Review of CJ Ramone, The Graveyard School @ Brighton Bar 6/3/11 After last Friday night at the Brighton Bar, I really don't have to ask anyone "Do You Remember Rock 'N ' Roll Radio?". The crowd in attendance at the Long Branch, NJ landmark, had not forgotten. Playing in front of an audience of old and new alike (a rare all ages gig at the Brighton) CJ Ramone, and for my money the real fifth Ramone Daniel Rey (or eighth, if you you know your Ramones history. Don't believe my claim? He's probably played on more Ramones albums thenCJ has...) along with a drummer whose name escapes me played the songs that should've been hits the world over. But I'm not going to digress into shoulda-and-coulda-beens, no. What CJ and his crew did was prove that these Ramones songs were just simply great rock and roll songs (played at a tempo more danceable than hard-charging) and above all else, timeless. Sticking mostly to the early stuff, with a few sojourns into Mondo Bizarro territory ("Poison Heart", "Strength To Endure"), the real highlights for me were when the band detoured a bit into the unusual, such as the head banging and body shaking version of "Endless Vacation", and the totally tight, rock-solid take on "Swallow My Pride" (complete with harmonies - Daniel Rey did a sweet job of singing harmony all night long). My only criticism of the gig was that the drummer seemed to struggle a bit. If CJ and Daniel had a a locomotive of a drummer (the slower tempos are fine with me, he just seemed to lose the groove, if you will, a bit on songs like "Wart Hog" that need you to stay in that fast-moving pocket). Nonetheless, CJ proved that he is THE standard bearer of The Ramones legacy. Here's hoping he continues bringing the music to the masses for a long time coming. The Graveyard School went on before CJ Ramone. They're sort of like the Plasmatics, if Dr. Know from Bad Brains played guitar. Seriously, that guy can shred. I found myself less drawn in by their songs as I was by the sheer anticipation of hearing the next solo by this guy. The Dead Kennedys cover of "California Uber Alles" seemed unsurprising. If they were to cover something like "Pull My Strings" that would've wowed me. Still, they were naturals on the stage, and know how perform. All in all, the Brighton Bar proved what I've maintained all along: great rock and roll is still being played live and in your face, and not on youtube. Go out and get some. -Jay mazeffect www.cjramone.com www.myspace.com/thegraveyardschool Photos by Lazlo (click on photo see full size) CJ Ramone The Graveyard School