The Unknown ONLINE!

SHOW DIARIES
These are some diaries of shows past. If you would like to contribute a diary for a show you were at, just email it to us and we'll post it. All diaries are the opinions of those who wrote them. Email them to bitch, complain or applaud.

Saturday, Jan 17th, 2003
Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland.
With Marky Ramone and Friends
Show Diary by Ken

This was our first time in the Beachland's big room. The night was going to be us and Marky Ramone. Pretty cool. No sitting around through 5 bands. We got in early, around 7:30 and got to have a real soundcheck fo once. Mike Reilly was workin sound that night, so we got to really fine tune things during a half hour soundcheck. We were really excited to have monitor mixes. Woohoo! So people started rollin in at around 8:30 for the show. So the whole place was full, and we'd be playing to packed house at home for the fist time in a long long time. We hit the stage at about 9:45 and had a great show. We played the following set: LISTEN - POSTCARD - WHETHER - TONGUE TIED - SEVEN - DISAPPEAR - PRETTY IDENTICAL - MERRY GO ROUND -TEENAGE DREAM- GIVE ME A REASON - RADIO LIED TO ME - DO YOU KNOW THAT GIRL - WHISKEY ROMANCE - LEAVE ME NOW. This was a good mix of really new songs with the old stuff. We felt great about our performance and everyone seems to really dig it. Even our close friends said we had a particularly good night. We were grinning ear to ear. It was also nice to open a show and then be able to sit back and relax for the rest of the night.
The rest of the night was a set of Ramones songs played by Marky and some dudes as his friends. Aaron from Amps II Eleven was playing bass, CJ from the Subtones was on guitar and I don't know who the singer was. The band sounding fine playing a million Ramones songs with banter in between each by Marky. It was cool for a while but it was kinda weird too. I saw the Ramones play in '88 and '90 and this just wasn't there for me. I understand that for a lot of people that never saw the Ramones this was probably a really great thing, and don't get me wrong, it was fun and I had a great time. It was a really awesome way to play the big stage at the Beachland for the first time

Friday and Saturday September 13-14, 2002.
Rise and Solidarity Books; Springfield, IL/Indianapolis, IN
With Gunga Dins, Waste of Time and well NO ONE!
Show Diary by Superdan

"I wanna leave at 8!" That's what Brian said the night before. I got to his house a 8:15, and I think I woke him up. He forgot to tell me that he meant 8:00 am Roscoe time, which is like 9:22 regular time. Anyhoot, we ALL climbed into Brian's brother's van (thanks Denny), and we were off to Springlfield, Illinois armed with ham, swiss cheese, a loaf of bread and a 12-pack of coca-cola. The trip was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that to keep the van from overheating from pulling not only the five of us, but also a trailer full of gear, Brian had to turn the heat on every five minutes. So, anyway, we got to Springfield. When we arrived at Rise, which was the coffee shop where the show was being held, there was no one around. But never fear, here comes Jim Rice to save the day. So we eventually loaded ALL the gear into the building, set up the merch, and were ready to go! Now it should be mentioned that there was no drinking allowed at Rise, so guess what we depended on.....Coca-Cola!!!! Anyway, the show was awesome. The first band was Waste of Time. Apparently, they had broken up two days before the show, and the entire set was played by ex-members ... whatever. Kooky little ska band ... they got the crowd warmed up ... I guess. Then was The Unknown. I don't remember the set, I never do, but they sounded PERFECT. And when they played Group Think, I sang the "Yeah Whatever's" with our friend Jim Rice and Chris MacDonald, who is the brother of one of the guys in Scarper! (the band The Unknown toured with in the UK). The action at the Merch table was unbelievable. As soon as Group Think was done, I jumped over to the table because there was a line six people deep at the table. After The Unknown was the Gunga Dins, Jim's band. They rocked as usual, and the next time they are in YOUR town, you should check 'em out. We spent the night at Hank from the Gunga Dins house which he shares with Erin. Thanks a lot, but I'm sorry if I left any chest hair on the carpet. The next morning there were some doughnuts, hot chocolate, coffee, a little bit of skating, and then back on the road.
"I HATE INDIANA!!!!!!!!!!" When we first crossed the state line into Indy, we pulled into a rest stop where there was a sign taped to the door which said; "Sorry, but the water in this building is not fit for drinking or washing." Ha! So we finally pull into Indianapolis, where the show is supposd to take place. Brian pulled into the parking lot next to Solidarity Books, the show site, and low and behold, there's no one there. The short story is that the show was cancelled and NO ONE told us. Everyone knew the show was canceled except us. By the time we were leaving I wanted to piss on the front door, and Brian wanted to write FUCK YOU on the front door of the store with Unknown Stickers. But our sanity prevailed, probably because of the success of the show the night before. The best part is that while we were trying to figure out what was going on, a random woman walked by and said: "They need some more trees on this side of the street" ........ umm ....yup?! So we finally got to a shitty Knights Inn where there were pubic hairs on the floor and a blood stain on the wall. We watched a shitty horror movie called Valentine which had Denise Richards in it, then we went to bed. Brian was awakened around 5am by a guy knocking on the door next to ours and screaming for a cigarette. "Donchyalll fergit 'bout me!!!!!" The next morning we left Indiana ... THANK FUCKING GOD!!!!!!!! One last thing I want to say about this tour. I have never EVER in the space of 3 days drank soooo much coca-cola. EVER! Oh, yeah, I had fun too, a blast actually ... I'm certainly on board next time!

