On Saturday, March 23rd, a quiet dive bar in Holbrook, Rams American Pub, saw itself packed to the brim for what was one of the most broad-ranging lineups I’ve ever experienced attending a Long Island show. From funky basslines to math rock performance pieces to shockwaves of ska-punk, this was a night for the books and I truly hope to see a lineup similar to this in the near future. Sean, drummer from Aimless Again, described the night perfectly, “…a mixed genre show, where a lot of Long Island acts got together and supported each other, networking , sharing the vibes, getting stoked for each other”. To see these different genres and people come together to throw down and support each other is what I would truly describe as being immersed in the Long Island Music Scene™.
Read on to find out more about these bands and this event!
Opening up the show was The Unpermitted, who set a really energetic tone for the rest of the night. The vocals and music stylings reminds me a lot of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, however the two vocalists, Jimmy and Sean, give their music such a unique edge that I could not stop bopping along. Their groovy baselines made me an immediate fan and I absolutely cannot wait to see them on another bill. What I also enjoyed was that every song they played sounded so different from each other, that I had to double take multiple times to make sure I wasn’t missing a band. Even so, every song had their recognizable vocals and wicked solos that you’re drawn to come back for more. They were the perfect opener and easily made a fan in me.
When speaking with The Unpermitted regarding their thoughts on the show, they too commented on how potpourri the lineup of the entire event. “It really was a fantastic night of all genres of music. We had a great time hanging out with all these bands, some we knew and some we didn’t, and getting the opportunity to hear the music live that we recognize through the walls of our rehearsal space. Even going on relatively early, the crowd was ready and energetic which is what really propelled us through the night…This was the perfect way to come back into the scene after the little break we took.”
Following The Unpermitted was pop-punk band Aimless Again, a three-piece group also based on Long Island. Their music is recognizably punky – fast beats that make you want to dance and jive with emotional melodies and vocals that take you back to Sum41’s All Killer No Filler era – but what really stood out to me was the passion and intensity in which vocalist Jake belts out his parts during his set, that I vividly remember whipping my head up from the bar table hearing those screams. It reminds me of the pleasant shock I experienced listening to the bridge of Ballyhoo’s “Riddled With Bullets”, where the screams cut you just after the melodic vocals and catchy chorus. You could really tell that these guys put their all into it when performing.
Up next was very much my absolute favorite act of the night, goner. A four-piece collective based in Syracuse, goner’s set was a performance piece in all senses of the word. Jeff, vocals, and Lee, bass, seemed to transform when hitting the stage, throwing their entire bodies back with their beat and even writhing on the floor at the end of their set. It felt emotional, gut-wrenching, and as if you couldn’t look away in such a beautiful way, which is something I never thought to have described a mathcore band in my life. It was truly one of those “you had to have seen it to believe it” moments.
“Mainly I was blown away by everyone’s positivity.” Lee describes the event, “Also the entire staff of Rams deserves highlighting. Everyone: the bartenders, the bar-back, the sound guy, and the pre-7pm crowd of regulars made me feel so welcome and at ease. I even got free lobster! I was sincerely blown away by how sweet everyone was to me before and after we played. A true community of musicians sharing our art that night. The diversity of bands speaks volumes about the local scene: inclusive, posi, energetic”. I could not have said it better myself!
Following goner’s set was Long Island-based prog band, More Of Myself To Kill. Starting off their set, the band played a full rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s Simple Man, which got laughter from the entire venue. They continued with their regularly-scheduled progressive metal, which similar to goner and The Unpermitted, felt uniquely More Of Myself To Kill with their spicy guitar and bass riffs, very reminiscent of Every Time I Die. It’s a tone that can be appreciated by metalheads and music aficionados alike, and their energy is something that other local bands should strive for. They ended off their set with a song off of their new ep, scheduled to be released this year, which featured gang vocals from members of other bands on this lineup adding to the support, vocally and community-wise, that was felt throughout the event.
Ending off the night was Ronkonkoma-based alternative-ska collective Dino Skatepark. This was their first show with their new band member lineup – adding Rodrigo on saxophone and Ryan Careno – and I was absolutely blown away with how different yet familiar they sounded. Old favorites like “All In My Head” and “Love And Lust” seemed to have skyrocketed to new levels of dark-ska, while songs off of their soon-to-be released EP truly showed how much they have grown as a group and how much they are able to connect with their music and fan-base. Speaking with new member Rodrigo, he too felt that this night was such a wide-ranging success. “Righteous, it’s the only way I can describe how that night went. “ Rodrigo said, “Breaking out of my usual scenes of hip hop, edm, and jazz toward rock, ska and pop punk has propelled me toward fulfilling missed opportunities from the past. Righteousness!”
This was certainly one of the most eclectic music bills I have ever attended; at one moment you were bopping your head to some catchy riffs with The Unpermitted and Aimless Again, goner and More Of Myself To Kill made you want to throw down with your neighbor or fellow concert-goer, and Dino Skatepark ended it off with melodic horns. “The event page’s name described Saturday night’s show perfectly…What a Lineup!” More Of Myself To Kill told The After Hours Review, “You don’t see too many mixed genre shows with punk, ska, prog, and mathcore. It was great to see a few different scenes coming together and enjoying everyone’s music. No drama, just friends jamming out and having a fun time.”
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DISCLOSURE: After Hours Review contributor Veronika Potylitsina is currently in a committed relationship with Dino Skatepark bassist Kieran Franzone.