Kustomized

“Last Show” at the Middle East Cafe
by Sheril Stanford

Well, I reached a number of important conclusions at this show. For instance, I figured out why I smoke. It’s not because I’m addicted; it’s because, at these gigs, I wind up taking stupid notes (short-term memory loss, what can I say?) on stupid little pieces of paper and, in lieu of a desk, a butt box is the ideal thing to rest those pieces of paper on. Something else I realized at this show, billed as Kustomized‘s last: You can’t try to force things once they’ve reached their natural conclusion, and people who don’t know when to say when are a sad sight, indeed. In fact, dare I say it? For Kustomized, it was time to call it quits. Luckily, unlike some, they knew it. Hey, they even called their 1996 release At the Vanishing Point. For their “last” show, only half of Kustomized actually played. But main man Peter Prescott (who has perhaps attained local icon status from his past history with Mission of Burma and the Volcano Suns) was still there in all his gesticulating, screaming, eye-popping glory, along with sidekick, Ed Yazijian.

So, I’ll be brave and say it again, loud and proud. The last time Kustomized played in Boston was a drag, with Travis and Moses looking embarrassed to be found playing the punk game at their advanced ages. They seemed like they’d much rather be home with the wife and the remote control. So, they walked away, and rightfully so. Prescott’s still got it, though, and he can still kick any young punk’s ass. Teamed up with Prescott, Morse and Blakey gave Kustomized a proverbial shot in the arm, infusing the band with a much needed sense of youth, energy and urgency. The laddies seemed to rev up both the musical and personal dynamics, and Prescott seemed invigorated by their exuberant contributions.

The “new” Kustomized played hard, fast, solid, and rough with more energy and risk-taking than I’ve ever seen with the previous lineup. When his raucous hyperkinetics knocked the mic stand over, even Prescott seemed pleasantly pleased with the rock and roll of it all. Leaving Prescott Kustomized’s sole survivor, Yazijian is heading to NY to seek fame and fortune (or something) and will be replaced by Rick Wentworth. Then we can just sit back and see what Prescott and the new kids on the block do once the lineup is solid. Prescott has said that the band won’t be called Kustomized anymore, and that their new stuff will be more loose, funky, and stretched out. I just hope they remember the immortal words of, uh, some marketing dweeb: “Life is short – play hard.” Another thing I realized? I GOTTA remember my earplugs more often. For about three hours after the Kustomized show, I felt like I was walking around in a world made of cotton. I hate that.