Think about you’re on a cruise ship for a four-day tour to the Bahamas. You’ve obtained your swimsuit, an grownup beverage, and also you’re able to chill out. As you make your approach to the pool deck, you’re hit with the sound of distorted guitars and in-your-face vocals as legendary L.A. punk band X rips by means of “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene.”
That was the scene on Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise, which set sail from Miami on Could 9-13 on board Norwegian Cruise Traces’ Norwegian Gem, and the 1,800 or so passengers had been in punk rock heaven.
The lineup featured an array of SoCal-based bands, together with Social Distortion, L7, Rocket From the Crypt, the Lords of Altamont and the Dollyrots. They had been joined by dozens of different performers throughout the rock ’n’ roll spectrum, from the hard-stomping Fleshtones to the incorrigible Supersuckers, to Tommy Stinson’s Bash & Pop, to the ageless Linda Gail Lewis — youthful sister of music icon Jerry Lee Lewis.
As John Doe of X mentioned, “bands you never thought you’d see on a boat.”
The festival-at-sea idea isn’t new. Sixthman, the corporate that ran the cruise, has been organizing festivals since 2001 and presents greater than 25 curated cruise experiences. Upcoming sailings embrace Conserving the Blues Alive at Sea Alaska, Chef’s Making Waves Boston, Rock the Bells Cruise and Headbangers Boat.
In some ways, the primary Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise is an offshoot of Sixthman’s Outlaw Nation Cruise, which accomplished its ninth crusing earlier this yr. It was a considerably somber celebration as a result of each its architect, SiriusXM’s Jeremy Tepper, and its ambassador, Mojo Nixon, died immediately in 2024.
That cruise drew an eclectic mixture of performers reminiscent of Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Dave Alvin, who share musical DNA with lots of the artists on the Underground Storage Cruise and vice versa. For instance, Alvin’s former band the Blasters performed alongside X throughout L.A.’s first wave of punk, and Social Distortion’s Mike Ness was typically within the entrance row watching them play.
“Jeremy and Mojo were incredibly close,” Alvin mentioned. “They were like soulmates in a weird way. Cultural, artistic soulmates.”
One shock visitor on the Outlaw Nation Cruise was Jello Biafra, who launched the album “Prairie Home Invasion” with Mojo Nixon in 1994. He performed with Nixon’s backing band the Toadliquors throughout an emotional tribute to his late good friend.
“It’s hard,” Biafra mentioned, “because there is a little bit of a pall over this whole event, because Mojo isn’t here, and everybody’s got their memories bubbling up. I have plenty of that.”
Most of the performers, together with some who’d by no means taken a cruise earlier than, had reservations about what the Underground Storage Cruise could be like.
“I thought there was going to be a lot of crazy drunkenness,” mentioned Donita Sparks of L7. “I was thinking it was a booze cruise, but I haven’t seen a whole lot of that. I haven’t seen a single fight. I’ve seen people laughing and hugging and rocking out to the music. I’ve just seen a lot of joyousness.”
John Reis, vocalist and guitarist of Rocket From the Crypt, was involved about seasickness and feeling “trapped” however neither proved to be a problem, and he discovered it straightforward to “succumb to the vibe.”
“We don’t take certain things all that seriously,” Reis mentioned of Rocket From the Crypt, “and festivals can be very regimented. There’s often a lot of stress involved, mainly with the people putting on the shows. The cruise isn’t like that at all. It’s way more casual.”
Even Ness of Social Distortion was seemingly gained over by the cruising way of life. “Ease into the day, do what you want. No traffic, no hassles,” Ness mentioned from the stage.
X performs on Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise
(Eli Johnson)
Punks of a sure age are all too conversant in the phenomenon of trying ahead to a present however, as soon as it’s time to really go away the home, shedding all enthusiasm to drive throughout city, discover parking and watch for opening bands to wrap up their units. On the Underground Storage Cruise, all reveals are a brief stroll away and run from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. No openers. No encores.
