DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Green Day, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones & More)

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold […]

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:

As I’m sure you’ve already heard, Green Day announced their new album Saviors earlier this week. Accompanying the release of the lead single “The American Dream is Killing Me” was a relentless onslaught of vinyl color variants. So far 18(!) variants have gone up for pre-order. A comprehensive list of color variants with links to pre-order can be found here.

Western Mass ska-punks PWRUP just released their new album Just Devils and it’s pretty fuckin bad ass. Ska Punk International is giving this hardcore infused ska-punk banger the wax treatment it deserves. Get your copy here and get it quick because they’re selling fast.

SS Decontrol’s The Kids Will Have Their Say is getting its first official repress since 1982 thanks to Trust Records. There are a bunch of variants, most of which sold out in less than an hour. Yellow vinyl & grey vinyl are still available here and those fucks at Newbury Comics haven’t sold through their exclusive orange color variant either because the fucking thing’s $38. Black wax will hit record store shelves November 17th.

Last week we gave you a head’s up that New Found Glory would be releasing 2004’s Catalyst on vinyl for the first time ever, with pre-orders launching on Friday. Well, it happened, and all of the band’s webstore variants were gone within an hour or so. The good news for anyone who wants this but missed out is there are still some retailer exclusive variants in stock, namely Mondo and Revelation Records. Don’t be surprised if NFG issues a 2nd pressing through their webstore either. This thing will be a money printer.

Here’s another thing we told you about on a past Record Radar: Less Than Jake‘s 25th Anniversary Hello Rockview reissue! The band had a tour exclusive splatter variant of this record at all their shows over the summer, and now a second variant has emerged. This half white / half silver color variant is limited to 300 copies and is only available at Smartpunk’s Fest 21 merch tent. I expect this 2xLP deluxe reissue ft. bonus tracks (including the never-before-heard “Honest Answers”!), demos & live recordings will be getting a broader release with online distribution soon, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Swedish skate punk veterans No Fun At All‘s debut album No Straight Angles is back in print once again, with a new pressing limited to 200 copies on transparent red and 300 copies on black vinyl. Our European readers can grab both colors from La Agonía de Vivir; North Americans can save on shipping and get the black wax from Thousand Islands Records.

AFI‘s Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning seem to be back in print, as copies of both have started to pop up all over the place in the past week. No fancy colors or anything like that, just good ol’ black wax. Wally World is probably the cheapest place I’ve seen these.

Asian Man Records and Kill Rock Stars are co-releasing a Split LP from Teens in Trouble and Desert Mambas on November 17th. There are a bunch of color variants, links to where you can pre-order each can be found here. No songs streaming 🙁 Here’s an old Teens in Trouble song:

The first Record Radar of October featured this long awaited repress of the Mighty Mighty BosstonesLet’s Face It. Unfortunately, it was sold out at the time, but I told you to have hope because more copies would likely pop up. Well, that’s exactly what happened. Apparently “limited edition” doesn’t mean what it used to. That’s good for you though! Go here and grab your copy before it sells out and they re-stock it again.

Speaking of the Bosstones, Dicky’s (somewhat controversial) new band The Defiant released their debut LP If We’re Really Being Honest this week. In addition to the embattled ex-Bosstones frontman, other members of the band include former Offspring drummer Pete Parada, Street Dogs bassist Johnny Rioux, Joey Briggs & original Smash Mouth guitarist Greg Camp. Check out a few tracks below and get the record on neon green colored vinyl here.

Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

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DS Show Review & Gallery: Subhumans, FEA, Smokers (Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, 10/20/23)

Veteran British Anarcho-punks Subhumans kicked off a 14-night American tour at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last Friday. Opening the show were local punks Smokers from Oakland, CA with some straight up simple punk rock. FEA hail from San Antonio, TX and have been handing out furious punk rock since 2014. One […]

Veteran British Anarcho-punks Subhumans kicked off a 14-night American tour at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last Friday.

Opening the show were local punks Smokers from Oakland, CA with some straight up simple punk rock.

FEA hail from San Antonio, TX and have been handing out furious punk rock since 2014. One hell of a set.

Your correspondent met the Subhumans in Germany earlier this year at an independent punk festival called BOBFest. Great people, and Dick Lucas’ incredible energy on stage blew us away. The Subhumans are touring the Western US with FEA until November 6th with dates in CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA and CO.

See all our photos from the show in the gallery below!

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DS Exclusive: Check out UK skate punks Making Friends’ video for their new single “Millionaires”; debut LP “Fine Dying” coming soon

With just a week to go before the release of Brighton, UK skate punks Making Friends‘ highly anticipated debut album Fine Dying, Dying Scene is stoked to bring you their newest single “Millionaires”. It’s a no nonsense minute and 30 second banger; check out the music video! Fine Dining is due out next Friday, November 3rd, […]

With just a week to go before the release of Brighton, UK skate punks Making Friends‘ highly anticipated debut album Fine Dying, Dying Scene is stoked to bring you their newest single “Millionaires”. It’s a no nonsense minute and 30 second banger; check out the music video!

Fine Dining is due out next Friday, November 3rd, and it’s being co-released by a bunch of awesome labels all over the world. Here are all the places you can pre-order the record:

• US: Punk Rock Radar
• UK: Cat’s Claw Records / Making Friends Bandcamp (CDs!)
• Canada: High End Denim Records
• EU: Johnny Be Good 
• Japan: Waterslide Records
• Australia: Pee Records

The possibilities are truly endless, folks!

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DS Exclusive: Chicago punks Turn N Fire debut video for “F.O.M.O.”

Happy Thursday, comrades! We’ve got a super cool exclusive for your viewing pleasure this afternoon. It comes to us from Chicago’s own Turn N Fire. The three piece are putting out a brand-spankin-new album, Dying On This Hill, on November 17th, and in order to get your appetites sufficiently whet, they’re unleashing the video for […]

Happy Thursday, comrades!

We’ve got a super cool exclusive for your viewing pleasure this afternoon. It comes to us from Chicago’s own Turn N Fire. The three piece are putting out a brand-spankin-new album, Dying On This Hill, on November 17th, and in order to get your appetites sufficiently whet, they’re unleashing the video for the standout track “F.O.M.O.” today! Check it out!


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Dying Scene Photo Gallery: Off with Their Heads, Dead Bars, Black Cross Hotel, and Brox, Beat Kitchen, Chicago, Illinois (10/14/2023)

Off with Their Heads performed a SOLD OUT show at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Opening bands Dead Bars, Black Cross Hotel, and Brox were a great addition to this killer lineup. Chicago’s own Off with Their Heads performed an “All Request Set” where their hometown fans requested the songs that they wanted to hear. […]

Off with Their Heads performed a SOLD OUT show at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Opening bands Dead Bars, Black Cross Hotel, and Brox were a great addition to this killer lineup.


Chicago’s own Off with Their Heads performed an “All Request Set” where their hometown fans requested the songs that they wanted to hear. Led by vocalist/guitarist Ryan Young, the band recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Home album. Let’s see what the next 10 years bring! It was a great night. Find them near you here.


Seattle-based Dead Bars brought their brand of Pacific Northwest punk rock to a sold out Chicago audience. The band were celebrating their 10-year anniversary and appeared to be having a blast! Many in the crowd were familiar with the band but all went wild for their cover of the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary”! Find them near you here.


Post-punk, industrial band Black Cross Hotel performed songs from their debut HEX album. They were a great local addition to the lineup and it just so happens that their keyboardist, Andrew, is a neighbor of Ryan from OWTH. Find them near you here.


Performing under the name Brox, Chicago-based vocalist/performer Scott Walker delivered a wild show with elements of folk, garage rock, no wave, noise, and pop music, reminding listeners of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Jarvis Cocker. Spicing up their neighborhood, Scott also lives near Ryan from OWTH and Andrew from BCH. Check him out when you can!


Check out the Off with Their Heads photo gallery below.

Check out the Dead Bars photo gallery below

Check out the Black Cross Hotel photo gallery below.

Check out the Brox photo gallery below.

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DS News: Green Day announce new album “Saviors,” unveil video for first single “The American Dream Is Killing Me”

So unless you’ve been living under a rock – I guess it wouldn’t be a punk rock, would it?! – you’re probably aware that Green Day debuted a new track, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” last week at a club show in Vegas. Our own Brittany Queen was there! And as you probably assumed, […]

So unless you’ve been living under a rock – I guess it wouldn’t be a punk rock, would it?! – you’re probably aware that Green Day debuted a new track, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” last week at a club show in Vegas. Our own Brittany Queen was there! And as you probably assumed, that means they’ve got a brand new album coming down the proverbial ‘pike. And now we know what that looks like!

