Jerry Actually – Upstarter

Punk Night San Diego

I woke up today on the couch a bit confused. my alarm was going off, but not loud enough to compete with the Pennywise mix I’d evidently dialed up. Turns out that I wound up at “Punk Night” at Tower Bar last night, and well, that seemed to have worked itself into punk morning.

It was a great night. I went to Tower Bar, my neighborhood watering hole and punk rock establishment. (if you don’t have one of these, please start one) Fine bands played, well five of them to be a bit more specific.

I knew a couple of the bands from the before times. I’ve even played with some of them, but a couple of newer and out-of-towners were there too. How great is that? People starting new bands. Bands from other places coming over to play cool-ass songs for other people places!? It is rad. Obviously not to discredit the San Diego bands, because they were all entirely awesome as well. (I mean maybe I tried to start an unhinged one-man circle pit … nah, that was probably a doppleganger or something. 😉 )

If recall the lineup, it was:

New Dystopians
Strychnine Ninety Nine
Celebrity Stalker
Punch Card
Blue Elephant and the Seven Snakes

Incredible lineup at a legendary venue (possibly legendary because of the number of vehicles that have crashed into it)

If you’re new to the San Diego punk community, it’s a welcoming bunch. There’s a few venues where you’re likely to see punk bands on any given night and Tower Bar is among them.

It’s hard to condense the experience into a few paragraphs, but if you like having a couple drinks and hanging out with your friends while a musical cacophony happens around you, it’s a must.

I rolled in a bit after 8pm and New Dystopians were playing. It was a thin but appreciative crowd. The sound system seems like it’s been upgraded since the last I was there. It was a solid set.

My friends showed up after a bit and we took over the second best table in the house, as evidenced by the photos. The opening band (New Dystopians) were packing up and Strychnine Ninety Nine was loading up. They played a kick ass set of hardcore punk. If you like your punk rock on the old school hardcore style , these guys rule. The crowd seemed to have somehow doubled at this point. 😉

Celebrity Stalker was up next. Out visiting neighbors from the nearby village of Los Angeles busted out some of the freshest jams I’ve heard in a minute. It’s a little hard to describe, like how it’s hard to describe umami, but seriously don’t just take my word for it, check this band out.

Long running San Diego band, Punch Card was up next and once again I was blown away at the level of art and artistry that punk has achieved. I’m always a sucker for a trio, but they brought the goods. Focused, energetic, and involved. No one was checking the clock.

Finally Blue Elephant and the Seven Snakes were up. If you’ve not had the chance to see them, please do. They bring some seriously kick-ass thrash punk to the San Diego scene. If you like insane blasts of irreverent punk, with an entirely in your face delivery, they are not a band to be missed.

Check out the bands I mentioned, but above all, please go out and see some shows in your area. Help out the bands, the venues, and yourself.

Cheers!

Jerry Actually

RIP Ozzy Ozbourne 07/22/2025

Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath frontman and icon of British heavy metal, dies aged 76

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/22/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-frontman-and-icon-of-british-heavy-metal-dies-aged-76?CMP=share_btn_url

A pioneering force in heavy music, Black Sabbath influenced a lot of how I feel about musical styles, and much of how I play. Ozzy’s solo career continued to be a major influence in my life, and the lives of many others.

Sincere condolences to Ozzy’s family, friends, and fans.

-Jerry Actually

Legal Disaster – So, Here’s The Thing

Listening to the brand new studio album, “So, Here’s The Thing” from Sonoma County (CA) ska punk band Legal Disaster. Billing themselves as the first “Crystal Rock Steady” band, the Crack Rock Steady adjacency is (obviously) undeniable. Fractional subgenres notwithstanding, I dig what they’ve got going on.

This release brings nine tracks, eight and an intro really, of fun, upbeat, ska punk. Healthy amounts of call and response vocals, catchy choruses, and well placed horn work provide for an entirely compelling album.

Despite the nod to bands like Leftover Crack / Choking Victim / Morning Glory, etc., Legal Disaster has a bit more influence than solely that. It’s hard for me to not hear references such as Spring Heeled Jack, and Less Than Jake. It makes for a solid mix of styles, really.

