Punknews.org | Streetlight Manifesto / The Arrogant Sons of Bitches

Review Navigator

Features

Contests

Reviews

Streetlight Manifesto / The Arrogant Sons of Bitches

live in Long Island
2004
live show

Streetlight Manifesto / The Arrogant Sons of Bitches - live in Long Island (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Brian
See others by this writer

Streetlight Manifesto (link)

Only registered users
can post comments

Published on March 5th 2004

A cool, breezy night in Farmingdale. Ska was in the air.

But not until after the first act. A quaint man covered from his mouth to chest with the resultant liquid from blood capsules stepped onto the stage with an acoustic guitar and nodded to us cheerfully. Immediately I thought, "Against Me?" The following performance didn't completely qualify my guess, but definitely did remind me of the solo recordings of aforesaid band, without any gravel in the voice. He played some immediately catchy and damn funny tunes like the sarcastic "America Rocks" ("if you don't like rock 'n roll, then you're a terrorist!") and "The Nice Things People Do At Drive-Throughs," the second which had a pleading hook line the whole crowd was singing; "thaaaaaank yoooooou for buying me Burger King! Makes me want to dance and sing!" It was a fun warm up that set the precedent for the night.

My Big New Pants was a young and energetic eight-piece ska-punk band that played next. With shades of the Mad Caddies and a more punk-oriented Reel Big Fish, the music they played allowed them to dance across the stage wildly, and they were clearly having fun. The keyboardist kept feeling himself up and the goofy-looking lead singer looked like he came straight out of "The Goonies." The looming problem however, was the brass section. They reminded me of the band that plays the theme music for Saturday Night Live's skit "Wake Up Wakefield." Sure, they played tight, but the tenor sax's amp was entirely too loud and he looked ridiculously uncomfortable, and the other two were almost motionless, save for some clapping during the last song. Guys, it's ska...you can smile once in a while, trust me.

The first ten minutes of the show had been spent by an old friend hyping to me The Superspecs. He promised big things, but I was let down by the band's rather mediocre brand of a midtempo version of Alone in a Crowd-era Catch 22. To give them credit, they claimed to be down a few men, and the last two or three songs were interesting. One got me skanking a bit and another was a great cover of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up," helped out a bit by Jeff and J.T. from ASOB.

Now, I know full well that the Arrogant Sons of Bitches were turning a few heads on last year's Warped Tour with their Big D-influenced ska and consistently energetic performances. But if you thought they were giving it their all at a festival tour, it's obvious you haven't seen them in a club setting. The band had Mindless Self Indulgence clips playing on the P.A. and swore not to start until everyone was dancing to them. When everybody started moving, so did ASOB. Opening with their more accessible number, "So Let's Go Nowhere," the fun began. Although the band had to take time between songs to let their drummer rest after he had blistered and broken his hands during a day at his construction job, it really was non-stop camaraderie. Just about the whole set had the band taking requests, like "Abnormalities," "Royale Fuck Deluxe," and a new one, "1-800-ALARM-ME." After the band asked what they should talk about at one point and was answered with a request for writing a song about the drummer's broken hands, they did just that. A thirty-second song ensued, and the band kept randomly jumping into short parts of the song thereafter. At the end, they held a small contest for who could offend the lead singer's mom (who was there videotaping the set) more based on a one-to-five scale. The first contestant won with a '5' due to his short story involving a prostitute and some glue-like semen. The band was crazy and interactive as always while still keeping their stage presence and energy intact. One of the best live bands you can see.

As if that set wasn't enough, Streetlight Manifesto then took the stage. Never have I seen a band play tighter; it was possible they didn't miss a single note. The first song had extended jam sessions for each member of the brass section, allowing for Tomas to introduce the members. They played the whole Everything Goes Numb album plus a Squirrel Nut Zippers cover and had the crowd singing along and throwing fingers like it was 1996. The trumpeter pointed his instrument at us like a rifle and sang his words of weapons. These are seven very talented individuals. It was a fantastic, unified one-hour set and capped off a great night.

SET LISTS (from the paper and accurate)

The Superspecs
twice the pulimanary
dr evil -->
up and down
take me down
pigs fly
sobbing
straight up -->
listen up

ASOB
[no set list, just took requests for the most part]

Streetlight Manifesto
If/When
Few
Failing
Numb
Saddest
That'll be
Annie
Hell
Point/Counter
Silence
Violence
Heres to Life
Big Sleep

MORE PICTURES [ALL TAKEN BY FRANK MERCADO, INCLUDING THE ONE UP TOP]

ASOB
1, 2, 3,

Streetlight Manifesto
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.

