A Ridiculously Funny Evening with Psychostick: 12-12-09

Caffeine!
In my Coffee!
Caffeine!
In my Mountain Dew!
Caffeine

In espresso!

Many have heard the awesome and goofy lyrics of Psychostick grace the airwaves of WSOU, with songs ranging from Caffeine (above lyrics) to Minimum Rage. Their songs alone are entertaining and ear-catching, so of course when I found out they were coming around to NJ, I was stoked. Saturday, December 12th, I had the pleasure of attending a local show with their headlining presence. This was something different for me because for the majority of the concerts I’ve been to, they’ve all been at big arenas or theaters. This time, I traveled down to Dingbatz, a tiny, yet cozy, bar/club right here in Clifton, NJ. The place was real easy to get to and had a friendly atmosphere.

The first band to perform that evening was Morbid Visions, right from Belmar. They put on a great set full of energy and had a big sound. They had a death metal/thrashy feel to their songs and definitely got the crowd warmed up. Be on the lookout for them opening up for D. Driver and Behemoth at the Starland Ballroom January 30th.

After Morbid Visions, another local band called Darkness Descends played. They differed a bit from the first band in that they had a more hardcore metal, edgier set. The lead singer definitely did a great job pumping everyone up and having people mosh in the small space on the floor.

Finally, well past midnight, Psychostick took the stage. Everything about them was humorous and enjoyable, from their personalities and appearances to their song lyrics. Jimmy wore a Superman shirt in addition to his blue antenna spike on the top of his head. Rawrb wore his spike jester hat. Josh had on black and white pinstripe circus paints and even Jake sported a spinny top hat. The nice part about the band performing in a small club like Dingbatz was that the show was very intimate between the musicians and the fans. Several times Rawrb nodded, smiled, or waved to me in the crowd, as was similar with a bunch of other fans. Even before the show I hung out with and chatted with Jimmy. After their performance they stuck around to hang out with their fans and take pictures. All the guys were really chill and very funny.

They did a nice mix of songs off their first album, their holiday album, and their latest CD: Sandwich. Their set list, in no particular order, is as follows:

Minimum Rage
This is Not a Song, It’s a Sandwich
P is the Best Letter
Die…a Lot!
Aqua Teen
ABCDeath
Two Ton Paperweight
Scrotal Torment
Beer!
The Jagermeister Love Song
Jingle Bell Metal
Silent Night
Happy F-ing New Year

Aside from their undeniably fantastic, humor-filled songs ranging from drinking beer to crappy first job experiences, subjects almost everyone in their listening audience can relate to, the music was serious in every way. This wasn’t just a bunch of guys singing random, stupid stuff to whatever they can bang out on their instruments. The music was very tight and well done to compliment the song lyrics. The guys did a superb job on every rhythm, break down, and melody. Their beats were right on and very catchy. For a laid back, silly band, their music did not cut corners at all. Psychostick made their set fun with synchronized moves, Jimmy collecting donations for his jail bail, and stories. Everyone made their way to the floor during Psychostick’s set, either moshing, headbanging, or just laughing along. Even for a small club, the floor was decently filled with lots of people having a good time. Definitely one of my favorite performances of the year and great night overall.

By: Gabby Canella