I left my last Shonen Knife show feeling a little over-philosophical. My writeup stops right before I walk out the door (naturally), but as I’m going back to my car in the community college parking lot, I roll up my autographed poster and think, “well, I guess that it.” You know, you follow a group for a long time…they get signed to a major and tour stadiums with legends, they have a series of their own tours in large-ish clubs…they never break up…eventually…they’re playing a local school auditorium for 50 people. Probably how they started out. It’s the circle of life or something.

So I’m glad I made this show. (Things have been kinda tight, it was close.) Back at JB’s where I saw them 3 years ago (when I was on blogging hiatus), they were right back in their element, and the usual crowd followed.

I walked in on the middle of Creem Circus‘ set. Visually, they immediately reminded me of kitsch-glam era Redd Kross but now that I think about it, I’m not sure this era of Redd Kross literally existed. They looked like what I thought Redd Kross looked like at some point but possibly never did. (The new Redd Kross record is pretty good, btw.) Sonically, they were were pretty straight up Rock with some really good twin lead stuff going on. Later I find out this is a local band led by Chris DiPinto of DiPinto Guitars. This guy is already a local legend (by name) for his guitar shop so it was cool to see him perform. (I thought he was a much older dude.)

Next was White Mystery. (I should have got pics of the openers but forget the memory card in my camera so I only had a few shots.) They’re a two-piece, kinda like a gender-reversed White Stripes but not so Blues-obsessed, just there to rock. And so they did. Really expected some part of the dude’s drum kit to break at some point and the guitarist is no joke. You’re gonna be seeing more of them if that’s even remotely your thing.

Last time at JB's the openers were Jeff the Brotherhood and (then duo) PO PO, who are both doing pretty well. I don't know if Naoko books the openers, but that some some pretty hip booking. They could be going out there with like, Johnny Poppunk & the Poppunkers, some generic whoever bands, ya know? Probably from switching labels so many times, they can make some more genuine hookups with different-type bands.

I thought I saw PO PO a/k/a Big Zeb (now a solo act) but I suppose that could have been any 6-ft tall long haired Pakistani gentleman. I did see Brian a/k/a Supreme Nothing but didn't get to talk to him. I see a lot of people I recognize at Philly shows, especially SK shows, that I don't talk to. They may or may not have bands or websites. I think I saw someone I knew from MySpace. How do you start that conversation in 2012? You don't. Well, I don't. Most of these people I don't know their names or anything, I just see them again and again. Nobody ever comes up to me and just starts talking (unless they're hustling something) so it's a mutual awkwardness. I don't think I'm recognized beyond being a regular, but I am visible. I have mass. I mean, I'm trying to watch my weight, but you can see me. I exist in physical space is what I'm saying.

Let’s move on… Uh, so Shonen Knife played some songs.

They come out on stage now to the own music, which you think they must get enough of, but there’s Naoko mouthing along to the first song on their new album, Welcome to the Rock Club. (But what does it really mean? You’re not here to think, you’re here to rock.) They launch into Konnichiwa, as they do. “Are you ready to rock?” Yes, of course.

Like, you expect all of this be get kinda old by now. But even if you’re planning to enjoy them 75% (it’s hard to compete with seeing the original lineup, in my mind), they get you all the way there. Ritsuko & Emi have totally won me over. Ritsuko is crazy headbanging everywhere, Emi looks like she winning the lottery at a surprise party with every other cymbal crash. It’s delirious.

They go through the usual stuff, the old crowd favorites like Bear Up Bison and Twist Barbie, some of the newer similar stuff like Pop Tune and Osaka Rock City, and Naoko seems to really like the Rubber Band song (some crowds must get into the chant part, I haven’t seen it) and Banana Chips (not bad songs, but they’ve got better…so many damn songs). And they did Devil House, a personal fave which was a Michie song that Ritsuko sings now. The beginning of BBQ Party almost makes me cry; I manage as the song soon veers into an almost out of control Thrash freak-out. A similar themed song on the new album, All You Can Eat sweetly cautions “not to overeat”, but live they substitute this older tune loudly insisting you PIG OUT PIG OUT PIG OUT. Despite a perceived flip-flop on record, it’s clear where Naoko stand on this issue. And they played some Ramones songs which was not really necessary but hard to argue with. There was some confusion with the setlist that was funny but I guess you had to be there, I’m not transcribing their broken english. Naoko really wants to play those Ramones songs. I used to get more upset of setlist omissions than I do now. They can play whatever. They did the crushing (for them) Cobra vs. Mongoose and then ended with the softer poppy tunes from the new one: there’s the Emi-led Psychedelic Life which I’m not going to question and the Ritsuko-led Sunshine, which is kinda like a Carpenters song that ends in a kind of Beach Boys counterpoint thing at the end they all sing. And they close with Move On which is a bit of a bummer, but then they do an encore of Antonio Baka Guy, which is almost the same song as Cobra vs. Mongoose but no one seemed to mind.

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