I was sipping a Chai Russian when it hit me: the great wave of energy and feedback, attitude and determination. Not from the booze, but from the three musicians on stage: singer and guitarist Levi Sapp, bassist William Scott, and drummer Corbin O'Dell.
L-R: drummer Corbin O'Dell, singer/guitarist Levi Sapp, bassist/singer William Scott
If there had been a neon sign behind the band, it would have stated: "PUNK'S NOT DEAD" in a blaring, buzzing hypnotic glow. The fragile electric hum from the neon would have been drowned out by the distorted instrumental, but the message would remain just as strong as a visual. Punk’s not dead. It was, perhaps, just underground, buried – but not too far deep as to being impossible to dig back up again. No, the band before me was evident enough to expose this hidden truth. Long buried but not forgotten.
They went by the name of The December. They were playing a gig with Fake Happy in St. Joseph at Mokaska Coffee last Saturday night. There was a uniform amongst the band, although not one in fashion but in attitude. Dyed hair, ripped jeans, dark clothing, and piercings provided a superficial understanding of the band. But if one really, truly wanted to know this band, they would pay attention to the kind of music they played.
The December opened with The Ramones’ “The KKK Took My Baby Away”. When one thinks of ‘punk’, the names that flash by into one’s head consist of The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Clash, and, of course, The Ramones. So, it made perfect sense why The December would open with a familiar classic.
For The December’s set, they focused mainly on covers from 1970s punk and 1990s grunge. They played another Ramones’ song “I Wanna Be Sedated” towards the second half. Their influence of Seattle grunge appeared in their covers of Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell” and the Nirvana version of “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam”. In an interview with the band, I found out that The December is inspired by not only punk and grunge – but wanted to also play older, classic songs in that style. The first of the oldies-turned-punk appeared with a version of Dion and the Belmonts’ “Teenager in Love”. Other non-grunge covers included Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”.
However, The December is not a cover band. While they are writing and working on more songs, their set for now may feature more covers than originals; still, the band told me that they hope to have a complete set of just original songs soon. The two originals they played on Saturday were the energetic, upbeat “Oh Hey Hi” and “Megalodon”, devoted to the ancient species of shark. One can hear the band’s influences in their original songs, but there lies a particular hue of wonder and intrigue, too. The band knows how to write a catchy, no-time-waster song that soars with energy and is fierce!
At the end of their set, my head was buzzing with energy. Listening and watching a high-energy performance evoked a contagious emotion. One could feel the time devoted to not only learning the songs but performing the music. At the end of the day, what matters about any band is their output, their music, their vibes. And I can say that The December is a band who soars with a relentless energy and determination that appears in the first song, only loosening its hold once the last note rings out. . .
The December’s next show is Saturday, September 24 at Unplugged.
Comments