Tag Archives: Punkerton Records

Song Review- Half Dizzy- “Darkest Days” off the upcoming album Yard Sale

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Five people, two women and three men, sit on a staircase looking at the viewer.

Very nice to see this track drop on October 17th (via Punkerton Records) which follows the release earlier this year of “Turn This Up” which I reviewed here back in July. 

This new single is a great follow-up and starts on a quick drum fill backed up by powerful guitar riffs and a pulsing bass accentuating every beat.  Lead singer Dizzy Doll’s vocals, snarly and soaring all at the same time, punch through the music nicely and there is also a ripping guitar moment around 2:08.  A really good, melodic punk style tune with plenty of volume and power!

These two singles definitely have me eagerly anticipating Yard Sale which is set to come out on December 12th.  Described in the Earshot Media press release as a “raw and reflective punk rock scrapbook — a record built from the pieces of a life lived loud, lost, and learned the hard way,” I believe this one should be well worth the wait.  

Musicians (in addition to Dizzy Doll) are: Daniel Marchelewski (guitar, vocals), Mason Cohen (drums), Mitchell Rhein (lead guitar) and Mina Maziekis (bass). 

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/halfdizzy_darkestdays

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

Album pre-orders here:

Half Dizzy "Yard Sale" [Vinyl] (Pre-Order)

Your community and all of its people are super cool….check them out when you have a chance!

Song Review- Virus Nine- “Stay Proud! Stay True! Stay Punk!” off the album Blastin’ Away!

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a black and white photo of 4 young men who look serious and just a little bit angry.

Well,  I have to admit that I was not expecting to see this song pop up in any new way as it had been a very long time since it was originally released.  This album was a regular monster of punk awesomeness back when it was originally put out on A-F Records  in 2003.  I definitely found them back at that time because of their association with Duane Peters from U.S. Bombs. He produced this album for them which was a follow-up to their 2002 debut What Are You Afraid Of? which I never found a copy of after hearing it one time at someone’s house in SoCal.  

The good people at Punkerton Records are now putting Blastin’ Away! out again both digitally and on vinyl.  That is all set to drop January 2, 2026 but you can check this great throwback (and still relevant) punk anthem on steaming here: 

https://punkertonrecords.ffm.to/virusnine_stayproudstaytruestaypunk

I had the chance to preview it thanks to Earshot Media and Punkerton and it was just as I remembered it.  Coming in on a chant of the song title over a raw drum line it quickly kicks up on ripping guitars and bass.  The vocals are raw and loud with a feisty rhythm and a call & response section worthy of Rancid.  This vintage track is still strong today and it is great to see it getting some new exposure and hopefully some new fans.  

Pre-saves help the label and the band and you can set yours up here:

https://punkertonrecords.ffm.to/virusnine_blastinaway

And also get a pre-order of that cool vinyl (with limited edition colors …of which the blue, black and white splatter is pretty sweet and what I ordered) here: 

Virus Nine "Blastin’ Away" [Vinyl] (Pre-Order)

Community…just as powerful as always – support yours! 

Song Review- Joker’s Republic – “Welcome Back” off the upcoming album The Hand You’ve Been Dealt

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There young men, two standing and one squatting down, lean against a graffitied wall. They are dressed mostly in black and have a casual, at ease look about them.

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!

Song Review- The Boy Detective- “Beth Truss” from the upcoming album Disco Lunch

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A group of mostly happy looking people, some sitting and some standing.

As a long time fan of ska (in all of its various iterations and sub genres) I first heard this band covering The Get Up Kids song “Forgive & Forget.”  That was off Sklarity, their 2021 collection of ska-styled covers of ten songs which also included “Hands Down” (Dashboard Confessional) and “Photo Booth” (Death Cab for Cutie).  On that album and also on the 2018 album Dorkus Malorkus their sound is an interesting mix of ska, punk and just a bit of hard core.  If you want a side mission check out “Is Alfredo There” from Dorkus for an interesting cross-genre experience and sound explosion.  They also have another release called Art Theft which I have not listened through yet.  

Their upcoming album Disco Lunch is set to drop on November 7th and “Beth Truss” will release as a single on August 15th, all courtesy of Punkerton Records.  The song, as described by the band’s vocalist Benny Capaul: 

“…was taken off the shelf, dusted off, and reformatted to sonically invoke singalongs and brain-eating choruses and gang vocals, in the only way The Boy Detective knows best.”

I would have to agree that this one is a sonic explosion.  It comes in on a short drum intro quickly followed by energetic horns that give you a bit of a marching groove.  At that point you are firmly in a ska state of mind and happy to be there.  It then drops into a more guitar & drum / alt-punk section that still brings the energy while adding some restless edginess to the vibe.  That back-and-forth continues through the song and the overall result is some odd kind of angry happiness. 

