“We’re a cover band”
As I made my way to the 9:30 Club’s will call window on this lovely August evening, I figured I’d be hearing that line a lot tonight. After all, it is one of the many schticks that Spike Slawson, ringleader and lead vocalist of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, has consistently employed in the band’s 30 years (yes, you’re reading that right…30 years) of existence.
Before Spike and the lads treated us to their satisfyingly straight forward and eclectic smorgasbord of punk rock-ified covers, the crowd at 9:30 enjoyed a grandiloquent performance by San Diego three-piece The Schizophonics on August 13. Lead man / guitarist, and inspiring acrobat, Pat Beers absolutely dazzled on stage, working his ass off to earn their accolade of “wildest live band in America.” As I watched Pat twirl, spin, jump, and pirouette back and forth across the stage, all while playing gnarly one-handed solos on his guitar, I was reminded of that scene in Back to the Future where Marty corrupts innocent minds with his devilish craft.
Clearly inspired by the likes of MC5, Jimi Hendrix, and Little Richard, The Schizophonics brought an aesthetic, sound, and performance reminiscent of a bygone era of Rock and Soul. For the penultimate song, Pat tossed his mic stand (and himself) over the security barrier to join the crowd in their joyful revelry.
By the time they played their final tune, Pat’s transformation into James Brown was finalized as he invited us to share in the band’s gospel of hedonistic rock n roll. Really, really fun act, and I almost felt like I was at the most raucous wedding ever…which was the perfect prelude to the upcoming set I was about to get from the Gimme Gimmes.
Stream a playlist of songs performed by Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at 9:30 Club on August 13 via Spotify:
After breaking down gear and an impressively fast construction of the Gimme Gimme’s beach-themed cyclorama, Spike’s crew was ready to go. Decked in matching shimmery powder blue shirts and spotless white trousers (with Spike standing out in his sequined white blazer), the fivesome from San Francisco kicked off their performance with one of their most popular renditions, “Jolene,” a song they borrowed from the great Dolly Parton as part of their fifth studio album Love Their Country. They followed this up with more country-bent bangers, “Country Road,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” and “On the Road Again.”
After this, much of the night’s material came from the group’s latest release, 2024’s ¡Blow It…At Madison’s Quinceañera!, a live album that is exactly what it sounds like, and which also serves as a nod to Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah, which is also a live album that is exactly what it sounds like, and came out 20 years earlier. Beyond those selected anthems, which included hits like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” the Gimme Gimmes borrowed from their extensive catalogue over the decades, featuring songs from albums including Are We Not Men? We are Diva!, Have a Ball, Blow in the Wind, and Take a Break.
Spike and the Gimme Gimmes is a supergroup, each member a venerable punk legend in his own right. Spike himself was involved in the Swingin’ Utters and Re-Volts, among others; bassist CJ Ramone played with…shocker…the Ramones; guitarist Jake Kiley is a founding member of Strung Out; and Pinch, on drums, is most famously associated with The Damned. Notable absences, of course, were founding members and punk rock royalty, Fat Mike (NOFX) and Joey Cape (Lagwagon).
That disappointment, however, was easily outweighed by seeing the latest addition for the Gimme Gimmes grace the stage — the mighty Swami. Swami, also known by his Earth name John Reis, is a guitar virtuoso who turns every fucking thing he touches into gold. You have probably heard his work, even if unknowingly, as his discography is wide ranging, but my personal favorite projects of his include Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes.
Reis and the rest of the A-list members of the band performed an unsurprisingly technical and professionally executed set, rife with Spike’s stereotypical satire and wit….my favorite quip of the night was something along the lines of “John Denver, an incredible songwriter and a pretty decent pilot.”
All in all, amidst the backdrop of unwanted federal agents and soldiers roaming the streets of our great city, Spike and the Gimme Gimmes provided us with an hour of relentless and exuberant joy, bringing smiles to every face in the (U St. corridor landmark) 9:30 Club. Certainly, a cover band, and break, that the District desperately needed.
No, not just a cover band. THE cover band.
