May, 2006
DISTURBERS
"The Dawn of a New Threat"
Klartext Records

This 4-track E.P. from Disturbers will be released in august by Klartext Records. The band from Keil, Germany has been together since 2003 and have supported bands such as The Peepshows and Pistol Grip.
Opening track "You Make Me Sick" reminds me of Agnostic Front, around the time of "Riot, Riot Upstart". I like that song pretty much but the rest of the songs are actually a bit boring. I like the hardcore parts but personally I could live without the so called action-rock influences. These guys are good at what they do, I just don't like it that much...
/CD


HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR / SHOCK NAGASAKI
"Split" CD
Klownhouse Recordz 006

I had never heard Hiroshima Mon Amour before I got this 10-song split in the mail a couple of days ago. I put the CD on play and I was happy to hear that these German punk-rock'n'roll'ers are pretty good. Looks like there's a lot of good german bands nowdays.
I especially like "What's Your Name" and "Radio Mon Amour" on this record. The band also do a song in german that sounds good but I have no idea of what it's about.
Shock Nagasaki from New York on the other hand is one of the bands I really like right now. They got four songs on this split that are all great. Straight-up '77-style punk rock. "I Get High On Low Society" is one of my favorite songs at the moment. The band just recently released their first album on Rebellion. This is a good record!
/CD

THE EARL BROTHERS
"Troubles to Blame" CD
Big Hen Music 000002

Definitely one of my favorite bands right now! In some way the Earl Brothers sound both traditional and modern at the same time. They have been called "Honky-Tonk Bluegrass" and even "Hillbilly Gothic".
What I personally like most about this record is the way that John McKelvy's & Bobby Earl Davis' vocals fit together. They are both amazing singers.
Lyrically this album is mostly about dark subjects such as death, drinking & heartbreak. What else do you need to make a good record?
"Old Gun Road", "Rattlesnake Poison", "O Poor Betty" and "Oh Death Is Calling Me" are just a few of my favorites on this album. Bluegrass doesn't get any better than this! Order this record now!
/CD

2nd DISTRICT
"(You're) Young & Disorderly" 7"
Drunk 'N' Roll 017/Squoodge!! #17.17

This is the first release from 2nd District. The band consist of members from District and The Revolvers. This is the first time I hear the band and I really, really like it! I think it's way better than the stuff I've heard from The Revolvers. Not that The Revolvers was a bad band, I just like this one better. The title-track "(You're) Young and Disorderly" is my favorite song on this record. Classic '77 punk rock with great vocals. The band also do a cover of "Starfucker" by The Rolling Stones. This is good stuff and you should have this one in your collection!
/CD

CHIP HANNA w/ THE BUSTED HEARTS
"Bluegrass" 7"
Squoodge!! #17.09/Drunk 'N' Roll 009

Four great bluegrass tunes from Chip Hanna and the boys in Busted Hearts. Two originals; "Cold Virginia Mist" and "Aks Him Now", and two covers; Ralph Stanley's "Medecine Springs" and Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light". This 7" is as far as I'm concerned the best release of last year. Who knew that Chip Hanna, ex-Drummer of the U.S. Bombs, could sing like this?! Hurry up and get it. Limited to 333 copies.
/CD

RADIO DEAD ONES
"Holy Ghost" 7"
Drunk 'N' Roll 008/Squoodge!! #17.08

Berlin has a lot of good punk rock bands right now. Radio Dead Ones is one of them. "Holy Ghost" is the second 7" from the band. Classic punk rock influenced by U.S. Bombs, Rancid and Swingin' Utters. I like it a lot! Beverly Crime's raw vocals fits perfectly in the songs and the songs are really good. My favorite song must be "Boxing Day". Punk rock with an attitude! I would also recommend the split 7" with Fronkick. Buy!
/CD

THE NAZI DOGS
"Moneytaker E.P."
Drunk 'N' Roll 021/No Front Teeth 025/Caustic Rock 012

Old-school garage-punk-rock in the vain of Dead Boys & Rip Off's. I like it pretty much. The band had a hard time finding shows in the beginning because of their name but that seems to have changed. The band have just released their debut LP on TKO Records.
This 7" is their first release. "City of Losers" and "Moneytaker" are both good punk-songs. There are also two instrumental surf-tunes on the record that I personally don't like that much. Check this one out. "City of Losers" is a great song!
/CD

THE SPOOK
"Boneman" 7"
Drunk 'N' Roll 018/Squoodge!! #17.11

To be honest I've never really liked this type of "Horrorpunk". But this 7" is actually pretty good. I liked the b-side most. "Of Gods and Monster" is a good track and Dean Roca is great singer. This is not a 7" that I would by if I found it in a recordstore but I would definitely recommend it to fans of bands like Misfits and such. Good? Yes, but not my cup of tea.
/CD

THE PEASANTS
”Love Your Enemy” CD
Blat Records 004

I had the opportunity to catch The Peasants live a couple of years ago at the famous Wild At Heart in Kreuzberg, Berlin. Easily one of the best shows I’ve seen, and it seems to me that they are just as good on record.
During the summers the hard workin’ Peasants play street-shows at the Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. The band has also been touring all across the U.S. and they’ve been over to Europe five times. Not bad for a “D.I.Y-to-the-bone” kinda band!
“Love Your Enemy”, released on the band’s own label Blat, is their latest album and their best one so far. It starts off with the opening track “Take ‘Em Out”. A hard-hittin’ rock 'n' roll tune about when Mr. Bush decided to invade Iraq. Pete Cassani (vocals/guitar) is a great songwriter who's not afraid to speak his mind. I really like the lyrics of "Homeland Security" too, where Pete is doing a monolouge as a cop. It's great!
You’ll find punk, hard-rock, folk, swing and a lot of political sarcastic lyrics on this album.
“I thank god for Charlton Heston, I´m bringin’ my daddy’s gun to school...” [Hate Nation].
Other favorites on this record are “I Never Said” and “Less and Less”. To sum it up, what can I say? I like all of the songs! Check out The Peasants and go get this record!
/CD