060509 Crucial Fun Fest IV

Le Le Le Le Lexington!

It is really funny to think about, but at this point if I go more than two or three shows without playing a club in a curious neighborhood, I feel somewhat out of place. Needless to say, Al's Bar in Lexington made me feel right at home. Perfect location and venue for a DIY festival.

All-ages shows are great, especially in bars that open their doors to everyone from all walks of life. Hipsters, punk-rockers, and hippies from all over the Midwest and East Coast came to be a part of this gathering.

The show opened up with our good friends, The Rough Customers (formerly The Iron Mikes). With ska/punk-based songs about dinosaurs, filled with a dynamic horn section, how could you go wrong? We followed with our sweet dance moves and mid-song high fives. The new songs were received very well, and of course the crowd turned into a full-on dance party by the end of the set.

We were followed by Arkansas?, who are an amazing straight-forward pop-punk group. They are extremely tight, and, shockingly, fresh out of high school. Next up were The Sidekicks, who really caught my attention. Indie pop-punk-rock in its truest form. Brought back some solid memories from a few years past. They certainly had my can of PBR swaying in the air for most of their set. Finally, Bloomington's Good Luck closed the night. Spastic pop-punk from No Idea Records that was extremely tight live. Put on a great show.

The night was capped off when I randomly bumped into a musical acquaintance that I had not seen in several years. Fred Oakman, most known for his lead part in the Pittsburgh area band Signal Home, was on tour with his acoustic solo project, Weekends. I had played with Signal Home a couple of times throughout a three-year span, and was always impressed with the band live, as well as the members' personalities. With a list of mutual friends as long as the Ohio River, Fred and I could have B.S.'d for hours. Margaret and I watched him play a few tracks off of his new split CD with Fleets. Indie-alt songs about personal life experiences from the wears and tears of being in a band. Some things just can't get old.

Great times, good show, amazing crowd, and a stroll down memory lane. Thank you Lexington.

—Brian