Photo courtesy of Kill Rock Stars
The Old Haunts bring Northwest punk to NYC
May 14, 2008, at the Cake Shop
By Eleanor Whitney
Published: May 16th, 2008 | 11:35am
Weeknights can be a tough sell to overworked New Yorkers. On Wednesday evening, however, the Lower East Side buzzed with enough people to make it feel like a frenetic Friday evening. A devoted and energetic group of those trolling the LES turned out to see the Olympia, Washington–based Old Haunts. The band — on tour in support of its recently released third record, Poisonous Times (Kill Rock Stars) — played at Cake Shop, a cozy club with a chill, street-level coffee shop and a bar and show space in the basement. Despite the late hour, the small audience warmly welcomed the three-piece band of Craig Extine on guitar and vocals, Scott Seckington on bass, and Tobi Vail on drums.
The Old Haunts’ twangy, garage-y punk meshed well with Cake Shop’s famously friendly vibe. The band is deeply a part of the Northwest punk scene and their angular guitar riffs, driving bass lines, and Extine’s high-pitched, barking vocals plainly showed their roots. Vail, also known for her time as the drummer for the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill, propelled the 10-song set with an insistent, loping beat heavy on the floor tom.
The setlist pulled primarily from Poisonous Times, with the songs crackling out of the amplifiers more raw and boisterous than on the record. The band tore into the country-infused “Volatile” early in the set and drew enthusiastic head bobs, tapping feet, and tentative dancing from the audience throughout. The songs and the band only managed to build the intensity of their energy — no small feat since New York–based opener Love or Perish had practically started a mosh pit with its sassy pop punk. The Old Haunts played one of their strongest tracks, “Ruined View,” in the middle of the set — during which Extine let loose his vocals in a series of pleading yelps. After completing the song, Extine asked for his mic to be turned up. An audience member responded, perhaps ironically, “Stop discussing acoustics and fucking play!” Unfazed, Extine shrugged, “Maybe we should talk more about our haircuts,” referring to the impromptu haircut that Love and Perish singer Massimo received in Cake Shop’s bathroom earlier that evening.
After this slight pause, the Old Haunts lurched back into action. Vail’s solid backbeat anchored Extine’s guitar lines, which, during “Sister City,” reached a crashing, feedback-drenched solo that stopped just short of sonic pandemonium. The end of their set, punctuated by stomping drum beats, screeched to a perfectly timed halt. Under Cake Shop’s low ceiling and hanging Christmas lights the Old Haunts modestly thanked the audience of friends and fans who left satisfied by the high-energy Wednesday night rocknroll.
Issue #35
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