Karen Ponzio Photos
The Olympics
Feb. 29 only comes around once every four years, and some people choose to celebrate it in a unique way. The State House not only chose to have a show on this day, but also booked one band with a long-standing dedication to that date, as well as three other bands more than ready to join in the fun. The Olympics headlined Saturday night. Along with that band was local legend The Vultures — making a rare appearance — with local punk partiers Flapjack Attack and Garbage Barge.
“We’re Flapjack Attack. We play songs about pancakes and stuff,” announced vocalist Kevin Shugrue right before launching into a set featuring selections from the band’s latest album Senior Cyborgs,released on Feb. 8. “Stuff” they sing about on that record include corn dogs, conformity, and yes, cyborgs. Thw band — including Pete Reddick on guitar, Ray Wysocki on bass, and Matt O’Brien on drums — opened the show with a thrashing and thrilling set of punk party tunes that set the tone for the rest of the evening. Shugrue growled his way through each song but kept it light in between. He thanked The State House for having the band, adding “most people won’t let us near their building.” If you like your punk rock to leave you sweaty and smiling, get near this band and their music soon.
“We’re Garbage Barge. Are you ready to smash?” announced the band’s vocalist, listed on the band’s FB and Bandcamp pages as The Captain, who came to the stage adorned in a captain’s hat as well as a red velvet robe with a fur collar. The rest of the band — listed as Lt. Bumcoat on guitar, Lt. Garrison Fjord on bass, and Lt. Francoise on drums — was also wearing nautical themed clothing and hats, and the mood throughout this set continued to be one of powerful raging punk laced with humor and a political edge. The Captain later offered a “wonderful announcement,” stating that “since it didn’t matter anymore” he was crowning himself “king of the fucking universe” and then donned an actual crown. The audience ate it up, the sound of applause rising and movement of bodies toward the stage increasing exponentially as the crowd grew and became more interactive. By the time the band got to its cover of the Village People’s “Macho Man,” given new life in this metallic punk turn, it was evident that this band could win over any music fan with its super hard sound and super fun aesthetics.
As soon as The Vultures walked on to the stage, the crowd began screaming some of the loudest Yeses this reporter has heard at a local show. This band, legendary in and around this town, had not played together regularly since 2014, and the crowd, quickly filling in closer to the stage, was hungry for their sound. The trio — including Warren on vocals and guitar, Will on bass, and Dave on drums — kept the talking to a bare minimum and the music to the max as they volleyed between songs with lyrics and instrumentals, all rich with guitar solos and a frenzy of hard beats. It was a mix of metal and garage rock, a definitive nod to surf and a heavy dose of punk, but make no mistake: The sound of the Vultures is the band’s own. This reporter did not take any notes during this set because it was difficult to disconnect from the experience as it happened. The band made a strong connection to the crowd and kept it for the entirety of the set, bodies moving and faces beaming. Let’s hope the vibe created on this night incites this band to make their next return to the stage much sooner than before.
The final act of the night came to the stage in a way befitting their name. In the “opening ceremony,” bassist Chris Taylor and drummer Joey DiBiase jogged onto the stage, dressed in patriotic gym wear, and completed a short stretching routine before beginning an instrumental piece during which vocalist Jeffrey Thunders ran onstage and began his own warm up, jogging around and even adding in a few jumping jacks. The band then proceeded through its set, introducing each “event” as opposed to song, beginning with winter themed ones such as hockey and men’s downhill. When the band got to summer themed events, the three members took off their jackets, and then continued with shot put, beach volleyball, and pole vault. Throughout the set, Thunders and Taylor bantered with each other and the crowd, also explaining how the band played every Feb. 29 and on the two years between them would either play on Feb. 28 or March 1 — but that the year they played would always be the same as the year of the Olympics. Many seemed familiar with the band’s history and music, as some moshing broke out and many ran right up to the stage taking photos and video. Thunders played to them and overall had fun and got his own workout in as he made his way around the stage continuously. The “closing ceremonies” consisted of another set of instrumentals as Thunders put his jacket back on and left the stage. The crowd chanted “USA,” and Feb. 29 came to an end.
