It seems like it has been quite some time since I dipped into my past and talked about a band I really dug.
Today for whatever reason, I thought about a band I absolutely adored in the late 90s. The first time I heard of them was on a 1998 Vagrant Records comp/sampler called Five Years On The Streets.
The band I speak of is New Jersey’s Automatic 7. Does anyone remember them?
The album I became a huge fan of was their sophomore release titled Beggar’s Life. It was put out by Vagrant Records back when they were a indie punk rock label.
With major similarities to Face To Face, Jawbreaker and even Unwritten Law, I immediately became a fan the moment I heard their song “Broken Record”. I loved this East coast band with a SoCal feel but sadly fairly certain that I never caught them live.
From what I have gathered on the good ol’ internet, the band disbanded around 2001 but reformed in 2006. I will be honest, I have not thought about them since my early 20s, but I am stoked that for whatever reason I thought about them today.
Fun fact: Trevor Keith of Fact To Face actually joined the band briefly in 1997. Perhaps that is where some of their sound derived from. I am ok with that.
If you still hold on to the music from your past and were a fan of 90s pop punk rock, check these guys out.
Pop punk’s hooligan heroes, Masked Intruder, are back on the prowl with their all new sophomore release M.I. The ski-masked foursome clearly have no problem dodging the law while stealing hearts and throwing together one of the catchiest releases you will probably hear all year.
Having kept their identities safe so far, probably due to the band threatening anyone with blunt force to those who may know who all is actually under those masks, Masked Intruder remain an enigma of sorts in the punk rock world playing some of the greatest stalker-love jams ever recorded. Think Ramones and Chixdiggit!, but with plenty of obsession and missing valuables.
The album started out with a revamped recording of “I Fought The Law”, a track that originally appeared on Masked Intruder’s 2011 demo. This version clearly trumped the original and sounds even catchier than the demo version.
“The Most Beautiful Girl” is flawless when talking about a pop punk love song. In less than 2 minutes, the band manages to pack together harmonies within sing-alongable lyrics (is that even a word?) all while swooning someone special.
“Saturday Night Alone” pretty much sums up some of my weekend nights sans spending it in the slammer like these masked heartthrobs do. Hard-driven guitar playing (that easily could have been stolen from label mates Teenage Bottlerocket) played throughout making for a fun track. I loved when the band just stopped playing and just sang and crooned for just a couple of seconds only to start jamming out again.
I loved the track “When I Get Out”, especially on how the band sang about what they were going to do when they were released from the slammer. From getting revenge to slamming ice cream and pizza, it is clear that Masked Intruder had a lot of time to plan out their freedom while locked away and incorporate it all into a fun song.
I really was hoping the band would go all a cappella again on this release, and they did in “Almost Like We’re Already In Love”. It’s like a barbershop quartet song, but different. I’m sure if the band sang this song to me in person, I would be batting my lashes and blowing kisses their way.
“Hey Girl”, was a quick, catchy jam aimed at breaking the ice with the ladies. “Don’t Run Away” followed perhaps on purpose to assure all the beautiful ladies by singing “don’t run away, I think this is it.”
“Say that I’m a freak, a geek, a weirdo” started off “Wierdo”, a track that may have been written by actual events that happened in my life. Seriously, I think these guys plagiarized my lady luck in my early 20s and threw it into a song. What the hell guys?
Another great track was “I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye To You Tonight”. It was a pop punk love track that may or may not require a restraining order.
Ending the album was “Locked Up And Lonely”, a song that did not really sound like the others as it was a little slow starting at the beginning, but only for a moment. I could not but help think 90s punk rock on this song. On another note, can someone please tell me why I thought of Charles Manson in this song (in a comical way of course). Seriously, as this song played, I thought of an emo’d out Manson sitting in a cell looking out his cell window and writing about how lonely he is.
After listening to this album at least 37 times in a row, it is safe to say that Masked Intruder has once again dropped a solid release. I was so addicted to their debut release so much that I failed to review it, but this time I decided I had to at least say a couple nice things about their latest effort.
M.I. has the potential to make Masked Intruder appear on many Most Wanted lists. With their quest to avoid Miranda Rights as well as continue to hide their identity, this band has surpassed the gimmick stage and is going toward full-blown rockstar.
