Punk Bands With Three Letter Acronyms - Who's the Best?

More than any other genre, punk has over-indulged itself in 3 letter acronyms or TLA's. Who was the first? DRI, MDC, JFA? Nope, you have to go back even further than that to find the progeny of TLA punk, MC5! Sure, they were rock, glam, but they were most certainly punk too. MC5 was the first, but they were by no means the last.

Here is a whole post devoted to the long-lost art of three letters to name your punk band! If I've missed any, just comment and I'll update the post.

In a kind of order of importance, here goes.

1. AFI. Love their new stuff or hate their new stuff, Davey and the boys have shattered any barriers that once existed in the genre. For that reason alone, they deserve first billing. Another reason, it's some of the more creative and innovative punk rock ever!
2. DRI. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles came out of Texas like a shot from a blast furnace. Angry, hyper-paced, politically charged hardcore and eventually crossover thrash metal.
3. GBH. In my mind, the leaders of the punk rock British Invasion along side peers Broken Bones, Exploited, UK Subs, Discharge and the under-sung English Dogs.
4. FU's. Hey, that counts, right? Before they were Straw Dogs, Fu's were part of a vibrant Boston punk scene in the early 80's. "Do We Really Want To Hurt You?" was a great punk album and while peers like Gang Green might have garnered more notoriety, this band played way better, far grittier hardcore punk.
5. BGK. This one might surprise some of you, but this Dutch band was way before its time. This was blistering, angry hardcore, like you might expect to find coming from the States in the early 80's.
6. RKL. Rich Kids on LSD. God love 'em. "Riches To Rags" is a terrific punk release. To this day, "Give It Up" is one of my most memorable punk songs from the 90's!
7. JFA. Jody Foster's Army. "We Know You Suck" is a classic. It compiles the bands first two releases. This was California skate rock at its best. I say California because it seemed like they were playing in SoCal every other weekend, but they might have been from elsewhere in the Southwest. Their cover of The Ventures "Walk Don't Run" is wonderful. This band is loaded with anger and rebellion and was probably one of the first real skate punk bands.

That's it. That's my list. Go ahead, ask the one question you all know you want to ask if you were listening to punk in the 80's???? Where is MDC? Nowhere. Never was a fan, it's OK if you were, I am not. I just never really got it.

There you have it. The moment I click submit, I am going to remember one more, but I think this is a pretty accurate and fair list. Let me know what you think? LTR

Tell me what you think, vote for the best below!

The Swellers My Everest Review

From Search and Rescue records comes an outstanding pop-punk release from Michigan's The Swellers. This record took all of five minutes to grow on me. It's infectious and I appreciate it for it's simplicity and pop-punk sensibilities. "Bottles" is a stand-out track and pays tribute to Jawbreaker with its guitar sound. Influences are many for The Swellers and the list is pretty impressive. NoFX, Blink 182, No Use For A Name, The Ataris, etc. This is not a list to simply copy from, this band indeed does their own thing and it's very good from the beginning of "My Everest" 'til the end.

"The Flood" is a hyper-paced punk backlash, replete with guitar solo no less! "This Is My Everest" is a solid mid-paced punk track and showcases the bands ability to craft a memorable melody. "Clean Slate" and "Surrounded" are both fair. "What's At Stake" is another stellar track as is "Skoots". Both quickly establish a foundation rooted in power punk and add in the now familiar Swellers harmony.

It's not every day that I pop a CD in and am able to listen to it from beginning to end, there are usually a couple of tracks that I just have to skip past. Not on "My Everest"! Every track is enjoyable, sure it's all similar, but what's wrong with that. Released during 2007, I suspect that it got buried a bit amongst other punk releases, but they still developed a loyal fan base. If the band can keep up this good song writing, then greater things are ahead and certainly a broader audience will just naturally occur.

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Blink 182 Reforms!!!

Yep, it's true, Blink 182 has reformed, is in the studio and is preparing to tour! Announced last night on the Grammy's, they have apparently reconciled and are picking up where they left off. Love them or hate them, the band is certainly a force in pop punk. I've been a fan ever since I first heard "Cheshire Cat" on a little San Diego indie label. Though they went on to form +44 and Box Car Racer, there has been a void in pop punk since they split. "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" is a phenomenal punk album. And the self-titled album in 2003 was completely experimental and in my opinion a huge success. I think I always knew that Travis Barker was a drum talent like rock may not have seen, but on the 2003 release, he showcases his craft in an extraordinary manner.

That self titled release moved the band past their youthful stage and put them squarely into the mature punk rock mainstream. I suspect that with the new album it will be a blend of their pop punk roots, their experimental side along with a healthy dose of their post-Blink lives and its influences. It's going to be great. Come on, admit it, when you heard the news, you smirked and said "that's very cool"! I know I did.

Leathermouth XO Review

"Catch Me If You Can" is our own modern day "Ace of Spades"!!! Lemmy, don't worry, these Jersey Boys do Motorhead proud. In fact LeATERHMOUTH should inspire pride in many a forefather to the current emo/screamo/post-hardcore world in which we live. As I listen to "XO" I find that I reminisce about some good ol' NYHC a la Cro-Mags or Agnostic Front or I'll find myself thinking about seeing Drive Like Jehu or Rocket From The Crypt (the early years) at The Casbah, not knowing at the time that I was witnessing the birth of screamo. In fact, lots of stuff floats through my head as "XO" progresses and maybe it's just plain that I didn't really expect too much. Let's face it, emo/screamo is becoming saturated. There, I said it! That's OK, it means that in order to stand out, that you need more than a look, more than a link to some other band of the genre and clearly that you can offer more than having the word "boy(s)" or "die" in your band name.

