Say goodbye to Good riddance

By Eric Jaen
Collegian Editor
April 2, 2008

After almost two decades of rockin’ the Crunch Berries of punk rockers and hardcore kids across the globe, Santa Cruz, Calif.’s Good Riddance has decided to call it a day. Led by vocalist Russ Rankin, the lineup rarely changed over the years, with the exception of a short period in that saw Kid Dynamite/Paint It Black alumnus Dave Wagenshutz annihilating the drums. Musically, their sound was heavily influenced by early hardcore/punk in the vein of Gorilla Biscuits, and were driven by lyrical themes of politics, personal struggle and occasionally romance. Their last show, which took place in their hometown May 27, 2007, was recorded and given a proper release by longtime label Fat Wreck Chords with the title Remain In Memory: The Final Show.

While I’ll admit it has taken me quite some time to pick up their last studio release, My Republic, I’ve always looked forward to a new Good Riddance disc since the Operation Phoenix days. They’ve always been one band I could rely on to consistently put out good records. With about 14 or so releases under their belt, it was interesting to hear what the band compiled into their 31-song setlist for Remain In Memory: The Final Show.

After an intro track of political sound bytes, the set kicks off right with circle-pit inducing tracks, “Heresy, Hypocrisy, and Revenge” and “Made to be Broken.” Being a huge fan of their 1998 effort, Ballads From the Revolution, I was ecstatic to hear classics like “Fertile Fields” and “Waste,” along with a very tight rendition of “Salt,” which would still, to this day, get me jazzed up for an afternoon of skateboarding. The rest of the set consists of a king-sized Snickers snack of older material from Operation Phoenix, and A Comprehensive Guide to Moderne Rebellion, including “Think of Me,” “Shadows of Defeat” and “Letters Home” to name a few.

Those looking to hear some newer tunes may be slightly disappointed with only two My Republic tracks (“Out of Mind,” “Darkest Days”), though the addition of a few rarities (“21 Guns,” “Not So Bad”) off of out-of-print 7-inches should more than make up for that. Pleasantly enough, “One for the Braves” off of The Phenomenon of Craving EP, which is arguably one of their catchiest ditties to date, is a great addition to any mix tape, also made the final cut.

The recording quality of the show itself comes off sounding very authentic and not over-polished, giving those of us not fortunate enough to attend a good sense of the live experience. It would have been great, however, if the crowd volume was turned up a notch or two, as hearing them sing along to tracks like “Yesterday’s Headlines” and “United Cigar” definitely helped bring out the emotion of the show.

It will be interesting to see if a DVD of the performance will ever be available, but until then Remain In Memory: The Final Show serves as a fantastic send-off to one of the most solid hardcore/punk bands in recent times. Fans of the band should definitely pick it up, while new listeners looking for their first dosage of Good Riddance will get a nice collection of their finest material here. While all the members are currently serving in Outlie, The Real Mackenzies, I Want Out and Only Crime, Good Riddance as a unit will be sorely missed.

jaene1@lasalle.edu