Checking out Social Distortion, Descendents and The Chats in NJ and Philly / Live reviews

 

Mike Ness of Social Distortion. (All photos by Lew Dewalt)

By Lew Dewalt

On Saturday, September 5th, I made my third trip to the Stone Pony Outdoor Stage in Asbury Park, NJ. Prior visits were for the 2016 Punk Rock Bowling weekend and the 2022 Punk in Drublic final NOFX tour. This time around, it was the Social Distortion "Born to Kill" Tour with the Descendents and The Chats opening up for them.

After a visit to the Asbury Ale House and the boardwalk bar, Lowdive, we headed to the show. Catasauqua, PA, the punk mecca of the Lehigh Valley (do a Google search for West Catty playground punk rock shows in the '80s) was well represented by 14 of us who spent the night front stage left. The 14 included a 7-year-old son of one of the gang sporting a bright blue mohawk and singing along to the bands like he had been listening to them for 40 years like the rest of us there.

Once again, I screwed up arrival time and we missed the first few songs by The Chats (I did the same thing the week before for a free Reverend Horton Heat show that was great btw). I was really excited to see them and boy did that three-piece deliver the goods. They went nonstop for 30 minutes logging 14 songs at breakneck speed. "6L GTR," "Drinking for Two," "Struck by Lightning," "Identity Theft" and their XM radio hit, "Smoko," were all part of the setlist. Their guitar player is incredible. I don’t know how his hand doesn’t fall off as he moves it so fast strumming that guitar.

The Punk in Drublic show was the last time I saw the Descendents not as a headliner. They kept the pace with The Chats throughout their 45-minute set, ripping through 23 songs. Milo barely had time to drink from his water jug he lugs around and even made it to the barrier for a song while sharing the microphone with the fans. They always seem to be having so much fun playing for the excited crowd that included a crowd surfer wearing a lucha libre mask. Half the set was from "Everything Sucks" (which is celebrating its 30th anniversary) and "Milo Goes to College." "9th & Walnut" and "Enjoy!" songs didn’t make the cut for the shorter-than-headliner time slot.

As the sun began to set on a beautiful clear non-humid day near the beach, Social Distortion hit the stage and started the show with their title track "Born to Kill" after the Bowie "Rebel Rebel" intro. They managed to get 17 songs in during their 90-minute set. I had heard that Mike Ness was having some crackling voice issues a few shows before this and was a bit concerned for him. You couldn’t have known that based on how great his voice sounded. It has certainly been the best I have heard him since he kicked cancer’s ass. Like the opening bands before them, Social Distortion kept the energy at off-the-chart levels. By comparison, the last few times I have seen them there was a lot of chatting in between songs. Not on this tour! We even got "The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)" and "Mommy’s Little Monster" in back-to-back songs early in the set.

This was the best three-band show I have seen from top to bottom in many years and that includes the Punk in Drublic show in 2022. The energy from all the bands was non-stop and the crowd fed off it. Crowd surfing was nonstop and everyone probably left a little hoarse, too.

I had sooooo much fun in Asbury Park that I decided to go see the same show in Philly at The Met on Tuesday, September 8th. This time, only 10 folks from Catasauqua made it out on the school night to see two of the town’s favorite bands. A friend of mine was able to get us comp tickets for the pit area through his WWE connections. The rest of the venue is assigned seats because it is basically a theater.

You won’t believe it, but I missed the first few Chats songs again hanging out in the lobby. Unlike at the Stone Pony, I didn’t have to waste time standing in the merch line, which I left because I didn’t want to miss any songs. I was able to get my Descendents tour shirt and a signed tour poster for my music room wall in Philly. Probably going to have to remove something to hang it as I am out of wall space again. I could write the same story about this evening as the Stone Pony evening. The energy of each band was at peak levels again. Social Distortion had even higher energy levels as Ness didn’t break 2-3 strings like he did outdoors in Asbury Park that caused some slight delays and song restarts. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but this three-band show was even better than Saturday.

In between the Descendents and Social Distortion, we were able to meet up with the guy who hooked us up with the tickets. He said that every show on the tour so far had a huge crowd to see The Chats. That is great to hear for those Aussies. I am sure they have some new fans from the USA. The same guy also got a brand-new Social Distortion tattoo on his calf earlier in the day in Philly.

Needless to say, I was super happy to go see the same show a second time. The setlist for each band was basically the same, but we did get "Lude Boy" in place of "Machine Gun Blues" from Social Distortion. Ness also didn’t wear his track suit in Philly like he did at the beach. 

If this tour is rolling through your area, go out and see them. And take $900 cash with you so you can buy the autographed leather jacket and hub cap at the Social Distortion merch booth.

A few Descendents photos.

The Chats

Singing away!

