November 5, 2021 Concert Review by Rachael Contreras
It was an evening of great music at The Glass House in Pomona, CA for the 30th anniversary of Dr. Strange Records. The Azmatics, Los Kung Fu Monkeys, DFL (Dead F*cking Last), Left Alone, Radolescents, and Voodoo Glow Skulls showed up for the October 22nd celebration and put on an amazing show.
Even though this was a concert, it was a concert put on by a record store so naturally, they brought the record store to us! The upstairs section of The Glass House was well suited for the racks of clothing and tables of music paraphernalia to fill your shopping void as we listened to fantastic music playing LIVE!
Both The Azmatics and Los Kung Fu Monkeys blew the crowd away and set the bar high for the rest of the night. The fog machine must have been set on low for them because you could see them clearly even while getting your bargains upstairs.
Old school punk band DFL got on stage and jumped right into their new single, “YRUDFL,” which sounds just like their signature sound and the crowd went crazy. Maybe there were hopes that former members Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz or “Mike D,” both from the super-mega popular group, Beastie Boys, or Brian Baker, bassist extraordinaire for Minor Threat and Bad Religion would join them up on stage, but sadly they didn’t. However, what we did get was something amazing and we aren’t mad at it. Front-man “Crazy Tom” wore his vintage Mickey Mouse shirt and still rocked the house like it was 1991 again!
By now the fog machine was on full blast as the mist crept its way up through the crowd, up the stairs, and into the bathrooms. It definitely gave off spooky Halloween vibes during your potty stop.
Left Alone was up next and they hit the ground running with all of their best hits, but let’s face it, all their songs are hits. Catchy tunes like, “City to City,” “Mile High,” “Sad Story,” and so many more were played during their set. Later we found out that this quartet had only played one short set before COVID hit, and front-man Elvis told us the band only practiced twice before the show! These guys are so good that no one was the wiser, and it was great to see them stretch their concert wings again.
PHOTO by William Chapman
Legendary old-school punk band D.I. was supposed to play this show, but due to unforeseen circumstances they had to bow out. Radolescents stepped in to play and only made that announcement two days beforehand.
Their preparation must have been tricky, but you never would have known seeing as how much fun they appeared to be having onstage; in fact, it was the same amount everyone was having in the crowd! Vocalist Frank Angnew Jr. was going to town! He left it all on the stage and is truly a great front-man.
Finally, the spooky fog started to subside, there was a hush over the crowd, and BOOM! Voodoo Glow Skulls took the stage. Front-man Efrem Schulz jumped onstage last, wearing his iconic orange-striped poncho and horned VGS wrestling mask.
They played all their popular songs with a well-thought-out setlist. Songs like “Insubordination,” “Shoot the Moon” and “Charlie Brown,” got the loudest cheers from the crowd.
In true Schulz fashion, he jumped into the crowd multiple times and moved throughout the audience while singing. If you stood in back, you may not have been able to see him, but you could catch a glimpse of his horns jumping up and down, then without notice, he would pop back up onstage unscathed. The crowd loved every second of it.
PHOTO by William Chapman
This was a popular and long advertised show so people were really excited to be here. It was well-thought-out and everyone had a really good time. Patrons all enjoyed the pop-up record store upstairs, the bands, each other, and of course, being out on the town listening to some amazing live music. If this is how Dr. Strange Records has a good time, we obviously need to be spending more time in their store in Alta Loma!
