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Walt: Kick ass. Like it right away. These guys remind me of the Mud City Manglers, who are awesome! If you're like me and you dig high energy rock 'n' roll, kinda old-school, with a puck rock edge, chances are you will like what these guys are doing. This kinda music always sounds great live in a shitty club. I'd go see these guys if they came to NYC.

Gerry: Good songs, good production (but not too much), still raw-sounding. Nice garage sound, mixed pro with still the total feel you're in the studio with the band. Check it out. Nice gang vocals.

Bridget: I like it. It's messy 'n' tight. Love the harmonica on the first track. I'll sign my card. Nice goin', Philly.

Holmstrom: Wow! This is a GREAT CD!!! And here I thought American Hardcore would be hands down the CD of the night. This is exactly the kind of music I like the best! They don't sound too retro or derivative but they do remind me of many great bands. I love this band!

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Walt: This band has a good old-school '70s punk rock vibe, with a female singer who is pretty good. I like the bad attitude. Sounds like she's singin' about some serious issues, and the vocals are a good fit with the music the band is crankin' out.

Gerry: Interesting guitar sound. It's like a cross between the Dead Kennedys and the B-52s. Sounds like a band I might have heard out of LA in the late 1970s. Not necessarily what I would have at home, but not bad. You decide.

Bridget: Lyrics are trite and make me embarrassed for them. Bless her heart. She's a C average hippy who's just discovered punk.

Holmstrom: The music's not bad but the double-barreled vocals are irritating. And they're not cynical enough for a punk band--they should try going acoustic.

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Jack: Strawberry Alarm Clock organ meets 13^th Floor Elevators meets… well? What can I say folks, the ambience is thrilling/killing me.

Walt: A garagey-sounding band. On some tunes they kick it up a notch and get kinda noisy. Other tracks are very retro-60s, psychedelic-sounding. I wasn't surprised to hear these guys are from Brooklyn. I've seen and heard a lot of Brooklyn bands that are doing a similar kinda thing. These guys put their own spin on it, though.

Gerry: Very cool. This has got a little bit of everything for everyone. It has elements of punk but other forms of music--psychedelic '60s for one. Organs from Them or Steppenwolf. If you want to hear something completely different, this is your best bet.

Bridget: Harkening back to psychedelic garage--but new. I love this! It's Ween meets 13^th Floor Elevators meets Frat Rock, an' I wanna shake my ass! A freaky trip without damage to your DNA!

Holmstrom: Hippy punk. It sounds like these guys put on some Blue Cheer records, got drunk, stoned, dropped some acid, and tried to recreate Vincebus Eruptum for the new millennium. I like it! It's different. I don't love it, but I look forward to their next release, they might be on to something.

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Jack: Cool! Eric Burdon eat your heart out, this is the heavy side of the Mersey Beat. The guy in the middle on the CD cover looks like Jimmy Page, so girls, throw your panties. Refreshing.

Walt: Good band. I've seen 'em live a couple of times and they kick ass. This is the first time I've heard their CD, though, and it sounds damn good. Catchy, poppy songs, really well done. These guys are not a one-trick pony, they really mix it up and do a lot of fun stuff.

Gerry: Fat and Meaty-sounding, balls out. Great tunes, in-your-face. Definitely sounds like a band that kicks ass live, and after hearing them I'm sure you'll agree.

Holmstrom: Brian Wilson Shock Treatment meets The Labor Party meets The Standells? No, even better than that! They're tight musically, good production--hey, it's a hit! Great rock 'n' roll record! Lots of 1960s influences, but the same as the Ramones and Dictators (The Hollies, The Who, The Kinks etc.).

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Jack: Good ole Ramones-influenced masculine protest. These guys crawled out of a basement singing so fuck you they're really good you fucking fuck.

Walt: These guys rare really good at the pop-punk thing. They remind me of The Queers a lot.

Gerry: Straight garage punk like it's supposed to sound. These guys definitely deliver on this CD. I really dig the songs, too. It is what it is, no bullshit. This is punk rock.

Bridget: This would motivate me to get out the door in the morning! Terrific energy--makes me proud! Like a good Sunday hangover in the morning you fix with a beer and a barbeque. What the hell! Come on over!

Holmstrom: I drew the record cover and I heard it even won some kind of award, and Pete Depressed is a close friend so… No comment… But obviously I like 'em.