This should be out on your streaming channels soon and you can pre-order Disco Lunch (vinyl) here:

The Boy Detective "Disco Lunch" Vinyl [Pre-Order]

And pre-save the digital version here: 

https://ffm.to/theboydetective_discolunch

And support your locals – community is powerful

Song Review- Stay The Course – “Post Traumatic”

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I just head about the early release of this lyric video (available on YouTube of course) via an Earshot Media press announcement and was intrigued by this outtake:  

“Serving as the second single from Red Flag, the song marks a sharp left turn from Stay The Course’s usual mix of melodic breakdowns and punchy hooks. This time, they set aside distortion in favor of acoustic instruments, added string accompaniment courtesy of Meador’s wife and eldest daughter, and handed lead vocal duties to Munn.”

When bands step away from their usual sound I always have respect, regardless of the results, as just taking that action requires some guts and helps keep music fresh for all of us.  The results here are quite good with those aforementioned strings (cello + violin = very cool) really setting a slow, reflective tone.   The vocals are a an interesting mix of pleading and sentimental.  Songs like this sometimes end up feeling fragile but this one retains strength throughout – a good listen with a message. 

Musicians on this are: Colby Munn (vocals, guitar), Kylie Meador (cello), Londyn  Meador (violin), Joseph Meador (backing vocals). 

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂   They also have an album coming soon (Red Flag) so keep an eye out. 

https://found.ee/staythecourse_posttraumatic

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

As always – remember to support all your locals – community is powerful! 

Song Review- Half Dizzy – “Turn This Up”

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Remembering back to when I heard the song “Broken Down” playing in the pre-set music for a bar band in 2023 I recall being pretty impressed by the blistering pace of the music and the “you can’t beat me down” message.  That track was from the first release Half Dizzy had on Punkerton Records and since then they have also released The Faceless (with quite interesting cover art) and now this single that dropped on June 20th.  

A decent amount of people and reviews have mentioned in the past that Half Dizzy evokes some Rancid vibes.  Although I tend to stay away from those direct comparisons in general, on this new track it is hard to avoid.  The  composition, tone, vocal style and great energy all combine to definitely have you reaching back to your best Let’s Go moments.  That being said (and in a positive way for sure) these musicians have talents and grooves that set their own high standard.  Solid guitars playing off each other, a rumbling bass line, busy & sharp drums and shared vocals that are boisterous and clear.  Overall, an uplifting, power-for-you anthem for the upcoming summer.  

Quick streaming link here: 

https://found.ee/halfdizzy_turnthisup

If you go out and give “Turn This Up” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

Check out your local community – it can be a pretty cool place:) 

Song Review- Lot Lizards – “Broken Parts” from the album The Horrors of Adulting

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A quick jump backwards before we get to the review  – the first song I heard from this group was back in late 2021.  “Exploding Heart Syndrome” from their eponymous debut album struck me right away with its energy.  It suffers a little from a slightly buried vocal track but the content of those lyrics has a story to which we can all relate – stop being fake and don’t be afraid to be your whole, real self.  Now…if we could only get more people to listen to that message…  

Anyway, onward to the present day…

Lot Lizards have their new album The Horrors of Adulting set for a July 25th release and this track is a preview for that album.  

A loud and raucous all-in start to this song holds you for about 25 seconds before the vocals from Jon Barnes kick in to tell a pretty tough story.  As Barnes noted in the press release from Earshot Media, “It’s about my father, who is struggling with Parkinson’s disease. It’s heavy and deeply personal, but there’s also catharsis in facing that reality head-on.”   There is a great outro that starts around 2:25 that slows this song down a bit with some searing guitars and a booming drum & bass line…before it fades off into goodbye.  

Streaming available at your preferred service – quick link here: 

https://found.ee/lotlizards_brokenparts

And you can jump on the album pre-sale from Punkerton Records here: 

Lot Lizards

If you go out and give “Broken Parts” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

All of us should support each other – community is powerful! 

Release Alert! The Dreadnoughts – “Polka Pit”

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It was great to hear about this single release and to get the news at the same time that there will be  a new album out in September this year (on Punkerton Records).  The Dreadnoughts always bring the energy and usually makes me want to jump right back into the pit.  This song brings a bouncy beat and kicks along for 4 fun minutes…polka and punk always!

Once you check it on your usual places you can get a vinyl pre-order in here…grow the collection 🙂 

https://punkertonrecords.com/products/the-dreadnoughts-polka-pit-vinyl