Husbands AKA Wreak Havoc in Plattsburgh

Koinonia Center houses the Burlington, VT Ska-Punkers for an evening

Story by Lou Smith

Not even the extreme chill could stop Husbands AKA from venturing to the warm Koinonia venue for a great show. I lumbered through the cozy upstairs where past band flyers hung around amazing psychedelic works of art and patrons of the venue lounged about on plush couches and chairs. The cramped basement had its fair share of people, roughly 30 or so, all of whom were anxiously awaiting the Husbands performance.

As I stood in front of the Casio keyboard and awaited the show, I envied at the tapestries and various colored clothes that lined the backdrop. Christmas lights provided a dim aura which guaranteed an intimate interaction with the band. I noticed though, through attending other basement/house shows, that when the lights are low and not as obnoxious, the band reacts better and therefore puts on a better show. Obviously if the band isn’t feeling the mood of the crowd, or the setlist, etc. they don’t do as well, but at the very least, the lighting can help brighten their mood. My thoughts came to an end though as the boys finished their sound check and began their spectacle.

They numbered five total and stood level with the venues patrons; fronted by Dylan Burns (vox), Sean Fitzpatrick (guitar), Tyson Valyou (keys), Alex Pond (drums) and Chris Valyou (bass). As soon as the group blasted into their first song, many of the audience members began to rock their head to the catchy and upbeat tempo. Ska music, although not well known in the pop music industry, is infamous in the underground community for possessing attributes of both punk rock and fast reggae-esque rhythm.

Choosing to cover a Jawbreaker song as well as erupt into "American Dream" and "Chameleon" which fused smooth flowing reggae while maintaining a gruff punk snarl. A reporter could be seen shooting the event with his bulky camera while grooving with the music. At one point their bassist had problems when his cable blew, but the situation was mended when Yo Adrian! guitarist stepped in and lent his. Just goes to show you that things can go wrong at any point during a live performance. And even though his cord didn’t work, the band continued to charge ahead in the song, which is the best thing to do when you’re in that situation.

Koinonia, although not an enormous concert spot, still managed to pack a good crowd for the Husbands, who bounced from song to song with limited errors carrying the entire crowd with them. I had a great time grooving with the tunes these young "Husbands" were dishing out, for when reggae is mixed with the fury of punk, it creates such an urgency that makes you want to move.

Shows are a great example of motivators; a band is playing fast, upbeat music, a singer is shouting at you and all around folks are moving. People could be seen "skanking" (the "proper" way to dance to ska music, which involves moving your legs and arms) in the dimly lit basement. The levels on the PA were great for the vocals and the band sounded together (apart from random moments). It was hard to resist to the relentless, explosive drumming and almost all of the member could be seen singing along with lead vocalist.

The group even took a moment early on in their set to eat some sandwiches after bassist called for tunafish and later on in the show two men were kissing as the group blasted away through one of their numbers. Interesting things were happening on 34 Elm and Husbands AKA capped off a great evening of music.

Are you partial to Ska Music?