eligion grosses me out. But I
admit, when I saw that flier
taped to a lamppost in the
Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, I felt a spiritual reawakening. I remember the moment clearly; standing on 18th street in Chicago, just south of downtown, checking out this lineup of punk bands that I hadn’t heard of in so many years; not since my high school days in the Denver scene – that was our temple!
In the 90’s, punk shows were a huge part of my life. We went to school in a small mountain town, but we lived for the punk scene down in the city – the music, the style, the community! Congregating to dance freely in a mosh pit with familiar faces week after week was the closest thing to going to church I ever did.
Our house of worship was a little hole in the wall venue called Club-156, and being underage, we appreciated the bowling alley and arcade just outside. So many bands came through that club, and we collected their talismans in the form of patches, pins, cassette tapes, records and t-shirts. And then there I was, reading the names of those obscure yet familiar bands on a flier in Chicago a decade later? My mind was blown, and I felt a thrill that I hadn’t in a long time. The festival had already passed, but I was ready when it came around again. After a year of anticipation, I attended my very first Riot Fest.
It was 2009, the 5-year anniversary of the festival, and I couldn’t believe it: Apocalypse Hoboken was on the lineup! I had discovered Apocalypse Hoboken in the old days when we saw them play a Denver garage known affectionately as “The Warehouse,” and I’d been captivated by the lead singer. I’d never seen a performer like him before – a maniacal muppet on stage, a priest of punk rock who was even cool enough to have a thumb wrestling match with me after their set. To this day the CD I bought out of the trunk of their car, House of the Rising Son of A Bitch, is one of my favorite albums of all time. I was surprised and delighted to learn that people in Chicago knew of this garage band from my youth! This was a very big deal.
R
Nine Inch Nails