The Mafia played their first show of the new millenium as well as made their official debut as a four-piece band with the addition of Brandon on trumpet. The audience consisted of a small group of friends. I'm not sure of the setlist, but I know they played either new or revised songs to make use of the trumpet. This is the same place that Mafia made their public debut two and a half years ago, playing on a hay wagon.

Dec. 31, 1999
Trap Club - Kewaunee, WI

The Mafia is back with a vengence! After nearly half a year off, the boys played the Trap Club for their Third Annual New Year's Eve Bash! For the second year in a row, Mafia's opening act was a Kewaunee band making their debut. This year it was Punk Factor. After a short fifteen minute set, Mafia took the stage. They opened up with "Sleeping In The Wet Spot". They started over three times, making the crowd wonder how rusty the boys were. It turned out to be an act, and Mafia busted into their high-energy performance. They played the old favorites like "Jabba" but also included several new songs. These included "Darkside", "Can't Drive", and "Sometimes". They also added a new cover of "Tainted Love" to go along with their other covers; "Just What I Needed", "Down Under", and "Somebody To Love". The definite highlight and surprise of the show came near the end. For their last two songs, Polish Mafia had a horn section perform with them! Brandon Harrell, Adam Harrell, and Ryan Bruechert (from Punk Factor) brought their trumpet and saxophones and played a great version of "I Don't Care". The added horns made an already good song into a great song! The horns added noticelbly to the quality of the show. Brandon's trumpet solo along with John's guitar sounded incredible! But the climax of the show was definitely the finale! The horns stayed on stage while yet another Punk Factor member, John Wallace, came up to take over bass duties. This allowed Caleb to concentrate on vocals while they performed "Student Battle Hymn". During the chorus, Caleb went into the audience to have fans sing along. The crowd participation, Caleb belting out the lyrics, added horns, and just the sheer volume of it all made this the best Mafia song I have seen performed live! Good show. If you didn't check it out, be sure to go next year as it will surely only get better.

Summer 1999
Seagull Lane - Kewaunee, WI

Polish Mafia put on a show for their friends this summer. It was to be their last show for a while. They played right along the beach of Lake Michigan. Opening for them was 1.21 Jiggawatts (this was their final show). I don't really remember the setlist but I know they went through the majority of their material. It was rumored that this may be the FINAL Mafia show!

Early Summer 1999
Van Lanen's - Kewaunee, WI

The Mafia played a private party in their hometown for their good friend, Mike Van Lanen. I can't recall the setlist. I do recall fans jumping on stage and singing with the band, though! Crazy I tell you!

Apr. 30th, 1999
Concert Cafe - Green Bay, WI

The Mafia played at the Conert Cafe (possibly for one of their final shows?) There was a decent sized crowd. I'm not sure of the setlist. I know they played "Riot", "Sweet Ride", "Crazy Acid Soda Party", and "Somebody to Love". Throughout their set, crowd members were repeatedly yelling for "Jabba"! Caleb kept reassuring them, joking that they would play "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt" last, "to make sure you all don't leave." For the first half of the set, it sounded like the Mafia was a little rusty. They hadn't had a proper practice in a month, and it sounded like their was problems with the tuning of Caleb's bass and John's guitar. They played an average set until they came to "Jabba". The crowd went nuts! They cheered throughout the song, especially for John and Caleb's "jacking off". This song was a crowd favorite when Mafia first started out and remains just as popular. After this crowd-pleaser, they played "Sleeping In the Wet Spot" as a finale. The crowd was hyped up and so was the band, and they did a great job on this one. What started out as a pretty mediocre show finished with the crowd cheering and whistling in approval! The next band, Paris@2am even honored the Polish Mafia by starting their set with a little tease of "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt". This is also one of the few Mafia shows where I was impressed by all of the bands performing. Paris@2am is one of the highest energy bands I've seen in a while! They jumped around, jumped off things, beat people up on stage, and just kept going. Even when a guitar strap broke, the guitarist caught the guitar, held it akwardly and didn't miss a beat. The Figgs also put on a great show, playing an extended encore to the crowd's approval.

