Live Not On Evil is a palindrome. So is They Rock My Ears Off Ffo Srae Ym Kcor Yeht and, apt a description as the latter may be, the former definitely rolls off the tongue a little easier. It also conjures up images of darkness, but not an all-encompassing darkness. In effect, it’s the perfect name for the local punk band who has adopted it.

Those in attendance at last night’s show at The Barbary were given a terrific performance by a band who comes off as a well-oiled committed-to-their-music machine. Vocalist / guitarist Rob Windfelder, who founded the band in 1999, sports a devillock and wears all black, but the band are in no way a Misfits copy - nothing against the Misfits, of course. The current line-up includes bassist Kevin Person (who tried to screw up Rob’s devillock once during the set), guitarist Norm Alger, and drummer Eric Sauls.

Live Not On Evil blasted through song after song, showcasing a mix of material from their albums, Lucky Stiff (2001) and Next Time Nail It Shut (2004), both released by Seattle’s Sinister Records. The band also tested out some of the material they’re working on for their forthcoming third album, specifically a hard hitting number called “Nothing’s Wrong.” Other high points of the set were the Lucky Stiff track, “The Scary Polka,” and a lead guitar-filled, instrumental version of “Philly Roller Girls,” which segued smoothly into the shades-of-TSOL “Dead Eyes.”

[A publicity photo sent by the band, not from The Barbary show. Can we afford cameras?]

What’s so cool about Live Not On Evil is that they have a sound that is simultaneously unique and instantly familiar. You can hear pieces of early 80's West Coast hardcore, 77 and after UK punk, and the early 70's metal which - many forget - informed all these bands to begin with. Still, despite the knowledge these guys have of music, you don’t find yourself saying “oh, this sounds like Black Flag” or “they’re just like *insert band whose name is cool to drop*”. For all their influences, Live Not On Evil are decidedly their own band. And an awesome band, to boot.

It’s been a busy year for LNOE. As mentioned earlier, they’ve begun writing material for their new album, and recorded “Philly Roller Girls,” which is the official fight song for the city’s women’s roller derby team. On the touring front, they’ve shared stages with punk favorites like the Dead Kennedys, The Casualties, The Briefs, and 45 Grave. We can expect to see more bands added to that list soon, as the band have expressed an interest in performing in other places outside the city.

Check out both of Live Not On Evil’s albums, available from the Sinister Records website. There are also plenty of sound samples on LiveNotOnEvil.net and Myspace.