Saturday I journeyed to The Cooler to see Fireballs Of Freedom, The Latest Flames and Blast Rocks!!!. Oh yeah, it was also Fuzz's birthday. Now, if I'd known how the evening was going to turn out, I'd have been sure to wear my Scissorfight "Planet Of Ass" shirt, since that phrase sums up the night quite nicely. It seemed as if the scariest patrons were like drunken moths drawn to the flame of my red hair.

Within five minutes of our arrival I was assaulted by "Tiny" a blind stinkin' drunk who promptly dropped his pants and asked "What do you think of my ass?" Well, at least it wasn't hairy... and for future reference, if you are hoping to impress me (or any other ladies for that matter) it's better to keep your privates covered, I really don't need to see how small your penis actually is. Then there was the Wasted Girl with the Polaroid JoyCam, who kept crashing to the floor and exposing herself throughout the evening. She liked us, since we kindly helped gather up her belongings that she kept scattering throughout the bar.

Blast Rocks!!! are all about having fun and had a refreshingly primal attitude toward their music. There was no drum kit; instead they utilized a rubber garbage can, a glass bottle and a metal can, along with a guitar and a keyboard. Their songs were amusing and childlike (in a good way) with lots of shouting and screaming.

Up next were locals The Latest Flames, who are kind of garagey. I was distracted by several events that occurred while they were playing, but I did notice that singer/guitarist Grant put a tremendous of energy into this performance, and I think they sounded a bit better than the songs I caught at the end of their set on New Year's Eve at the Double Down.

Wasted Girl must have been a huge Fireballs Of Freedom fan, because as soon as they hit the stage she was on her feet front and center, happily snapping photos of this riotous, drunken melee of a band (and again I mean that in a good way) who are often compared to the MC5. The only song I actually recognized was Panties Off, but the furiously fast, loud and gritty music had the crowd going wild. They are definitely a band I'll go see again.

Fireballs Of Freedom

Poizen Ivy