Skating Polly at The Ivy Room – Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Skating Polly at the Ivy Room

I moved to the Bay Area from New York after college in 1984. The first place I lived was in Albany, California, in the house of my sister’s former college roommate. I never set foot in the Ivy Room, which seemed like a geezer bar back in those days, preferring to go to Berkeley or San Francisco. In those days I saw shows by the likes of X, The Ramones, Joan Jett and the Dead Kennedys. So it was kind of nostalgic to be in Albany, and check out the Ivy Room for the first time.

The Ivy Room is now a pretty hip bar, with a packed schedule of local bands, as well as touring bands such as Skating Polly. Tonight the opening band was “Remember Karen” who I did not see. Normally I make a point of seeing every band, but on this night I had dinner with my cousin after work, so I missed the opening act.

Second band was Burd. They are a two-piece band from San Francisco. According to their Facebook page, the members are Burd on guitar and vocals, and Kyle on drums. From my notes “Impossibly heavy like nuclear fusion … singer has good rock&roll voice … slow motion volcano.” I had to just now watch a clip of them playing on YouTube and they really are that heavy. They play with 110% commitment and would recommend if you get the chance.

This was my fifth Skating Polly show, and only about 5 months since I caught their show in Santa Cruz. Obviously I love this band, and there is something great about seeing a good band multiple times. There’s always some nuance in the shows. And of course it’s great to see a band you love in an intimate venue like the Ivy Room. Partly because the performers are only 15 feet away, but also the bands tend to be a little more laid back and loose. And I’m laid back and just enjoying the show myself.

The set list, jam-packed with SP classics, was as follows: