The Dickies, the Creepy Creeps, and the Homeless Sexuals, Soda Bar, San Diego, 1/11/2014

Story & Photos by Paul Silver

I grew up in the Midwest, and started to get into independent music while in college. But punk was a mystery to me until I moved out to Boston in the early 80s. When I moved back to Chicago a couple years later, I dove headfirst into the Windy City’s scene and never looked back. While I had the opportunity to see countless east coast and Midwest bands at shows during this time, it was a rare occasion when a band from California made it all the way out on tour. Though I was familiar with the music of the Dickies, I had never seen them live. So when I heard they were appearing in San Diego, of course I made sure I was going to attend!

Wait. What’s that title about? Well, some readers may recall a live review I wrote nearly a year ago about a show in Pasadena, in which one of the bands mysteriously cancelled at the last minute. I titled that review, “Three Out of Four Ain’t Bad,” since only three of the four scheduled bands ended up playing. Such was the case here. The Bugs were supposed to play this evening, as well, and shortly before showtime, the venue announced via their Facebook page that The Bugs had cancelled. No explanation provided. Just cancelled. No matter. There was more than enough entertainment to be had from the rest of the bill.

The Homeless Sexuals

The Homeless Sexuals opened the night with their self-described “Full Contact Rock-n-Roll.” And so it is. This six-piece features vocals from San Diego scene stalwart Dave Buck, drums, bass, and three (!!) guitars. Needless to say, they have a big sound. They have a sound that’s on the border between punk and raw rock-n-roll. Front man Dave Buck, who’s known around town for booking very reasonably priced shows (Dave Buck’s Dollar Show – get it?), is quite an energetic vocalist, moving around a lot, including frequent forays into the crowd. His vocal style is somewhat manic, and it’s just perfect for this band’s raucous sound.

The Creepy Creeps

After quite a long delay, due to the absent Bugs, San Diego’s Creepy Creeps took the stage. This was the first time I had seen this band, but it certainly won’t be the last. The Creepy Creeps don’t just play music; they put on a show! Dressed in black and white striped shirts, such as worn by cartoon burglars, and complete with black knit caps and masks over their eyes (over perfectly repulsive face masks), the Creepy Creeps offer up a unique take on the SoCal surf-rock sound. Guitar, bass, drums, and organ blend together to create a retro sound that is part surf and part 60s grade B horror film soundtrack. A smoke machine belched forth clouds of ambience, go-go dancers on lighted stands framed the band on stage and a skeletal masked character moved back and forth in front of the stage, engaging the crowd and directing attention to the dancers and the band. The electric organ is kept in an interesting mini-coffin and sits solidly attached to a very sturdy stand. Which was a good thing, as the keyboard player and vocalist wasn’t content to just play the instrument. He swung around tilted up and down and all around, sometimes playing the instrument on its side, sometimes at odd angles. During one song he used the stand as a stand for himself, climbing up above the crowd. All the while, the band provided A-one quality entertainment!

The Dickies

Finally came The Dickies. As is often the case with long-lived bands, not all of the original members are still with the band. In the case of the Dickies, only two of the originals are still playing, vocalist Leonard Graves Phillips and guitarist Stan Lee. They’ve been a band since 1977, some 37 years! One might think that these veterans would be slowing down, not as intense, and maybe not as good as in their heyday. One would be dead wrong. Stan Lee is still the guitarist extraordinaire he always has been. And Phillips is as energetic and spastic as ever. His voice is as smooth and piercing as always. And, surrounding themselves with some new, younger talent at second guitar, bass and drums, The Dickies are a force to be reckoned with. They played a good long set filled with all the old favorites and newer songs. The venue was sold out, so it was pretty packed. I was up front, as I always am, to get a good view and get some photos to share. On some of the old favorites, the crowd went wild and a pit of sorts started behind me. The show was so much fun! Of course, highlights were the old punk hits, “Manny Moe and Jack,”“You Drive Me Ape,” and one of my favorites, their cover of the theme song to “Gigantor.” Reserved for one of the encore songs was their cover of The Banana Splits theme song.

Post show beers were had with friends old and new as show-goers emptied into the streets. More photos were snapped. And another successful night out came to a close.

More Photos:

The Homeless Sexuals

The Creepy Creeps

The Dickies