Like the Amish, I grew up on a farm and speak bad German, so of course I had to drive my gas-powered Devil Wagon out to Amish Country for a punk show on a Monday Night.  Lancaster is about 60 miles from where I currently reside, and this town has been described as the "Austin of PA" and is home to some respectable punk institutions like CI Records and the Angry, Young, and Poor Distro.  I've been to about 5 or 6 shows out here, and there's no doubt about it, Lancaster punches above its weight when it comes to its music scene and overall arts culture.  Hell, you can even get a decent burrito in this town!   One of my favorite things about shows in Lancaster is the presence of a dude named "Razor" who looks like the punkest guy in the world and wears a mohawk helm(?) that is constructed out of pink Treasure Trolls.  Trust me, it's fantastic.  And upon my arrival at the American Bar and Grill, I was pleased to see Razor, but this time wearing a day-glo purple wig.  Go on, Razor!  AB&G is a cool spot adorned with some punk memorabilia and surf/skate decor.   Great folks, good eats, can't recommend it enough.

This place is primarily a bar-restaurant, so there's no stage, no sound booth, no merch area, no permanent PA.  It's basically like having a show in your living room, and the openers, DFMK from Mexico, seemed right at home as they kicked off the show at 9:30pm.  These guys are renowned for having a spirited live show and the crowd loved every bit of it.  Singer Jorge is quite a spectacle as he dances to the band's thrashy tunes.  I had never seen DFMK prior to this tour, so I can't recount their setlist, but let's just say that the guy with the OFF! shirt and the guy with the Ill Repute hat were very stoked on DFMK and bought up their merch.

As Dead To Me was setting up, I couldn't help but notice that our hometown hero, Razor, had made a wardrobe change.  OMG, right?!  He had ditched his amazing wig and was now sporting these super legit-looking Steampunk/Road Warrior goggles.  It was clear that the evening had taken a turn and shit was about to get really real.  I mean, the locals are donning proper post-apocalyptic battle gear and I'm over here like a chump in shorts and a soccer jersey!  The energy was ramping up and after they were done fiddling with mics for a minute they plunged right into "Don't Wanna" followed by "Visiting Day" and then "Don't Lie".  HOLY SHIT.  What a triumphant way to mark Jack Dalrymple's return to the band.  Up next was the brand new "Would It Kill You", which I think will go down as one of the top 5 DTM songs in their catalog.  It's just so fresh and dirty and weird that you mofos don't know what to make of it yet.  Everyone was enjoying the hits and being respectful, and at some point early in the set singer/bassist Chicken offered some light-hearted banter.  I'm paraphrasing here, but it was basically, "I wanna thank Tim Elway for that earlier dedication, but we're not straight edge, we're SOBER and there's a difference.  See, we LOVE drugs and alcohol.  But thanks, man!"  Chicken has always publicly battled the disease of addiction through his songs and this current era is no exception.  From my vantage, he seems to have a have healthy grasp on things and the band is prospering overall.  Everyone played well and the crowd went apeshit.  Near the end of the set Chicken offered some final positive words and gratitude about how special it was that they could come to a town like Lancaster on a Monday and have such a great turnout and fun night.  He added that it's the small communities that keep the punk scene alive and it's up to everyone to keep supporting weird towns and small scenes.  Fuckin' A right, it is.  Here's Dead To Me's setlist from that evening:

Don't Wanna

Visiting Day

Don't Lie

Would It Kill You

I Wanna Die In Los Angeles

Splendid Isolation

Fear Is The New Bliss

Liebe Liese

Special Professional

Something New

Little Brother

Arrhythmic Palpitations

By The Throat

Ed's note: Elway, who are on the author's label, also played this show