If there’s one holiday the punx will go balls to the wall for, it’s All Hallow’s Eve. So, if you’d like to participate in a very punk rock Halloween, you will attend the OFF! show at The recordBar this year. Now, the downside here is that an advance ticket is $27.75 after the bloody Ticketmaster surcharges, and I imagine your best bet to avoid paying extra to those bastards is to go to The recordBar during the day some time in the next couple weeks and buy your ticket there. I will give you reasons why $20+ for this show is acceptable if you can save your nickels ’til Samhain.
The first reason will be enough to draw most anybody who grew up on punk rock and hardcore: Keith Morris. Who wouldn’t want to see the founding frontman of both Black Flag and The Circle Jerks? The rest of the band members are fairly notable in the résumé department as well, depending on your tastes. There are some faces from relatively newer bands: Dimitri Coats of Burning Brides and drummer Mario Rubalcala from Hot Snakes and Rocket From The Crypt; as well as bassist Steven Shane McDonald from the ’80s & ’90s power pop stalwart Redd Kross. However, unlike many other original punk rockers and hardcore kids—who I will not mention by name at this juncture—Keith Morris and OFF! still manage to be (gasp!) a hardcore punk band.
The openers on this show are excellent as well. There are no locals, which always irks me a bit, but I’ll allow it because I’d probably pay to see each of these bands separately. If you add up what you’d pay in cover charges to see OFF!, Double Negative, and The Spits on different nights, I guarantee it’d run you more than twenty bones. In fact, I’m personally a bit more interested in these other two bands than OFF!
Speaking of bones, the final reason I’d say it’s worth the cash is that it’s on Halloween. Just about anything that’s happening on a popular drunk holiday is going to ask a cover charge. But at those places, you won’t be able to see a bunch of excellent bands and a horde of punks decked out in scary costumes. The Spits often wear costumes or masks at their shows already, so I don’t doubt they’ll come prepared. As a bonus, you’ll get to see those Halloween getups disheveled in the wake of a three hour mosh pit, replete with oily costume makeup streaked by blood, sweat, and beer. Oh, and be on time. Rifling through fast-paced songs notoriously lends to hardcore shows being short and sweet, especially when they’re 18+ like this one.
Doors at 9:30 PM
Double Negative at 10:00 PM
The Spits at 10:45 PM
OFF! at 11:30 PM
Bar closes at 1:30 AM
Click for facebook event page.
