Paint It Black, March 5, First Unitarian Church

POSTED: Friday, March 7, 2008, 5:26 PM

Filed Under: Music | Philly Bands Show

Photo | Nate Adams

Kicked in the head again.

The last time I got kicked in the head, I was in the 10th grade and at a Bad Religion concert in upstate NY. Fully convinced that punk music could save the world, I made it my business to be at the front of every show, dancing my face off and making sure that no crowd surfers broke their necks falling into dead spots in the crowd. Even as a young idealist, I could only stand so many blows to the head, and I caught one shoe to the face too many at that show. I've stayed away from the front ever since.

Years later, a bitter and jaded curmudgeon, I found myself in the basement of the First Unitarian Church, surrounded by punks young and old, all untied in their zealot love for Philly's local hardcore heroes, Paint it Black. Unwillingly caught up in a swarm of bodies, I was pushed towards the front once more, where I was promptly greeted by a Chuck Taylor to the teeth within seconds.

Who says you can't go home again?

After spirited sets by Philly's Higher Giant and Austin, TX's Riverboat Gamblers, Paint it Black took the stage to a heroes welcome. As the opening notes of "The Ledge," the first track off of this year's New Lexicon, blasted out of the speakers, the kids packed into the church all surged forward in a tidal wave of black t-shirts and bad haircuts. By the time lead singer and front man Dan Yemin screamed the first line of the song, war had broken out in the church basement.

It's impossible to know for sure how many or even what songs the band played; most of the songs came off New Lexicon, but there were some older songs peppered in to please the old heads. The music was coming in waves of fast, brutal, one-minute blasts that kept the crowd smashing into each other and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Yemin was an engaging front man, posing, mugging and generally looking intimidating has be belted out his songs. He got so caught up in his songs, he abandoning his microphone several times to scream like a madman howling at the moon. Waving his arms like a crazed conductor, he lead the crowd in a scream-along that was both awe-inspiring and a little bit scary. Kids rushed the stage, sang with the band and jumped head-first into the swirling crowd, hoping to be caught by the masses. Everyone was caught up by the brutal magic of Paint it Black.

Perhaps what's most interesting about the show is how little of the band's ascetic is reflected in the music. Like Minor Threat and Black Flag before them, Paint it Black aim to address the social injustices of the world by screaming at them. While some might have a hard time seeing a positive message in the band's violent audio assault, the overall message is one of unity and acceptance.

The other thing that surprised me was how funny and relaxed the band was. Hardcore has a stigma of being overly-serious almost to a fault, but that isn't the case at all with Paint it Black. In between their dense, crushing walls of music, the band would joke with the crowd, poke fun at each other, and generally behave like a bunch of dudes having a good time. Surprising for a genre that used to shun any and all attempts to show emotion other than rage.

For their last song, Paint it Black pulled about 30 kids on stage to sing, dance and smash into each other. It was a fitting end for a set full of controlled, joyful chaos. I left the show with a ringing in my ears, a footprint on my face and a smile on my lips. The kids are alright after all.

Don't forget: Paint It Black is on City Paper's team in the Phily Rock Shootout. vote now

Also, John Vettese recently talked to Paint It Black about their newest CD. read it

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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