This show was on Valentine's Day and it started way too early at 6:00pm. The organizers said that they wanted to start it early so people could be with their lovers and do those lovely things that lovers do. Valentine's is to gratuitous screwing what the Super Bowl is to getting shit-faced.

Me and my date showed up late so I missed Fire Escape, the opening act. Later I asked a band member who was running the merch booth where they were from. He told me "southern California" with a defiant nod that seemded to be saying "no - we're not just another So-Cal punk band." I felt bad for him and bought a CD. It's okay for a pity purchace.

Action Action was next up and I was pretty amped. They were the main reason I was at the show. They played really well except the back up vocals sucked a mean dick. They rocked like they knew they were hot shit and they were. The real highlight of their performance was the bass player. He was obviously the most energetic (ideally medicated) member of the group, throwing his bass into half and somtimes fully arced rainbow tosses, clearing a six foot safety radius around him. I usually hate watching bass players rock out. They just look so stiff and uncomfortable - like a man on stilts trying to roller blade, but watching Action Action's bassist was a real treat.

Next up was Bella Lea from up north, whom I have to confess to having never heard of. I was blown away by these guys. They reminded me of Garbage and had a tight sound. The woman lead singer had a voice that carried for days in the hundered year old corridors of the Electric Theater. Although it was sorta hard to hear her low, slow singing over all the emo-sluts yammering on about which Action Action band member they planned to offer some Action Action to. I also came to find out that the drummer in Bella Lea is Ryan Rapsys. "Fuck my ozone" I gasped audibly, "this is the dude that does highly groovable trippy semi-instrumental stuff known as Euphone." This got me pretty excited. I ran down to the merch booth and snagged up his new Euphone release which was being sold with the Bella Lea stuff, SWEET!!!

Finally in the end it was up to The Stray Light Run to moisten and prime everyone's genitals for the anual sexathon that awaited them at home. I guess you could say that their performance was at least bonerific if not orgasmic. Michele Nolan's cute, bashful ass swaying alone was enough to cause a little epiphany in my boxers. Like I mentioned in my review they play like they have been together for years. I hope these guys make it big time someday because they deserve it. The last song, "Sympathy Martyr" was executed with near perfection and the impromptu rock out session at the end ripped me so many new a-holes I lost count.