Our friends in Dream By Night have recently gotten a new venue running that operates out of a small, dark church basement in Obetz, OH. This week they had the pleasure of hosting the punk frenzy known as Children 18:3.

The trio is one that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing multiple times in the past, but catching them in such an intimate setting was a real treat. Drummer Seth Hostetter opened the set by dousing his cymbals with lighter fluid and promptly setting them on fire. With bass player Lee Marie Hostetter consistently calling out those of us (including me) more content to stand and observe to express ourselves through jumping/moshing, the band powered through their set, to put it mildly. “Children 18:3 is not a safe band!” singer/guitarist David Hostetter declared. “I want to see a little ring around the rosie action in this next song!” he encouraged, whipping the 30-40 people into a circle pit.

Of course the music was well executed too. “All In Your Head” got people engaged “a little bit louder, a little bit harder” while old favorites like “Mock the Music” and “Homemade Valentine” had people singing their hearts out. A highlight was “Lost So Long,” a song with a chorus that I still think is one of the coolest around – “Close your eyes, baby sleep / Float across the gentle sea / Every dream, turning grey / Holds the promises of the rain coming!” “We’ll Never Say Goodbye” got people’s fingers wagging at the prompting of the band and they closed with a metaphorical song about a talent show, “Oh, Bravo.” Bravo, indeed.

The Soulquest Venue had a strong supporting lineup. Vice on Victory served as the evening’s direct support, playing their band of driving alternative punk. It was a performance that was familiar (I’ve seen them perform twice this year already) but probably the most enjoyable yet. A conversation with guitarist Louis Woicinski revealed that the band is in the midst of a renewal phase of sorts and I’m curious to see what that will bring. Pop punkers Goodnight Wednesday made an appearance as well, rocking an appearance that looked like something between Abandon Kansas and Green Day. They were on point and the songs got better and better the further they got into their set. Their last song, written for the fans, was a favorite. Dream By Night opened the evening with their heavy hitting rock. Despite some sloppiness (which Seth Brown lamented about to me later in the evening) I still got into their set probably the most I have in the 3 (4?) times I’ve seen them. Brown knows how to craft some righteous riffs, that’s for sure! Props to Joshua Brown for being a crazy bass player (rocking the crabcore moves more than once) and drummer Nathan for being adept at what he does as well. Don’t overlook him!

I left my camera battery at home, so you’re gonna have to put up with this crummy iPhone photo as a visual aid.