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  BLACK
PRESIDENT, a fledgling group of SoCal scene vets, were
obviously picked to be the supporting act for this event on the
merits of their previous endeavors: Guttermouth, Goldfinger,
Unwritten Law, the Dee Dee Ramone Band and Bad Religion. I admit
my disdain for the first three aforementioned bands, so to my
surprise they were much better than I expected - albeit in a way
likely destined for the Warped Tour. Pompadoured "human air-raid
siren" Christian Martucci's heated anti-establishment screeds (Black
Prez's name is a metaphor for "[nothing more indicative of]
change in this racist, soulless system") befitted the
guitar-driven oldschool-punk R.O.C.K. of dual axe-slingers Greg
Hetson and Charlie Paulson. Greg's razor-wire licks tossed out
between his gravity-and age-defying leaps as Charlie wrenched
"Fast" Eddie Clarke-inspired chords from a white Schecter Ultra
defaced with the slang term
"dilligaf".
 Apparently
unwilling to sing in his signature multi-octave wail, H.R.,
BAD BRAINS' original frontman, recited, "All thanks
and praises to Jah Rastafari,
Haile Selassie" before placidly reinterpreting
selections from Rock for Light, I Against I and
Quickness in the same pseudo-toasting scat-croon as newer
Build a Nation material while standing virtually motionless
behind the micstand. The man bore no resemblance to the
backflipping James Brown-meets-Johnny Rotten dynamo he once was,
not that it mattered to the sold-out crowd who seemed enthralled
by his gracing a stage in any capacity judging from their overly
enthusiastic response. Gary "Dr. Know" Miller, on the other
hand, was awesome. True to a time-honored reputation of being
one of punk's greatest guitarists, he masterfully executed
faster-than-lightspeed solos amid a flurry of graying dreads.
The only somewhat less-esteemed rhythm section, bassist Darryl
Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson, followed suit but distinguished
themselves on the top-notch reggae that punctuated the band's
hardcore-heavy set. Audience members not indisposed to "chant
down Babylon" either waved arms or nodded heads in sync with the
loping roots rock beats and tremorous rub-a-dubbed grooves of "I
and I Survive", "Jah Love" and "Until Kingdom Comes".
All words ©Dave Negative
Editing by Julie Cohen
Photo Credits: Black President, myspace.com/blackpresident; Bad
Brains, AJ Willhelm
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