Review: 'Locally Grown' music showcase - The Grove of Anaheim, 8/20/09

Ticket stub from Ska Circus, 8/20/09. Photo: Phil Bowman.

It's past midnight and my feet are aching. My hair is sticking out in all directions and I just ate my insanely tasty fourth meal from Taco Bell. What does all of this add up to? A hell of a good ska show, that's what!

I just returned home from attending OC Weekly's sponsored 'Locally Grown' music showcase featuring live local bands at The Grove in Anaheim. Tonight's (August 20) theme of events was Ska Circus featuring a line-up of incredible bands like Starpool, Suburban Legends, Half Past Two, Nuckle Brothers, and Task Force: Panda.

I used to attend ska concerts all the time--in fact, Starpool was my first. I remember seeing them at Chain Reaction in Anaheim and falling in love with them immediately. They have such an unique and upbeat sound, and it's practically impossible for you not to get up and dance. And quite frankly, I was a bit nervous about attending the show because I had been absent from the ska scene for so long. However, when I heard about the blood drive for free concert tickets, I figured that donating blood and seeing a ska show was a win-win situation. Luckily, this night proved me wrong and put my worries to rest. Ska music is still alive and well in Orange County. Whew!

Admittedly, I didn't have the highest expectations for the event's opener, Task Force: Panda. In my experience, openers have been less than stellar. However, in my opinion, these guys were the biggest surprise of the evening. They played a mix of cover songs and original compositions that left me wanting to hear more from the guys. To open their set, they performed the theme from 'That 70s Show' (you know, "Hellooooooo Wisconsin!) and included "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers in their repertoire. I think what impressed me most about these guys is the fact that they had such control of their instruments. They looked like veterans on the stage and were very professional in their performance as a whole, which was surprising because they all looked so young. My only question for them would be, "what's up with the name?" The only hint at that lay atop the drum set in the form of a tiny stuffed panda bear. Nevertheless, these guys made me happy just listening to them, and usually that's hard to do!

Half Past Two came on next, fronted by the only gal at Ska Circus. A tiny Tara Pearce led the band of guys for a solid set that was definitely ska, but with some punk rock influences. The energy was contagious and Pearce tried her best to involve the crowd. Unfortunately, it's harder to get people into it when it's early in the night. However, Pearce rocked it on stage while explaining to the crowd how she was the air guitar champion while strumming on her imaginary strings. The music was a bit different than anything else you heard throughout the night. It was sort of refreshing to hear feminine vocals with the horn section. I found out that as soon as this set ended, they were due in Long Beach to perform another gig in less than an hour with their new bassist. Alex, their current bassist is apparently moving to Chicago in order to intern for Oprah...not too shabby a gig (edit, 8/24: from @HalfPastTwo, Alex is attending a seminary, not interning for Oprah)! I wouldn't mind going to see these guys again.

The Nuckle Brothers. What can I really say about them? I was really excited to see them. I've heard all the Internet buzz about these fan favorites and when I arrived at the venue, most people seemed thrilled that they were on the bill. And when I found out that a few members of Starpool were playing in the band, I figured that they would be amazing. When they came on stage, the crowd went nuts. But throughout their set I could barely hear a word that came out of anyone's mouth. Everything was slurred together and it truly was a drunken performance, complete with beer and cocktails being thrown all over the stage. They had some great horn section moments, but other than that, I was less than impressed with this one. However, it looked like they had some die-hard fans who thrived off of the energy of the lead singer and trombone player. So kudos to the band for that accomplishment.

And then the trumpets sounded, I began to see a bright light...and Starpool entered and then I finally got to see the band that I was waiting for all night. Starpool didn't fail to impress and I am proud to say that they sound exactly the same as they did in 2003! They went through all their well-known songs off their self-titled EP and played some new ones to the delight of fans new and old. These guys were also a crowd favorite (especially among the ladies), it was the only time I saw a huge dancing pit amongst the concert goers. Alan Meade, the lead vocalist for the group has a stage presence that can't be beat. His flirtatious ways with the ladies and commanding vocals practically entrance you from the get-go. Starpool is soul music, you can feel it in your bones. I had the most amazing time dancing to this music (I was in the front row, too)...even though my feet are currently screaming at me! Starpool also announced that they're heading back into the studio to record a new record, amazing news for fans who've waited nearly six years for the new material. If you haven't done it yet, you must check Starpool out and give them a chance. I guarantee you won't regret it!

I could go on and on about the headliner, Suburban Legends. But if I'm going to be completely honest, I wasn't all that impressed with their style. It's fairly traditional pop/ska that has the girls screaming without fail. But it wasn't original. Their choreographed dance routines and catchy melodies were anything but memorable. They weren't bad, but half the crowd left before they ever took the stage. And when that happens with the headliner, it's never a good thing. Still though, they put on a good show for their dedicated fans who follow them all over the county.

Highlight of the night: At the end of Starpool's set, they launched into a version of "Wolly Bully" only substituting "Willy Willy" into the song in reference to their trombone player, Tbone Willy. Willy then took to the crowd, trombone in air, and danced his way around the concert floor. Oh, and did I mention that Willy may have invented the trombone crowd surf?

Overall, it was an amazing show. And it was great to see a whole new generation of ska lovers united in one place. Now that I'm the 'older one' at these shows, it's great to see that great bands still have the opportunity to do what they love.

Click here for more photos of the event (via Facebook)! All photos courtesy of Phil Bowman.

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