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DS Show Review & Galleries: Riot Fest 2024 Day 2 featuring The Hives, The Dead Milkmen, Sincere Engineer, Descendents; and D.O.A. Chicago (09.21.2024)

October 13, 2024 | 11:01 am

Riot Fest Day 1 was hot, and Riot Fest Day 2 was even hotter. A virtual scorcher, weather-wise and musically, DS hit the photo-pits for The Hives, The Dead Milkmen, Sincere Engineer, Descendents, and D.O.A. as they tore up the stages in Chicago’s Douglass Park. You can see additional day 2 band galleries on Instagram […]

One of the most eagerly anticipated sets on the second day of this year’s Riot Fest was from The Hives. The matching and sharp-dressed Swedish punks exceeded all expectations with a ferocious performance from the first note played. With various band members sporadically taking their places on the giant speakers in front of the stage and with the lead singer “Howling” Pelle Almqvist moving to sing at the barricades and above the fans, the photo pit got a bit chaotic. It was so chaotic (please note, though not out of control) that we shooters were instructed to exit just seconds into the third song. One fellow photographer joked after that if you could not get a good photo within the first minute of that set, you shouldn’t be shooting Riot Fest. Indeed, The Hives set was the epitome of the performances upon which we concert photographers thrive.

Included in the raucous set were the songs “Bogus Operandi, “”Rigor Mortis Radio,” “Walk Idiot Walk,” and “Hate To Say I Told You So.” “Countdown to the Shutdown” was the last song played by The Hives but it wasn’t the last song heard. While lots of bands have walk-on music, The Hives also has a walk-off songs. In this case, Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better,” which, f.y.i., is the theme song to the 1977 James Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Band members bowed and waved as the iconic American singer-songwriter’s voice wafted gently from the speakers. More than a few witnessing The Hives’ Riot Fest performance might argue that nobody did it better, at least not on this day.

The Dead Milkmen took the stage a few minutes ahead of time, catching us shooters and those letting us into the photo pit a bit off guard. It was all good, though, as we were given a bit more time to make up for it. The Philly outfit brought its legendary tongue firmly in cheek. The exuberant set included some of the band’s best songs, including “Serrated Edge,” “Punk Rock Girl,” “Bitchin’ Camaro,” and “Big Lizard.”

The Dead Milkmen also performed “Grandpa’s Not a Racist (He Just Voted for One),” off the band’s 2023 album Quaker City Quiet Pills. The lyrics to the song and the fact it was released just last year, make it hard not to think of a certain segment of the voting population in this election year, and of a certain 2024 Presidential Candidate.

They’re coming for his Jesus
They re coming for his gun
They’re coming for his Jesus
There coming for his gun
They’re coming for his Jesus
They’re coming for his gun
Grandpa’s not a racist – he just voted for one

Grandpa’s screaming something about white genocide
as he crawls under the bed looking for someplace to hide
He talks a lot of bullshit when he’s hittin’ the rum
But we know Grandpa’s not a racist – he just voted for one.

Last night we found Grandpa wandering the streets
Whistling Dixie and wearing a white sheet
Letting everybody know He won’t be replaced by the Jews
and we said
“Oh, Grandpa, who could ever replace you”

Do you know a racist Grandpa?
You see one every day
He wonders why the N-word is something he’s not allowed to say
and while he’s the worst person under the sun
We all know Grandpa’s not a racist – he just voted for one.”

The Dead Milkmen set was the one I knew I would not miss at this year’s Riot Fest. I enjoyed interviewing Joe Jack Talcum and covering and documenting the band’s delightful set at House of Vans several years back. I hope to document as many more The Dead Milkmen shows as possible because I’m kind of a punk rock girl who has had the pleasure of riding in my friends’ Bitching Camaro on numerous occasions.

Sincere Engineer is most often described as a stage moniker for singer/rhythm guitar player Deanna Belos in her sole work. But it has also been described as a band, including by Belos herself on occasion. Whatever its most accurate characterization, if there indeed is one, Sincere Engineer has been a Dying Scene favorite pretty much since its debut album, Rhombithian.

Of course, one of the big reasons is Belos’ smartly charming and self-deprecating songwriting. She is unafraid to wear her often aching and/or longing heart on the short sleeves of her black Carhartt t-shirts nor is she wary of letting you know this is the case. The first song the band played “Anemia” perfectly illustrates this

I’m a walking open wound
Don’t make any sudden moves
I’m a walking open wound
It’s a pleasure to meet you

Aware of this, it is unsurprising the group’s walk-on music is the classic instrumental version of the Johnny Mandel theme from M*A*S*H*, also known by its official song name “Suicide Is Painless.”

However, the joy she and her bandmates, Kyle Geib on lead guitar, Nick Arvanitis on bass, and drummer/back-up vocals Adam Beck display whilst expressing sometimes heavy emotions is infectious.

Also included in the roaring set “Dragged Across The Finish Line,” “Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7,” “Old Coat Pocket,” and “Overbite,” among others.

Sincere Engineer is currently on the road in the western part of the United States, supporting New Found Glory’s Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour. To say this is a dream come true for Belos’ might be a bit of an understatement. Speaking to her from said road, Belos’ described to me what it has been like.

“It’s such a blast being out on tour with New Found Glory! They’re so nice, and the shows have been incredible! They were my first favorite band, so it’s been awesome to get to know them and see them every night!“

Riot Fest’s regular rotations include numerous members of the “Punk Rock Docs Club” including Bad Religion’s Dr. Greg Griffin, PhD; Dr. Daryl Wilson, MD of The Bollweevils; Dr. Dexter Holland, PhD of The Offspring, and of course, The Descendents‘ Dr. Milo Auckerman, PhD. The latter two were on stage in Douglass Park this year. Dying Scene was able to hit one of those sets.

After taking the stage Guitarist Stephen Egerton gestured to its side area to give a shoutout to skateboarding legend Steve Caballero, whose own band, Urethane, also played Riot Fest 2024. The Descendents launched into its performance. The frenetic and extensive set included “The Only One,” “Silly Girl,” “Clean Sheets,” “Look Good On Paper,” “I’m The One,” and “Suburban Home.”

If the Descendents were offered an annual residency at Riot Fest, few would likely complain.