SUGAR blows crowd away in Seattle on Aug. 15, 2026/ Review and Cat Rose photos

Bob Mould (All Cat Rose photos)

 

By Andy

Seattle finally got its night.

A full-throttle and uplifting evening with the sure-handed men of SUGAR — Bob Mould, David Barbe and Malcolm Travis — on Aug. 15 at the majestic Paramount Theatre.

The band’s performance was equally as stunning on this stop of its Love You Even Still 2026 World Tour. It’s been nearly 30 years since many of us have last seen them decimate a venue with melody wrapped around their pummeling sound.

It was definitely worth the wait.

We got a killer 23-song set that generated heaps of head bobbing, arm raising and smiles as wide as the "Hoover Dam" from the stoked crowd and the band itself. It was a communal and ear-drum-rattling experience that gave us all a much-needed boost in these trying times. We all won on this stellar night and had a blast.

SUGAR went straight for the jugular with the "Copper Blue" opening trio of "The Act We Act," "A Good Idea" and "Changes" and never took its foot off the pedal during the 90 minutes of sheer joy and musical prowess that everyone fully latched onto until the final notes of the perfect closer, "If I Can't Change Your Mind," put a solid stamp on the evening.

From start to finish, Mould took his guitar, vocal cords and body on the full-workout journey, especially on the jarring "Beaster" trio of "Come Around," "Tilted" and "JC Auto"; Barbe's bass playing, backup vocals and lead vocals on songs like "Company Book," "Where Diamonds are Halos," "Frustration" and more make the set soar; and drummer Travis is a human jackhammer gluing the whole thing together with precision and intensity. 

When Mould tilts his head back and roars on the towering, gut-wrenching "Explode and Make Up" and other gripping tunes, you're locked in with him the whole way. When he darts across the stage and swings his guitar, we're sure to keep an eye on the man having the time of his life with his bandmates. 

Other highlights of the night were new songs "House of Dead Memories" and "Long Live Love," "Helpless," "Gee Angel," the raging full-on instrumental "Clownmaster" and so much more. And we always want more, but the night has to end sometime. 

What will stick with us is how SUGAR is a team effort, with the players constantly feeding off each other during the set and often nailing things down while gathered around Travis' kit. Man, we are lucky to have SUGAR back in our presence. 

Of course, the volume was jacked up to the hilt, and I told a Paramount worker -- just four days into his job -- that he may never experience a louder gig at this or any other venue.

Kicking things off in grand style was J. Robbins, whose singing and acoustic guitaristry firmly connected with the crowd during his 10-song, 30-minute set. 

Robbins commanded center stage and unleashed tunes from his solo albums "Un-Becoming" ("Anodyne" was the sterling opener) and "Basilisk" along with songs from his former bands Jawbox ("Savory" and "Static") and Burning Airlines ("Outside the Aviary").

** All Cat Rose  photos:

SUGAR

J. ROBBINS

"Tin Knocker" by Mike Magrann /Book review

By Andy

We’re all just trying to navigate our ways through life, seeing what sticks, requires repair or needs to be discarded. 

It could be a job, a friend, a band or whatever greets us along the path that we tread upon wearing tennis shoes or cowboy boots. 

You could be a tin knocker or a rough rocker — or both, in the case of Mike Magrann. His tough-as-steel yet heartwarming second book takes us from the metal shop to Channel Three’s rock world and beyond, where chaos and comfort are constant companions. 

You win, you lose and often find yourself somewhere in between. You fucking go for it each day. Knock things around and see where you fit in. You’ll get where you’re meant to be. 

This solid piece of literary work will guide you through the machinery of life, bend your emotions a bit and unleash a hook and chorus to send you into the day. 

Let the walk begin. 

** DiWulf Publishing: https://www.diwulf.com/products/tin-knocker-by-mike-magrann

Mike Magrann in action with CH3 in 2024. Cat Rose photo

Good time at the gates of ... the Hillbilly Headbangers Ball, Aug. 1, 2026, Slim's Last Chance, Seattle/ All Cat Rose photos

Go Like Hell (All Cat Rose photos)

Give Ron E. Banner a hefty "fuck yeah!" and a "yee-haw!" for unleashing another dynamite Hillbilly Headbangers Ball on Aug. 1 at Slim's Last Chance in Seattle. It was a raucous and jubilant Saturday for everyone at the roadhouse to enjoy and cement into their memory banks forever. 

Behold Cat Rose's dynamic photos:

GO LIKE HELL

BRAIN CELL GENOCIDE

VIC BONDI AND HIS ISSUES

BABY AND THE NOBODIES

DETONATOR (SPITTIN' COBRAS SET)

SHIVERING DENIZENS

HARD MONEY SAINTS

YOTES

.... SEE YA NEXT YEAR!