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PUNK Magazine Listening Party 3 (4/13/01)
by Jolly, Holmstrom & Jessica
If you want to submit your band's music to the scrutiny of randomly selected PUNK Magazine record reviewers and hangers-on during a drunken get-together, send your CDs to:
PUNK Magazine Listening Party
PMB 675
200 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
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Today, Jessica Stephens became the latest addition to the small but sturdy PUNK Magazine staff. She's a student at the School of Visual Arts and offered to intern for the summer.
Punk's Resident Neighbor, Frank, also stopped by with some beer so we decided it would be a good time to sit down and listen to the latest batch of promo CDs.
Tyler Keith and The Preacher's Kids | The 440s | Union of the Dead |
Raw Power | The Kowalskis
Tyler Keith and The Preacher's Kids
Romeo Hood
Louisiana Red Hot Records
www.blackdogrecords.com
JOLLY:
Simple, good. Hits all the right points of My Kind of RnR. From the liner notes: "Never trust a kid under 30." Yap - never trust anybody period. And with a record this good you don't have to. "I ain't shy - I'm just uptight!" Fuckin' great. To the best of my recollection, Senator, there are no bad songs on this disc. By the way, Bomb the World. "White Boy Blues" - that's right. That's what RnR is. Get yourself some likker and play this loud + you will be reborn.
HOLMSTROM:
I saw these guys at Manitoba's when I went to see my friend Sharkey debut his new band the New York Sheiks. I had a nice chat with two of them. They reminded me that when the Sex Pistols played Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they were the first punk rock most people in that part of the world had seen live and inspired everyone who was there to start their own punk band. (This reminded me how ingenious and subversive Malcolm McLaren's plan for the Sex Pistols was, although it didn't exactly work out.)
Anyhow, Tyler Keith played after The Sheiks and man, were they LOUD! They were rockin', too. So I wondered if the CD they gave me would live up to the live show.
 Yeah - this is some low-down and dirty stuff: "White Boy, Blues Blues," "Uptight," "Romeo Hood," "Chantilly Rock"... It's great! What else is there to say other than... There seems to be a vague, undefined, worldwide movement to go back in time, back to the origins of punk, back into pub-rock, garage rock, etc., back into the long lost world of Rock 'n' Roll to find a way to capture it and bring it back alive. If so, let's hope we can all get lost in that world for at least a few years.
JESSICA:
Nice vocals both backup and lead. Nice rhythm, somewhat semi-outsiders,'50s greasers mixed with today's sound. Nice harmonica mixed in with a fast-paced sound. Anything out of New Orleans sounds like it comes from the South and has that southern twist. (ED. NOTE: The CD was released by Louisiana Red Hot Records, based in New Orleans, although the band is from Mississippi.) "Uptight" sounds like it is straight out of a Louisiana Bayou BBQ. Punk rock mixed with all the sounds of a good Southern rock and roll bar band. "Angora" is a particularly touching love song.
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The 440s
Hot to Go
Steel Cage Records
www.the440s.com
JOLLY:
Fast. "Love Potion #13 Sixty Nine!" "Bad Girls Do!" "I'm feelin' bold/fifteen years old!" "I'm gettin' my rocks off!" Most of the above lyrics are sung by a Girl Singer (!) who looks like Niagara Jr. plus tattoos. The band knows how to start and stop at the same time. "Honey I'm comin' at ya!" OKAY! Viva chicks! Predictable but - predictably good. They cover Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" they play it faster! This music makes you want to drink! Must be real good live plus after seeing Niagara at the Punk Reunion I've come to the conclusion that you need a girl singer to keep you interested - who wants to see some dude? (Even if said dude "looks like a lady! Y'know? How does that help? Real chicks! Not chick's with... Well, you know what.) All rock bands should've had a female singer instead. Actually, all rock bands need Niagara instead of whatever "Front MAN" they've got. Then, you won't have to pretend any further that you're interested when you're not + we can all go home.
 One thing tho', they should have called themselves the "Four 40s" 'cos that's how many 40s of malt liquor product you want to drink when you come under the evil influence of their hypnotic musicological/gynecological spell.
HOLMSTROM:
Yeah, there's definitely some great and sexy rock + roll out there! Wow! I like this CD a lot! Sparkle Plenty (now there is a great rock 'n' roll name!) is the hot-lookin' lead singer/front woman/lead singer. And the backin' band (also w/cool rock 'n' roll names like Hollywood Jay, Superstar Steve Wolff + Downtown Dave) is pure rock and roll! They print all their lyrics on the CD cover and for the first time in a real long time - like 21 years - I wanted to read every single word! The 440s rule! And it's only $10! Wow.
Thinking about this CD, I think Quentin Tarentino & his buddy Robert Rodriguez blew it big-time when they had Salma Hayek play the super-hot sexy rock singer in From Dawn 'Til Dusk - Sparkle Plenty seems like she lives that part. Quentin, check out Sparkle plenty - she could be a star.
JESSICA:
Fast-paced, hot-rod horror rock. Lead singer Sparkle Plenty is definitely all about sex, cars, and rock 'n' roll. Interesting sound, excellent guitar solos by Superstar Steve Wolff and Sparkle Plenty. Excellent music for driving fast when you need to get somewhere in a hurry.
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Union of the Dead
Crash & Burn Recordings
www.geocities.com/unionofthedead
JOLLY:
Skulls and Crossbones. "Let's all die tonight," I'll take this to my grave," "Heaven's devilish grin I'm tortured again." These guys're so earnest about the stuff they sing about: "Death or Glory" more or less. Excellent (for Cali).
