Concert Review: Kevin Seconds, Kepi Ghoulie and the Hemorrhoids at the Jackpot

Why oh why hasn’t anyone been showing up to punk shows in Lawrence? I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, here, but it’s getting ridiculous. When you have Kevin Seconds and Kepi Ghoulie — frontmen for one of the best hardcore bands and one of the best pop-punk bands, respectively — only draw 20 people, either the economy or the fans are totally jacked.

Kevin Seconds is best known as the frontman for 7 Seconds, a band known for its straight-edge anthems like “Young ‘Til I Die” and also for an amazing cover of “99 Loveballoons.” Seconds’ solo work is much along the lines of his work with his “loud band.” All the songs were upbeat, catchy, and (dare I say it?) positive. The real highlight of the show, aside from the fact that Seconds is a pretty dab hand at folk strumming, was to discover that he has a range. While there’s certainly some melody in those old hardcore songs, Seconds’ solo work shows a lot of vocal power. His ability to hit the high notes is undiminished by age, and all of the songs he played last night featured a lot of sustained notes that I never would have guessed from the short bursts of vocals in his early days.

Kepi Ghoulie played drums with Seconds. Well, rather — he played a drum with Seconds, specifically a snare borrowed from the Hemmorhoids, along with a tambourine he tapped with his foot. Seconds, as backing for Kepi, played the same snare, as well as a small plastic trash can.