US Bombs, Union 13, Dammnation & Hit By A Semi

Fuck the Starfuckers tour, (half the town was at that stupid shit, and they all missed a great show). But all of the Gazebo kids were there, cigarette- and change-bumming bastards. I saw a girl with a mohawk and a tie-dye shirt. Where do these people come from?

Hit By A Semi was first on stage. They didn’t seem bothered by the size of the crowd, they still went off. The songs are fast and furious punk rock with a good sense of humor. Everyone in the band is comfortable on stage, but singer / guitarist Rich Silva owns that motherfucker. He spits and jumps, and just basically rocks. Songs like "Drama Queen" and the very metal "Smokin’ Dope with the Pope" kept the crowd in motion, and all heads bobbing. They have a new CD. Buy it! They ended their set with the song that has become my favorite drunken anthem: "Friends, Booze and Tattoos." They’re right; that’s all you need!

Up next was Damnation from LA. They say they can’t hear it, but their guitar sound is very reminiscent of that of Bad Brains’ Dr. Know, a potent mix of old metal and straight-up punk. They were on fire. The singer is a born rock star, a frontman like no other, a little Sid and a little Iggy, but all himself. The rest of the band was just as confident in their role and all had ability to spare. They played a great set with no real highlights, ‘cause it all rocked, though it could have been longer. They are winding up the ass end of the tour with the Bombs, and will return to work on their new CD with Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves, among others. It will probably take a while to release it, though, as they have another tour coming up soon. I met and hung around with a couple of the guys afterward; they were cool guys and were anxious to return to town. They should be back around Halloween, and maybe they will have the new CDs with them. So check out their Web site and buy their stuff!

Straight out of East LA was Union 13’s chicano punk rock, making it’s triumphant Chico debut. I’ve been a fan for a while and was excited to see them. Furthermore, I was in no way disappointed. They came out and went straight to it, playing their own brand of LA punk. They played an amazing cover of "Stepping Stone" (Minor Threat-style), and songs off both of their CDs. By this time I was fairly buzzed and not really paying enough attention, but from what I remember, the whole set was great. They got the best response with their cover of Rancid’s "Roots Radical." They do it in Spanish, or spanglish, like a lot of their songs, ending the set with a roar of applause. I hope they come back soon, and that I’m less buzzed when they do.

"Jaks," due to the Hellcat Records compilation, is the most recognizable song that the U.S. Bombs play, so it’s a great song to open with. They actually played an instrumental intro while Duane slowly sauntered to the stage. As soon as he got there, they started "Jaks." They sounded awesome, and Duane looked better than he did last time; sobriety is treating him well. They sounded like they’ve been touring for a while: very tight, but a little sick of it. They played a lot of songs from War Birth, including "Orange Crush," and the title track. About half way through, you could see how tired they were from touring — they’re all a little sick of each other, and Duane was half-dead. He still sounded good, but had no energy. He just leaned on the mic stand and sang in his patented two-mic pose. I’ve never seen a bad Bombs show, but I’ve seen them on better nights. I know these guys will be glad to get home.

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