Show Update #16 - Rock Show #3 at Mercer County Community College
So I just found about this show the day of the show, in school. All i knew was that [here] tomorrow was headlining and that there were supposed to be other bands. I didn't know the time, the building it was in, or who was hosting it.
Picked up John Capone, and then Joey and we arrived at the campus, not knowing where we were going. I had at first said "Follow your ears!", but instead our eyes lead us to these signs pointing to the "Mercer Rock Show", heh. Got in, paid our dues (could have brought cans and got in for $3 instead of $5), and the lady who stamped my hand said, "Free food is just around the corner". Haha, free food, and drinks, and fake alcohol! w00t! Turns out the show was being hosted by MCCC's SADD club, and they had all these anti-sex/drugs posters hung around. They also handed out notes with tips on how to live it safe.

Break Away was the first band that we saw playing (we later found out we missed the opening band). Fortunately Break Away's set was half finished so i didn't have to sit through all the pop punk semantics. They are an ok band, technically, sure, but the sound is just not to my liking. There were the same fans of Break Away as at their show at the trinity cathedral.
Hackey sacked a little, some kid came over and joined the circle. Luckily we all equally sucked, so no one was embarassed. Heh, we spotted bowl cut (refer back to 071203), she's the lame girl who got told "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" by the lame drummer of indecent. She had a new hair style...looked like a rat. I got another hoagie, and a cola.

Next band to come on was The Checkers. I'd heard so much about them before this show, mainly good stuff. I had never seen or heard them before, but i know the guitarist is friends with Johnny from the Cryptkeeper Five, because at the last trinity show they kept talking to each other while CK5 was on stage. Well the band was done setting up, turns out they are only a 3-piece band. Pretty cool. They put out an amazing sound for only 3 people.
The guitarist/vocalist played some really good solos that went all over the place. Thats definitely not something you see everyday at a local rock show. Plus the bassist played with his fingers, no pick to be found. The definition of a good bassist in my mind, is one who plays without a pick and still is capable of breaking out some great bass tunes.
They had some what of a poppy sound, but it wasn't bad, it wasn't too catchy, it was just some good punk rock. They had some funny ass lyrics and some groupies who were all over those lyrics. Their songs had good endings too, thats always a plus. There were some idiots who had some really weird skanking, even more strange than mine (well maybe not that unique). Also one of the guys had some annoying hat that i just wanted to grab as he went skanking by.

I went on a search for some Checkers merchandise, but i guess they didn't bring any. Meanwhile [here] tomorrow set up a stand for selling merch. Joey, John, and I went over to check it out. We talked to the lead singer, and me and joey bought some shirts. I signed up for the mailing list. Heh, the lead singer was like take some stickers and John grabbed a pile of them and the guy corrected himself and said "Hey! Don't take 20!"
We got some more drinks, food, whatever...it was all free. Walked around the building to find some flyers. Got them. We came back in and Decoy was starting up.

Turns out Decoy is a band from CT. Joey pointed out all the hardcore stickers they had, and the Shai Hulud shirt the one guitarist was wearing. Shai Hulud, i have one of their cds, full of some really deep voiced screaming, kind of scary, heh. I also noticed they had a couple pedals so they might have some technicals in their performance.
They started playing, and as predicted they were pretty hard sounding. Even more they had some really good solos, and harmonies between the 2 guitars and the bass. They had all these pick slides going on the one guitar, and these weird distortion and reverberations on the other guitar. The lead singer had a really good voice and a good scream too. He was supported by some good back up vocals too. Kind of a Screamo sounding band, good stuff, very good.
Heck i wish they were selling a cd at that show, i would've bought it right away. I was about to buy a shirt, but i didn't have enough money, and the design was a little corny. I signed up for the mailing list, and they gave me a free sticker which i've put on my bass already. Fucking great set. A couple thrashes erupted. Mostly that idiot and his friends again. Some weird guy in the front was making all these slow gestures to the music. Kind of reminded me of Eastern Youth. I feel bad i didn't buy anything from Decoy...they said they needed some gas money.

While [here] tomorrow was setting up me and the guys decided to wander some. I came to realize that we were the only Ewing kids at that show, and even more so, in my opinion we were the youngest not lame people there. I have to go to some more college shows.
[here] tomorrow, is what i came for. When i heard they were playing, i really wanted to go to the show. I found them on mp3.com quite some time ago. They came on and the band was much like I pictured them, heh not really. Lead singer, long hair, beard. Bassist, tall, lanky kid. The guitarist, a quiet, kid who kind of stood in the background. And the drummer, a guy wearing a bob dylan shirt, i think he later said he was in his 30s.
This crazy beast was in the pit wearing a red "3-day AIDS Vaccine, I'M MEDICAL" shirt, which caused me to think, w-t-f, mate? He started standing in corners amidst a bunch of people (girls, midgets, crippleds, he didn't care) and he'd start doing windmills backwards into the crowd. Then he would do some karate kicks out. I wonder how many people got punched in the face. He came towards me and the people i was with, i just stood with my arm out blocking. John got hit in the chest and had his air knocked out and him and Joey started backing off. I received my battle scars on my shoulder, no biggy...backed off though, i didn't want me to be stuck in the middle if he did some karate kick towards my direction or something.
The band was tearing it up. There sound was so good. The mp3s i'd heard were so much better when performed live. The lead singer was hillarious. He kept commenting on how everyone was scared of the beast (i forget his name). Also there was some guy staring in watching the show through glass and the lead singer was like "Hey fucker, to cool to come inside with us?" "Come on! come in!" Then he was like "Guys, i really want to jump into the crowd, everyone come up front!" All the sudden the circle around the beast turned into a mass block of probably 50 people in front of the stage. The lead singer dove out into the crowd and continued to sing all the while being rocked around.
Some dick started trying to mosh with the people in this block, by running into their backs, one of the backs being mine. We all put the singer back on the stage and a huge pit erupted. Like 30 people running around punching, half of them laying on the ground, almost getting stomped on or getting tripped over. The beast even jumped up on stage and took a dive in my direction, causing me to throw him into someone else as he was falling down on top of me. I made way back to the side after being jumped on, punched, tripped, kicked, and much more. It was sick!
So [here] tomorrow's set was unfortunately over, way too soon. The lead singer asked for one last pit. No one gave it too him, so they held a chord going and he was like "Come on fuckers! That was crappy, when i give the signal, i want everyone running into the center". I nodded to Joey and John, and on his signal there were about 30 people in the pit again. A whole bunch of people were laying punches in other people's faces. I was punching all low trying not to hit anyone. Some chick with spikes punched me in the chest, but it was all light so I was like whatever. Fucking crazy, though. I was circling around, spinning, throwing windmills, getting jostled about. The beast was going crazy. I dodged some water bottle with some matrix moves. The leadsinger jumped in and continued singing with a pit consuming him. The bassist even put down his bass and hopped off the stage to join the crowd. [here] tomorrow was tearing it up.
Such a great set. Joey later said that that was the best he'd ever heard them play. I had to agree. John really liked them too.