The Dickies – Live In California

Yet another incredible show by the incredible Dickies brought to you by the incredible me on the incredible thepunksite.com. I waited a while to write this because as you all know….waiting makes it better. Just kidding. I lag. Even so, the bands this evening did not lag, and it was quite a diverse lineup of bands on this long evening of kick-ass punk rock entertainment, conveniently situated only a short ten-minute drive from my home. Of course I had a wonderful time, and when it was over, I told Dickies’ guitarist Stan Lee: “Another great show, because The Dickies always put on a good show!” Stan smiled and said: “Well, last night wasn’t so great,” so let’s not talk about that. I was not there anyway. 

The Rok House was a microbrewery in a semi-industrial parking lot and I had no idea it had been putting on shows. I must have missed a lot. The stage was big enough and the sound was excellent. Sadly, this was the last show at the current location, beause the Rok House is currently seeking a new place to reopen. I hope they keep putting on shows. The Malchicks were onstage when I got there, right away I was drawn into this band’s version of the Clockwork Orange street punk vibe. Yes, The Malchicks do a bit of the Clockwork Orange thing, with the white shirts, white (or black) pants, and the bowler hats, but do not be fooled; this band does not sound like The Adicts. The phrase “working man’s punk” came to mind as I enjoyed this band’s music. I must be a genius because vocalist Billy Rancher soon said: “We support the working class.” I also heard some lyrics about loving our own country and I happen to be a big fan of my own country too. Good stuff. Raise your brew and sing along! 

After that, it was VCS, which aptly stands for “Violates Community Standards.” I very much enjoyed this band as it reminded me a lot of Agression. (No, I did not make a spelling error, the band misspelled its own name back when it first started in the early 1980s.) The overall energy level of the gig had not kicked-in yet, so there was a slam pit consisting of one guy. That guy was a 13-year-old kid, and he was having a great time doing the circle thing by himself. VCS was great! Straight-up, no nonsense, punk rock that would do well as the soundtrack to any hard and heavy skateboard session. VCS ended its fine set with a ripping cover of Agent Orange’s “The Last Goodbye.” I look forward to seeing this band again sometime in the future. 

Soon, my mind was blown by Spaghetti Cumbia. It took a few moments to get over the initial shock, but after that, I understood that the blending of punk rock and Mexican Cumbia music is a surprisingly enjoyable concoction. The Cumbia genre is a fusion form of Latino folk music that combines elements of indigenous Central American music, European influences, and traditional music from black people that were enslaved in South and Central America. This band is a trip. Imagine your Mexican neighbors blasting the Banda tunes, but suddenly, the guitar work sounds a lot like Jimi Hendrix decided to join Agent Orange. Like me, the audience was a bit confused at first, but soon, the band won the approval of the crowd. Can you slam to it? Sometimes. Should you check out this band? Well, consider the fact that they played a ripping cover of The Adicts’ “Viva La Revolution” that was absoutely dripping with red-hot salsa. Orlae! 

No Consent brought back the skatepunk vibe and got the slam pit going in full force for the first time of the evening. Nothing fancy here, just good, tight punk rock thrash. I did not catch the song names, but I heard lyrics about things such as: “Live free,” “Stay the fuck away from me,” and “Fuck all politicians and cops.” Okay, those are very punk rock things to say. A guy named Isaiah who was sponsored by Alva Skateboards was pitting it up while riding his skateboard and doing funny little footplant tricks. He was soon joined by a tall, blonde woman on roller skates who swirled about effortlessly as she skated backwards, sideways, and spun around like an ice skater. I think she was one of those punk rock roller derby women. The energy level was going up, and No Consent won our consent. 