So who are Masked Intruder? Who cares. Just keep them away from my record collection and wallet. Beyond that, I hope they keep doing their thing. Those guys rule hard.
Masked Intruder is seemingly always on tour. Personally, I think it is because they are running away from the law. Regardless, they are playing Cleveland on June 20th at Now That’s Class.
Downingtown / West Chester, Pennsylvanians Panucci’s Pizza are an emo-ish punk rock duo with a heavy appreciation for pizza and straight up ridiculous song titles.
Not only were the track names entertaining, the music itself was pretty bad ass to listen to. I liked the mix of acoustic demos and just full blown chaotic jams. I did not know what to expect with each track and by the end I just wanted some more. Funny, that is exactly how I feel about pizza sometimes…
Panucci’s Pizza re-released their 2013 full length Don’t Tip the Delivery Boy on CD via Songs from the Road Records. You can order the pizza-decorated CD here. Scroll down a bit to check it out via Bandcamp.
I can not help but be reminded of my homies Cherry Cola Champions and Two Hand Fools a lot though this release. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Track Listing:
1. Holy Diver Pt. 2 2. Ladies, Welcome to my Swaggrokrag 3. You know when the Trojans got that horse and they were all “Yeah this is totally a gift” Thats how sure I am 4. Pokemon Cards and an Empty Bottle of Grape Juice 5. The World’s greatest Bowler is the World’s worst anything else 6. Nicholas Cajun (Stole the Declaration of Pizzapendence!) 7. Wait, you know who Frankie Muniz is right? 8. I still haven’t seen “Almost Famous” 9. My Imaginary Friend is STILL addicted to Pornography
I soon befriended the now disbanded Ninja Gun and even was able to house them for a couple of nights in the middle of one of their tours. Without going into too much detail, I can tell you that all four members were quality individuals and we’ve kept in touch ever since.
As I was a huge fan of the Valdosta, GA act, it was no surprise to anyone that I was bummed out when Ninja Gun said announced they were calling it quits in 2010. How couldn’t I? I loved everything that band ever had to offer and also was fully away just how bad ass each of the members of the bad were. I was just stoked to have gotten to know them.
Jeff Haineault, Ninja Gun’s former drummer, got in touch with me recently to let me know that his new band, New Natives, were going to be releasing an album. I was beyond stoked to listen to what he and his new band had created.
New Natives can best be described as a chill indie pop rock act with a hint of a small town vibe. Members not only include Haineault on guitar and vocals, but also Taylor Patterson on drums, Jackson Dean on guitar, and Joe Martin on bass.
Their self-titled debut started with the fun track “Gets Around”. a song clearly about fun loving times. The song really perked my attention with their upbeat indie rock style. Had this song come out in the 90s, it probably would have been featured on the Empire Records soundtrack. I am sure that just made no sense at all, but for whatever reason, I thought about that movie while listening to this track.
“Too Far” was an instant hit to my ears. This radio-friendly song would be perfect to include in any road trip mix or even would be perfect to listen to at a summer shindig.
“Broke Your Heart” had Haineault resembling the singing style of Gregg Alexander at times and I loved it. I am sure it is no shocker to many of you out there, but I was a HUGE New Radicals fan. Guilty pleasure folks. Don’t judge.
“Hopes and Dreams” really carried that Ninja Gun style I was hoping to hear from Haineault. This was a definite laid back jam full of plenty of ohhs and ahhs.
Continuing was the farmland indie rock, was “Lonely Eyes”. This song was all over the place and I loved it. I thought from the start the song would be a country love track, but soon it morphed into an indie jam all about moving on.
Ending the album was “Take You With Me”, another track where I could not help but think of Alexander as Haineault sang. I liked how the piano hid in the background of the song, it just added just enough extra support to an already well-written song.
This really was a refreshing album to listen to from beginning to end. New Natives have the ability to take over college stations all over the place with their unique blend of indie and small town rock. Original and catchy, this album is well worth the listen.
One of the best things about attempting to run my own blog is the amazing humans I am introduced to because of it.
Their self-titled debut started with the fun track “Gets Around”. a song clearly about fun loving times. The song really perked my attention with their upbeat indie rock style. Had this song come out in the 90s, it probably would have been featured on the Empire Records soundtrack. I am sure that just made no sense at all, but for whatever reason, I thought about that movie while listening to this track.