set.  They came out and played and we'll leave it at that.

I got to go into the pit for a little bit as my 20 year old friend had had enough of being banished to the balcony and chose to leave.  The setup of the first floor was weird as they had guard rails going everywhere splitting up different sections of the floor.  It's like they wanted someone to get table-topped over the side!  There really wasn't much room at the front to form a pit.  The people who were moshing were basically right up against the stage anyways.

By the way, the audience for ska concerts are particularly interesting and worth mentioning.  Obviously you'll see some hipster-ish types about wearing suspenders, tight pants, and brightly colored hair/wigs.  Amongst the people on the balcony, there was a girl who was looking for a wall outlet to charge her phone.  I don't know why someone would be so worried about charging their phone at a concert but here she was running around looking for an outlet.  When I told her I didn't know of a wall outlet to plug her phone into she wandered off and then she came back and tried making small talk (which is hard to do at a concert).  I couldn't really hear anything that she was saying until she said "You know, the people at this concert are really weird."  All I could say is, "Well, we are at a ska concert."

Down in the pit, there was also this nerdy looking kid who decided it would be satisfying to grab my pec and make an intense face at me while doing it.  I can't say I've ever had that happen to me at a concert before but I suppose there's a first for everything.  After the concert was over and we were filing out, there was this straight-laced looking guy wearing a polo who was about 30 years old.  He asked my friend if he had any "herb" and my friend didn't respond due to not being able to hear him, confusion, or not knowing what he meant by "herb."  I shouted "Nah, I don't think so," at the guy and the guy called us lame for not having any weed.  All we could do is laugh about it based on the fact that a guy who looks like that wouldn't seem like the kind of person who would call us lame for not having any weed to give him.

I guess with all of that rambling, what I'm trying to say is that a ska concert is an interesting experience.  I would recommend going to a ska concert whether you're a fan of the genre or not.  This was really my first full-blown ska concert as the only other major ska band I've seen is Slapstick at Riot Fest 2012.  Before the concert, my friend raved about Suburban Legends as an amazing live show and now I see what he's talking about.  They really blew the doors off of Reel Big Fish this time and I think that Suburban Legends have a bright future ahead of them.