Straight edge punk is somewhat of an oxymoron to me, however it is alive and well as can be seen in the band Fluf. The San Diego punk band released “Road Rage” in 1998, and every review I read, said something about them “still being around.” Apparently ten years later they are still, still around and opening for the Lemonheads at the Casbah. It was like a big 90’s reunion. Fluf consists of O on guitar and vocals, Josh Higgins on bass, and new drummer Brad Davis. O and Brad Davis were both previously in Reeve Oliver, another San Diego band that once was.  The show was part punk show part comedy act. I’ve never seen a drummer stand up and interact with the band so much. While the content was grotesque and somewhat profane, a few people laughed. It’s a fine line, though, because too much banter can lead to mess ups, although not incredibly noticeable ones. Fluf is so straight edge that they have songs about stopping smoking, however they also have songs with misogynistic lyrics, such as the song “She’s Scorpio.”

Fortunately, I thought that once they got going, Fluf was really good. The sound is simple and fast, kinda like when punk first went mainstream…or sober. It’s catchy and gimmicky, with witty and crude comments packaged with a loud, solid, punk rock trio. While it doesn’t seem like Fluf has released a new album, or that they are even touring, it does seem like they should. The punk rock trio is a dime a dozen, but the talent and know how is what separates Fluf from the rest.