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Punk show in Washington is overall a good time, except for a few artists and problems with sound levels

Date published: 4/3/2008

BY GORDON PHILLIPS

In a central location such as Washington, a concert with four signed bands would seemingly draw a large crowd.

This was not the case last Thursday at the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel. There were about 50 people maximum throughout the night for the mixed five-band bill featuring Brit rockers Beat Union and punk bands Whole Wheat Bread and Authority Zero.

The first band up was a Virginia band by the name of Permanent Ascent. Their style was heavy rock, nearly nu-metal. They played a number of their original songs and a cover of the '80s song "Red Wine," which led into into Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Unfortunately, the band's sound was way overpowered by the drums. Sound levels would eventually become the plague of the night for nearly every band.

The next band was Civet, an all-girl, self-declared "femme fatale punk" band. They had powerful vocals from the two guitarists and the bassist--almost enough to overcome the, once again, nowhere-near-perfect levels. I look forward to their summer release on Hellcat Records.

Next a rock 'n' roll band from the United Kingdom, Beat Union, ran through their catalog like seasoned stage experts. All the members got extremely into the music, jumping all around, swinging their guitars and, overall, looking like they were having a great time. All of their songs were extremely danceable and rhythmic. The band easily had the best levels of the night, and they made good use of them.

Whole Wheat Bread was up next. I had seen Whole Wheat Bread once before, and thought I knew what to expect. Last time I saw them they played loud, profane and, overall, unpolished punk rock that did not come across well. I was in for a surprise, however, as they had gotten much better. Frontman Aaron Abraham's stage presence was impressive, and his guitar skills had improved 100 percent. The band's songs were all much more refined, and their hip-hop influence shone through in a great way.

The final band and headliner was Authority Zero, easily the band the majority of the fans had come to see. I had heard a number of their studio recordings and was excited to see them. They entered the stage and proceeded to conduct themselves like million-dollar rock stars. After a minute or two of talking, they played their first song. They were an all-right live band, but nothing to live up to Beat Union or Whole Wheat Bread.

Gordon Phillips is a senior at Stafford High School.

Date published: 4/3/2008