For those about to rock -- forget it, Parker Brothers beat you to it

There's a special sense of enjoyment that comes from seeing a great band give an exhilarating gig, and knowing a couple of the band members up on stage.
I came to that little realization last night, at SAN FRANCISCO'S CAFÉ DU NORD.
My sister INGER and I were attending a show by THE PARKER BROTHERS, a San Francisco indie band that revels in 1970s ARENA ROCK CLICHÉS and delivers classic-sounding song after classic-sounding song with tongues planted in cheek and Flying V guitars held aloft. They rock.
If I sound biased, I most certainly am.
Parker Brothers drummer PETER CRAFT is a family friend and a veteran of two of our family's favorite bands, Firecracker and the Bellyachers. Lead guitarist BRIAN MELLO is another family friend. His guitar heroics helped characterize the Bellyachers' memorable sound.
Former Firecracker keyboard player RUSSELL TILLITT, Court and Spark and Preston School of Industry bassist DAN CARR and Rhett Miller guitarist GREG BESHERS round out the lineup (however, Greg is about to move to Washington, D.C.).
The gig was awash in party atmosphere, with the band members acting out their stadium-filling rock posturing and the crowd acting like they were seeing some long-haired classic rockers about 35 years ago.
I smiled just seeing Peter and Brian in action. When you see people you know generating excitement on a stage, feelings of enjoyment and pride mingle. Topping it all off, the band was great!
(Learn more about The Parker Brothers by visiting their Web site, located here.)
Oakland, Calif., indie pop singer-songwriter BRAD BROOKS opened the show with his band. Brooks is an accomplished vocalist with catchy songs. Although you might not have heard any of his records, you might have heard Brooks on video games. He has provided vocals for GUITAR HERO 2 and GUITAR HERO: ROCK THE 80s.
The New Wave-sounding ACTION SLACKS were the gig headliners and closed the show, but we only hung around for a couple songs.
Thanks to the Parker Brothers, we had all the GREAT ROCK we needed for one night.