moshmadness

So..... there's this kid. Everyone seems to know him. He's only 16 and kinda wierd, but a good kid. Everyone gives this guy shit....... all the time. Here's some dedication to the scene...... HE KEEPS COMING BACK ! ! Thomas Hill, otherwise known as "Spaz" really wants to play bass in a band. He always seems to have the worst of luck when it comes to bands though. He's been kicked out of more bands than I've been in, and I've been around for seven years. This kid has a whole lot of heart though. His drive and dedication for the scene, his accomplishments up to date, and his "HaHaHa....I'm gonna do it anyway" attitude, have gained some respect from some of the scene's biggest advocates. The May 19, Mosh Madness show earned my respect for the lad. Spaz arranged it all. With only a minor amount of help from his dad, Thom Sr., and Tomis from the new Anchorage Underground T.V. show. Otherwise it was all Spaz. Good job kid...... keep it up! A big shout out to the sound guy...... "Otto is an Asshole and can't do sound for shit". Thank you Spaz for those encouraging words.

To start things off for the evening was a band from Dimond High School, called Unknown Citizens. A four piece pop punk band with apparent MxPx and Blink182 influence. A tight band though, that shows signs of future greatness. With time they will fall into their own style and be an even better band.

The second band of the evening was Shut In. This three piece is going to be big. Very catchy songs that are well practiced, and well written. If only Geffen looked in Alaska right? These guys put on a good show and play well together. Good chemistry in the musicianship. Tommy (drums) was having a bit of a problem with the bass drum sliding back, but kept up the beat and continued on. Good show gentlemen. Looking forward to the next.

Last Place First played third. A two piece punk band with a drum machine. A talented couple of guys that write good songs. I'm not too partial to live electronica punk beats, and wish they had a real drummer, but they like the drum machine. So who are we to argue with that? I understand how it is to find a good dependable drummer in Alaska, that has their own equipment and wants to play punk. (There needs to be more drummers damnit)!! These guys have done a lot for the scene as well. They put on the "Back to School" show at the Russian Jack chalet quite a few months ago, and got SpeedTrap, Martyr's Union, and Last Place First on the channel 2 news. The guys in the band are super cool, and even share the same ideas about the scene that others have. Stay true to your roots guys, when you go off to college. Don't be like that dumb Jewel bitch.

Kiesatsu Punx was the fourth band. Yes..... the band Spaz is in. They actually surprised me at the show. They did much better than I had anticipated. Raw aggressive punk that rocks your ass is what these kids are all about. They even picked up former SpeedTrap drummer, Tony McKee, to play second guitar. The K-punx still kinda sucked, but that's okay because they are still young and with more practice and experience they will be a really good band. As stated before, Spaz put on the show and did a damn good job. Surprised the hell out of me. It was kind of scarry. Spaz was really professional about everything and had shit organized properly so things could just flow along. For a 16 year old with a name like Spaz, he earned a lot of respect at that show. Keep it up wherever you move to Spaz. We might all have to work for this kid someday, so treat him right.

After the K-punx was a band called Subconcious. Obviously the band members are still in high school. They were all really young. The first little bit I heard was from outside while smoking a cigarrette. I could have sworn that they had a female vocalist (no offense Dan). So I threw down my smoke and went inside to get the low down. I was amazed to hear such a voice coming from such a young guy, and small too. No offense to Dan because that boy can sing. Subconcious has a very metal influence to their sound. A little Korn bleeds through, but otherwise they sounded really original. Keep up the good work guys.

Now for some rock. Kaiser Soze kicked some ass. All of the band members are extremely talented and played very well together. Their bassist played a 6-string extrodinarily well. That guy has skills. Not quite the level of Toby's bassist (Nate Glansbeek), but Kaiser Soze's bassist gives him some competition at the least. I was very impressed by the band as a whole as well. Kind of a jazz, blues and funk, fused with metal and old time rock. Very original sound to the Anchorage scene. Aaron (vocals) has deffinately found himself a great band to back his vocal talent. Seems he's giving that SpeedTrap vocalist a run for his money....... hehehehe. Aaron is one of the best vocalists in town, that's for sure. This band is the shit. I highly recomend going to their next show.

Then last, but never least was Ariel Descent. Kickin' ass as usual. A new song was played on Saturday appropriately reffered to as the "hick" song. They even had Aaron from the local show at KRUA introduce a new dance to the scene. While AD played, Aaron came out in a "wife beater", with a little hat, and an empty jug o' moonshine. He did his little dance and just about everyone there was joining in. The AD crew also played the "Fuck" song where I got up on stage and directed the chants. "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck"....... then a rap verse, and I got off stage. They played the "Skate or Die" song last while Eddie Picnic (BroKin), did some skate tricks in front of the stage. That was a crowd pleaser for sure. After that song, Ben decided to address the matter of the new "Artic Cage" zine (That's how it's spelled on the cover). They were a little upset with the Ariel Descent review that stated..... "Take some high school kids that are into metal and tell them that they can get chicks through punk and see what they can do........ suck mostly" Then Ben rolled up the piece of paper like a "joint" and started to smoke it. More about the new Zine will be reviewed on another page. At the end of the set, Ben and Nic downed a bunch of milk and threw it up into a trash can. That was fun for all. As I grabbed the Mic and chanted "puke, puke, puke" along with other things. Good times, great fun. Nic's puke even came out greenish blue..... ewwwwww.............Those guys crack me up.

Then for the ultimate finale of the evening.......... BUS.....STOP.....BETTY!!!! A very special guest appearance by three fourths of the SpeedTrap crew. "Bony" Tony McKee, "Evil" Eddie Picnic, and "Brainy" Brian (Me), got on stage for the first time together in about 5 or 6 months. Still without any practice. As requested, by just about everyone that's heard SpeedTrap play, Bus Stop Betty was the song of choice. A local crowd favorite apparently, because everyone was helping out with the Oi's! Even Jeff, our resident S.H.A.R.P Skin, "Time Bomb Oi !" God I miss being in a band. If anyone out there knows of a band that needs a good vocalist that writes good lyrics........ fuckin' let me know....... I crave the stage!!!

Well....... that was the show in a big nutshell. You will be able to check out video footage of the show on cable access channel 44 on the Anchorage Underground T.V. Show, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Contact Tomis for more info at [email protected] Another shout out to Spaz. Ya done good kid, we all love you, keep it up, and continue to just be yourself. You're one of a kind..... keep it that way. With love to all..... this is Brian saying..... Unity for all, support your local scene, and never give up hope.