The Danglers, Cryptones et al at Alchemy

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Just back from a show down at Alchemy. That's always a weird place to see real music. It's strange to go in there and not automatically hate everyone. It's just kind of surreal to see the punk rockers in the club kids' territory.

I showed up late and only caught the ass-end of the set by the Cryptones. This was the second time I saw them and I kind of dug them this time around. They're obviously punk rock, but what kind? It's like they studied the history of punk and condensed it to its essence. Minimal bullshit and the singer can actually sing. I look forward to seeing them again.

The highlight for me was, again, the Danglers. Every time I see them, I'm satisfied. Dwight didn't climb on anything this time, but he claimed a hangover, so it's excusable. Still, a good show. Played some stuff I hadn't heard them do before.

That was it for the local bands, next up was the Demon Truckers. They were a rockabilly band from somewhere else. The M.C. had to beg people to go into the back room to listen. They weren't bad, but nobody cared. They were a thoroughly competent rockabailly band. I would have liked to see them play faster than they did. Give them a little bit more balls. The guitar player was good, though. He pulled some good solos. It made me look forward to seeing Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys in a couple of weeks.

The capstone in this punk archway was a fashion-punk band called Copyright Chaos. The ridiculousness was overwhelming. A three-inch pink mohawk and sunglasses on the singer. They even had a song called "Prison Riot." I mean, for fuck's sake, when I hear Johnny Cash sing "Give My Love to Rose" I know he understands the prisoner, but "Prison Riot" just makes these guys look like clowns. Ah well, they had three guys with studded denim sleeveless shirts moshing, so I guess that's all they need. I couldn't stick around too long, though.

This all got me thinking, what's the current punk scene all about? It looks like a preservationist movement. It's like they way people have bluegrass or dixieland revivals. They play it to preserve the tradition. Is this what punk has become? There don't seem to have been any actual innovations in over 10 years. The emo scene seems to be quite separate from this. And the bands are only getting older. Kids don't start punk bands anymore. One of the best punk bands in New Haven is the Whipping Boys and I'd hazard a guess that they get into the movies with a senior discount. Can you be a valid symbol of rebellion when you're put in a museum?