My So Called Punk Rock Dad

What better way to get back into the swing of things than to recommend two outstanding punk books! First it's Matt Diehl's "My So-Called Punk - Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion - How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived Into The Mainstream". It's comprehensive, fun, well-written and filled to the brim with facts and anecdotes that highlight the good, the bad and the ugly in punk rock. Highly recommended that you read about the punk sphere of influence in this first class book. Go grab it at Amazon and save $3:



Next up it's Jim Lindberg's "Punk Rock Dad". I found myself laughing out loud so much while reading this book. His honesty and candor about raising his daughters and being the lead singer in one of the most influential punk bands, Pennywise, is inspirational. It's a very quick read and is filled with fun parenting nuggets, Pennywise history and a simple punk sensibility. Put it in your cart along with My So Called Punk at Amazon and you'll probably have free shipping!

Highly Useful - Useless ID - Redemption Review

Compilations are great sometimes. You get a chance to check out a wide array of bands and sometimes are pleasantly surprised when you come across a band that you had not heard previously. On the Rock Against Bush comps, there are numerous stand-out tracks, but on Volume 2 it's "State of Fear" from Useless ID that made me want to hear more from this band. Hailing from the punk mecca that is Haifa, Israel comes Useless ID. I shouldn't say that, there may well be a thriving scene over there, but this is an outstanding hybrid pop punk / hardcore release. on Rock V. Bush "State of Fear" was a driving hardcore anthem and it's found on this release too. Having heard that, I expected more of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised at the variety. At times it's funny like on "Drinkage", other times it's quite serious for example on "Redemption" and at all times, it's melodic and memorable punk.

I sometimes use the word complexity to offer the reader the perspective that there are musical layers that get uncovered over the course of an album. The word simplicity is more appropriate for Useless ID. There is a very pleasing simplicity to this entire record. It's hard-charging punk, with some pop-punk harmonies and I find that the entire album as a whole is strikingly complete. The whole album is greater than the sum of its parts! This is in fact a great rock record. Great production, outstanding musicianship, solid vocals and it sounds like the band is playing music, just to play music. Again, it's very complete...there's some New Found Glory-esque pop-punk numbers like "Kiss Me, Kill Me" and "Everything Turns Red". There is some NUFAN influence on "It's Alright" and "Dying Love" and there is very intense hardcore, a la Strung Out on "Suffer For The Fame".

Having said all that, you might be thinking that the band is "all over the map" in terms of an identity? Not at all, I think that's the charm of the ID of Useless ID, it's simple variety. I'm reminded of Lawrence Arms. There is a Lawrence Arms sound, but each song is delivered in a distinct manner. Same goes for highly relevant Useless ID!

Grab It At iTunes

Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

Clearly taking a leadership position in punk, Chicago's Rise Against return with their fifth album. I've been waiting for a song to hit me like "The First Drop" off of their 2004 album "Siren Song of the Counter Culture". "Sufferer and the Witness" was great, but there was not a "First Drop" equivalent. Well, on this release that aggressive, anthemic hardcore stand-out is "Kotov Syndrome". It's but one of many outstanding tracks on "Appeal to Reason".

Sometimes, major labels and punk rock get along about as well as Obama and McCain do and there's a pretty long track record of bands who don't necessarily thrive while playing in the majors (see: Bad Religion, Ataris, 7 Seconds). It's through no fault of their own, but often, it's just that those releases might not get a proper amount of care and feeding. That is however changing of late. Offspring, Green Day, AFI are putting out good-as-ever music and are thriving on majors. Rise Against certainly are the most hardcore of punk bands to fall into that latter category. I suspect that it's the broad appeal of Rise Against that makes them so very popular. For me, it's pretty simple. Rise Against write great songs! Each track on this album is thoughtful, complex, provoking, emotional and most importantly...memorable!

Surprisingly, this is the most "accessible" Rise Against release yet. It's actually a really good "rock" record. Not going to call them emo or lump them in with the hard rock that is popular, because this is a hardcore punk album. But, they do blend in melodies and harmonies that evoke images of other contemporary genres.

I don't know if I have much to offer on the vocals of Tim McIlrath, but I'll offer the following. He's probably the best pure singer in punk today! I hear no weakness in his voice, enough said.

There is a style to Rise Against. There has always been, but this record sees that style mature a bit while still maintaining the raw youthful power found on some of their early Fat Wreck releases like "Revolutions and "Unraveling". Whatever the differences in style between now and then, it's clear that Rise Against is writing great, rhythmic punk songs and they deserve all the accolades that the are receiving.