D.O.A. is still alive and killing it. The only member of the band from start to present, singer Joey “Joey Shithead” Keithley, told the audience that the band has been around for 47 years and added, “I’m in the middle of my third life sentence but don’t worry I can do the fucking stretch. I’m ok, I can do it.”

The band made a strong case for never retiring with its powerful set. Two of the highlights were blistering performances of “Smash The State,” and “The Enemy.”

D.O.A. was recently on the bill for NOFX’s final show. They have a couple of Pacific Northwest shows scheduled in November 2024, providing direct support for Duff McKagen. Check them out if you can!

As noted above, all of the DS Riot Fest galleries can also be viewed on the Dying Scene Instagram account.

Stay tuned for Day 3 coverage coming soon! Cheers!

by Staff Writer MerGold

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DS Show Review and Gallery: The Get Up Kids and Smoking Popes headline a sold-out Big Night Live (Boston, MA)

October 11, 2024 | 4:55 pm

I have a confession to make. It’s not something I’m proud of, necessarily, but that’s just the nature of confessions I suppose. In spite of being an individual of a certain age (45) who has been going to punk rock shows since the mid-1990s and was a fan of the Vagrant Records catalog from pretty much the beginning (or at least since that Boxer record) and who doesn’t see the word “emo” as a particularly negative word (and knows it existed before whenever Gen Z thinks it started), I had never seen The Get Up Kids live until 2024. Matt Pryor solo? Sure. New Amsterdams? Yup. Even James Dewees/Reggie And The Full Effect. But for whatever reason, never The Get Up Kids. I’ve long-since had my elder (geriatric?!) emo card revoked, but as of this week, I can officially apply for reinstatement, because, at long last, I finally saw The Get Up Kids!

The Kansas City-based quintet brought their Something To Write Home About 25th-anniversary tour to Boston for a raucous, sold-oud soiree at Big Night Live, a venue I’ve spent many words kvetching about on these here pages. And while many of my complaints are still valid (it’s too weirdly shaped and oversized and chaotically lit and limited-in-sight-lines for a punk rock show), I have to say that it was by far the best show I’ve seen at that venue. When I say it was sold out, I mean it was sold out sold out; each and every nook and cranny of the six (I think) different sitting/standing levels was occupied. A merch line snaked around to the back of the building for what seemed like hours before and after TGUK’s set. (Side note: a sold-out Get Up Kids show at Big Night Live and a sold-out Sabrina Carpenter show at the adjacent TD Garden made for about as enjoyable a people-watching experience as you’ll find).

From the opening notes of set – and STWHA – opener “Holiday,” the crowd kicked into full-throated singalong mode and never really let up for the duration of the evening. As is par for the proverbial course in album anniversary shows, the band ripped through a main set that consisted of Something To Write Home About from start to finish, essentially uninterrupted. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how well some of the mid/late 90s Vagrant records hold up, particularly by comparison, and Something To Write Home About is a prime example, its dozen songs still containing a sort of gravity and earnestness that have allowed it to age gracefully in the quarter century since its release. The call-and-response section of “The Company Dime” is of particular interest now that those of us who were around twenty when the album came out have two-and-a-half decades of day job doldrums under our belts.

After a brief intermission, the band returned to the stage with fervor, kicking things off with the acoustic-led “Campfire Kansas” and rousing renditions of “One Year Later” and “Stay Gold, Ponyboy.” It’s probably hard on an album anniversary tour to put together a larger, career-spanning setlist for the rest of your allotted stage time, and that was certainly true on this night, as only Four Minute Mile, On A Wire and Red Letter Day (the latter of which also turned 25 this year) were represented in the nine post Something… tracks that closed the show, meaning the “newest” song played was still more than two decades old. That didn’t seem to matter much to the jam-packed crowd, who sang along like it was the twentieth century through Mass Pike and the confetti cannon-accompanied “Don’t Hate Me” which brought the night to a fitting conclusion.

The almighty Smoking Popes kicked off the evening’s festivities, and don’t worry, I’m not THAT much of a square – I’ve seen the Popes a bunch of times over the years. The touring lineup has changed a little bit: two-thirds of the Brothers Caterer have stepped back from tour life in recent years, so golden voiced frontman Josh and longtime drummer Mike Felumlee are joined by Reuben Baird on bass and Telethon‘s Jack Sibilski on guitar. The result is a live band that absolutely shreds. Not that Matt and Eli Caterer wouldn’t be up to the task by any stretch, but 2024 has found the current touring Popes iteration has logged more shows in a year than any Popes lineup since the Clinton Administration, so they’re about as locked in as it gets. Their set kicked off with “Midnight Moon,” the song that also kicks off Born To Quit, an album that’s also celebrating an anniversary this year, albeit a thirtieth anniversary. (Yes, that’s right…Born To Quit is thirty. More on that in a couple days, and also, better make sure your AARP benefits are up to date, gang.) BTQ and Destination Failure tracks made up the bulk of the band’s dozen-song set. Sadly, personal favorite Into The Agony was represented only by “Amanda, My Love,” but them’s the breaks when you’re in an opening slot I suppose. At least we got “Let’s Hear It For Love” and “Madison” and a brand new song called “Golden Moment” – more on that one to come! Caterer’s voice – arguably the best in punk rock over the last few decades – still goes down as smooth as ever, and it was fun watching he and Sibilski take turns shredding lead guitar riffs.

The Get Up Kids / Smoking Popes nationwide adventure winds itself down tonight in Chicago. TGUK will be at the Best Friends Forever Fest in Vegas this weekend, while the Popes will take some well-deserved time off the road for a little bit but stay tuned for a few fun announcements on that front, and check out more photos from the show below!

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by Staff Writer jaystone

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Dying Scene Show Review: Green Day / Smashing Pumpkins / Rancid / Linda Lindas (Petco Park – San Diego, Ca 9/28/2024)

October 11, 2024 | 12:00 pm

Green Day brought their Saviors Tour to Petco Park on September 28th, 2024. The show is a celebration of two milestones for the band: the thirtieth anniversary of their album Dookie and the twentieth anniversary of American Idiot. The show had opening support from The Linda Lindas, Rancid, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Throughout this tour, […]

Green Day brought their Saviors Tour to Petco Park on September 28th, 2024. The show is a celebration of two milestones for the band: the thirtieth anniversary of their album Dookie and the twentieth anniversary of American Idiot. The show had opening support from The Linda Lindas, Rancid, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Throughout this tour, The Linda Lindas have been engaged in a prank war with Green Day, which is why it was confusing to everyone, including the Linda Lindas, that their walkout song was the 877-Kars4Kids jingle. Their six-song, twenty-minute set was pretty evenly split between songs from Growing Up, their first album, and their new album, No Obligation, consisting of “Too Many Things,” “Growing Up,” “Yo Me Estreso,” “No Obligation,” and “Oh!” As per usual, the band closed their set with “Racist Sexist Boy,” which they seem to have tweaked a bit, making the verses a little slower and heavier.

