The Bastard Suns Rip Sports Page, April 8, 2011
- April 14, 2011
- 0 Comments
- By Surf Guru
The Bastard Suns Rip Sports Page, April 8, 2011
Ahh, the punk rock scene. From ages 15-20, this was my home. These formative years of my life revolved around Punk Rock culture and music in Atlanta, GA. On any given weekend, you could find me at the legendary 513 Club, a seedy hole-in-the-wall haven for both suburban punk rockers and the gutterpunks of downtown. Here we would all gather to rock out to the local and national punk, ska, and Oi bands who came there to play. At age 18, I also started playing drums in a hardcore band when I moved to Tallahassee for school. We played some shows and were very involved in the Tally punk rock/hardcore scene.
In the nine years since, however, my focus has changed. I gave up the high-adrenaline sounds for more chill music such as reggae, classic rock, and underground hip-hop. My look changed from that of a dedicated punk rock chick; now I am identified at first glance as a surfer girl (See before and after shot).
So last Friday, April 8, I took a HUGE trip down memory lane when I went to see The Bastard Suns play at Sports Page in Satellite Beach.
The atmosphere at the show instantly took me back to my days as a punk rock chick. Just like 10 years ago, I found myself amongst a crowd of guys and girls who seemed to be unconcerned with status quo and dressed and acted as they pleased. This sort of freedom is what had initially attracted me to the punk rock scene, and I found it every bit as appealing several years hence.
Of course, the anthems of counter-culture need to be every bit as free and unique as the individuals who comprise it, and the sound of The Bastard Suns fits this bill. Though this 5-piece outfit has a clear influence of punk and ska, they blend several different styles (add reggae, metal/hardcore, and even folk to the list) so seamlessly and uniquely that they are in a class all their own.
The Suns are from Atlanta, GA and have played together for several years. It is obvious that they are no amateurs on the scene. They have already released several albums and have toured across the nation, scoring a dedicated following throughout the U.S. Brevard County included—the Sports Page was packed near capacity with some diehards who definitely “knew the words.”
This current East Coast tour, which ranges from South Florida to New York, is to promote the release of “Volume 3: Spring” in the “Band for All Seasons” project. According to the band’s Facebook page, this ambitious venture involves releasing “a new 5-song EP for each of the four seasons complete with specially-themed songs and interactive cover art” in the span of one year. What an original idea.
It is clear that The Suns are indeed an ambitious, driven crew. This became obvious by watching them perform. While it could be acceptable within the genre for a punk band to play messy and free-form live, such is NOT the case of The Bastard Suns. They take their craft very seriously, and clearly put a ton of careful intention and “hard work” into their music. Every note, every beat is completely tight and correct, and they are all very talented musicians—each and every one of them.
And that is how they are able to pull off such an amazing blend of styles. The Suns definitely have a sound that is extremely varied. One of the things I absolutely LOVED was the amount of change-ups throughout their songs and the set list itself. The Suns can go from melodic punk to ska to reggae to HEAVY sound as seamlessly as you could imagine—and it sounds GOOD. One would think such transitioning would be jarring, but The Bastard Suns have really nailed their blend of styles.
So it was in this style that we were treated to VERY high-energy show. Between lead singer Clayton Hiers throwing his entire body into belting out lyrics and simply dripping with sweat, lead guitarist Wes Driscoll jumping on top of the speakers and melting off faces, and all 5 band-mates taking turns to KILL IT with solos, the crowd was ridiculously pumped the entire time. It truly amazed me how high-energy The Suns kept the entire show! That’s some impressive athleticism.
The band played mostly original tunes but had several covers in the mix, ranging from Johnny Cash to Rod Stewart’s “Maggie” and the Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine.” My favorite original songs included one particular ska tune that sounded a lot to me like Operation Ivy’s “Bad Town ” (could never figure out its actual title…), as well as the song “Never Say Die,” which in my opinion has all the ingredients to become a classic punk anthem like Pennywise’s “Bro Hymn” or NOFX’s “The Brews.”
It was just what I needed—a return to my roots. Thanks to The Bastard Suns and local bands Coldside and The Socialists for a wonderful show. A shout out to Deuterman Productions and Sports Page for making it happen! I will carry the amazing energy from an adrenaline-infused night with me for weeks to come.
Be sure to catch The Bastard Suns in July when they return to Brevard to promote the release of "A Band for All Seasons, Volume 4: Summer." We can't wait!
Sports Page
220 Highway A1a
Satellite Beach, FL 32937
(321) 777-7243