The super-secret last-minute Farewell Show of Away Team held court at DiPiazzas in Long Beach. An early 8 P.M. start time kept a lot of the crowd away due to southern California traffic, which kept the crowd size manageable at this tiny venue. Any band large or small can attest that the band itself is merely a point in time where like-minded musicians converge. But in most cases this convergence is temporary, especially in young musicians. Much of this is due to changing tastes, big egos, or altering life paths. For Away Team it was the later. Its kind of hard to continue a band with one of your lead singers is leaving due to relocation to the other side of the country.
Yes thats rightJames Boo was relocating via horseless carriage to the Big Apple. Not only is he one of the lead singers, but is also one of our Ice Cream Man Directors. So it was a bittersweet show seeing our Outreach Director perform rousing theme songs from hit afterschool cartoons as Inspector Gadget and Duck Tales. Seeing him hammer away at his guitarone can see the punk angst that courses in his veins beneath that calm demeanor. You would never expect it, but I had the pleasure of seeing James jump onto the stage with Against Me in his suit jacket milling away in a whirling dervish. So any of you NYC bands looking for a good Asian frontman, James might be it.
Anyways best of luck to James in NYC. He will still be our Outreach Director, just in a different location. We are sure he will enjoy both the musical and gastronomical offering of NYC. If you are a foodie and enjoy BBQ and Pork, you might want to check out his blog The Eaten Path.