I'll wrap up with another observation. Frequency of releasing records is always interesting. Wait to long...you could lose some of the faithful. Put out records to quickly...same thing, but for different reasons. I find that when a new Rise Against record hits the shelves (yes, you can actually still walk into a record store and buy one...I did it just this morning!) that it's the right time. I'm ready to listen, the record so well done that it is clearly ready to be heard and it seems like it hits at a good time for punk. I didn't hear their debut until years later, but I can say that for the bands other four records, that has been the case. After all, timing is everything. With Rise Against, that's part of it, but it's more about talent, innovation and passion that has led them to this point.

Grab It At iTunes

Hello The Used? It's Me Drive Like Jehu - Screamo Born

Or maybe this post should be titled "Hello, Bert? It's me, John Reis". Whatever the title of this post, hardcore and punk underwent an amazing transformation in 1991. Emo, Screamo, Post-Hardcore owe a tremendous debt to this band. Drive Like Jehu released their self-titled debut on Headhunter Records. Punk rock would never be the same.

In retrospect, it's hard to not call this a punk rock supergroup. With this pedigree, it's no wonder this band and specifically, this album would have such wide influence. Check out three of the members:

John Reis (aka. Speedo): Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, The Night Marchers, Owner Swami Records and all-around punk rock hero.

Rick Froberg: Hot Snakes, Obits and Chapter 1 of "Screamo 101: A Lesson in Vocals". (note: can't wait for the Obits debut next year on Sub Pop!!!)

Mark Trombino: Night Soil Man, Aminiature, punk rock producer to the stars...Jimmy Eat World, Finch, Silverstein, Blink-182.

A digression: In the early 90's the San Diego alternative scene was loaded! But the three bands that in my opinion had a large influence on the screamo and hardcore of today are these peers of DLJ...Night Soil Man, Three Mile Pilot and Truman's Water. Each, known for their own brand of sonic dissonance, they each shaped the future of punk, and rock in general, with their aggressive, dirty, yet technical music.

Back to our featured artist. Drive Like Jehu. The complexity of this music, to this day, leaves me awestruck. It's beautiful, rich, well thought out and well executed. "Caress" starts the album off. It builds to crescendo and while other tracks meander from the beautiful to the extreme, "Caress" is relentless from beginning to end. Next up is quick blast "Spikes To You". The shortest song on the album, but by no means the simplest. How do you describe the guitar sound of Drive Like Jehu? It's "off" in a way, no disrespect, it's what makes it amazing. It's almost like they use their dueling guitar lines to create some sort of mismatched harmony. It works perfectly on "Spikes". John Reis leads the way on "Step on Chameleon", a bit of a slower, sludgy track with those patented overlaying guitars. "Step on Chameleon" features some nice Rocket From The Crypt harmony and is a personal fave. "O Pencil Sharp" is a nine minute epic that captures the entire Drive Like Jehu experience. It slowly builds into a single guitar led melody and then into a mid-paced, somewhat somber progression. At around the 5 minute mark, the deluge that is Drive Like Jehu starts. Manic, pulsing, strained solos, complex percussion, it's got it all. As quickly as the deluge starts, you wander back into the darkness that began the track... and so it ends. It's a track like that that often can be the measurement of a band, but how well they can take the song from record to the stage is the real test. From personal experience, Drive Like Jehu were able to precisely capture "O Pencil Sharp" note for tenuous note. "Atom Jack" would fit in quite well amongst the Emo and Screamo of today and is probably the most structured of all the tracks. "If It Kills You" is a study in tonal instability. The pain sensed in Rick's voice is palpable but ultimately outdone by the guitar and bass work on this post-hardcore forebear. This track, along with a few others, feels at times like an instrumental. It wanders off in a direction for a few minutes and it's a wonderful journey. "Good Luck In Jail" is simply a really cool punk / alternative rock song. It's Melvins-esque and it's a treat! "Turn It Off" could have easily been written in 2006 and may well have influence outside of punk (Killers, Modest Mouse, etc.). This classic, noisy album wraps up with "Future Home of Stucco Monstrosity". "Wall of Sound" jumps to mind as a simple way to sum up this tune and probably is a fitting description for the work as a whole.

I know there are Drive Like Jehu fans out there that count this record as one of the best of the punk or hardcore genre, count me amongst that group!

There was a song in the 80's called "Video Killed The Radio Star". Sadly, we could probably say "Major Label Killed the Punk Rock Star" for this band and bunches of others. While there are always many contributing factors to a bands finish, in this particular case, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Drive Like Jehu had stayed on some small, high quality San Diego indie label? I'd like to think that "Yank Crime" would be just the second in a long line future masterpieces! But hey, good news for all of us, the three main men continue to release and influence a tremendous amount of good quality, true to themselves punk.

