Get ready for The Readymen

Dan Hoffman Arizona Daily Wildcat The Readymen from left to right: J.P. (drums), Dustin (vocals), Sol (former bass player) and Brendan (guitar). The band is playing at 11:45 this morning in The Cellar, located in the basement of the Memorial Student Union.

I mean, you all know about The Specials, right? You've heard Fishbone circa 1987 I hope. Citizen Fish, Skankin' Pickle, Operation Ivy? Please say you know about Op Ivy, short-lived as they might have been.

If not, ska-punk 101 is in session this afternoon with The Readymen.

"Who?" you ask.

The Readymen. Four punk kids from Eugene, Ore. who just about blow the roof off of every joint they play in, are bringing their high-energy sound to The Cellar today from 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., as part of the Eat to the Beat concert series.

This concert should be considered a blessing for anyone who likes ska-punk. Not only is it free, but it almost didn't happen at all. The band was all but broken up at the end of last year when bassist Sol left to attend college. Only weeks ago did drummer JP's brother Alex replace him to record a new single for Illumination Records. That record is set to be released early next month.

The main difference between The Readymen and radio-friendly ska is horns. Most bands have them; The Readymen don't. Their sound is basic, raw, stripped-down. To a certain extent they're like Rancid, except they're a hell of a lot better.

Interestingly enough, Rancid's lineup consists of a couple guys from the legendary Operation Ivy, and they were actually pretty good as a straight ahead punk band a few years ago. But with their third album they seemed to sell their soul to the devil of punk rock (a.k.a. MTV) for more popularity. They got it, in the form of exposure in Spin Magazine and on the radio, but the album pretty much sucked.

The Readymen may not ever be as popular as Rancid, but give credit where credit is due. Along with a host of musical influences, most of their credit goes to Operation Ivy. They even pay tribute to them in the song "Reputation" by appropriating the lyric, "You're just a fucking pig," from Op Ivy's song "Officer."

The Readymen's only full-length album, a CD titled Show Hall Bound, is well over 2 years old now and chronicles their early songs, songs that aren't played much on their current tour. It's a good CD, marred unfortunately by production values dictated by a punk-budget. Still, the energy is bubbling underneath in the upbeat rhythm of Brendan's guitar and the excitement in the delivery of Dustin's youth-oriented lyrics.

Independent of the quality of the CD, though, is the quality of their live show, something that shouldn't be missed. If you can't play hooky from your 12:00 class today to see them at the Cellar, you can still catch them tomorrow night at Skrappy's (3710 N. Oracle Rd.), with locals Los Federales and Yellow Brick Roadkill. Call 408-9644 for more info. on that show.