Descendents – Spinning Platters

Festival Review: NOFX -The Final Shows-

41 Years of Fucking Up: NOFX Bids Us Farewell

To call this an end of an era is the most obvious understatement. Forty years of fucking shit up as a punk band is a long time, and while some bands have been at it for just as long if not longer, the impact of NOFX cannot be overstated. They did things DIY when their peers were signing on with and subsequently getting dropped by major labels. They’ve courted controversy, spoken their minds, and rocked the fuck out while doing it. It was fitting that the final three performances of the band’s career would be celebrated in Southern California, where it all began.

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Show Review: Descendents, The Circle Jerks, Fake Fruit at The UC Theatre, 8/26/22

In my humble opinion, The Decline of Western Civilization is the greatest film ever made about youth counter-culture movements. Director Penelope Spheeris later directed Wayne’s World, another impressive depiction of youth culture that captured the much-maligned and misunderstood 80’s LA punk scene. The NYC and UK scenes were the “important” scenes. LA was overly aggressive and lacked artistic credibility in the eyes of music critics. This is where hardcore was born, which often marked the “end” of punk for many folks. Continue reading “Show Review: Descendents, The Circle Jerks, Fake Fruit at The UC Theatre, 8/26/22”

Show Review: Rise Against + Descendents, Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, 8/22/2021

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF

The first show of the final week of Rise Against‘s Nowhere Generation tour was also the first show at the Masonic Auditorium in 543 days (since February 27, 2020)! Many precautions were taken, both by the band and by the venue, to ensure that this day would happen. Proof of vaccination or vaccine cards were required and checked upon entry, band crew and local stagehands were masked, an audience mask policy was also in effect (although at least half were unmasked, even as they entered the building), the bar and merchandise appeared to be mostly cashless with contactless point-of-sale card readers, and even the ticketing happened through a mobile phone app (although we scored a real one!).

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