The Ziggens "Pomona Lisa" Review

Originally published in 1998 in issue 13 of Married Punks.


The Ziggens Pomona Lisa

As usual, the Ziggens create smooth surf music with a punk twist.  It does get silly at times with songs about waitresses and family road trips, but that doesn't distract the listener from the flowing guitars and subtle bass.

The one complaint I have, though, is that there are a few old songs on here that aren't necessarily the band's strongest material.  That's a trivial complaint, however, because I still enjoyed the hell out of this.

Zeke "Kicked in the Teeth" Review

Originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks, 1998.


Zeke Kicked in the Teeth

Two clues will let the person unfamiliar with Zeke know what he or she is in for:   1, Zeke sounds like the Dwarves.  2.  The band covers Kiss' "Shout it Out Loud."  (Second Kiss cover this issue so far.)

Zeke is from Seattle, but I think the guys skip the lattes and head straight for the Mad Dog.  This "music" is fast, dirty and grizzled, like the beard of that homeless guy that always leers at you when you get into that car Mommy and Daddy bought you.  This is the way non-political punk should sound.  Listen to "Telepath Boy" and tell me differently.  Try not sneering during "Dogfight."

I find it hard to believe that Zeke isn't from the East Coast.  Yep, it's that good.

Bob Xark "Gargoyle Wings" Review

Originally published in 1998 in issue 13 of Married Punks.


Bob Xark Gargoyle Wings


Xark, sometimes spelled Zark, is back again.  For those uninitiated, Xark combines poetry with samples, minimalist guitar work and drums in order to lift his words to a new place.  It works well.

There are 20 tracks of what can be best described as anger, beauty and consciousness interlaced with fever, bitterness and discontent.  Xark fans will enjoy it, though pretentious poet types will only be irritated by its unconventional mannerisms.  Good!  The world of poetry is stale, its muses are whiny people with too little real education.  Xark is the antithesis of that, and the realm of poetry is better for it.

Weird Vision/Spew-Gina "On the IIIrd Day God Created Noize!" Review

Originally appeared in issue 13 of Married Punks, published in 1998.


Weird Vision/Spew-Gina On the IIIrd Day God Created Noize!


Canada's Weird Vision performs an electronic horror movie-like song that is perfect for riding the bus through the Third Worldesque village of Manila, CA.  Bizarre.

Spew-Gina, a band reminiscent of A.C. and the Meatshits, is pure noise.  Skitzo-3, one of its members, was getting ready to go to jail as I listened to this.  I wonder why?  With songs like "Anal Beads w/Spewg on It," "Daddy's Little Squirt" and "Bowel Bondage," one can only guess.  Let's not forget the band massacres Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills."  I love this kind of stuff.  Nothing clears out a room faster.

Skunk Records 1997 Fall Sampler Review

Originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks in 1998.


V/A - Skunk Records 1997 Fall Sampler

Sweet, kids, very sweet.  This has got some great tunes from The Ziggens, Del Noah and the Mt. Ararat Finks, Corn Doggie Dog and 1/2 lb., Friends of Jesus, and more.  There's also a little interview with The Long Beach Dub All-Stars.

Possessing this is like possessing the wind.  Fans of Skunk's unique punk/surf/reggae bands will need to get this to make their lives complete.  This is why I love compilations, though they are as prevalent as political corruption these days.

Punk Bites 2 Review

This originally appeared in 1998 in issue 13 of Married Punks.


V/A - Punk Bites 2

30 bands, some I've heard of before (NOFX, Pennywise, Bigwig, Straight Faced, White Kaps, Quincy Punx, Horace Pinker and others), some I haven't (Discount, Slick Shoes, Whippersnapper, Krhissy and Boredom).  Overall, a good package with some killer songs.  Standouts include "Calling All Punks" (Bickley), "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (Pennywise adroitly doing Black Flag), "Police Truck" (White Kaps doing ... oh, you know who), "Holiday Road" (the National Lampoon's Vacation classic done by Whippersnapper) and Quincy Punx's "Nutso Smasho."

Cinema Beer Nuts Review

This review originally appeared in issue 13 of Married Punks, published in 1998.


V/A - Cinema Beer Nuts

Another grand compilation with the Vandals, Mustard Plug, Ignite, Nobodys, Hi-Standard, AFI, Strife and Link 80 (not to mention a few others).

Besides the packaging (a beer nuts wrapper), this CD doesn't really stand out even though it is quite good.  To my knowledge, all of the songs appear elsewhere.  It does serve as a good introduction to a lot of the bands, though.

