Bands as bands is always a fun show, because it gives local bands to take s step outside themselves and  just be another band.

 A long awaited rescheduled show returned to the owl acoustic lounge, Friday, April 21.

 I missed the  Blondie tribute, but I was in time for an entertaining Ramones tribute. I didn’t recognize any of the members.

They put an interesting twist on the Ramones original punk rock music with talented females playing the roles of frontman Joey Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone as they were focusing on the first four Ramones albums, and two big bearded guys playing the roles of Dee Ramone and Johnny Ramone.

 They were dressed in identical black leather jackets and horizontal white and black striped T-Shirts and Ramones style wigs, which ended up being dropped mid set.

 They dug deep but also fit in the “hits.”

  They opened with Blitzkrieg Bop” and my favourite “Beat on the Brat” and “Cretin Hop.” They dug a little deeper for “Judy is a Punk.”

“ Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” was a highlight and it wouldn’t be a Ramone tribute without “ I Wanna Be Sedated”. They wound down with a couple of their more popular covers , my favourite “ Do You Wanna Dance,” and  “Ended with “ Surfin Bird.”

 Me first and the Gimmie Gimmies are made for a bands as bands night as they make their bones turning hits into hot punk covers.

 Ryland Moranz got to go back to his pop punk roots on guitar. Tyson Wiebe  was a charismatic frontman and Mickey Hayward  provided the backbeat. I didn’t recognize the other two members.

 The band, dressed in almost identical Hawaiian  shirts, spanned the decades and genres ranging from  ’50s pop to ’90s country.

 They did a quick sound  check of “ Take me Home Country Roads” and took off from there.

 They did a great cover of Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies’ version of the Dixie Chicks’ “ Goodbye Earl.”

 They went back to the ’70s for  “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” and  even Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”

— By Richard Amery, L.A Beat Editor