Tag: Lee Ving

FEAR at The 2nd Annual Space Coast Rumble in Titusville, FL on 12/8/24 By Jesse Striewski/Photos By Jacob Striewski

Before I fully get into the sheer insanity of this past Sunday night’s FEAR show at the second annual Space Coast Rumble in Titusville, FL, I first have to give a little back story of the years that actually lead up to it, and just how much it really meant to me on a personal level.

Like many before me, FEAR are one of those gateway punk bands I grew up listening to and loving, and have always wanted to cross them off my list of bands to see live. But alas, there have been many, MANY false starts prior.

The first time I had the chance to see the band back in the late ’90s/early ’00s, I was still in my teens with limited independence, and for whatever reason, I missed them (I believe my ride at the time may have bailed on me). That was strike one.

Then a few years later in either 2003 or ’04, a friend offered me to go with them to see FEAR in Orlando, but I declined due to having just gotten a new puppy at the time that I did not want to leave home alone just yet (strike two). I’m not complaining though – that puppy ended up being my best friend for many years until she passed on in 2018 (I still miss you dearly, Kaya).

Then in 2009, I was still within my first year or so of music Journalism when it finally happened – FEAR was coming to Orlando again (if memory serves correct to a venue no longer there called the Black Box Collective), and I was actually approved to COVER THEIR SHOW! (Complete with a plus-one on the guest list and all!) But midway through openers Total Chaos’ set, the police had finally had enough of the unruly crowd and shut things down before things ended in a riot. I was devastated.

Fast forward all these years later to late 2024, and longtime acquaintance of mine Tony from the band Swift Knuckle Solution informs me at a recent Exploited show that his band will be opening for FEAR at an annual event called Space Coast Rumble in Titusville. I knew I had to be there for it finally, and after some communications between the show’s promoter and the band’s management, Rewind It Magazine were approved to cover said show, and just in the nick of time.

I could hardly contain my excitement walking up to the event with my son and photographer Jacob the day of – especially when to our surprise, there was FEAR founder and frontman Lee Ving himself, grabbing a coffee with current bassist Amos Cook at a joint called Saints and Sippers (great coffee too by the way – and apparently even ran by Dee Snider’s nephew, Brett!). We exchanged pleasantries and even took photos with Ving, and just like that, all those years of waiting instantly became worth it before even hearing the band play a single note on stage.

Rewind It’s Jacob (left) and Jesse Striewski with FEAR frontman Lee Ving in front of Saints and Sippers Coffee on Sunday, 12/8/24 (Photo by FEAR bassist Amos Cook).

This quickly lead to some brief small talk “backstage” with the guys, including short exchanges with drummer Spit Stix, and an even shorter interaction with (and I had no idea of it at the time) Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta, who I’m definitely regretting not speaking to further. (I knew he looked familiar, too!)

By this time though we had already missed many of the opening bands of the day, including even Swift Knuckle Solution (Vicious Dreams were on stage by the time we had arrived, and with everything else going on around then I can’t really give them an honest assessment of their set). Thankfully we were still able to at least catch up with the guys in the band for a few regardless of this though.

Rewind It’s Jesse Striewski (right) with the guys from Swift Knuckle Solution shortly after their set in Titusville, FL on 12/8/24. (Photo by Jacob Striewski).

Psychobilly act The Strikers from San Diego, CA were up right before FEAR’s set, and gave it their all as they amped up the crowd for the main event, with a cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” being the biggest standout of the night for them (never expected to hear that one on an upright bass!).

And then it finally happened – Lee Ving and FEAR took stage with a fury, opening with “The Mouth Don’t Stop (The Trouble with Women Is),” “Do Me Some Damage,” and “Foreign Policy.” But no sooner than it had started, my heart sank – the sound went out due to technical difficulties. Could this really be happening again? Was there some sort of curse preventing me from actually seeing FEAR perform an entire set?

FEAR guitarist Eric Razo and drummer Spit Stix perform in Titusville, FL on 12/8/24. (Photo by Jacob Striewski.)