Due out January 19th, the band’s 14th (I think I did the math right…) studio album is called Saviors. Here’s what the band says about it:

Saviors is an invitation into Green Day’s brain, their collective spirit as a band, and an understanding of friendship, culture and legacy of the last 30 plus years. It’s raw and emotional. Funny and disturbing. It’s a laugh at the pain, weep in the happiness kind of record. Honesty and vulnerability. What is Saviors about, you ask? Power pop, punk, rock, indie triumph. disease, war, inequality, influencers, yoga retreats, alt right, dating apps, masks, MENTAL HEALTH, climate change, oligarchs, social media division, free weed, fentanyl, fragility,,.. What would Andy Warhol do? What would John Waters do? What would Quentin Tarantino do? What would GREEN DAY do?

Saviors is available for pre-order in all the usual options. And more importantly, the video for “The American Dream Is Killing Me” is also now available. Keep on scrolling and check it out!

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DS Record Radar: The many vinyl color variants of Green Day’s new album “Saviors” (and where you can buy them)

You’ve probably heard by now that Green Day has a new album called Saviors on the way. Perhaps you’ve even listened to the first single “The American Dream is Killing Me”. But have you pre-ordered all 367 color variants of the album on vinyl? I sure hope not! But, if you’d like to, we’ll be […]

You’ve probably heard by now that Green Day has a new album called Saviors on the way. Perhaps you’ve even listened to the first single “The American Dream is Killing Me”. But have you pre-ordered all 367 color variants of the album on vinyl? I sure hope not! But, if you’d like to, we’ll be enabling you to do so. This edition of the Dying Scene Record Radar is dedicated solely to the many color variants of the new Green Day record! Let’s get into it, shall we?

Editor’s Note: This album has since been released but more and more color variants keep popping up, so this will continue to act as a tracker for the numerous variants of Green Day’s new record Saviors. Enjoy.

Hot Pink
No pressing info
Amazon exclusive

Clear w/ Hot Pink Galaxy
Limited to 2,000 copies
Green Day store exclusive
SOLD OUT

Black Ice w/ Hot Pink Splatter
Limited to 7,350 copies
Green Day store exclusive

Neon Pink w/ Neon Green Splatter
Limited to 4,800 copies
Green Day store exclusive
New as of October 27th these MFs are actually shameless

180g Black Vinyl w/ embossed gatefold sleeve & poster
No pressing info
Available everywhere

Standard black vinyl
No pressing info
Available everywhere

Baby Pink
Limited to 1,000 copies (hand numbered)
1-2-3-4 Go! Records exclusive
SOUL DOUBT

Black/Magenta Split
No pressing info
Indie variant, available everywhere

Opaque Gray
Limited to 1,000 copies
ZIA Records exclusive

Tangerine
Limited to 1,000 copies
Newbury Comics exclusive (no fucking surprise this is the most expensive of the bunch; jackasses)

Sky Blue
Limited to 1,500 copies
Urban Outfitters exclusive (lol)

Neon Pink w/ Black & White Splatter
Limited to 6,000 copies
Spotify exclusive

Neon Pink
No pressing info
HMV exclusive (step aside Newbury Comics, this one’s actually the most expensive!)

Violet
No pressing info (yet)
Hot Topic exclusive
Pre-order starts 10/25 allegedly… guess they forgot?

Unnamed Shade of Pink(???)
No pressing info
Barnes & Noble exclusive

Clear (looks silver but trust me it’s just clear)
No pressing info
Target exclusive

“Rose” (not gonna fucking lie this looks exactly the same as 1-2-3-4 Go’s variant, we’ve been hookwinked)
No pressing info
JB Hi-Fi Exclusive (AUS)

“Lemonade” (it’s fucking yellow! Just call it yellow!)
Probably like 5 trillion copies
Punk as phuc Walmart exclusive
I AM SICK OF THIS SHIT

No fucking way there’s another one and it’s called Bluejay Marble
Limited(!!!) to 4,725 copies
Green Day webstore variant #4

Blood Records exclusive zoetrope picture disc
4,000 copies – soul doubt
Blood Records

UPDATE 1/5/2024: We have eclipsed 20 variants, folks! #21 – Tricolor Black White Hot Pink Vinyl LP
Limited(!!!!!!!!!) to 3,350 copies
Get it here, there and everywhere

Aaaaaaaand #22! “iHeart Exclusive” White Vinyl
Limited to 1,000 copies
Green Day webstore

Variant #23: UK Indie Pink / Black Marble
??? copies – this was supposed to be the same as the US Indie variant but someone fucked up
Any record store in the UK

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

This edition of the Dying Scene Record Radar is brought to you by the new album from UK skate punks Making Friends! Get their debut LP Fine Dying on limited edition colored vinyl here and listen to the album on Bandcamp.

