Four straight nights of going to shows -- 2 at Asbury Lanes, 3 to see Full of Fancy -- came to an end for me on Saturday night. This time, CoolMom was coming with me which always makes for a special evening. We were heading to Asbury Lanes to see The Muffs, brick mower, and the last-ever performance by Full of Fancy.
CoolMom really didn't enjoy the last show we went to together. While I loved it, it turns out that Perfect Pussy really wasn't her bag. I had a feeling that Saturday's bill would redeem me in her eyes, though; and I wasn't wrong.
Before heading over to Asbury Lanes, we enjoyed a few beverages and a burger over at Bond St. Bar. Afterwards, we stopped into Parlor Gallery on Cookman for the opening of "Savages" a new exhibition featuring works by artists Hunter Stabler, Ben Venom, Jeremy Burks, Bryan Holland, and Max Kauffman. Some good stuff. Beers at a neighborhood bar and a gallery opening: I was really trying to stack the decks in my favor in terms of CoolMom's enjoyment of the evening. It was working.
We made it to Asbury Lanes right around 9 o'clock. There was a nice turnout already. We said our "hellos" to people, grabbed drinks from the bar, and moved into position to watch brick mower's set. I've said this a couple of times here, but brick mower's Teenage Graceland is one of my favorite records of 2014. Their set was heavy on cuts from that record, and we both really enjoyed it. The band was great, but I am also going to give a nod to our good friend Gentleman Jim Norton who was behind the soundboard. He did a fantastic job all night, and I heard more than one person (including The Muffs' Kim Shattuck as she took the stage) mention how good things were sounding.
Full of Fancy were next and, just like the night before, sounded just that much better than their previous performance. Friends, family, current and former bandmates, and longtime fans of the band (lots of overlap among all of those groups) filled the audience; and the set was impressive. CoolMom even gave things an uncharacteristic, "They were fucking good!" I think the wording may have been influenced by the beers, but the sentiment was honest. I knew she'd dig them.
They concluded, as expected, with "30 Days;" and, just like that, Full of Fancy were no more. Or were they...?
Just before 11, Kim Shattuck, Ronnie Barnett, and Roy McDonald took the stage and started with "Lucky Guy," the first track from The Muffs' self-titled, 1993 debut. From there, the set was a mix of old songs and songs from the band's first album in a decade, this year's really good Whoop Dee Doo. Shattuck's voice has lost absolutely none of its power and grit over the years, and she screamed and snarled the same as she has for two decades. Full of Fancy's Erin Hays remained at stage left for the entire show smiling and singing along with an obvious influence.
After the approximately 1-hour main portion of the set, The Muffs started taking shouted requests from the audience. Here's where we got "I'm A Dick" which was awesome.
CoolMom loved every minute of the evening, I think. So did I. We got to see two really excellent New Jersey bands, both of whom have at least a little bit of The Muffs in their DNA. We got to see that rare example of a reunited band who haven't lost a step. And we got to spend an evening out together enjoying ourselves and catching up with friends old and new.
See you at the next Full of Fancy show. Here are some pics. The rest are in the galleries.
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