You can tell from the line-up this HAD to be a great gig. Yep, it was! I’ve never been a big Vandals fan and although I know they played that night I honestly don’t remember it. [sorry guys]. But I DO remember the Circle Jerks. Consistently one of the best bands to you could wish for in the early 80’s. PURE energy! Their drummer at the time was so good people would actually pay just to see HIM play. Amazing!!!

Same goes with the Dickies. Never a bad gig from them and I should know. The Dickies is the band that I have seen the most in my life! This is also the gig where I saw this guy wearing the coolest Leather Jacket I had ever seen (still to this day). I snuck a picture of him and later used it for some D Strange ads. On the back of his jacket he had a drawing of Sid Vicious wearing a leather and t-shirt. REALLY cool and done well. And here’s another story from one an underrated band;

MIA at Fenders ballroom Long Beach, Ca 1984-1985
This “could” have been the Youth Brigade/7 Seconds/MIA (the live recording released from Youth Brigade on BYO) but I’m not 100% sure. As always, you took your life in your own [or should I say others did] when you went to The Fenders.. . Nazi skinheads and Suicidal Tendencies gang members were always sure to be there preying on those that were by themselves.

MIA started in Reno, Nv but made the move to Huntington Beach area of Southern California in the early 80’s. I was lucky enough to have seen them play several times and they never ceased to amaze! Great music and great lyrics made them one of my favorites to see back then. When I stared the label a few years later I actually approached Mike (singer) to ask them about re-releasing their first lp, a split with Genocide, and their “Murder in a Foreign Place”lp. For some reason it never happened. Too bad.

Unfortunately Mike passed away in an odd way a few years back. He was on a business trip during winter in the Midwest and while getting out of car he slipped on the ice bumped his head and froze in the parking lot. A homeless person found him and reported it to the police. #punk