Beyond Possession - Way, Way Beyond Crossover Skate Punk

We promised to cover it all and so I shall. At the opposite end of what's going on in alt / punk with bands like just the featured The Classic Crime, comes Beyond Possession. Their self-titled 1986 crossover / thrash metal / skate rock punk release blew the doors off of the genre, or did it? Their vinyl legacy is small, but for a brief moment we were all able to catch a glimpse of this grinding, aggressive, Canadian band and on this release they outshine many of their peers with a very complete, appropriately short and altogether rockin' crossover classic!

At some point, most of the bands on Thrasher Skate Rock Vol. 3: Wild Riders of Boards (hey, can they make the cd booklet be shaped like a board deck like the lp was?) will be featured here. I'm actually not one for compilations, but that one rocked. Boneless Ones, Christ on Parade, Accused, COC and the aforementioned Beyond Possession leading the way with "Skater's Life" and "My Disease". That comp. was loaded with skate punk classics, and among them is this scene-famous Canadian Rockies band. Death Records released the "Is Beyond Possession" record to, if I remember correctly, very little fanfare as I picked up an early cutout of this release at Lou's Records...had the genre been saturated by Accused, Suicidal Tendencies, Dr. Know? Who knows, but this band put together a record that does well when slicing against the grain (seems like a cooking theme is coming). There was some amazing stuff going on between punk and metal at that time with legendary releases from DRI, Excel, Verbal Abuse, English Dogs and Suicidal Tendencies. Why does this record merit similar praise?

Here is why: Beyond Possession took only the best ingredients of punk and metal, mixed in some local Western Canada flavor and mixed it all up with some truly solid, crisp cooking techniques (production). "Never Nothing New" leads off and is one of the strongest tracks on the record. For tempo-change driven blasts, check out "Depression" "Beyond Possession" and "Creeping Eruption". Nice background gang vocals are found throughout this release, as is the odd, short guitar solo. At that time, some of this crossover hardcore was sloppy and garage punk in nature. That's cool, but that is not this release. Making an impressive record, for very little money, is quite a feat. Making one that is true to the genre and still has the sonic clarity that you often hope for is even more rare. Perhaps they saved on ink, by omitting information about the band and focused their Canadian Dollars on production. Whatever it was, this was a frenetic, fuzzy guitar skate punk free-for-all and twenty years later continues to stand the test of time.

The Classic Crime - The Silver Cord...I Promise Not To Use That Word That Starts with "E" and Ends in "O"!

OK, so I'm going to attempt to write a comprehensive and quite complete record review without using the word that begins with "e", ends in "o" and has an "m" somewhere in the middle. I promise! I actually approached this album with the attitude of "it may have been done before, but so what, let's see what these fellas bring to the table". I think that without that attitude it would be way to easy to just say Fall Out Boy or Senses Fail strongly influenced this band. To be sure, it's pop-punk but I'll offer that it has more of an edge that let's say All Time Low or Boys Like Girls. In general, that's probably a fair assessment for many Tooth & Nail artists, there is a bit of metal influence and, an influence that in large part is not unnatural in any way. So, The Classic Crime, hailing from Seattle, WA and headlining the current Atticus Tour play an energetic pop punk, replete with harmonies, melodies and memories. "The Fight" is a stunning track with grinding guitars, balanced dueling vocals and creative tempo changes. Matt Macdonald has one of the stronger voices in the pop-punk /alt genres and has the range to handle some of the songs that require more of a scream than a whisper. "Closer Than We Think" is the "poppiest", is that a word?, of the numbers, with a simple guitar line and an Ataris like vibe. It's certainly a radio friendly track and in general the album is that. In an environment where there is a release like this hitting iTunes everyday, this one does standout. For a sophomore release, this record does possess some nice maturity that helps it standout from all those others. Debate whether this is punk, but the roots of punk are here and it's music well done.

