The Boston French Connection

It’s one in the morning and I’ve just come home. I ducked out from the party early, because I wanted to write things down while they were still fresh in my memory.

Tonight was an amazing show that made me fall in love with Boston punks all over again.

LA FRACTION and BORN DEAD ICONS played at Amory Street house, and it was glorious! Tonight was only LA FRACTION’s second city on their first US tour. Meaning, us lucky Bostonians were some of the first Americans to welcome LA FRACTION to the fucked up USA.

The show was at Amory Street house, which has hosted many a good DIY punk show. The house has a big basement with thick stonewalls and high ceilings, and the neighbors don’t call the cops. Glorious.

Anyway, the day of the show finally arrived. Friday, October 3rd.

I had to work late, the Profits had to practice (even after three years, it’s still twice a week), yada yada yada, and I was late for the show. I missed EARTH DIED SCREAMING, CUT THE SHIT, and even BORN DEAD ICONS. The first two groups I’m sure I’ll catch again soon, but I was disappointed to miss out on BORN DEAD ICONS from Montreal.

It just happened that the first people we came across on the sidewalk outside the house were speaking French. Hmm, could it be LA FRACTION? I was happy to meet them, and they struck me as serious and intelligent people who put a lot of meaning and thought into their travels and their music. I tried to imagine what it would be like from their perspective, European anarcho-punks keenly aware of US imperialism and capitalist conquest, visiting here for the first time. They seemed very open to connecting with people, and wanted to see what the US was really like.

I also talked to so many awesome people I haven’t seen for a long time. It was like a Boston punk reunion. It was refreshing to see people from all the different Boston fractions all having a good time at the same show, just the way it should be.

Fro example, Jeff Hall was there, wearing his sweatshirt with STRAIGHT EDGE XXX across the front while seriously drunk punks were drinking in the shadows, and new hardcore kids who usually turn their nose up at “punk” were standing next to spiky-mohawk-leather-jacket-wearing kids. I was happy to see the crusty dreaded anarchists and my favorite drinking communist, the punks on bikes, people who had been in the scene forever, and kids who talked about their first practice with their first band the night before.

It was beautiful.

And then LA FRACTION played!

I squeezed myself up to the front, and then off to the side of the band, trying to get a good shot to video. I was excited about catching a bit of LA FRACTION’s set for my cable access show Roach Motel, and they said it would be fine as I wasn’t making any money off of the video and it would help share their music. (Note to video folks- you should always ask. It’s only the right thing to do.)

From the very first song, the packed basement of what seemed like a hundred people went crazy. People were pressed against the band, forcing them to back up right into the drums while a few great people acted as human shields, being successful most of the time. The energy from the crowd and the band together was simply amazing.

LA FRACTION’s music seemed to uplift everyone there, and the melody and urgency created a wall of people dancing and freaking out together to all of the songs. Even my friend Brian was jumping around in the pit, and he hasn’t done that in years. Adam found me in my dark basement crevice up front, and helped me video. He crawled onto an unused amp and got a great view of the sea of excitement and energy. It was insane! I danced from behind the gear and took it all in.

Everyone I talked to afterwards said about the same thing, “An amazing fucking show!” Viva la Boston punks! Rock on.

24 Hours Later I’m Back from Lawrence

Once again, it’s one in the morning and I find myself back home, exhausted from another great show. What a weekend!

This show was in Lawrence, Mass., about twenty minutes from the New Hampshire border. The show was originally booked as an all-day affair with ten bands playing at the (un)American Legion Hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. Less than two weeks before the show, the Legion Hall canceled, leaving the fest in the lurch. In an amazing organizing feat, Jonee from JONEE EARTHQUAKE BAND managed to quickly switch the venue to a Knights of Columbus hall in Lawrence. The show was still on.

Just one catch–ten bands were scheduled to play with only half as much time allotted for the show. To make the show work, each band was given exactly ten minutes to set up, and twenty minutes to play. That’s it, so move your gear, get on stage, and play already!

It made for a great punk show. Lots of music, but everything went very quickly. Only being able to play twenty minutes, rather than a more drawn out set of thirty to even forty minutes (which I think is really too long at any show), forced bands to play just their best songs, and kept the energy high. No messing around–just play!

The show was in the lower level of the large rambling Knights of Columbus complex, a small room with a low foam-square ceiling, so the sound was actually very good. There was no stage, and the place was filled. Although it was about 50 degrees outside, the room was hot, smoky and sweaty after only a couple of bands.

First up was BLANK SOCIETY. It seems that in every scene, there are always a few people who are the first to get the pit started, and get the energy going for a band. Pat, the singer for BLANK SOCIETY, is one of those people. I’ve seen him for the past year at so many shows supporting bands, having fun, starting the pit and dancing around when other people stood in the back and crossed their arms and wondered if the band was “cool” enough to dance for. So, it was really fun to see Pat up front, screaming and singing with his hardcore band. Adding to the craziness of the set, BLANK SOCIETY’s drummer broke his ankle the night before, and a fill-in drummer learned ten songs that morning. And, the drummer was in 8th grade! He did a great job, and watching the band all hang together and smile through tentative changes, stops and starts was just plain punk rock fun.

THE STRUGGLE was my favorite set of the evening. They played a sort of street punk sound, although I hate using that term. Everyone thrashed around for them, and it was an off the hook melee. THE JIMMIES were an all-woman punk band from Maine with a BRATMOBILE style, and THE KAOTICS played rock and roll punk with enough power to keep the dancing going. I missed all but one song of 20 TO ONE but they are good melodic hardcore. Watch out for all of these bands, as the northeastern scene is really growing strong.

Halfway through THE PROFITS set, the lights and amps suddenly went dead. A fuse must have blown somewhere. Rich kept playing the drums, and a circle pit started in the darkness. It was wild! After a couple of minutes, we stopped making noise and screaming and decided to go ahead and play our next song, “Profit Over People” sans light or electricity. Fuck it! Rich played the drums, and we all just screamed the lyrics. Lots of kids joined in, and our voices carried in the small, almost totally dark room. Then, during the second verse, the power returned like magic–the lights came on, our amps came on, and we finished the song without missing a beat, guitars blazing with our friends dancing and singing along. It was amazing.

JONEE EARTHQUAKE BAND finished the night off with their absolutely unique style of pirate-keyboard-New Hampshire-punk-craziness with simple drumbeats and clear dancing guitar. Jonee sings and plays guitar with his long beard and three-corned pirate hat, dancing all the while. Jonee is also the oldest punk I know, and JONEE EARTHQUAKE BAND has been rocking in New Hampshire since before time, as far as I know. Story has it Jonee got into punk in the mid-70s in London, and has been in bands ever since. Madness. I am now a big fan. Check out their web site at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stompbox/, which also has photos of all the bands they play with. Check them out.

Up the Punks

This column was all about the good times, so thanks for reading. Now, go to the show and have your own adventure! A big shout out to all the Boston punks and the New Hampshire scene. Great times. Electronically you can reach me at ransom@theprofits.org, or write a letter to: Erika/ PO BOX 391273/ Cambridge, MA/ 02139. I’m especially looking for anarcho-feminist influenced fanzines or bands for review. If you are out there, let me know. In solidarity, Erika.