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Joey Ramone’s Holiday Bash
Tuesday, December 9th, 1997
The Continental - New York City, NY

There are a few precious things that are essential to any Holiday Season. Among the obvious that immediately come to mind are snow, Christmas Trees, Chanukah candles, Santa Claus, and the Ramones. So who better to host a holiday party than Joey Ramone?

And host it he did! As the MC, Joey Ramone, along with 4 other Family members (Dee Dee, CJ, Barbara, and Marky) packed the Continental for a night of rocknroll. The list of performers was overloaded with excitement. The Remains, Los Gusanos, the Independents, Ronnie Spector, the Dictators, the UnDead, and Santa Claus with the Furious Elves all took the stage before the night was done. Joey even took a break from his MCing duties to join Ronnie Spector and the Dictators for a song and later made an extended appearance with the Remains to spread the Yuletide cheer.

The Remains reached their first anniversary after playing several shows in 1997, aka, 0001AR (After Ramona). This time around the Remains were Dee Dee on guitar and lead vocals, Barbara on bass, Marky on drums, and Ben Trokan on guitar and backing vocals. (CJ Ramone dropped out to concentrate on his band, Los Gusanos) Their first few performance seemed a little slow to fans use to the Ramone’s Blitzkrieg pace but as they now cruise about at roughly album speed. The Remains usually divide their set lists in threes to feature the hits (Blitzkrieg Bop), obscure lost classics (Carbona Not Glue), and songs from Dee Dee’s new album, Ain’t It Fun?.

The Remains kicked things off a classic from the first Ramones album, "Listen To My Heart" followed by "Fix Yourself Up", a song from Dee Dee’s great new album, Ain’t It Fun?/Zonked.

Next Dee Dee invited none other than the Master of Ceremonies himself, Joey Ramone, to take the mic for the rest of the night. Among the golden nuggets Dee Dee, Joey, and Co. ripped through were "Carbona Not Glue", "Blitzkrieg Bop", "I Wanna Be Sedated", "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do", and "Sheena is A Punk Rocker". The Remains sounded fantastic and tight despite a few technical problem with the PA.

Dee Dee is like a general on-stage controlling the show with his commanding charismatic presence. Looking fit and trim, Joey has never sounded better! Whether its being free from the vocal strain that constant touring inflicts or just being able to sing the songs at the original pace, Joey‘s voice appears stronger than ever. Barbara, Marky, and Ben Trokan are solid and tight backing up Joey and Dee Dee. While Johnny Ramone talks about how the Ramones had to break up before they started to decline, Joey and Dee Dee appear to be aging like a fine wine, getting sweeter with each passing year.

What really impressed me the most was observing the Remains’ post-show reaction to their set. Their focal point was not the 95% that sounded like vintage 1977 at CBGBs, but the 5% of the set that was hampered by malfunctioning mics and guitars going out of tune. After all these years Joey and Dee Dee still care. Even at a show that was more of a holiday party than an actual Remains show, they still expect perfection. The fire that made the Ramones the best still burns.

Los Gusanos rocked the Continental with a vengeance. Celebrating a new record contract and the birth of the first baby Ramone, Los Gusanos rocked out with new drummer, Bo, bringing the beat. CJ Ramone has really grown into the front man role while playing a solid rhythm guitar and even taking on some leads. While its difficult to compare them to the Ramones because they play a different style, both bands share an infectious intensity live that takes over the room. They songs were a little more sped up from the album but they are still a long way from Ramone speed. Instead Los Gusanos opt for more of a crunching sledgehammer sound that flat out kicks!

Los Gusanos set list was mostly drawn from their first album that is available in Europe on Wonka Records. Among the tunage featured were "Blue Sky", "Dead Man's Curve", "Helldorado", "Carve Your Name". and a set closing cover of the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for My Man." Afterwards, CJ Ramone described the set as a "big release. A chance to kick out some aggression that had built up over the past year."

Look out for Los Gusanos in 98. They plan to re-release their first album through a large distributor this spring as well as doing some major touring to starting January. They also will be featured on a forthcoming Black Sabbath Tribute album. All of which CJ hopes to fit in around 3AM feedings of Liam Crow Ward, a.k.a. Baby Ramone. Gabba Gabba Hey indeed!

Besides the Yuletide celebration, this show was intended to showcase the Independents to record labels. Having recently completed an impressive 14 track master tape with Daniel Rey and Joey, the Independents were back doing what they do best, playing live. The King of Horror-Ska, Evil Presely, was his usual possessed self as he crooned, screamed, and made a few noises yet to be classified through a skankin set for all the good little ghouls in attendance. Among the many ghostly highlights, "In the Rain", "Little Blue", "Left For Dead", and "Insane (NaNa NaNa....)" stood out the most. The Independents also proudly showcased the diversity of their influences with a hoppin cover of "C Is For Cookie." Since its almost impossible to witness the Independents manic live show without falling in love with them, 1998 should be a huge year for them given the huge industry buzz that was in the air for this show.

To some the legendary Ronnie Spector of the Ronnettes may seem a peculiar choice on a lineup populated with punk acts. However, that mismatch is also what made this an incredible concert. The variety of the acts is unparalleled to the larger corporation sponsored rock tours. The only thing Ronnie Spector has in common with the other acts on the bill is that she sings great songs. Thankfully, one person in the music business, Joey Ramone. feels that is the only thing that matters.

Those who attended reaped the benefits from this thinking as Ronnie Spector and her band, which included production whiz, Daniel Mad Dog Rey, played an excellent set to a very enthusiastic crowd. Ronnie and Friends previewed a couple of covers that are going to be featured on her next album which she has been working on with Mad Dog and Joey. Among them is a cover of the Ramone’s "She Talks To Rainbows" and a versions of the late great Johnny Thunder’s "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory." Joey came up to sing a duet with Ronnie on her sixties hit "Baby I Love You", which was later a hit for the Ramones. Then in classic Ronnette fashion, Ronnie closed her set with her mega 60s hit "Be My Baby."

The ageless Handsome Dick Manitoba led the Dictators through a brief but blistering set. Running on tight time constraints, the Dictators blasted through a few signature numbers like "Next Big Thing" and "New York, New York" before inviting Joey Ramone up to trade verses with Handsome Dick on a climatic set closing rendition of California Sun. As once again the Dictators proved they can still rock out with the best of them!

If there had to be one complaint, it would be that there wasn’t enough time! This seemed to effect the acts on the second half of the bill who had to squeeze their sets so everybody could play. However, that is a very small concession to the Holiday rush considering the overall joy this year’s Holiday Bash produced!

By Marc Clarkin - staysick@aol.com

©1998 Marc Clarkin