Three Bean Salad Review

This originally appeared in 1998 in issue 13 of Married Punks.


V/A - Three Bean Salad

Many of the more mainstream music fans don't understand the therapeutic value of noisecore/silly punk/grind, which this tap is chock full of.  After a day of working with the disease that is the consuming public, this tape presents the ultimate release.

This music is truly the music of rebellion.  Bands like Ecostench are so far from anything that the mainstream music public, in all its boring glory, would consider "safe."  The mainstream allows pseudorebellious music (Marilyn Manson, for example), while completely shunning a band like Sockeye (also on this tape).  It's not because the bands are too "noisy."  It's due to the fact that the mainstream music public will never understand these bands, and are therefore afraid of them.

If you can't or won't understand the meaning and rawness behind a band like the Scroungers, then it is already too late for you.  You've bought the lie that the bands represented here are just noise.  You might as well go back to your safe, though sometimes tolerably rebellious, music.  You'll never grasp the anger or subversion.  You'll never understand Pile of Eggs' "Flowers and Eggs."  You'll never even make an attemptto.  Why?  Because you're too boring and too stupid to realize what true danger is.

In case you haven't been able to read between the lines: I love this tape and hate you.

Unclench Araby Review

This was originally published in 1998 in issue 13 of Married Punks.


Unclench Araby

Unclench is back!  (Though the band is no more.)  With new songs, old songs and new members, this band is/was stronger than ever.  I kid you not, Unclench is becoming my favorite hardcore band.  It's raw, powerful, intelligent and driven.  Unclench is everything a hardcore band should be.

I could go on and say things about a full-length release being needed, but that's pointless now.  Mark my words, though, this band is incredible.  Check it out, and thank me later.  Hell, one of my columnists threatened to sue me if the band sucked, and I don't have legal papers before me, so figure it out yourself.

Unbelievable Jolly Machine 7" Review

This was originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks from 1998.


Unbelievable Jolly Machine 7"

UJM does the theme song for the Scud video game.  Neat.

That said, this seven inch moves!  I liked it even better than the Flap Jack CD.

The music, which reminds me of several different bands, though I can't put my finger on a single one, is energetic, schizo and fascinating.  Both of the songs ("Bitter" and "This is My Life") were like a fine Italian meal.  Filling.  Tasty.  A smooth blend of flavors.

Todos Tus Muertos Review

This was originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks from 1998.


Todos Tus Muertos Argentina to Asesina

"Argentina Will Kill Ya" is the translation of this CD's title.  If Argentina doesn't do the job, Todos Tus Muertos will.  This live CD has 14 tracks of pure firepower that encompasses punk, reggae and beats from the band's home country.  This group is angry and political, just how a good band should be

One of my favorite songs, "Dale Aborigen" is here too, which makes this even more necessary to true music fans and revolutionaries.

Grita! makes magic again.


*Grita is the band's label.

Training for Utopia Review

This was originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks from 1998.


Training for Utopia Plastic Soul Impalement


If you notice the record label [Tooth & Nail Records], you may have an inkling of what drives this band: God!

Forget that.  God doesn't matter.  He's a myth.  The music on this release, however, is far from a fairy tale.  It's hard hitting, in your face, screaming, industrial metal.  It's powerful and pulls no punches.  There's a bit of a spiritual message to the lyrics, sure, but nothing I couldn't handle.  "Single Handed Attempt at Revolution" even takes a nice swipe at Marilyn Manson.  Take my advice, Training for Utopia, Satanism is just as ridiculous as Christianity.  The two are interwoven, yes, and Satanism is wrong and weak, but only because it links itself to Christianity at some points.

Overall, an excellent release.

Third Harmonic Distortion Review

This was originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks from 1998.


Third Harmonic Distortion

Like noisy guitars?  Like feedback?  Like emotional vocals?  Like to hear "Psycho Killer" from Talking Heads covered?  Like people that get ungodly sounds from their instruments?  Well, I do.  Therefore, I like Third Harmonic Distortion.  I'm not a big fan of having to search for hidden tracks, though, so that's a complaint, but my only one.

A lot of people have compared this band to Fugazi.  I wouldn't go that far, but if you dig Fugazi's sound, you just may like this.

Space Cookie Your CD Collection Still Sucks Review

This was originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks, published in 1998.


Space Cookie Your CD Collection Still Sucks

This CD is a collection of rare songs and out of circulation 7"s bearing the Space Cookie name.  Interesting.  It seems that I've been missing out on some decent punk rock.

At times, there are hints of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and at others, Rancid, but with more balls, for lack of a better word.  Great get-your-ass moving music that belongs in your CD player.

