Swingin' Utters

Swingin' Utters, Youth Brigade, Pistol Grip
The Glasshouse Pomona, CA
July 11, 2000
By: Frank Rizzo 
Pics By: Scott  Wulfestieg

Well, let me first say that I was stoked to find out that I was going to so this review because Swingin' Utters and Youth Brigade are two bands that I personally think shred over most bands out there.  And when I got to the show I was impressed on the turn out, keep in mind that this show fell on a Tuesday night. Not a big night for most show goers. But when you have bands of this magnitude people just seem to come out of the woodwork!

As always, I was also stoked to check out a band I have never heard of before. In this case it was future punk icons Pistol Grip. Not only did these guys spew out punk but they also are about unity. There is nothing better that a band that lets their friends come up and sing a song or to and give out kudos to other bands. Well, Pistol Grip had no problem doing this by having  one of their friends take over the mic and giving props to The Generators (another fine band) who were on stage in full support of their friends. And lets talk about their music! Their sound is unique and still bares the good old punk feel. Raw guitar chords and deep crunchy vocals supports this. The front man had an the velocity that keep his actions onstage in full force. And their guitar player, who also sang a song, had the charisma and attitude of Johnny Rotten flailing himself about the stage. I have to say that Pistol Grip gave me a great first impression and I'm sure I will go see them again.

Next up was the band, the myths, the legends....Youth Brigade. I have been a fan of these guys for years and there is something to be said about a band that can still thrash shit up for over 20 years, create a successful record label that is continuously popping out great new and old talent, and do a split record and tour with a band they feel is worthy. Showing his strong feelings for Swingin' Utters, Shawn told the crowd about the Split Series Vol. II CD that featured Youth Brigade and Swingn' Utters and this was also one of the reasons for the tour. Blaring out some brand new songs of the Split Series and some classics like "Sink With Kalifornia" Youth Brigade also showed the crowd that they haven't lost the pride of the band and performing. I was happy to see that not only was the crowd filled with older fans, but there were also a lot of newer fans showing their support. And they were all united together as they kept the energetic pit flowing. All I have to say is that if you haven't seen Youth Brigade live yet then your missing out! 

Now I haven't had a chance to check out Swingn' Utters live yet but I am most definitely familiar with their music. The more I listen to the Utters, the more I like 'em because they're definitely trying new things-more like baking a fresh loaf instead of picking off the mold and trying to pass it off as new. So seeing them live is kinda like watching the bread cook up in the oven! The Swingin' Utters send off a well rounded set of songs that cover their range of driving punk rock anthems, to folky/Irish acoustics. And I love a band that sounds even better live than on their CD's! Totally in sync, Swingin' Utters hit every chord and beat right on. Johnny's starchy vocals accent the power behind the music. And not keeping still for any part of the songs, he egged on the spastic crowd. After seeing this band for the first time I turned around and kicked myself in the ass for not going to check them out earlier! 

The only thing that sucked about this show was something that can always turn a great atmosphere bad. Yup, you guessed it, a skinhead fight! And just like your usual skin fight it started in the pit. Just your regular inbreeded brawl, this one ended up outside with some schmuck sporting a baseball bat! Look people, if you cant handle getting bumped around in the slam pit then then stay the fuck out of them!

- Frank Rizzo