Opening Bands: Big Rude Jake, Johnny Too Bad and The Strikeouts, Unsteady
Date: April 1997
Venue: The Tune Inn, New Haven CT

I have never been to the Tune Inn so we didn’t know how to go. We brought along our friend from Connecticut and she goes to school with us also.

She knew how to go so we were off to the show. We get into New Haven and as we are walking to the Tune Inn; this African American guy came up to us and wanted to give him 10 bucks. He said he wasn’t here to kill us or rob us or anything. The guy said he just got out of prison so I gave him a couple of bucks and so did Matt and our friend. That was kind of a scary moment but if the guy was serious( he was almost crying) then I felt good, I guess. We got in the place and chill out for a half hour. The Pilfers had all this merch. There was a ton of hats, stickers, t-shirts and more. They had like 5 different type of hats.

The first band was a swing band from Canada called Big Rude Jake. They were good and played really well. They got the “cats” in the crowd swinging it up and skankin’. The highlight of their set was two guys, I think of Unsteady or just some people in the crowd; pick two of the horn players and put them on their shoulders and played around the crowd. I wanted to see a chicken fight because I would have put my money on the t-bone player. Then the next band was an Asian Man Records band called Unsteady. They played well too and the keyboard player was really good. The lead singer sounded like that fat guy on In Living Color who did his irish singing guy bit. They played a cover of someone but who the hell knows who did that song first; that song was called “Bad Attitude.”

They got off and the next band was a Ska Satellite Band called Johnny Too Bad and The Strikeouts. I thought they played okay but they weren’t my type of ska band. They were to slow. Two of the guys looked like the guys in Oasis.

After them the Pilfers finally took the stage. They played two of my favorite songs right of the bat. And they were “Yukaza,” “Generation.” After that they played “Hypnotized,” “Show No Fear.” They played like 3 new songs and they should start recording for their second album soon. They played “What’s New,” “Chalalaway, “Saga.” I actually had room to dance to them this time, it was great. Coolie said wear are all the “X-men” in the crowd and some of the kids raised their hands and made X’s with them, and so did I. He said I used to smoke a lot. then he laughed…and he said that again and then he said that it fucks you up and not to do it.SO STOP SMOKING BECAUSE BECAUSE I’M SICK OF SMELLING IT AT SHOWS!!! Then they played “Jolly Jolly Jolly,” and “Dr. Kevorkian.” “Shits Up in the Air” was the last song. They played ever song and more except “Waitin 4 U,” and “Jerkin.” Then we had to go back near Danbury and then drive home so we got back like a 3 or 4 in the morning.