After that, Since We Were Kids took the stage. I had been looking forward to hearing this band live because I had been hearing about them for a long time, and as an aging skateboarder, I knew the band members are also aging skateboarders. They come from the sort-of-nearby city of Hesperia, which is a high-desert city adjacent to Victimville (Victorville). I was not disappointed. My notes read: “Hard fucking core!” I enjoyed this band so much that I moved to the front so I could do that eyes closed with my head nodding thing. Looking up, I noticed that the drummer had his snare drum snugly in between his knees just like Bill Stevenson of the Descendents. I did not get the names of the songs here either, but I did hear “Fuck the government,” and of course, that is a very punk rock thing to say. My status as a fan of this band was solidified when they played a ripping, spot-on rendtion of Agression’s “Intense Energy,” the punk/metal ode to the thrilling excitement-filled activity known as skateboarding. One more thing. This band had more merch than all other bands combined. They had hats, shirts, sweatshirts, skateboard decks, and more. Too bad I never have money. 

Then this happened, and I hate it when this happens. It sucks when I meet members of a band, and then I do not enjoy the band very much. That is what happened with The Infirmities. Here is exactly what I wrote in my notebook: “Okay, but the songs tend to all sound alike.” “The bassist is great!” “Vocalist tends to overemote.” To be fair, by this time, I just wanted The Dickies to take the stage, and I was feeling impatient. Maybe I did not give these guys enough credit. I don’t know. Go see the band and decide for yourself. I am biased and kind of old. 

Finally, it was time for The Dickies! Cathy and I quickly took our spots right up front, stage left, right where Stan Lee was going to play. Scanning the audience, it was nice to see so many young fans of The Dickies in the audience. There were a lot of teenagers and preteens at the show with their parents. I asked a teenage girl standing behind me how long she had been a fan of the band. She told me she had loved The Dickies ever since she was a little kid, because her parents were big fans. It is good to know the next generation understands the value of my generation. 

The set began with a ripping cover of Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK,” followed immediately by the madcap cover of Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction.” Behind me, I could feel the throng of people dancing and all around me, I could hear people singing along. It was so great, I got the chills up my spine and my arm hair stood up, making my arms feel all tingly. I tried to get a picture of Adam Gomez on the drums, but it is always difficult to get a good photo of drummers because they are always at the back of the stage. I asked Carlos Angiano, the ever-present, and always reliable roadie and merch guy for The Dickies to get a shot of Adam from his place on the side of the stage, but the pictures were not quite what I wanted. I tried leaning forward and extending my arm toward Adam to get the shot, and I saw Leonard moving quickly toward my arm and camera. I thought he was annoyed by what I was doing and was going to swat my hand away. I quickly pulled my hand back and Leonard reached for what was no longer there. He stumbled forward, bumped into Stan, pushing him back a bit, but Stan kept on playing. Leonard then caught himself by grabbing onto an amplifier stack that wobbled precariously, but it did not fall. I thought for sure Leonard was going to be so mad at me, I would probably get kicked out. Instead, Leonard looked at me wide-eyed with an expression that conveyed: “Wow! That was close!” 

Adam lost a stick while playing, but I don’t think anybody noticed but me, because the guy is so adept, he was able to grab another as if he had planned it that way. As for shtick, Leonard still had it when he said: “It is really great….to be back….in wherever the fuck this is!” We all laughed even though Leonard has told that joke for decades. The last song of the actual set was “Gigantor,” and again, the crowd singing along gave me a warm feeling of camaraderie. I thought about how lucky I was to be there, enjoying the show, with The Dickies right in my face, while other places in the world were at war. Yeah, I think about things like that. I was a bit disappointed the band did not play “If Stewart Could Talk,” because I have not heard them play that live for a few years now. Come on Leonard! We miss Stewart! 

The band left the stage, but were quickly called back for an encore that consisted of the incredible “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” and the classic theme from “Banana Splits!” It was indeed a wonderful show. The enormous No Vaues Festival took place nearby a few days later, but honestly, I am glad I did not get on the media list. For me, the best shows are always the ones where I can be so close I can cause one of the performers to stumble. Thank you percussionist extraordinaire Adam Gomez for putting me and Cathy on the guest list, and thank you to the rest of the band members for this wonderful music thing you do.