Openers (New Column): Personal & the Pizzas

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"Openers" is a new column here at All Shook Down in which we will dig up some of the best opening bands in San Francisco each week and tell you why it's worth showing up early to catch them. Our ambition is to uncover music that you aren't familiar with and would otherwise probably eat a burrito through. Hey, we love [Insert favorite burrito dealer] too, but having caught the tail-end of so many seemingly wondrous openers, we want to save you the anguish and tell you upfront what your tamale-gobbling face is missing. And though our ears are ever-pointed underground, if someone above-the-radar is playing first and has our music-loving heart in glee, we may have no choice but to tell you. Opening bands who think they're worthy should send kind pleas and taco fees* to iportmusic@gmail.com.

*kidding... duh!

Up first: Personal & the Pizzas

Thursday night at the Great American Music Hall is going to be one wild, silly evening of rock 'n' roll. Not only are Georgia's own mischievous "flower punks" the Black Lips headlining, but the opening slot is being filled by garage party brutes Personal and the Pizzas, whose beer-punk tunes are as dirty and habit-forming as cigarettes.

Like the Ramones, Personal & the Pizzas bang out brutish, hurried punk-pop with two or three sloppy, dirty guitar chords per song, and slur about drinking, fighting and not wanting "to be no personal pizza" in what pass for vocal melodies. The cumulative effect is something between a drunk joke and a joyous fight song. But P&TP's tantalizingly simple, unpretentious style and catchy, smile-inducing hooks are hard not to enjoy, even if our chain is being pulled.