Go Grab It At iTunes

Good Riddance - Operation Phoenix

For those who were into punk in 1999, this probably wouldn't be classified as a 90's hidden gem, it was a pretty important release and certainly a well respected one. Those who aren't familiar with Good Riddance might enjoy learning about a punk / hardcore release that is loaded with aggression, raw power and all out anger. To either audience, read on...learn something new or be reminded of one of the most important and often unheralded albums in punk. There are those punk records that build to a frenzy over the course of either the opening track or over the first few songs. This record is one of those "hit you between the eyes" openers, leaving no doubt that what's coming is nothing short of a audio and verbal assault. "Shadows of Defeat" starts with an except from Martin Luther King's 1964 Nobel Prize speech and so begins the deluge. It is time to go, echoes the the last line of the first track. Vocals from Russ Rankin are gruff, emotional, hardcore. "Blueliner" is nothing short of a Minor Threat call to arms. It blasts the listener and subtly lifts elements from NYHC. Any song that starts with that amazing rant between father and son from "Some Kind of Wonderful", is going to be OK. "Heresy, Hypocrisy, And Revenge" is more than OK. That tirade leads into a crushing guitar led opening followed by a blast to the ears..."look at what you've left me, now that you've moved on". "Letters Home" is my personal stand-out track. Melodic, passionate and probably the most complete offering, it's got that same hardcore passion with some "cleaner" Russ vocals and great harmony. Add in a nice tempo change finished with 30 or so seconds of made for moshing aggression, and you really do have the complete Good Riddance experience in one tidy track. "Yesterday Died, Tomorrow Won't Be Born" is another short blast of hardcore excellence and I'll go back to where I started, talking about building to a frenzy vs. being frenetic from the get-go. This track, along with several remaining are great examples, the frenzy starts in the first 7 seconds, angry vocals follow, wrapped up with mid-paced hardcore and a mosh inspired summary to end the song.

You have to give credit where credit is due, angry hardcore from a California band? Sure, it's been done before, but this record is entirely well done! Great job fellas...for now you'll have to remain in memory, easy to do that with this classic hardcore release!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Rocket From The Crypt - Circa Now 1993 Review

From a 1993 magazine that I published comes a review of the classic RFTC "Circa Now". I know that this band certainly has a passionate following, even after their demise, but it's their legacy that is fascinating. To this day, their music is fresh, innovative and OK, I'll say it "fun"! Circa Now marks a change in the band, still garage punk in nature, but this is a bit more mature. It's also probably the first RFTC album that comes close to capturing the essence of the band live. RFTC was the best live band amongst that San Diego 90's alt/punk scene, which is saying a lot when you have Lucy's Fur Coat, Boilermaker, Aminiature, Uncle Joe's Big 'ol Driver and Fluf in the mix. Circa Now captures that raw power and 16 years later is is as rockin' as ever! Enjoy...

From 1993. OK, so I am really keen on finding out more about San Diego bands and that might influence my opinion. But in this review, I will be completely objective. RFTC are the greatest thing since sliced bread, the wheel, the light bulb, party balls! They are the savior of music itself! those of you who think I am serious can stop reading. What this band really is, is a fantastic ensemble of musicians who have released an independent album that knocked me off my feet. "Circa Now" is a powerful, at times noisy, collection of songs, each of which could easily be hummed after just the first listen. "Killy Kill", "Ditch Digger" and "Don't Darlene" are but 3 examples of this bands refreshing ability to pen both song and lyric. I've heard that this is doing well for an independent release. Having found out about RFTC late in the game, I can't say that I have been a fan for years, but they certainly have impressed me. the power pop songs on this release should convert any alternative music listener to an instant fan. If not, I'll continue to voice my thoughts about an album that pleases this listener.

Jump to today, gotta love a review with the words "party ball" in it! For you youngsters, a party ball was a short lived late 80's mini version of a pony keg that you and your buds could drink. It's main downfall was that you couldn't shotgun it!!!!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Civet - Hell Hath No Fury

From The OC, comes Civet. Nice nod to the old school on the debut Hellcat release from this all-female quartet. It's got Tim Armstrong's fingerprints on it, but that's by no means a detraction. What strikes me is the way that each instrument is so very prominent on this release. I'll say it's well-produced, but it's more than that. There is a pulsating nature to the drumming, grinding sound to the guitar and a clear and dominant bass line that you often don't get on some records. I've been thinking a lot lately about percussion, since I heard the news about Travis Barker. Love or hate Blink, he's one of the best drummers in the world. Along with Josh Freese, Travis is the high water mark in punk drumming. This record features great work from Danni Harrowyn. The drums remind me of a bit of an industrial sound with a bit more machine gun repetition, it's not "over done" as it does blend in well with everything else going on on each track. It's just that it's a bit remarkable. Vocally, this is strong female led punk with some Runaways like rock anthemic pieces thrown in for good measure. Liza Graves has a unique voice. It would be easy to describe her and compare to her punk peers (I'm sure that's happening), but I find it easier to hear the growling as more close to Wendy O. Williams or better yet, Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. Sure, totally different genres, but incredibly strong death metal-esque vocals. This is pretty straight-ahead punk. Standout tracks include "Gin and Tonic", "Alibis" and "Pay Up". I've listened to this about four times and it does get better with each listen and I start to find myself appreciating the maturity. Maybe that's surprising as based on the packaging and pics on the record, I probably didn't expect this to be so heavy, so vicious and so furious. It's all of those things. So, if you like your punk dirty, best heard in a bar and Motorhead inspired...Civet is for you!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Leatherface - Mush

From a magazine I wrote for in 1992 comes this review on Leatherface...

