While a lot has changed in my life since the far-off days of the mid-90s, one constant has been my love of Rancid. …And Out Come the Wolves soundtracked many bus rides to school on my worn-out walkman and I’ve since repurchased the band’s discography on CD and vinyl. So when the opportunity came to see Rancid members Matt Freeman and Lars Frederiksen at Backstage Bar, I knew there was no way I was going to miss it.
The night kicked off with The Vulturas, a Southern California punk band fronted by Manic Hispanic member and tattoo artist Louie Perez III. The band has a classic Orange County punk sound, with swiftly-played power chords and lyrics brimming with social commentary. I could see The Vulturas going over particularly well with the Punk Rock Bowling crowd. The Backstage Bar audience was a bit on the smaller side and surprisingly mellow during their set, but I still appreciated Perez giving it his all performance-wise.
With The Vulturas set done, it was time for the mini-Rancid portion of the night to begin with Charger. The East Bay band boasts a strong pedigree, with Rancid/Operation Ivy bassist Matt Freeman, drummer Jason Willer of Jello Biafra’s Guantanamo School of Medicine, and guitarist Andrew McGee. Freeman is one of all of music’s – not just punk’s – best bassists, so it was a treat seeing the guy behind the solo in “Maxwell Murder” slap his instrument inches from our faces. I was surprised to see that Willer – not Freeman – actually handles many of the lead vocal parts in Charger. It was especially surprising because his vocal style is very similar to Freeman’s “Cookie Monster”-esque growl. Those vocals suited the band’s style – a vibe more reminiscent of Motörhead than the ska/punk style of Freeman’s more well-known projects.
Closing out the night was Lars Frederiksen and his band The Old Firm Casuals. If you’ve ever worn a polo shirt to a show, then The Casuals are for you. The street punk band played choice cuts from their new album Holger Danske along with a smattering of older songs, all of which got fists pumping and legs pogoing.
There were clearly a lot of Rancid fans in the crowd by this point, as evidenced by the logos on their shirts, and many of these diehards were already versed in Casuals lyrics. In a lot of ways, the band reminds me of a grittier version of Lars’s work with Rancid. It doesn’t have the Tim Armstrong-style hooks but still has an anthemic quality to it.
-Emily Matview
Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/
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