Bouncing Souls Bring the Heat to Frozen Crossroads Crowd
Hidden deep in the heart of the Garden State of New Jersey lies a small independent venue beloved by those lucky enough to have caught one of the special shows that seemingly crop up out of nowhere. It was here at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ, that the Bouncing Souls stopped by this weekend for three sold-out shows: one Friday night, a 3 pm show on Saturday, and a finale Saturday evening.
The Saturday matinee started late because an electrical problem kept the doors closed an extra hour, and patrons were queuing outside in sub-freezing temperatures. To get back on track, Black Guy Fawkes, the opener for the show, started his 9-song set as the last of the frozen patrons made it inside. This was Black Guy Fawkes’ first time performing at Crossroads, and the Jersey crowd warmly received him. He performed songs from his various albums, including “Beginning of the End,” “Spotlight,” and “This Radio” from “The Misery Suite” album, which was reviewed here on Maxazine.com just a few weeks ago.
After a fairly brief interlude, it was time for another visit from the hometown boys…I say hometown since The Bouncing Souls hail from New Brunswick, NJ, a short 20 miles away along the famed New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. And quite a reunion it was, as every available square foot of space was now occupied in anticipation of another classic Crossroads/Souls appearance.
Pete Steinkopf got the ball rolling with his heavy guitar intro on “Quick Check Girl,” which also unleashed a quick stage dive. Not to be outdone, George Rebelo on drums and bassist Bryan Kienlen’s powerful bass line drove “Manthem,” their classic homage to friendship – “He’s my friend, he’s my alibi…’til the end of time…” The lead singer of the Bouncing Souls is Greg Attonito, who commands the stage like a boss, dressed nattily with his newsboy hat. Steinkopf, Kienlen, and Attonito have been with the band since their high school days back in 1989, while Rebelo joined in 2013, coming from Hot Water Music and Against Me. “Manthem” released fists pumping, with the crowd singing along to chants of “oi oi” and moshing in the group in the far left of the audience.
A big chant of “East Coast! Fuck You!” started, and a call-out to Crossroads owner Andy Diamond led to this high-powered homage to the cold, snowy weather and pizza of the Eastern US vs. the relative blandness they encounter when touring out west. A couple of hard punkers later, we come to “Gasoline,” about getting burned out and looking for an alternative. Just a great tune.
Next up was “I Like Your Mom,” written when the band members were in high school, about Greg’s mom. I believe they said she was in attendance. Great humour and fun – “I like your mom and wanna be your dad.”
There were other Bouncing Souls songs, including a kazoo solo at the end of “Monday Morning Ant Brigade,” a couple of covers, but fret not, as they did not forget their hits. “Hopeless Romantic” totally rocked the house, “Lean On Sheena” closed the main set, and “True Believers” and “Gone” were the final two (of four) encore tunes.
Overall, a hot show on a freezing New Jersey afternoon. Crossroads is one of those rare magical venues that seems to elevate the experience. If you ever have the opportunity to catch a show there, grab it.
Photos (c) David Fang