Mar. 6th, 1999
Concert Cafe - Green Bay, WI

What a show! If I was disappointed with the last gig, this one more than made up for it! There was a much larger crowd than usual, and they were really into Polish Mafia tonight. From the very beginning, you could just feel the energy of the band. John's voice was great. From the first verse of their first song, "Riot", I could definitely notice that he sang with a lot more confidence and attitude. Caleb decided he wanted to sing "Student Battle Hymn" during the show, even though it wasn't on the setlist. It was a good thing he did, because that was the song that really got the crowd going. You could see the whole audience bobbing their heads in unison as Caleb did an exceptional job at belting out this song. Before long, there were shouts from the crowd requesting songs! Somebody yelled out "Jabba!", and luck had it that "I Jack Off To Jabba The Hutt" was next up, which got the crowd into it again. In addition to the vocals, the music was tight tonight. Scott was really into it (I can always tell by his expressions and facial controtions). From memory, I know the band played: "Just What I Needed" (Cars cover), "Sweet Ride", "Sleeping in the Wet Spot", "Crazy Acid Soda Party", and debuted "Somebody to Love", a Jefferson Airplane cover. All in all, I think this was the best Mafia show yet!

The concert was opened up by 1.21 Jiggawatts, making their debut at the Concert Cafe. Due to transportation problems, I only got to catch the end of their setlist, which they closed with a cover of "The Brews" by NOFX. The crowd turnout was very disappointing, and I could tell the band was disappointed as well. I heard the tape from the soundboard, and it sounded like they played good, it's just a shame so few people got a chance to hear it. Look for them to return to Concert Cafe in the coming months.
The crowd turnout was just as piss-poor for Polish Mafia. The few people that showed up just stood there. It was extra weak. Don't get me wrong, the show was alright, but there just wasn't many people there to hear it. It looked like Mafia was pretty disappointed, but the show went on. The band's mood picked up a little as they got further into the show. They started to have some fun. Since there were such a small crowd, Mafia didn't follow a setlist, they just winged it, and played whatever they felt like. It was a decent show, but I've seen better. I'll put up a setlist if I can get a hold of it.
The headliners tonight were the Gaza Strippers from Chicago, and did they put on a great show! They rocked from start to finish! If you get a chance to see these guys, don't miss out!

Polish Mafia, Concert Cafe regulars, returned for another great show in support of Pontos River. Mafia played to probably the largest crowd they have seen yet at Concert Cafe. In attendance was "Iron Man" Matt Hlinak (bass player of Ninja Pac-Man) who has never missed a Mafia show! They sure didn't disappoint. The setlist included a new song (yes, another one) "I Don't Care", "Just What I Needed" (Cars cover), "Riot", "Old Spunk", "Fartlick", "Blue Van Acid Soda Pary", "Sleeping In The Wet Spot", "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt", and "Student Battle Hymn" which Caleb sang with more emotion than usual. Scott and John also sang and played with a lot of energy. John was jumping around the stage and Scott had that goofy/intimidating look of determination on his face as he drummed. A good overall show. Pontos River, the headlining band from DePere, WI also played a GREAT set. If you get a chance to see them live, check them out.

What a way to start off your New Year's Eve celebration! Spending it listening to some great punk music with about a hundred close friends. The evening started off with the much-anticipated debut of Ninja Pac-Man. They exceeded expectations with a great show! At times, their playing was a little off, but seeing this was their first show, and they had only practiced singing for a month, this was expected. All in all, the music and vocals were very impressive. The band consists of Phil Dowd on drums, Matt Hlinak on bass/backing vocals, and Aaron Zuege on guitar/lead vocals. They played about eight original songs and ended their set with a cover of "The Brews" by NOFX.
Then came Polish Mafia. The crowd was in for a great show as Mafia played ALL their hit songs, including songs they no longer play in their normal sets, like "Jamesy Boy". They went through all their songs and then took requests from the audience. Again, the highlight was the perennial crowd favorite..."I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt" which was accented with John and Caleb's stage act. The band were really up for it tonight as all three played and sang very enthusiastically!

Polish Mafia gave another great show tonight at Concert Cafe! Tonight was a big night since the band were able to secure a spot on a bill that included the Hi-Fives and Chixdiggit! The band played their entire set with a lot of energy. Scott (sucking up to one of his favorite bands by wearing a Chixdiggit shirt) played with so much energy that he broke off a piece of his cymbal! It seems that John's vocals improve with each show. When you compare the way he sings now to his singing style of only a couple months ago, you can see that he has come a long way. He sang tonight with a lot of attitude and a lot of confidence. Scott's singing is also coming along nicely as he is lending his backing vocals to more and more of Mafia's songs. The crowd was treated to the debut of three brand new songs. They were "Sleeping in the Wet Spot", "Blue Van Acid Soda Party", and my favorite, "Where Were You", which they had to start over a couple of times because their timing was off. The band had a pretty varied setlist with their new songs, old favorites like "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt" and "Old Spunk", and a cover of the Cars "Just What I Needed." After Mafia had played their set and thanked the crowd, the manager of Concert Cafe informed the crowd that it was Caleb's birthday and let the band stay on for an encore, which turned out to be "Fartlick". Other songs the band performed tonight were "I Can", "I Have No Legs", "Student Battle Hymn", and "Chix Hate Me".