Maybe because the lead singer is the guitarist in My Chemical Romance, I passed judgement before I should have. I suspect I am not the only one to do that. MCR is great, but comparing these two bands is in fact unfair and distorts the truth.

The Bronx were supposed to be the next it thing a couple of years ago. Breaking barriers, pushing the envelope of post-hardcore and while their debut was impressive, in hindsight, it lacked some depth and complexity. Leathermouth does punk complexity well. Are they the next big thing, well, their record label hopes so, but if they turn out to be that, it will be for the reasons that this is one of the best scream records put out in a very long time!

It's a great rock record in that the guitar lines are memorable and loaded with hooks. The vocals are incredibly strong and migrate from Trent Reznor to Rick Froberg (work on it kids). It's angst ridden, it's smart, it's a record that with each listen, you hear something new. We all have those favorite records, right? Perhaps on first listen, you thought, hey there are some pretty good tracks on here. Then, each time another track opens up and you realize, in fact, every song is great and it makes you want to go back and here it again from beginning to end to uncover some new aspect. For me, the last time that happened was with "Career Suicide" by A Wilhelm Scream. It happens on "XO", in fact it's still happening.

It's by no means an epic album, it's rather short in fact...sorry, I'm talking about time, not song titles! Song titles, it reigns supreme with clever titles like "This Song is About Being Attacked by Monsters". But who cares about that stuff, to me, that's part of the packaging. What matters is the music and Leathermouth clearly inherit all sorts of influences from sludge rock, NWOBHM and hardcore. Inheritance is tricky thing, you can abuse it and treat it like you are entitled. Leathermouth embrace it and then make it their own. Well done Jersey Boys!

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NoFX So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes Review

Ask any discerning NoFX fan and it's likely, that if pressed, they would not list this release as one of their faves. You would probably hear about "Punk In Drublic" and "White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean". Those are stellar punk records and while "So Long..." came out about 5 years after "White Trash" it retains the blatant, in your face, frenetic blend that has made NoFX so great for over 25 years!

Why do I think this album is so important, both for the band and for the music in general? I think it may be because this is the punk release that resonated with so many people in the face of the cresting wave of punk being cool, commercial and credible! Remember, what was really going on in music in the late 90's? There was some great, transitional stuff happening in rock... Foo Fighters, Offspring, Green Day, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Prodigy, Reel Big Fish, Blur all had significant songs in 1997. As a subset of rock, Punk and Alt-Rock was entering the mainstream and personally, I took notice and paid attention to it, worried that it might be the beginning of the end. Punk and alternative rock had pushed into the mainstream earlier in the decade with grunge and as quickly as that happened, it vanished equally as fast. What would be the fate of Green Day, Offspring, Rancid and others as they were snapped up by major labels? Well, 2 out the 3 ain't bad, to this day all but Rancid (at least not in that form) have flourished.

I don't have the insight to know if there was major label interest for NoFX, I suspect their was because like any scene, when one band sells a million records, record labels have a tendency to sign anyone that has "that look and that sound", get them into the studio, put out a record and get them on the road super-fast! A more recent example is who will survive the emo/screamo/rock bubble burst...Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday, Atreyu, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus? Who knows, but what I do know is that in 1997, at a time when punk rock was in a throwdown with fame, NoFX released a record that helped to keep us all centered.

Was this what they set out to do, of course not! Having seen, listened, watched and read about NoFX for so many years, I suspect they tried to make a good record and had a boat load of fun while doing it. Isn't that the way it should be?

So, it's an important record, happened during a punk-rock-growth-spurt and as compared with some of their classic earlier work and as compared with other releases of the genre, it may well have gotten lost in the shuffle. But for me and I believe for countless other fans, it was a validating record for NoFX. No matter what else is going on, NoFX remains true to themselves, their fans and their music.

"It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite", wow thanks NoFX for starting your album out with such an appropriate title given the content of this blog post so far. This song, along with "Kids of the K-Hole", "180 Degrees", "I'm Telling Tim" and "Kill Rock Stars" will please any fan of "Linoleum" or "Soul Doubt" as it's uptempo and completely memorable. As always, NoFX blends in various influences as they blister through song after song. "Champs Elysees" is a good case in point. The creative use of horns, pace changes and even the odd french word showcase the diversity of the band. "Eat the Meek" is another influence-blender, this time evoking imagery of dance hall, dub and reggae. Ska dominates the blend on "All Outta Angst" and as always it fits right in and feels right.

Humor has always played a part in NoFX music, as has social commentary. Heck, any band that can count two songs about lesbians among their repertoire, must have much to say! But sometimes, there is just plain humor as in "Monosyllabic Girl". "I take her down to the aquarium, she says shark. I take her to the planetarium, she says dark." A good song, neat tune, fun words, good times!

Like all NoFX releases, the album is laden with hooks that grab the listener. From the first chord to the last, this album does not disappoint. It's at times gritty, angry and crass. Others, it's light and humorous. Still others, it's a wash in harmony.

I think I have made this statement before, with some bands, you appreciate that you always know what you are going to get. There is a formula, a pattern that is discernible and you look forward to it and it's OK that it doesn't change because it's good. That's not the case with NoFX and in particular on "So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes". The album stylistically wanders and that's its beauty. Add to that it's constant commentary on the state of the music biz and it truly does establish its rightful place in the heritage of punk rock! Peers may come and go, get signed, get dropped, etc., but this album stands on solid footing and is in my opinion an important marker in the punk rock timeline.

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