Two tracks of scuzzy, offensive-for-the-era punk from a band notorious for a) causing chaos wherever they went, b) containing members who went on to various shades of rock stardom in later years. Of the two, I believe “Fuck Yourself” is the only one that ever made it further than a demo tape prior to this, […]
I’m pretty sure Neutrals’ “Rent” b/w “Your House” 7” was the first record to arrive at our house after lockdown started. Bec and I spent the evening of its arrival listening in the basement while we played darts. Now, almost exactly two years later, the Oakland trio is back with more new stuff, their first […]
To know me is to know that the Riverboat Gamblers are a big deal to me. That can also be said of the individual band members’ other projects. Gamblers guitarist Ian McDougall has thrown down a couple of ripping garage rockers with long-time Gamblers producer/studio wizard Stuart Sikes and like the project’s name suggests, this […]
While most in the room might recognize Night Shop mastermind Justin Sullivan as the mop top human metronome from The Ringers, he’s been a busy bee since those days. With the first release from this project dating back to 2018, Night Shop (yep, named after the best fuckin’ Fugazi song) finds him writing as well […]
Chicago’s NightFreak are self-described “feral punk,” and that works well enough for me. I listen to these dudes and recall nights of savagery back home in Wisconsin, gleefully hurling beer and chairs around the bar. NightFreak have a distinct rawk edge to them, but they go across subgenres despite that; I could imagine them filling […]
I imagine Jason at Supreme Echo records like some kind of punk rock Indiana Jones, furrowing his brow while he stares at a map of Canada. Where to go next? What to unearth? In this case the answers are Winnipeg and The Nostrils. These guys started up in 1979 and lasted until the end of […]
This wonderfully raw six-song demo from Norfolk, Va. has a d-beat meets 1990s streetpunk vibe that’s easy to engage with. The snarly vocals are tremendous and each of the songs build nicely. Hopefully a more substantial release comes soon from this intriguing new outfit. Then again, Group Sex changed the world in fifteen minutes. –Art […]
If I were forced into lowering my professional standards and sullying the honor of this fine publication by resorting to describing this band in terms of two wholly dissimilar bands that hail from the same country as the band being reviewed (then again, the phrase “Bon Jovi is tight” appeared in print last issue, so […]
Unlike the sonic mess that is We Must Rebel, the Offenders’ follow-up (and final) album actually sounds pretty darn good. I’ve never heard the 1985 original so I can’t do a direct compare, but it’s hard to imagine that the original sounded as good as this remastered version, ’cause the new version sounds frickin’ sparkling. […]
I’m gonna come clean here: I was never super-into the Offenders. I appreciated that they played really fast and all, but there was just something about their sound that never really connected with me. Drums, bass, guitar, and vocals all seemed like they were working at cross purposes. The drums would thump along a million […]
Garage rock with a ? And The Mysterians feel. “Bad Mood” pretty much sums it up: “Bad mood/ you gotta real bad mood/ Bad mood—and your Mom does too.” I bet—if they play this noisy rock’n’roll in mom’s garage every afternoon after school—she’d yell, “Turn down that racket!” –Sean Koepenick (Jester, jester1992.bandcamp.com)
Brand new two-song single from my favorite current rock’n’roll band on the planet! Featuring a white-hot original on the A-side and a fantastic cover of a great tune by the Detroit band Früt on the flip, this is a killer single. Everything this band does is amazing and this new single is another classic to […]