Wednesday August 28, 2002.
THE SPOT, CWRU, Cleveland, OH.
All by ourselves
Show Diary by Ken

I'm not going to say much about this show. We were asked to play at the SPOT, the bar on the campus of Case Western Reserve University for one and a half hours. We did it, and we didn't fall over dead. Actually we sounded good for just about the whole time. Noah even came up and played Million Bucks with us to give Wayne a rest. Here's what we played to fill up the 1.5 hours: seven - seems - never - sorry - whether - annie - postcard - puzzles - real thing - stare - truks - solomon - radio - might think - million - listen - mascara - cyclone - saygoodbye - 3's Co. medley(myfriends/blink) - disappear - forever - control - that girl - need - 705 - so like - biff - stay - group. 32 songs in all.

Friday August 2, 2002.
Phantasy Nite Club, Lakewood, OH.
2002 Punk/Ska Fest
Show Diary by Ken

   The 2002 Punk/Ska fest was a good time. There was a ton of bands at three stages and a lot of diversity in the bands. I spent a lot of time walking from stage to stage seeing bands I have never seen before. Some were pretty good. Most notably The Interceptors, Kobie and Cypher (though I had seen them before) and Johnny Psycho. They were playing well when I saw them. I saw a ton of others but unfortunately I have no idea who most of them were. That's the trouble with big fests I guess.
   It was a good night for us and our closest friends too. Sidecar, Rod, us and the Fun Machine closed out the night, and it was a big party from 10:00 on. Everybody had a great set. It was good to see Rod again after a long while and awesome as always to play with Sidecar. The Fun Machine kids put on a good show proving they are gonna be around for a good while.
   I can't forget to mention that Pete from Sidecar presented me with a birthday cake during the middle of our set. Such love. It was complete with mini skateboards and a gravestone candle. I can't thank everybody enough for actually giving a shit about me. (Can't say I enjoyed the cream pie in the face/head afterward though...that of course was Brian's idea. Guys, you shouldn't have told Michelle about it and just done it on stage....as a result no one got to see it happen. Oh well! haha.) So it was a very memorable night for me. Plus, I don't think I have ever looked out on a crowd eating cake before. Specifically SidecarBrandon and that damn goofy grin of his.
   The Set for the night was:Seven-Whether-Never be the Same-Radio Lied to Me-Puzzles-Self Control-Do You Know That Girl (Brand new, written and finished that day and we totally fucked it up)-Cyclone-Stare-Group Think. Group Think chorus provided by Pete, Dan and Tom. Thanks fellas. Big thanks to Kevin for setting up the show.

Friday August 2, 2002.
Phantasy Nite Club, Lakewood, OH.
2002 Punk/Ska Fest
Show Diary by Superdan

   I had a huge-ass thing written for this, but my girlfriends crappy computer deleted it, so here's the Short Version:
   Sidecar: they ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!
   Rod: Cool POP-Punky band that I saw before, and still like.
   The Unknown: Nothing I love more than getting up front and singin along with Rick, Louis, Tom, and whoever else is there.
   The Fun Machine: FUN!!! (duh) I can't wait for their first album. RUPERT=GOD
   And I had a whole, big long rant about those 13 year old kids who look like they spent 4 hours in front of the mirror so they can look punk. and then condescend to talk to me only when I give them a free sticker. BITE ME AND KISS MY BUTT!!!!. you all go wear your punk rock uniforms, and go be different just like everyone else.
   Big thanks to Rupert, Rick and Corey for helping me shirk my duties at the merch table, so's I could watch the bands I wanted to see. YOu ALL are the best. ROCK ON!!!!!

