The Bouncing Souls – 20th Anniversary Series / Ghosts On The Boardwalk

In honor of 2o years of The Bouncing Souls I’d like to start off with a trip down memory lane.  It’s May 1995 at the old Wetlands Preserve in NYC.  The Souls are playing the Oi/Skampilation Vol. 1 Record Release Party (the live cut of Joe Lies off this comp is still my favorite version).  They headlined that night and most of the bands that preceded them on the bill were either Ska bands or Oi bands, of which the Souls were neither.   So by the time the Souls came on most of the so-called punks and skins in attendance simply left the club to prove they were too cool for school.  But let me back up.  This was the second time I had seen this go down.  The first time was the Souls headlining a Saturday afternoon matinee at Coney Island High.  I had just taken my PSATs and bum rushed public trans to meet up with the crew in Washington Square Park before the show.  The bands that went on before them were the likes of The Casualties (before they had a record out), Dysfunctional Youth, and Blanks 77.  So again all the mohawked, leather clad, bullet belt wearing punks left when the Souls took the stage.  Me and my Jersey crew however stuck around for the Souls both times.  And both times we weren’t fucking let down in the least.  After the Oi/Skampilation show we ran into Pete Steinkopf at the corner deli spot we always hit up for post show bagels.  We told him how much we dug their set.  And I remember asking him why in the hell he thought the “punks” never stuck around.  He replied with two simple words… “Fuck ‘em”.

Fast-forward a year or so and again I’m at the Wetlands.  The DJ throws “The Good The Bad And The Argyle” onto his platter between bands and I swear to Christ I saw (err heard) something I’ve never seen before or since at a show.  The crowd…  The entire crowd started singing along to the PA.  I shit you not this actually happened.  The crowd was singing along to a record for a band that wasn’t even playing that night.  You can ask my wife if you don’t believe me.  She might not remember though.  She will however incidentally remember falling in love with me at the Record Release party for “Maniacal Laughter” at Coney Island High (this was also the first show I had to buy advance tickets to).  So in a couple short years the Souls went from not being punk enough (whatever that means) to being one of the most beloved bands in our scene with kids buying advance tickets and lining the streets of St. Marks in anticipation, falling in love with one another and so forth.  They stayed true to who they were, didn’t give a shit what anyone thought about them, and just had a good time.  That’s what I remember most about all those shows.  They were all just such a good time.  From kids in the crowd getting on stage to shout 80s quotes into the mic, to my first stage dive, to seeing people walking around the pit like robots during Inspection Station, to that feeling I get every single fucking time I hear them play Neurotic, the Souls are always a good time.

2009 was another great year for The Bouncing Souls.  Each month they released a new song.  And every three months they put out a 7” with 3 songs plus a bonus track.  And by the end of the year we have what amounts to an album (they’re releasing it all as a CD titled “Ghosts of The Boardwalk” in a couple weeks, minus the bonus tracks… vinyl only suckas).  Personally I really liked how they handled their biz this year.  As a record collector I liked knowing I was getting 4 singles.  I liked the look of the colored vinyl.  And the vinyl only bonus tracks and locked grooves on a some of the B-sides spiced things up as well.  It made getting their music fun and more of an experience than just picking up a single CD.

All the new tracks are great too. Badass is the most fun(ny) Souls song since they ate all the Yoo Hoo on Shark Attack.  We All Sing Along is the band at their most anthemic.  Ghosts On The Boardwalk is what U2 would sound like if they were any good.  Never Say Die/When You’re Young is the perfect closer.  And Dubs Says True sums up much of what I was getting at earlier.  Which is that much like a good friend the Souls have been there with their fans through it all over the years and in turn their fans have been there for them.  So when they make a bold statement like “we always will be true” on the chorus, they’re one of the few bands I actually believe.

Come down to Asbury Park, NJ for any of their Home For The Holidays shows this Winter and celebrate 20 years of one of Jersey’s finest punk bands.  The FSS will be there on the night of the 26th which promises to be another trip down memory lane with the reunion of the mighty  Black Train Jack.

Chunksaah Mailorder Exclusive Vinyl of Volumes 1 through 4.

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