Skaters - Team Spirit -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Apr 3 2014

Team Spirit - Rah rah! I'm not sure if these four guys did a cheerleader routine in the back before the show, but they sure came out on fire, rocking from the first note to the last. I immediately think of the Zeros as they seem to have a good handle on power pop with an emphasis on power. The two guitars were clanging around in an exciting way reminiscent of Stiff Little Fingers, too. Yet, ultimately they seem to have a handle on those punk/power pop moments that also includes style points from the Dickies and CH3. Yet the power is amped up an extra notch or two here. They had a great personality and a sense of fun was there the whole time for the modest Thursday night crowd. The singer/guitarist even went into the crowd at the end and had eveyone crouched down with them during a quieter moment before he and the crowd sprung up for the blazing finale. Well, most of them, as I don't spring up as well as I used to. This was a rousing 40 minute set that was hard not to enjoy and was just the straight forward blast of rock energy I needed tonight. The rest of the crowd seemed to react that way as well.

Skaters - Skate punk? They look like they could, although they sound like they spend more time in rehearsal than working the ramps. They continue the strong punk sounds of the opening band, also with decent melodies and fierce guitars. The singing is an interesting soulful crooning that moves into power rock as needed. The undercurrent of guitars reminds me of the Smashing Pumpkins a bit and if you cross that sound with the Dickies you will get something close. That is, until they kick into a few reggae based numbers which obviously varies the rhythm quite dramatically. But this is that pace filled punk reggae style that fits well within a rocking set. No wheels being reinvented here, just well done high energy music by solid players who have some good songs to showcase as well. This was a good fix for me tonight from these two NYC bands and a good reminder to see high energy young rock bands regularly to keep my Dorian Gray appearance fresh.

'It's all a matter of perspective' photo grab of the night:

I would give her the answer if she said she read James Thurber (or competed in Contest Speech in the 1970s).