It’s a shame they only gave Rancid thirty minutes to play. They probably had the most energetic set of the night with an …And Out Come the Wolves heavy set. Right out the gate, they played “Maxwell Murder,” “Roots Radical,” and “Journey to the End of the East Bay.” Partway through, Lars reminded the crowd the album celebrates its thirtieth anniversary next year. The band hit songs from most of their albums, including “Tomorrow Never Comes,” the title track off their latest release, and “Something in the World Today” from 1998’s Life Won’t Wait. Rancid mostly played punk songs, with “Time Bomb” being the only ska song they played, which I think was a great call. It was a gauntlet of a set that a band with this much tenure was able to pull off despite deserving more time. Rancid has only gotten better with age, and this set shows they have no intention of slowing down.

One of these things is not like the others, and it’s the Smashing Pumpkins. When this tour was announced, I thought it was strange. That being said, it’s hard to gauge their set fairly because I have not really followed them too closely. I’d like to say the set sounded good to me, but it didn’t. While I recognized a few songs, mostly the hits off of “Siamese Dream” and “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” their seventy-five minutes did nothing for me. More power to you if it evoked something in you, but this was always a weird and confusing addition to this tour.

When the lights went out for Green Day’s set, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” played over the loudspeaker, prompting all in attendance to sing along. At the end, we got sort of a live commercial for Green Day’s new coffee company, Punk Bunny. A disheveled-looking pink bunny came out and jumped around to the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” with the crowd again singing along. Green Day comes on after a short video intro and plays “The American Dream Is Killing Me.” Without missing a beat, they jump into “Burnout” and continue to play the rest of Dookie. Dookie was one of the first albums that I clung to as a kid. This tour marked the first time I got to see Green Day play live. They did a hell of a job playing. Before the band played “F.O.D.,” Billie Joe sang a few lines from John Mellencamp’s “Life Goes On.” A full play-through of this album is not complete without “All By Myself.” Tre Cool came out and sang the song with an orchestra backtrack wearing a leopard-skin robe and flashing the crowd at the end. The next part of the show was mostly songs from “Saviors” and other random songs from the past. Touching on songs like “Know Your Enemy,” “Minority,” and “Brain Stew” was a nice touch, but there are so many better songs from those albums that could have been swapped out. Green Day played for a total of about two and a half hours. With a little over an hour left, they started on American Idiot, but what was amazing was how much energy they still had this far into the set. I run hot and cold on most of the songs off that album, but they killed it.

If you’ve been on the fence about seeing Green Day, it makes complete sense. Stadium shows suck. Between the cost of parking, food, and merch. Also, that you are so far away from the stage you’re mostly watching the big screens anyway, it’s not always worth it. I can count on one hand how many stadium shows I’ve been to, and this was one of the better ones. It was cool to see Green Day play both of these albums in full, but I think I would only see them again if the set had more variety from all of the other albums. Overall, this was a good time.

by Staff Writer Forrest Gaddis

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DS Album Review: Patrick Hardy – “Tiny”

October 11, 2024 | 9:05 am

Patrick Hardy has come a long way since he started releasing music. Teaching himself to record and produce music at home, Hardy also found himself pulled deeper into the Evangelical Church, eventually becoming a worship pastor. But after stepping away from the faith and the church, he shifted his energy to session guitar work and mixing music for others. After working on hundreds of different songs and various sounds, his production and songwriting skills sharpened with each project, which finally pushed Patrick to start something of his own.

The album kicks off with ”pressure,” the first single to come from Tiny. It captures the perfect blend of pop-punk and emo, with the electric guitar riffs ripping through the song, giving the song a unique edge to it. This leads into ”selfish”, featuring Modern Crybaby, a fast-tempo post-punk vibe that takes the energy to a new level. With Hardy’s distinct vocals paired Modern Crybaby’s flawless ability to deliver another layer of vulnerability that hits hard with lyrics like, ”Yeah I’ve been scared of who I am/ I could barely get out of bed”. There’s nothing wrong with being a bit selfish, but it sure feels like there is.

”nothing wrong” feels like the moment when Hardy finally finds his path. The emotional weight behind the chorus, as he belts out,”I’ve finally found where I belong,” gives the song a sense of resolution, making it feel like a natural closing track. However, Tiny wraps up with ”jerry,” a more personal and reflective song. While ”jerry” is powerful in its own way, it might have worked better earlier on the album, letting ”nothing wrong” serve as the final statement on Hardy’s journey.

Overall, Tiny is a reflection of Hardy’s personal and artistic journey. The album captures a blend of genres from pop punk, emo, and post-punk while not being afraid to mix things up now and then with some synths or taking a more acoustic approach to a song. Hardy also isn’t afraid to dive into deeper themes of self-discovery and vulnerability. With tracks like ”pressure”, ”selfish”, and ”the slip” that show off Hardy’s knack for blending emotional intensity with an energetic sound, ”nothing wrong” feels like the climax of his story. While ”jerry” offers the quieter, more personal close, the album leaves a lasting impression of an artist who is finding his footing and isn’t afraid of letting the listeners tag along on his journey.

by Staff Writer Karina Rae Selvig

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DS Album Review – The Dopamines – “80/20”

October 10, 2024 | 2:30 pm

Cincinnati, Ohio’s The Dopamines have recorded their first album in seven years, 80/20. The record’s thirteen songs are an assault of melodic riffs and catchy lyrics presented in a way that’s musically fun for a record with some serious subject matter. The album opens with “Wedge,” “For Heaven’s Sake Pt. 2,” and “The Doctor.” There […]

Cincinnati, Ohio’s The Dopamines have recorded their first album in seven years, 80/20. The record’s thirteen songs are an assault of melodic riffs and catchy lyrics presented in a way that’s musically fun for a record with some serious subject matter.