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Jack: John Cale-influenced, Alice Cooper-influenced, Nirvana-influenced, influence-influenced. This group are excellent players but I want something that sounds like them.

Walt: A real straight-ahead rock record, and I just saw in the liner notes that Cheetah Chrome plays on some of the tracks. You can definitely hear a Dead Boys influence on some of these tracks.

Gerry: This band for some reason had both a Dead Boys and Alice Cooper vibe. One song in particular sounded like Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen." Cheetah Chrome played on this so the Dead Boys' influence is obvious. Good tracks, but I definitely consider this one more heavy rock than punk.

Bridget: Oh, here we go. The rock that was made for seducing women. You dirty things you. Rock 'n' roll should make a woman wanna take her clothes off, throw a brick in a plate of glass, or dance. This makes me wanna take my clothes off. All those whiny boys need to grow some. Thanks for giving the ladies some hope.

Holmstrom: Their press sheet says this is a hardcore band that wanted to return to the sound of early punk rock--the stuff that inspired me to start this rag: Alice Cooper, Dead Boys, etc. They succeed.

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Jack: If these guys can pull this off live they might really have something.

Walt: This band at times sounds like a modern indie-rock band, but also crank it up and rock hard other times. These guys are really creative. I hear a lot of different things going on.

Gerry: I never heard of these guys before now. Good, no surprise. Rock 'n' roll. Big production. I prefer not as polished, more raw-sounding music myself. But still, I do dig some of the tunes so I'll probably check this one out again.

Bridget: Tedious. Good musicianship and production, though. I envision frustrated tears in IKEA pillows. Dormitory suff'rin'.

Holmstrom: Worst CD of the night so far. Slick, weird, sort of progressive new wave rock. It's not awful, it's even slightly interesting and listenable, but this reminds of those pretentious, 1980s power pop bands. Here's a tip-off that they suck: According to their slick press kit, they're social misfits from London. A true misfit would beat up their PR agent for making a wussy statement like that! Rich Eurotrash is more like it.

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Jack: Morrison move over. Playin' with feeling instead of intellect, isn't that what rock 'n' roll is all about?

Walt: I like the way these guys do their thing. This is rock 'n' roll the way it's supposed to be. It's got attitude, and it's got the energy. Not every single track blows me away but the good ones are real good.

Gerry: This local Seattle bands really reminded me of the Seattle punk rock bands in the '80s. Great live sound. These sound like the kind of guys who listened to a lot of those old bands and keep the torch going.

Bridget: A sufficient dose of pure soul in the garage stew to make me appreciate their cajones.

Holmstrom: This is more like it: punk rock 'n' roll. But we're hearing so much good stuff it's getting difficult to say anything other than this is really good so I'm gonna look for something really bad to put on next...

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Jack: They probably had to register at the same pharmacist to get to be in the band.

Walt: I just read that this band was assembled just to promote Norton computer products. So they only exist to promote Norton shit, apparently. I'm in shock. What a load of shit.

Gerry: This band was hard to read. Commercial? That goes without saying, they sound like they should be on commercials. If I ever want to add a song to my water pik or a heavy rock song to my laptop I'll call these guys.

Bridget: Funny office fodder. I see this happening on Superbowl Sunday. Harry the ad guy says Norton sucks, though!

Holmstrom: If this isn't the worst thing ever made by anyone, it's close to it. Symantec, who make the crappy Norton Utilities computer program, assembled this band to promote their products. So the song lyrics are all about their computer products. And they sound like a bad hair band! It's awful.

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Jack: I like the drummer. And the singer's got a presence. Pretty stuff.

Walt: Pretty good hard rock with a female singer who does a good job with the material. Sometimes poppy, sometimes '70s rock, sometimes more modern, with lots of hooks all around.

Gerry: This and reminded me of a cross between The Runaways and the Go Go's. Good rock 'n' roll, but with a little punky edge. The singer definitely reminded me of Joan Jett. Very polished sound.

Bridget: Clean power pop. Harmless vodka tonic rock.

Holmstrom: Nothing earth-shattering but a good punk band with a good girl singer. They can sing well--some great harmonies on this record, and that's not as easy as it looks.

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Jack: Story-telling at its finest. Very classic, comedic talent. Reminds me of my life so I'd say buy this one.

