New Releases from Have Nots and Face to Face, Thursday might as well be Friday

I have a couple of new album reviews for you today.  Both of these are some of my favorites so far, and I am excited to be able to share them with folks.


Have Nots – Proud (CD and MP3 iTunes Link)

When I reviewed Have Nots first album Serf City USA I already knew several things. The band consisted of members of two Boston bands, ska punk outfit Stray Bullets and the pure punk rock of Chicago Typewriter. I praised Serf City for it’s fusion of the speed and catchy ska riffs from the Stray Bullets with the melodic sensibilities of Chicago Typewriter. On the Have Nots second album Proud we find the same fusion but augmented with all new sounds that go further to showcase the bands that influence the band. If I picked a single band that Serf City reminded me of I would easy say the Suicide Machines, but the new album mixes in the feel from bands such as Rancid and The Clash. The blend of new styles certainly breaks the album up and means that the best tracks really stand out. One of the big things is that instead of blasting through at all 14 tracks at various breakneck speeds, there is a lot more variation in tempo. I was thinking about picking out a few tracks that stood out as the absolute best, but that is a tall order. What I can easily say is that the songs sit on hill with Dead Man sitting right at the top.

Dead Man - Link to the song, really worth a listen

And for the truly lazy and/or interested:





Face to Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later (the store should be somewhere... iTunes Link)

It has been a long time since a new Face to Face album was released upon this Earth. It also just so happens that Face to Face was one of the bands that introduced me to the world of punk rock all those years ago, so I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the band and front man Trever Keith. I was nervous about this release because the band has tended to release a good album followed by a weaker effort, and 2002 found us listening to the enjoyable How To Ruin Everything. Fortunately eleven years seems to have been long enough to avoid that particular cycle. Throughout these eleven tracks the listener is treated to some classic 90s melodic punk rock, which means this is a great summer soundtrack (something sorely needed in the absence of new material from The Gaslight Anthem). In a world were reunions of seminal punk bands coincide with banal sounding music, Face to Face instead delivered an album packed with quality tunes just chock full of the band’s signature sound.

Feature Friday 002

After a week of explosive web traffic, explosive for me that is, it is time to tone thing down with the second edition of Feature Friday.  Today we'll be taking brief looks at ever so smooth Green Room Rockers and the every incredible Tim Barry.

Green Room Rockers - "Green Room Rockers" (iTunes link)

The gentlemen behind Green Room Rockers quickly established themselves as one of the best traditional ska/reggae revival bands.  The band's hallmark is a fusion of the classic sounds of ska and reggae with ultra-smooth soul sounds.  The crooning vocals fit equally well in the upbeat dance numbers and the ska-inflected ballads and is perfectly backed by the clean guitar, horns, and keys.  While I stand behind all my music, Green Room Rockers have crafted an album that truly a pleasure to listen to.  I could wax on about the beauty of this record, but I'll just let you hear it for yourself.





"You and I"





Tim Barry - 28th & Stonewall (iTunes link)

What can I really say about Tim Barry.  The man fronted the legendary punk rock band Avail, putting out six full-length albums and another five EPs before striking out on his own.  Then, since his first release on the wonderful Suburban Home Records he has been wowing the underground music scene with impassioned folk music and some of the finest storytelling since the days of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.  Tim Barry is passionate about everything he feels and does, and that sense bleeds into every word he cries, line he sings, and chord he plays.  Though he'd probably disagree, just because he's that kind of guy, I may not even be worthy to talk about Tim Barry. The man is a story teller, a poet, and, trust me on this, an American hero.

His most recent album, released earlier this year, finds Tim refining his voice and diversifying his sound.  The most notable addition are added instrumentation to arrangements that used to primarily consist of acoustic guitars.  His songs go between raucous songs about travelling the roads and living life, to slower numbers simply moving in their melancholy.  Even on this album there is still a standout track.  Prosser's Gabriel is the incredible story of little talked about slave revolt lead by the titular Gabriel Prosser.  I won't bother trying to describe the song, rather I've included a live performance of the song that appears on youtube.  I also strong recommend the song South Hill from his previous album. WARNING: NSFW or language sensitive people, South Hill is written from the point of view of a soldier in Iraq and in the chorus he drops some f-bombs.

"Prosser's Gabriel (live)"