The Dangerous Summer, The Body Rampant and The Story So Far blow up the Black Box Cabaret.

Though discovered in the late ’70s, music’s pop punk genre made its breakthrough in the mid-90s with sensations Green Day and Blink 182 paving the way for future musicians around the world.


This weekend the Blackbox Cabaret – the go-to live music venue on CSU Monterey Bay’s campus – hosts a concert with a few bands that have flourished within this scene. The Dangerous Summer are set to headline, with direct support from The Body Rampant and The Story So Far.


“Our sound really isn’t anything new or groundbreaking,” admits The Story So Far guitarist William Levy. “But we have some incredibly talented musicians that push everyone to get better at what they do. We are a punk rock band out to write music that we all love.”


While these three unique takes in one lineup has already created a buzz among students (free with student ID), attendees aren’t limited to students. The concert is $5 per nonstudent. “There has been a lot of talk going around,” says BBC Chief Programming Officer Edward Sena. “The capacity at the venue is only 263, so I advise everyone to show up early and get their spot.”


On last summer’s Vans Warped Tour – a three-month-long tour circulating the United States and a few cities in Canada – The Dangerous Summer made a statement with spine-finding guitar riffs and intriguing lyrics like “It takes a lot to say that something is fate/ I kind of know where you’re headed, am I too upfront?/ Or am I just on time? Well, where is your head?”


The Body Rampant reels in listeners with help from horrifying masks and an unheard-of sound from uncommon instruments. Lyrically The Body Rampant allow complex meanings to speak for themselves: “Time has given me all I have to survive/ but the hands are moving faster than I can.” Lead singer J.M. Lopez commits completely to each song.


For The Story So Far, their strength lies within the rhythm section of the band – especially live. Harsh vocals also set them apart from the harmonies that fill the rest of the lineup, but break downs of all sort provide contrasting sanctuaries from their heavy rock sound.


For the BBC, CSUMB students and savvy music fans, it sounds like a story worth following. 


THE DANGEROUS SUMMER, THE BODY RAMPANT and THE STORY SO FAR perform at 8:30pm Friday, Oct. 21, at the Black Box Cabaret, 100 Campus Center, Seaside. Students free with ID, $5 general admission. 582-3000.