Monday July 22, 2002.
Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH.
with Broken Society and Dick Dastardlys
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

The Unknown's first show ever at the Beachland. For as long as they have played, I am so surprised that they have never played at the Beachland. It was a great show. Dick Dastardly's played first. They are a crazy band. The funniest thing is the guitarist has "The Fun Machine" Sticker on the head of his guitar. There are only two stickers in existence right now. They were very energetic. I saw them before at the agora before Agnostic Front. The Unknown went on next. Awesome set as usual. I was mad they didn't play "Whether" That should be mandatory at every show. But they did play Group Think...good Scarper cover. Plus I got to go up on stage with Dan and sing the "yeah whatever" part...very enjoyable. Broken Society headlined, they were great...sounded a little like The Unseen. It was hilarious though when the lead singer of the Dick Dastardly's was trying to mosh, and spilled his beer, making the floor very slippery and he fell all over the place. My friend Catherine and I had a good laugh. The show was great, people were great, even though there were not too many people there.

Monday July 22, 2002.
Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH.
with Broken Society and Dick Dastardlys
Show Diary by Ken

   Tonight was the first night we have ever played at the Beachland in Cleveland. The Beachland is a really great place with a good sound. Usually they lean toward the indie rock/rock n roll scene. We don't fit with those types of bands usually. So when Tommy from the DDs set this up, and when he needed another band, I was happy to be added to a show there. Hopefully we'll be able to play there more often. It was a Monday. Usually death when it comes to shows. But it was a decent draw, and we actually made some cash for the touring band, Broken Society. The Dick Dastardlys played first, and they played really well. They have been around now for a bit, and they are getting better and better. Their sound is a cross between old school Ramones style with a little snot ala the Nobodys or the Circle Jerks. At about 10:25 we went up and played.
   The set was: SEVEN - STARE - LISTEN TO ME - CYCLONE - STARE - RADIO LIED TO ME - PUZZLES - NEVER BE THE SAME - SHE'S SORRY - THE REAL THING - POSTCARD - GROUP THINK
   We played well and had a good time in front of the small but dedicated crowd. Broken Society came on and played old school punk including an old Bad Religion song an a Misfits song. Dirk from the Dick Dastardlys was silly drunk and made a total mess of the Beachland floor. It was fun as hell. Where else would I want to be on a Monday? Nowhere.

June 31, 2002, 2002.
Swingo's Silver Quill, Cleveland, OH.
with Fruity Pebbles & Shit, and Stryper
Show Diary by Pugsley

   First, let me say that I have never seen so many people at an Unknown show before. It was crazy. My brother Regis and I motored his Honda three-wheeler over lawns and through fences just so we wouldn't have to wait in the ensuing traffic jam. When we finally did arrive, I had to wash my testical because I was sweating so much. It was after all, somewhere close to 112 degrees in the shade that day. People quickly forget how hot this past June was. Regis and I spent the next 2 hours mingling. Mingling unfortunately has fallen out of fashion in recent years. But I must say that it's truly the best way to find others who enjoy likeminded activities. Regis managed to get his cock sucked by a man in a plastic bubble. I, on the other hand, could not persuade anyone for a soup-eating contest. Undeterred, I feel I will have better luck next time if I don't wear my propeller hat. At about 8:30PM, Stryper took the stage. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy! The highlight of their thankfully short set was when the guitarist ate his guitar. I honestly don't remember a single song that they played. I spent most of the time in the bathroom with my camera. After Stryper's set was over, there was a short intermission, during which we were all treated to the comic genius of Larry "Hot Potato" Marvin. He is truly a master of ventriloquism.
   Next up was Fruity Pebbles & Shit. I had been looking forward to seeing them live because I already have several of their albums. My favorite being "Who Fucked Count Chocula?" Regis was not as enthusiastic. He finds their music trite and heavy-handed. I think he misses the whole "sugar cereal" angle in their music because mother would only let him eat Ramen Noodles. He's currently on sodium medication, and very bitter about the subject. At 9:30pm, FP&S started their set with my all-time favorite tune Ass Spoons! It was an awesome display of rock. The singer, dressed like a football, rolled around the stage while the other band members who were dressed like players, kicked and jumped on him. They played an intense and energetic 45 minute set!
   Then once again, Larry "Hot Potato" Marvin captivated the audience during the second intermission with some wonderful song parodies and a fake mustache.
   At 10:45pm, The Unknown blasted onto the stage with an amazing cover of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Without stopping, they immediately followed with a ripping version of Black Sabbath's Paranoid. Ken took a few moments afterward to educate the crowd on how to make balloon animals. And then it was right back in to Neil Young's Needle And The Damage Done. The Roscoe brothers have never been in finer form. During Enter Sandman, Wayne threw a stick at Chris and nailed him in the back of the head. Chris responded by swinging his guitar "axe-style" down on Wayne�s hi-hats. Not to be outdone, Wayne threw the electric fan at Chris and then piled all his drums on top of him. Brian, probably feeling left out of the action, decided to chase Ken off the stage with a beer bottle stuck on his dick. The Unknown came back for an encore and played an acoustic version of Aerosmith's Walk This Way, and a medley of Bob Seger songs. What a spectacular evening! Regis and I both truly believe that this was the best Unknown show we've ever seen! The only other gig that comes close is possibly the show at Bob Morris Pontiac. But the fact that I somehow ended up trading in my car for a bag of mushrooms at that show lowers the fun factor slightly. Regis Disagrees.
   -Pugsley

