As you may already know, the well-deserved hype about this upcoming album has been building for awhile.  It will be out on Punkerton Records October 10th, and was announced back in July via several channels including their label and Earshot Media.  Since then they have released the singles “Break the Cycle,”  “Panic! Panic! Panic!” and “Dead Inside” and were a late addition to the Supernova International Ska Festival.  Those singles were great music and really highlighted the best thing about Joker’s Republic; namely that while they are often categorized as a ska band (and have plenty of chops in that genre) they really are this pretty cool blend of ska, punk and rock & roll.  

This newest release features Billy Smollen (bass) stepping out front to sing a story which is based on a real event, namely an auto accident.   In the Earshot Media press release he describes the song this way:

“‘Welcome Back’ is a meditation on the aftermath of a stressful experience and how we recover and push forward. In this case the inspiration was a car accident that totaled my car while the band was on tour. The accident itself was terrifying, and the only thing that helped me get through the resulting financial and emotional trauma was my friends, family, and the ska and punk communities.” 

This track leads off with a nice guitar riff and then rises up on drums and bass with a rock groove for the first minute or so.  It then kicks out into a ska break with that pattern holding throughout the song.  It is a combination that works well and Joker’s Republic deliver a lot of energy via their playing and the vocals.  This song is another good example of the unique style and range of this band. Combined with the quality of the other singles released to date I expect the full album to be quite a statement. 

Musicians on this (in addition to Smollen are): Austen Grey (guitars, vocals) and Pat Elwood (drums, vocals)

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

https://ffm.to/jokersrepublic_welcomeback

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

You can also pre-save the album here:

https://ffm.to/jokersrepublic_thehandyouvebeendealt

And support your locals – community is powerful!