As a long-time fan of Weakened Friends and Sonia’s prior band, The Box Tiger, I felt the only way to review their Jan. 25 gig at the Folsom Hotel Saloon on their headlining west coast tour with as little fan bias as possible was to pick my mom’s brain afterwards. Yes, it was her first punk show, but this 58-year-old woman has always had expansive taste. I remember her Ace of Base, Nelly, Pink, Rascal Flatts and The National phases just as clearly as I remember my surprise stumbling across her old Korn and The Doors CDs. So, I invited her knowing she’d probably enjoy herself, but I didn’t know to what extent. The following is her take (with a few notes of my own), edited for length and clarity.
So, first things first, when I pitched this idea to you at the bar, you said, “okay, but I want to talk about the wings.” So, tell me about the wings at Folsom Hotel Saloon.
All joking aside, those wings were amazing. They were the best tasting wings because they were smoked — and I mean they were deeply smoked. It wasn’t just a flavor thrown on there. They were actually smoked, and then they had the best crisp to them. I loved them. They were so delicious. We should have taken a picture of them.
How’d you feel about the opening band, Knoxey?
I liked them a lot! And personality wise, they were very sweet. I really liked their sound. I loved her voice. I loved the music that they played and the way they played their instruments. I just loved it. It was a nice surprise because I didn’t know what to expect. (Knoxey is a rad female-fronted emo band out of Redding that I recommend to anyone who loves some mathy guitars and a blend of clean and aggressive vocals.)
I do remember a few points where you heard a lyric, tapped me on the shoulder and saying, like, “yep, that’s me.”
In both cases, or with both bands, the stories that they told in their music and their songs were absolutely identifiable. And considering I’m decades older, that’s pretty powerful when you can write music that. Especially Weakened Friends — I mean, there is so much passion and storytelling in their music.
I did find myself, and you probably didn’t even notice all the times — it was almost like I’m watching a movie, you know how I respond to a movie, with my little “Mm. Mhmm” kind of thing? And I heard myself doing that quite a bit tonight, just kind of identifying and being able to hear younger people, you know, with many, many, many, many more years left of their lives, have that ability to connect with some of so much older in a way that, I don’t know, it just felt normal. It’s not profound. It felt natural and it felt real. It was like watching your friends (aka your Weakened Friends) just, you know, sharing their story and their truth.
How do you feel about the show overall?
I mean, both bands connected with their audience and they were just adorable. I just love their sound. You know, it was interesting because the music that I normally listen to, they don’t go from very loud, almost screaming, to the soft delivery. And I’ve never experienced it where they could literally go from that very loud, just letting it all loose, to just this angelic little voice following that, and having the passion in both deliveries. And I really enjoyed it because there was a lot of passion, and I hate to keep putting them together, because they’re very different bands. Yet, there is similarity.
I was also surprised at how diverse the crowd was, and they were so much a part of it. It was really interesting to watch how [Weakened Friends’] fan base connected with them. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, whether they knew every word or someone like me who didn’t know any of the words. And I think that speaks volumes. I think they create an environment — with or without knowing it — that allows for that to happen. Do you know what I mean? Being kind is obviously very important to them, and they made that very clear in several ways. They had many opportunities to do it and they took those opportunities to share a message of, you know, to be kind and not to put up with things just because they’re laid before us, right? That it’s okay to acknowledge things that don’t feel right, and to speak up and say so. And they have their beliefs, they have their feelings, and they definitely feel comfortable sharing them, and that’s really admirable.
I don’t know, I just, I really, I really enjoyed it. I think that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing in this life. And you don’t always get to see that. I’m so grateful that you gave me this experience and I hope other people who enjoy bands like these will share that with the people that matter to them. Because, let’s face it, you know, how many young people are invited their moms to go see some band that they really enjoy? But, I think this was such a gift, and I think that bands like that give people the opportunity to connect and to share an experience that will definitely benefit their relationship.
(You heard it here folks: Moms yearn for punk shows! And Mother’s Day is coming up, so go support small bands and small venues. Just make sure mom has some good ear plugs. And check out Weakened Friends — their album “Feels Like Hell” came out in October and it’s nothing but bangers top to bottom.)