This is British working class music for the masses. From Northern England comes Leatherface with a surprisingly pleasing stateside debut. "Mush" is punk 'n roll, positive energy sort of stuff. Each song has a distinct Leatherface guitar hook and is always memorable for the vocals of Frankie. His singing style is nothing short of passionate and provides and extra source of energy to this potent underground sound. Understand that this is a no-nonsense record. Where Helmet are considered the "fancy" brand of food, Leatherface is most definitely "plain wrap". "Mush" completely took me by surprise and I truly hope they will be a breath of fresh air to the music industry.

Fast forward to today, this records has staying power. It's still outstanding. The raw power and energy of this band, while probably not legendary, is infectious!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Terror - The Damned, The Shamed

Old school hardcore from Terror! Outstanding release from the nice folks at Century Media. Thirteen strong tracks, excellent production, nice packaging make for an overall complete experience. Capturing the essence of early Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front is not an easy task. Not only does Terror accomplish that, but more than that, they honor their heritage and take the genre into a contemporary crushing era. To say that "The Damned, The Shamed" is loaded with hooks is not entirely fair. It is, but it's the way that each song fits within the context of the others that I find impressive. "Voice of The Damned' leads of the charge. With "We Are The Lost" as a war-cry for their masses. It leads to "Relentless Through and Through" which is a nice mid-paced thrash metal influenced number. Mosh friendly "Betrayer" followed by the up-tempo aggro styling of "Rise of the Poisoned Youth"make for again, a logical progression from song to song. It's often hard for bands to capture the live exuberance of the passion and emotion of a show, but Terror have achieved that. The standout track in my mind is "Never Alone" which does a great job of capturing the spirit of the band in a live setting with thrash guitar riffs and excellent gang background vocals. I wouldn't say that there are any weak tracks, "Let Me Sink", "Feel the Pain" and "Crush What's Weak" are all capable and less frenetic. I just happen to really enjoy the pace of outstanding numbers like "Lost Our Minds". Terror have done Los Angeles hardcore proud! Hey, wait a minute, LAHC? That's right...LAHC!!!

Go Grab It At iTunes

No Use For A Name - Have We Really Heard That Before?

No. In defense of No Use For A Name, their ability to craft catchy, harmony-driven punk songs, that also have some teeth to them is special. This is fun, isn't it supposed to be? While the formula may vary slightly with each NUFAN release, in the end, aren't you glad you listened to the record? I am. Vocal stylings change slightly, production changes slightly, it's maybe a little faster or less faster, yeah so? I find myself, with each release, that I go back and listen to earlier releases and find big differences and also some similarities. Listen to "The Feel Good Record of the Year" and then listen to "Leche Con Carne", it's amazing the NUFAN pattern is there, but it's also so very dissimilar. This may well be the one record that comes closest to Leche, in terms of it's power and raw emotion. No need to try to recreate the masterpiece that was Leche, so on "The Feel Good Record of the Year" No Use For A Name use tempo changes to migrate the user from hyper-fast punk to mid-paced melodic rock. Case in point, "Pacific Standard Time". It starts with a slow, but driving guitar line, leads to a "bouncy" mid paced punk section (sorry about the bouncy, it just seems to work) then it launches into an all out harmonic assault of uptempo NUFAN classic leche punk. Sure, we have heard NUFAN before, but not like this! If you are already a fan, enough said, you probably have this record and are enjoying it. If new to NUFAN, this is a good introduction to a legendary punk band that has the staying power to continue putting out great punk rock!

No Fun At All - The Big Knockover

OK, over time I've promised to unearth some 90's Gems, Leatherface "Mush" is secure in that list as it's an often overlooked punk release...read that review.


Next up, it's Sweden's own No Fun At All. Is this a hidden gem? You bet it is! It's got it all. Influences for today's post-hardcore, prominent guitar, background harmonies, loads of tempo changes and anthemic punk tunes. Anthemic and punk in the same sentence, OK I said it, try it out, you'll hear. Sure, peers of No Fun At All were putting out more critically acclaimed records in 1997... Sick Of It All, Pennywise, Lagwagon, AFI, etc. but this release trumps them all. Those were good records, this one is better because it had no expectations (ah, if only they could all be that way). "The Other Side" represents the album in its entirety, but by no means is it a formula, it's just a track that shows that NFAA play music, are musicians, can sing, energize, drive rhythms, energize listeners and encourage repeating. Burning Heart Records unearthed some great European punk bands and with some of their licensing deals in the US, were able to expose (or the bands pushed for the exposure) these bands to a larger audience in the 90's and early 00's.

