THE WEEKLY SKANK
by Andrew Rossiter

Sorry About The Slacking Off...

So, I’ve been slacking off a bit with my column.  Things have been hectic though with the move, the spring break, and all that.  I did manage to go see The Slackers in Ann Arbor during the period of time when I wasn’t writing…

I got off to a pretty bad start by driving 15 minutes before realizing that I had to turn around because I had forgotten my tickets.  No big deal though, I was so excited about the show that wasn’t going to let this upset me.

We still ended up arriving about a half hour before King Mob, a local band from Ann Arbor that was opening the show started to play, which gave me time to catch up with old friends and such.  Finally, the music started around 8:45 and King Mob was better than I had expected.  Though their music is repetitive and, to be honest, I couldn’t tell one song from the next, I still had a good time dancing because…Hey! It’s a two-tone ska band, I had to.

Then came the moment of truth.  The Slackers walked on stage and if I recall correctly, they opened up with one of my favorites, “Have the Time.”  The Slackers tour with or without some minor members of their band and I was happy to see one of their back-up singers there.

Over the course of their set, the Slackers played many fan favorites from earlier releases, Wasted Days and The Question, a lot of songs off their newest album, Close My Eyes, and even some new, unreleased songs.

I have to say, being the second time I’ve seen them, this was an extremely good show for them. The only thing that I was unhappy with at the show was the fact that I had to leave early due to the fact that the Slackers would be playing all night and I was leaving for Florida at 5:00 AM the next morning.  I highly recommend that you go out and grab the new Slacker’s release, Close My Eyes, which is, by the way, one of the best releases of the past two years.  I also recommend going out to the next Slacker’s show near you.

Andrew Rossiter
andrew.rossiter@XROXX.com