Saturday May 4, 2002
Hi Fi Club, Lakewood, OH.
with Pavers, Sidecar, Charlevoix
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

Good Show ... I remember the fog machine...Brian allowed me to use it on Sidecar. I loaded it so much that at times you couldn't even see Brandon. And the thing was aimed right at Brett too, I felt bad cause I think I got him in the face a few times. Whoops. The Pavers were cool, my second time seeing them. Scott Reynolds can rock out. Charlevoix was also pretty good, those girls could rock too. The Unknown ... well you know how the Unknown was ... they sucked ... ha, no, they were sweet of course. I got into that show for free cause I answered a trivia question about the new Lead singer of the Dead Kennedys. I also got a t-shirt as well. It was also my first time being in the "Hi Fi Club" just like the Blind Lemon, but cleaner. It was a great time.

Stockage, April 13, 14, 2002.
The Starlight, Fort Collins, CO.
with ALL and a TON, A TON of bands.
Show Diary by Ken

   This was one of the greatest weekends we have ever had in this band. We were invited to play the Stockage festival in Colorado with ALL and a ton of other bands that are associated with ALL, OandO Records and the ALL message board scene. It was a great honor to play, and it was totally worth it. The festival was set up by Jeff Sameness, the webmaster of the ALL message board. The bands playing were comprised of people who visited the board and other OandO bands and a few other friends of ALL. The list of bands that played were: ALL, The Descendents (original line-up (Tony Frank and Bill)), Wretch Like Me, Pavers, Ultimate Fakebook, Gunga Dins from Illinois, Fifth Business, Black Brick Kiss, Cheaper than Crack, Mary Chasers, Tabula Rasa, Mine from Japan, 5 Star Crush from L.A, Deviltones, Reno Divorce from Denver, Bill The Welder, Someday I, Drag the River, Chad Price's other band, Endwell, Nice Life, Abandon All Hope, The Last, Mustion (a band made up of me, Stephen Egerton, Noah from Oberlin and Jason from Tennessee (more on this later)), A Day in the Life, Losers Beat Winners, Goon Squad, Leghorn, Lawndarts from NJ on Black Pumpkin, Tension Wire, Hook in Mouth Disease, Armchair Martian, and Armstrong. The bands played from 2pm to 2 am over two days.
    We played on the first day in the middle right after The Deviltones and right before Reno Divorce. It was cool just to be there and hung out with a lot of friends we have met over the years. The ALL guys were very accessible and friendly as well. After all this was their backyard. All the bands were good. There were no shitty bands. There was a very diverse style of bands as well. There was some instrumental stuff, punk, poppunk, rock, country, hell too much to explain really. There were t-shirts made commemorating the weekend, a karaoke session both days where people got to sing with ALL, ALL played a ton of songs both nights including a half-set with Scott Reynolds, former singer. And there were the best burritos I have ever had on sale for only a dollar.
    An added bonus for me was that I got to play in a band with Stephen from ALL. We did a bunch of covers - X's "Los Angeles," Joe Jackson's "One More Time" and The Last's "Looking at You," and a few originals written by Jason and Noah. When we did the Last song, Bill Stevenson (ALL's drummer) came up and played drums and the two Nolte brothers from the Last came up and sang back up. It was phenomenal. I will never forget that 30 minutes of my life.