You groovin' out to Sufferer and the Witness, Decemberunderground, Reason To Believe...how about a little IPOD augmentation with some NFAA. You can comfortably shuffle with others in your mp3 player playlists of melodic punk and in fact it will make those playlists better.

Go Grab It At iTunes

No Trigger - Canyoneer

From Central Massachusetts comes No Trigger. Clocking in at just under 32 minutes, "Canyoneer" is a really solid effort from beginning to end. "The (not so) Noble Purveyors of the Third and Fourth Coming" starts off the assault. This is a straight ahead hardcore, "hey everyone get ready, because it's coming" tune. "Neon National Park" follows and starts to showcase the melodic influences of this talented band. Those punk releases that mix rough, growling hardcore vocals with melodic guitar lines may well be plentiful these days, but No Trigger offer us something different. Tempo changes, gang background harmonies, even the odd guitar solo make a more complete offering. "Bust Tropical" and "Owner Operator" speak to those comments quite well. Both these tracks are certainly blistering, but hook the listener with dueling guitar melodies. "Fuck That! I'm Digging Out!" echoes Tom Rheault on "Owner Operator". That's right Tom! No Trigger combine infectious catchy music with relevant and personal lyrics. It seems like there is a respect for punk that has come before them, that' probably pretty fair, but what's interesting is that No Trigger spin their own version which is all together original and something that they should be entirely proud of. 2008 has seen the band focus on other endeavors, helping out Set Your Goals and playing in Smartbomb. Good stuff, but can't wait for more No Trigger music!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Pennywise - Pennywise

Writing about Pennywise made me want to go back to the beginning and listen to their S/T debut on Epitaph Records from 1992. That in turn, made me want to go unearth the review I wrote about that release in a small West Coast magazine. When I was last listening to "Reason To Believe" I couldn't help but think about Kevin Seconds and 7 Seconds. Clearly, 7 Seconds passed the torch to Pennywise and they have carried it admirably. Funny, I talk about that in my review from 16 years ago.

Enjoy!

1992 Review: This is the debut from Los Angeles based hardcore outfit Pennywise. This album is nothing short of impressive! the band offers up a simplistic brand of harcore that is a rare treat these days. Tunes like "Fun & Games" and the title track "Pennywise" are blasts of speed and power with the added benefit of crisp production. Don not let the fact that this album sounds really clean, turn you off. Pennywise lack the grunge but make up for it with sheer emotion. the straining vocals by Jim are fantastic and evoke a pseudo Kevin Seconds sensation. Any time a band can come close to the achievements of 7 Seconds, they have indeed achieved greatness! I have yet to be disappointed by anything on Epitaph Records and look forward to many years of good, clean punk music.

Sure enough, since then Epitaph has put out some fine work and as has Pennywise!

Go Grab It At iTunes

Pennywise - Reason to Believe

Released on Myspace Records in 2008, Pennywise return with a monster effort. Granted, my opinion my be a bit influenced by the fact that I just finished reading "Punk Rock Dad" by Jim Lindberg (more on that in another post). Dad(s) or not, Pennywise stick to their proven formula straight ahead punk. Produced by Cameron Webb (Silverstein, Much The Same, Dynamite Boy, Vendetta Red) this marks a new era of musical complexity for Pennywise. Don't worry, the same anthemic 2-minute drills are found on "Reason To Believe", but they have mixed in some darker, moody tunes like "Give Me One Reason" "Confusion" and "The Western Wall".

There is an urgency to Jim's vocals. There has always been the political and social commentary and call to action coming from his words, but nowadays it's elevated somehow to a level of maturity not found on previous releases. "Make a list of the things you would risk if you knew you could never fail". That theme is found on many of the songs on "Reason To Believe"...what are you waiting for, stop complaining, do something and do it now! That social responsibility coupled with the driving, energetic and passionate music of the rest of the foursome makes this release a classic!

Go Grab It At iTunes

The Bronx - Did U Hear This?

Well? Did You? Metal influenced, grab you by the throat, engaging stuff. Major label, schmajor label, who cares. Refused said Shape of Punk to Come. I think they might have been talking about The Bronx. I'm all for DIY, and in this case this record got buried under way more marketable releases from this major label and mores the pity. Well worth your time in finding this release, it's pretty energetic and passionate post-punk and deserved a better fate.

