Sloppy Seconds

Live in St. Louis (2016)

TomTrauma

Day three of our Sloppy adventure, Sunday August 28th, began hangover free despite our best efforts the night before. The three plus hour drive to FUBAR in St. Louis was no problem at all. We even got into town in time to fill up on that weird St. Louis style pizza. (It has extremely thin and crispy crust, the sauce is sort of like BBQ sauce and the cheese is kind of gloopy. It’s not bad, just different.) This was my first trip to FUBAR, and it’s a pretty cool place. It’s definitely my kind of dive. The beer was cheap and the sightlines to the stage were good.

We got there soon after the first band started, but sat at the back bar and didn’t pay too much attention. The first two bands played songs that were kind of funny and kind of dirty. The second one also played a pretty decent cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and used a beer bong on stage. Third band, Scene of Irony, definitely kicked thing up a notch. They were fronted by a black guy with a mohawk dressed in a yellow suit. They’re a really solid bunch of punks and covered Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized”. For the record, there were too many openers. Three bands total is enough on a night when most people have to work the next day.

I was really looking forward to seeing Ultraman for the first time. They are arguably the best punk/hardcore band ever to come out of St. Louis. Their first two records, Freezing Inside (1988) and Non-Existence (1990), are both great. By the time Ultraman came on, we were drinking at the back bar with the guys from Sloppy Seconds. It was hard to pay attention to the band on stage as we listened to funny stories from days gone by. My favorites were about the intro to “I Want ‘Em Dead” and shooting the video for “Fifteen Minutes…Or It’s Free”.

When we made it up front, the first thing I noticed was how hard vocalist/founder Tim Jamison was working. Sweat was pouring from his head and face. It also looked like everyone else in the band was a decade or two younger. (I later learned that one of the guitar players has been with him since ‘99.) They tore through 45 minutes of vintage melodic harcore while the room was finally starting to fill up. I enjoyed the set and also enjoyed talking to Jamison for a few minutes after they were finished. It’s always fun to reminisce about the late 80’s/early 90’s scene that I was into as a young pup. Especially with someone who was actively involved.

When Sloppy Seconds came on the entire audience moved right up front. (It’s worth getting close just to see guitarist Ace Hardware? jump around.) The crowd wasn’t huge, but it was respectable, especially for a Sunday night. There were a lot of reckless dancers too. I was completely showered in beer (mostly my own) before the night was through. I caught myself clenching my fist a couple of times, but it’s hard to stay mad at a Sloppy show. They opened with “Conned Again”, a Sex Pistols cover from the Lonely Christmas EP (1992). They played songs from Destroyed (1989), Knock Yer Block Off (1993), More Trouble Than They’re Worth (1998) and Endless Bummerl (2008). They even threw in “I Won’t Grow Up” from the Garbage Days Regurgitated EP (2000).

St. Louis ended up being my favorite of the three shows we caught on this tour. It was at a club that I’d never been to, which is always fun. We also got to rap with the boys from Sloppyville, which is even more fun. B.A. was just drunk enough to be at his belligerent best and the sound and general vibe were about perfect. Day three was so much fun that we were definitely bummed we couldn't keep going to Nashville the next night. Unfortunately, it was time to get back to work and we still had a seven plus hour drive home the next day. I was also about out of money, plus our livers were begging for a break. If you’ve never heard Sloppy Seconds, do yourself a favor and check them out. Their self proclaimed ‘Junk Rock’ is the some of the most infectious, profane and clever punk you will ever hear. If you’ve never watched a band play for a couple of nights in a row, you need to do that too. These are the kind of long weekends that are capable of sustaining you through the drudgery of the rest of the year.