One man with only $30 has to battle the elements of NYC prices and travel - again.
So there I was, a lone man waking up in Astoria on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Alarmed that I slept so late, I pondered my plan to attend a Knuckle Down Records matinee. I decided I needed a feel-good punk show in my life, and despite just waking up, it was time to leave.
I’m intimately familiar with Knuckle Down Records, as my band was previously on their roster and I spent my first 2 years in New York playing their shows and doing trivia with one of their owners. I texted owner-in-question Larry Spahn (a giant man with a giant smile, by the way) and he said music was “supposed” to start at 3 pm. It was 2:38, and I was an hour away, so I hopped in the shower and got on my way, assuming I’d miss the first one or two bands and trying to find solace in the fact that it’s a five band bill.
Level 1: Pre-Show (2-4 pm)
Once again, the point of this whole thing is to have a musical outing and keep your bill under $30. In this skid mark of an economy, that’s surprisingly hard. Still, I woke up late, hadn’t eaten, and my body was slow, so I picked up a Red Bull and swiped my card to get into the train. Money was spent.
$30
- $3.12 (Red Bull)
$3.00 (Train)
───────
$23.88 remaining
I traversed the rain and train delays, and after walking the wrong direction for about five minutes finally arrived at the venue, Bridge & Tunnel Brewery, around 4 pm. Due to the rain, the door guy was sheltering under neighborhood scaffolding while he smoked a cigar
He left the neighborhood scaffolding to come see me, and informed me the show was $10. It should be noted that before this I thought it was a free event, for some reason unbeknownst to me. I probably just misread the bandNada event. This was the first financial obstacle that I had to deal with in this event, because it limited the money I could spend on beer, food, and merch.
$23.88
- $10.00 (Show)
───────
$13.88 remaining
Shit. Anyway, before moving on, I want to talk to you about the guy standing next to me and the door guy as I was pulling up my Venmo to pay the entry fee. We’ll call him Italian guy, because I think he said he was visiting from Italy. ‘Coulda been French. I don’t know, but he was white and not from here. He was classically handsome, dressed in full “I’m-backpacking-acrossed-a-foreign-country” garb, and kept telling me I should go to the show I was currently paying for. “Are you here for the music?” “Yes.” “You should really stay for the music. It’s going to be great!” “Okay.” As the show went on, his enthusiasm didn’t waver.
Level 2: Show!!
Part 1: D.I.Ying Breed (4 pm-4:20 pm)
I missed the first band, Zero F’s, for reasons explained above. I walked toward the end of the set by the second band, D.I.Ying Breed. They’re a group of, er, older punks who totally kicked ass. I have major reservations about putting “punk” words in your band name like “DIY,” “anarchy, “punx,” etc. But D.I.Ying Breed’s music totally made up for it. Soon after I arrived, they began a song with a full band hit and a sick hardcore riff a la Minor Threat. After the last bandNada on a Budget show, which was completely math rock, I felt at home again.
The band looked like 4 dudes from completely different 80’s punk bands who started a supergroup with the sole purpose of kicking ass. Every caricature from youth crew guy to Cockney Reject was represented by their lineup, and it somehow all melded together nicely both musically and aesthetically. They were great.
Part 2: Rabid Wreck(4:45-5:15 pm)
After D.I.Ying Breed finished their set, I finished saying hi to my friends in the room, and decided to see what they had for drinks (I was also quite hungry but didn’t want to leave, in case the next band started when I was gone). Beers were $7, and my logical brain took a vacation when contemplating food and a ride home, so I got a pumpkin cider and tipped a couple dollars.
$13.88
- $9.40 (Pumpkin Cider)
───────
$4.48 remaining
Fuck!! I was hungry, and still had to get home. What was I gonna do?!?! I didn’t have time to figure this out, because Rabid Wreck from Wisconsin began sound checking.
Rabid Wreck is a capital “P” Punk band that makes you want to say “oi!” The vocalist/guitarist had a Suicide Machines hoodie and a mohawk and screamed like he was in The Casualties or something. Up the punks and all that.
The set continued accordingly: fast songs, four chords, politics. At one point, the vocalist said “this song is about our lord and savior, Luigi Mangione.” And that’s about the time I smelled breadsticks. Someone had bought a shit ton of Domino’s Pizza for the show, and it was fair game. I wasn’t going to go hungry after all! Luigi works in mysterious ways, I guess.
$4.48
- $0.00 (Free Pizza)
───────
$4.48 remaining hell yeah
I should also know that Italian Guy was facetiming someone from the side of the stage and rocking out to them with the band in the background. Shoutout to that guy.
Part 3: Skum City (5:45-6:15 pm)
.png?disposition=inline "Skum City live")
Skum City was one of two bands on the bill I’d seen before, and in my recollection they always ripped and were nice people. My favorite tid bit about seeing them back in the day was, at one point, our drummer had left and we were in search of a new person to take the throne. Upon talking to Skum City, they would always say, “You should try our old drummer, he’s perfect for you! He’d still be in our band, but we had to kick him out because we were afraid he’d stab us.” Needless to say, we passed on that.
Their lineup was different from the last time I saw them. Most notably, they have a new singer who looks like a KGB member. He was furious and, seeing as Skum City is an 80’s style hardcore punk band, that ferocity was much appreciated. They had a new drummer as well, who was pretty technically solid, and didn't seem like the stabbing type.
During this set, I ate five slices of pizza to completion and silly moshed, which is like moshing but you know you look stupid. Matt from But, Pyrite and I had a goofy little circle pit, although once he saw me with pizza slice #5, he said that I shouldn’t “exercise” (pit) for 30 minutes. “You’ll get a stomach ache, young man.”
I spent no money during this set.
Part 4: But, Pyrite (6:30-7 pm)
.png?disposition=inline "But, Pyrite Live")
Finally, the headliner was up: But, Pyrite.
But, Pyrite is a hardcore band that sings about household chores (“Do The Dishes”), not doing what you don’t want to do (“Regret,” which is about always wearing shorts and not pants), and everyday inconveniences (“Poop Shoes,” about stepping in poop). They’re Madball for three-kids-stacked-in-a-trenchcoat type of adults, and were one of the first bands to invite my band to play shows in our early days. The aforementioned Knuckle Down Records owner, Larry Spahn, fronts the band, and it was fun to sing along when I was able. Plus, the banter was pretty decent. “One of my favorite things about live music is that nobody can hear you fart. This song is called ‘Silent but Deadly.’” You know, that kinda thing. It was a fun time.
Level 4: Going Home
Once the show wrapped, I knew it was time to leave. No free rides like last time, but the free pizza from the show allowed me to get on the train without going over my $30.
$4.48
- $3.00 (Train Ride Home)
───────
$1.48 remaining
Level 5: Reflection
Holy moly, I did it again, with divine intervention from God and/or/aka Luigi Mangioni. I’d like to thank the academy and Dominoes.
What I learned from all of this:
1. Read the flyer carefully because shows aren’t usually free
2. Dominoes hits the spot sometimes, even though we live in New York City and it shouldn’t
3. It’s okay to set alarms on the weekend, because otherwise you might sleep in until 2 and miss the first band.
What’s the cheapest show you’ve been to lately and how much did you spend? Please share below!!
