Show Review: Emily’s Army at DiPiazza’s, Long Beach 5/22/11

Primed and ready for the release of their debut album Don’t Be A Dick on Adeline Records on June 14th, Emily’s Army popped into Long Beach’s DiPiazza’s for an early evening performance to an eager audience. The audience, made up of mainly young teenage girls, crowded the stage with cameras in hand as they patiently waited for the band’s hour-long set.


Emily’s Army is comprised of Oakland teenagers Cole and Max Becker, Travis Nuemann, and Joey Armstrong. The fresh-faced band have made waves by gaining the attention of one of their heroes, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day (and co-founder of Adeline Records) who took on the producing duties of the boys’ debut album.

As the band arrived on stage, I have to admit I was taken aback by just how young these guys looked! They range in age between 15 and 17 years old (no wonder they have a strong teenage girl following!) and do they look it! They definitely have an innocent and, dare I say, “cute” demeanor to their stage presence.

But don’t let the boyish looks fool you into believing these kids are relying solely on the “adorable factor.” Musically, they can clearly hold their own and throw down some really tight sounds. You can hear a lot of Green Day influence, especially in the heavy use of Max’s bass lines. Some of the more poppy vocals and guitar riffs seem to be influenced by traditional Ramones, and at times you can hear hints of some surf and ska.

For being quite young, they dominated the stage with an almost awkward innocent bravado that only seems quite natural for a bunch of teenage boys. Watching them bounce around on stage, jumping in synchronization and clearly having a good time, only made the experience of watching their performance all that more enjoyable. Aspects of Green Day were definitely present in their stage presence with Max and Cole taking on power stances and facial expressions reminiscent of Billie Joe and Mike Dirnt.

Included in their set was a really fun and carefree version of The Beach Boys’ “Do You Want To Dance?” — although the way they played it, it could have been a cover of the Ramones’ version of the song. Whatever the case was, the question posed in the song was answered by some of the girls in front of the stage as they (in fact) did start to dance. The song “I Wanna Be Remembered” was dedicated to Cole and Max’s cousin Emily, who the band is named after. Emily was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis back in 1998 and in honor of Emily’s fight — and in junction with the foundation aimed at educating the masses about CF — the band changed it’s name from Raining Souls to Emily’s Army.

I walked away from this show quite impressed with the simple raw sound and talent of Emily’s Army’s music. If this is any indication of what these lads are capable of, the future looks promising. As of now, they seem like a band inspired by other musical acts they look up to musically. Like all teenagers, it’s a matter of finding yourself and defining yourself. By all accounts of this performance, Emily’s Army is well on their way to finding out what power and potential is there for the taking in the years ahead.

Show Review: The English Beat at the House of Blues, Anaheim 5/13/11

For being a band that only put out three records more than 30 years ago, The English Beat’s intricate and unique story is still being played out to this day. It’s a story of two bands divided by an ocean: one based in the UK featuring original members Ranking Rodger and Everett Morton, the other based in sunny southern California, headed up by original front man Dave Wakeling. Both bands playing the tunes that defined the Two-Tone ska sound that one day would be an inspiration to bands like The Toasters, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, and others who would go and create the Ska’s third wave. Tonight, it would be Dave Wakeling’s band that would take the stage in Anaheim.


Tonight’s crowd was very, very interesting to say the least. Arriving to the upstairs bar area, I noticed that they had part of the area cordoned off for a private party. I came to find out there was a high school reunion taking place and by the looks of it, I would say a class from the early 1980s — right around the time The Beat were in their prime. The reunion attendees were easy to spot — well-dressed, maybe too well dressed for a Ska show, and quite intoxicated, even before the first and only opening band, The Simpkin Project, took the stage. Others in attendance were also quite mature in age. Where were all the rude boys and rude girls? Is the southern California ska scene that dead that the youngest in attendance is 30 years old?

The Simpkin Project played for maybe 45 minutes. Playing pretty chill ska-tempo music, the band from Huntington Beach, California quietly primed the crowd for The Beat. Can’t say anything great about the band, but I can’t say anything bad either. Their brand of kick-back ska reggae made for good background music, perfect for all the drunkard reunionites to rekindle old flames and brag about how great their lives are now. I personally witnessed two extremely drunk classmates sucking face. The only way I can describe the crowd is if you jumbled two conference rooms at the Marriott Hotel, one being a concert and the other a high school reunion. It was one of the most odd concert crowds I’ve ever witnessed and I’ve been to quite a few over the years.

Eventually, Dave and crew took to the stage. The rest of the band was made up of very talented musicians, none of which were original members. Absent from the line up was vocalist/toaster Antonee First Class. Dave apologized to the audience that Antonee wouldn’t be able to make it as he was stuck in Phoenix. Without Antonee, the show went on as planned. Pretty much every Beat hit off of their three albums were played — from their cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown” to “Ranking Full Stop,” a song usually toasted by Antonee, which got a new spin when Wakeling gave us a taste of his toasting skills. In addition to The Beat’s tunes, the band also played a few songs from General Public. General Public formed shortly after The Beat’s break up in 1983 and was comprised of Wakeling and Ranking Roger. The band covered The Staple Singers “I’ll Take You There” and most notably wrote and performed the hit “Tenderness”, both of which were greeted on this night with huge cheers and sing-alongs.


By about the middle of the show, a few rude boys and rude girls made their way through the crowd, creating a skank pit and in essence confusing the hell out of the “Molly Ringwald” dancing reuionites. Old vs Young! Finally, worlds collide!

Watching Wakeling on stage brought an instant smile to my face that I couldn’t wipe away. Even after 30-plus years, the joy of touring and playing these classic tunes in front of a nostalgic and appreciative crowd clearly brings him joy. Between songs, he would ramble a bit with his deep English accent, telling jokes, laughing, and interacting with the crowd. Make no mistake about it, all eyes are on Dave and this is his band.

Musically, the band played off each other all night long. Dave still has an awesome singing voice, even though he can’t hit those high notes like in the song “I Confess.” Throughout the evening, each member was singled out for solos. Allowing the other members of the band to share in the spotlight that Dave basks in for a majority of the show.

By the end, The Beat played for over two hours — mainly because each song they played broke out into an “extended” version lasting at least seven to 10 minutes, including amazing versions of “Save it for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom.”

At 55 years old, Dave Wakeling sits atop the throne as one of the Godfather’s of the English Two-Tone ska movement. With a tour schedule that would tire many working bands today, Wakeling’s Beat continues to thrill audiences with the music that gave him that endearing title. Bringing smiles to the faces that relive those nostalgic feelings at every show, Wakeling simply smiles right back and thanks the crowd!