What’s more punk rock than putting on a punk rock live show when you’re not allowed to? Oakland outfit Year of the Fist added that feather to their cap when they pulled it off back in May 2021 at the Ivy Room in Albany, CA. “Killer on the Road” is evidence of that monumental gig, and when you consider the context of this moment for the band, the visceral explosion of pure energy that blasts through the speakers seems almost biblical.
Year of the Fist has a beautiful connection to the Ivy Room – after being re-established just a handful of miles outside of Oakland, the venue quickly became the home venue for the band. YOTF has even hosted several December holiday festival shows that benefited local East Bay charities. Fast forward to 2020, when the Ivy Room was starting to show cracks under the pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stepping in to defend their home turf, YOTF hosted their holiday festival virtually and the funds raised from that event helped keep the Ivy Room’s doors open. Say what you will about the music, but it is well-documented that the punk rock community is arguably the most tight-knit, passionate, and compassionate communities you will find in the music world. They support and protect their people, and YOTF are heroes for helping keep the Ivy Room from the tragic fate met by so many independent businesses and venues around the world. You can’t get any more badass than that.
The Ivy Room thanked YOTF by offering them free reign of their stage in May 2021, before live music had officially made a comeback. The band decided to take them up on this offer to record a 7” of their live set, putting on an electric show for a massive crowd consisting of just the sound & lighting guys and the bar staff. Despite the empty venue, the band rocked their asses off as you can hear on “Killer on the Road.” Nothing is held back and there is a beauty in the contrast between their balls-to-the-wall fury and the silence of the empty venue. It’s yet another testament to the passion of punk rockers – audience or no audience, they’re gonna fucking rock.
Luckily this incredible story has a happy ending, as the Ivy Room still stands today and is back to hosting regular live music. In fact, YOTF was on the schedule for March 31st. People love a good story, and I haven’t heard of one as beautiful and charming (and movie-ready) in a long time. YOTF are badasses with big hearts and I can’t think of a band who is worth supporting than these guys. If you’re in a rocking mood, throw on “Killer on the Road” and prepare to have your shit rocked.
Written by Tim Clark
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