The Sore Thumbs, The Ballistics, Take the Wall & The Static

I was disappointed to already hear music spilling from Off Limits when I showed up a few minutes after 10 PM, Friday the 21st. Apparently, original openers Angry Amputees had to bow out because of a family emergency, and replacements The Static hadn’t shown up yet, so the show kicked off with Take the Wall. The only time I’d seen Cliff Greenwood (formerly of Union of the Dead) was when he sang acoustic one night with Shelby Cobra, and to hear what he and his bandmates could do with their guitars / bass / drums lineup was even better. But walking into this scene was almost like sprinting a mile without jogging a lap first. I hadn’t given myself ample time to warm up, and Take the Wall’s cohesive, high-energy, punk / metal set was so good I immediately felt like it was later in the night…so I increased my beer consumption fittingly and prepared myself for The Ballistics.
That saying about absence and fondness and hearts and stuff can really be applied to this threesome. The group’s intense vocals and Scott’s incredible drumming (still one of my favorites) left quite an impression on me the first time I caught them — and not just because they were the first band I saw in a bar. But shit, that was nearly two years ago, and I’ve only seen them one other time since. But even if The Ballistics played themselves out around town, I’d still be down for their shows; I don’t think their blend of hardcore and new-style punk will ever get old.
I edged a little closer to the front of the room when The Sore Thumbs took the stage — at first it was to take a few pictures, doing the whole journalist thing, but TST’s rep as a fun and frenetic band either preceded them or lingered from the last time they played here, so inevitably I became part of the first pit of the night. I actually didn’t mind hanging out there for a while. I knew when to pump my fist and sing along, even if Miles Peck’s vocals were difficult to ascertain. And it seemed that, even for these guys, their pace might’ve been a little too frenzied. But even if their songs did seem to mesh together a little, they managed to stay on top of things, and once again the Sore Thumbs rocked Chico with their classic punk styles.
In a perfect world, the night would’ve ended on that note, and we would’ve all gone home or to our respective after-parties, wasted and with the remnants of the night’s songs playing in our heads. But alas, Alabama’s The Static, who’d managed to blow three tires on their way to Chico to replace the Angry Amputees, were given the opportunity to play the last few minutes ‘til closing time. With painted-on, straight-legged Levi’s, crazy black hair and horrendously screeching vocals, The Static didn’t seem to impress the few who stuck around for last call (the lead vocalist’s ridiculous neon green kiddie glasses and over-the-top Mick Jagger-isms didn’t help them much, either). Luckily, the agonizing hilarity didn’t last long, and I was still able to leave with the good stuff lingering in my mind.

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