Stockage, April 13, 14, 2002.
The Starlight, Fort Collins, CO.
with ALL and a TON, A TON of bands.
Show Diary by Noah Smit

   The weekend of Stockage (for explanation see Ken's review) started off that Friday with my girlfriend Tonia and I arriving in Denver via plane and meeting up with the guitarist, Jason of my thrown-together band, Mustion. As the Unknown guys weren't going to be showing up until Saturday afternoon, I was staying with Jason and his girlfriend Friday night. Since our band was thrown together and therefore had never practiced before, we felt that it would be smart if we had some sort of practice in. Our initial plan was to practice at the Blasting Room (ALL's studio & practice space) but it was booked with such small time bands as the OG Descendents... anyway, after much telephone confusion Stephen said that he would just come to our hotel room and we would discuss the songs and "practice" with him drumming on his legs, Jason playing the guitar he brought, and me playing whatever bass Stephen would bring (I didn't bring mine). So after waiting a few minutes in this Fort Collins hotel, I went outside for some fresh air and after a few minutes saw this funky old van roll up... it was Stephen, of course, with guitar case in hand. So we went into the room and after listening to Stephen talk our ears off for about an hour, we practiced the songs in the aforementioned manner, but with me playing not a bass but a BARITONE guitar (basically, a normal E-A-D-G-B-E guitar but with a longer neck and thicker strings like a bass) that Music Man gave Stephen a few years back. Interesting to say the least. Anyway, I was blown away by his ability to learn these songs so quickly. After learning later that the van that he drove up in was used on several Black Flag and Minutemen tours, he left and I went to sleep in fanboy dorkward heaven. On Saturday we showed up and after learning that there was a no re-entry rule for those under the age of 21 which sucked because 1.) I was under 21 and 2.) that meant being in a club for 14 hours straight (noon - 2 AM), The Gunga Dins started off the weekend with a strong set of hardcore material. Of course, the crowd-pleasing moment happened when Gunga Dins and Unknown friend Jim Rice jumped onstage with them and sang the song Minor Threat. What a way to kick off the festivities.
   Eventually after hanging around the front door, I saw Ken and the boys arrive, which was great because it was nice to have some allies in this weird situation of a gathering of a bunch of message board geeks such as myself. After several bands' sets, the Unknown came on (isn't that the point of this review?) and played very well, even though Bill's high-set drumkit (the backline equipment was shared by all bands so as to eliminate time between sets) must have been weird for Wayne, that lowrider. Judging by all of the post-Stockage chatter on the ALLCentral Message Board, it seems as if the Unknown made one of the biggest impressions of the weekend, as well. Nice. Later that night (during Wretch Like Me, who I really wanted to see) I found myself in the ALL Van, practicing these songs again, this time with Ken. This was an actual "electric" practice as our guitars were plugged into those little cigarette box style lighters. Also, I was using a bass this time, as Brian was letting me borrow his bass for our set (thanks Brian!). After that was done, I went in and saw the Pavers, who I like better every time I see them. After them, ALL went on stage and played a great set with some crazy songs like "Broken" and "Iceman" - songs that I never thought I would see live. Then as bonus, Scott came out and sang an encore of 3 or so songs. Fun as hell.
   On Sunday, we went on over to the club after hitting Dennys'. Mustion wa slated to go on around 2:30, directly following the OG Descendents. WHOA. That was something I never thought I'd experience - playing a set directly after Frank, Bill, and Tony, whose bass playing inspires mine the most. Talk about your butterflies. But, first things first. Joe Nolte of the Last, whose song "Looking At You" we would be covering, thought it would be a good idea to work the song out before we played it. So back into the van I went. Bill, who was to drum on that particular song in Stephen's place, was nowhere to be found but that was okay since (in Stephen's words) Bill knew that song like the back of his hand. So in the van, Joe pulled out this 12 string guitar and accompanied Jason and I as we practiced the song to the audience of our two girlfriends and the Last's drummer, Josh. We went through it about 2 or 3 times and it was a whole experience on its own. After that we hurriedly ran back into the club (by this time I eliminated the no re-entry problem by using the BACK DOOR - being in a band has its perks) so we wouldn't miss the OG Descendents. The crowd was pretty large, and these three guys hit the stage and rocked the crowd, half of which I'm sure was expecting to see Milo. But they were great, and played some familiar songs like Ride the Wild, Hectic World, Like the Way I Know, and Statue Of Liberty among their unfamiliar set of 25-year old unrecorded songs. In short, I was kinda nervous about following them up. But after their 45 minutes, we hit the stage and after a false start to our opener, X's Los Angeles, we tore through our 7 song set in what seemed like 2 minutes. We were sorta sloppy, but miraculously together for having never actually PLAYED with each other with full instrumentation. Jason was a very good guitarist, and Stephen proved to be just as good of a drummer as he is a guitarist. And of course, Ken was Ken! We also got our own heckler when fellow Clevelander Marty showed up halfway through our set (thanks Marty). Before I knew it, we were at our Last song (ha ha.. get it?) of the set, and it was time for Joe and Mike Nolte and Bill Stevenson to come up. And with that, Jason played the intro to "Looking At You" (one of the finest pop songs I have ever heard), and we were into it. I played harder than I ever have before, which may not have been appropriate for such a pretty song, but this was a moment that I just had to relish. When it was all over, I ran out back to cool off and Joe N. introduced me to Tony Lombardo, and of course I turned into a big geek at this, especially when he complimented a run that I did during our set.. yeesh. At any rate we talked shop for a little while, and the day went on...
   Armstrong, composed of Zach and Doni Blair of Hagfish (who I've been into for a long time), played later that night what turned out to be their first live set ever, as well. They were great, although they deny it to this day. During ALL Karaoke, which was a chance for ALL fans to sign up to go on stage to sing a song of their choice, I asked Stephen if it'd be okay if I went on stage and played Million Bucks, on drums. Lo and behold, I was called up there to play, and holy shit was that just amazing beyond belief. At the end of the night, ALL played and Chad once again handed the mic over to Scott, who this time played about 7 or 8 songs from his era, most of which were unrehearsed (Bill got so caught up in the action that they ended up playing Box which Scott forgot a bunch of the lyrics to). It was totally amazing, and I left the event glowing. It was the most amazing weekend of my life. Not even a year before did I think that I'd play with and see such amazing musicians. Hopefully it's not the last time, either!

