The Groovie Ghoulies is my favorite band named after a
cartoon. Alas, the band no longer
records its version of pop punk tunes, but the memories linger on.
Recently I was driving to work listening to the Freaks on Parade release. It first came out in 2001 on Stardumb and was
later re-released by Surfin’ Ki 13 years later.
If that isn’t a testament to the band’s sound, nothing is. Listening to it reminded me of how timeless
the music sounded. It was fresh. Upbeat.
It could’ve been recorded the day before. All good music (except the blues) should
sound that way. (The blues, it should be
noted, should always take place in the past.
It gets its magic from a time period long expired, and while the sound
remains strong, it does not and should not sound contemporary.)
We all have these bands we forget about for a few years, and
once we break them out again and give them a listen we wonder why we waited so
long in the first place. Driving through
the Humboldt mist was one of those moments, brought on by not one particular
song, but all of them. I thought back to
my when I did my ‘zine. I thought back
to different times, different mindsets. Different
everything.
I wasn’t riding a nostalgia trip. I wasn’t pining for the old days or lamenting
how today’s music leaves me cold for the most part. I was just, not to sound too California
stupid, being “in the moment.” The air
was cool on my face. The wipers did the
occasional whisk across the windshield.
I had the stereo cranked, not to assault the pedestrians, but to immerse
myself in that mindset albeit briefly.
I’m not the biggest fan of pop punk. I tend to like my music with more of an edge,
but this was a band I could get behind.
I tolerate a lot of pop punk bands, but this one was always
different. That misty morning reminded
me why. Say what you want about it, but
it is still one of the best things to come out of Sacramento.
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