Some banter between band and fans kept things going before the issues were resolved and they thankfully got back to business with “Bomb the Russians,” “Let’s Have a War,” and “No More Nothing” before it happened AGAIN – the power went out once more. By this point I was really growing concerned that this truly could be it.

But once more, things returned to normal (and this time permanently), the group coming back stronger than ever with a cover of Bob Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” followed in rapid fire succession by “Responsibilities,” “Fuck You Let’s Rodeo,” “Ugly as You,” “Gimme Some Action,” “Hey,” “We Destroy the Family,” and “We Just Love the Little Girls.”

After a little “Fresh Flesh” and Ving critiquing his own lyrics, the band went into a brief impromptu version of the Christmas classic “Let it Snow” before breaking out the big guns in the form of “I Love Livin’ in the City,” “Beef Bologna,” “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones,” “Have a Beer with Fear,” “More Beer,” and “I Don’t Care About You.”

FEAR performing at the Space Coast Rumble in Titusville, FL on 12/8/24. (Photo by Jacob Striewski).

And while this seemed to signal the end of the band’s set, they still had a couple more up their sleeves with “Fuck Christmas” (more than appropriate for the season we’re currently in) and “Disconnected” before taking their final bows.

Some quick “thank you’s” with bassist Cook (who by the end of the night was probably tired of seeing our faces – can’t thank him enough for his and the rest of the bands’ hospitality throughout the evening though) and guitarist Eric Razo put the icing on the cake for the already exceptional evening, and my son and I walked away with another shared memory we’ll take with us for the rest of our lives.

Album Review: FEAR – The Last Time (Atom Age Industries/Fear Records)

By: Jesse Striewski

It seems like just yesterday I was reviewing the latest album from Fear, For Right and Order. Now just one year later we’re talking about what may very well be their final release ever; it’s one of those inevitable moments you hope will never come, but ultimately has to sooner or later for all of us (just like death and taxes, as they say).

Fitting that it seems like I’m always listening to their music for the first time near the holidays, too (their 1982 debut effort The Record was a Christmas gift after all once upon a time when I was still a teenager). And while there may not be a “Fuck Christmas” or even “Another Christmas Beer” type of track found here, The Last Time is still an adequate stocking stuffer nontheless.

Frontman and founder Lee Ving offers up his usual dose of mayhem in the best way possible, with opening track “Here We Go Again” saying it all to listeners right off the bat. And then you’ve got your basic hard-hitters like “Fuel Injected Papa,” and your catchy numbers in the form of “Three Blind Mice.”

Is it the best the band has ever had to offer on record? Nah. But is it a fitting enough high note to go out on if this truly is the “last time” for Fear? It’ll certainly do.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Album Review: FEAR -For Right and Order (Atom Age Industries)

By: Jesse Striewski

In a time where punk music has really lost its edge (and I’ve personally lost much interest in it) and has really just become nothing more than another type of conformity itself across the board, the world really needed something new from the likes of a band such as FEAR.

Their first “true” album of new music since 2000’s American Beer (not including re-recordings and/or comps), there’s not a single “dud” to be found on For Right and Order (typically there might be at least one or two skip-able tracks on later releases of theirs).

The minute “I’m Back and I’m Bitching” kicks off the album, it’s clear that Lee Ving and company have returned to form. It’s hard to decide on just one favorite track here, with titles like “100 Downers,” “Manhunt,” “Homicide,” and “Nobody Hears You.”

There’s even a cover of Rose Tattoo’s “Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock and Roll),” and Ving digs into his best country with album closer “I Like Beer.” But I’ve always loved Ving most when he puts on his thinking cap and gets serious, and there’s no better example of that here than the epic title track, which I find myself going back to time and time again.

Every track here fits in its own right, and there’s rarely a weak moment. No doubt the material found here fits easily alongside past releases; this is FEAR at their absolute best, on top of their game and right where the world needs them, when it needs them the most.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars