I’ve been trying to write an article about The Arrogant Sons of Bitches for the last two years. I was going to title it something like, “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone? Eagerly Awaiting the Return of the Arrogant Sons of Bitches” and it would basically be 1,000 words of me gushing about the now-defunct ska punk band from Long Island, N.Y.
Since I was twelve years old, all I ever wanted to do was go see live music. I’d legitimately lay in bed at night and worry that without a license, money and friends that liked the same music as me, I’d never be able to see any of the bands I loved, and would lead a miserable and unfulfilled life.
Of course that didn’t happen, and in the last 15 years I’ve gone to more concerts than I can remember–although I wish I had thought to write it down just for curiosity’s sake. And with hundreds of shows under my 27-year-old belt, I’ve seen a lot of good concert-going behavior, and I’ve seen a lot of bad. Like, a lot of bad. Here’s how you can avoid falling into the latter category…
Wow! We can’t believe 2009 has come to an end. This year saw a lot in music, and so did the staff at Buntology. Between Phish, festies, and a smattering of new and classic rock concerts, it’s going to be hard to top all of the awesome performances 2009 had to offer.
But, before we look at the music, let’s take a second to remember the great musicians that passed away this year: Ron Asheton (The Stooges), Jay Bennet (Wilco), Bob Bogle (The Ventures), Ean Evans (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Adam Goldstein (“DJ AM”), Kelly Groucutt (Electric Light Orchestra), and Michael Jackson (Jackson 5). Rest in peace!
But with death comes rebirth, and this year the stork brought us many new “super-groups” like Them Crooked Vultures, The Deadweather, Further and Tinted Windows. This past year we have seen the rise of young artists like Passion Pit, Asher Roth, Matt & Kim and Gogol Bordello. We have also seen some older bands dust off their Fenders and start playing again, like The Flaming Lips, Weezer and Blink 182.
Blink 182 reunited this year, not only to record, but also to tour and play shows through the US last summer. Though Blink has not released any new music yet, they have are currently working on a new album. Another band that reunited after a break for a few years was Phish. They released a new album “Joy” and have went on an extensive summer and fall tour. Of course one of the highlights of Buntology staffer Ivan’s summer was the performance by Sir Paul McCartney, who played a show at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
How about some other musical highlights of the year? In no particular order…
Northampton, MA – Big D and the Kids Table, a punk-ska band from Boston, Mass., played an excellent set last weekend for their “Fluent in Stroll Tour” at Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton.
Big D is known for playing the Pearl Street club often and they gave the crowd what they wanted. The band began their set with a lot of their new songs to promote their latest release, Fluent in Stroll, and also played some of their classics.
I have seen them play many times, and this was another amazing show. It was one of the best performances of them that I’ve seen.