It was 45-degrees in a Lennox backyard, nicknamed The Hole, Saturday night. I wore Carlos' windbreaker over a tattered, corpse-purple gown that fit with the Masquerade theme that no one else seemed to follow. It was so cold, that I found it hard to speak, like my mouth was frozen or I was so consumed with trying to warm my hands or the feet that were still frigid even though they were covered by silver leather boots that I just couldn't think of anything to say outside of, "Damn, this is cold."
Please Don't Throw Rocks at Us opened the night. As I have said here before, with few exceptions, my interest in punk ends at about 1985. PDTRAU, however, plays the kind of punk I like: spastic, make-you-wanna-hop tunes that are more X-ray Spex than third-wave bullshit. Rachel, the singer, sounds like she actually can sing, but is trying to play down the talent. That said, she hits a lot of notes that seem way to low for her range and sound kind of flat, but then she makes up for it a few bars later. Mostly, I dig the lyrics. They played a song about periods where Rachel screamed "I can't wait 'til menopause!" The band's best number, which I don't know by name, features the line "I ran away from home when I was only 19" and the soccer chant, "Culero." Carlos and I are now fans and encourage you to check out the band live. Listen to some songs on MySpace.
Despite the fact that my friends have been going on about Ninja Academy for the past year or so, this was my first time seeing the band. Needless to say, I was impressed. The group consists of a bassist and drummer, who play instrumentals that are surprisingly heavy-hitting considering that it is a duo. In addition, there is a girl who wears a kimono and slaps the gong and a guy who bows down before the duo before reaching into his guitar case, selecting a weapon and unleashing a ninja frenzy. Unfortunately, Donkey Punch is leaving the band, so try to catch a gig between now and January. Check out Ninja Academy on MySpace.