Walt: Good punk rock. Old school hardcore at times too. The more I hear these guys the more I like 'em. I can hear some UK and American influences here. A couple of songs reminded me of the Zero Boys.

Gerry: Not taking anything away from the music but the cover is awesome. Now for the music. Total garage punk. Old punk sounding. Recommended highly. Great tunes, good gang vocals, excellent sound effects.

Bridget: If you love the Turbo AC's but want crass, derelict lyrics, you'll like these guys. They're fun. Great percussion!

Holmstrom: I like the CD cover (obviously lifted from a 1940s pulp novel), I like the band names (Rob Ruckus, Dirk Vermin, Turbo Proctor) and I like the music! Well-produced, great intros & sound effects, good songs. Remind me of The Misfits--in a good way. Surf Gooch vs. The Wild Samoans/Pussykat Babu is a great song! This is a really great CD! WOW!!!

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Jack: Nasty little fuckin' rock 'n' roll. Excellent stuff!

Walt: Some heavy rock, borderline metal riffs goin' on here.

Gerry: Very raw. Heavy. Punk meets heavy rock. Definitely have their own thing going on. Good production.

Bridget: Good punk rock keg party music.

Holmstrom: Noisy, raucous R'n'R. Good guitarists, but they could use a better singer and a better producer, and they should spend more time writing their music. But they got the basic idea right: THEY ROCK. And that's half the battle.

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Jack: California punk Japanese-style.

Walt: A power pop/punk-pop band. I can hear a bit of emoism happening here too, but not to the point of making me puke like some emo shit I've been subjected to before.

Gerry: Sounds good, but very predictable. A lot of stuff out there sounds like this. Good production. But Blink 182 and Third Eye Blind beat you to it.

Bridget: This sound could have ended with Lagwagon. Yes, I liked Lagwagon--their Double Plaidinum album. Really, they're fine musicians and their vocals are strong. Music for west coast suburban teen skaters. They're cute and the whole gaddamn nightmare.

Holmstrom: EMO! The first crappy emo band of the night! Now I remember why everyone hates emo so much! This record is really and truly that bad! ARGH!

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Walt: Modern day emo/screamo stuff. This is the kind of music that makes me feel old, because I don't get what this style is about and why kids seem to love this stuff so much. I guess you have to be ten years younger than me to get into this.

Gerry: Heavy rock and a bit speed metal sounding. Good stuff though. They definitely spent some time in the studio. Give it a listen.

Bridget: If this is the kind of music that is tempting young girls into sexual, reckless abandon, I grieve for my country. To quote Spinal Tap, they are swimming in a sea of retarded sexuality.

Holmstrom: I wish I could escape the fate of listening to this band. I wish dying was truly their latest fashion, and that they would follow the fashion. Even better if all Emo bands kicked the bucket.

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Jack: Marky Ramone rules! Buy this! Christmas present of the century!

Walt: I heard all about these guys, but haven't heard any of their music until just now. Pretty cool pop-punk stuff. A few songs into this CD and I'm really diggin' it. Marky sounds great on drums, as always. The bonus DVD with Insects is awesome.

Gerry: Really liked this one from the start, and no wonder. It's made up of former members of the Ramones, The Misfits and Black Flag. Cool tunes. Big sound. I hope these guys come around because I'd like to see them live. Plus the DVD included is awesome. Highly recommended.

Bridget: Marky's drumming puts a smile on my face! Jerry! Dez! Oh, this is great! Very TV tuney. Bop till you drop! This just added a year on to my life!

Holmstrom: Not bad. It's okay. Popstar is the operative word here. Not that they're The American Idols of Punk Rock but it's close to that territory. I like all the guys from way back in the day though so I hope they're cashing a good paycheck. Us old punks have to eat, y'know!

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Jack: Buy this if only for the Kiss licks.

Walt: I've never been a big fan of Michale Graves but I'm diggin' this CD so far. Maybe I've had a few too many cans of Schlitz here... I better eat some more Cheetos and sober up. I have to drive later.

Gerry: This solo effort from the former Misfits guitar player is a very good one. One can never get tired of distorted guitar and there's plenty of it here. Heavy rock sounding, more than punk. It stands on its own. Check it out.

Bridget: I like the Misfits Famous Monsters album--Michale Graves has a good, young, distinctive voice. The album moves like a freight train. I imagine it satisfying the metal + goth + punk youths.