A couple of the standout tracks, for me at least, include the vocal / acoustic track The Creature. It’s an interesting diversion for the rest of the album. Track seven, “Money” jumps out with some serious sonic intensity musically and lyrically.

There’s a cover track on here, but I really have no clue who “Price Daddy and The Hyena” are, so I won’t provide any comment there.

The final track, “Cigarettes”, a more folksy number, will probably resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with quitting smoking or anything else.

Bottom line is a pretty rad ska punk album for 2025. Check it out when you can.

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1 Intro
2 New Age Anthem
3 Question Yourself
4 Crystal Rock Steady
5 No Complaints
6 The Creature
7 Money
8 I Lost My Life (Prince Daddy and the Hyena cover)
9 Cigarettes

Genres:
#skapunk
#ska
#punk

Cam Girl – Flesh & Chrome

Sexy, sleazy, ballsy, and rocking … is my take on the new Cam Girl release.

Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, the group is about as opposite the folksy, roots, Americana that my mind conjures up when I think of Asheville.

Times they are always changing though. Keep up or get left behind, right?

Musically, the album is full of arena rock beats, arpeggiated guitar runs, operatic vocals, and sweeping solos.

The lyrics ooze innuendo. Clearly politically, and socially charged they add gravity to the theatrics of the album.

This is great rock and roll.

I can’t help but think of Shonen Knife, combined with Iron Maiden, filtered through a Bill and Ted lens.

Check out Flesh & Chrome by Cam Girl

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Giglinger – Shrapnel

Shrapnel is the new EP from punk / post-punk band, Giglinger from Helsinki Finland. Two tracks and two alternate “Edit” versions of the same tracks offer up some solid atypical rock and roll.

The songs are quick, fairly rapidly paced and rhythmically tight. The tunes are washed in shifting sonic themes. Despite the overall brevity of the tracks, they seem somehow more epic than the numbers would have you believe. At times the overall sound is reminiscent of Dead Kennedys, and the EP really carries some of the post-apocalyptic soundscape of a Voivod release.

If you’re looking for a little something new, check out Giglinger’s new EP – Shrapnel

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Track 1: The Man With Shrapnel in His Head
Track 2: Born Dead Buried Alive

Propagandhi Deliver New Album ‘At Peace’Out Now Via Epitaph

WATCH Lyric Video For “No Longer Young”

“classic Propagandhi, in terms of attitude: very confrontational politically-conscious punk.” – Vice

“an ambitious, multi-part thrash epic with tons of nasty, tricky riffs.” – Stereogum

“We’re definitely not a band that responds well to someone telling us we need to put something out,” Propagandhi frontman Chris Hannah quips. “That happens when we have something to talk about – and now is definitely the time for that.” In true Propagandhi fashion, their new record ‘At Peace’ is smart music for dangerous times. Out now via Epitaph Records, listen to it in full HERE.

A limited run of At Peace vinyl in multiple color variants is available to pre-order HERE

The band also shares the official lyric video to focus track “No Longer Young” which bassist Todd Kowalski adds, “This song is about the search to find or revive one’s true spirit despite the pressure and negativity of the present world, and hopefully it’s a little inspiration to keep on working towards a more just world. It’s also a reminder that no one is any better than anyone else, in the end we all return to dust. “ WATCH HERE

The ever-evolving standard-bearers of politically charged punk have actively kicked against musical confines and bro-punk conservatism, promoting a message of anti-fascism since 1986. Distilling their DNA of breakneck riffs, hardcore ethos, and radical consciousness, their message remains as vital, and volatile, as ever.

“Everything I’m singing about is still coming from being the same person that wrote and sang our first record ‘How to Clean Everything’ in 1993,” Hannah recalls the band’s snarky skate-thrash origins. “But what we’re putting into the songs now, probably reflects more despair than 30 years ago when we had similar perspectives, but with strands of hope and naivete. Now it’s the existential dread of eking out a life worth living in this completely failed society.”

