Live review: Goldfinger’s Skanksgiving at Starland Ballroom

Sayreville, NJ – 30 November 2023

But I Can’t Quit

My favorite line from Dickens is certainly the Christmas Carol line “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” Now, why the fuck would I even bring up 180-year-old English lit on a ska fest review, right? Well, for one thing, I’m trying pretty hard to look witty in the opening, as if I have the skillset to segue from Cratchit to moshpit. More importantly though, its, because whilst the festival may have been called Skanksgiving, it was certainly the first foray in to this year’s skaliday festivities.  And the lineup featured ghosts of ska’s past, ska’s present and of ska’s future.  (If I was clever, I’d even tie in something about Jacob Marley and The Pilfers’ Marley-influenced blend of reggae and ska… but I’m not that clever so ignore that unrealized reach).

This is all to equate myself to a broke Scrooge. See, in the mid to late 90s, I was all in on the ska of the era, but then something happened, it just stopped being fun, stopped being cool.  The music didn’t change, the bands didn’t change.  Some gatekeepers somewhere started to tell us it was just silly and stupid and I was young enough and dumb enough to believe them.  Unlike Scrooge losing Belle because he was obsessed with money, I became obsessed with scene points, and allowed my love for ska to falter.   I ignorantly gave up on a large portion of the third-wave scene thanks to the poorly doled out and completely unsolicited advice of assholes at a computer who think we want their opinions on what is and isn’t good music (umm… unironic lack of self-awareness? check!). Things are different now, or maybe seeing my kids give up things they love for the in crowd was a spotlight on my past stupidity, but whatever it is, I warmed up my shoulders for a good skanking and headed off to Sayreville NJ to see this absolutely loaded bill and man, I just can’t contain my smile now. 

First up was Ska-Punk International’s Joker’s Republic. The Essex County ska-punk trio maximized the up beats and kept energy high thanks to three-part harmonies, stage banter of guitarist and lead vocalist Austen Gray and the non-stop pinballing of bassist Billy Smolen.  The band has energy in spades as the bassist joined a circle pit after spending half the set dancing and jumping from pillar to post across the stage.  I needed a nap just watching, but these “kids” didn’t fade an ounce as they grabbed the crowd by the shirt and held them in their palms, start to finish. It’s easy to see how the band gained the stamp of approval from Less Than Jake‘s Roger Lima, who is currently tapped to produce their upcoming record.

The band pulled out 2 new tracks from that new record, to the delight of the Jersey crowd, before featuring Joystick’s Andy and Bex (trombone and sax, respectively) for a raucous performance of the title track from their 2021 record Necessary Evil. Closing a Jersey set with Streetlight Manifesto‘s “Everything Went Numb” and a “Fuck You Denny’s” chant guaranteed Joker’s Republic would win us all over, but the trio showed off their inspired creativity in a new medium, handing out laminated IHOP-inspired set-lists at their merch table.  If this is the future of Jersey music, The Garden State is in great hands, I can not wait for my next chance to see these guys or to hear what’s coming in 2025 from these talented lads.

Backyard Superheroes were up next.  I have to admit, I was super excited for this performance as the veterans of these Skanksgiving shows put out one of my favorite albums this year, Mass Hysteria. The large band were quick to prove they would live up to the expectations with killer tunes and a backyard house party level of super energy as the 9 members on stage bounces, two-stepped and sprinted across all space on the stage (even space occupied by one of the other 8).  The tenor and bass saxophonist ricocheted to and from, up and down, frenetically capturing the eyes and smiles of the entire crowd with their magnetizing stage personas… My 11-year-old would call the duo “rizzlers” and since I want her to think I’m a Sigma, I’ll say it too. 

As if having enough peope on stage to field a full baseball team, Backyard Superheroes brought out 2 designated hitters: Coolie Ranx for “Mass Hysteria,” and then an inflatable dinosaur immediately followed up the Coolie spot dancing all over for “Batshit Crazy.” The band owned every second of their set with their singalong ready originals. Find this band, grab your board and surf their killer wave into the future of ska.

New Orleans’ Joystick were next to lead the Starland faithful as they brought their hardcore influenced ska from the Bayou to the Wetlands.  Frontman Duck Tucker wasn’t quite sure why the crowd had such hatred for Denny’s (and I’m not sure any of us in the crowd really understand it either, but at this point I’m afraid to ask). His ignorance to the IHOP/Denny’s situation aside, Duck didn’t hesitate to add his own jab, comparing it to a hometown diner in New Orleans that he went to once… and only once.  This was a powerful and high energy performance, demanding change without losing sight of the importance of a good time.    

I don’t really remember the last time I saw The Pilfers. It was before the 2001 breakup, and probably earlier.  The last show wasn;t my last Pilfers show because of The Pilfers, in fact they killed it that night, as they always did.  That trend continued tonight as the ska legends were god damned impeccable once again, and honestly; Is there any room Coolie Ranx has ever walked in where he wasn’t the coolest motherfucker there?  Its admirable the way this guy just commands a room.

