Hit By A Semi, Oddman, Griswald & W.H.A.T.?

I could have been at a party getting good and drunk, as Halloween is among my favorite binge-drinking excuses, but since I'm not the brightest guy around, when asked to cover a couple of shows, I said "yes" before realizing the implications, such as the fact that I would be spending the early part of my evening in retail outlets that do not sell alcohol. I guess it's better in the end since this is the first year I haven't blacked out in a long time, but I still wish I would have thought about the lack of booze earlier and done something to remedy the situation.
So, it's only 5:15 PM and I know I've got an endurance challenge in front of me, because I have to see how long I can make it without sneaking off to the nearest watering hole. I've never seen Griswald before and I actually never really wanted to, having heard that they were like 311 but worse. I was surprised at how long they were able to keep me there. The 311 comparison is fairly accurate. These guys would have it much easier if it were still '98, and though I appreciate their musicianship, I find myself offended by their pop sensibility. To clarify, these guys can all play, but I'm just not a fan of the type of shit they're playing.
The music has a certain flow that a lot of bands used to have (i.e. Sublime, 311, Slightly Stoopid), but the only thing Griswald doesn't have is the ska element, that is, unless they played their ska shit when I made a quick Budweiser retreat to Panamas.
By the time I returned they were loading their gear into the van and the next act was getting ready. So after a wait that seemed to be an eternity, W.H.A.T. began to assemble onstage. W.H.A.T., by the way, stands for Why Haters Always Trippin', and has to be one of the worst names I've ever heard. It really is a bad idea to use a piece of slang as a name - first off, the term "Hater" is so overused these days and a few years from now it will sound just as laughable as "aaight." And second, to even use the term "Hater" implies that they are players; game recognizes game and I saw none there. You can call yourself a player when you're established and have earned respect and credibility, not when you're playing one of your first shows in the back of a store for free.
Their music wasn't horrible; they actually have a lot of talent, though the bass player was overly ambitious. The female lead has an amazing voice and the male lead has a decent flow, even though he stares at the floor a lot of the time. As far as a musical comparison, the few songs I stayed for reminded me of Joe Public, the guys that did "Live And Learn." If they ditch the bass player and get a new name they will be able to rock parties all over.
Oddman and Hit By A Semi were playing at the same time, so that means I'm running back and forth and at no point can I stop for a beer. I start at Tower, where Oddman is slowly setting up and I'm told it will be a little while, so I haul ass over to Aftershock were the same thing is happening with Hit By a Semi. After smoking a cigarette and cursing the world for my lack of beer, it's back to Tower where Oddman has started. They are all wearing long wigs and various costumes, such as: Hessian garb, ripped jeans, Metallica shirts--the whole nine.
They played primarily new songs, which I could only catch two at a time, because I was running back and forth. The new songs they played are going to be on their next release, which is tentatively titled, It All Starts Here. I liked what I heard, but I've always liked Oddman, their screams and bellows are much more tolerable.
As always, they played a great set, at least the half that I saw. I was lucky enough to see quite a bit of the Hit By A Semi, or Hit By An Umpa as they were called on this All Hallows Eve, because they all dressed as evil Umpas. They played all of the songs that we know and love, "Friends, Booze & Tattoos," etc. On my last trip back I was just in time to see the Lovely Sara and Becky take the stage as two thirds of the Harmless Cherries and they played their infamous Texas Terry cover, after which Sara stayed on to cover the vocals on the next song.
The Umpas finished the set with their bitchin' cover of "Kickstart My Heart."
I had a good early evening all in all, but I think I'm moving to New Orleans where you can have a drink wherever you want.
- Jim Preston
- Photo by D.C. Ramirez

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