Authors: James Orme
Review: Tim Barry – Lost & Rootless
Tim Barry = Chuck Ragan + Merle Haggard + Billy Bragg … read more
Review: Trash Monsters – There’s a Rat in the Tunnel...
Punk rock is best served when it’s not trying to be punk, but when its simply trying to be load, fast, obnoxious rock n’ roll. That’s what Trash Monsters do so well. … read more
Review: Tony Joe White – Hoodoo
This blues-like punk rock, in a way, is very simple—it’s often played with the same chord progressions, tempos and even instrumentation. So, like punk rock, it takes talent creativity and originality—all of which are not found in high amounts on Hoodoo. … read more
Review: The Real McKenzies – Rats in the Burlap
The Real McKenzies = D.O.A + AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” + Street Dogs … read more
Review: The Tossers
This is more traditional than many of the Celtic/punk acts out there, but that’s not to say Chicago’s Tossers ease up on the attitude. Just in time for St. Patty’s day, the Irish fury that is The Emerald City, starting with the rollicking tune “The Rover,” which exults the life of the nomad, whether drunk or sober. … read more
Review: The Supersuckers – Get the Hell
They are bluesy enough to sound authentic when they put harmonica over the romper of a song “Fuck Up” and rootsy enough where you can hear the country and rockabilly influence in even their most hard-charging guitar licks. … read more
Review: The Goddamn Gallows – The Maker
When it’s hard to describe a band’s sound, I consider that a victory from the jump, because that means they’ve achieved something rarely or never heard before. The Goddamn Gallows are creepy hillbilly punk with a touch of gypsy thrown in. … read more
Review: The Brains – Out in the Dark
The Brains = Zombie Ghost Train + Gutter Demons + Calabrese … read more
Review: The Chapin Sisters – A Date With the Everly...
What began as a labor of love for the Chapin Sisters has become a terrific installment to their catalogue, and even though the entire record is made up of Everly Brothers tunes, its almost as if the record is a collaboration of the two groups. … read more
Review: The Brains – The Monster Within
Psychobilly has an inherent problem in that the genre is a formula. Punk mixed with rockabilly decorated with horror imagery. Now by the time most bands have achieved those three elements they don’t seem to look beyond them, and that’s where the genre has become stagnant. Very few bands have been able to break the mold like The Brains. These Canadian psychos play at break neck speeds, but in some unholy way are still able to keep their songs highly melodic. … read more