Flames, Sex Toys and Rock & Roll with Lit

LIT / 22 JACKS

Axis

February 28

Axis

February 28

It was your typical rock and roll show: vibrators, flaming drumsticks, a random Bosstone. Valiantly trying to shake off the one hit wonder jinx was Orange County, Calif., pop rock group Lit-they of the insanely catchy "My Own Worst Enemy." The teenybopper crowd was more than receptive.

Openers 22 Jacks led off with surprising energy, with frontman Joe Sib motivating the crowd with the verve of a pumped up fitness instructor. His enthusiasm rubbed off on the audience, and songs with achingly obvious but still infectious sing-along choruses didn't hurt one bit. 22 Jacks' solid, straight-ahead melodic punk would have been enough as an appetizer, but there was a special treat in store. Sib stepped off stage for a second and came back with none other than Dicky Barrett of Boston's ska-core heroes the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The nattily clad Dicky then gamely sang along with a hornless cover of "Someday I Suppose" (of Clueless fame).

The young crowd was in full effect as Lit took the stage-the ear-piercing screams were a reminder how much a hit single can change a band's audience. Lit seems to have adopted some rock star indulgences-for one thing, they had some really unusual facial hair. Singer A. Jay Popoff sported some gigantic mutton chop sideburns, but compared to his brother, guitarist Jeremy Popoff, he was refreshingly normal-looking. Jeremy's facial hair can only be described as what would happen if Abe Lincoln and a guy from ZZ Top had a child who decided to braid the length of his beard.

It didn't affect his guitar playing, though. The band sounded relatively tight throughout the set, which was comprised mainly of songs from their latest album A Place in the Sun. A. Jay began like he was merely going through the motions, but gained momentum and eventually showed a bit of charisma; he definitely had enough personality and shed enough clothes to satisfy the middle school girls.

As for Lit's music, it was spirited, tuneful and just about varied enough to prevent restlessness. Braid-bearded Jeremy managed to create enough sound with a single guitar to produce faithful replications of the radio hits, including the slower-tempo "Miserable," their latest single. The group did away with "My Own Worst Enemy" midway through the playlist, and, to give credit to the other songs, it didn't stand out as a particularly superior track.

Neither was it the high point of the evening, as Lit saved their vaudeville-style showmanship for the encore. As A. Jay lit a pair of mallets ablaze with lighter fluid and proceeded to play drums as he was singing, Jeremy whipped out his trusty vibrator and made like Hendrix with the device on full blast. Did it enhance his playing? Hard to tell through all the distortion, but it made for a good show. That's what Lit was all about. While they didn't break any new ground, they put some showmanship back into rock and roll. Whether that keeps them afloat in the disposable pop music world remains to be seen.