Anything, Anything: Dramarama in the OC

Some great musicians have come out of Jersey: Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem, Jon Bon Jovi, The Misfits, Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, and a band that sings one of my all-time favorite songs ever, Dramarama. At one time this song was probably your all-time favorite song ever too.

"I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills,

Give you anything you want, hundred dollar bills,

I'll even let you watch the shows you want to see,

Just marry me, marry me, marry me."

Best. Song. Ever. Right? At least top ten. It's timeless. And it still blows my mind that these guys came out with this in the 80's. While all the other bands of the 80's were teasing their hair and messing around on synthesizers, these guys came out with this epically heart-braking alt-rock love song complete with real guitars, bass and drums. The 80's were a dark time in general in my mind. The fashion was to look like you fell in a bucket of neon paint after sticking a fork into an outlet. [See Fig. 1]

[Fig. 1: A trio of models circa The 80's]

And remember stonewashed jeans? [Writer pauses for a full body shudder.] Compared to the 60's and 70's, the 80's was a fairly forgettable decade - or one that people wish they could forget anyways! But one ray of light that has withstood the test of time is "Anything, Anything" by Dramarama. Whether you grew up in the 80's, 90's or Oughts, you were once 16, with the windows rolled down and the radio turned up, belting this song in your best John-Easdale-tragically-angry-gritty-scratchy-whine. I'm pretty sure none of us could relate to the lyrics, if we even understood them at all, but we all related to whatever it was in his voice. That feeling they emitted, we had felt it once. It was punk, rock, and pop all rolled into one glorious package. Which is probably why the song still holds the title of "most requested song on KROQ" even through today. It can't be pigeonholed by genre and it is still relevant after all this time.

[The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones]

After a long hiatus, the SoCal transplants of Dramarama are back and touring! Minus original member Chris Carter, who you can now find on KLOS's Breakfast with The Beatles [check out our in-studio coverage of Chris's show here], they hadn't been doing a whole lot after their breakup in 94, so it will be good to see the guys back in full swing after regrouping in 2004. They'll be stopping through Orange County at one of our favorite local watering holes, The Coach House, this Friday Dec 4th. They'll be sure to play all the old favorites as well as some from their most recent album, Everybody Dies, which they recently promoted on their blog thus: "It's not new and hot, but it's the latest and it's still warm." Great musicians with good senses of humor, who doesn't love that? They'll even let you hear the songs they want to sing...

Tickets: $18

Doors Open: 6 pm

Show Starts: 8 pm

www.thecoachhouse.com for more details

- Amy

On my iPod: Dramarama's "Anything, Anything"