Badfish & Others Make Good at State Theatre on Friday

The State Theatre, since reopening its doors in 2000, has always been an outlet for local music as well as better known artists, and last Friday was a perfect example of this. Local bands Driving East and Rude Buddha opened for the not so local band called Badfish, a Rhode Island cover band of the popular group Sublime.

Driving East, straight out of Fairfax, VA, opened up the show with a range of energetic and slow punk rock songs off their debut album Black Eyes and Broken Hearts. Their album features songs like “All She Ever Wanted" and "Better Off.” They kept the crowd entertained with synchronized moves as they strummed their guitars and sang. The names of the songs might sound familiar to those who were tuned in to DC 101.1's "local lix" last Sunday night as Driving East was a featured guest. For those who were at the show or for others just wanting to check them out, their website is www.drivingeast.com.

After Driving East, a brief intermission took place before the Sterling, VA based band, Rude Buddha, took the stage. This band has been around since 1999, going on tours and releasing two albums along the way. The boys were a great cross between the previous punk/rock scene, and the funk that was soon to come. This was apparent due to their arsenal of punk lyrics and attitude, twisted with their grooves and melodies of reggae soul. This band made a true impact on their new fans in the lively State Theatre as they performed the songs “Payback” and “Mrs. California” off their second album, Fighter. They are showcased on the web and can be heard at www.rudebuddha.com

Not to overuse the cliché “they saved the best for last,” but Badfish, the cover band from Rhode Island, featuring Dave Ladin, Joel Hanks, and Scott Begin would prove to be a startlingly good tribute to late great Bradley Nowell, and his Sublime band mates Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson. Hailing from Long Beach, CA, the trio's music has been described as surf, ska, punk, hip-hop, rock, reggae, blues, and soul, however, they are all worthless in describing Sublime as it would be an injustice to label them to just one genre.

They could do it all and loved to play together for their fans. Luckly for the crowd at State Theatre, Badfish, too, possessed these attributes as they played, bringing alive the feeling and music of Sublime on a live stage, but putting their own spin on the Sublime attitude. The show featured energetic songs like the Sublime classics “Wrong Way” and “Santeria,” and some lesser known sing-alongs like “Rivers of Babylon.” Those who knew the words sang along, and the ones that didn't just listened in awe as they all crowded the stage. More information about Badfish can be found online at www.badfish.com

Even if you weren't a beloved fan of Sublime previous to Badfish's performance Friday night, you left the State Theatre with a new respect for them and their music as well as all those who performed there that night.

The State Theatre is located at 220 N. Washington St in Falls Church and features live music performances, stand up comedy and more. For more information and show schedule visit www.thestatetheatre.com