We have friends who live off Junipero in Long Beach, so every time we visit them and turn from 7th onto Junipero, we pass the Prospector. It looks like something out of Disneyland's Frontier World, complete with Western murals all over the outside and the sense that you can pan for gold inside, as long as you can handle the stink of catfish. We never thought we'd be setting foot in there, let alone for a punk show, which we later learned was a not-so-uncommon occurrence.
Killer Dreamer (ex-Jag Offs, FYP, Four Letter Words) had just gotten back from a nationwide tour and we sure missed seeing them live. We'd only heard tales of Geisha Girls and were itching to see them as well. Plus, the infamous hardcore band No Fraud was out from Florida, headed by none other than Dan Destructo on vocals (current Pedro resident/skate-or-die record producer) and Walt on drums (a friend we'd never met, but frequently corresponded with, who helps run Imprint Indie Printing press). And who's this on bass?! Lo and behold, it was Lazer Lavin from Civic Minded 5 (filling in for No Fraud's actual bassist who was unable to fly down for the shows), joining the band for their California tour! This being the first night of the tour, the evening was filled with jet-lag, shaky nerves and drinks all around, as everyone was ready to have a good time.
Killer Dreamer's songs sounded a whole lot tighter after their month-long tour, giving them the chance to completely rock out on stage. And their set was a lot longer than we remember, too. The songs are so good - poppy and angry, but no soft vocals here. Be warned: Don't stand next to the PA unless you want your ear drums seriously damaged!
Geisha Girls hit the crowd with their brand of post-punk á la Joy Division/Gang of Four. Simply delish. But with Mr. Sexual Chocolate on drums, how could you go wrong? As one casual observer mentioned, he is the most underrated drummer out there… so damn good.
Then, of course, came No Fraud, who delivered 100% pure hardcore - '80s style, not 2003 style, thank goodness. Dan Destructo screamed and jumped all over the stage, not to mention into the crowd, and the whole bar was dancing with delight. There were no lame hardcore dances this night, just pure unadulterated drunken FUN!
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the entire set, as it was a Thursday night, but as we drove home (30 miles away with our emergency lights on almost the entire time due to some insane fog), we both agreed that we had not had this much fun in quite a while. And to think, we had always assumed that this cool bar with plenty of seating (always a plus!) was just cheesy Western dive with the weekly karaoke night.