April 5, 2002
Phantasy Nite Club, Lakewood, OH
with Sidecar, Milksop, A Little Off, Fun Machine, No Cause, Up to Par.
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

By the time I got there I missed No Cause, but I did see everyone else. First Milksop played, they were good; Nice High School band. Then it was Up to Par I think, I don't really remember the order, I think I liked them too. I know A Little Off, was just that ... a little off, they didn't sound too good. Sidecar rocked the house, as they normally do, Brandon and his tongue ... the ladies must love it. The Fun Machine was sweet. In fact the next day I joined the band as the second guitarist. Now they are even sweeter! When the Unknown played, I rocked out. They are seriously pop punk at its best. So energetic. I don't have anything negative to say about them.

March 3, 2002
Grog Shop, Cleveland Hts, OH
with Agent Orange and Dexter Romweber
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

Now this was a great show. Seeing Agent Orange live...that was cool. They were great. I expected it to be cool, but it was awesome. Dexter Romweber was good too, it seemed like he played for a long time, after a while I started to get antsy. But none the less it was good. The Unknown was a great opening band for the show. People really seemed to enjoy it. But then again who wouldn't.

Speak In Tongues Final Show Dec. 31, 2001.
SIT, Cleveland, OH
with the Perfect Guy, 9 Shocks Terror, Brian Straw and Beckett.
Show Diary by Superdan

   It was like walking into a funeral home. New Years eve 2001 was a great night, but it was depressing too. I remember seeing people I hadn't seen in a long time. I saw guys I haven't seen since high school. I saw a girl I haven't seen since fifth grade. It was almost surreal
    I don't remember much about the show. I remember The Unknown rocking as usual, and Nine Shocks Terror being just fucking insane! The Perfect Guy played a Perfect(doh!) set. I remember being mesmerized by Brian Straw's performance, just because I had never seen anything like it before. Most of Beckett and Friendz set I watched from behind the stage with Wayne, and all we could talk about was how we didn't beleive that it was over, that SIT was really gone.
   Then there were the wacky crazy moments that made it just like any other Speak in Tongues show. Beckett tossing little phone books everywhere. There was an overwhelming odor of Marijuana around the Men's bathroom that had a urinal that was overflowing. There were bottle Rockets shootingall over the place during Nine Shocks Terror. But One ofthe funniest things about the night, was that every time I went to the Restroom, the same guy was leaning against the wall. The great part about this was that every time I went to pee, this guy was slouching against the wall a little more, until when I tripped over him, while he was curled in the fetal position on the floor. God damn, I'm gonna miss that place.