Go Grab It At iTunes

X - The Unheard Music

I know that in a discussion of forefathers (mothers) of punk, X might not often enter into the discussion and that's OK. I bought my first punk record in 1983, so I did not necessarily witness the birth of the genre(s), although in retrospect, I have developed some new appreciation for some of the pioneers (Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Clash, Ramones). So for me, many of my own personal views as to innovation and influence mainly start in the 80's. Maybe that simply speaks to age, but it's probably more than that.

In my own case, the stuff that got me excited was either hyper-paced or really melodic, with a fair amount of skate punk thrown in for good measure (I think it's a rule to like skate punk if you a. lived in So. Cal b. skated the drainage pipe out behind your house or c. thought "faster is better when it comes to music"). I was three for three! So my list of 80's punk pioneers include Dead Kennedy's, DRI, Dr. Know, Raw Power, Agnostic Front, Suicidal Tendencies, 7 Seconds but leading the pack was the LA based punk band X. John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake changed punk forever.

So, on the melodic side of punk, X was a game-changer. Exene and John's vocal harmony, while some might find "off", was the foundation of the band that led the LA punk scene. There was a complexity to X, one not found in peers of their day. Their brand of punk was emotional, political, social and at times challenging. At times hardcore "Real Child of Hell", "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene", "Los Angeles", at times rock "Have-Nots", "We're Having Much More Fun", "Universal Corner" and many times dark and haunting "White Girl", ""Unheard Music" and "My Soul Cries Your Name" but all of the time engaging the listener.

While some may not care for what the band did later in their career, I think their entire body of work is legendary. Take some time to learn about X. Here is a recommended course:

1. Watch "X - The Unheard Music" DVD.

2. Listen to "X - Los Angeles"

3. Listen to "X - More Fun in the New World"

4. Watch "X - Live in Los Angeles"

5. Listen to "X - Under the Big Black Sun"

6. Listen to "X - Make the Music Go Bang!"

X was the complete package. Talented song-writing, aggressive style, haunting harmonies and social awareness.

Go Grab Some X At iTunes

A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide

OK, so let's fast forward to 2007...from the mecca of punk rock, New Bedford, MA, comes A Wilhelm Scream with their fourth release. Wow! It's probably not fresh nor contemporary to use the word "crossover" like it was used in the 80's to describe crossover metal and punk bands, but I think it's highly relevant. With their intricate song-writing, lyrics that actually make you want to read the CD booklet and a blistering pace, "Career Suicide" is an instant classic. How many releases can you say that there is not one song that you might skip over? I can probably only come up with a handful. This is one of those rare finds. It's fun from beginning to end, they don't take themselves too seriously (see video for "I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz"), they take closed fist punches at the state of the music industry and the musicianship is first rate. Let's begin at the beginning, "I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz" launches the assault, it's a quick, tidy diatribe against the punk commercialism. "5 to 9" is a complex tempo-change driven showcase of the song-writing found on the entire "Career Suicide" release. How do you describe this music? It's got lots of dueling guitar metal-esque harmonies, angry hardcore vocals and memorable choruses that hang in the air long after you've hit pause. This release captures the raw power of say Pennywise and couples it with the complexity of Rise Against and rounds it all out with some Lawrence Arms melodies. "The Horse", "Die While We're Young" and "Career Suicide" are each excellent, yet entirely separate. This release is an "experience". Each song is truly distinct, but when you have finished with "We Built This City", the sum of all its parts equal an impressive, towering effort!!!! Well done! In a town known for its sea-faring heritage, A Wilhelm Scream have unleashed a whale of a record and punk rock is better because of it.

Go Grab It At iTunes

Leatherface - Pride of Sunderland

I did an interview with Frankie Stubbs, lead singer of Leatherface in 1992. He talked to me from his home in the north of England, in a town called Sunderland. The band had just released "Mush" on Seed Records. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation, followed by some current observations on this band.