The album opens with “Wedge,” “For Heaven’s Sake Pt. 2,” and “The Doctor.” There is so much energy between these songs. “For Heaven’s Sake Pt. 2” and “The Doctor” do this interesting thing where they both end on the same riff. The melodic riff at the end of “The Doctor” gives the album a chance to decompress a bit, but not too much. 80/20 never has a dull moment. After this barrage of tracks, “Tamper Resistant,” “State of Being,” and “The Other Room” keep us going. There are some great sequences of letting the bass and drums shine and then slowly bringing everyone back into the fold.

One of the best parts about this album is how surgical the placement of the vocals is. Giving the backup vocals more to do than whoas and yeahs may take a cue from some of those early Descendents records, but the precision and randomness weaved with both Jon Lewis and Jon Weiner’s lead vocals are impressive. The calls and answers in sync with the starts and stops of the music would sound too polished if it was filtered through a different band.

Bassist Jon Weiner left the band back in June after finding God and getting sober with the help of his friends and family. This was definitely on the mind of the band while putting together this album. This sort of over arching theme kind of gives this a feeling of being a concept album. It’s a different type of group therapy.

The under-a-minute “Jon Goes To Camp” feels like a song about group therapy. “Parasite Lost’s” lyrics get heavy, talking about the fear of taking meds to help with depression, and end with the repeating lines, “Take two, swallow, you’ll be empty tomorrow / Take two, swallow, you’ll be happy tomorrow.” In “Groundhog Day Parade,” the lyrics explore the thoughts of not reaching out for help: “It’s on the tip of my tongue / Feel the memory losing grip / The corpses trying to hang on / I’m reaching out with a phantom limb.” Being either the person in recovery or someone who is helping the person navigate the feelings of anxiety or depression as a result can be hard. There’s comfort in lyrics and songs like this to validate that all of the feelings are okay.

The album was recorded in 2023 by Grammy Award-winning producer Chris Dugan, who has previously worked with several projects ranging from smaller bands like The Phenomenauts and The Swinging Utters to bigger bands like Green Day and Weezer. The results are fantastic. While 80/20 is a nice send-off for Jon Weiner, it’s a shame he won’t tour on it. This album truly is something to be proud of on many levels. This was my first full Dopamines album, and I’m kicking myself for not listening to more than a song here or there. Don’t let this album pass you by. 80/20 is due out October 18th on Rad Girlfriend Records.

by Staff Writer Forrest Gaddis

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DS Show Review & Gallery: Riot Fest 2024 Day 1 featuring NOFX, New Found Glory, Face To Face, The Warning, Circle Jerks, Winona Fighter, ALL, The Exploited and The Lawrence Arms

October 10, 2024 | 10:10 am

Day 1 of Riot Fest 2024 kicked off on a hot Friday morning. Festival organizers announced a few months back that the annual weekend Chicago event would be moved to the nearby suburbs. That caused a bit of a kerfluffle, with some applauding the move, and some vehemently opposed to it, often depending on where […]

While change-ups and new offerings are an annual occurrence, this year, there were more than in past years. This included the renaming of some stages, as well as the change of location for at least one. The carnival rides were still on-site, as were the wrestling ring, skate ramp, and Wedding Chapel. That last feature was, this year, in an enclosed Church like structure (offering softer, better lighting for photographers) in a new area called Riot Land. In Riot Land, attendees were treated to, among other things, a version of Logan Arcade, a Riot Fest history museum built into an homage to the iconic Fireside Bowl and a convenience store. There was also the Strip-o-Rama and Helzapoppin’. Though this may seem a lot, I am sure I have missed a thing or two during my time on the event grounds. Aslas, hooting from the photo pits again this year kept me away from partaking in many of the aforementioned sites. Perhaps next year, when my fellow Dying Scene Team Chicago member Mary Sunde is in the photo pits again and I am documenting the “Characters of Riot Fest.

Some of the highlights of day one were sets NOFX, New Found Glory, Face To Face, The Warning, Circle Jerks, Winona Fighter, ALL, The Exploited and The Lawrence Arms

.Riot Fest also served as the Chicago send-off for NOFX , now on its Farewell Tour. The band headlined all three nights of the festival. I was there for its Night 1 set, which took place on the stage named in its honor, NOFX World Stage. The band came onto the stage doing the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mike “Fat Mike” Burkett spent a few minutes joking with the massive crowd on the grounds and a significant number of fellow musicians flanking the band just off the performance area of the stage. Finally, the band kicked off a generously long set, which included “Backstage Passport,” “Don’t Call Me White,” “Franco Un-American,” “Idiots Are Taking Over,” “Timmy the Turtle,” “Linoleum,” and “Six Pack Girls.” It was a raucous set, demonstrating that NOFX is still able to bring the energy.

Of course, Burkett kept the jokes going throughout the set, telling Chicago “you’re the biggest city in Illinois.” Poking fun at the crowd members he told them they looked old and that fellow headliners Fall Out Boy were probably telling the crowd they looked young, throwing sly shade to FOB’s lead singer. That was followed by provocative references to Israel and God (Burkett has been described as a Jewish Atheist) prompting Eric Melvin to interject with, “That reminds me of the next song we should be starting right now.” Burkett assured his bandmates that “…I can’t get canceled again, it’s only six more shows,” adding that “whatever I say on my fucking golf course I can’t get in trouble for,” to which Melvin replied, “Look, in like ten years you’re going to care, I swear.”

All par for the course for a NOFX set and one the fans relished. It was also obviously emotional for more than a few of its most ardent fans, many of whom were seeing their beloved group for the final time. If providing closure to its fans was in order, NOFX served it up marvelously and gave them a particularly lasting memory among years of lasting memories.

As is always the case, there are conflicting sets, and choices need to be made. Shooting The Warning was one of the best decisions of the weekend. It’s a propulsive sister-punk act out of Monterrey, Mexico. You might say that the family that plays together stays together (and slays its performance together as well). Blasting through the set, The Warning introduced itself to the Riot Fest crowd in an explosive way, and the crowd loved it. Spotted just beyond the barricade, a fan was swelling with pride as he waved a large Mexican flag during a set which included “S!ck,” “Qué Más Quieres,” “Six Feet Deep,” “Hell You Call A Dream,” and “Automatic Sun.”. The only warning I can give about this band is you may regret missing your chance to catch this band.