Marking their first release since 2017’s Victory Lap, At Peace was forged during the ominous political climate in the months before “Emperor” Trump’s ascent to power. Penned shortly before the American oligarch’s suggestion that Propagandhi’s home country become the U.S.’s 51^st State, it was then mixed by Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Hot Water Music) at Blasting Room Studios in December 2024. This collection of poetic and polemic songs captures the anxieties and turmoil of the band’s four members, offering a powerful and poignant portrait of uncertainty.

Though at its core, At Peace is Propagandhi’s plea for hope against hopelessness. “Twenty years ago, we had a sense that things are fucked but that there could be a mass mobilization of people against the oligarchy, the billionaire class,” says Chris. “I don’t think that exists much in our music anymore and I don’t believe that mobilization is forthcoming. I hope to be proven wrong.”

Propagandhi is vocalist Chris Hannah, drummer Jord Samolesky, bassist/co-vocalist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

At Peace Tracklisting

1.   Guiding Lights
2.   At Peace
3.   Cat Guy
4.   No Longer Young
5.   Rented P.A.
6.   Stargazing
7.   God of Avarice
8.   Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date)
9.   Benito’s Earlier Work
10. Vampires Are Real
11. Fire Season
12. Day By Day
13. Something Needs To Die But Maybe It’s Not You

Propagandhi North American Tour Dates
June 5 – Granby, QC – Festival Au Lac
June 7 – Pont-Rouge, QC – Parc De Li’le Notre Dame
June 20 – Victoria, BC – Victoria Curling Club

Propagandhi by Dwayne Larson

Follow Propagandhi On Socials:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Propagandhi Drop Sardonic New Single “Cat Guy”

From Manitoba, Canada, Propagandhi return with their new single “Cat Guy” ahead of their upcoming record ‘At Peace’ out on May 2^nd. A blistering anthem dripping with sardonic wit and razor-sharp critique, the track finds the Canadian quartet as incisive as ever, wielding breakneck riffs and subversive lyricism with a smirk and a snarl.

A tribute to societal identity with a twist, “From my songwriting perspective, the two things I was thinking of was capturing a little bit of Judas Priest’s Firepower LP as if SNFU’s Chi-Pig was writing the lyrics,” laughs frontman Chris Hannah.

“Cat Guy”
WATCH | LISTEN

In true Propagandhi fashion, At Peace is smart music for dangerous times. The ever-evolving standard-bearers of politically charged punk have actively kicked against musical confines and bro-punk conservatism, promoting a message of anti-fascism since 1986. Distilling their DNA of breakneck riffs, hardcore ethos, and radical consciousness, their message remains as vital, and volatile, as ever.

There’s no mistaking that on their first album in eight years, their frontline social activism has been supplanted by a deeper sense of reflection. Nearly a decade later, the members of Propagandhi have a lot on their minds. “We’re definitely not a band that responds well to someone telling us we need to put something out,” the frontman continues. “That happens when we have something to talk about – and now is definitely the time for that.”

Propagandhi is vocalist Chris Hannah, drummer Jord Samolesky, bassist/co-vocalist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

At Peace Tracklisting

1. At Peace
2. Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date)
3. Rented P.A.
4. Guiding Lights
5. Cat Guy
6. No Longer YounG
7. Stargazing
8. God of Avarice
9. Benito’s Earlier Work
10. VampireS Are Real

My New Vice – Truth About Lies

Well well well, welcome back, My New Vice.

It’s been a hot minute since Portland Oregon’s My New Vice released any material. Covid had signaled the band’s demise, and the emergence of The Melders seemed to cement that notion, but as it turns out, it was a bit more of a hiatus, or perhaps a long sleep. Here we are though, and 2025 marks the return of My New Vice with 7 new tracks of heavy rock and roll.

This release straddles the space between an EP and an LP, clocking in at about 27 minutes. Songs in the upper 3 to 4 minute range tend to be a bit outside of my fleeting cat-like attention span, but the tone and pace work well for this band.

The material feels darker and more brooding than earlier work, which was in no way short on darkness and brooding. I suppose it’s a sign of the times. It’s not all sludgecore and doomgrind though, tracks like Track 5. Babadook leans hard into thrash metal territory with a bit of Metallica does Diamond Head covers vibe.

