(c) 2008 Excuse The Blood
[rating:3/5]
Excuse The Blood is a Bay area 3-piece outfit with a pretty eclectic mix of sounds. Without trying to pigeon hole them, they sound like a mix of Slapshot-esque hardcore and a reggae/ska/punk blend ala Op Ivy or perhaps Rudiments. Despite the obvious influence the music feels fresh. The tempo keeps a good pace through the five tracks. That the disc is only a demo perhaps is the biggest shortcoming. Since I don’t have more of a sampling I’m going with a 3/5 instead of possibly higher. I’d like to hear more from Excuse The Blood. Until such time that a new release comes out, you can check the band out at their website www.excusetheblood.com
–Jerry Actually
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Here’s a headline: Bristol’s Bolsheviks’ Bring It! … “Ok”, you say, “smart guy”. “What is it that these Bolsheviks are bringing?” Well sir, it’s the muthafukin’ rock and roll for one and for two refer to number one. Seriously though, Action Reaction, the new CD from The Bolsheviks is hard to place but hard to put down at the same time. It is an eclectic mix of sound. I hear flashes of spacial sounding guitars ala Voivod and hard driving bass lines akin to Hogan’s Heroes. Hell they even remind me a bit of the Cadillac Tramps on track 6 “Stole My Name”. With all that is a crazy mash up of haunted house psychobilly grooves and an undeniable mod rock Clash factor. Though in all fairness I have no idea if these blokes ever listened to either of those bands, I do know there is a bit o’ psycho in ’em. The Bolsheviks formed in 2005 from the remnants of bands such as Lux, Rout and Misdormeanour. The wide-ranging prior influences of the collective memebers comes together for what works out to be a damn good CD. Apparently the band forewent any digital recording on the CD and went full analog. This decision lends well to the rather basement dwelling / garage haunting vibe that Action Reaction is all about. 11 tracks that combine punk, rock, psycho and and a strong retro vibe. If you can find them on this side of the pond, by all means do. Otherwise I suggest packin’ up the fam and moving to jolly ol’ England to catch some of this.
The Welch Boys had a new album a few months ago. I’m just now getting around to reviewing it. I’m sure glad I don’t have somebody breathing down make neck about deadlines. Drinkin’ Angry is 18 tracks of blue collar anthems and street punk grit. Like their Boston brothers the Dropkick Murphys, The Welch Boys bring it to ya wit the credible sounds of hard livin’ and songs that are about real life and a whole lot about drinkin’. Raw rockin’ punk with a sing-a-long quality that is hard to resist.
So I got a package in the mail a couple weeks ago. I, of course, opened it. Normally the story might go ahead and end there, but nay. I decided that with a name like Awesome and the Asskickers I probably should go ahead and and throw up a word or two about this Floridian power trio. Um, without further adieu, here goes: Shut Up! is pretty damn sweet. The wrestling mask donning band mates, consisting of Jose Verga (Bass/Vox), Johnny Dingleberry (Drums/Vox) and Muchacho (Guitar/Vox) really know how to mix it up crazy like.
Imagine that Strongbad and his two pals decided to make an old school punk CD. 11 tracks that meander across the styles of punk gone by. The tracks are raw but they definitely have the spirit. It’s a damn fun disc to listen to. The songs are short and the tempo is quick. The comedy is fully intact. The luche libre masks are in full effect. I’ll suggest to ya one thing though, either these guys totally suck as musicians and are insanely good at faking like they aren’t or they are brilliant musicians and are insanely good at faking like they are not. Never the less, Shut Up! by Awesome and the Asskickers is easily the best CD I’m listening to right now. You just remember that the next time you have Meatball Spaghetti!
I love listening to comps. I hate reviewing comps. There are just too many aspects going on at once. Do I pass judgement on the music as a whole or the individual artists or the generation as a whole? It’s hard to say. This comp Brought to you by BYO and Artcor Fanzine is “Greetings From The Welfare State” and no their not talking about Arkansas. This is the Best of British Punk going on now. Sure they may have a tiny little island, but they get the evil dreary weather that fuels their angst and misery. I should know I’m in Portland, OR (misery central) Whatever, If you’re looking to cross some international waters to pick up on some stuff the kids down the street arn’t into yet, go grab this comp and find some culture in the punks from the UK. Highlights for me include Goober Patrol, Newton Grunts and Four Letter Word. Later I’m Out… 
Put on your boots and show us your favorite new tattoos boys and girls, this live plus one CD kicks serious ass. The more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to it. These are good old-fashioned punk rock anthems as they were meant to be. I’ve never seen them live, but I’m pretty sure that I would leave with at least one major injury. Every song made me want to drink beer and shout along with the rest of the crowd. Tracks 1, 2, 6, and 7 are now permanently in my head for the duration of time. Fast and furious boot stompin’ pleasure for the whole family (or at least a good portion of it.) This CD would be a worthy addition to anyone’s CD collection. The only thing that could make this CD better is if it was personally delivered to your door with a twelve-pack of cheap beer…..oh yeah, and more guitar solos (ummm…..sure.)