What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Posted by liveinadive55 on 2005-11-01 19:55:50
My Score:

"Ska sux cuz it aint punx rawk"

1) you're an idiot
2) learn to spell
3) stop being a douche

Posted by NoUse on 2004-07-24 22:43:57
My Score:

Cincypunk.net Photos
Live at Radio Down

If you get bored check out some shots the Cincypunk.net staff took at Radio Down on Friday night. A good time was had by all 200 (?) kids in attendance!

Streetlight Manifesto: www.cincypunk.net/viewtopic.php?t=494

Arogant Sons of Bitches: www.cincypunk.net/viewtopic.php?t=495

The Know How: www.cincypunk.net/viewtopic.php?t=496

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 15, 2004 at 10:58 PM (EST)
My Score:

I no wear a t-shirt that says
Unwritten Law: Self Destructing

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 12, 2004 at 2:38 AM (EST)
My Score:

back in 97/98 i used to sport an unwritten law t-shirt that said "a psa from unwritten law: destroy all ska bands"

unwritten law is now a piece of shit (especially without wade)

but ska is still worse

if you're gonna play reggae/dub/dancehall, then play it

if you're gonna play punk rock, don't use any fucking horns

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 at 3:43 PM (EST)
My Score:

Love Streetlight Manifesto? Love Orange County Drums but are too fucking poor?
GO HERE: http://www.sjcdrums.com
SJC make OCD quality drums for a fraction of the price, and they are from the East Coast. They are now sponsoring Streetlight Manifesto and even Strike Anywhere and more, so you know they are good. Check them out.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 at 1:36 PM (EST)
My Score:

the pictures are a nice touch!

Posted by inagreendase on 2004-03-10 12:01:55
My Score:

"what is the ASOB pic #3 bullshit!?"

J.T. hanging upside down from the ceiling.

And to the guy below - Patent Pending isn't ska...

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 at 9:52 AM (EST)
My Score:

ASOB and Streetlight Manifesto were amazing. There are some other new ska bands that are building a following not just ASOB, you should check out Elixir at Elixir-Music.com. Their just high schoolers, but awesome songs and stage show. High School Football Heros, Patent Pending.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at 11:59 PM (EST)
My Score:

what is the ASOB pic #3 bullshit!?

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at 2:53 PM (EST)
My Score:

"is the trumpet player from SM,thats wearing a catch22 shirt, a former catch22 member?"

YES

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at 12:39 PM (EST)
My Score:

i saw this show in albany, fucking great. streetlight is so much better than catch 22 its incredible.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 8, 2004 at 11:26 PM (EST)
My Score:

Jeff Rosenstock for president!!!
John Mayer could be his running partner!!

=^)

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 8, 2004 at 8:48 PM (EST)
My Score:

everyone click this link and then click the number it tells you to click.

My Army!

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 8, 2004 at 4:15 PM (EST)
My Score:

"Why is no one reviewing the new Living End album?"

Because they changed their style from actually showcasing their amazing talents to boring and bland pop punk.

Posted by BanMe on 2004-03-08 01:47:05
My Score:

Dear Scott Heisel,
move on with your life. to me it seems you eagerly look for opportunities to jump in and defend yourself when no one cares. pathetic. you should worry about your business and other people will worry about theirs. you really dont know when to drop it. you are struggling to continue a pointless arguement that doesnt involve the people viewing it. do it somewhere else cause no one wants to read it on any forums. grow up and get out. i personally dont like your site only signed up to post this. i will not return again or ever recommend it to someone. if your posts are to recruit people to your site im afraid its doing the exact opposite. just letting you know its getting old.

Posted by Kurt_F on 2004-03-07 03:08:53
My Score:

My band opened for ASOB a few months back here in Oklahoma City...Holy crap. They are by far the funniest band I've ever seen live, and funny in a good way. I've never been so entertained. Not to mention thier incredible Radiohead cover.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 7, 2004 at 2:09 AM (EST)
My Score:

My Big New Pants, average age in the band is like 16 or 17, thats awesome what those kids are doing. The reason the horns were so weak that night is because from what i heard the 2 main horn players couldnt make it to the show that night, so a few days before they hadda find 2 kids they never played with, let alone barely talk to, and teach them all the hornlines to fill in for that show. So not a bad job at all if you ask me. Streetlight was great. ASOB was too, i cant compare them to anyone and anyoen who says they can is full of shit

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 7, 2004 at 1:08 AM (EST)
My Score:

I'm waiting for the In Extremo/Otyg tour to come to the states.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 9:27 PM (EST)
My Score:

Ska sux cuz it aint punx rawk

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 8:54 PM (EST)
My Score:

A "Streetlight Manifesto / Dillinger Four / Strung Out / Face First" show must happen one day. Not really because of the fact that they all rock, but because Face First would actually be playing a show, even though they broke up about a year ago. Jeez does Face First rock. Most under-rated band in the history of music... :(

-c22

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 3:13 PM (EST)
My Score:

Why is no one reviewing the new Living End album?