Mafia returned to Concert Cafe for yet another great performance. They played to a good sized crowd. The band started off with a new song "I Can". It apparently started as a joke song, but the more they worked on it, the better it sounded. Scott lent his voice to this song along with John. They followed this with "Riot", "Never Give Up", "Old Spunk", "Cops", "She's Worried", a cover of a Cars song, "Spiral", "Chix Hate Me", "I Have No Legs" (inspired from the movie Kids), "Fart Lick", "Student Battle Hymn", and the grand finale..you guessed it.. the ever-popular "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt". Caleb announced to the crowd that they wouldn't be playing Jabba, much to the crowd's disappointment. But it turns out he was just putting them on and they played a great performance of Jabba! John used his "suggestive" guitar positioning which seems to be fast becoming his trademark. Caleb played his bass in similar fashion, which the crowd seemed to love. An overall great show, with good energy from the band.

The management of Concert Cafe is so impressed with Polish Mafia, that they have decided to give them regular billing. After seeing the drawing power the band had tonight, I can see why. Over half the crowd had come just to see Polish Mafia! A band from Denver played right before Mafia. After finding out that the headling band, L.E.S. Stitches, from New York, wouldn't make it, Polish Mafia became the headliners! I think this is the best performance I have seen the band give to date! They played with great energy. Some of the songs they played included "I Jack Off To Jabba the Hutt", which John accented with some "very suggestive" guitar positioning. They also played "Spiral", "Cops", "She's Worried", "Old Spunk", a great cover of a Cars song, "Student Battle Hymn", and "Riot" among other. Tonight was also the big debut of Scott on backing vocals. He finally got a chance to lend his voice to the songs, which only made them sound fuller, more complete, and overall better! The best Mafia has done yet!

The band was invited back for another gig at Green Bay's premier punk venue. They played their set to a small, but receptive crowd. The setlist was: "Never Give Up", "She's Worried", "Old Spunk", "Cops", "Fart Lick", "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt", "Riot", "What Ya Need", "Spiral", and "Student Battle Hymn". After their set, the next band had still not arrived, so management gave Polish Mafia extra time. They treated the crowd to a couple of "encore" songs, and even gave the crowd a taste of some material they were still working on in practice.

The band made their debut at Green Bay's popular punk venue, Concert Cafe. Other bands who have played here include such famous acts as "Girls against Boys", "Mighty, Mighty Bosstones", and "Less Than Jake", just to name a few. Unfortunately, I was out of town for this show and didn't get to see it. If you have a review please send it in.

Polish Mafia was invited for an encore performance at Saenger's after their last gig. The setlist included "Old Spunk", "Fartlick", "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt", "Mary Jo's Little Creation", "Never Give Up", "Wisdom Come", "Cops", " She's Worried", and "Student Battle Hymn".

Polish Mafia hits the "big time" with their first paying gig. After having their date delayed, the band played the venue along with hardcore bands such as Efill, Inflicted, and Kill Sadie from Minneapolis,MN. The band had the honor of playing first to a crowd made up almost entirely of Polish Mafia fans! After playing a short Bush cover as an intro, the band broke into the crowd favorite "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt". They also played "Old Spunk", "Fartlick", "Mary Jo's Little Creation" "She's Worried" and "Never Give Up". They introduced three brand new songs: "Wisdom Come", "Cops", and "Student Battle Hymn".

(I wasn't able to attend this one. If you have a review, please e-mail me.)

Polish Mafia was invited to play the school's Valentine's Dance. People looking for some "slow love songs" were stunned when Polish Mafia played punk and nothing but punk! The crowd of over 80 students were treated to old favorites like "Old Spunk", "Mary Jo's Little Creation", and "Jamesy Boy". They heard a censored version (due to school restrictions) of "I 'THINK' About You Jabba the Hutt". They also debuted "Never Give Up". This was the last playing of "The Goodbye Song" and one and only playing of "Give Me A Brew" and "Just One".

This New Year's Eve bash was witnessed by over 150 fans. It was the first time John and Caleb's vocals were given to their songs. They performed "Old Spunk" and "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt" as well as "Jamesy Boy", "Fart Lick", "Mary Jo's Little Creation", "Goodbye Todd Sanderson", a cover of Foo Fighters's "Everlong", and more!

This public debut to about 80 people featured four instrumental songs, including an early version of "I Jack Off to Jabba the Hutt"