New Found Glory made Riot Fest a stop on its “Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour.” The Riot Fest performance was listed as a non-Catalyst setlist. Of course, the band still roared through some of the album’s tracks including “Downhill From Here,” “Truth Of My Youth,” and “Failure’s Not Flattering.” NFG also treated the crowd to “Something I Call Personality,” and “Head On Collision,” from Sticks and Stones. There was a celebratory feeling both on stage and in the crowd. Two decades later, NFG continues to go places, downhill not being one of them. New Found Glory resumes its tour, with special guest Sincere Engineer, on October 11, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.

One of the first bands to kick off Riot Fest weekend delivered a wallop. Winona Fighter, out of Nashville, TN, whipped through a high energy and fun set which included “Hamms In A Glass,” “I Think You Should Leave,” “I’m In the Market To Please None,” and “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers.”

Post-RF, the band is scheduled to play Aftershock in Sacramento, CA on October 11, 2024, and Ceremony Festival in Nashville, TN on December 14, 2024.

Three members of The Descendents, ALL sans Milo Aukerman (yeah, I had to), pulled double duty during Riot Fest 2024 weekend: Stephen Egerton, Karl Alvarez, and Bill Stevenson, with Chad Price on lead vocals. Riot Fest veterans, The Circle Jerks, The Exploited, and The Lawrence Arms, were back and very welcome, delivering terrific performances.

Great music and strong performances on the first day of Riot Fest made roasting under the sun a bit more bearable than it might otherwise have been.

Be on the lookout for my Day 2 and Day 3 coverage as well as the take from my fellow Dying Scene Team Chicago member Mary Sunde. You can also head to our IG thread to see more shots from Day One!

by Staff Writer MerGold

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DS Interview: My dinner with Boybrain

October 8, 2024 | 12:00 pm

I was recently able to sit down with Chicago-based punk band Boybrain, who happen to be tied for the number one spot on my favorite local bands list. The band has a new single, “Ratmouth,” coming out this October; watch for it on your favorite streaming services. You can see them perform at Hands Off […]

I discovered Boybrain early during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, when live music was nowhere to be found and live streams had to fill the void. I caught a broadcast from Liar’s Club that included previously recorded performances. There was a lot of great stuff in the stream, but the one that left the biggest impression on me was “Owl” by Boybrain. Flash-forward to venues opening up and shows happening again. On July 17th 2021 I was able to see live music for the first time in over a year, and boy howdy, I was on my way to Blood People, Aweful, and mother fuckin’ Boybrain at Liar’s Club! The show was nothing short of amazing. If I wasn’t already hooked on Boybrain when I got there, I sure as hell was by the time I left.

Over the next 3 years I saw just about every local performance Boybrain played. Multiple times at both Liar’s and the Bottle, once at Cobra Lounge and even once at Green Mill. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but on my birthday in 2022 Boybrian shared a bill with my good friends Aweful and my other favorite local band, Djunah! It was the best birthday present I could have asked for.

Boybrain consists of Patti on guitar and vocals. Hailing from Florida, she moved here for film school and thankfully decided to stay here and make music. Jon, who recently joined the band on bass duty, comes to Chicago from Detroit by way of Memphis. Inga, ripper of lead guitar, and Colin, smasher of drums, are both Chicago natives.

As we were about to begin the interview they joked about how fun it must be for me to interview a bunch of awkward introverts. On the contrary, their demeanor put my own awkward introverted anxiety to rest and the interview was a ton of fun. We sat down to food-up at Feed while we conducted the interview before walking over to their rehearsal space to take photos. Boybrain has been eating at Feed for a while now, religiously going there on Mondays when they practice. Taking a deep inhale of the atmosphere in Feed, Colin remarked,

“I like a layer of fry oil in the air.”

The band rehearses in the annex of Superior Street Studios where they are part of an excellent community. They currently share their room with Stick Fight. They used to share with Wizzo as well, who have since moved into a room next door. Their friends Something is Waiting practice in the room across from theirs. While the other tenants in the annex are great, the vending situation leaves much to be desired.

“The vending machines in the big space are awesome, but ours is a pop machine that doesn’t even work. They don’t care about us. Second class”

Even though I’ve never seen them put on a bad show, Boybrain is not immune to pre-show jitters. As a ritual Patti, who is usually not a drinker, always downs one shot of whiskey to calm her nerves. I’d wager it’s more a placebo than anything else, but since learning this I have had the privilege to take the pre-show shot with her multiple times now.

Shortly after this interview was conducted, Boybrain debuted a new song titled Nailbox at their home away from home, Liar’s Club. When asked, Inga described the song as “Another Opus” to which Patti added,

“It’s Another Exquisite corpse that is just parts smushed together.”

The song was written about a former member of Mr. Bungle, who had recently been arrested on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend. This was unsettling news for Patti, Mr. Bungle being her favorite band. The story went off the rails into a conversation about Nu Metal. How it was influenced by Bungle and Faith No More, and the role the soundtrack for Judgment Night played in its inception. Jon had this to say on the subject,

“I love Pantera, I just hate when other people try to sound like them.”

We discussed the pros and cons of the band’s recent show at Empty Bottle. One con was they had to headline the show, which they don’t like to do ever. Inga explained they like to open shows and leave the stage. Colin added, “Without vomiting.” Yup, there’s a story to go with that!

It was Colin’s first show at the Empty Bottle. He didn’t get much sleep the night before and he neglected to eat before the show. After loading in and doing a sound check, he was able to stop back at home, so he took an hour nap and ate a lot of spaghetti. Like three bowls of spaghetti. When it was time to play, the corner of the stage where the drums are was blistering hot as always. By the end of their set, Colin knew he was definitely going to throw up, but he thought he could make it to the end of the song. He did in fact, make it to the end of the song, and was just barely able to make it out to the alley to vomit. And get locked out. And vomit more, and more, while the rest of the band searched for him inside the venue. Inga recalled finally going out to the alley and wondering who had spilled all this spaghetti, to which Colin responded,

“You couldn’t tell it was used?”

We went on to discuss other music-related mishaps. Patti recalled almost passing out from the heat at a show in Arkansas. She briefly lost consciousness but somehow her body continued to play while a lesser mortal would have collapsed to the floor. Inga wasn’t as lucky, recalling a time she fell face-first on the stage after a drunk asshole in the audience grabbed her foot in the middle of their set.

