Sandratz's Chuck Loose's Five Craziest Florida Musical Memories

Punk band Sandratz will play Revolution Live tonight for the first time. For drummer Chuck Loose, it won't be the first time he graces that stage, but he hasn't been there in 13 years nor in a dozen bands or so.

Loose has spent the last 20 years beating out rhythms for a long list of Broward punk bands that includes the Crumbs, Heatseekers, and Chickenheads, among 15 or 20 others, though he's not entirely sure of the number.

"I don't even know," he said. "We used to do these summer cover band projects. At one point, I think we had a Nick Lowe cover band called the NickLowedians."

For the last two years, Loose has provided the driving beat behind Broward's surfy, punk rock party act Sandratz. And while this isn't the longest he's been in a band, it has been his longest in a while.

"This band is a baby," Loose said of Sandratz, who are currently working on a follow-up to last year's Hard Work Never Killed Anybody (But I'm Not Taking Any Chances). Generally, he falls into a rule about not staying in a band too long cause they get stale and lame, but this one "has at least three more good records in it."

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Aside from Sandratz, and his newer band Party Flag, Loose runs Iron Forge Press in Fort Lauderdale. You've seen the bright colored, crazy gig posters outside of any decent show in South Florida -- they're the cool looking ones.

Loose said it's been worth "wasting the last 20 years of my life on bullshit. I love it. I find it very rewarding. Not financially, but spiritually. I like punk rock and music and the whole scene and culture of it."

He adds, "I'm stoked. I thank the dark lord every day that I'm able to make a living doing the shit I do."

New Times asked Loose to share five of the crazier things he's seen in the South Florida music scene that stick out over the past 20 years. His memories were a little hazy, but here's what he gave us.

5. Noise, Noise, Noise

"During the International Noise Conference at Churchills, an old bartender at Churchill's, Nicky, would do something called "Nicky's Noise." He'd bring his motorcycle into the club, in front of the stage, and then put bleach on the back tire and do a smoky burn out. That was his noise act. The club would fill with smoke and this terrible smell. It was pretty amazing."

See also: International Noise Conference 2014: Year of the Woman (PHOTOS)

4. Ride 'em Cowboy

"I saw the Trash Monkeys, who are an old, Florida punk band, and the singer Lloyd came out wearing tiny underwear and cowboy boots, and then coated his body in vaseline. He was sort of rolling all over and touching people. It got everywhere."

3. Bad is Good

"I've seen people sonically assaulted. Where it's just pain, and they have to run out of a club screaming and holding their ears. I saw Cavity do that and I saw Laundry Room Squelchers do that [at least].

"One time, I went to see Cavity, I was drinking in the parking lot, I heard them start playing and I started running. As I got there, there were people coming out, and they all had their ears covered and looked like they were in so much pain. I guess if you're not ready for it, it can be too much. They just weren't prepared for that level of volume."

2. House Party

"I can't remember what band I was in, but we somehow played this rich kid's pool party. I have no idea how we got booked. Well, I do. Back before the internet, it was a lot harder to book shows, so we'd talk to people. And they'd just be like, oh yeah, you can come play this party. Sometimes, you'd book something while getting from one place to another just to have something to do.

"It was this nice house with a pool next to it. And some kid jumped off a balcony and missed the pool. We left. We're just like, 'we don't want to deal with this.' All these young, stupid, frat-boyish-slash-punk-rock kids. They were cool, but we didn't want to be stuck in that kind of situation. We're from Florida, the kids that booked it were like 17, not that we were that much older, but we were 21.

1. Show Scars

When we played the Circus Bowl, a lot of people got hurt. Nothing serious, but people were pulling up their shirts and having huge gashes and bruises. Way more than normal. The kids were so energetic and totally unaware they were beating each other up. But that's the awesome thing about punk rock, once it hits you it hits you, it's undeniable. It goes to your instinctual core.

Sandratz with Wastelands, Jacuzzi Boys, and the Goddamn' Hustle. 8 p.m. Friday, February 20, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $10 plus fees. Call 954-449-1025, or visit jointherevolution.net.

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