The Good… The Bad…
LEFTOVER CRACK, SKATTER BOMB AND FLIGHT 19 – W.O.W. 7/1/2012
Words and Photos by Anarkeith
The longer I sit here searching for words to paint an adequate picture of last night’s show, the more I come to suspect that all of my big, fancy descriptors probably got knocked clean out of my head…or possibly leeched out of my skin via sweat, by some weird, reverse-osmosis process. I’ve seen some animated and excited crowds at the W.O.W in my 20+ year career as a Eugene punker, but nothing like this in a good long while. By the time Flight 19 (out of Portland) and Skatter Bomb (Salem boys) had the crowd primed and ready for Leftover Crack to take the stage and wreak bloody havoc, I was already a sweaty, happy mess. I was close to half spent and NOT READY for what was about to happen…but back to that in a minute…
Flight 19 played a good set, even threw in a great cover of “Hope” by the Descendents, and “Pablo Picasso” by The Plugz. Both are old standards, but the band managed to freshen them up and make them their own. A decent trio with some promise - great riffs, tight rhythms…I’d check them out again and will be keeping an eye out for another show, another time.
Next up we have Skatter Bomb – good, hard, fast skatepunk, just the way I likes it. A little too much banter between songs for an opening band, but the music was great and their energy was undeniable. I’ve heard the name, but this was the first time I’d seen them, and again – I’ll be watching for their name on flyers. Hell, I might even buy a shirt and a sticker next time. The size of the crowd seemed to have just about doubled between sets, and once these guys started kicking out songs, the floor of the W.O.W. turned into a pretty respectable melee – the fun and intensity was building, bordering on frustration…after all, we had come to see…
LEFTOVER CRACK. What can you say about a band whose singer was once arrested for throwing donuts at cops? Stza (Scott Sturgeon) is a fucking great frontman, and it’s easy to see how he could incite a riot without much effort at all. These guys don’t just write songs about it, they live it, and THEN they go write great songs about it. They really do hate cops. They really do wish the government would just go fuck themselves and die in a fire. This is what punk rock was when it was young, before it grew up and got a job (record deal). They live in the famous ‘C Squat’ in NYC, no label larger than Alternative Tentacles will ever touch them*, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have it any other way.
When I heard the opening notes of “One Dead Cop”, I knew we were all in wonderful trouble – eyes got wide, fists went up and bodies began a’flying. Security (where were you when we didn’t need you, Finch?) didn’t even bother trying to stop kids from barreling across the stage and wheeling out over the crowd, there was just no point in it. And I seem to remember a punk-rock diva, with a godawfully sexy green ‘hawk and jackboots, that worked her way onto the stage and humped Stza’s leg for a good 20-30 seconds before he jokingly called for security, which never came. The band seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd, and that is what makes for a truly great show.
After handing off my camera and glasses to my partner in crime, I ventured out into the pit, as I am known to do from time to time. It was like being thrown in to a blender full of decibals, boulders and sweat. I’ll be honest – I like my punk with an extra large side of more punk, and don’t normally gravitate toward “ska-punk”. I’m not a Rancid fan, and can take or leave Operation Ivy where they lie, no offense to Tim Armstrong. But there is nothing quite as much fun as skanking and bouncing your way across a floor of sweaty, happy faces that understand just exactly how fun much you are having, and just exactly why.
None of the elements of an old school anarchy-punk show were unaccounted for – chainsaw guitars and Draino-gargling vocals, pounding beats that threatened to shake the windows out of their panes, and no shortage of bottles, lost shoes and random bits of clothing arcing over a seething, joyous crowd. And my waning sense of pride in the local punk scene was given a huge boost when Stza counted off for “Gay Rude Boys Unite”, and the crowd blew up, bigger and louder than ever. They managed to throw in a couple of tunes for a promised upcoming record, which sounded a bit tamer than the old stuff, but no one was complaining. When it was all said and done, LOC had earned my hard-won ticket dollars, my merch money, and a place in my crusty old heart. Please don’t wait another 5 years to come back, you magnificent, sick bastards. End transmission.
Flight 19 - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flight-19/196126533770089?sk=wall&filter=12
Skatter Bomb - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skatter-Bomb/152418741484508
Leftover Crack - http://www.myspace.com/leftovercrackofficial (They have a fb with no music. They have a .net with no ANYTHING. How very punk rock of you, gents)
More pics of bands and shit - https://www.facebook.com/ExiledZine
*I dunno, bro. Fat Wreck is pretty “BIG” - Fatty
