Weston
Highline Ballroom
July 6, 2011

Weston was one of those bands that should have been huge. They had the sound of Blink 182, the lyrics of Green Day, and the look of Sugar Ray. Sadly, the band fell apart after taking a more mature direction, and a whole generation of punk rockers missed out on this awesome pop-punk quartet.

Luckily, the band saw fit to reunite for a few sold-out shows over the past few years, culminating in an opening slot for the Bouncing Souls during the Jersey band’s “We Will Play a Different Album Every Night” Tour. Weston’s set was sadly plagued with technical difficulties, and most kids under 30 didn’t have a clue who they were, but the band played on with a fun set consisting of all of our favorite songs.

On a fun note, this was a nice reunion for two bands that more than a decade and a half ago united for a killer set at William Patterson University. That show was plagued by security that refused to let fans touch one another, let alone mosh or crowd surf. The Highline Ballroom had no such rules and kids bounced off each other’s heads like bunny rabbits on crack.

Here’s a selection of photos from the evening.

“Let Them Know: Story of Youth Brigade & BYO Records” DVD
BYO Records

“Let Them Know” is documentary covering the punk trio Youth Brigade and the legendary DIY record label/movement, The Better Youth Organization. You name a band in the early ’80s West Coast punk scene and they’ll probably cite Youth Brigade as an inspiration. Both the band and the label were the brain child of three brothers that had a love for punk rock and a true do it yourself ethos. The shredded in the studio and pumped out classic records that still hold strong today.

The film includes interviews from all the major punk players, including Fat Mike, Ian McKaye, and Kevin Seconds. It also really helps paint a picture of what the punk movement in California looked like after punk started dying out and just before New Wave became a buzz word.

The camera work is top notch, the editing is flawless, and the interviews are engaging, but the film can’t get out of the shadow of the “Another State of Mind”—The original punk tour documentary that spawned a million Social D and Youth Brigade clones—which is covered quite a bit in the new film. “Let Them Know” was directed by Jeff Alulis, the same guy that made “Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls”—quite possibly one of the best punk docs of the past two decades.

The story of the Stern Brothers, Youth Brigade, and BYO Records doesn’t resonate the same way as The Bouncing Souls documentary did, but that could be because Youth Brigade never had the same internal drama that the Souls had or the same level of popularity on the East Coast that Social Distortion had. Sorry if I’m stepping on toes here, but “Let Them Know” is more of a feel good story that inspires, rather than a riveting documentary. The biggest problems Youth Brigade had was its stylistic shift in the mid-’80s and internal strife within another Stern-brother band, The Royal Crown Revue.

In the end, “Let Them Know” is a perfectly good movie that will hopefully bring more attention to BYO and Youth Brigade. What this world needs is more people like the Stern brothers willing to take nothing and make something great. Now let me get off my soapbox and go staple some fanzines.

Photo by Jim Graham

Anchorless Records is releasing All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash on October 21. The record features covers performed by 16 bands that are just below the popularity line, including: Chuck Ragan, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem, The Dresden Dolls, and – most imp, Derekortantly – Russ Freakin’ Rankin doing “I Walk The Line.” It’s kind of a bummer that there aren’t any rockabilly bands on here. But there’s already a psychobilly tribute to the Man In Black, so I guess it’s okay. And yes, there will be a vinyl version. Go to www.myspace.com/weareanchorlessrecords to hear a few tracks. Read the rest of this entry »