Cloaca Melodia

Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ Here's an interview I did right before this Stone Pony concert, originally for injersey.com: Reel Big Fish is not just a band--it's an addiction. Their songs are quite catchy, and their style is hugely entertaining--it sounds like a bunch of guys having a great party, and you can't help wanting to crash it. It's hard not to get involved in the loopy sense of fun. The band plays a ska-punk blend, similar to labelmates Goldfinger. Unlike their friends in Goldfinger, though, Reel Big Fish includes not only the traditional rock instruments of guitar (Aaron Barrett, who's also the lead singer), bass (Matt Wong), and drums (Andrew Gonzales), but also two trumpet players (Scott Klopfenstein and Tavis Werts) and two trombonists (Grant Barry and Dan Regan). In 1995, Reel Big Fish put out a local record, Everything Sucks, in their native Southern California, and were quickly signed to Mojo Records soon after. Their latest effort is Turn the Radio O...

Mercury Lounge, New York, NY....... This wasn't quite as good of a show as the epic time I saw them in 1988 , but it was a damn good performance. They did two consecutive nights at the Mercury Lounge with a slightly different setlist each night, but I'm glad I caught them on the first of the pair.  They hadn't quite released their album of new material (it would come out two months later), their first with singer Ian McCulloch in a decade. And the new material sounded good, even if it wasn't yet familiar to those of us in attendance--with the exception of the new single "I Want to Be There (When You Come)," which we were playing at WHTG. They sounded great, either way.  setlist: Rescue Bedbugs & Ballyhoo Altamont People Are Strange I Want To Be There (When You Come) Back Of Love The Killing Moon I'll Fly Tonight Just A Touch Away The Cutter Evergreen Lips Like Sugar Over The Wall Nothing Lasts Forever Do It Clean

Birch Hill, Old Bridge, NJ I met coworkers Jon, Betsy, and I believe also Amy to grab a bite before going to see the Femmes. However, by the time we got to the Birch Hill the place was absolutely packed, wall-to-wall. As a matter of fact, it was uncomfortably packed. Probably fire-code-violating packed. post continues.... After just a few songs, we all decided it would be best to head out of there. That was easier said than done, and it took awhile to accomplish. We eventually made out way to a door to the back patio, and from there to the connecting door to the dance club at the Birch Hill site. So we busted a move through the sparsely-populated dance floor to get to the main entrance and fled the scene. Disappointing not to see the whole set, but due to the enormous time it took to move through the crowd, we likely saw at least have the set despite our decision to depart.