  1. Another two releases need to be added
    Neon pink green and Walmart lemonade

    • Thank you very much brotherman

    • I see another one on the Barnes and Noble Website for $60??

    • The 2nd link has the 1234 go sticker so my guess is 1234 Go are numbering them but the vinyl is the same colour as the others

      Two new ones yesterday though

    • Added to the tracker! Thank you soldier

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DS Exclusive: Check out Ramonescore torchbearers the Manarovs’ music video for their new single “Long Time Ago”

Savannah, Georgia’s Manarovs are back with another new song called “Long Time Ago” and we’re stoked to bring you the exclusive premiere of the music video. This is the latest single from the Ramonescore band’s upcoming album Callsign: Proton. Check it out below! Callsign: Proton will be out soon, with Mom’s Basement Records (LP / CD) and Memorable […]

Savannah, Georgia’s Manarovs are back with another new song called “Long Time Ago” and we’re stoked to bring you the exclusive premiere of the music video. This is the latest single from the Ramonescore band’s upcoming album Callsign: Proton. Check it out below!

Callsign: Proton will be out soon, with Mom’s Basement Records (LP / CD) and Memorable But Not Honorable Records (Cassette). We’ll keep you posted as more details band’s sophomore album are revealed. For now, go back and check out their 2022 self-titled debut LP.

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DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Frenzal Rhomb, Strung Out, Link 80, Alkaline Trio & More)

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold […]

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:

17 years after its original release on CD, Frenzal Rhomb‘s Forever Malcolm Young is getting its first ever vinyl release. SBÄM Records has three snazzy splatter variants on their US and EU webstores. Our Australian readers (or anyone willing to pay a slight premium for shipping) can get the record on “Goon Wolf Red” colored vinyl from Artist First and/or very cleverly marketed “Johnny Ramone Punk Rock Black” vinyl from JB Hi-Fi.

Strung Out‘s Twisted By Design is the latest record in Fat Wreck’s 25th Anniversary reissue series. The original mix/master of this album has been out of print since 2010, so that’s notable as well. As always, Fat divulges absolutely nothing about the color variant because they know we’ll buy it regardless. So head on over to their webstore to grab a copy and find out what color the rekkid is when it shows up in the mail.

Needless to say, there were a lot of awesome reissues announced this week. Next up to bat is Asian Man Records with new pressings of both Link 80 albums, 17 Reasons and The Struggle Continues. Both are limited to 800 copies; the latter is back in print for the first time since its original release 20+ years ago. Get ’em here.

New release! Yes, we sometimes have those on the Record Radar. Matt Skiba attempts to steal the spotlight from his ex-Blink 182 bandmates with an announcement of his own. Alkaline Trio will release their 10th album Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs on January 26th, 2024. They’re pressing like 30 color variants for this fuckin’ thing and they’re all exclusive to different retailers… someone on Reddit was nice enough to make a post aggregating links to all the places you can buy each variant, so check that out.

Here’s another new release I’m really excited about; one of my most anticipated records of 2023, actually. Bri’ish skate punks Making Friends just launched pre-orders for their new album Fine Dying, which is due out November 3rd. Check out the new single “Broken” below and pre-order the record at one of these places: Punk Rock Radar (US), High End Denim Records (CA), Cat’s Claw Records (UK), Pee Records (AUS), Waterslide Records (JP).

Known for their recent reissues of some classic Pulley records, DustyWax Records adds another feather in their cap with a first ever vinyl release of 88 Fingers Louie‘s 88 Fingers Up Your Ass. Not much more to share on this right now; stay tuned for pre-orders coming soon on the label’s webstore.

Real Gone Music adds to their recent run of Donnas reissues with new pressings of Get Skintight and Turn 21. Each has an Indie variant (not so limited) and a webstore exclusive variant (very limited). These join the recently reissued self titled LP and American Teenage Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine, bringing all of The Donnas’ Lookout! Records catalog back in print for the first time in over a decade. All of the records are available here.

