Young and sloppy is what I seem to
gravitate to these days. Whether it’s watching my niece eat spaghetti or a loud
punk band try to hold it together, I likes me a mess. Exhibit A: the
Canandaigua kids in Public Aggravation.
They, along with The River City Rebels and Brain Failure, played with
Dropkick Murphy spin-offs The Street
Dogs Thursday night at The Club @ Water Street.
But opposed to the first time I
caught the band, a couple of years back, Public Aggravation wasn’t the maniacal
teenage assault I remembered. They seemed a little disconnected and unfocused.
Playing covers seems unnecessary, as these young men clearly seem have the
right idea on their own. Maybe they’re growing up. Time will tell but I still
think they’re gonna be a great band.
Beijing, China’s Brain Failure
followed with a fist-pumping battle cry. Textbook punk, the band wound the
crowd to where they were bouncing around like pinballs gone wrong. BF’s
phonetically recited rock ‘n’ roll rhetoric was cool. Even though they were probably
rehearsed lines, the band came off genuine. A lot of American kids feel being
in a rock band is their birthright, even though bands from around the globe routinely
put to shame a lot of what we now revere. We had the ball and dropped it. Bands
like Brain Failure study the idiom hard and cradle it lovingly before bashing
us over the head with it.
Walked into Milestones Friday night
to see The Bob Greco Band celebrate
the release of their new CD On The Run. Got
to shuck ‘n’ jive with the band for a bit while the opening band crucified
Green Day. Greco’s band is a rock band that plays pop for grown ups. They jam
but don’t stretch too far. They won’t give you cavities.
The music bounced with the grinning
Greco’s affability and sturdy voice. This is a band of well-seasoned players
who, though serious about the notes, crack wise every now and again — like
when keyboardist Ian Mutch (ex-King Binjj) got all Barry White on our ass.
— Frank De Blase
This article appears in Nov 9-15, 2005.