Perhaps it’s the sound of the NW coming though, but I can’t help but notice the Red Fang influence on some tracks, especially Track 6. “Witch”. I don’t want to pigeon hole anyone, but to help you identify the sound, there’s also elements of Corrosion of Conformity, and some rather Sound Garden-esque vocal qualities at points.

On the whole it’s a great album, especially for fans of darker heavy rock and metal. Horns up for My New Vice and their new release Truth About Lies.

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Tracks:

Green River
Postman
Radio
Nine
Babadook
Witch
Dressed in Fire

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards Announce West Coast Tour

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards announce a west coast tour this spring as support for Escape From the Zoo!

Tickets are available: https://www.hgdhband.com/tour-dates

4/05/2025 Austin, TX at Kick Butt Coffee
4/06/2025 Dallas, TX at Three Links – Deep Ellum, TX
4/07/2025 Oklahoma City, OK at Grand Royale
4/09/2025 Albuquerque, NM at Ren’s Den
4/10/2025 Mesa, AZ at The Nile (Underground)
4/11/2025 Pomona, CA at Characters Pomona
4/12/2025 Long Beach, CA at Alex’s Bar
4/13/2025 San Diego, CA at Brick By Brick
4/15/2025 Las Vegas, NV at The Usual Place
4/16/2025 Reno, NV at Club Underground
4/17/2025 Sacramento, CA at Cafe Colonial
4/18/2025 Grants Pass, OR at Our Studio
4/19/2025 Roseburg, OR at The Annex
4/22/2025 Eugene, OR at Wandering Goat Coffee
4/23/2025 Portland, OR at Twilight Cafe and Bar
4/24/2025 Longview, WA at Fei’s Carriage Restaurant & Lounge
4/25/2025 Seattle, WA at The Vera Project
4/26/2025 Bellingham, WA at The Shakedown
4/27/2025 Bremerton, WA at The Charleston
4/29/2025 Boise, ID at The Shredder
4/30/2025 SLC, UT at Aces High Saloon
5/01/2025 Denver, CO at Moe’s Original BBQ Englewood
5/02/2025 Colorado Springs, CO at The Black Sheep
5/03/2025 Fort Collins, CO at Blast N Scrap
5/04/2025 Omaha, NE at Reverb Lounge
5/06/2025 Des Moines, IA at Lefty’s Live Music
5/07/2025 Madison, WI at High Noon Saloon
5/09/2025 Appleton, WI for Skappleton / Fox Valley Music Festivals at Appleton Beer Factory
5/10/2025 Chicago, IL for Shoot the moon festival at Reggies
5/12/2025 Milwaukee, WI at X-Ray Arcade

Fight Back Mountain share “Sticker Book”

St Louis punks Fight Back Mountain share “Sticker Book”. This new song is the final single released in anticipation of their Death And The Miser album (out Feb 13th). “Sticker Book” is perhaps the album’s most reflective and affecting outing; lyricist/guitarist Anjelica Aquilino describes the song’s inspiration, saying “I was thinking of my grandma who died of an eating disorder decades before I was born. It instilled a very deep specific feeling when I first heard that story. The song evolved to represent our moments of melancholy that stop us and invoke an undefinable yet specific emotion.”

“Sticker Book” stands in striking contrast to the most-recent Fight Back Mountain release “No Recourse”. While the latter placed the band’s hardcore influences up front on a raging dispatch against a world going to rot, “Sticker Book” slows the pace and incorporates 90s alt rock influences on a slow burner that steadily drives the emotions home.

Death And The Miser is the third full-length outing from Fight Back Mountain. Vinyl and digital preorders are now available, here. Across twelve cuts, the album lays out a testament to modern life in flyover country and the dawning realization that everything you were told growing up is no longer true. The first hint of the Death And The Miser arrived in November 2024 with the release of the stormy ripper “Trouble & Havoc”.

This new album is the result of the band’s latest sessions with longtime producer Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios. Usery previously helmed the band’s releases Times Beach (2019), Lavender Sky (2021), and the Backslider EP (2023). As always, the Fight Back Mountain lineup is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Adrian Barnello, lyricist/guitarist Anjelica Aquilino, bassist Andy Kohnen and drummer Devin Dessieux.