New Orleans ska-punks Joystick have a new record coming out November 14th on Bad Time Records. It’s a 12″ EP with four new songs on Side A and a “20 minute mystery side” on the flipside. Check out one of the new songs down there and get the record here.

Minneapolis’ Partial Traces (members of Banner Pilot, the Soviettes, Dead Landlord, Riverhead, etc.) just released a new record. It’s called Stay Dreaming and it sounds absolutely nothing like any of those other bands. Listen below, buy the record here.

Cal-gary, Alberta’s Territories have a new record out now on Pirates Press Records. Check out the latest single below and get it on neon orange (700 copies) and/or neon violet (300 copies) here. Only $18! (that’s USD, not CAD).

Revelation Records has an exclusive variant of the new Youth Brigade – Sound and Fury reissue from Trust Records. 1,000 copies on yellow colored vinyl; get it here.

Joyce Manor covered a Tigers Jaw song. Tigers Jaw covered a Joyce Manor song. Hopeless Records released a 7″ containing both of these cover songs and you can buy it here. There’s a tour variant, too, so if you’re one of the rich MFs at that When We Were Young Fest this weekend you can probably pay $20 for it at either band’s merch tent.

Speaking of When We Were Young Fest, during their performance at that very Las Vegas festival yesterday, New Found Glory allegedly announced their 2004 album Catalyst will be getting its first ever vinyl release, with pre-orders going live this coming Friday. These NFG reissues always sell out fast as hell, so keep your eyes on the band’s social media for an official announcement.

In a last minute addition to this week’s column, Chase the Glory Records has announced a big time repressing of SNFU’s 1996 FYULABA LP. There are 1,000 copies spread across four beautiful color variants. Pre-order just went up today; get your copy here.

Last order of business this week, I wanna give a quick shoutout to a longtime supporter of the Record Radar, Dan Jones aka @punkrock_vinyl on Instagram. Dan’s account was actually one of the main sources of inspiration for me starting this column. He recently launched his own distro with a bunch of awesome records (such as Love Equals Death‘s Nightmerica, which I snatched up with no hesitation, alongside the new Contra Code record Friday Junior). The prices are great and even though he’s based in the UK, shipping to the states is very reasonable. Head over there and check it out!

Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

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DS Review and Gallery: Violent Femmes Celebrate 40th Anniversary of its Debut Album at the Riviera Theatre; with Elizabeth Moen in support. Chicago (10.05.2023)

Violent Femmes, the legendary folk punk group out of Milwaukee, WI, returned to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. The band is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its self-titled debut album Violent Femmes. Lending support was Elizabeth Moen, originally from Iowa, now of Chicago. Violent Femmes, founded in Milwaukee WI in 1981, originally consisted of Gordon Gano on […]

Violent Femmes, the legendary folk punk group out of Milwaukee, WI, returned to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. The band is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of its self-titled debut album Violent Femmes. Lending support was Elizabeth Moen, originally from Iowa, now of Chicago.


Violent Femmes, founded in Milwaukee WI in 1981, originally consisted of Gordon Gano on lead vocals and guitar, Brian Ritchie on bass, and drummer Victor DeLorenzo. Gano and Ritchie remain part of the present line-up, with multi-instrumentalist Blais Garza and drummer John Sparrow joining in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

As mentioned above, this concert tour celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut, Violent Femmes. The group kicked off its set with what is arguably its most famous and likely most popular tune, “Blister in the Sun.” It seems not often that a band will play its biggest tune right out of the chute. But when those iconic first notes hit, the crowd was immediately thrilled and that feeling appeared to never let up. Gano’s unique voice is as strong as ever.

Violent Femmes is immensely suited to sing-alongs by the audience. Sure, audience members singing along is pretty much standard operating procedure at many concerts. However, at a Violent Femmes show, the art is a bit elevated. Seemingly every word is sung in great unison by, often sold out crowds. At one point Brian Ritchie, if I recall correctly, raised an arm in the same manner as association football aka soccer, players do, to urge fans on. It might not technically fall under the call-and-response definition but was pretty cool to witness.


Speaking of Brian Ritchie, he was a charismatic presence throughout the show. Moving to the edge of the stage several times, he delighted those in close proximity. If there was a leader on stage among the band members, it was clearly Ritchie.

