Punk is alive. Well, not really. But with the literal dozens of Long Island bands that head down to play The Fest at the end of October in Florida, it’s no surprise that there were two very fantastic punk shows on Long Island during the last couple weeks of last month.
Jeff Rosenstock, possibly the person who made streaming music and “pay-what-you-want” downloads the industry behemoth that they are today, played a solo acoustic set at Vinyl Paradise in Sayville to promote his new record, Worry.
Latterman played a reunion show at Revolution, which doubled as their first performance since the 2012 reunion at that Fest, and their first Long Island show in nearly 10 years.
Jeff’s infectious pop songs with roots based in his ska-punk days are just as great on his new record as they have been in the past. He played a 40-minute set, incredibly long for an in-store, with nothing but himself and an acoustic guitar, echoing his do-it-yourself morality that’s been present in his music for the past decade.
Even in a record shop that could hold maybe 30 people, he had kids singing along to some of the new songs that had come out just five days before. He played against a wall as the crowd enveloped him in an awkward semi-circle, but even through the “just show up” mentality and the lack of any real sound equipment, he easily played the best acoustic set this year.
On the other hand, Latterman was professional and loud. These punks did it before everybody else did. Their music held the lyrical sentiments of respect for space, comfort, gender and sexuality in punk long before anybody else did. As they echoed at their Fest set, “It’s great to see The Fest guide talk about asking for people’s pronouns.”
Not needing a long, played out reunion, the band played a quick, 50-minute, 15-song set and then retreated back into the light. The crowd was light on movement, despite their fast parts because of Latterman’s stress on respect, which was a nice change of pace.
They sounded fantastic and didn’t need more than a couple speeches and 15 songs to show Long Island why they’re a band name that needs to be remembered for the future generations of the scene.
Up Next for Long Island:
The Superweaks at Amityville Music Hall – November 10 – Fresh off their newest release, Better Heavens, these kings of Philly indie rock are coming to Long Island for the second time this year. They’ve only gotten better with their second LP and they’re well worth checking out if you have nothing to do on a brisk Thursday night. Tickets are just $7 on Ticketfly
Lydia at Revolution – November 11 – Lydia exploded on the scene with their fantastic melodies on Illuminate and have been making soft and catchy indie tunes ever since. They’ll be touring with an extended band, featuring expanded vocals and an entire string section, making their live performance as full as it deserves to be for this tour. The best part? It’s coming to Long Island. Tickets are $16 on Ticketfly.
Yellowcard at The Paramount – November 12 – Nothing lasts forever and the band responsible for the summer anthem of the early 2000s, “Ocean Avenue,” has decided to call it quits. However, for some dates on their final tour, Yellowcard has decided to play the album Ocean Avenue, which spawned the single from front to back. Long Island is very lucky to be one of those dates. It’s not just a rare opportunity to see a full-album performance of one of the most creative pop punk records of all time, but possibly the last chance to see Yellowcard play Long Island ever. The show is sold out, but there are some tickets listed on Ticketmaster’s resale feature.
The Dillinger Escape Plan at The Paramount – November 18 – Also on their final tour, no band has a reputation for destructive concerts and straight up irresponsible stage acts like Dillinger does. They’ll also be playing The Paramount on their final tour. Tickets are up for as low as $18 general admission on Ticketmaster.
Less Than Jake at Revolution – November 20 – Also on a full album tour cycle, Less Than Jake will be playing their record Losing Streak in full. There’s no particular reason besides the fact that it’s a fun time. The record is just as fun as fast ska can possibly get. Sadly, the night sold out quickly, but keep an eye on secondary markets and the Facebook page, as this is the best thing ska on Long Island has seen in a very long time.
