Fredericksburg - Kurt crowdsurfed through the masses of people, who then proceeded to fling him up and down through the air.  Somehow we managed not to drop him, and even more remarkably, he managed to keep time on his tambourine.  My muscles ached from dancing, and a cramp was starting to form in my side, but I ignored it, braced myself for Kurt’s landing, and then threw him into the air once again.  I glanced off to my left, and saw that Andrew Salfi, the ten-year-old singer of D.C. punk band the Black Sparks, was being crowd surfed as well.  As Jaguar Shark played the final songs of their set, the chaos that had been building throughout the night began to reach its climax.  I was at a Fredericksburg All Ages concert featuring Jaguar Shark, the Black Sparks, and the Crypts being held on William Street at Read All Over Books.  It was a night for punk rock, which was kept interesting by the differing styles of punk played by the three bands, but linked by a common aptitude for high energy performances and audience interaction.

The first band to play was the Crypts.  The four-person band played an interesting blend of rock styles combined with theatrical stage antics.  Their music was reminiscent stylistically of garage rock bands from the early 60s, such as the Kingsmen and the Troggs, but with topics more akin to horror rock and early shock rock acts such as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.  Throughout the night they retained a constant sense of humor, which made the difference between a corny show and a funny and entertaining one.  The band had a simple sound, with somewhat of an unconventional setup.  The anchors of the band were the power chord strumming of Kirstin and the steady drumming of Mike.  The guitar sound was clean, just a guitar and an amp, with no distortion and no effects pedals.  The drum set was minimalistic containing only a snare, a ride cymbal, a floor tom with a tambourine taped to the side and played standing up.  The vocals were provided by Craig, who has a penchant for humor.  Dressed in a green suit and gold tie and looking somewhat like a leprechaun, he would sing and dance across the stage in a way that reminded me of Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello.  Musically, the most impressive aspect of their sound was the bluesy harmonica playing of Nathaniel.  He would play riffs underneath Craig’s singing and fill in the spaces with blues licks.  After their set, I asked him how long he has been playing, and he told me he’s been practicing for twenty years.  Their sense of humor kept their set fun and entertaining, a sense of humor necessary to play songs such as “Tarantula Cake”, “Werebear”, and “One-Eyed Ghost”.

Next was the Black Sparks from D.C.  They are heavily influenced by other D.C. hardcore punk bands such as Minor Threat and Fugazi, but they differ greatly due to the fact that the members range from 10 years old to 13 years old.  Don’t expect some little kids banging on guitars and sounding like most bands of pre-teens would; they are actually accomplished m usicians.  They’ve al ready played some huge venues such as the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, as well as many other smaller venues in the D.C. area.  The band consisted of 12-year-old rhythm guitarist Jonah Antonelli, 13-year-old drummer Nathaniel Salfi, 12-year-old bassist Ray Brown, 12-year-old lead guitarist Sam Grove, and 10-year-old singer Andrew Salfi.  They introduced themselves, and then began a fast-paced punk song.  The Black Sparks were an immediate hit amongst the FAA crowd.  Dancing and headbang ing erupted throug hout the audience, some of the more energetic and creative dancing was done by Craig and Kirstin of the Crypts, whose energy is apparent even off of the stage.  What truly made for a great show was the singing and stage presence of Andrew.  With his vocals, he proved that he can both sing melodically and shout, a quality that not all punk singers have.  Despite his youthful demeanor, he handled the stage like a musician twice his age.  Running across the stage, dancing, crouching down and screaming into the mic, jumping into the audience and running a lap during a guitar solo, he gave it his all.  He even laid back into an  easy chair located on the side of the stage for one song.    One of my favorite songs was "Falling Apart."  It began wi th a dark guitar riff and crescendoed into an upt empo progression based on the same chords as the intro.  It reached a bridge of lead guitar playing overtop of the bass, and with a quick drum  fill, transitioned back into the verse.  While following a simple song structure, it was Andrew’s vocals that really got me.  He sang melodically, but with the punk rock attitude that made the Black Sparks what they are, and with a sense of angst in the lyrics which made the song, and the whole show, so great.  

People were already pumped from the collective energy of the previous bands, but it was the energy of Jaguar Shark which acted as the catalyst that transitioned the show from an energetic one to a manic one.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I mean manic in the  be st of ways.  The dancing had manifested itself into a sort of collective activity, the crowd acted as one massive, amorphous entity moving to the music in whatever ways they saw fit.  Jaguar Shark is more of an indie punk band, very different from the straight ahead punk of the Black Sparks, but they followe d u p well, nevertheless.  They are a local band who has played many, many FAA shows, so nearly everybody in t he audience was familiar with their music. Everybody in the band is either enrolled in, or has graduated from S tafford Senior High School.  Their lineup consists of Patrick Davis (bass, lead vocals), John Kovalchik (guitar), Ja nus Chidester (guitar, backup vocals), Ben Wood (drums), and Kurt Vinnedge (primary lyricist, auxiliary percussion).  Some distinctive aspects of their sound are the sparkling clean tones and the warm, smooth distorted tones of their guitars, combined with the baritone singing voice of Pat.  They differ from other indie bands in that they know where and when to use a good guitar solo or lead guitar lick.  I’m not talking Jimi Hendrix blues rock licks, but warm, distinctively indie rock licks, made so by a small amounts of rev erb and delay.  Towards the end of their set was when the crowd surfing began.  Kurt, armed with his tambourine, jumped into the audience, where the flinging that I’ve previously described took place.  Needless to say, I walked out of the concert sore and covered in sweat but bursting with energy.  Fredericksburg A ll Ages has managed once again to put on an awesome concert.

By Correspondent: David Brunson

David Brunson is a Fredericksburg local, born in 1994.  He spent two years living in the Bahamas in his early childhood and enjoys spending his summers in Costa Rica.  He began playing piano in first grade but discovered his true passion for music in the sixth grade when he first picked up the guitar.  He is involved in both his school music program and the local music scene.  This includes playing guitar in the James Monroe jazz band and his own band the Bassic Needs.  His interests include traveling, surfing, writing, relaxing, and of course, music.