 Our Own Little CBGB
I put on my converses and headed over to Spokane's only punk rock venue called The Cretin Hop. As soon as Jason, Matt, and I walked in we were greeted with a “this must be your first time in here,” by the very cool owner T.C.. The walls of the Cretin Hop are covered with DIY artwork, Ramone's posters & stickers, monster heads, skulls, and pretty much anything punk rock – including a Social D blanket and Misfits flag. This place is almost too cool for Spokane; I was excited to see that we have our own little CBGB now!
The first band to take the stage was Good Kids Bad Ideas and this was my second time seeing the band. The first time I saw them they were having a hell of a day, so I was excited to see them in healthy working instrument conditions. Not only were they all together but they sounded 10x better! I was impressed; they are a cool group of kids that I guess have bad ideas? I dunno the keyboard player/singer's mom was in the crowd and the band mentioned something about buying panties – I am not sure... but that my friend is a BAD IDEA. The boys were having fun on stage and they even brought a friend up on the stage to help do some back up vocals/screaming adding to their Happy Go Lucky Punk Rock! It was a great show, and these SFCC, Deer Park High School, and Gonzaga boys will be playing again soon so make sure to catch them!
 Next up was From the Top! Before I even talk about the band they have one of the coolest female band shirt designs, its gorgeous – check it out on their Myspace (it's the background)! But on talk about the band they are from Cali and I would describe them as a funky little pop punk band with an intense shirtless drummer. The six boys were animated as hell and it was their first stop on their tour, I was talking with them earlier and they drove 22 HOURS to get to the Cretin - damn!!! Maybe it was the pink guitar that won me over but I like these kids, its a little bit hardcore but pretty pop punk. I could see them on Warped in future! Speaking of firsts, not only was it their first stop but it was the first time they were selling their CD's on tour – their merch guy Cade was pretty cool (Good luck with the camera)! At the end of their set T.C. jumped up on stage and said they had a fancy keyboard stand, laughing how Californian's have more money then us... I must say it was a cool keyboard stand though! Check these kids on myspace they are a great summer pop punk band – who knows maybe you'll see them on Warped some time soon!
 Starting Over is another local Spokane band, that is true punk rock. They were a simple three-piece band and talented musicians at that. Their set was tight and I loved all the Whoa's and Oh's... great bass player as well! They were really cool... I wouldn't mind seeing them again; they almost remind me of an early Offspring or Green Day. I loved how they opened their set with “Alright so we have some songs we are going to annoy you with ... and our drummer just took off his shoes.” Starting Over I don't think you annoyed the crowd, even the three year old girl in the crowd was dancing around. I also thought it was cool when they said “You paid to get in so it's more your show then our show...” I have never heard a band say that, and it was a great show – worth my $6 without a doubt. Kids were skanking, clearing the floor (which was a little funny) and the band dedicated their last song to the little girl who was trying to skank dance with the big kids. Check out Starting Over – you won't regret it.
 The one thing I picked up on was the quick turnaround between the bands playing, I think it was because all the bands stayed around and helped out – everyone helped everyone, which was badass! Number 4 to take the stage was also from California and they are known as From Ritual to Romance. California kids like keyboards – I like them too. FRTR was another hardcore punk band that was a little pop too but the thing that stood out to Matt and I was how the keyboard player would all the sudden just do some serious scream-o singing – it rocked. They also had the coolest blue bubbly looking drum set I have ever seen! I felt horrible their main singer was sick, and he pretty much had to sit down for part of a song... I guessed he blacked out. Kudos to you for fucking getting up on stage still rockin' a show when you’re that sick, that's dedication! I loved their simultaneous head banging and guitar playing (I am such a sucker for that). After their set they invited the crowd to hang out with them saying “We're actually pretty nice for a bunch of Mexicans.” After no one would come hang out with them they said they would give you a free sticker if you came and talked – bribery and it worked. Support this band their outta money and their van broke down, you can check them out on myspace ... tell your friends... Good Luck F.R.T.R – keep rockin'!
 The last band of the evening was Small Town Nation – also known as STN. One of my P.F.'s about this band was the air freshener hanging off the bass guitar, I wonder if that helps keep their music fresh too? These kids were full of piss and vinegar, they had an amazing way to start their set... they had a wireless guitar and started playing in the back of the Cretin and all came running out jumping and yelling – first time I have ever seen that. You could tell the band had been friends for a while, they had a following at the Cretin and they were up on stage just having a good time. Their pop punk music made you want to dance... one of the singer's even rocked a New Found Glory shirt that read “Pop Punk's Not Dead”on the back. The boys were goofy with comments like “It's not hard to have a cock...” I dunno if that's true, I mean what about uncontrollable boners now those are hard (did I just say that?) - anyhow their drummer looked like the singer in Fall Out Boy. They even stopped their set to put glasses and a Trucker Hat on him and did a mock-up version of “Sugar, We're Going Down.” Maybe they can do a whole Fall Out Boy set one night – that would be fun. The tax boy bass player/singer, Fall Out Boy Drummer, Pop Punk's Not Dead Singer/guitar, and the wireless jump on top of things guitar player made for a cool set and a fun show – like their myspace page says “rock, skate, and masturbate.” Overall the Cretin fucking rocks, as does T.C. - and the bands were cool, rocking out together, helping each other, and having a good time.
See all the photos from the show HERE!
Watch Good Kids Bad Ideas perfrom "The Riot" HERE!
Andrea@checkitoutmusic.com |
