This is your land... AMERICA!

Yeah Buddy Fest 5: Sic Waiting - D-Cent Jerks - Great Apes - All Eyes West - Fools Rush - Caskitt - The Bertos - Divided Heaven - Rebels and Traitors - Castoff (8/1/15 @ Tower Bar, San Deigo CA)

I have been in a show lull as of late. I've been to a few things since my last post, but nothing that made me want to bust out the old proverbial pen and paper. But there is a TON of stuff coming up that I'm going to, so I guess it's time to shake off that rust. When I saw the line up for Yeah Buddy Fest this year and saw that Great Apes and Fools Rush were playing, I knew right away I'd be at that show. I mean, yeah, I would probably be there anyway because it was a Saturday show in San Diego, but that's not the point.

Kenny and I hit the road after he got off work and missed the first two bands (Castoff and Rebels & Traitors). What we didn't miss was Ziggy Love's Chicken Tacos. We showed up and were immediately handed 3 tacos each which I covered in Avocado Ranch sauce. That stuff was fucking delicious. We had to convince ourselves to not just straight up steal the bottle. I realized it was a really good thing Ziggy was there feeding everyone too, because I was about to be sitting around drinking for a solid 6 hours, and that could have easily turned into a nightmare. So thank you Ziggy for the food that helped me not dive head first into traffic while trying to light a cigarette later in the night. 

Divided Heaven

First band I actually ended up watching was L.A.'s Divided Heaven playing with a full band. I saw him play with Jared twice in one night last year, and I downloaded all their music, but honestly, I just can't get into it. I tried again, and sat there and watched the entire set, but I'm still indifferent. Sorry, I tried. 

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 1

Better Whenever

The Bertos

Hey! A band with Davey Tiltwheel in it, no way! This is the second time I have seen The Bertos and still know almost nothing about them except Davey and that guy that works at Luigi's is in the band. I like them though. Still can't find any of their music to put on my iPod though.

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 3

My picture taking skills are fucking siiiiiick

Caskitt

The Tower Bar started to fill up with people by the time Caskitt started playing and I lost my good spot near the front when I was outside smoking. No biggie, Tower Bar isn't that huge and I could easily hear them from my seat at the bar. Also, I had to sit down because I'm old and standing that long hurts my back. They did play the friends theme again! So that's fun. 

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 5

I'll be there for you...in the back. Because I can't get closer.

Fools Rush

Fools Rush was the band I was mostly there to see. I saw them play at The Ken Club before, but since then, I have bought their music and became a fan. They absolutely did not disappoint. I fucking can't stand when people say this, but they play with a lot of energy. Each bearded member of the band looks like they are having a ton of fun and its noticeable. I love it. This is another band I will refuse to miss when they play near me. 

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 7

Plus they all have beards and are from Portland, so that's cool.

All Eyes West

This band is from Chicago and I didn't watch them play. I was outside smoking and talking to people. There always has to be one band to skip to catch my breath. People who did watch them seemed divided. I heard from "they are fucking awesome!" to "Good thing you stayed out here." Whatever, I needed a break. 

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 7 (Boooooooo)

Great Apes

Great Apes was the other band I was stoked to see. Pretty much the same exact story of Fools Rush. The thing that is different about these guys is they explain before every song what it is about. Which is kind of cool, but got a little old after every single song. Unfortunately a guitar string broke before they could finish their set, and since things where running a little behind, they said fuck it, see you next time.

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 8

They were probably about to play my favorite song too

D-Cent Jerks

This ska band hails from Puerto Rico and blew the roof off the fucking place. Seriously, I have never seen the lethargic punk crowd move so damn much. A kind of mosh pit even started! At the Tower Bar! Crazy. Some lady tried to grab my hand and make me dance with her, but I'm not about that life, so I politely declined by screaming "Lady, let go of my fucking hand I'm trying to drink whiskey and watch Ska." She then attacked Kenny much to Rich and my own amusement. These guys were crazy good live, I couldn't even get a decent picture! Go see them if you have a chance, you won't be disappointed. 

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 9

Sic Waiting

I was honestly too tired to watch Jared and friends play. So I sat at the bar again and evened out my drink count to 10.

Whiskey Drinks Consumed: 10!!! USA! USA! USA!

 

And that was it. We said our goodbyes and bounced because Kenny had to work at 6 am the next day and it was nearing 1 am.

Again, thank god for those delicious Tacos. 

Things that are coming up: Pears, Mercy Music, Pretty Little Ponies!!!, The Flatliners (on my birthday!), Riot Fest Denver, The Lawrence Arms, Awesome Fest, The Fest, It's Not Dead Fest, Get Dead, Success. Shit is getting real in the coming months, so go out there and support your local music scene dummy.