Punk Rock Bowling Friday: 7 Seconds, Negative Approach, The Effigies, Stalag 13, and Poker with Fat Mike.
Ron Baird of Stalag 13 at The Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein.
Flying into Las Vegas on Thursday always pays off (in addition to the amazing shows that night) when you can sleep in a few extra hours Friday morning. Friday morning is the calm before the storm. The non-stop weekend kicks off with the annual Punk Rock Bowling Poker Tournament at 5:30pm at The Golden Nugget. This was my third consecutive year playing, and the buy-in remained at $130. For 2025 there were 86 entrants, re-buys until 6:30, and a $7,740 final prize pool. Even more exciting than that, Fat Mike was playing, and he was at the table directly next to me (having a blast). Mike went out somewhere around 20th place, and I ended up cashing (for the second time in three years), this time in 3rd place with a $938 payout. I was also able to get Mike to sign a photo that I had taken in Detroit on the NOFX Final Tour. I asked him to write anything other than "FAT", and he wrote "FAT" and said, "I Gotta pee." That's Mike for you.
Incendiary Device at The Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas
I was worried about making the club show at The Fremont Country Club in time if I ran deep in the poker tournament, but it ended up working out. The show was a stacked lineup with Incendiary Device, Stalag 13, The Effigies, Negative Approach, and 7 Seconds. Incendiary Device was the only band on the bill that I hadn't heard before. They played a great set, and I'm going to track down some of their releases in the coming months. Check out their 2023 full-length on Bridge Nine Records.
The Effigies at The Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas
Stalag 13 is the Nardcore skate punk band that put out the classic “In Control” LP back in 1984. They also put out another LP, “Fill in the Silence,” just a few years ago in 2021. I had read that original singer Ron Baird had retired, that they have a new singer (John Crerar of Head Cut), and that they were touring again. I was in the right place at the right time to catch them at this show, and even better, original singer Ron Baird was back on vocals (at times sharing vocals with John Crerar, who was also in the house).
Back in the early 1980s, I picked up The Effigies’ “Bodybag/Security” 7” and played it until it literally wore out. They have always been on my list of the greatest punk rock bands of all time, and I never thought that I would see them live. After 17 years, they reunited for a new album, "Burned," in 2025. Tragically, 64-year-old John Kezdy (the original singer) was killed in a bike crash just after finishing the vocals for the new album. Geoff Sabin replaced John on vocals and gave us a high-energy set that checked off The Effigies from my bucket list. The set included the classics “Bodybag” and “Security” and was everything that I had hoped.
John Brannon of Negative Approach at The Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas
Negative Approach is from my hometown of Detroit, so I've seen them more times than I can count (including 5 or 6 times already this year). I was still excited for the show, and they absolutely killed it. The pit was probably the craziest I saw the entire weekend, especially for such a small indoor venue. Harold (guitar) took his signature stance facing away from the crowd, and John Brannon (vocals) snarled and scowled throughout the set. "Tied Down," "Can't Tell No One," and their signature cover of Sham 69's "Borstal Breakout" were highlights, but we all knew the words to every song.
Kevin Seconds (7 Seconds) and The Rev (The Drowns) at The Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas
This show could have been a festival on its own, given the bands that had played so far and with 7 Seconds still to take the stage. Kevin Seconds (vocals) was in top form as they played classics that included "Walk Together, Rock Together," "Regress No Way," "The Crew," and "We're Gonna Fight," finishing with their standard cover of "99 Red Balloons" (Nena). Audience members had predicted this and were ready with red balloons to bounce around during the set. A highlight was when The Rev from The Drowns came out to do a song with 7 Seconds. We walked out completely exhausted, and it was hard to believe that we still had the entire weekend ahead of us.