We spent some time talking about previous bands everyone had been in, which led to the realization of how glad they are that none of them drink at band practice. Drinking at practice is a great way to waste 6 hours accomplishing nothing. Listening back to recordings the next day you thought would be awesome only to find out it’s terrible and you played like shit.

“In your 20s it’s what you do, because you’re just fitting music into your drugs and alcohol schedule and hanging out. Now we actually just care about the music.”

Having met the band so many times at this point, I felt embarrassed I hadn’t asked where their name came from before now. I guess I didn’t need to feel that bad though, because Colin chimed in that he had never asked either. Patti explained there are two reasons for the name. The first is that Patti calls Inga a boybrain, because Inga has a boybrain. The second being an article Patti read, possibly by Stephen King, (we don’t fully remember who wrote it). The author discussed the adrenaline and psychology of what happens when you watch horror movies, and explained that it is more of a male brain thing. Being both female and a tremendous horror fan herself (the whole band loves horror), she thought:

“That was like, so fucking stupid.”

Having always gotten a degree of a horror vibe from Boybrain’s music, I asked Patti if that was indeed an influence on her song’s subjects and lyrics. Inga pointed out they’ve come mostly from true crime. Patti explains she’s not really motivated by things like love and heartbreak, she’s more interested in writing about anger and things that are fucked up, like killing. She pulls a lot from movies and documentaries and such, which are usually about men behaving badly. However none of Patti’s lyrics are completely literal, she writes them through her own lens turning them somewhat autobiographical. Florida is another subject that frequently pops up in her songs. Collin adds, “Plenty of true crime happens in Florida.” Patti continues, “It is a scary place. Yeah, born and raised there, so it’s terrifying. It’s horrible there so there’s a lot to pull from.

Dying Scene will be covering Boybrain and other artists at Hands Off Our Festival (HOOF) this October. Here are some questions we asked the band about the fest.

What are you looking forward to the most at HOOF this year?

“We’re looking forward to dressing up for Halloween, baby! Playing a show dressed up in crazy as fuck costumes is so fun. We’re horror nerds so we take dress-up time very seriously [clown emoji, tongue-out winking emoji]. We’re also looking forward to playing with a bunch of bands that we’ve never played with before… like Sweetie and Carnivore Mommy! “

What does HOOF mean to you?

“HOOF is a rad festival that centers around women and queers….. without the typical sausage fest vibes that surround a lot of venues, bands and festivals (we see you Riot Fest). It also reminds us of riot grrrl era shit…and we’re here for that.”

Why should people go?

“People should go to support women who play the fuck outta some music.”

There you have it. Once again, remember to listen to their new single, Ratmouth, which will be on streaming services this October! Don’t miss them at Hands Off Our Fest (HOOF) October 19th!!!

by Staff Writer manvsfriction

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Boybrain chicago DS Interview Hands Off Our Fest HOOF

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HOOF Band Spotlight: Sparkling Urbana, Peach Vomit and Carnivore Mommy

October 7, 2024 | 1:47 pm

In anticipation for H.O.O.F., the one day music festival celebrating the women, femmes and thems of the Chicago punk scene, we are interviewing and spotlighting some of the awesome bands playing this year. We have Sparkling Urbana, Peach Vomit and Carnivore Mommy today! If you are in the Chicago area we better see you there […]

Sparkling Urbana

First things first…introduce yourselves!

Hey! We’re Sparkling Urbana, we’re an all trans/queer grunge/alternative band from Chicago. We’re powered by gender-angst, queer joy, and the general chaos of being alive, jam that through some twinkly, fuzzy riffs and loud vocals, and see if it makes sense when the screaming stops.

What are you looking forward to the most at HOOF this year?

Honestly, getting a tattoo done by a cool nonbinary tattoo artist while there’s badass fem/queer punk bands playing on stage sounds like a dream come true, so yeah a couple of us are planning on getting a tattoo from Teddi.

What does HOOF mean to you?

We’re so glad as queer folks and local music lovers that this sort of thing exists. This would’ve been the coolest thing in the world to us when we were younger, which is a standard we try to live by. And it’s not just about the music (which of course the bands are gonna be killer) but about getting people together in a safe space, and celebrating this space by enjoying really talented artists and all of the other fun events–costumes and music and drag and tattoos etc. We want you to be your weirdest self here.

Why should people go to HOOF?

Because they want to be a part of something with other people who want to be a part of something, and they want to see some of the best local bands. Truly, everyone should see EVERYONE here. Carnivore Mommy, The Daddy Sisters, of COURSE Sweetie, and on and on. Sparkling Urbana will be playing songs from our new EP (Give It Extra Teeth) and at least one never before played song. Go see everyone, you literally can’t go wrong.

Anything else you want the people to know? New music/show announcements? Favorite gum flavor or song to cry to?

Our EP Give It Extra Teeth is on all of the streaming platforms and iTunes/Bandcamp and we have additional shows this fall. Follow us on instagram (@sparklingurbana) for show details. 🙂 Sparkling Urbana runs on queer joy, queer rage, and caffeine, so, shout out to the french press, top level cheap way to make coffee if you’re looking for a way to make coffee.

Peach Vomit

First things first…introduce yourselves!

Hey what’s up? We are Peach Vomit! A crappy punk band based out of Harvard IL. Been a band for roughly 7 years and going strong.
We got some awesome members including : Mama Vomit aka Meg, the vocalist and the wild woman. There’s Eric aka Papa Vomit who gets silly on the strings of his guitar and he looks fabulous doing it in his signature dresses! We have two awesome bass players , Abby aka Avalanche who is our primary bass player and Habacuc aka Haba who also fills in on bass for us from time to time. Last but NOT least we got Skylor aka Sky beating the crap out of the skins for us.

What are you looking forward to the most at HOOF this year?

We are looking forward to playing a new town, which also happens to be close to Meg’s hometown in Hazel Crest, IL. Also super stoked to see all the fabulous outfits and costumes.

What does HOOF mean to you?

Mama: hoof has an extra special place in my heart especially being a woman in the music scene. It shines a spotlight on those who are overlooked constantly and that is something that I truly respect and love about this fest.

Why should people go to HOOF?

Because it’s a wonderful and inclusive festival where everyone can be themselves and have a great time doing it!!

Anything else you want the people to know? New music/show announcements? Favorite gum flavor or song to cry to?

