Riff Raff

Comments (0) By Mark Athitakis and Robert Arriaga Wednesday, Feb 3 1999

Feel Lucky, Punk? Ever sing like NOFX's Fat Mike in the shower? Probably not, what with rent so high and touchy roommates to worry about, but on Feb. 8 you can finally show the world your talent: "Punk Rock Karaoke" is coming to Slim's. Filling in for the box and providing their own cheesy backdrop are a smattering of punk heroes -- Greg Hetson (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks), Eric Melvin (NOFX), Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose), and Derek O'Brian (Social Distortion). The show is part of a West Coast tour in which audience members pick a favorite punk tune -- or at least one they can slur -- and join the band for 120 glorious seconds.

Hetson says the original idea came from a friend, who three years ago set up a similar night in a downtown L.A. restaurant. "It was a lot of fun and I've been a part [of it] ever since," says Hetson. Although the current lineup represents enough classic groups to perform a wide range of songs, Hetson says the audience as well as the band seem to prefer songs from long-gone outfits. "We do mainly stuff like Sex Pistols, Damned, and Stiff Little Fingers -- anything that we don't usually get a chance to play," he says.

And how do the amateur would-be punk icons fare onstage? "The singers really vary," says Hetson. "Some are just completely hideous and some are really good. But in all it's just good punk rock fun." (Robert Arriaga)

Send Bay Area music news, band stories, or petty gripes to mathitakis@sfweekly.com, or mail it to Riff Raff, c/o SF Weekly.