HOLMSTROM:
Talk about a hard act to follow! (The 440s, I mean.) But I like this band, too. They're another punk rock 'n' roll band and in their press release they take an oath (kind of like Citizen Kane): "1. To empower and enforce expression and freedom. 2. To abridge and infuse punk ideology with rock 'n' roll. 3. To adhere to artistic vitality, invention, and inspiration" etc. etc. Kind of corny, yeah, but their sincerity is kind of refreshing.
A power trio with cool inspirations like The Misfits and The Clash... Man, this is bad... I like all these CDs, but it's usually more fun to trash 'em. Oh, well, here we go again: A positive review for these kids.
JESSICA:
Very cool sounding steady rhythm. All about tattoos and tough times. Klipherd G.'s vocals are a virtual babe magnet. He sounds very versatile. One minute he sounds rough and fist-clenching, the next minute he's whoaing with the best of 'em.
Very impressive sound for a three-piece band. They have a very good pledge that says that keeping their values in check is important and there's an oath to always have an energetic live show.
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Raw Power
Trust Me
Hello Records
www.hellorecords.com
JOLLY:
Boy is this right on the money: "Woman give me a drink/I'm so bloody thirsty I think I'm gonna die/A nice cold beer and I will survive." Just last night, I swear, I was riding on the #2 train with my wife and I said the exact same thing to her. I wanted a beer; I needed a beer. I had no bucks. A Beer! Woman! Or I'll Die! But she would not relent. We made it to #034;home" - her mom's house. We gnashed our teeth at each other. Finally she tossed me some dollars and I split (for my mom's house). I finally found some Beerological relief in a bar that was just closing up - 3:30 AM or thereabouts. Nothing but Irishmen and a couple of yuppie broads.
Back to the record: "Woman have pity on me/Tell me what to do/For a drink/I'll do anything you want me to/Woman give me a drink!!! Woman GIVE ME A FUCKING DRINK!" YES! THAT'S RIGHT! These guys are from Italy, thank the Good Lord + the Pope! And not from Ireland! Anyway, my life + my marriage notwithstanding these guys are great - like people who barely speak English they get right to the point, wrong grammar and all. And they're patriotic (unlike Irish traitor sub-Nazi filth). "We're back in the U.S. and it's the best!" Right! "Just 'cos you're a policeman doesn't mean you can do that" Double right! "We're not slaves!" Harassing people for no reason at all/Kids having fun + police getting bored!" What more need I say? Yay for Raw Power - from Italy, not Ireland. Buy a pizza slice + support Italy - instead of the PBA. Manáge - Irlandesi! ("Be careful - there's Irish around!")
HOLMSTROM:
PUNK ROCK!! AWESOME! DUDE!!! WOW! FUCKIN' FANTASTIC! THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST BAND EVER!!!! (Well, the best band ever from Italy, that's for sure!) I'M GONNA DRINK MORE BEER AND TURN IT UP!!! COOL! W'ALRIGHT! WHAT GREAT LYRICS! GREAT GUITAR!! (Man, I gotta see these guys live!)
JESSICA:
Italian band Raw Power founded by Mauro and Giuseppe Codeluppi has quite a history behind them, touring with such punk legends as the Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Suicidal Tendencies and Bad Brains. This is punk rock at its best, with a really fast and raw sound. The Codeluppi are pulling punk rock out of the flames and still producing a sound that was when punk was at its best.
Very impressive sound for a three-piece band. They have a very good pledge that says that keeping their values in check is important and there's an oath to always have an energetic live show.
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At this point in the party, Jessica takes off and says goodbye.
The Kowalskis
All Hopped Up on Goofballs
Blackout! Records
www.nytrash.com/kowalskis
JOLLY:
I wish I was "all hopped up on goofballs!" From the liner notes: "A dollar from the sale of each CD will go towards beer." Good. Maybe you could buy me one. Kitty Kowalski is The Boss - not Springsteen. She's a beauty and a babe and I've always liked this band a whole bunch. Real good tunes and lyrics. She 100% fun: "You talked me into just one more/it turned out to be three or four," "I dance much better when I'm high, I fuck (!?) much better when I'm high" Plus she's the True Teen Romance you allus dreamed about but fate intervened. PLUS she's got the same England by way of Queens accent as Joey Ramone + The General (tho' he's from Jersey). PLUS she's got the all-time show's over no more pizza get the fuck out + jump on the one train anthem "I'm Goin' Home."
PLUS Jesus told her that he's not comin' back. So wise up, schmendrick, to the Killer Sound of the Kowalskis. Otherwise, I'll have to bust you for twistin'. And that could get ugly.
HOLMSTROM:
Wow - five CDs tonight and they're all good.
As you probably know, Kitty Kowalski was the Punk of the Month in PUNK #0 (Vol. 2).
The CD is great. Straight ahead punk rock 'n' roll. Great party music. Someone called Kitty the Debbie Harry of the '90s... Works for me. Hey, saying nice stuff about all these CDs is too much work for me, I gotta knock off.
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Well, time to go out and rock 'n' roll! (Jolly and I left for the "Coney Island High School Reunion" at Don Hill's that night with The Kowalskis, Murphy's Law, The Dickies and other bands. A sad note: I learned at the party the extent of Joey Ramone's illness - which is why it took a while to post this Listening Party on the Website.)
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