Face Down, Afterthought, Pepper Spray Tray, Smeat, Kansas City Stars, P.A.W.N.S., Sentient, Gruk, The Skalley Rats

I had been itching to see this ever since I've heard about it: a night at the lovely Senator Theatre to witness a full-fledged punk rock 'n' roll jamboree. All you poor suckers who missed out on this great local show should be kicking yourselves right now. (C'mon, people! For six bucks you could have seen nine awesome bands and received a CD. Who the hell can beat that?) Starting off the night was Chico's young and powerful Face Down. These guys never disappoint me. They have a lot to express through their music and every one of their potential thoughts, ideas and outcries are condensed in a deafening roar of jagged sound, which immediately got the audience moving. Preceding the high-energy intro was a new (I think) group called Afterthought. Until this show, I had never heard these guys play. Showcasing smooth vocals and catchy guitar riffs, Afterthought was slightly reminiscent of radio-friendly groups, such as NOFX and Pennywise.
Third in line was Pepper Spray Tray. This group held a lot of similarities to Afterthought in their crisp riffs and vocals, although they were much faster (and a little bit older, too).
Up next, Smeat wasted no time in preparing the audience for their performance with an upside down American flag that read "Go fuck yourselves." Their sound rattled the brain and forced you to move. Smeat dished out full-volume, full-force songs with ominous, wrenching vocals and experimental riffs.
Changing the sound and scenery for a little while was the Kansas City Stars. This is a no-nonsense pure rock 'n' roll band, who I have enjoyed seeing several times, and am lucky to have been able to see them play again for this show. Although quite different from the other groups that played at this show (they lean more towards rock than they do towards punk), they were welcomed immensely by the crowd (especially members of the crowd, like myself, who like to dance).
Next we were graced with a superb performance from my favorite Chico rockers, the P.A.W.N.S. Saint Anne's eminent presence and animated performance never ceases to amaze me. This group gives a tight, powerful energy and sound, with substance, offering an eye-opening message of governmental, religious and societal corruption (not to say that the other bands did not). What can I say? I love these people.
Sentient, a fabulous hardcore group, kept the fast-paced energy in the theatre circulating with an impressive performance. Their music came straight from the gut, presenting a fluid musical strand of soulful fury.
The aforementioned fluidity was rampantly stomped upon and shattered by the quick and chunky tunes of Gruk. This group, like P.A.W.N.S, was also fronted by a woman, and greatly succeeded in knocking my senses to their knees and crushing their little skulls with a wonderfully simple, classic punk rock sound. Prior to this event, I was a mere virgin to Gruk, and now I plan to become a devout Gruk whore. They fuckin' rocked. That's all I can say.
Last, but in no way least, The Skalley Rats bid us all farewell with their superb set. With fun, fast, well-rounded songs, this group gave us all a poignant, satisfying performance to remember them by. Their experience showed in their clean, complete musical exploits and their obvious unity as a group.
I am pleased to say that this show had a fairly large turn out, and am even more pleased to have witnessed it. To all of you people out there who claim to be punk fans, yet refuse to check out the amazing local scene that Chico provides: you have no idea what you're missing.
- Karen Light

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