Over the weekend: Git Some at Hot Topic on 16th Street Mall

Git Some
Friday, February 27
Hot Topic, 16th Street Mall
Better than: Going to Hot Topic for any other conceivable reason.

I was there at the intersection Friday night where aggressively unwashed punk rock and its pre-torn-jeans-wearing, sterile imposter collided, and it was weird. Git Some, a band that has been compared (okay, mostly by itself) to Black Flag and claims the ability to "kick your fucken ass like a satanic ninja," bum rushed Hot Topic on the 16th Street Mall and played an early matinee show under the gaze of Lil Wayne and Che Guevara, their stylized mugs emblazoned on crisp T-shirts. And you know what? Git Some still kicked ass. Like a satanic ninja, in fact.

  As far as show atmosphere goes, the venue was less than conducive: The overhead fluorescents blazed hygienically, and the counter in the middle of the store, about ten feet from where the band was playing, didn't allow for much of a dance floor. Nevertheless, the lack of a stage did provide for some interesting crowd interaction: At one point during the show, a huge, random member of the audience physically lifted lead singer Luke Fairchild, who continued shrieking into the mike as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on, and cradled him like a baby...then unceremoniously dropped him on the concrete floor. Fairchild lay there in the fetal position for some moments, obviously in pain but still singing, not missing a beat.

Git Some was just as loud and dirty (both sonically and physically) as ever, though the band, or at least Fairchild, who just stood there looking bemused at a couple of points during the show, clearly knew it was treading odd waters. According to Fairchild, Git Some developed a relationship with Hot Topic when a company rep approached the band after a show in Glendale, California, and bought 200 copies of their album. Hot Topic then began selling Git Some CDs and merchandise, which led to a relationship with the downtown store's manager, Cat. "Honestly," said Fairchild after the show, "they're doing us a huge favor.

"Cat's done so many favors for us," he added. "We owe a lot of respect to her."

Perhaps. But Hot Topic is still lame. Nonetheless, Git Some did an impressive job of being the real fucking thing in the kingdom of poseurs. The shit Git Some plays is nothing new. But as far as punk rock goes, even in a Hot Topic, Fairchild and company are as authentic as it gets.

Critic's Notebook
Personal bias: Every high school kid has their identity wrapped up in one genre or another, and mine was wrapped up in punk rock
Random detail: Luke Fairchild wouldn't shake my hand after the show because he had bloodied his nose on the mike stand during the set. "I can't believe I busted my face open on a mike stand at Hot Topic," he said.
By the way: In case you missed it, Git Some CDs and T-shirts are on sale at Hot Topic