Born To Rock & Roll

Gang Green - “Skate To Hell”/”Alcohol” (Taang Records)

The first time I ever got drunk, my friend and I proceeded to listen to nothing but this 7″ (on green vinyl – how cool was that?) over and over while we pillaged his parents’ liquor cabinet. We even listened to it while watching Miami Vice (it was the episode with Suicidal Tendencies) and sipping our rum & gin & Cokes. And then we skateboarded – while drunk – in circles in his driveway. In suburban Boston. We were 14. Chris Doherty would have been proud.

“Skate To Hell” is pretty self-explanatory – it’s loud, it’s fast, and if it wasn’t on the soundtrack of one of those mid-’80s Powell-Peralta skate videos (In Search Of The Animal Chin, anyone?), it damn well should have been.

“Alcohol”, on the other hand, is probably the best hardcore song and the greatest paean to partying I’ve ever heard. Black Flag’s “Six Pack” is happy hour compared to this. I mean, it starts with a chant of “Gimme a line!”and proceeds to boast about drinking “a hundred brews” before the delivering the clincher – “I’d rather drink than fuck!”

I really don’t know what else to add.

Though I do wish people would think of Gang Green when someone mentions Boston punk as opposed to, say, the Dropkick Murphys and their stereotypical Southie tough guy bullshit – punk rock used to be fun.

Regardless, Gang Green is back (featuring Doherty and an all-new lineup) and will be playing, of all places, Club Europa in lovely Greenpoint (Meserole St. & Manhattan Ave., G Train to either Greenpoint Ave. or Nassau St.) tomorrow night. It’s $12 and starts at 8 PM. It’s bound to rock like hell and if nothing else, the sheer irony of someone encouraging Greenpointers to drink more should be as delicious as an ice-cold High Life.

Special thanks to Punk Rock Picture Sleeves for the artwork.