Surf-punkers put together a classic “lootcrate”
We’re not quite six weeks in to 2018 and I’ve already found the first MUST HAVE package of the year.
This Saturday, Genki Genki Panic is hosting a special release party at J.J.’s Bohemia, backed by the incomparable Elk Milk. As a standalone show this would be brilliant all by itself, but the release is a very special bit of icing on the cake.
The band is releasing an old school flexi-disc recording published by Goblinhaus Records and for nostalgia and coolness, this one goes to eleven. The disc itself contains three of my favorite GGP tracks, “Ghouls on Film,” “Sexy Harambe Frankenstein,” and “Radon Chong.”
All are shining examples of the band’s high energy classic punk/surf sound and wicked sense of humor, but the package itself hearkens back to a bygone era when getting special releases was a matter of sending in box tops, belonging to a fan club, using a magic decoder ring or some other set of hoops and hurdles that made fandom that much more special.
Besides the emerald green, translucent 33 1/3 flexi disc the package contains a sleeve with chic original artwork for the same, a band sticker, three cut-out paper masks of the sultans of surf, a handy id guide for telling which one is which, and a ticket for a free download of “Litanies of Surf” from BandCamp.
Again, I cannot overstate the coolness of the kitsch, this is how it was DONE back in the day and the collectability of the included goodies is priceless.The rise of “mystery internet boxes” ala lootcrate and others suggests that what’s old is new again and GGP is the first in a long time to jump headfirst in to the lost art of “fan stuff.”
It’s another sign that one of the most fun bands in the area takes their retro roots very seriously and the dichotomy of a plastic record bundled with a digital download is as gorgeous an embrace of old and new as you could wish for.
Whether you are a collector, die-hard fan, curious onlooker or just a person who likes “stuff,” this package was made for you and, I admit, it makes me feel like a kid again just to see it. It will certainly be a treasured part of MY collection, and the fact that it’s all being presented at a show featuring two of the most kickass bands in the region just makes it better and better.
Elk Milk’s reputation speaks for itself, as does Genki Genki Panic’s, and the whole thing simply reeks of “rock and roll the way it used to be.”
Genki Genki Panic (record release) with Elkmilk
Saturday, 9 p.m.
JJ’s Bohemia
231 E. MLK Blvd.
jjsbohemia.com