PLANET CHOCKO – art/music/movies/beyond

2012 CBGB Festival

July 10th, 2012 by chocko

First of all, Chocko and the crew have to thank Two Boots and CBGB Festival for hooking us up with the all inclusive passes which got us into all the music showcases and film screenings. You definitely can’t beat the insane deal of buying some pizza and getting a free pass for the festival. It was surely appreciated and I hope they have same deal next year. Larry Tate and Cleopatra Jones slices for Chocko any day! Long live CBGB. I know it won’t be the same…but I hope they open up the club again soon.

The first show I checked out was on Thursday, July 5 at Webster Hall (formerly The Ritz). Some of the best New York Hardcore Punk bands were in the house to layeth the smackdown. There was a “No Moshing” sign posted by the entrance which was a joke, right? Anyway, the Godfathers of NYHC, Agnostic Front were headlining and the last time I saw the band was at CBGB, so going to the show was a no-brainer.

Maximum Penalty started the show with their mix of metal and hardcore punk. It was a blast to finally see them live. Pick up their album Life & Times on Reaper Records. Mad respect for those guys. Murphy’s Law played next and reminisced about playing the same venue back in 1987 with The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. Jimmy Gestapo and the crew (including a rotating cast of former drummers) joked around and played the fan favorites: “Beer”, “Cavity Creeps” and “Panty Raid” while the crowd beat each other up-no holds barred. I saw some dude doing pushups in the moshpit that made me crack up. Beer and Jager was free for the taking in the front courtesy of the “motorboating” Gestapo. Madball was up next and the stage-diving got ramped up but that didn’t stop a young fan in a wheelchair to join in on the action. There was a slight change in the band lineup: Joseph James of Agnostic Front filled in for Mitts on guitar who’s currently touring with H2O in Europe. Madball keeps getting better with every record. Their EP Rebellion is out now!

Agnostic Front put on a set of classic material and right off the bat killed with “Victim In Pain” and “Friend or Foe” which got the mosh pit moving. Their set was shortened due to time constraints and had to scratch off some songs off the set list including a cover of The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Instead they closed off the night with “Gotta Go” and were buried in a sea of fans who took the party to the stage for the grand finale.

I met up with the rest of the Planet Chocko Outlawz at Landmark Sunshine Cinema. They were checking out Re: Generation Music Project but we all formed like Voltron for the screening of The Dead Boys: Live at CBGB 1977. Members of the band, Cheetah Chrome and Jeff Magnum were joined by producer Genya Ravan for a conversation and Q+A. The live footage of the band has been available on DVD but it was really fun to check it out with a crowd that hooted and hollered like we were all in a rock club. Check out some videos below of Day One of the CBGB Festival!