Yes actually we are currently in the process of working on an EP “Queerdo” and we are hoping to have them in the process of recording by November and hopefully have it released by December!!

Carnivore Mommy

First things first…introduce yourselves!

Ever wanted the theatrics of emo and the horror of queercore to smooch a little?

Maybe you’re a lil’ freak who desperately wants to be Mommy’s favorite?

May we introduce to you, Chicago’s very own eerie, dancey, sick, and scream-soaked Carnivore Mommy.

Hi! We’re a femme-screamer-fronted, queercore band with influences of metal, screamo, and theatre! Our members are Sage Bryant (bass), Nich Svoboda (guitar), Lauren Memery (scream vox/lyrics), Gabriel Neimark (drums), and we’ll hit our one year as band this December!

What are you looking forward to the most at HOOF this year?

Lauren: I’m excited to hear from my fellow screamers! And also hopefully see some familiar faces from last year! Double also my fellow Mommys are cookin up a great band costume, soooooo very excited to play dress up!

What does HOOF mean to you?

Lauren: Going to HOOF last year was actually one of the final kicks I needed to go all in on Carnivore Mommy. Sage was the first one to hop onto my brain baby for this band, and I had just recruited Gabe by the time HOOF rolled around. Spending that gorgeous day in such sparkly, dingy, saccharine to suddenly vitriolic to delicious space, surrounded by truly the sweetest folks I’d been dreeeeeaming of finally meeting. Of course it finally clicked. The scene is waiting for what you have to offer, now get out of your own way and GET IT.

Why should people go to HOOF?

Lauren: Why wouldn’t you want to spend your day with the loveliest, silliest, most talented scenesters, and just lavish in generosity and power and spit and bite all dang day? Why would you NOT want to do that??? And everyone dresses up! Like, have fun already! Ugh!!!

Anything else you want the people to know? New music/show announcements? Favorite gum flavor or song to cry to?

Lauren: We’re playin’ Cafe Mustache (pwyc!) with our pals in An Fang on Oct 22nd and Liar’s Club Oct 27th with the Cult of Space Skull AND The Cult of Nasty! (So if you like cultic goodness AND screamy tunage, then you know where you gotta be, Baby.)

Also our Insta is: @carnivore.mommy ️

Double also, best song to sob your dick off too is Because Dreaming Costs Money by Mitski. Obviously.

by Staff Writer Mary_Sunde

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Blue Island Boybrain Carnivore Mommy chicago comedy

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DS Remembers: The Best Pop-Punk Tours of All Time

October 6, 2024 | 9:54 am

The pop-punk genre has had some legendary crossover throughout the years. Most of the tours listed below are shows that will never happen again. They are a perfect moment in time, a product of their generation and surroundings. Some fans were lucky enough to witness such an experience. As for the rest of us, we’ll […]

This list excludes festivals like Bamboozled, Warped Tour, Mayhem fest, Sad Summer fest, etc. To make the list they must be cross-country traditional shows.

12.) 21 Years of Really Bad Luck Tour (2021)- Bayside, Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, The Bombpops

This is the most recent tour by far. Originally scheduled for 2020, but delayed a year because of COVID, the 21 Years of Bad Luck Tour was everything fans wanted and more. Seeing 3 staples of the pop-punk community on one tour was breathtaking. Every time one set ended, the next one came in even stronger. All 4 bands on the bill truly gave it their all and it shows. Bayside was supporting their heaviest record yet, Interrobang [2019]. Senses Fail had just collaborated with Spencer from Ice Nine Kills and was gearing up for Hell Is In Your Head [2022]. As a pop-punk fan, you won’t see a lineup this stacked for a while.

11.) Fall Tour (2015)- The Wonder Years, Motion City Soundtrack, State Champs, You Blew It!

The Wonder Years have never had a bad lineup on any of their tours. The band is known for having their finger on the pulse of the scene. Their fall tour with Motion City Soundtrack is easily one of the most iconic tours yet. State Champs even opened for this show right before they blew up into the mainstream. This feels like a fan-made tour on Tumblr in 2014. Fall tour of 2015 is even more impressive when you consider this is in the wake of the bands 7″ split EP! All of these bands on this bill grew to have even more successful careers.

10.) The World Tour (2014)- Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, Beartooth, This Wild Life

The hype for this tour was palpable to say the least. Pierce the Veil drops King for a Day with Sleeping With Sirens in 2012, it soars to the top of every rock chart. It immediately becomes a cult classic. The tour was inevitable, but what was unexpected was just how memorable it would be. It skyrocketed every band on the bill’s career. This tour made post-hardcore cool again. Sleeping with Sirens was still extremely heavy at this time. Opener Beartooth had dropped their debut album Disgusting and was on track to be the next huge headliner. Even the more mellow This Wild Life provided a breathtaking soundscape for fans to enjoy (and get real sad to). Fans of one band soon found themselves obsessed with all 4. This was a scene kid’s dream come true.

9.) Summer Tour (2018)- Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, The Story So Far

Any show that either Taking Back Sunday or Coheed and Cambria do separately is always a 10/10 performance. Some fans were lucky enough to see these two rock legends perform together, back to back. Taking Back Sunday is known worldwide for their energy and charisma. Coheed is famously one of the most talented and technical bands in the scene. They can play unimaginable riffs with ease. Not only that, but The Story So Far opened for this once-in-a-lifetime event. From old bands to new bands, this tour brought the heat. While all the bands are still together, we’ll never see them in this incredible order again.

8.) Believers Never Die Tour (2009)- Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Cobra Starship, Metro Station, Hey Monday

It’s hard to even imagine the excitement of a Fall Out Boy and All Time Low tour alone. What happens when you add on Cobra Starship, Metro Station, and Hey Monday? You get the scene tour of the decade. Anyone that ever bought skinny jeans from Hot Topic or had Green Day on their iPhone shuffle went to this tour. To this day, memes about this tour are all over pop-punk Instagram and tik-tok. It’s defined the test of time. It certainly lived up to its hype for decades to come.

7.) The California Tour (2016) Blink 182, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, All American Rejects

You know this lineup is stellar when even the bottom of the bill could headline an arena. Considering this was Blink 182’s first album without Tom Delonge, they knew they had to bring their best. This tour was perfect for every generation. Older fans were there to see Blink and A Day to Remember, younger fans came in droves for All Time Low and the All-American Rejects. This show can only happen once in a lifetime, and if you were there, you’ll never forget it.

