The Dickies – Live At The Whiskey A Go Go

This was almost my last show ever because 14 days afterwards, I had five consecutive heart attacks and life-saving double bypass open heart surgery on October 20th. It would have been appropriate for a Dickies show to have been my last as it is my favorite band, but I am glad that did not happen. Now you know why it took so long for this show review to be written. 

Apollo 03 was onstage when I finally arrived. I am now a fan of this band and you should be too. These three talented weirdos play some damn good punk rock that is solid, catchy, and delightfully quirky. They remind me of Melvins, but not in a sludge metal grungy way. Apollo 03 has the same oddball atmosphere about them as Buzz and his cohorts, and their songs often have the same chunky/metal guitar construction. The band label themselves as “alienpunk,” and they claim to be from the stars. Maybe they hail from somewhere near Scumdogia where GWAR‘s Oderus Urungus came from. Guitarist Donnie Atoms and drummer Jerry Redsun wear monster masks and bassist Luna Vision wears big weird goggles that are reminiscent of Maz Kanta from Star Wars, so…maybe.

I also enjoyed Luna’s super-dirty bass tone and the way she just cavorted and spun about the stage like a giddy teenager. The guitar leads were definitely spicy and the drums often had a tribal quality to them. Apollo 03 is aggressive oddity done right. The band’s one and only video has only 163 views in nine months, so let’s see if we can push that to a few thousand by checking it out below. Sometimes, less is more. Check out their album “Jupiter Attacks Planet Earth!” It jams.

Next up were five skater/surfer youngsters that called themselves Reefas. Apparently, they were raised on a steady diet of Sublime, punk rock, waves, and frontside grinds… and it sounds pretty good. It took a while for the band to get comfortable and fluid onstage and there was a bit of a delay due to some issues with the drums, but once they got going, it was a solid jam…. despite the tendency for too much blabbing in between songs. The song “Joser” really stood out. It was the most Sublime tune of their set, with plenty of sped-up reggae seasoned with some fast ska and punk riffs. After the show, I met vocalist Vai’s mother, and she explained to me that Vai wrote the song to honor his uncle who had recently died. The audience loved it and so did I. The highlight of the performance came at the end of their set when Vai did a backflip, landed on his feet on the stage, then he jumped off the stage over my head, and ran into the friendly little slampit consisting of his friends. 

Curbside Anthem played some enjoyable hard pop (I refuse to use the term pop punk because it is an oxymoron.) These three guys from Lafayette Colorado (Joseph/bass, Kyle/drums/ and  Eddy/guitar) came all the way to Hollywood to share their friendly high energy and to get people dancing. That is what people did. They danced. They did not slam dance. They really danced with big smiles on their faces. Curbside Anthem made this show at the world-famous Whisky on the fabulous Sunset Strip feel like a backyard show. They made me think “This is one of those bands with your friend’s brother in it, they are really good, they play parties all the time, and are cool guys to hang out with.” I do not know them, but they come across like that. While most of the songs were a bit too poppy for my gritty and non-dancing taste, I thoroughly enjoyed their rendition of the ever-popular “99 Red Balloons.” 

Just Because is an Orange County old-guy punk band, that has been around in various forms for over 20 years….and that is just fine because I am an Inland Empire old-guy punk rocker that has been around in various forms for over 20 years. These four seasoned musicians produce some skilled melodic punk rock with a definite Sex Pistols-ish edge. I was thoroughly enjoying the tight musicianship and big, buzzing guitar sound I like so much, but I had to make a quick visit to the men’s room. When I returned, the lead singer/guitarist Rory had vanished! He was gone and did not return. The three remaining bandmembers soldiered onward with a rocking rendition of Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk,” “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.” I think it was a medley. I do not quite remember. I have a bit of anesthesia-induced amnesia. I do remember they played a punked-up version of Nat King Cole’s “What a Wonderful World.” I guess they were trying to outdo The Dickies with rollicking cover tunes. After the set, I asked someone from their crew what happened to Rory. I was told he had some sort of anxiety attack. That sucks. 

Then it was time for my all-time favorite band, The Dickies. I have seen The Dickies more times than I can remember and it never gets old even though we do. The audience seemed unusually light, but openly enthusiastic. Fans of all ages were smiling in eager anticipation as the band took their positions. If you have ever seen The Dickies, then you know the band does not waste time getting started. All instruments are always plugged in, tuned, and ready to go without delay when it is time to start the set. I did not take many notes, but rest assured we were treated to many of the beloved Dickies’ standards such as, “You Drive Me Ape,” “Curb Job,” “Got It at the Store,” “Waterslide,” and many more. At one point, Leonard was so overwhelmed with his own awesomeness he got down on his knees to sing with utmost passion…then he could not get back up. Leonard waved at the roadie to come help him, but the guy was confused a bit before Leonard began to aggressively wave and nod for help. He laughed it off and explained for everyone that after all, he is 69 years old.

Looking around, I noticed people were not slam dancing much. That is because they were all dancing like most people dance, wearing huge smiles, and basking in the communal sense of sonic joy. A towering total stranger was so overcome with Dickies-induced happiness that he suddenly gave me and Cathy an impromptu group hug. I saw the young lady that appeared in a photo from my Dickies show review of the show in Upland, CA on 1 June 2024. We exchanged knowing thumb’s up glances before the swirling crowd carried me away. The set ended with the ever-popular “Gigantor.” The encore consisted of the splendiferous “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” “Rosemary,” and the all-time classic, “Banana Splits. Unfortunately, Stewart the beloved penis puppet is still missing. He has not made a public appearance in a couple of years or more. This is much to the dismay of me, Cathy, and other Dickies’ fans. Leonard, we miss Stewart and hope you will sing “If Stewart Could Talk” for us sometime soon. Thanks as always to drummer extraordinaire Adam Gomez for putting me and Cathy on the guest list, and be sure to check out his YouTube channel Drum-Thru Drive-In for some amazing and interesting content. 

Now, a quick word about heart health. Do not let what happened to me happen to you. The Whisky was where I saw my first show (Suburban Lawns, 1981) and it was almost the site of my last show. On October 17^th, while I was tutoring math online, I had a severe heart attack caused by cholesterol buildup in my heart arteries. This was followed by four more severe heart attacks and emergency double heart bypass surgery on October 20^th. Two heart arteries were seriously blocked with the left anterior descending artery (The Widow Maker) 99% blocked. The surgeon later told me that he did not know why I was still alive before the surgery. This was the most terrifying and painful experience of my entire life and I am very lucky to be alive today. Please avoid this fate by getting your cholesterol checked and get a complete physical examination once a year including a heart stress test. It may save your life and at least you can avoid extremely painful and risky surgery. Live life to the fullest and I will see you at the shows.