Youth Brigade
If Green Day are the young new purveyors of punk, then Youth Brigade are its grumpy old men. Youth Brigade have been hammering out good, fast punk rock for the last 17 years with little notoriety, cash, or major label backing. Their latest effort, To Sell the Truth (on their own label, B.Y.O.), sounds interchangeable with the '82 B.Y.O. compilation Someone Got Their Head Kicked In. Some may scream that theirs is the tired sound of a punk long past, but with all the bubble-blowing pop punk of today, that sound is mint. While ex-B.Y.O. bands such as Social Distortion and Bad Religion have risen to bigger and shittier things, Youth Brigade have stayed the same, playing small clubs and never losing touch with their roots. Aside from being a great live band that always plays a good mix from all their releases, the group has recently added the clout of ex-Cadillac Tramps guitarist Johnny "Two Bags" Wickersham. If anyone remembers the energy and all-out riot of Cadillac Tramps shows, the combination of the three brothers Stern and Wickersham is reason enough to go check out a classic SoCal punk band.
-- Robert Arriaga
Youth Brigade play Saturday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. at the Trocadero, 520 Fourth St. (at Bryant). Long Beach Dub All Stars, Murphy's Law, and Slightly Stupid also perform. Tickets are $12; call 437-4446.