Speak In Tongues Final Show Dec. 31, 2001.
SIT, Cleveland, OH
with the Perfect Guy, 9 Shocks Terror, Brian Straw and Beckett.
Show Diary by Ken

   This was one of the hardest nights to experience. Speak In Tongues held one final show and we were a part of it. SIT was shut down because some people bought the building, and then forced out the collective that ran SIT. A short notice show was set up and a few of the bands that were regulars from over the years played the final night.
   Chris was in Japan when all of the news about SIT came down. We had scheduled a show in Buffalo for the weekend of Dec 30, and we had been practicing with Pete Woodward from Sidecar as a fill-in for Chris. The show was cancelled because of a snowstorm. So we thought we had wasted a few weeks of practice with Pete. BUT as luck (or bad luck depending on how you see it) would have it, we were asked to play the final SIT show on New Years Eve. Pete being ready to go from the Buffalo thing, made it possible.
   So we went up first and started what would be the final show at the spot known as Speak In Tongues. It was a surreal experience. It was the 30th time the Unknown played that stage. Needless to say we played our hearts out. I owe everything to SIT. Any popularity the Unknown ever garnered was because of the support and fans of SIT. We played a fast 30 minutes and proceeded to watch the rest of the bands as they played with their hearts as well. It was unforgettable. It was the first show we ever did with 9 Shocks Terror and Brian Straw. Both incredible acts. Different from us, but incredible nonetheless.

November 15, 2001.
Blind Lemon, Lakewood, OH.
with Big Wig, Brand New, F-Minus, Rise Against, Reunion Show
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

This show, I guess was orginally supposed to be different. F-minus got added after some other band cancelled I think. It was a good show. Big Wig was very cool. Brand New was also sweet, they are a such a good band. I have seen them twice since. Rise Against was good, don't remember much of the set. The Unknown; their set, amazing as always. I am going to run out of good things to say about them. I am just going to make this short ... I remember this show because it was really sweet. And it was the first time I talked to Pete from Sidecar, he was hitting on my friend...ha good times.

November 13, 2001.
Speak In Tongues, Cleveland, OH.
with Pavers and Reno Divorce
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

Great show. Reno Divorce put on a awesome set. They had a Social Distortion sound. I bought their cd, and when I played it for my friend he thought is was Social D. They were really great guys. Kate sure thought so (ha). This was my first time seeing the Pavers too. They were so good. They did a motorhead cover "Ace of Spades." Wonderful song. The Unknown ... what else can I say, they never disappoint. The funniest part of the night were two bums that wandered in, and rocked out. The one looked like a cross between Charles Manson and Ted Nuggent. It was kind of creepy. After the show, I was invited back to Brian's house, but it was a school night so I had to go home ... too bad.

Saturday October 6, 2001.
Speak In Tongues, Cleveland, OH.
with Dead Blue Hand
Show Diary by Ken

   Well this was a Saturday at the old home base. Originally a third band, the Mixelpricks, were supposed to play this show as well. Actually, it was set up for them specifically to play. We had been trying to play a show together for like 5 years and somehow it always got screwed up. This night was no exception. But it was a good night cause we got to have our friends Dead Blue Hand from Rochester come out to Cleveland and rock out. They had done two shows for us in their town, this was a good return of the favor. This was the night that we got to see a compilation that we are on of all cover songs. Our friend Rick found one used at Record Exchange, and we had never even heard of it. It was one of those things that I said OK to and then never heard anything about it for months. So earlier that week we had told Rick to bring it to the show for us to see. This was also the first night we had the Pop Punk Fever Cd Comps to sell. DBH went on around 10:40 after a nice little slew of people came in. That's the usual Speak In Tongues crowd for ya. So when I saw the crowd assembled I told Kevin from DBH to get up and rock. They did. They went over well too. A lot of people in the crowd told me how much they enjoyed their set. We went up around 12:00 - Early for us at SIT. By now there was a nice crowd, I'd say between 45 and 60 people including band members and the usual SIT people. We got up and started to play in front of a lot of familiar faces. Earlier in the week we were screwing around with a bunch of old songs to see if we could play them, and the plan was to do a few of them at this show. We played long and hard and when we tried to stop no one would let us. We ended up playing abut 25 songs, and it lasted about an hour and a half. It was crazy. Wayne had one of those nights when he was just full of energy, and he wanted to play all night long. It was cool. I was totally tired and winded after we finished the regular set, but we kept going, and I tried my best to keep up.
   The set was: NEVER BE THE SAME - NEED TO KNOW - SEVEN - LISTEN TO ME - DISAPPEAR - STARE - CYCLONE - ANNIE MAE - FOREVER THEN - THE REAL THING - SEEMS SO REAL - PUZZLES - WHETHER - FEELINGS - BLINK - SELF CONTROL - BIFF THE CAT - YOU MIGHT THINK - SO LIKE MINE - LEAVE ME NOW - MILLION BUCKS - BEST FRIENDS - LOOSE TRUKS - WHAT SOLOMON SAID
   The last four were the "encores" It was a geat night, one we will always remember.