Posted by Krizin on 2004-03-06 13:50:29
My Score:

I can't fucking wait to see Streetlight Manifesto live. I have a couple live concerts.... but I've still yet to see them in person. Maybe I'll drive up to NJ for Skate and Surf.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 10:39 AM (EST)
My Score:

streetlight rules. i was at the show in danbury. yay for me.

to the kid below, did you watch all the other openin gbands? i thought they were good.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 10:08 AM (EST)
My Score:

Streetlight Manifesto/Zombie Apocalypse tour.

A kid can dream, right?

Minor Threat

Posted by NoUse on 2004-03-06 02:17:35
My Score:

Picture 14 of Streetlight is awesome

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 2:14 AM (EST)
My Score:

oh how i long to see the manifesto...and also, has anyone heard the alternative version of everything went numb, I guess it was a demo, but I liked it a lot nonetheless. nice review. peace.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 1:17 AM (EST)
My Score:

Man, why is my town so lame that I can't see shows like this? Good review, you made me sad that I wouldn't get the opportunity to see a great show like that myself

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 1:08 AM (EST)
My Score:

is the trumpet player from SM,thats wearing a catch22 shirt, a former catch22 member?

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 12:50 AM (EST)
My Score:

I recently saw streetlight play in danbury, and I must say, fucking great. Second best show I've been too, next to George Clinton. ain't no shame in being second to George Clinton.

Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2004-03-06 00:38:37
My Score:

excellent...

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 6, 2004 at 12:12 AM (EST)
My Score:

the 'solo' act is called Abortion Clinic Waste Bin and his name is doyle, he's in the fad www.thefad.cjb.net both very cools bands

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 11:23 PM (EST)
My Score:

damn i shouldn't have left early on the show ASOB were headlining. The guitar player was super nice when he came up and randomly began talking to us... although he wears girl's pants so um...

Posted by Jon_the_Skafather on 2004-03-05 23:20:45
My Score:

ASOB are totally overrated....i don't know about them as people....i've heard that they're nice guys but whatever....the music is what counts to me and it isn't there.

streetlight rules though.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 9:39 PM (EST)
My Score:

ASOB is extremely overrated, they really are nothing new or special and just your average run of the mill LTJ wanna be rip off. They just have a strong following on Long island because the ska scene there has died almost entirely except for a handful of high schoolers. They also book themselves on all the local shows they want due to the lack of venus and one of their members works at the main one. You seriously can't see a show on LI anymore without having these guys open, and they don't take too nicely to you if they find out you don't love their band. Just my opinion but from my years of personal experience: shitty band, shitty people.

Streetlight rocks though.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 9:37 PM (EST)
My Score:

shitty review.

score is for ska.

Posted by gladimnotemo on 2004-03-05 21:04:49
My Score:

The Squirrel Nut Zippers = not mentioned enough/anymore.

Oh, and this is coming to Cleveland on the 27th. I think...it's going to be awesome.

Posted by inagreendase on 2004-03-05 20:09:07
My Score:

"does anybody know the solo act's name/website?"

I heard some people calling him "Doyle," but it sounded really ambiguous [sic?] so I didn't mention it. His demo was only two bucks, but I needed train money.

Posted by GregSka on 2004-03-05 19:55:48
My Score:

This sounds like it was an amazing show!

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 7:53 PM (EST)
My Score:

does anybody know the solo act's name/website?

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 7:50 PM (EST)
My Score:

This was a good show. I was definitely amazed at Streetlight's altogether tightness. They're sick live.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 5, 2004 at 7:45 PM (EST)
My Score:

i want them to come to the west coast so badly.

Posted by inagreendase on 2004-03-05 19:22:03
My Score:

I forgot to mention that the solo act played a "Hey Ya" cover, but being an acoustic performance it didn't seem overdone at all.

And sorry in advance for talking more about ASOB than Streetlight, but when you see ASOB live, you'll understand why.