Traveling across the bay to this show, I’m thinking, “You know I haven’t heard the first track off either of these albums- hoping it turns out to be a good non-commercial punk experience!" I’m also an hour early because the show was set back, and the venue hadn’t been granted permission to serve alcoholic beverages- so I order a Coke and wait. Eventually I noticed a few punk rockers filter in the club, and they wield the image of leather tough guys which in turn created the ambiance for a night at the indie famed Rock N’ Reel (formally The Splash of downtown Mobile). This venue is just a real great place, owned by real great folks (Linda and Bob) that re-opened a week before the show, and they have a reputation for booking awesome bands predominantly from the indie scene.

Knuckle Sandwich started their set playing for a modest crowd of around fifty, and nearly blew the pants off us all with tunes from their new release Nice. They have an authentic old school punk sound, which is simple in style but has full-bodied bass lines, loose beats- however on time, and dominating lyrics. The bass player (Mike) brims with this captive energy, and the vocals (Richie) are raw as punk rock done proper. The guitar player (Jay) appeared to be in his own world- playing his own tunes while projecting a powerful effect for the band's music, and the drummer (Bobby) made their set essentially come alive.

They played nine songs, most under the three-minute mark, and effective for giving the audience a general idea of who they are (Jersey boys), and what to expect if you choose to purchase their disc. “Amber Waves Of Green” was the opening ditty, a song about the lack of money circulating in the pockets of Americans today, and aptly chosen for the song's ability to reel the audience in. “American Song” was third in the set, a song about our independent freedoms which produced good participation for those feeling patriotic. “Couch Potato” had crunchy riffs, and a parody style lyric structure where basically Richie describes the real deal behind the relaxation business. The last two songs was the point where I decided that becoming a fan would be a cool thing to take on: “I Want More” with that hook that leaves room to come up for some air, but immediately returns to a rocking bridge and chorus that gives you the sing-song syndrome. “Show Me The Rock” is what we all were left with from a night from Knuckle Sandwich. Carrying these classic riffs down the same vein as Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” even my evening companion who is not a punk rocker, Aimee- the great sister, dug them hard and was going to try and locate a disc from our local Mom And Pops record shop.

After the show Richie told me “my vocals are not what they were when we started the tour, and I’m scared!" First of all I would have never felt nearly the impact, or energy if his voice was not up to par with only fifty people in the room, and lastly- they really just rocked me out- the bass player was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and the timing with the drummer was just phenomenal- “Who cares what you sound like?" was more what I was thinking- because this guy has such a great band backing him- It really doesn’t matter.

5¢ Deposit

There was a low-key idiot residing in the audience that had to start a small melee before 5¢ played, and most of the crowd dispersed soon afterward. I mean it’s really not a real punk rock show until the fists fly, so why should a Wednesday night be different? Either way, I was glad to have stayed on to watch the band because they performed so well even though fifteen people were there.

From the minute they started- they just didn’t stop. The bass player sang the back ups, while the guy clad in dog collar (John) was full frontal screaming down everyone’s throat, and their drummer was just tight- well practiced I’d say. Didn’t catch one lyric, but they still made an impression on those who were there. They even performed an impromptu song written that night (or recently anyway?) called “What’s Going On?” Of course we heard the “Bird On A Wire” tune from the Score! Music compilation disc, along with “Things Aint Right”, “On My Own”, and “Johnny” from their new album.

So after a six pack of colas I was buzzing all over the place on caffeine, (since I’m not big on soda- I wasn’t aware it could have that effect), and both bands turned out to be pretty good, so the evening was better than what I had originally thought, and the venue is a place I would recommend for any original band traveling through the area.

www.knucklesandwich.net
www.5centdeposit.com

Photos by May