GAD! Zine

    The Friendly Fingermen are one those bands that can crank out effortless hardcore one minute and a heavy groove the next. Intensity is a non-negotiable with these Huntsville area musicians. A treat to just about any lover of heavy music. I got in touch with Fingerman(?) Anson Helton to find out more. GAD!: Who are you and how did this happen? Anson: B and members are me, Frank Cole, Jason Generic, and Jarrod Carmack. I think we've been doing this close to a year or so. Jason and I have been wanting to do a project together for a long time so we said fuck it, let's do it. Obviously, Frank and I have worked together a lot in the past, plus he's fucking a talented, so he was an obvious choice. Jarrod and I have also worked together and have been talking about doing something heavy and groovy for years now. I wasn't sure if he'd have the time but he answered the call annnnnnnd so we had our kickass lineup. I love playing with these guys, they make it soo...

    Owls And Other Animals are a fairly stripped-down acoustic-y unit, but they have a firm understanding of how to make the most of their self-imposed boundaries. The songs are so whittled-down to their utter essence that even the tiniest variance hits like a blast. Opener "Crouchin' In The Corner" is business as usual until the cool keyboard kicks in. Tunes like the urgent single "Viola" and later album track "Big Lakes And Skies" are firmly grounded by the understated bass of Deondre (a member of the Trash Cats, with whom OAOA shared a Christmas album last year). Outside of a well-worn guitar, the bread and butter of any OAOA tune is the breathily soft and almost-singular voice of Colin and Dana. When they sing together, the room mellows into a candlelit basement. We're but the silent apparitions surrounding them, whirling in their bluesy choruses. The dreamy tunes of Owls And Other Animals are smart, well-written, and even-better-performed. T...

    I love the Abusements!! Fast and funny punk rock for those of us blessed (cursed?) with the keen observation skills to notice how everything around us is at least a bit off, if not outrightly fucked. “Troll Farm”, one the album’s many standouts, is very contemporary in its subject matter (Russians attacking us through social media), but it’s so fun and sing-a-long-able, that we’ll still be blasting it in ten years. Let’s hope it won’t still be topical… Another hit is the single “Space Nazis”. It’s a humorous look at the U.S. government’s past association with former Nazis to meet our Cold War space race needs. Really, just about every tune on IRRITAINMENT!, from “Sex Cult” to “Mall” to “Florida Man”, picks at the way-too-mundane ridiculousness of everyday American life. This is what punk rock is all about: Recognizing that the “normal” people are the crazy ones. Verdict: Snotty and exciting. Loud and fast. Catchy as hell. I want more, please.  -Harmless Buy Th...

    Muddy Roots Music Festival takes place Labor Day Weekend at the Junebug Ranch in Cookeville Tennessee. This year, it started Thursday and went until Sunday. Camping is included with the purchase of the ticket. There are 3 stages, 2 bars, food vendors, and even a waterfall you can drive, or if you're brave enough, walk to. This year, I saw Everymen, Pinata Protest, Rock Bottom String Band, The Goddamn Gallows, X, The Dead Boys, The Meat Puppets, Megan Jean and The KFB, Dead Bronco UK, Those Poor Bastards, Slim Cessnas Auto Club, Call Me Bronco, Sleep, Neurosis, Cutthroat Shamrock, Fu Manchu, and James Hunnicutt. Not in that order and I'm sure I'm missing some. This was my 2nd Muddy Roots. I attended 2017 as well. I enjoyed both experiences although there were a few changes this year. There was a larger stage in the back of vendor row, with powerful speakers. We listened to Sleep from the campsite which was quite far away but did not sound as such. There were some new v...

A major punk rock force has erupted from Alabama's capital: The Abusements!! I've been a fan since first reading Shannon Heupel 's article about them for the The Montgomery Advertiser . I checked out the videos and instantly fell in love. Snotty and fun, but with bullshit detectors set on max, the Abusements are an antidote to the malaise one suffers even when they actively avoid today's politics . Who are these lunatics and where the hell did they come from? I reached out to the group to get to the bottom of it. " Dominique Bradley on drums, and Chris Eckels on bass , they are both from Montgomery Alabama. DJ Fake Name is on guitar and vocals, he’s from the early 1980s. " Ok... " Like many professional musicians, especially in the south, Dominique’s real gig is playing worship music. That’s what pays the bills. Chris used to be a member of the legendary Creep List. DJ Fake Name was placed into a medically induced coma back i...

    Shame that Delaware's PTS has disbanded, but I'm glad they reconvened to "document" their music. It's noisy and punky and Minutemen-y. (Just realized that one of the tunes is called "Political Song For Mike Watt To Sing", so I guess I nailed it!) The sound quality is all over the place and is just as much a part of the experience as any instrument. Please let this release encourage more bands to put their tunes to tape or whatever. Music History is the Best History! I hope these good folks are still making cool noise, even if not together as a unit. If they are, I wanna hear it. -Harmless  Paint The Sun on Bandcamp

For the uninitiated, the Danger Cakes are an Austin-based all-female rockabilly group who deliver 50's bubble gum pop rock with a bit of an edge. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the group is lead vocalist and model Jamie Bahr who, in addition to her vocal duties, plays the upright bass. The band’s latest offering, Gloomy Girl, features three unique tracks likely to entice even the most casual of rockabilly fans. The first track, "Not Your Doll", introduces listeners to Jamie’s very sultry voice, at times suggestive lyrics, as well as the group’s twist on the 50's bubble gum pop sound. Next comes "Love Bites", which incorporates a heavy cabaret feel with lyrics featuring plenty of delightful double entendres. The closing tune, "Bruise Blues", is a cute little number that leans heavily into the 50's bubblegum pop aesthetic. Fans of the genre are unlikely to go wrong and those looking to expand their horizons may just be in for a p...