Los Angeles, California: The gig posters said it all - “An Evening with Unwritten Law - a Live Performance Featuring Songs From Their Entire Catalog.”
And what a catalog the band had to choose from. Even as a packed audience crammed itself into San Diego’s SOMA that evening in April 2022, not only for the live show but also a listening party for the band’s latest album, The Hum (also available on Cleopatra Records), it, too, was humming, trying to guess what they’d be hearing as the evening wore on.
Unwritten Law had a 30-plus year career behind it, after all, dating back to when drummer Wade Youman was just 12 years old, forming a punk band with a handful of friends. A lot of members have passed through Unwritten Law’s ranks since then… even when the band was readying its debut album in 1993, Youman was the only surviving founder member. And, a few hiatuses notwithstanding, he still is.
But vocalist Scott Russo, who was recruited when the band heard him sing Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” at a house party, came on board in 1990; and Chris Lewis (lead guitar) and Jonny Grill (bass) have been unwriting the laws for more than 20 years. Yeah, there’s a lot of history in this band, and a lot of songs for the fan club to call out for.
How many would they get to hear?
Classic hit “Seein’ Red,” of course, would be on display - and it shoots out today as the album’s first single, a dramatic rendition that erupts like a runaway truck from that historically misleading acoustic intro; and “Save Me (Wake Up Call) pounds in as the show nears its conclusion, but still Scott promises there’s more surprises to come.
He’s right, too.
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/unwrittenlaw_seeinredliveinsandiego
"This was our first real show back after the pandemic," says Chris. "We wanted to do something special and different, but also familiar. We chose Soma in SD, which we have a deep connection with. Not just the place, which is in its third location, but also the people who still run it and the history involved. Len Paul has been running a version of Soma in San Diego since the early nineties, and we have a long list of amazing shows we’ve played with him at his venues.
"Not only was it our first show back, it was also a prelude to the release of our album, The Hum. We played the whole record over the PA before the show, bought pizza, and walked around handing it out. We had a bunch of friends play a few songs before we came out (Sitting on Saturn, Fran Roz, Mouthguard), as well as a bunch of legendary SD musicians make guest appearances during our set, including Scott’s daughter Cailin, his son Tre, and both original UL guitarists, Rob Brewer and Steve “The Kid” Morris.
"It was a family affair, to be sure, and one we’re very lucky to have had the incomparable Joe Marlett capture for us on wax."
Seventeen songs peel out of the catalog, going all the way back to “C.P.K.” and “World War III” from the band’s Blue Room debut, “Superman” from Oz Factor; “California Sky” from 1998’s eponymous offering; and all the way up to “Beggars” from The Hum. Of course they could have played more, but they could have played all night and someone would go home without hearing their favorite.
But a lot of them did hear what they were waiting for, and some folk, the really smart ones, didn’t care what the band played. It was enough that they were playing. And listening to the album today, it’s difficult to disagree. Unwritten Law have had a couple of “best of” style compilations over the years, and they did their job well.
None do it as perfectly as this gig, though. An Evening With Unwritten Law is more than a souvenir of a great show. It’s a party to which you will never tire of getting an invite.
Or, as Chris concludes, "We’re so stoked to share this magical night with everyone. We hope you enjoy it!"
CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=unwritten+law+an+evening+with
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/unwrittenlaw_liveinsandiego
Track listing
Intro
Lonesome
Teenage Suicide
Cailin
Beggars
Seein' Red
Celebration Song
F.I.G.H.T.
Nevermind
Shoulda Known Better
Babalon
Little Lies
Save Me
Up All Night
California Sky
Superman
C.P.K.
World War III
