When discussing Boston’s illustrious history with hardcore, it’s difficult to leave out Dicky Barrett, best known as the gruff-sounding frontman for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. That the man’s work with a third-wave ska band is subservient to contributions made to D.Y.S. or Gang Green isn’t too surprising—the music’s been more impactful for a longer period of time than third wave bands. On the West Coast, members of the Voodoo Glow Skulls don’t occupy the same sort of cultural space, but the ska band’s tendrils do reach back to SoCal hardcore. Its lineage is plainly clear over the course of its discography. Tracks like “Country Phuck,” off VGS’ nineteen-year-old debut full-length, bristle with speed as much as a sense of humor. And jokes, or at least a willingness to entertain, are a consistent feature of the band—countless Cheech and Chong snippets pepper song introductions. Even the title of that first album is a reference to a scene from “Up in Smoke” when Cheech mouths off to a cop. Of course, any band that persists in such a restrictive genre for two decades has got to add a bit of visual tomfoolery to its act. Continuing to connect its Latino background to its performance—and yes, the Cheech quotes count–VGS, on occasion, gets all gussied up like Mexican wrestling stars, replete with masks. It’s a gas. (Dave Cantor)
February 4 at the Beat Kitchen, 2100 West Belmont, (773)281-4444. 7pm. $12 adv/$15 dos. All ages.
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