Though some reveals overlap, not like most festivals, the bands play a number of occasions all through the course of the cruise. So in the event you missed a band’s efficiency on the spacious pool deck, you might catch them later on the 850-seat Stardust Theater or one of many extra intimate lounges that present a clublike setting.
Meaning you may select the place and while you need to see the band — even early within the afternoon.
“We’ve been doing this a long time,” Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers informed the gang on the band’s 1:15 p.m. gig. “But never this early,” quipped bandmate “Metal” Marty Chandler.
Followers cram the deck of the cruise to observe their favourite bands play on a visit crusing from Miami to the Bahamas
(Wealthy Johnson)
Performers participated in occasions offstage as nicely: autograph signings, a wine tasting with the Dictators, a poker event with the Slim Jim Phantom Trio and interview classes that can finally make their approach to the Little Steven’s Underground Storage channel on SiriusXM. An interview with Mike Ness ended with a shock brief set by Social Distortion, accompanied by keyboardist Ben Alleman on the accordion.
There are, in fact, drawbacks to the cruise expertise. If you happen to’re not having a very good time at a competition, you may at all times go away and go house. Clearly, you may’t try this on a cruise ship. There are additionally bigger issues with the cruise business itself, from the influence these behemoth ships have on the surroundings to the low wages paid to overseas employees, who do the majority of the cooking and cleansing.
John Doe mentioned he was conflicted concerning the gig. “As you grow up, you do things for love or money, right? This is for money. But I love the band X.”
Then there’s the elephant within the room: the notion that cruises aren’t for teenagers; they’re for aged individuals.
A variety of these outdated punks are, nicely, outdated. And in the event you had been within the pit with bands like X, Social Distortion and L7 once they had been first making waves, then so are you.
That’s not essentially a foul factor.
“Rock ’n’ roll is like jazz now,” mentioned Eddie Spaghetti. “Essentially, it’s become a niche art form for older people because most kids don’t like rock ’n’ roll anymore.”
As followers age, their our bodies might break down however their ardour for the music of their youth stays the identical. However plenty of music followers, this author included, take care of incapacity, well being and/or mobility points that may put a damper on the everyday competition expertise. Sixthman, nonetheless, excelled at ensuring each passenger felt welcome.
For example, the entire venues on the Underground Storage Cruise had an abundance of ADA seating, with workers designated to help those that requested it. One workers member I spoke with informed me she scans the crowds in the course of the reveals and appears for individuals who would possibly profit from further help.
That form of private consideration goes a good distance towards explaining why followers, performers and workers members alike consider these cruises as a neighborhood. There’s a camaraderie on these journeys that you simply gained’t discover at your typical competition.
The individuals you meet on the present aren’t simply festivalgoers; they’re your neighbors and typically your breakfast companions. The intimidating-looking punk rocker coated in tattoos is much more approachable when consuming pancakes together with his associate on the buffet.
This camaraderie isn’t what leads most followers to sail on a music cruise, however it’s one of many causes they return yr after yr. In the course of the Outlaw Nation Cruise in February, passengers assembled for a gaggle photograph for many who’d sailed on all 9 Outlaw Nation Cruises.
That camaraderie is vital to the musicians too. Everybody I talked to raved concerning the reveals they’d seen. Jonny Two Luggage of Social Distortion informed me that when he acquired the schedule, he highlighted the bands he wished to see — identical to any fan. He was particularly excited to see Bash & Pop, who he’d performed with within the early ’90s.
L7 performs at Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise
(Wealthy Johnson)
Donita Sparks of L7 had fond reminiscences of taking part in with the Supersuckers within the early ’90s. “We used to sleep on the Supersuckers’ floor in Seattle,” Sparks mentioned, “and we would have a dance party every night.”
That pleasure for what L7’s Jennifer Finch referred to as “the buffet of bands” is infectious. It’s additionally why Little Steven’s Underground Storage Cruise will sail once more subsequent April, to Cozumel, Mexico.
“We’re all alive,” Sparks mentioned. “We’re here and we’re still rocking.”
Jim Ruland is the L.A. Occasions bestselling writer of “Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records” and of the novel “Make It Stop.”