My only complaint about Pilfers in a support slot is that they never play a long enough set.  Instead, the band played half to three-quarters of most of the songs to keep a full set-list without overstepping the time constraints.  Coolie spent most of the set on the rail, connecting with the crowd.  

Continuing the tradition of collaboration this evening, both of the Joystick trombonists came out to help perform “Mr Exploita.”  To close out the evening the band had to perform “Shit’s Up In The Air” from an odd spot, starting around a quarter of the way in.  Even the odd jump off to this one, didn’t hurt the set as the band absolutely fucking slayed the track.

The penultimate slot on the Skanksgiving stage kicked off with the staggered arrival of Save Ferris, proving that some great things never change, no matter how much has changed, such as the 2 additional horns in the band since the last time I saw them 14 months ago… also with Joker’s Republic and Backyard Superheroes, also at Starland.  Monique Powell absorbed the spotlight in her electric green mini-dress and that same level of effervescent charisma that led to many a young man and woman’s crushes in the late 90s.  Her killer pipes are outmatched only by the positivity and connections she shares from the stage.

Opening with the new track “Lights Out In The Reptile House,” Monique immediately reminded the crowd of her humor, explaining: “The amount of times I’ve heard about that skank Monique Powell I knew I needed to get on a plane and get to Skanksgiving”Cruising through the set the band touched on tracks from It Means Everything, relying heavily on the debut record with tracks like “Superspy” and “Under 21.”  When the band broke into “Turn It Up” or played any other tracks from Modified, they changed the sound, made them more ska-ish and upbeat making the setlist an absolute bop.  

The first of multiple costume changes into flapper-ish shimmery evening gown as the band sauntered into the bluesy, smoky and sultry “Goodbye.” They performed their first cover with their rousing rendition of Operation Ivy’s “Artificial Life.” The set continued with the prom song from 10 Things I Hate About You, “I Know” after Monique reminded the crowd how nearly every ska band in the late 90s performed the prom song in a teen comedy, but as Powell pointed out, and I have to agree, both the movie and the song have stood the test of time.  Just like Save Ferris.

Mid-song, Monique again brought out a new outfit following a playful tease, a skimpy Playboy Bunny-esque number Powell joked would be a good lesson in anatomy for the young crowd.  The band closed out with their most popular track, a cover of “Come On Eileen.” by Dexys Midnight Runners.  The crowd shouted along and voices went hoarse as everyone tried to keep up with the amazing vocal abilities on display by Powell.  

The room weighed heavy, thick with anticipation as SoCal legends Goldfinger were about to commandeer the stage.  With a roster reminiscent of a supergroup, original members Jon Feldman and Charlie Paulson were flanked by current members Mike Herrara (MxPx) and Phillip Sneed (Story of the Year) while Cyrus Bolooki (New Found Glory) joined the band behind the kit tonight.  Additionally, the band was joined for a few tracks by the horn section from Reel Big Fish… in other words, the Goldfinger set was also a best of Warped Tour reunion.  Oddly enough, the band hinted they would be performing at this year’s Warped return (ok, so Feldy flat-out stated it, but I was side stage and couldn’t tell if there was a wink included).

Following crowd favorites “Here In Your Bedroom” and “Tijuana Sunrise” Goldfinger performed a delightfully faithful, yet wholly original cover The Cure’s classic “Just Like Heaven.” Its always amazing to me to watch the energy of any band on stage for an hour plus, but when you consider Feldman is nearing retirement age, it’s really awe-inspiring the way he just doesn’t stop moving. Like. Not. A. Single. Moment. Of stand-still or catching breath.  It was no surprise to hear him mention halfway through the set that he burned 1200 calories tonight.  

Mike Herrara would next lead the band in a cover of NoFX’s “Linoleum” before Feldman invited all the kids in the audience onto the stage while the band performed the love letter to a size queen; “Mabel.” As the kids left the stage, the band broke into their evergreen hit, “Superman,” as popularized 25 years ago in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game.  As much as I enjoyed every moment of this show, I would have gladly driven the same 2 hours each way in exchange for this song and left stoked.  This was everything for me. 

Goldfinger turned out a trio of killer Christmas songs next (“Rudolph”, “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” and “White Christmas”) before ending the set with a flurry of high-energy hits; “Mind’s Eye,” “Miles Away” and Nena’s “99 Red Luftballons.”

This wasn’t a performance, it was a post-holiday party of epic proportions, lively and enthralling.  The same way it always was with Goldfinger. Its the kind of heartwarming you expect at holidays to watch the new and old generations come together to usher in the next wave of traditions, and this lineup was the perfect selection to do so.  This is how the scene lives on, and we should be grateful to experience it.