Holmstrom: From Misfits Records to a former Misfit. It's not bad. Actually, the more I listen to it, the better it sounds! Hey! This record's pretty good! Creepy Crawly is a good song!

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Jack: Hank Williams the 3^rd runs 'em down.

Walt: I was hoping this was gonna be a real shit-kickin', shot-chuggin', party record. Some of the song titles are really funny, but the music sonds like it's straight-ahead country music, which is something I'm not too excited about.

Gerry: Different. Definitely original. Deep Southern-fried. Bring your catfish and out-of-tune guitar. Funny lyrics. Good sounds, Jack Daniels and chaos meet at the Willie nelson concert.

Bridget: These guys are silly. They thank the Alcoholics Against Alcoholics Anonymous in their credits! That's funny. They dedicate their album to Waylon and Willy, but I'd rather listen to Waylon and Willy. Hank Williams and Johnny Paycheck wrote funnier drinkin' songs. Try ta beat 'em!

Holmstrom: Pure country music--all about drinking. The song titles rule: Drink 'Til You Ain't Ugly Anymore, Alcohol is Awesome, Suck My Dixie etc. They're a lot like Hixx (reviewed last issue) but not as funny. I usually hate country music but like this platter!

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Walt: Based on the cover of this CD, I was expecting some kind of metal madness. These guys are actually more of a goth-punk band. Definitely a lot of Misfits influence here with some serious Danzig-esque vocals.

Bridget: Somebody has a crush on Glen Danzig! Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but flattery only gets you so far.

Holmstrom: Not too bad. Misfits wannabes--which not a bad thing. Tastes great, less filling.

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Jack: Real uplifting. I think these guys have to start their own church and get their own TV show right across from Pat Roberts.

Walt: I don't know what the hell this is, but the lyrics are totally cracking me up. The music is really laid back, mellow, and lounge-sounding and the words are hysterical and ridiculous in a good way. If you have a juvenile sense of humor like me, buy this immediately and get ready to laugh your balls off.

Gerry: These guys definitely wanted me to boogie on down with my tennis shoes on. (The first song!) This CD cannot be denied, this was hands-down some of the funniest shit I've heard. The best way to describe it is Dylan in Playschool meets Twin Peaks or Pee Wee Herman meets Dr. Timothy Leary.

Bridget: Hysterically stoopid! A whole church sermon over wa wa guitars? I'm beatin' my tom tom outside your wigwam? I gotta meet this freak! Who needs antidepressants when ya got Dick Panthers! This is destined to be a cult classic. I'm crying it's so funny.

Holmstrom: They did it again! Every record reviewer is laughing so hard they're falling on the ground or doubled over. This is the funniest band in the world! They live up to my review of their first CD: The most perverted thing I've ever heard!

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Walt: A whole buncha punk bands from Sweden. I don't know anything about Sweden, but I have eaten Swedish fish. This doesn't sound any better or worse than all of the American punk comps I've heard. Some good stuff and some not so good.

Gerry: A collection of good kickass punk sngs. Definitely garage bands revisited. Energy, energy, energy. Early punk influenced. Definitely check this one out.

Bridget: Nils M--put this compilation of new Swedish punk bands together and wrote such a polite letter. More west coast influenced type punk, mostly, but it's fun--especially 'cos they have Swedish accents.

Holmstrom: A compilation CD. I hate getting these since it's so difficult to listen to these at a Listening Party. We don't have time to listen to all the tracks, which is unfair to the bands. That said, this seems to be as strong as any comp we've ever heard. There's lots of variety and some really good songs on it.

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Jack: Typical.

Gerry: These guys are by far one of the best punk bands out of Boston. Black Flag is one of the bands that comes to mind--and the Dead Kennedys. Recommended.

Bridget: Great album cover art. Doesn't make a lasting impression.

Holmstrom: I can't seem to figure out what their point is. They're kind of joyless and angry. Not fun. Not political. Just punk for the fuck of it I guess...

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Jack: I hate Christian rock. These guys are one step away from the Osmonds. Only kidding. This is genital-influenced pop punk. The band name and the titles are better than the songs.

Walt: Impossible not to love these guys, with a name like Urinal Mints and song titles like "Beat Your Meat for Satan," "Mind If I Masturbate" and "Molestache." Musically, it's a mix of punk and heavy rock. No wimpy-ass ballads found here.

