• WHITMAN DEWEY-SMITH

Trash Talk's Sunday night Neumos set was decently crowded, but packed with people that had evidently never been to a hardcore show before in their life. This was not a conclusion I jumped to based on the amount of polo shirts being worn, but after observing multiple failed stage dives within minutes of vocalist Lee Spielman calling for them. Have you ever seen a sorority girl awkwardly lay out face-first into a crowd, only to faceplant onto a floor soaked with three days' worth of spilled beer? It happened several times while the Sacramento four-piece tore through their sub-minute, blast-beating numbers. The few seasoned punkers present (bless their souls) set examples by hurling themselves, shoulders and back first like it's supposed to be done, on top of the My First Mosh Pit^TM participants.

• WHITMAN DEWEY-SMITH

Ignoring the hilarity of the crowd, Trash Talk delivered a tight, professional set of furious hardcore jams. Lee Spielman took advantage of a ridiculously-long mic cord by running upstairs to the balcony and out a side stage exit while the remaining three band members headbanged and jump-kicked. The bassist climbed up some monitors and stood on the outside of the balcony railing as he banged out the last low-ends of the closing song. Spielman encouraged everyone to go to tonight's all-ages Vera Project show "to see how we do things outside of a Capitol Hill Block Party environment." If this set was any indicator, it's about to be way serious.