When I heard the line up for Hootenanny 2012 was going to include Rancid, Reverend Horton Heat, The Bouncing Souls and Murder on the 405, I knew I had to be there. That's about the most intense cross section of all the musical genres I like with one big common thread among all of them: these bands are amazing live. Most of these bands come from an era before over-production and electronic embellishments, so to hear Rancid is to hear them as true as the record. The Rev. Horton Heat was on point and you just don't hear enough stand-up bass at a live concert. The Bouncing Souls were slick and fast, but I felt their was set was far too short, even for a punk band. Murder on the 405 brought a great energy and lead singer "Psycho" Mike Catherwood has some of the best pipes in the biz. Hope next year's line-up can top this year's.