One of my first distinct memories of suburban summer boredom happened around third grade. It was the same summer those candies called Super Lemons and Super Colas got really popular; the ones everyone would buy at the nearby Asian supermarket (I grew up in the Bay Area, there was always a nearby Asian supermarket). These candies were coated in a thick layer of citric acid and delivered the most sour and loud bang my taste buds have ever experienced. My friends and I spent endless hours sitting around in the park, watching each other pop Super Lemons and intensely squirming, jumping, and spinning away the thrilling sourness until we were met with a relieving sweetness so satisfying that it made us crave the preceding sourness all over again.
These fond giddy emotions and rollercoaster sensations are similar to what it’s like to experience The Missionaries, both recorded and live. The Missionairies are as bubbly as they are raw and every song plunges you into your best nostalgia for college punk house shows. The band keeps you on your toes with a live line-up that changes depending on which good friend and fellow Brooklyn musician is available to fill in on guitar, whilst maintaining a steady aural warmth and poppy sound. You can download 3 tracks from a collection of demos entitled “The First Time” here.
So pick up a pack of Super Lemons and head to The Missionaries show tonight at Silent Barn (915 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn). The show is $5, all ages and doors at 8pm.