Gerry: This group just throws it out there. What you hear is what you get. Cool music and lyrics. They have an affinity for urine. This is the album you give to your parents so they will disown you.

Bridget: "I Wanna Smoke Crack With You." They're romantics! I dunno if they're being ironic--how the hell should I know? Either way, it's just awful! And they like it that way.

Holmstrom: A clever, funny Satanic rock band. What a novelty! A release on the inside of the CD cover asks you to forfeit your soul upon listening to the music. The songs are basically kind of fun and listenable at first, but there's a monotonous quality to their music so by the time you near the end of the CD it's like: Stop the pain! It's goes downhill after "I Wanna Smoke Crack With You." What is it with bands that have a religious agenda? Whether it's Christian, Satanic or Buddhist music, they all bore me.

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Walt: This is a kinda quirky '50s-style band a bit like The B-52s and stuff like that. It appears this band is WAY into doin' the Twist. Lots of songs are variations of the Twist, like "Hypno-Twist," "Peppermint Twist," and "Twistin' Out in Space." I'm not into a lot of stuff like this but they seem to do it pretty well.

Gerry: Surf punk is alive and well with this band. Good tunes and vocals, highly recommended. Watch out for the "Twistin' Gorilla," grab your surfboard and a pair of brass knuckles and hang punk ten.

Bridget: I love Los Straitjackets. Surf meets nerd. I've seen 'em live. Choreographed sets and silliness.

Holmstrom: I've enjoyed Los Straitjackets since they did the background music for Pacific Blue on the USA Network, and have checked out some of their music. They're a great modern surf band but this is a horrible disappointment. They're recreating the painfully-corny music from those awful Muscle Beach Party films. It's more Franky and Annette than Ventures and Marketts. Campy, dumb, and not very listenable.

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Jack: Stray Cats meet Richard Hell. World domination... Balls.

Walt: Rockabilly rock. I never listen to this kinda atuff, but these kinda bands are usually fun to see and hear live.

Gerry: Cool production. Punky with a rockabilly flavor. Cool tunes and I dig the singer's voice. Good range screaming or monotone. Gene Vincent meets punk.

Holmstrom: Rockabilly! Good stuff! I saw this band live recently and truly enjoyed them.

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Jack: High concept punk rules.

Walt: These guys get right to the point: Drink, drink again, get drunk, drink too much, fight and fuck. Traditional irish chug-a-lug music. I'm not Irish, but I sure love drinkin' so I get it.

Gerry: If Lucky, the Lucky Charm leprechaun, ever fronts a band, this is it. Punk rock with a Guinness twist. Arthur Godfrey meets Sid Vicious. Anything's possible. Definitely recommended. They do an awesome cover of GG Allin's "Drink, Fight or Fuck."

Bridget: Shite* is right. Again, flattery, i.e. covers, only gets you so far, especially if you're half-assed.

Holmstrom: Irish folk music about getting drunk--with a twist: The songs are covers of classic punk rock. It takes a while to recognize the Pistols' "Friggin' in the Riggin'," Ramones' "It's A Long Way Back to Germany" or GG Allin's "Drink, Fight and Fuck" etc. It's meant to be another punk CD that's good for a few laughs, but they're better live--they actually play a lot of Irish pubs that feature authentic Irish folk music... where most of the patrons don't quite get the joke! Hopefully they can play the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash someday. They do a great version of "Questioningly."

[*Suicide bombers please note: the term "shite" is an Anglo-Irish reference to a common bodily excretion, and is not in any way intended to refer to any religious sects.
--PunkMagazine.com Cultural Sensitivity Coordinating Committee Chairperson]

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Jack: Four stars! The guitars are great! Refreshing surf music, real Ramones-influenced.

Walt: Interesting. A Greek band mixing up all kinds of stuff like punk, garage, rockabilly, alternative and some cool instrumental stuff. A talented bunch.

Gerry: Great production. These guys from Greece mix their rock with punk and surf. Good vocals and instrumentation. More rock and roll than punk. I would definitely recommend a listen.

Holmstrom: Stuff from other countries is often more interesting than homegrown punk. It's like they listen to American music differently than we do, so when they produce something that's meant to be a tribute to US R'n'R, it sounds a but strange to us. These are all instrumentals and I'm putting this one in my favorite CDs stack.

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