Guin's Concert Reviews

Guin's Concert Reviews

(All opinions are those of the reviewer & do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NYSP or its editor. )

HEPCAT, the Slackers, & the Gadjits - Tramps - Feb. 22,1998

I am a dedicated ska/punk fan, and I love all the Hellcat bands, so when I heard of this show, I had to go, and decided to drag my freind Remi along (he used the concert just as an excuse to wear his 2-tone suit... kidding :). Anyways, I am a huge Slackers fan (NYC represent!). When I got to the venue at 5 to 7, there were about 20 people outside, so we didn't have a problem getting in, but within an hour, the house was packed (most were at the bar), and we eagerly awaited the opening band. The show started at about 8 with the Gadjits, who I frankly felt sorry for. Like Brando Phillips (the lead singer) said "Were finishing off the I'M TOO COOL TO DANCE TO THE OPENING BAND tour" They played a great set, but most people just stood there in front of the stage and stared like mongoloid retards.

They played songs off of their new album, inc. "Beatiful Girl", also on the
Hellcat comp. The Gadjits are weird because they are a ska band with no horn section, yet they have an organist (and she's CUTE). I reccomend this band to others.

Next up is the Slackers, My personal favorite classic ska band (whose
members are all under 50 yrs. of age). Anyways, I must say that the Slackers set was incredible. They got the whole floor moving as they played songs off their last 2 albums, Redlight being their latest (off of
Hellcat, of course). Songs included "Married Girl", "I Still Love You",
"She Wants To Be Alone" and "Sarah". My favorite part was when Dave Hahn (guitarist for Skinnerbox NYC and the Stubborn All Stars) made an appearance along with Aaron Owens (I think!) the guitarist for Hepcat, as they had a guitar solo contest on-stage! It was an Incredible set, to say the least. So good, they did an encore after 5 minutes of non-stop cheering (and they were'nt even the headliners!), at the end of which, the horn section came down into the crowd and played the rest of the song there! I highly reccomend seeing this band live whenever you can!

Last, but not least, Hepcat. These guys had their work cut out for them,
because they wanted to represent "west coast" ska and not get upstaged by the Slackers, and they certainly did a great job of staying on top, and
keeping everyone skanking. The two vocalists (weird, huh) Greg Lee and
Alex Desert (one of them I recognized as an actor who had a large part in the movie "Swingers") kept peeling out great tunes off all 3 of their
albums including "Bobby and Joe", "I Cant Wait"(also off the Hellcat
comp.), "Rudies All Around" and, my personal favorite, "No Worries" (very bouncy!). After all that, plus a 4 song kick-ass encore, and a quick brawl in the crowd (I know what you're thinking...a brawl at a mellow ska show?), the show was finally over, and I went home supremely satisfied, and extremely late! I highly reccomend seeing this band live. Plus, rumor has it that King Django from Skinnerbox and Stubborn All Stars was in the crowd that night. Well, I guess that's it, unless you wanna hear about the train ride home :)

-SPAM

Go Back to The Review Page

This page was last updated on 06/21/98