From Examiner.com

Saturday March 21st was quite the exciting night at Club Retro, with STD, 5 Days Dirty, Playground Patriots, newcomers Bomb The Hill and Warped Tour veterans Tragedy Andy playing. The show also a c.d. release party for Playground Patriots.

The first band of the night was Bomb The Hill. This was their first show. Lead singer/guitarist Robert and Bassist Tadd have been in bands together before this and have both been playing in bands for the better part of the last decade. The best way to describe Bomb The Hill is fast and loud. All of their songs clock in at about 2 minutes, except one that was barely a minute long. They are reminiscent of the original punk rock ideal in that their songs are short, to the point and have a strong message. Yet, they are anything but traditional punk rock. I suggest keeping your eyes peeled for these newcomers.

5 Days Dirty drove three hours from the East Bay to play in the second slot that night. This 4 / 3 piece (I will explain this in a second) impressed me from the time they started playing. Each song was filled with catchy hooks and anthems that are still playing through my head. The first couple songs were done as a 4 piece and then their second guitarist took over bass and the first bassist took the backseat. I didn't understand the switch but they still did not skip a beat. Listen to a few of their songs and check out their upcoming dates at http://www.myspace.com/5daysdirty

STD was the third band on hand at Club Retro that night. STD knows how to rock, plain and simple.Their lead singer is an excellent front man with blazing guitar licks, a distinctive voice and enough energy to power a small town. The rhythm section of the band is Stephen (bass) and Thomas (drums) which are both high school aged kids that are really good at what they do. Neither one missed a beat the entire show. The most prevalent thing in this band was how they just wanted to have fun and get the people at the show involved, which they accomplished when they finished their set with a cover of AC/DC's "T.N.T." They were getting the crowd to pump their fists and shout T.N.T with the band. Check out STD's upcoming shows at http://www.myspace.com/stdsacramento

In the fourth spot was Tragedy Andy. These guys drove all the way from Oregon to play that night. They describe themselves as indie rock and I would have to completely agree. Their music is exciting and heartfelt. During their set the bass player/lead singer played the piano while one of the other guitar players handled the bass. Honestly, I hate it when bands do this because it seems like the lead singer gets to show off his talent by playing multiple instruments while the other band backs him up. Well, this was not the case. The song actually showed the versatility of the entire band by playing a song that stood out from the rest of their set. The fact of the matter is that these guys are just really talented musicians that write genuinely good songs. http://www.myspace.com/tragedyandyband

The last band that night was Playground Patriots, a pop punk band from Sacramento. This show was their c.d. release show. This band gives me hope for California punk. Their sound is reminiscent of the big pop punk explosion that happened in the 90's. These guys were full of energy and knew how to rock. They had the biggest crowd that night and rightfully so. The only thing that bothered me was that they had a guy in a chicken costume running around the crowd trying to get people to dance and move around. I understand how this might seem like a good idea but I was watching the chicken more than the band playing. My advice, leave the mascot for sporting events. Although their sound is something that has come and gone I think that they do a great job of resurrecting it and I do not seem them going anywhere but up. http://www.myspace.com/playgroundpatriots