Punk Rock Benefit Two Show Report
Written by Tony – Hell Feels Like Home
“It’s okay for a punk to cry”- Bobby Steele (The Undead), “Tears on a Pillow (In Amarillo)”
…and you know what? It’s okay for them to care too.
The rock n’ roll rebellion of the past somehow seems to have seeped into the mainstream and lost all its sense of danger. The 50’s rock ‘n roll scene is long forgotten and seems tame by today’s standards anyway. Led Zeppelin is trying to sell you a Cadillac. Ozzy Osbourne and his family are amusing us with their antics, while Bret Michaels is trying to find a girlfriend. So how come punk still strikes fear into just about anyone out there who isn’t a punk themselves? Why do punks still get such a bad rap? Sure there’s some cute pop punk out there, and Hot Topic has created a socially acceptable uniform of rebellion but that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about homegrown DIY punk where everything is done from the ground up.
The Punk Rock Benefit Two Show smashes just about everything people think about punk. The proceeds of this show go to help the Mariposas Foundation which helps terminally ill children and their families. This event was put together by the punk father and son team of Carlos and Chris, who you may know as a Scurvy Dad, and one of the Scurvy Kids. Who would have thought punks cared? Well after attending this show I know for a fact they do.
The second annual Punk Rock Benefit Two show, held March 15th at the D Club in Azusa, California, was an all day event starting around noon and going until about 10 at night. Just about all of my favorite Southern California bands were on the bill, and the bands I hadn’t heard were ones I wanted to check out. Plus it’s for a good cause! No way was I going to miss this. I got there right around noon, right away I noticed all the vendors. It’s not that often that I feel like a kid at a candy store but let’s just say I came home with almost a full laundry load of punk shirts. Besides merch for the bands that were going to play, there was also plenty of great DIY punk jewelry, clothing and fashion accessories. Level 27 Clothing (review) had some killer shirts along with a great zombie belt buckle. Krypta Kouture had some lovely Koffin Bows (gorgeously gothic bows with miniature hand made coffins in the middle), Koffin Flowers, animal print roses and vintage style hats. The Silent Auction was packed full of awesome punk rock memorabilia, along with great DIY paintings and handmade creations. Highlights included signed items from Jerry Only of the Misfits, The Koffin Kats, Blitzkid, a handmade watch from Cog&Sprocket Steamworks, original artwork by Ralphie Repulsive, and an LP by the Weirdos.
Usually shows with this many bands are overkill but in all honesty I wasn’t bored for a second. Very little down time between bands which was usually filled with raffles or Zombie Pin Up Girls. The raffles were generous and each winner got a variety of killer prizes such as CDs, shirts, patches, buttons, or art books. One lucky attendee even went home with a Schechter guitar. I have to say that the Lucky Betties Zombie Pin Up girls were absolutely beautiful. Even better they were some of the sweetest girls you could ever want to meet.
Now, as for the bands, in all honestly each was entertaining and fit the bill. Space and time restrictions don’t allow me to talk about each band but I will mention a few. The party really started to take off when the Scurvy Kids went on. The Scurvy Kids are a band of brothers who bust out classic punk tunes with all the ferocity and enthusiasm of youth. These three young guys (Gabriel Graves, Chris Napalm and Benny Only) really know how to command the stage and get the crowd into it. I’ve seen The Returners (review) a few times over the last several months and these guys always deliver with their punked out death rock. The Returners live set is intense and always wins over anyone who hasn’t seen them before. Demonia were without a doubt the most metal band there but are totally punk in their DIY stance and unconventional metal arrangements. Besides being melodic and heavy, their vocalist has a scream that could crack your skull. The Rhythm Coffin is a show alone in itself. Imagine that your favorite late night horror movie host has started a band that plays wild monster rock ‘n roll. The lovely Ghoulie Girls provide not only backing vocals but entertained with great dances like the tombstone twist, throwing monster heads into the audience and often allowing their tombstone fights to spill over into the audience. The Order of the Fly (Lambs in the Abattoir review, Hollow Voices of a Dead Generation review is a truly amazing band that never fails to deliver. Their sound is a toxic wasteland of metal, horror, punk and industrial. The Bitchfits, who are a female tribute to the Misfits, closed the night. The Bitchfits play hard, fast, and mean, all while looking good.
This show was a total blast, and ran quite smoothly. The crowd was enthusiastic and full of great people of all ages. Almost $3,000 was raised for the Mariposas Foundation, and 41 people signed up for the bone marrow registry. A huge thank you to Carlos, Chris, the entire Scurvy family and crew, and all the great participants and contributors that made this event such a success.
For more info, please visit:
http://www.mariposasfoundation.org
http://www.myspace.com/slamdance4life
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