6.) The Save Rock and Roll Tour (2013)- Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots

This is another tour that is absolutely baffling. Fall Out Boy, fresh off the heels of their massive comeback, and touring with Panic! At the Disco, the band they helped create. Save Rock and Roll may be a divisive record but I firmly believe it has so much heart. There’s a reason the band came back even bigger than when they broke up. To add a cherry on top, Twenty One Pilots was the main opener and still extremely small at this point. When people refer to alt-emo this is the sound they are referring to. Regardless of your preferred genre of music, this tour was perfect for everyone who rejected mainstream modernity in 2013. A show like this would sell our baseball stadiums in 2022.

5.) The Story So Far Fall Tour (2018)- The Story So Far, Turnover, Citizen, Movements

The Story So Far Tour in 2018 was a renaissance of modern pop-punk. Every single band on this lineup would grow up to be influential in the emo scene. Citizen and Movements have become icons for sad downbeat music. Turnover has dove deep into soft rock and found success there. All of these artists gave something back to the scene they loved and pushed the boundaries of music forward. The best compliment about this lineup that I can say is that it feels almost too good to be true.

4.) The House Party Tour (2013) – A Day To Remember, All Time Low, Pierce The Veil, The Wonder Years

This is the tour on the list I’m the most jealous of by far. Even the main opener (The Wonder Years) is one of the most concise and powerful bands of all time. Keep in mind, when this tour occurred all 3 headliners were experiencing a massive rise in their respective careers. A Day To Remember had just dropped their magnum opus, Common Curtsey. Pierce the Veil had released their biggest album to date, Collide With The Sky. Even All Time Low was finding success again with their record Don’t Panic! Every band was blowing up simultaneously. If you got to witness this lineup, you are one of the lucky ones.

3.) The Hella Mega Tour (2021) – Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, The Interrupters

Another recent entry on this list, and arguably one of the biggest, the Hella Mega tour swept the world with hype. 3 of the largest rock bands in the scene agreed to come together for an epic tour. Very rarely can you see Emo and Pop-punk bands sell out 50,000-capacity stadiums. The financial success of this tour showcases how necessary it was and valued among the pop-punk community.

2.) Brand New Fall Tour (2016)- Brand New, The Front Bottoms, Modern Baseball

This tour is extra special because 2/3 of this bill no longer exists. It is literally impossible to see these artists live. However, for the special fans who got to experience such an event, I am confident they will never forget it. Brand New and Modern Baseball both being the faces of modern emo, with the fun alternative sound of the Front Bottoms makes this a legendary show. This concert will forever live on as one of the greatest experiences in rock history.

1.) The Pop Disaster Tour (2002)- Green Day, Blink 182, Saves The Day

There isn’t much that can be said about this tour that hasn’t already been said. Green Day and Blink 182 were dominating the mainstream in ways rock hasn’t seen in years. Their tour together would cement itself as one of the crowning live events of the 2000’s. This tour is so well known, you can say “pop disaster” to any fan of the genre and they’ll immediately know exactly what you’re referring to.

IG: @ValentinoPetrarca

Twitter: @Valentino_Emo

by Staff Writer Valentino Petrarca

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A Day to remember all time low All-American rejects bayside beartooth

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Dying Scene Album Review: The Black Pacific – “Here Comes Our Wave”

October 5, 2024 | 9:57 am

Jim Lindberg’s Black Pacific is back after a fourteen-year hiatus with their new album, Here Comes Our Wave. Presented is a collection of songs that are all punk rock in some form, but a few go in unexpected directions. While that spectrum is wide, Lindberg keeps to his roots lyrically, but lets us get deeper […]

Jim Lindberg’s Black Pacific is back after a fourteen-year hiatus with their new album, Here Comes Our Wave. Presented is a collection of songs that are all punk rock in some form, but a few go in unexpected directions. While that spectrum is wide, Lindberg keeps to his roots lyrically, but lets us get deeper into his head and personal life.

The songs on the first side will sound familiar to anyone who has followed Lindberg over his thirty-five-plus year career. The album opens with the song, “I Think I’m Paranoid.” A straightforward punk rock song about the distrust of people and the government that Jim’s been preaching for years in Pennywise. “Superhero” feels like a 1990’s punk rock song where Lindberg speaks about his lack of self esteem and wanting to find more. “No Fun’s” fuzzy surf intro dissolves into a mid-tempo punk rock song about dictators around the world and the sociopathic ways they show, “It’s no fun, til we kill everyone.” “Won’t Make A Sound” laments about media biases and how stories get skewed. “Here We Come,” warns about A.I. and its eventual takeover of jobs and probably us. The robot apocalypse has never sounded so catchy.

The back half of this record is what makes this album truly a great and interesting thing. Lindberg shares a different side with us and deviates away from the punk rock he is typically associated with. “Best Day Ever” is probably the most optimistic song I’ve heard Lindberg sing. It’s nice to see him stretch his legs a bit and branch off into poppier punk. It’s not pop punk in its usual form, but it’s a song about appreciating yourself. “Float Away” is a full-on love song. A fantasy about making a raft for him and his wife to float around the world on an endless vacation as a way to get out of the doldrums of a long marriage. “Won’t Let You Down” continues some of the same themes of “Float Away,” but in a more grounded way. It’s a nice culmination of the side before the closing song “Here Comes Our Wave.” Thematically, the title song feels like it would work better closing the first side of the record, but “Won’t Let Me Down” would be a weird place to end the album.

Here Comes Our Wave is a personal record written by someone who has clearly put in the work on his mental health and is not afraid to talk about his feelings as a result. Something that seems to be a lot more prevalent as the punk rock scene gets older. While some of these sentiments have been expressed with Jim’s work in Pennywise, it’s a bit refreshing to not hear them at breakneck speed. If you’re looking for a full-on Pennywise album, this may not be for you, but a few of the songs will definitely scratch that itch. Hearing pop punk filtered through Lindberg’s words mostly lands where it needs to with a pretty good payoff. Alan Vega’s drumming stays in that punk rock box and keeps this album moving at a good pace. Clocking in at under thirty-five minutes, Here Comes Our Wave is a great exploration of punk rock as a genre and Jim Lindberg as a person. The album is out now via Dine Alone Records.

by Staff Writer Forrest Gaddis

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black pacific California huntington beach jim lindberg Pennywise