band, album: Amish Electric Chair, Straight No Chaser
label: GC records
for fans of: DIY punk rock, Rancid

cd review: Amish Electric Chair is exactly the kind of band I like to promote. They do everything themselves and they do it with pride. Their new CD, Straight No Chaser came with a press sheet that says it sounds like the stuff found on the No Idea and AF records roster, but more than that I think they have a lot of Rancid influence - you know, thick melody, pronounced bass lines, and tough vocals. Read more ....

band, album: Beatnik, This Machine Kills Fascists
label: Ecovox
for fans of: anti-Bush, anti-neoconservativism, anti-war

cd review: It never happens that I find a disc that honestly knows where I'm coming from philosophically. However, Beatnik's This Machine Kills Fascists speaks to me. Granted, it literally speaks - not shouts, but sometimes pens are mightier than swords. Read more ....

band, album: Ryan Cain and the Chaotics, Cell Block Blues
label: Wild Hare
for fans of: Ronnie Dawson, Ray Campi, Carl Perkins

cd review: You could have told me this was an obscure roots/country swing band from the 50's whose catalog was just remastered and put onto CD and I'd have believed it. Ryan Cain and the Chaotics take the tried and true hollow body, upright bass, and jazz drums to a new level of sock-hop perfection. Read more ....

band, album: Daylight, Sinking
label: Get This Right
for fans of: Off With Their Heads, How Dare You, Jawbreaker

cd review: I'm surprised there's not a No Idea or Suburban Home logo on this one. Daylight's Sinking is a five song get in, get out, go home release that is good for a few spins, but might not have enough staying power to make it onto any top ten lists. Read more ....

band, album: the Hard Luck Heroes, Broken Hearts & Shattered Dreams
label: Deep Eddy
for fans of: street punk, the Briggs, Rancid, Bombshell Rocks

cd review: One of the few genres that is safe from the 'it all sounds the same' complaint is street punk. It's a scene built on high energy and good times, and how could anyone complain about that? Read more ....

band, album: Nakatomi Plaza, Ghosts
label: self-released
for fans of: Elliott, At the Drive-In, Pretty Girls Make Graves

cd review: Here's the band and album that makes it all NOT worth it. By 'it' I mean the whole experience of being a music nerd. If only I had been content with the norm, the mainstream, I'd have never gotten to know Nakatomi Plaza and wouldn't feel such a hole in the pit of my stomach now that they have left the scene. Read more ....

band, album: The Nematoads, Five Guns West
label: Deep Eddy
for fans of: surf guitar, The Ventures, Dick Dale

cd review: I have a long standing love affair with surf guitar. I grew up in a house full of flamenco and Latin guitarists and all three styles are built on similar attributes. I recently found Deep Eddy records - the warm, uncrowded beach with the perfect wave breaks of the record industry - and they were kind enough to send me some tunes. Read more ....

band, album: the Reveling, 3D Radio
label: self released
for fans of: Working class melodic hardcore, the Gaslight Anthem

cd review: The middle class is dwindling away, however, music made for this dying species is on the rise. Maybe we're all just slumming it, or maybe we've realized that the middle class really knows how to rock. Read more ....

band, album: V/A, Better than the Average Weekend
label: Deep Eddy
for fans of: surf guitar, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet

cd review: This one isn't new, but it's gotten better with age so I'm doing my part to keep the vibe alive. Best known for their Kids in the Hall TV series theme song, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet have made some of the most fun music ever. Read more ....