Reggie and the Full Effect

Reggie and the Full Effect front man James Dewees revels in theatrics, whether you’re talking about the many aliases he’s used with Reggie — like Paco, Klause from the fictional Common Denominators, and, of course, Reggie — or the bunny costumes he and his bandmates wear onstage as they cover Slayer. Problem is, theatrics is 90 percent of it. His latest, Songs Not to Get Married To, is his most mature and, in many ways, best work to date, but its unnatural mixing of punk rock, emo, metalcore, and even New Wave works just about as well as Dewees’ marriage did. Fortunately, the poor bastard’s divorce makes a useful stage prop, like bunny costumes. Prepare yourself for some marriage-hatin’ chest-pounding as Dewees hops about the stage in Thumper ears, drives around in a battery-powered fire truck for children, and splatters the crowd with fake blood shot from a Super Soaker. Remember to bring a raincoat.