I just found my new favorite hometown punk rock band thanks to a friend who literally left me their four song 7″ SAM in my door on Monday. I still have yet to hear their full release but I can tell you that from the four songs I heard I was turned to an instant fan.

The band is called The Sidekicks and they hail from all three major Ohio cities according to their MySpace page.  Recently just playing Berea Fest IV the band has a pretty big east coast tour lined up in front of them where they will finish off in NYC but only to hit the road again at the end of October to play the Gainsville, FL Fest 8.

The 7″ was actually a tie me over until their full length So Long, Soggy Dog was released and just gives you a small taste of how great this band is.  Heavy pop punk with hints towards acts like The Falcon, The Lawrence Arms, Gaslight Anthem, The Get Up Kids, even O Pioneers!!! This band has some serious potential at making a name for themselves with their upbeat punk as well as a matured indie rock feel.

I did not know what to expect when I spun this 7″  and “Hop On A Sea Cow & Manatee Up” played, but I can tell you I was moderately shocked at how solid sounding it was.  The band has some serious talent and this song alone won me over.  The first band that came to mind if someone asked me what this song sounded like easily would be Millencolin.

“Bryant Gregst (gets nervous)” honestly had more so an indie rock feel to it but that did not discourage me one bit.  The singing alone was so charismatic and inviting I had to give it another listen just to enjoy it some more. “The Island” again was more so an indie rock jam but it was so good especially at the climax of the song where lead singer just explodes vocally.

For a mere four bucks this 7″ can be yours too by heading over to Woah Oh Records, or if you prefer you can download it from iTunes as well.  If you want to take it a step further head over to Vinyl Collective and put in and order their full length So Long, Soggy Dog.

If you are a fan of punk rock you really need to at least check these guys out.  From what I hear their live shows are not to be missed and now that I know of their existence I will make a huge effort to hit one of their shows.

I’m not sure how much longer a band like The Sidekicks will be and underground punk band seeing as they have the skills to play with the big boys.  I can only imagine the crowd at Fest 8 when The Sidekicks introduce themselves to all the punk rock loving fans.  I am sure the outcome of their set will be amazing.

Just do me a favor guys, don’t forget about Cleveland.

The Sidekicks – Hop On a Sea Cow & Manatee Up from If You Make It on Vimeo.