Me: How did the band start?
Frankie: We started...I don't know! We were all drinking companions who were use to making noise. We got together and set up our stuff in the guitar players house and make noise...that was August of 1998.
Me: Was it easy to find places to play?
Frankie: We were really lucky. It's not that easy. It's very hard in England, but we managed to get a couple of tours in Germany and in Holland and that was before a proper tour here in the U.K.
Me: Is there a receptive local music scene?
Frankie: (chuckle) In Sunderland? No. It's never been the most receptive place to play but it is getting better?
Me: Tell us about "Mush"?
Frankie: We recorded it in the Greenhouse in London. the Greenhouse is owned by Pat Collier (Vibrators) and it took about 7 days to do. There was lots of shouting and that's the way it was. I am very happy with it.
Me: This isn't your first release?
Frankie: No, the first came in 1989. That was an LP on MainLine Records. But the album kept getting deleted by the label.
Me: Did you enjoy spending time in the studio?
Frankie: That was really the first time of working in a professional studio. It's a real difference from working in the Northeast. London was really nice. We recorded, could watch MTV and watch football.
Me: Does "Mush" capture the bands live spirit?
Frankie: A lot of people have said that this is actually what we sound like. I don't really know what we sound like when we are up on stage and this record kind of lets us know.
Me: What are you touring plans?
Frankie: We are touring Britain, Ireland and Scotland. It starts in the end of February and goes through June. Senseless Things is headlining and we'll be supporting them. China Drum will be opening some of the shows.
Me: Any talk of the States?
Frankie: There are plans for the U.S. , but right now it's just talk.
Me: anyone in particular that you would like to tour with?
Frankie: Poison Idea would be good!
Me:The bands sound, has it evolved or did you start out with a particular sound mind?
Frankie: It has just evolved. It just was that way from the start, I guess that evolves is the wrong word...when the four of us started playing, that's the way it was!
Me: Is there any kind of philosophy to the band?
Frankie: Songs! Songs are our motivation. My main goal is to write a classic song. The kind of song where nobody remembers who sung it, but everybody remembers it!

Far to under appreciated was Leatherface! This is one of the best punk releases of the 90's, but I suspect not many people heard it as Seed Records came and went in the blink of an eye. At some point I suspect I'll put a list of the 20 punk records from the 90's that you may not have heard and really ought to. This one will be in the top 3!

Highly recommended that you search out this gem as you are in for a real treat of working class British punk that's rich with melodies and hooks and clearly achieves Frankie's goal of remembrance.

Jawbox - Novelty 1991 Review

Why not begin where it all began...I've been writing about punk for a long time in a variety of my own publications, magazines, fanzines, etc. The first issue of one of the publications came out in 1991 and in that issue, I published a list of top music releases for that time period. That publication focused on all kinds of stuff...metal, punk, alternative, indie, etc., so on my list of top 25 albums were things ranging from Pavement to Type-O Negative, Pixies, Righteous Pigs, Three Mile Pilot, Skrew, Pale Saints, Carcass, Danzig and Lemonheads. Lot's of punk in that issue too and making it onto the top 25 were releases from Rocket From The Crypt, Leatherface, Helmet, Seaweed and Pennywise...don't worry I'll dust off those reviews shortly as there will be a lot of content on "stuff you may not have heard or haven't heard in a long time". Leatherface comes to mind in that regard, far too unappreciated, but their "Mush" release is solid from beginning to end! Anyway, back to the issue, coming in at number one on "Scotty's Hotties" was Jawbox "Novelty". To date, this record contains one of the best songs, any genre, out there that being "Dreamless".

This is an outstanding release! It's very heavy, in some aspects it's dark, but loaded with rich punk melodies. It's a bit of a midpoint in J. Robbins career as he did release some epic music with Government Issue and has since gone on to more good stuff with Burning Airlines. So, what better way to start the Punk Mecca website than with unearthing the review from 1991. Enjoy!

Jawbox - Novelty (Dischord Records)

YES! Dischord strikes gold. I only have one Government Issue record, but I loved it. So, when I heard that former G.I. frontman J. Robbins was leading Jawbox with its second release, I was more than curious. As it turns out I am nothing short of blown away. Jawbox have discovered that elusive blend of melody and power. A blend that only a rare band can actually capture. All 10 songs possess a D.C. hardcore appeal with an amazingly captivating vocal harmony, on for example "Dreamless". There seems to be lots of songs from various bands that as I get into the groove, the band takes off in some dissident direction. Not Jawbox, once they have got that groove, they let it keep flowing. "Novelty" is a call to action! It is a perpetual anthem to the undying will to catch up to ones ambition. Thanks Jawbox.

Jump to present day...pretty heady stuff..."anthem to the undying will to catch up to ones ambition". Man, that's the stuff of legend! Now that I am a bit older and wiser I might just say "hey, this is a great album!". There are a lot of post-hardcore bands that clearly respect the work of Jawbox; Rise Against jumps to mind.

That's a good way to end this first blog...Respect! This site will be a lot about respecting punk, it's roots, heritage, highs and lows and all that is going on in the genre today. I hope you learn about some bands that you might not have heard of before or perhaps were curious about and certainly I hope to highlight some of the great stuff that is going on today. Don't worry, this won't be too serious. How can you even use the word serious and punk in the same sentence? This site will be for fans, written by someone who loves to listen the music, see the concerts, read about it, write about it and watch documentaries about it. Isn't that a bit of the foundation of punk? It's about the music, just play and hang with people that appreciate the effort. That's respect.

More to come, enjoy the ride! Thanks, Scott

Go Grab It At iTunes