Caustic Christ’s Skull Fest reunion was serendipitous.
The band’s guitarist, Bill Chamberlain, who lived in Pittsburgh for several years before moving to Massachusetts, is also a member of fest headliners the Pist. And since all the members would be in town anyway, organizer Dusty Hanna suggested they play a show. “We didn’t have to put much thought into it,” singer Eric Good says with a laugh.
The hardcore punk band — which includes members of one of Pittsburgh’s best-known punk exports, Aus-Rotten — built a significant following in the 2000s. And for its first show since around 2009, Caustic Christ will be opening for Government Issue on Friday (whom, incidentally, Good and his high school band opened for at the Electric Banana, some 27 years ago.)
Despite the hiatus, Good says their first marathon practice was surprisingly smooth.
“[Bassist] Corey [Lyons] and Bill would sit down, listen to the song and figure it out real quick. [Drummer] Greg [Mairs] was the strongest link: It was like ‘1,2,3,4’ — he kicked into it, and it was perfect.”
Good admits that his voice isn’t in the shape it once was — he’s taking care not to blow it out before the actual show — but, he says, “We were all a little shocked. I hate to sound cliché, like, ‘It was just like yesterday, we picked up right where we left off!’ and all that crap, but … it kinda was.”
Caustic Christ has received invitations to take its re-formed group on the road, but the members consider this a one-off. “It’s not that we wouldn’t like to, but we’re all in our 40s and 50s.” But, Good says, being asked to play at all feels like kind of an honor: “Like, ‘Oh, someone remembered!’”
