A vaguely remembered week end with the NO/NO’s………..

Hey to all! For those who don’t know me yet, I’m the Pappa. That’s right two p’s, spell checker has a field day every time I type my name. I’m a father figure
and a literary mistake all at once…but enough about me, that’s not why I’m here. The ‘why’ is for a band called The NO/NO’s, you may or may not have heard of them, but I’m gonna
tell you why I think you should hear them, and more importantly, why you should listen to them. Now, I know none of you were able to see the two shows they played the weekend of the 24th
and 25th of July 2009, in Green Bay and Oshkosh, WI, but I was and I don’t have the pictures to prove it.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????

WHAT? Well, the pics I do have are completely terrible, I only had my Blackberry with me and as technologically advanced as they are, they are not good for bar shots of the band.
So, basically all you’re gonna get in this post is my word that they played and the events that took place within and thereafter are for the most part…TRUE!. Ok, maybe not so dramatic and maybe
not to the best of my ability as the Pappa has (unlike Bill Clinton) “inhaled” once or twice, but I promise that future show reviews and posts will be more of a visual experience rather than some
jibber-jabber ramblings of a legally insane individual that happens to have went to a show. I will provide visual truth along with the hear-say. I don’t mean to ramble but I needed to clear the air there.

Ok, I’m rambling.

I do have two pictures that i can show you, and since pictures speak a thousand words, I might be able to keep you interested long enough to finish the post. Well, the night of the 24th was spent
at IQ’s in Green Bay, WI.

IQ's--see there's AL!!!!!

I got a picture of their sign and as you will notice, there’s Albert Einstein’s face in the center of it, once again proving how smart you are for listening to punk rock music.
Ok, IQ’s is a great looking place, kind of a one level rambler gutted out into a bar. A medium sized bar that still possesses a spacious feel. I arrived as the first band Silent Planet was finishing up their set.
A kind of “Clutchy” sound, I was a bit disappointed that I missed almost the entire set. Silent Planet finished and The No/No’s finally arrived. They were to go on after the Highball Hooligans, who are a band to see
if you like good ‘working class’ punk rock. With a similar sound to Rancid, Dropkick, and the Clash, Highball also brings their own unique style, especially when they perform their covers of the theme song from ‘Cheers”
(What up Sam?) and ‘I fought the law’ by Sonny Curtis and The Crickets (post Buddy Holly). They played a great set filled with energy and talent and kept the crowd smiling. Check them out if ever you get the chance.

Now for The No/No’s. I am a little biased when it comes to this band since I am close friends with the pots and pans section of the band. But that don’t mean I blindly support his endeavors and taste in music.
When it comes to all that, it’s a whole other ball of yarn for another time. Now as I said earlier The No/No’s were in WI for a two day, two show “tour” for lack of a better term, so it might be best if I just summed up
both days as one review. Both were great shows. A lot of energy and a lot of fun. One thing i noticed is that The No/No’s are a very hard working band, they come to perform and give who ever is at the bar a show to be remembered. But it seems that The No/No’s do a better job when they are not in a rush.

What do I mean? Well, traveling from MN to Green Bay took a little longer than expected, arriving after the first band and almost right before the Highball Hooligans. The No/No’s like to mingle with the locals.  When they got to IQ’s, they had to wait to do their walk arounds and watch the show. When they did perform it was received extremely well by the patrons of IQ’s, but in conversation afterward the band seemed to feel as if they weren’t fully up to par…..YOU WOULDN’T HAVE NOTICED. But being the professionals they are, they see their flaws where I see a good performance.

But, when the next night arrived and they played the Reptile Palace in Oshkosh, there was a much better stage performance. It seemed that the band was more in sync and better prepared to rock the joint. It also seemed that the crowd took to them a bit more, thus providing the catalyst to yield a better show. But playing in a band and especially playing out of state is not always an easy task. Making friends is sometimes harder than solving a Rubik’s Cube with one of the colors missing, not to mention getting them to listen to your band’s creative expression.

But The No/No’s pulled it off. They made the patrons rock out and groove to their sounds and earned some respect by the local bands. They are an extremely easy band to get along with and make friends, as you can see by the only other picture documenting the night, Slush (Highball Hooligans lead guitarist) had a great time and needed to to take a break from the party and catch a nap outside the Reptile Palace.

Slush-drunk.

It was a great time all weekend and it would be even better if Pappa was more on the ball and brought a camera.

But this won’t be the last time you hear from the Pappa, or maybe you will since this review is so vague and poorly written. But that’s what you are here for…..your comments and opinions do matter….. just not to me. HA!  But seriously if you want to hear more from Highball Hooligans and The No/No’s you can check them out on myspace at the following links-

http://www.myspace.com/thehighballhooligans

http://www.myspace.com/thenonosband