Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies - Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah

Jonny Wixen must have some pretty cool parents to be willing to go for hiring a punk rock cover band for his bar mitzvah and all. No doubt, the request was an easy yes for Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, as was the band’s decision to record it for a live album. Very much resembling NOFX’s I Heard They Suck Live, Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah has almost as much between-song banter as it does music. With the audience probably questioning whether or not this was a real band, Me First manages to sandwich 12 covers between the blessing over the challah and two versions of “Hava Nagila.” Continuing their streak of taking pretty crappy songs and making them great, as Fat Mike puts it before the band takes two shots to successfully get through “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the punk all stars put their stamp on, among others, “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Longest Time,” “Take It On The Run” and the blistering dance number “Come Sail Away,” arguably the standout effort of the set. If not for Jonny playing drums on the hidden track, it would be easy to believe this is a basement show Me First played for beer. In fact, the video footage included on the CD, featuring the aforementioned “Hava Nagila” and two other numbers, is proof the band did in fact play a Bar Mitzvah – likely also for beer. [www.gimmegimmes.com]