The Flyswatters @ MOJO 13 (10/24/09)

Remember when you were young and you listened to your first punk album....That is the feeling you get when you witness The Flyswatters perform. It is something between a good buzz, deju vu, and wining the lottery. This is the type of music that makes you want to wrap your arms around a girl, grab a beer and sing-a-long. "SO LET'S GET WASTED."

It has to be hard to play the first spot of the night. The crowd is still filling in, no one is drunk yet, and most everyone is still bullshiting with their friends and not giving the band their full attention. That's life, that's the music biz.

Well, The 'swatters overcame these hurdles, stepped up and threw down one hell of a boot to the mouth show. They were a last minute addition to the five band Halloween Horrocaust spectacular at MOJO 13 in Wilmington, DE. The band was spot on through out their entire set. And even though it was early in the evening The 'swatters found a way to blast the energy level off the charts.

The 'swatters boast an impressive three vocal set. Ryan (lead), Bryan and Penny can belt out the lyrics with the best of 'em. Their vocals are rich and melodic, without sounding forced or bubblegummy. Add to the mix Ryan and Bryan' s guitar skills and the fuse is lit. Penny's bass playing provides a smooth framework for the band. This, combined with Jacks' driving drums, produce one hell of a sound.

So you may be wondering what the The Flyswatters sound like. The truth is The Flyswatters sound like...The Flyswatters. I wish I could draw some comparisons, but it would be unfair to the band. The band best describes their sound as "the spirit of late 70's L.A. Punk / 80's Surf Punk and a blend of 70's East Coast Punk." The truth is they have a truly fresh and original sound. They certainly possess the spirit and chemistry of the great Punk predecessors of yesteryear. Which is a nice change from the carbon copies and fad jumpers that seem to proliferate the modern Punk movement.

Hands down The Flyswatters stole the show. It is mind boggling that this band is unsigned. I have a hunch that this will not be the case for long. I always listen to see how long it takes for a band to find its' groove. Some take longer then others, some bands never find it. For the Flyswatters they found it from the first note of their first song and never looked back.

They played a break-neck fourteen song set mixing some older songs, covers, newer stuff from their self titled album and brand new never recorded material. Their set was as follows: Don't Give A Damn , Backstabber, T.V. Addict, Stranger Than Fiction, Liquor Store, My Baby Hates Me (The Stitches), I Wanna Know, Destroy It, Useless, Sonic Reducer (The Dead Boys), Ganggreen From A Greenhead, Rip It up, What For?, and Let's Get Wasted.

If you have not done so yet, pick up The Flyswatters self titled album. They also have a free show coming up on October 30, 2009 @ the Hot Spot (6032 Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing, NJ). Then it is back to Philly on November 14, 2009 for a fundraiser for the Penn-Jersey She Devils Roller Derby Team @ the Arena (8011 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA) $10 Cover.