Grimetime at Night Light
All the rhymes. Okay.
So Night Light is this little bar in Oakland that I had never been to prior. Grimetime is a band out of Ukiah, CA, who I met during the Lookouting earlier this year. They were finally making their way down to the Bay, so I had to drop by to see them.
Worth it. I go to plenty of shows, it’s always worth it, but apparently I don’t see enough tiny punk shows, because I needed this.
I thought the show was supposed to start at 9, so I got there right at 9. Somehow I was the first person there besides the band. Not even all the bands on the bill, just Grimetime themselves. Why does this always happen?! How am I always the first person at anything, even when I don’t want to be?! I don’t understand!
The door guy doesn’t like putting “X” on people’s hands, so because I was the first one there, he wrote “LNZ” on everyone’s hands to prove they’ve paid.
Grimetime was the first of three bands. I don’t know why I was so surprised at how much I loved them. They love all the same bands I do, and grew up on the bands that inspired so many of my favorite bands. Of course I’m gonna love them too.
Brian [vocalist]: “Green Day grew up too fast for me. Whereas Screeching Weasel is still singing the same song at 40.”
Okay but really, tiny punk shows are literally the best thing ever. So much love.
They played a Ramones tribute song (not a cover, but it sounded an awful lot like the Ramones), which was SO GOOD.
They just really made me wanna dance. I honestly would love to see them play in the Bay more. I did my best trying to convince them to try to book a show at Gilman. We’ll see.
A guy bought me a Grimetime shirt and it’s super cute. I really like it and I love that I can rep these guys now.
The second band were the Ghoulies from Denver. They were really good too. Like Grimetime, they were also super punk, but they also had this creepy organ kinda noise? Ya know, they’re ghouls.
All the guys in the band wore white button downs and ties. Very consistent. When I think of a band with an image, this is it. I like it.
Naturally, I was wearing a Green Day shirt, as I tend to do. One of the guys from the Ghoulies told me he liked it, so I gave him a brief run-down of where all he should visit for a Green Day tour of the Bay. They’d never been to the area before and it didn’t sound like they had a whole lot of time, but there are a few important spots to see.
I also told him about the time I met Billie in front of the Homeroom when I sneezed and he blessed me. This guy claimed he’d tell other people that story.
“I met this girl and Billie Joe blessed her.”
On a similar note, apparently Mike Dirnt’s bass head just lives at the Night Light?! The fuck?! No really, I’m confused. Is this true?
The last band was a more local one, Toosie. I honestly preferred the first two and wasn’t sure if Toosie’s sound quite fit with the lineup. Much less punk, much more indie. They weren’t bad though, just different. Obviously I’m more into the punk. But here’s some of their set:
