Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Gonzo Report: Hardcore karaoke activates the crowd at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in National City

Where Elvis fans and moshers co-exist under the same roof

Slow Death gives new life to the South County punk scene.
Slow Death gives new life to the South County punk scene.

I belly up to the bar inside the dimly lit barroom of the Fraternal Order of Eagles community center in National City and order a five-buck bottle of Pacifico. Only three other souls share the space with me, all sweet ladies well into their senior citizenship. It seems I’m about an hour early for the hardcore/punk show that’s going to be taking place on the other side of the double doors leading into the dance hall. The TV is playing Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, dubbed in Spanish. One of the ladies notices me sipping my beer, and asks “Do you even know any Spanish?” I tell her I have just the basics to get around, but not really. She laughs, then tilts her head back up at the screen.

Place

Fraternal Order of Eagles National City

1131 Roosevelt Avenue, National City

A quiet 30 minutes or so pass before the bands start showing up. You have to pass through the bar to get to the dance hall, and I smile as I watch as punks carrying heavy amps, crash symbols, a Flying V guitar, and other equipment past an elderly woman. She’s unphased by all the commotion; this is just how things are around here. On Saturday nights, the Eagles headquarters transforms: a fusion of hardcore/punk occupies one side of the F.O.E. aerie, and on the other...karaoke? It turns out the punks and the retired F.O.E. members get along just fine under the same roof, finding a far-fetched fondness for each other’s company. I hear one punk say to his friends in the parking lot, “If they start singing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ in Spanish, I’m in there!” Slow Death promoter Elton Bernache tells me that most nights after shows, a lot of the punks will go to the bar and scream a karaoke song or two.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I enter the dance hall for the punk show, where I’m greeted by a seven foot-tall grim reaper prop and punched in the face by the muggy air. Elton’s wife Jeanie is at the door, taking the $10 cover charge and stamping ink spiders on the inside of show-goers’ arms. Meanwhile, Elton is setting up the PA and dialing in the soundboard for the opening act. Check one two one two check check.

The first band is a group called Out of Chances; they’re just out of the womb of their parents’ garage. It’s their first show. They activate the crowd and the moshers start swinging, kicking, and two-stepping across an open floor. “Everyone move the fuck up,” orders the baby-faced singer as beach balls fly across the room. Watching them in action, I find it hard to believe this is their first show. They kill it, and set the ear-splitting tone of the evening. Then I see a familiar face in the crowd. Is that Tim Gonzalez? Sure as shit, it is. Tim’s one of the local godfathers of the punk scene here in San Diego. He tells me his band Adult Crash has just released a new album, pressing 200 vinyl records before they release it on any streaming platforms.

Between sets, I slip over to one of the merch tables in the back, where the NYC hardcore band Court Order is stationed. As I eye their vinyl, they give me a couple of their bowling ball bomb posters and some stickers. “We were supposed to play a show in San Bernardino tonight, but it was canceled,” says Court Order’s drummer Ace. “Then we were connected with Slow Death through another band on the bill. The power of the internet.” I tell them San Diego’s Mexican food is better anyway.

Local act Spiritual Warfare headlines the show. “I usually put the out-of-town bands up right before the local headliner; that way, more people will stick around,” Elton says. Spiritual Warfare thanks everyone for coming. “Tim Gonzalez is even here. If you don’t know who that is, you should,” the singer says before screaming the first song of their set.

When the lights go on after all the bands have had their time on the floor, the punks begin carrying their gear back through the bar. The karaoke is still going strong. Once they load their gear, some of the moshers head back inside for drinks, mingling with the older bar crowd as Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” serenades an unlikely mix of generations. Curious, I wait in anticipation of one more mosh pit.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

For nutty pies at Pizza by Aromi in La Mesa

Sicilian cousins add to the Italian goodness they dish out around Lake Murray
Next Article

Issa aide collaborates with Ukrainians

Carlsbad's Tracy Slepcevic, Warrior Mom, and her ties to RFK, Jr.
Slow Death gives new life to the South County punk scene.
Slow Death gives new life to the South County punk scene.

I belly up to the bar inside the dimly lit barroom of the Fraternal Order of Eagles community center in National City and order a five-buck bottle of Pacifico. Only three other souls share the space with me, all sweet ladies well into their senior citizenship. It seems I’m about an hour early for the hardcore/punk show that’s going to be taking place on the other side of the double doors leading into the dance hall. The TV is playing Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, dubbed in Spanish. One of the ladies notices me sipping my beer, and asks “Do you even know any Spanish?” I tell her I have just the basics to get around, but not really. She laughs, then tilts her head back up at the screen.

Place

Fraternal Order of Eagles National City

1131 Roosevelt Avenue, National City

A quiet 30 minutes or so pass before the bands start showing up. You have to pass through the bar to get to the dance hall, and I smile as I watch as punks carrying heavy amps, crash symbols, a Flying V guitar, and other equipment past an elderly woman. She’s unphased by all the commotion; this is just how things are around here. On Saturday nights, the Eagles headquarters transforms: a fusion of hardcore/punk occupies one side of the F.O.E. aerie, and on the other...karaoke? It turns out the punks and the retired F.O.E. members get along just fine under the same roof, finding a far-fetched fondness for each other’s company. I hear one punk say to his friends in the parking lot, “If they start singing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ in Spanish, I’m in there!” Slow Death promoter Elton Bernache tells me that most nights after shows, a lot of the punks will go to the bar and scream a karaoke song or two.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I enter the dance hall for the punk show, where I’m greeted by a seven foot-tall grim reaper prop and punched in the face by the muggy air. Elton’s wife Jeanie is at the door, taking the $10 cover charge and stamping ink spiders on the inside of show-goers’ arms. Meanwhile, Elton is setting up the PA and dialing in the soundboard for the opening act. Check one two one two check check.

The first band is a group called Out of Chances; they’re just out of the womb of their parents’ garage. It’s their first show. They activate the crowd and the moshers start swinging, kicking, and two-stepping across an open floor. “Everyone move the fuck up,” orders the baby-faced singer as beach balls fly across the room. Watching them in action, I find it hard to believe this is their first show. They kill it, and set the ear-splitting tone of the evening. Then I see a familiar face in the crowd. Is that Tim Gonzalez? Sure as shit, it is. Tim’s one of the local godfathers of the punk scene here in San Diego. He tells me his band Adult Crash has just released a new album, pressing 200 vinyl records before they release it on any streaming platforms.

Between sets, I slip over to one of the merch tables in the back, where the NYC hardcore band Court Order is stationed. As I eye their vinyl, they give me a couple of their bowling ball bomb posters and some stickers. “We were supposed to play a show in San Bernardino tonight, but it was canceled,” says Court Order’s drummer Ace. “Then we were connected with Slow Death through another band on the bill. The power of the internet.” I tell them San Diego’s Mexican food is better anyway.

Local act Spiritual Warfare headlines the show. “I usually put the out-of-town bands up right before the local headliner; that way, more people will stick around,” Elton says. Spiritual Warfare thanks everyone for coming. “Tim Gonzalez is even here. If you don’t know who that is, you should,” the singer says before screaming the first song of their set.

When the lights go on after all the bands have had their time on the floor, the punks begin carrying their gear back through the bar. The karaoke is still going strong. Once they load their gear, some of the moshers head back inside for drinks, mingling with the older bar crowd as Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” serenades an unlikely mix of generations. Curious, I wait in anticipation of one more mosh pit.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Holiday Experiences

As soon as Halloween is over, it's Christmas time in my mind
Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Holiday Guide – like none other

Candle-making, tree lighting, pajama jam
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader