Let's set the scene. 
          
          It's the Saturday before Halloween, and oddly enough it's a particularly ghoulish and spooky evening. I approach Giovanni's Bar expecting a show just like any other; one with loud music, drunkards, non-stop moshing, and maybe because it's that time of year there will be a few lame costumes plucked from the sales rack at a Party store. However, I entered the doors to find a bloodied wolf with a very authentic Little Red Riding Hood on his arm, the charmingIy creepy Frankenstein's bride, and a devilish circus ringmaster to end all ringmasters, and I thought to myself... OH HELL YES. Nothing can make a Halloween reunion show better than when the audience takes celebrating to a whole new level.

          Sin City Gamblers are the reuniters, and about damn time! Having been separated for years, the band finally pulled together to have one last mind-blowing hurrah, but they couldn't do it alone. Playing along side the gamblers was Wargo, the one-man-band of acoustic punk rock at its absolute finest, Dead Television, a shitty, always out of key garage punk band (I can say that, it's my band), and The DeadNeks, a face-melting punk/psychobilly mixture with up-right basslines and vocals like golden gravel.

          Wargo and The DeadNeks, without a doubt, always put on memorable performances, but of course, the stars of the night were Sin City Gamblers. They played a 70 minute set of flawlessness: amazing tune after amazing tune after amazing tune. The MOST amazing part, however, was that Sin City's guitarist, Erik, broke his wrist just moments before playing while moshing to Dead Television, and he still played the best guitar of any band that night.

         Most bands get a little sloppier and a little lazier as the night goes on, so I always expect to see musicians lose some of their drive throughout the set, but not the Gamblers. They only seemed to get better, louder, and faster as the show continued. Towards the end of their set they did their most popular song, aptly named, "Sin City", which was easily the performance with the most conviction and soul I've seen in months. Then, to wind things down, they finished with a few definite crowd pleasers. They covered The Ramones, Dropkick Murphys, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Lastly, they covered "Ball and Chain" by Social Distortion, which was the most remarkable way they could have left the crowd, because there's no other reknowned song in punk rock that emits such comradery as that one does.

          I'd love to tell you to check out Sin City Gamblers, but sadly this was only a reunion show, for they are no longer, but you'd be missing out if you didn't take a minute to check out Wargo and The DeadNeks. You can find them on facebook, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading, and happy Halloween!

Written by Laura Sullivan

- Tunage

          Kill, war, suicide, dead! That was the line up at Rutabaga Suicide's CD release show in March, 23rd. All four bands got together and flipped a coin. Kill The Car, a face-melting 3-piece of thrashing goodness from Winchester, Virginia started it off. Warhawk, a metal quartet with unforgettable baselines came next. The stars of the night, Rutabaga Suicide, an easy-to-love punk rock 4-piece from Carlisle, Pennsylvania  opened up the second half. Finally, Dead Television, which happens to be the band I'm in, brought in the rear. I feel honored to have headlined the CD release show for the most kickass band ever to come out of Pennsylvania, and if check out their featured songs, you'll understand why.

          Whenever I play or go see a Rutabaga Suicide show, I end up having mixed emotions. The first emotion always being, "HOLY SHIT THEY ARE AWESOME!" Then comes my sorrow-filled emotion, "HOW COME I CAN'T BE AWESOME LIKE THAT?!" I feel these emotions whenever I pop in their new album, Never Break. Bob, the bassist and co-vocalist, kicks off the first song, which is self-titled, with a bassline that rapidly builds your anticipation for the moment of eardrum-bursting that you know is coming. Sure enough, drum and guitar come in and then you hear, "Let's go!" From there, any intentions you had on sitting still and modestly bobbing your head to the rythym has completely gone out the window. I can't listen to a single measure of that song without head-banging. It's literally impossible, and that night was no different.
         Another song that shouldn't go unnoticed, not that any of there songs should, is "Carrie Fischer". There is this classic 70's punk feel about the vocals that remind you why punk exists; because it's straight up everything you ever needed. The riff is simple yet badass and there's a fitting solo towards the end, so before you get anxious and skim through all the songs, stick around for the solo. It's worth it.