Images: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Manic Hispanic, The All Brights May 22, 2015 at The Bunkhouse Saloon (Punk Rock Bowling)

If you asked me to describe one band as the definitive act of Punk Rock Bowling, I wouldn’t even hesitate to proclaim it to be Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.

Is it because they played the first PRB, back when it was a bowling tournament with an afterparty? Or because they’ve played more times than any other band in PRB history?

Good answers, but you’re wrong.

It’s because the Fat Wreck supergroup is just flat out fun. And that, for me, is what PRB is about. Whether it’s singing along with your favorite bands, nailing that 7-10 split or just spending time with friends old and new, this is a weekend for having a blast.

Me First, of course, is also made up of friends having fun, though this time they were playing on The Bunkhouse Saloon’s brand new outdoor stage sans pals Fat Mike and Chris Shiflett. But no worries, Bad Religion’s Brian Baker (also of Minor Threat) and Jay Bentley were on hand and quite frankly, they did a better job than the band’s usual members (you know the harmonies are going to be on point when you have members of BR in your lineup).

Bentley was particularly a revelation. The jokes are half the fun of seeing Me First and his “gacked out” Fat Mike impression was just too funny, especially as we’re used to seeing his serious side in Bad Religion. I hereby nominate Bentley for a PRB comedy show next year.

But of course it was Spike Slawson who was the real star of the Me First set, belting out track after track with eyes hidden behind his trademark shades, only taking short breaks in between to remind us that the next song would be a cover.

Those covers included hits originally performed by Culture Club, Elton John and Paula Abdul, with the crowd absolutely losing their minds during “I Believe I Can Fly” (R. Kelly), “End of the Road” (Boys ll Men) and, well, all of the songs really.

But it was his solo, uke cover of Madonna’s “Crazy for You” that made my voice raw from singing along. Call me a softy, but I love that song, both the original and Spike’s take on it. And if you also like that cover, go check out his other band Uke Hunt, who are about to embark on an east coast tour. Just don’t say their name in front of your grandma.

In direct support was Manic Hispanic, that other punk rock supergroup cover band we’ve all come to know and love at Punk Rock Bowling. You want to hear “Ruby Soho” and “True Believers” in the same set, only reworked to reference low riders and taco shops? These guys have you covered.

And the PRB crowd, still a few hours away from experiencing their first hangovers of the weekend, ate it up like a 49 cent Del Taco burrito, kicking up an ominous cloud of dust during the ensuing mosh pit.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Manic Hispanic’s recorded output – I feel like the joke can only go so far. But I’ve got to hand it to the guys – they have fantastic stage presence. I’m quite a bit younger than the band’s frontmen and I would be down for the count after 1 ten foot leap. These guys? They somehow managed 8 or 9.

Kicking off this night of novelty was The All Brights, who took the stage dressed like a Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Like the other bands on the bill, The All Brights is made up of guys from other bands – Matt Wilson from Code 4-15, Patrick Solem from Murderland, Sean Sellers from Good Riddance, and “Big Wave” Dave Hause, who you might know as the frontman for Dave Hause.

The band’s songs ended up covering a wide range of topics, from surfing in the sun to hanging in the sun while surfing and the guys looked like they were having a blast on stage, cracking jokes about Dave’s height and his needing to adjust to being in a band again between songs (Hause was a great sport through it all). Like Me First and Manic, they seemed like a real group of friends having fun, and their idea of fun included a few badass guitar solos, brah.

Singing along with fists in the air to “West Coast! Fuck You!” (how are they the first band to think of this?) was a highlight of the night, and next to the Dwarves, this show definitely had the most visible balls on stage at one time (get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking beach balls here).

-Emily Matview

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/

Me First setlist:
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Leaving on a Jet Plane  (The Chad Mitchell Trio cover)
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard  (Paul Simon cover)
All My Loving  (The Beatles cover)
Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)  (Barry Mann cover)
Danny’s Song  (Loggins & Messina cover)
Take Me Home, Country Roads  (John Denver cover)
Jolene  (Dolly Parton cover)
Riders in the Sky  (Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra cover)
Straight Up  (Paula Abdul cover)
Nobody Does It Better  (Carly Simon cover)
Summertime  (George Gershwin cover)
Over the Rainbow  (Harold Arlen cover)
Karma Chameleon  (Culture Club cover)
Crazy for You  (Madonna cover)
I Believe I Can Fly  (R. Kelly cover)
Different Drum  (The Greenbriar Boys cover)
Seasons in the Sun  (Jacques Brel cover)
Science Fiction/Double Feature  (Richard O’Brien cover)
End of the Road  (Boyz II Men cover)

Encore:
Sloop John B  (Beach Boys cover)
Rocket Man (Elton John cover)