August 31, 2001.
Blind Lemon, Lakewood, OH.
with Sidecar and A Planet for Texas
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

Really Kick ass show. Sidecar rocks as anything can rock. Never can go wrong with them. A Planet for Texas was pretty sweet too, southern type punk I guess you could call it. I bought their cd and got a t-shirt out of the deal. They were pretty cool guys. The Unknown played a good show. I can't remember details, but I know they were good, cause they always are.

June 19, 2001.
The Rhythm Room, Cleveland Hts, OH.
with No Cause, Sparechange00 and Nosedive.
Show Diary by Tom Pivovar

So this was my first Unknown show, it seems like, I have seen them a lot more than I actually have. I almost was not able to get in, I think it was 18 and over, and I was only 17, but Ken got me, cause he is a cool guy. The show was good, I like No Cause, and Sparechange00, I left though after the Unknown, so I did not get to see Nosedive. The Rhythm Room was a weird place, the stage area was down some stairs, but you could stand on the upper level and look down. It reminded me of a something from a movie where people stand over and bet on people fighting. It was crazy.

June 17, 1990
The Backyard of Carrie Hotz, Avon Lake, OH
with FFS (Freedom From Speech)
Show Diary by Ken

   Well I am writing this one in retrospect. As much retrospet as I could possible do. I started the show diaries page so I could have an outlet to write about shows I thought were memerable in some way. This one fits the bill totally.
   This is way back. Back when the lineup of the band was Ken on vocals, Peter Ahn on bass, Jeff Ottenbacher (Proletarian Art Threat, Conservatives, Cassettes) on drums and Jim Lee on guitar. We weren't very old, band wise and age wise. This was probably one of the first ten shows we played; I can't remember exactly.
   One of my very good friends was Carrie Hotz. She lived out in Avon Lake in a house right on the lake. She and her family were packing up and moving to California and this was a Going Away Party for her. It was really fucking cool. There was this little gazebo type thing way way way out back behind the house overlooking the lake. We ran extension chords from the neighbors houses and from hers to get power back there. I don't remember how we got asked to play or how FFS got asked, but it was a big honor. (we hadn't played many shows top this point). I dont know how many people were there exactly but the whole back lawn was full of people from all different backgrounds. Hell I didn't even know Wayne and Chris that well! I just knew that they were in a kick-ass band.
   So FFS was the first band of the night. For those of you that don't know, FFS was the band that Wayne and Chris were in before they joined the Unknown. Chris played guitar, Wayne played drums, John Turk (One Beat Off) sang, and I think George Pierce was the bass player at this time. They were a 70s sounding punk band that I thought totally kicked ass. They did the rock 'n roll punk thing back then that is now becoming all the rage in the early 2000s. They did mostly originals with some Pagans and UK Subs covers. John Turk had an awesome voice and Chris was the PERFECT guitarist for that genre. Unfortunately FFS broke up shortly after this show. BUT, it was fortunate for the Unknown, as Wayne would join in November and Chris eventually would join 4 years later in 1994.
   So they rocked out and we took the stage after. I dont remember any of the songs we played excpet for one. A cover. It was a cover of the song "Young Til I Die" by 7 Seconds. And I remember it well because we played it and a bunch of people from the crowd got up and sang a long as we played. I remember Chris Lanza (Standing 69s) screeming into the mic with me on the choruses. "I'm gonna stay young til I die!" It seems silly. But looking back on it now makes me think of a different time and a different scene. It really was a punk undergound, unlike it is today. I miss those days and the attitudes of the scene. Anyways, it was a fun show that I will always rememebr as we played under christmas lights in the middle of summer in the middle of no where on the lake.

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