Five Eight
Take Me To The Skate Park
Chicken Ranch Records
by Ink 19 Magazine
As every story about them begins, “legendary Athens, Georgia band Five Eight” drops the first single off their eleventh upcoming, unnamed album with a sweetly nostalgic video to let us all know why they’re legendary in the first place.
“Take Me To The Skate Park” features Mike Mantione’s daughter, Maggie, practicing sick moves in her carpeted bedroom, bugging the shit out of Dad, who kind of obviously would rather be killin’ it at the skate park than doing dishes, heating up a floppy pizza, or vacuuming that nuts carpet — all pretty badly — to take her to the skate park.
“Feeling like a misfit / Stealing all your lit shit / Daddy never did shit / For Daddy’s little dipshit”
Whether written about the band’s “dad” or Maggie’s, it’s a familiar story for anyone who has a kid or was one in a past life. Dad’s too busy doing mundane shit to listen or care… except this dad is fucking Mike Mantione.
Dan Horowitz, Sean Dunn, Patrick “Tigger” Ferguson, and Mike Mantione have been killin’ it on stage since the ’90s — their glorious debut, Weirdo came out in 1994 — and if you think they’re too old to keep on killin’ it, you’re kidding yourself. Directed by Jason Thrasher (Athens Potluck) and shot at the Skate Park of Athens (SPOA), the video is a live performance of “Take Me To The Skate Park” with an audience of skaters peering into the bowl, either loving the set or waiting to drop in, but probably loving the set, because they rock, as always.
Five Eight is featured in Marc Pilvinsky’s Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight, a feature documentary currently playing in small southern clubs and theaters, some with live performances by the band and guests. Find a show, here. ◼