I don't, however, think that every song is a classic.  Instead of dwelling on that though, listen to "Surfstoff," "Dreamtime" and "Gun, Butts and Glory."  Those are the stand-out tunes.

Savatage The Wake of Magellan Review

This originally appeared in issue 13 of Married Punks, which was published in 1998.


Savatage The Wake of Magellan

I've always considered Savatage to be a loser band.  After all, my brother saw them at the Airport City Music Hall in Allentown, PA during the Gutter Ballet Tour and stole a bunch of tapes from the guys' tour bus when he was invited to hang out with them.

That said, this CD blew me away.

Zachary Stevens handles the vocals, singing writer Paul O'Neil's lyrics with aplomb.  The end result is a hard rock opera that is incredibly well done.  Imagine Billy Joel, who is a successful songwriter becase he writes catch songs, doing a hard rock concept album.  Sound strange?  It is, but it works.  One can't aruge that Savatage's heart isn't in this.

I don't want to go into the story on the CD, but I do want to mention that this has changed my view on Savatage.  Stevens, back by a band that acts almost like an orchestra, brings a voice to this story that will chill you to the bone.

True music fans of whatever genre will agree that this is one hell of a release.  People who look to music for little more than entertainment may find this hard to swallow.  Their loss.

Red Aunts Ghetto Blaster Review

Originally published in issue #13 of Married Punks.  Published in 1998.


Red Aunts Ghetto Blaster

Red Aunts are everything the Spice Girls are not (no matter how much Larry Livermore likes that band).  They are talented, clit fortified, raw and angry.  Red Aunts is real girl power.

Ghetto Blaster is twelve songs fueled by emotion of the worst kind.  "Poison Steak," the second song on the CD, exemplifies all that is good in this band.  Oddly enough, though, Red Aunts doesn't seem to have gotten the respect the band deserves.  I'm here to garner it upon it.  All hail Red Aunts -- pure guitar punk queens.

Reagan Youth Live & Rare Review

Originally appeared in Married Punks 13, which was published in 1998. Reagan Youth Live & Rare Reagan Youth, in its day, was anti-Nazi and pro-anarchy (the two should always go hand in hand), and that's why it's great that New Red Archives, one of the best punk labels around, has released this. Face it, a lot of today's "popular" punk is sorely lacking in the political department. Live & Rare is exactly what it claims to be. It's live cuts from CBGB's and demo versions of songs. The straightforward punk of "It's a Beautiful Day," "New Aryans," "USA," "Are You Happy?" and "In Dog We Trust" are the epitome of good punk music. Sadly, the singer, Dave Insurgent, never got the recognition he and the band deserved. Dave killed himself after his mother's death, his girlfriend's murder at the hands of serial killer Joel Rifkin, and years of drug abuse. This is a fitting way to remember him.

The Pressure Review

Originally published in issue 13 of Married Punks in 1998 The Pressure Is there a bit of Man or Astroman? influence here? Who cares? This spacey, experimental stuff is go in my book. The vocals, what little there is, are similar to the style Doug Evil used in Orgy of One, for all you old-timer completists. On the downside, there's only three songs. I want more! Oh well, maybe next time.

Polar Bear Review

This originally appeared in Married Punks #13, published in 1998.


Polar Bear

Polar Bear is a trio with Thoman Van Wendt, Biff Sanders of Ethyl Meatplow and Eric Avery of Jane's Addiction, which should've broke up after Nothing's Shocking.  That said, I think I can openly admit to finding this band ... interesting.

With a feeling of something almost gothic, this band has put together a slightly unique sound that surprised me.  "Water," the second of five songs, really had some cool samples in it an an excellent groove.

I'm not overly impressed by this band, but I'm not dismissing it either.  That's too premature.  I want to see where it's headed before passing final judgment.

Plantabiss The Color of Foul Thoughts Review

This originally appeared in Married Punks #13, published in 1998.


Plantabiss The Color of Foul Thoughts

At times, this is pure grindcore noise, but then ... it turns and takes on an almost jazz-like feel in tempo.  Yes, Plantabiss has talent, though it won't be apparent from a cursory listen.

Songs like "Flourescent Walls" show a different direction than the usual grind.  It's not screaming vocals and equally screaming guitar.  Instead, it has a subdued techno beat with a singing style that is closer to Frodus than Disrupt.  It's a contender for favorite song status on the CD.

Plantabiss is sure to annoy people, especially those who can't stand anything that deviates from the norm.  It's far from a perfect fusion of grindcore, ambient and techno, but it's damn close.