Images: Andrew Jackson Jihad, The Gunshy, Bobby Meader & more November 7, 2013 at Backstage Bar & Billiards

Folk punk duo Andrew Jackson Jihad returned to Vegas for the second time this year for a fun, intimate show at Backstage Bar and Billiards. The twosome seemed genuinely excited to be playing to the surprisingly full crowd, and we were treated to lots of banter, with a few songs thrown in for good measure.

But before AJJ, the stage was inhabited by some of Vegas’ best folk punks. Despite being billed as “TheCore.,” the show was actually kicked off by TheCore. co-frontman Sal Giordano, playing under his No Red Alice moniker. Those in attendance did get to see ¾ of TheCore at one point though, with Brock Frabbiele and Chris Duggan joining their bandmate on stage for an acoustic version of “Meet Me at Nispey’s.” It was also great to hear “ThunderMakers” and the prerequisite cover of “Wagon Wheel” during his sadly too-short set.

No Red Alice was quickly followed by Zabi Naqshband, who mixed his set with a healthy dose of new songs and Holding Onto Sound favorites. I’ve always found Naqshband’s gravelly voice to be awesomely reminiscent of Laura Jane Grace’s early output with Against Me! After back to back song dedications to bandmate Bob Gates and playfully joking that they’re not allowed to say “jihad” in his household, Naqshband ended his performance with a partial cover of LL Cool J’s “Mamma Said Knock You Out,” leaving the crowd wanting more, especially in the way of new songs, which all sounded incredible.

There was a longer than expected wait between Naqshband and folk musician Bobby Meader, partially filled by an impromptu short set from Colorado-based singer/songwriter Leftmore. Apparently Joe Ziegler was in town early for an appearance at Meader’s “Electric Bobby Carnival” the next night and Meader wanted to give the audience a little sample of what to expect. When Meader did finally take the stage, he played a mix of songs from his two full-lengths, with enough fans up front singing along to make it sound like a choir.

With the local sets over it was time for Chicago-based singer/songwriter The Gunshy. Matt Arbogast plays folk rooted in Americana musicians like Bob Dylan, Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen and particularly Tom Waits, with his gruff inflection and sing/speak storytelling style. If you’re going to wear your influences on your sleeve you might as well draw from the best, and Arbogast represented them well. Between songs, he marvelled at how we get anything done in Vegas, as he found himself distracted by the giant neon shoe that stands in the middle of the street in front of the El Cortez.

For those who haven’t heard Andrew Jackson Jihad, the Asian Man Records pair play a style of folk that has the energy of early Against Me!, the socially conscious lyrics of Billy Bragg and the poppy-in-spite-of-the-lyrical-content style of The Front Bottoms. It’s easy for Ben Gallaty and Sean Bonnette to be drowned out by the big sing alongs, which reached critical mass during their back-to-back-to-back playing of “People,” “People II: The Reckoning” and “People II 2: Still Peoplin’.” Other crowd favorites were “American Tune,” anthem for like and not love “Love Will Fuck Us Apart” and one of my favorite Andrew Jackson Jihad songs, the hyper energetic “Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi.”

Gallaty and Bonnette were having a blast with the audience, and we definitely got more talking than songs – as the band found themselves distracted by the movies playing on the venue’s monitors and telling tales of hanging out with underaged kids before the show (which they insisted wasn’t as shady as it sounded.) They even took the time to individually thank the local artists that played before them, calling Meader a “beefcake” for his extra hustle moving tickets. Not a lot of bands learn every artist’s name on the bill so it was a nice touch.

AJJ seemed very happy with the turnout and crowd enthusiasm, which is nice considering their only Vegas comparison was their Punk Rock Bowling headlining club show earlier this year, which while I’m sure was full of fervent fans, is never a good representation of what one can expect when playing here the rest of the year. Being that they’re based in nearby Phoenix, hopefully this fun show will give them cause to make Vegas a recurring stop on future tours.

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/