MUSIC: Big D & The Kids Table Pick It Up At Fete

Friday, December 13, 2013

Rob Duguay, GoLocalProv Music Critic

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of skanking, and this past Saturday in the ballroom at Fete was the prime night to kick your feet up in the air and have a blast. Boston ska legends Big D & The Kids Table headlined a show with local punks Short Handed Goal and fellow Bostonians Barroom Heroes filling out the bill. You knew there were going to be a lot of horns and two-tone rhythms resonating throughout the room. To highlight your weekend, what better place to get your groove on than at Fete?

A trio that pays tribute to their Boston predecessors Street Dogs & The Dropkick Murphys, Barroom Heroes started the show off with an intense variety of punk that was chock full of energy. Both the bassist & guitarists had vocals similar to Rancid's Tim Armstrong with guttural and Guinness soaked lyrics. These kids had to be their teens and their rebellious youth shined through on stage with reckless abandon. Nothing fancy, just straight up punk rock that was loud and emphatic. A very refreshing band, get your amplified fix and check out Barroom Heroes.

Getting the festivities underway right from the get go, Short Handed Goal created a pit close the stage and insanity ensued. I noticed a huge Catch 22 influence with "All Ska No Bulls**t" and "One More Day", my favorite songs from an in your face performance. One of the last torchbearers of Rhode Island ska, Short Handed Goal have a CD titled Good Violent Riot along with an EP titled Adapt And Survive. I suggest you grab both recordings and act a fool.

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The main act of the evening straight from Beantown in Big D & The Kids Table took the excitement to an all-time high. Right from the beginning the pit increased double in size with flailing bodies everywhere. Big D" Dave McWane then used a Melodica to start off "She Knows Her Way", first time I've seen one used since an old friend did it at a recital at Rhode Island College back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The doo-woppy "Tell Me Why" featured a trio of gorgeous back up singers had an old-school tone that brought the cool mood. An epic tale about that hoodtastic North Shore resort town "Lynn, Lynn The City Of Sin" had the horns being the icing on a jazzy punk layer cake. After numerous requests for "Halfway Home" from the audience, Big D & The Kids Table finished the initial performance with "Noise Complaint" followed up with a rendition of The Specials' "Little Bitch" for one last bash of chaos. The chant "One More Song!! One More Song!!" flowed throughout the room and Big D with his merry men came out for an encore of "LAX" to conclude a very fun experience. Big D & The Kids Table came out with 2 albums this year, Stomp & Stroll. Get both and get down with it, log on to fetemusic.com and see what else is happening in both the lounge & ballroom.

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