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Mike Magrann of CH3. (All Cat Rose photos) |
By Andy
OK, we'll have to turn the clock way back for this one. It will surely make the punk horologist's head spin tenfold.
The last time I saw CH3 stomp through a raucous set on the SoCal terrain was in 1985 alongside the mighty Kraut and supercharged Plain Wrap at the Concert Factory in Costa Mesa. I first witnessed CH3 in 1981 at the Cuckoo's Nest (which would later be rechristened the Concert Factory) at a blockbuster gig also featuring Canada's Subhumans, The Detours and Circle One.
So there we were on the afternoon of Dec. 22 of 2024 -- about 21 miles from Costa Mesa at Alex's Bar in Long Beach -- checking out CH3 and their mates in Love Canal, The Hellflowers and Spider. Now, Cat and I have rocked out to CH3 copious times over the last decade in Seattle (and once in WA's Bellingham), but it was ultra-special to be back on the SoCal turf for this killer, holiday spectacular gig and toy drive.
Even better was to have my old high school pal John on board, especially since he also was present at that CH3 Concert Factory gig in the days of yore. We were digging it just as much now as we did back then.
John and I exchanged smiles the whole way and it was the perfect gift for a holiday homecoming.
Although John and I didn't succeed in getting our old band Sorex back together for a gig, I did hop on stage to sing backups on CH3's "You Make Me Feel Cheap." You can never keep a singer away from a mic, right?
Cheers to CH3 and the other bands for giving us a super-solid gig to remember.
PS: And how cool was it to see original CH3 bassist Larry Kelly join the gang to jam on a few old tunes?
CH3
LOVE CANAL
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THE HELLFLOWERS
SPIDER
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