Miami Airlines, Norma Fraser, Pocketface,
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies - September 22, 2002
@Eugene Celebration, Eugene, OR

Melissa and I started our day off at the 5th Avenue Stage where local ska/punk heroes Miami Airlines were about to play. There was a small crowd forming to see the band. I have never seen Miami Airlines play at a venue with a really good sound system. They sounded pretty damn good today! Etzel pulled the plug on his guitar once, but other than that they sounded great. I joked around with Melissa that they sounded almost professional (which they did). Tony did a good job of toning down the lyrics since there were some younger kids at the show. One of the highlights of the show was with Tony harassing Frog (an aged hippie who sells really bad joke books). Great show guys (and Kelly)!

After Miami Airlines played we headed over to the Spirit Mountain Stage where Norma Fraser was playing. Norma started her singing career in Jamaica in the 60s. She eventually got a contract with the Studio One record label. She now lives in Eugene. Norma sang some ska tunes and some reggae tunes. Norma's band has a nice sound and she has a wonderful voice. She sang songs such as "54-46 Was My Number," "007 (Shanty Town)," and "Stir It Up." She sang a few other Bob Marley songs too. Norma plays in Eugene pretty often, so go check her out if you get a chance.

Next we went back to the 5th Avenue Stage to see Pocketface. Pocketface is a local band that formed from members of The Lounge Derbies and Double-0-Seven. I only got to hear a couple of their songs, but they sounded pretty tight. It's nice to see a lot of younger bands come out of Eugene that have a lot of talent. Pocketface has more of a pop-punk sound with some ska thrown in.

The Cherry Poppin' Daddies played shortly after Pocketface. Now, I like The Daddies and all, but they really need to get some new material. I felt like I was at the previous year's performance. The crowd was big, but it wasn't as cramped as last year. The Daddies played all their hit swing songs and a few of their ska tunes. Their set was like listening to "Zoot Suit Riot" with a few extra songs added in. I know that there were some people there that were disappointed by The Daddies not playing anything they "could mosh too." Overall, The Daddies sounded great and I had a good time, but hopefully they'll come out with some new material before next year.