Zooming through the track listing, the energy level from band and audience never waned. The crowd did understandably appear to skew older, many likely discovering the debut album when it actually debuted, or soon thereafter. It was refreshing, however, to see younger fans scattered throughout, a family affair for some. Highlights included the aforementioned “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” “I Held Her In My Arms,” and “I’m Nothing.”

All of the band members are adept at playing multiple instruments, as is the case with many groups. Gordon Gano, for example, plays the violin along with the guitar. However, some of the instruments are, to say the least, non-traditional. Ritchie plays not only bass, but a conch shell as well, and a box he slaps as he sits upon it. I don’t know of any other punk bands in which a conch shell is used. (It also made me regret not taking home one of the beautiful conch shells I saw during my time spent in Belize years back.)

But eliciting cool sounds from unusual sources is just one of the things that makes Violent Femmes music unique.


John Sparrow, plays an instrument more unusual even than a conch shell. As in a Weber Grill in the role of one of his drums. Yes, that American barbecue grilling classic. The first sight of it is always amusing, but it’s played it to great effect.

Sparrow plays roughly along the same onstage line, as Gano and Ritchie. With the exception of briefly trading box slapping duties with Ritchie, he performs standing, slightly hunched over a simple set-up. Sparrow was one of the most animated of the performers on stage.

Also, because he was not obscured by a combination of factors: distance from the photo pit, blocked by an expansive kit and/or a high stage, and poor lighting in the back area, it was refreshing to be able to actually grab some pretty decent drummer photos. His deft playing was fun to witness as well, especially when he was let loose for an occasional solo. On stage, Ritchie described Sparrow as a “Grill Master.” Fitting. Hey Weber Grill, give this guy a sponsorship if he does not have one already.


When attending a Violent Femmes show, it is hard to not immediately notice another thing set toward the rear of the stage. A giant saxophone, known as a Contrabass Saxophone.

Played by Blais Garza, the instrument made its first appearance with the group in 2004 and has been used on subsequent Violent Femmes recordings.

The manner in which Garza plays the instrument, towering high above him, leaves no doubt he has complete command of it, evoking lovely and compelling sounds.

At first glance, those unfamiliar with Violent Femmes’ music and shows might dismiss instruments such as conch shells, Weber Grills, and supersized saxophones, as gimmicky. And yes, there are many gimmicks to be found in punk music. Way too many for me personally. Schtick Punk is not really my jam. Violent Femmes are not that at all.

However quirky Violent Femmes is, the band is not given to cheap and easy artifices. This is a band, decades on, with some personnel changes, which remains, at its core, a band of great musicians. They put on a clinic of how to stage a show the attendees will long remember and leave, looking forward to the next time Violent Femmes hit their towns.


I would be remiss if I failed to mention that Violent Femmes is also backed by a formidable horns section, integral to the show and the music. Add it up (hey, I had to do this at least once) and the show was a blast. All of the band members seemed to be enjoying themselves if the wide smiles they sported during much of the performance were any indication. Gano, in particular, kept a never-fading look of joy on his face. The smiles of those in the crowd indicated the same. I might have grinned a bit as well.

Oh, and a quick note, one of songs off that debut album, “To The Kill,” references Chicago and a certain legendary mobster. The Riviera Theatre sits across the street, just yards away from the historic Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, where Al Capone held court in his booth, facing the entrances of course. Having myself enjoyed a night of jazz with friends in that very same booth, though no fan of the murderous Chicagoan, I found myself trying to contain slight chuckle.

Ending the show with “American Music” the second of a two-song encore, made for a rousing capper to a kicker of an evening.

Violent Femmes U.S.tour continues through November 18, 2023, closing out in Huntington Beach CA.


Opening up for Violent Femmes was Elizabeth Moen, from Vinton, Iowa, but now of Chicago.

Moen and her band provided the crowd a terrific start to the evening as her powerful vocals spread through the venue.

Elizabeth Moen’s most recent recordings include the album Wherever You Aren’t, from 2022; and For Arthur in 2023. That latter is an album of covers of Arthur Russell‘s music. Moen has pledged all of the Bandcamp proceeds from “For Arthur,” to One Iowa, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ Iowans.

Moen will be headlining at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, on November 4, 2023.


Please check out more photos from the show. Thanks & Cheers!



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