Page 8 - The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, March 27, 1997 Ghoti Hook headlines Erie by Kevin Deane Guest Columnist Ahh, Feb. 14, famous for flowers, hearts, love-in-a-can, punk shows...wait. 0.K., maybe that doesn't exactly bolt to your mind when you hear "St. Valentine's Day," but if you ventured to the Erie Art Museum Annex that crazy night you know what Fm talking about. Persons in the Erie community thought enough of us lonely hearts to bring up Ghoti Hook, a Tooth & Nail Records band from Virginia. They were surrounded by 4 local bands: Mustard Seed, Ten 23, The Huntingtons, and the Go-Go Rays. I was originally drawn to this show for the opportunity to witness Ghoti Hook live, and a couple of the other bands ended up impressing me. The show opened up with Mustard Seed, a peckish band made up of high school guys. At first everyone just stood still and I wasn't quite sure what to think. After a few songs though, I felt that they had a good grasp on what they were doing. Maybe it was due to their youthful appearance, but they surprised me. I enjoyed watching them play. The second band was Ten 23, a local punk group. I had never heard of these guys before the show, so I didn't know what to expect. They ended up being one of the extreme highlights of the evening. From the opening power chord, these guys received a big thumbs up. They played fast, they told jokes, and they had a blast on stage. Fun poured out from their set like Kool-Aid from a garden hose. Their songs ranged from feel-good punk to a slower , ,which 1 regretfully cannot remember the name of. Ten 23 put on one neat-o show. I guess that's what you get from Erie's most lovable punk band. Judging by the T-shirts and the number of the people in the crowd, I assumed that the In hllag' LYii" DEA You I-16 -- s.. moo, Music shows Reed Lecture Hall majority of people were there to see the next two bands, The Huntingtons and the Go-Go Rays. The Huntingtons seemed kind of cocky and I didn't pay much attention to them. In fact, I ended up outside during most of their performance. I'd like to see them again, so I can at least form a completely judgmental opinion about them. My heart was beating uncontrollably as the Go-Go Rays got ready to play. I saw the horns and guitars and became quite giddy. As soon as they started, I was skankin' (at least trying to). When those sweet ska tunes danced in my ear, I couldn't help but groove. Then the band had to go and disappoint me. The lead singer and bassist said some really rude and disgusting things that I didn't care for. Their songs just backed up their truly unclassy show. I ended up leaving the building for a little while, with people cheering in my ear. But oh buddy, did Ghoti Hook make up for it. They came out with hats on and claimed to be cowboys. At this point I was still in shock. I couldn't believe I was standing ten feet away from them. They kicked off their set with one of my favorite songs, "Seasons." They continued through, playing "Treat Boy," "Knock Knock," and other songs from their album, Sunto Surprise. They even threw in a few new songs and a cover of "Walk Like An Egyptian." They talked and developed a camaraderie between themselves and the crowd. It was the most I had ever felt at home at a concert. They had a style all their own, swinging punk rock with both message-filled and feel-good songs. Their blend was truly outrageous. After five hours, the people began to disperse and the smoke started to clear. 0.K., so there wasn't any smoke, but my eyes focused on the surroundings, desperately trying to take mental photographs that would forever remind me of that experience. I put my shoe back together and turned to leave, with a screeching ring yelling in my ear. It let me know that one swingin' Valentine's Day wasn't too difficult to find, if you knew where to go. Pensive to come to Erie by Tim Holsopple Asst. Entertainment Editor If you haven't noticed by now, I'm the guy who wears the bookbag with the pensive. patch on it. Pensive. is an emotional hardcore band from the Pittsburgh area. I've known the band since their inception as red no. 9, back when they played poppy rock numbers, silly party-fun songs, and heart wrenching social statements. They still play heart-wrenching social statements, but now with a side order of tough. They're bringing their whole pallet of songs here for the Behrend Battle of the Bands on Friday, April 25. Judging from their performance at a recent local show back home, you will not want to miss it. On Saturday, March 15, pensive. played at the Gem Theater in Derry, PA (about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh). I had the privilege of watching them for the ump-teenth time, the night before I was to come back from spring cake vacation. EVCRYOt 4 E Sorntone 4o Gus has s‘ne Moro. CL Iluctey has "SAtt- hits - Mu, E. yen "iStaiek show Their teeth were whiter than white, and their tunes were tighter than tight. I had never seen them play with as much passion and fury as I had that night. Josh Walters; traps, "Party" Marty Lunn; thunderbroom, Chad Monticue; emo-vox, and Brett Detar; guitar and bottom-stomach screaming, combine to form a united mass of brittle emo particles. As separate entities, they find strength in each other. But when they're together, they find strength within themselves. They started their set off with "Spiritfall," a brand-new song. I could tell that they had spent some serious time on that song, as they pulled it off without any sticky wickets. The next song was "The Artist," an older song that they have honed into a sonic- BOOM! A Nestle-Quick milkshake-smooth bassline drew the proletariat-youth in, and emotional vocals at the end left the kids crying for their mamas. Next up was "Fabrication," a song like no other. They cut the song short by taking out a lengthy guitar part, but the change proved to be for the better. Lines like, "The mirror reveals the true appearance...only backwards," show the band's belief in people being true to themselves. Concentrating on what's on the inside is the capstone of self esteem. Following that was "Thirty three." No, it wasn't the Smashing Pumpkins single. Rather, it was a brand-new song that they unleashed for the first time. On most of their other tunes, pensive. tends to start off soft, and then build to a crushing crescendo, but "Thirty-three" started off tough and stayed that way throughout the course of the song. 'Dispose" was another older song revamped. It was originally titled "Pungent Disposal," and it was about a girl who gave herself an abortion with a coat hanger. While the message remains the same, the intensity grew a few notches. k Mt tvC 26,5 t vut ML tp.mmAlN, lyWbew^! - "l'm sorry, Mr. Nero, but visiting hours are for people who want to visit you ." "ARE YOU GONNA DARK ALL DAY LITTLE DOGGIE, OR ARE YOU GONNA RITE?" ' P . ..111ESIE P • s i r 'LIVE ON STAGE ADAPTED FROM THE 1992 FILM OF THE SAME NAME THURL•SAT • 8 PM • APRIL 10 - MAY 18 THE ROADHOUSE THEATRE, 145 W. 11th ST., ERIE, PA IMMO SEATS ONLY (II 14)41311-5656 / MATURE AUDIENCES -- SPONSORED BY ROCKET 101 -- _ per, ,m jump: Brett Detar, guitarist for pensive., leaps in the air during a wicked show. Finally they played "The Subtlety of Silence," another older song retooled and refurbished. Originally called "Wrong Intentions," "Subtlety..." took the intense aggression of "...Intentions" and funneled it into a new direction. "Wrong Intentions" was the cornerstone of red no. 9's name change to pensive. As their style pensive. in the groove; The entire band kicking out the jams. pensive. will be coming to Erie April 25 for the Behrend Battle of the Bands. changed, a metamorphosis was inevitable. Fortunately, they turned into a beautiful butterfly. Please come out and support pensive., as well as Catchpenny (another Pittsburgh area band) at the Behrend Battle of the Bands. There also will be tons of local bands, so mark April 25 down on your calendars, and cancel those manicure plans. Dv( tsE EouiPmErer pi I I • : ::!j ira" "Do you have anything that doesn't require exercise on my part?"