Riff Raff, Clark W. Griswald, & 86'ed

There were some changes in the lineup for this show from what was advertised. Filling in for Indecisive Youth on short notice was 86'ed. Clark W. Griswald appeared to have also given their headliner position to newfound Half Pint Records brothers, Riff Raff.
I came in a couple songs into the first band, 86'ed. This local three-piece punk band usually plays in their native Sacramento. The crowd was pretty lethargic at this point and being the Chico bar veteran that I am, I attributed this to the early 9:30 start. The heavy drinking usually doesn't start till 10 PM. 86'ed started the show off nice with a short set of their style similar to the Misfits.
The crowd started to come to life when Clark W. Griswald came to the stage. These guys just signed on with Half Pint Records in Santa Cruz and their maturity on stage is really starting to show. Griswald tore it up with their deep bass grooves, hard-hitting drums and steady guitars. When vocalist Charlie Schonwasser starts flowing in between choruses, it showed that they really have a 311 sound. I'm really not sure why they use the occasional echo though, it only takes away from the music. While Griswald was in definite form, the crowd must have left their dancing shoes at home. There was just as much movement on stage as in front of it, but the bar remained crowded through the whole set. I guess heavy drinking doesn't always equal heavy dancing. One of the last songs they performed was the title song off their new album, "The Goods," which is coming out in March.
Griswald then gave way to the Santa Cruz band, Riff Raff, supporting their new album "Watch Your Back." I can't say I've ever heard a band like Riff Raff before. I was expecting punk, but they seemed closer to punk-goth with a death-rock edge. These guys had lots of energy and knew how to rock, I'm just not sure if this crowd was ready for them, myself included. Their riffs were hard and deliberate, but a little too grim for my taste and the lead singer sounded real pissed, but I'm not sure what about. The place thinned out pretty fast, not because Riff Raff was bad, it was just a Griswald crowd. They were the scheduled headliner and should have stayed that way.

-Adam Weis

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