THROWBACK PUNK BY NICK SENIOR
WE’RE CAREENING INTO 2020 AND WHAT THE YEAR HAS IN STORE IS NOBODY’S GUESS. IT’S PRETTY DAUNTING TO THINK ABOUT, SO WE’RE GONNA SWITCH GEARS A BIT AND TAKE YOU BACK TO THE DAYS OF STAPLED ZINES AND MIXTAPES, WHEN YOU FOUND YOUR FAVORITE BANDS IN LINER NOTES AND PAGES THAT TURNED YOUR FINGERS BLACK.THESE BANDS BRING A NEW TWIST ON THE SOUNDS OF '80S AND '90S PUNK. WE ALSO REVISIT SOME ALBUMS CELEBRATING BIG MILESTONES, AND CHECK IN WITH SOME BANDS THAT WERE THERE AND ARE STILL CREATING THE CLASSIC PUNK SOUND.
PHOTO BY FARRAH SKEIKY
FOXHALL STACKS INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST JIM SPELLMAN
FOSTER CARE INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST CHRIS TEENAGER
In the Year of Our Lord 2019, every new punk band seems to have an astounding pedigree of members from all sorts of legendary bands, only to be the guitar tech for Bad Religion or the live bassist for Rancid. Washington DC’s Foxhall Stacks have stacks on stacks of pedigree (Jawbox, Minor Threat, Burning Airlines, Wool, and Velocity Girl), and what makes those bands click is on full display throughout The Coming Collapse, out now on Snappy Little Numbers. In that way, the band are maximalists – big power-pop hooks are lifted on top of gleefully distorted riffs. This is heartfelt punk rock that owes a huge debt to the classics of the past without sounding dated.
Just about any pissed off idiot can write a mediocre punk tune - the frenetic fury typically only requires a few chords and an inciting incident. However, those who are a little bit more measured and considered in their approach can elevate a random racket into something approaching art - or at least a really fucking good time. NYCs Foster Care take their name seriously by giving their songs time and room to grow into something special. That’s not to say the band’s brash take on garage punk is veering off into art punk territory. However, El Abuso (Spanish for “the abuse�), out now on Florida’s Total Punk Records, feels like a grown-up version of the band, somehow with more vitriol and focus than their past work.
Guitarist Jim Spellman is keenly aware of his new band’s place in the world, and that confidence oozes through the speakers. “We wanted to make a rock record,â€? he says. Too many people our age get lured into acoustic music or small amps and playing quietly. We play loud rock with Marshall Stacks and Les Pauls and refrigerator-sized bass amps. It’s fair to call us maximalists, perhaps to a fault. We love electric guitars and harmonies and layer them on like pomade on a pompadour.â€? đ&#x;’Ł
DOGBRETH INTERVIEW WITH
VOCALIST/GUITARIST TRISTAN JEMSEK
You know that friend that everyone likes? They are genuine, honest without being an asshole, and can connect with a wide range of people? Somehow, Ever Loving is the musical version of that concept. Dogbreth’s broad-spectrum rock has all the ingredients to appeal to just about everyone: it’s a little jangly, a tad grungy (they do hail from Seattle, after all), and definitely dreamy. It’s the musical equivalent of a friend’s embrace – warm and comforting. It’s also got a surprising amount of depth beyond the hazy textures. This idea to create such an easy-going and lovable record, not coincidentally released on the friendliest label out there, Asian Man Records, somehow came naturally for the band. Their goal going in is reflected in the efferves cent feeling Ever Loving imbues on the listener.
Vocalist and guitarist Tristan Jemsek notes, “We wanted to make a record that rocked with a lot of beauty and texture. I was trying to sort of imagine a cross-section between Crazy Horse and The Cure, something with shimmer and chime and lots of humanity.â€? This is a classic-sounding record that will be remembered for years to come. đ&#x;’Ł
10 NEW NOISE
Vocalist Chris Teenager acknowledges this dichotomy was intentional, “[Someone] will come up with a riff, and I’ll write from there. It’s punk, nothing profound, just what’s pissing me off at the time. Since I work in food service, there’s always fresh inspiration.â€? However, he notes, “this time around we wanted to really make a record that wasn’t just a collection of songs.â€?đ&#x;’Ł PHOTO BY ANDY BERNDT
DESPERATE ACTS
INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST/ GUITARIST MATT KEIL Summer of Panic is what happens when a group of artists feel composed, confident, and unified in one vision: kick ass punk rock. Comprised of members of bands that were/ are on Victory, Bridge Nine, Red Scare, and Havoc Records, you’d expect one thing, but Minneapolis’ Desperate Acts happily zig when you expect a zag. What has emerged is a gritty, Midwest melodic punk behemoth, full of songs that feel small and massive – both in sound and scope – at the same time. It’s the type of record that is impossible to have on in the background, because it very quickly becomes the only thing you pay attention to for 12 minutes. That focus and style didn’t come easily, but vocalist/guitarist Matt Keil is relieved they all put in the work. “We had an identity crisis trying to write our first few songs as a band. There was a conscious effort to try and differentiate from our earlier bands and add in newer elements that often resulted in a mess. I think with this latest record we've settled in and become more comfortable with what we are.â€? Thankfully, what they are is a punk band that feels like they’re carrying the torch of past greats into a promising future. The record itself dwells on some haunted adult themes of how to deal with the world around you. “I think the recurring theme,â€? Keil notes. “Is being made aware of constant abject horror in the real world all the time, when in daily life you're just focused on your very immediate needs and drudgery. You deal with keeping your family moving along and the small environment in front of you, and in the meantime you have these little panics because it doesn't always seem like there's a lot of hope for a just world. When you're at work, you can't say, ‘I think, possibly, the world is being ruined' – you just start a stupid band with your friends.â€? đ&#x;’Ł
