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Space Jam

Kym A. Space Invaders: Spaceboy, along with fellow rock compatriots Riff Raff, let out a set of behemoth riffs. Spaceboy takes rock & roll into the next dimension I WORE MY CUP and smuggled in gauze and duct tape, fully expecting a fight to break out at the Spaceboy/Riff Raff show at the Aptos Club last Thursday. Thankfully, the only thing breaking out was a beast--and thy name was Spaceboy. With its new CD, Getting Warm on the Trail of the Heat, in tow, Spaceboy gave a performance that firmly dipped the band's mutant feet into the cement of rock deities. Spaceboy crafted behemoth riffs at a furious pace, then sent everyone grabbing for something to hold on to with a glorious finish. NASA's trying to steal the blueprints to Bill and John's bookend guitar licks--their stuttered step progressions in "Planet of Pot" sent chills up my hunched back. "Stoner Fort" showcased more of the same seething guitar work--I swear I saw Cheech and Chong's shadows passing the roach above the packed house. Jade, truly worth the cover charge himself, kicked out psychotic drum fills that failed to miss a beat. Clifford's menacingly cryptic vocals remain light years beyond everybody else's. Raw power! Alien rock & roll historians will look back at our ozone-depleted shell of a society someday and classify all future music as "A.C."--not for the Aptos Club or Ancient Civilizations but for After Clifford. Riff Raff opened the night and proved why it is one the best meat-and-potatoes punk bands around. Its action-packed hardcore songs were as catchy as the beats from some David Crosby-looking guy in Guatemalan threads banging a drum downtown. When MTV decides to play music for a change, "Suffer" will have Matt Pinfield boasting, "Riff Raff's always been my favorite band." Troy is a dynamite front man, and Odie can always hook up with improv theater after he retires from being a punk rock all-star. Team Riff Raff's sincerity rang true--it can be safely said that the band is pushing punk to its fullest potential. Stupid Human Tricks So you handed over this weekend's falafel money to see another Vandals show (which now only boasts the postman of an original member) and feel swindled. After a scientific poll based on the opinions of people wearing Marilyn Manson shirts (they get the joke all right!), here are the results of what qualifies as a band "going all out." Blood has become the true measure of commitment. Biting off animal heads is stupid, but chomping off the head of a noodling guitarist in the sixth minute of a solo is going all out! Stripping naked onstage, which tends to be done mostly by guys (Dwarves, Guttermouth, Tribe 8), is not appealing. However, a sweaty musician who wears eight parkas, six scarves, four ski caps and a cardigan during a Vans Warped tour show in Vegas is giving his/her all--Sonic Youth has understood this principle for years. Finally, any band member who wears his/her own merchandise on stage is a fool--I better take off my Trixter shirt next time. Upcoming On Thursday, Link 80, Thumbs Down and Cara Dura play the Vets Hall (8pm, all ages), and Junk Sick Dawn, Hate Fuck Trio and Exploding Crustaceans play the Catalyst (8pm, all ages). Fury 66 headlines the Los Gatos Teen Center on Saturday (off Main Street, 7pm all ages). Matt Koumaras [ Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]