believe in the bronx

the bronx are a hardcore band from los angeles. i've seen them live twice now. it was never specifically my intention to see them live, they just happened to also be on the bill of two shows i went to. but for a band i didn't intend to go out and see two times now, they are fucking awesome.

the first time i saw them was at riot fest in brooklyn this past summer. a severe thunderstorm was in the forecast for later in the day but early on it was a typical summer day. the sun was shining and there wasn't a breeze in the air. the headliners of riot fest were the descendants and gogol bordello (hot water music was there to and they're a pretty big deal). i would never get to see any of them. this hardcore band called the bronx hit the stage and the place was still pretty empty. there were probably only a few hundred people there at the time (that's a lot of people for a show but it looked empty at the time at a venue that was supposed to eventually hold thousands of people).

the bronx came out and threw it in our face. they rocked. they screamed. they let you know just who the fuck they were and they were awesome. and suddenly the weather began to drastically change. clouds were rolling in fast. the sky was getting dark. in between songs, the vocalist, matt caughthran, was screaming up at the sky, telling mother nature to bring it cuz i guess that's just how the bronx rolls.... they're in your face and confrontational even if you happen to be nature.

so the bronx finished their awesome set. and it began to pour.... hard. extremely hard. the bronx came on the stage and brought it and nature wasn't gonna be outdone by a band. the storm hit hard and within five minutes of the bronx leaving the stage, they cancelled the remainder of riot fest (we were all refunded of course which in hindsight is sorta cool cuz i saw four bands for free).

anyways, the point is, the bronx told nature to bring it and nature did. total coincidence? maybe? probably? but that was the first time the seed was planted in my head.... believe in the bronx.

(side note: by happy accident i would end up seeing jello biafra and the guantanamo school of medicine later that night. if not for the bronx tempting the storm, that might've never happened. and jello's one of my all time favorite punk icons. believe in the bronx.)

so the second time i saw the bronx was last night. they opened for bad religion. but the bronx wasn't even supposed to be there. against me! (who just happen to be one of my all time favorites) was supposed to tour with bad religion but they cancelled. they cancelled about a week, week and a half before the tour started. i already had my ticket before they cancelled. i mean, i like bad religion, but against me! being there sealed the deal. so when they cancelled, i was sorta bummed. but then i read that the bronx would take their place, which is sorta nuts cuz the bronx pretty much committed to a whole damn tour about a week before the tour started.

so i was definitely interested in seeing the bronx last night. they had rocked hard the last time i seen them. and now they were pulling one of the most clutch moves i've ever seen a band pull. they were replacing (sorta) against me! on the bill and though i love against me!, i wouldn't hold that against the bronx. i was gonna give them my full attention. when we got there, they had their backdrop up against the back wall of the stage:




except it was way cooler in person. the eyes were actual lights. when i saw this draped over the back wall of the stage, i just had a good feeling. and my intuition was spot on. the bronx came out and tore it up. they're so fucking intense. i couldn't help but think that anyone who wants to tour or play music for others should behold this shit... cuz even if hardcore's not your thing, you have to appreciate the intensity of these dudes.

throughout their set, the vocalist would keep saying, "there's no rest for the wicked." he was directing it at the people in the mosh pit. but i'm sure part of it was about them as well. here they are on a tour they only had about a week to get ready for. no rest for them. keep it moving. keep playing. not just playing, but playing hard. most of the time whenever i hear someone say, "there's no rest for the wicked," i just think it's a stupid, played out cliche, but these dudes earned the right to say it and mean it.

my personal highlight was when matt caughthran crowd surfed fairly deep into the crowd, singing the whole time. at certain points he'd land on the ground and sing his head off surrounded by a bunch of moshing maniacs. and then he'd jump up and surf the crowd some more. just way fucking intense. i cannot say it enough... the bronx is intense. their live presentation is exactly what live music should be about.

believe in the bronx.

later that night i fucked up my foot in the bad religion mosh pit. a fairly big dude fell on my leg and most of him fell on my right foot. people were trying to pick me up but couldn't cuz my leg was stuck under this guy. as soon as he was able to get up and off of me, i got up and high tailed it out of there (it was the last song of the night too... almost made it).

i checked on my injury. i wasn't sure if it was anything bad but i wanted to get a look at it. once i got some space, it didn't seem too bad. it still hurts a bit, but i don't think it's anything serious. whatever happened to my foot, it didn't stop me from walking the city streets and hanging out in a karaoke bar till 2am and having a grand ol' time. no rest for the wicked. believe in the bronx.

i woke up today and i wanted to run so bad. i wanted to run and know that whatever happened to my foot, it's not something that will prohibit me from running. so i strapped on my sneakers and headed to the park. the plan was that if it started to hurt, i'd stop immediately and come back home. instead i ended up running eight miles and it felt great.

no rest for the wicked. believe in the bronx.