LISTEN/MUSIC: Penfold's Last Show

I recently met a kid named Jason at one of the Generation instores. He works at the store and though I had seen him many times before, this was our first official meeting.

In conversation it was revealed that he went to college at William Paterson University in the town of Wayne, NJ - the town I grew up in. I told him I worked at CD World in Totowa back then and the talk soon snowballed into all things NJ music circa 2000-2006: people we knew in common, bands we were into and shows we'd been to. One show in particular stood out in both our minds. The last Penfold show.

Penfold was a band that nowadays would be shoeboxed into the dreaded category of EMO. But before the skinny jeans, side swept haircuts, and insta-sleeve tattoos would take over MTV and Alternative Press, emo was something different. Penfold made some of the most beautiful and honest music you will ever hear.

By their mid-twenties the kids raised on punk, hardcore, and metal had reached a new place in life. As high school drama and first romances came to an end and the harsh reality of adulthood became apparent, in some cases at least, a sort of melancholy slipped in. It was a recognition that childhood was over.

The music would soon reflect this with the incorporation of melodic fills, slower arrangements, and acoustic interludes. Lyrically, the ideals of punk and hardcore - honesty, friendship, relationships and integrity - remained intact, if now from the viewpoint of a more world weary adult. But what was once buried in a wash of distortion and break neck pacing was now pushed to the forefront and naked.

Rites Of Spring's 1985 self titled debut, Embrace's self titled release, Jawbreaker's Dear You, and Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary belong in every respectable music fans' record collection. And all of these could be branded "emo." In only a short time, everything would devolve into a "I'm more depressed than you, just look at how much mascara I'm wearing" whine. And by mid 2000 it had become completely comical. But for a moment, it was pure.

My friend Dan went to school with and was close friends with the Penfold kids. Our friends Al and Rob worked at CD World and were also close friends with the band as well. So Dan's brother Mike and I would come along with all of them to as many shows as possible.

With the pull of higher education looming, after ten years Penfold decided to end the band with a final show at the M&M Veteran's Hall in Old Bridge, NJ. Mike and I rode down early with Dan to help set up equipment. Soon a group of kids started to gather in the parking lot. Then more kids. Every one was convinced that there must have been a flea market or something near by and was using the VFW parking lot for overflow. Mike and I were sent out to clear out everyone who wasn't there for the show.

We soon found out that everyone was there for the show, over 300 kids. The M&M Hall only held about 150 maximum and no doubt a worried passerby called the fire marshal. First negotiations were bleak, the show would have to be stopped before it even started. Further negotiations produced a much better result, the band would play two sets - one set for the first 150 people, followed by a second set for the final 150 people.

I could write another five hundred words about how amazing a show it was. About how people flew in from Germany, Japan, and Australia to a see a band put on a show in a small VFW hall in the middle of NJ. But anyone who was there knows, there is no way to capture in words the feeling of being there that night. Maybe one way to get a sense would be to listen to that night. So here's to trying. Both sets from Penfold's last show in full, streaming for your listening pleasure.

LISTEN: Penfold's Last Show - Set 1 Full
 

LISTEN: Penfold's Last Show - Set 2 Full
 

And if you don't already have them, go to Itunes and buy Penfold's two album's: Amateurs & Professionals and Our First Taste Of Escape. For twenty bucks you'll get some great music. If you think it's emo garbage, well that's your problem.

Click the pic above to check out some photos from the last Penfold show taken by photographer John Cafaro.